Buffy and Angel Rewatch part 32

B5.09 Listening To Fear
This episode can mostly be divided into two. The alien from space storyline and the Joyce one. The former isn't that interesting though I guess the idea of aliens is new to the show. otherwise it was fairly standard with the Scoobies researching and Buffy slaying, even if she didn't know what it was. Though it did advance the overall arc a little, often this storyline just felt like filler for the other storyline which was much more compelling. Each scene with the three Summers women was well scripted and wonderfully acted. It was all very emotional and I think well portrayed the struggle Dawn and especially Buffy had in dealing with a sick mother. I like the ending in which Joyce discovers that Dawn isn't her daughter, its a very strong scene and its apt that shes one of the first to find out the secret. (8/10)

A2.09 The Trial
This episode starts a little slowly I find. There's a lot of backwards and forwards trying to find out where Darla is and if she's really ill. The flashbacks apart from introducing Holtz, are a bit superfluous as well. However once Angel and Darla pay a visit to Caritas, the episode really kicks in and the last half of the episode is some of the best the show has done. From Darla singing to Angel's trials with Darla experiencing them, it is pure excitement. Its not really a surprise that Angel won the trials, especially the first two, as he's you know, Angel. And this being a Joss Whedon show its not surprising that things did not go as plan. Angel's reaction on finding out that the trials were for nothing was so powerful and it shows how much he loves her. Whilst Angel may have done those trials for many people in his life, that reaction shows how badly he wanted it for Darla and how deep their connection runs. The trials themselves were a novel idea and whilst the butler was a little annoying, he was a good emcee to the proceedings.
However the best bit of this episode is at the end, after Darla accepts her death sentence and Angel resolves to be by her side, in crashes Lindsey, for once getting to 'beat' Angel and Drusilla to sire Darla. This is a terrific scene; the slow motion and lack of dialogue (no crazy Drusilla ramblings to spoil the intensity of the moment) apart from Lindsey, is just pitch perfect and makes this an incredible scene and brilliant cliffhanger. (9/10)

A2.10 Reunion
Like the previous episode this is a little slow to begin with, but after Darla wakes up, the episode gets a lot more interesting. Darla and Drusilla are an interesting pairing but they are perhaps not as interesting as the two main couples (Spike/Dru, Angel/Darla) and honestly out of the pairings of the four of them we see, Darla and Drusilla are my least favourite. (the only one not shown is Spike/Darla which is a shame as they would've been interesting as a pairing) Thats not to say they don't work well together as in this episode they are certainly fun to watch; their rampage is certainly fun, especially the shopping trip which is very suitable for the two women of the Fang Gang. Having Drusilla and Darla turn on the lawyers is a wonderful one. It is a wonder sometimes how a group of human lawyers are able to keep vicious demons under their thumb and it shows in this episode that this isn't always the case. Lindsey was the most intriguing of the lawyers with his lack of fear, obviously due to his lust for Darla. I am a little sad that Holland is killed in this episode he's a fun 'baddie' to have around and his replacement isn't nearly as likable. The end scenes are undoubtedly the best of the episode; watching Angel turn dark, but not evil is delicious and even more so when he fires his staff. In the scheme of things this was a good move for all concerned as in the last few episodes, Wes, Cordy and Gunn have been on the sidelines of Angel's Darla obsession just piping up every so often to voice their concern, but ultimately just doing what Angel tells them. Him firing them will change the balance of power over the coming episodes. (9.5/10)

A2.11 Redefinition
A great episode, which starts the format of the next few episodes. That format is that the action is divided between Angel's storyline and Wes/Cordy and Gunn's storyline. The latter kept the episode light as they tried to find their place in the world. It was nice that Wes had a sounding board in Virginia, but the most fun was seeing them in Caritas, especially the karaoke which was hilarious. Cordy's visions and the fact that they were able to kill the demon gave all of them individually and as a group a sense of purpose that would last long past the next few episodes.
Angel's storyline was a lot darker as he trained and then set Dru and Darla on fire. I didn't find Angel's training scenes that interesting as it doesn't feel like anything he hasn't been doing so far (killing vamps) but I appreciate what he was trying to do. I also didn't like the constant voice-overs, which lost their effect the more times he spoke. The first and last ones were the most effective and should've been kept with that.
I did like the Lilah/Lindsey storyline. Lindsey's disappointment at not being the only one alive was hilarious as was their bickering over who might be promoted. I like seeing the inner machinations of Wolfram & Hart. (9.5/10)