Posted by Trevor - August 6, 2009 - Angel, Commentary
Another fortnight, another Angel-cast. From the darkest moments of Season Two, Tony and David return with an episode that was a trial in many forms.
In Season Two, the directive was “Angel goes bad” . Resurrecting Darla seems to be working a treat even if he still has time to do laundry. But the stakes ( no pun) are lifted when the now mortal Darla discovers she is dying of an er social disease. Angel will turn over heaven and Earth to save her , but all he has to do is sire her again. But will he ever get that desperate.
Angel is best when it’s all about the subtext and when it gives its viewer no easy options. Here we look at Angel’s ( pointless?)quest for redemption, the inevitabilty of Greek tragedy and the stages of confronting death. Plus there’s a tale from Francis of Assissi, a mention of a vital future villain and a hint of Ella Fitzgerald. Darla-devotee David lyricises about her multifarous manifestations, comedic stylings, soap opera hair tossing and some bloody good singing while we uncan that old worm lunch pail – who was the great love of Angel’s life?
Plus of course there’s THAT ending…..
Angel .. it’s an Irish tale, not an English one.
Posted by Trevor - July 23, 2009 - Angel, Commentary
It’s Two Rooms time again: while Geoff and Trev journey through the StarGate, Tony and David visit the mire and despair of the City of Angels.
“Five By Five” came in the middle of Angel’s all important first season as it tried to distance itself from that show about the cheer leader to become a defining show about urban angst , redemption and Olympic level brooding. The pleasant routine of Angel’ s scowling is disturbed by the arrival in LA of rogue Slayer Faith, soon embroiled in a contract with uber-law firm Wolfram and Hart to assassinate our dark clad vigilante. Faith goes pretty postal in her brutal efforts to lure Angel out, but what is her real agenda? And what does it have to do with Romania 1898?
Tony and David make their first entry into the opaque vista of the Angel-verse to establish why THIS episode set the show on its own track, why we like Eliza Dust-Cover and what is with all those flashbacks. Plus we discuss why Faith works better on Angel, how important Cordy is while Tony teaches us how to prnounce Angelus and David reveals a secret about shooting the rain soaked finale that everyone else in the world already knew. If you believe it is better to be hated than ignored, this commentary is for you
Angel .. contrary to opinion, it was not chosen cos Darla’s in it.
