Buffy and Angel Rewatch part 63

Buffy season 7
As a final season, this is a great one. Even though the show has changed a great deal over 7 years, one of my favourite things about this final season is that it brings the characters and the show full circle allowing it to finish where it began.
Like season one, this season kicks off with the Big Bad firmly at work and present in Sunnydale. There is another first day at high school, but this time for Dawn. A lot of evils that once plagued the high school return for another haunting. The Scoobies are firmly back together, really for the first time since season 5 and the season ends back in the Hellmouth and the High School.

Surprisingly there are some filler episodes in this season, but I think pretty much every episode references the coming evil in some way. The strongest episodes are probably those that directly tackle the problem of the First, though there are a couple of weaker ones that fall into that category as well.
The show's final big bad, is fittingly one we've seen before. I feel that the big bad mostly works, some people dislike the vagueness of it and it is difficult to know it's exact purpose. However I think the fact that it can manipulate people into doing it's bidding make it a very strong final Bad for Buffy to fight. The First gets into the heart of Buffy's army on more than one occasion and makes it difficult for the Slayer to fight, as her opinion knows her every move. When the First comes in the form of dead loved ones (which was a great move as we got to see a lot of old favourites back in the final season in a unique and non shark jumpy way), the characters mostly know who it is and still The First manages to affect them. The First is also interesting in that respect as it's played by a variety of actor's, so it's never one continuing character. This keeps the First interesting throughout the season which was important especially as it's the Big Bad that has lasted the longest on the show.
As for it's lackey's Caleb is obviously the best one. It's slightly ironic though, considering he is alone but manages to do the most damage. The fact that he isn't around for very long makes him all the more interesting.

The Potentials are undoubtedly the weak link of the season. Though the writers do a decent job of dividing the screen time between the originals and these newbies- so that we can actually care a little when they die, or at the prospect of them dying, it does feel like the original Scoobies get inched out a little. The reduced screen time is good for some characters, especially Dawn who is a much better character in season 7, but I did miss seeing Anya and Xander, who got a little shafted in terms of storylines.

Out of the Scoobies, Buffy and Willow get the best storylines. Willow with Kennedy and her magic problems and Buffy with her Slayer and army. It's interesting to not that this is the only season where Buffy doesn't have a proper love interest (Spike doesn't really count as it's very much an ex relationship, no matter how strong their bond seems to be), but this only helps to highlight the loneliness she feels as the Slayer.
However annoying the potentials are it does make for a great ending in which Buffy changes Slayer history for good. She finds a cure for her loneliness and the burden she has felt (an ongoing arc during the series) and creates many others like her. It's a brilliant idea and one that closes that the show nicely.

Overall this was a great season to end on. The episodes were a little mixed and there were some filler ones, but like always, the show pulls all the stops out for a terrific finale. (9/10)

Angel season 4
This is a very odd season for Angel. In some ways this is the best season. It has some of the strongest episodes and overall arcs that the show has produced. It has an actual apocalypse, which as I have said before is the first time we've actually seen one. All the actor's are just brilliant do a great job and there are some amazing action scenes throughout the season/ Plus it makes you think especially when Jasmine's true nature is revealed and the consequences of killing her are felt. However this is also the worst season in a way. There are some awful plot points and a lot of contrivances as the writers scrambled to write around Charisma Carpenter's pregnancy. The Cordy/ Connor relationship is just icky, which ever way you look at it. Plus the whole season just makes Cordy an unlikeable character, no matter how hard you try to believe that Jasmine is the one in control the whole time. These reasons are probably the reason why this season often ends up at the bottom and top of many a fan's favourite season lists.

When taken in it's smaller arcs - Cordy's return, the apocalypse/The Beast, The Beast master/ Angelus/Faith, Cordy is evil, and finally Jasmine, the season is a lot more successful in my opinion. The season swings around lot during these arcs and it make it hard to believe that so much happened in just one season.
Cordy's return is probably the least interesting arc, amnesia whilst a convenient plot device can get a little boring and since the Cordy/ Connor relationship begins here, it can be a little hard to watch at times. The apocalypse arc is a lot more interesting. The Rain of Fire and blotting out of the sun, makes the apocalypse that little bit more real and we got a lot of fun action scene to go along with it. This is the same with the Angelus and Faith arc. Both characters are so interesting and just a joy to watch, that it's hard not to enjoy these episode, no matter how they were brought about.
In hindsight, it's easy to see how Cordy/Jasmine's evil plan plays out,even before the reveal. In Long Day's Journey, it becomes obvious that killing Manny, the last totem, is an inside job making it very likely to be Cordy (1 out of 4 chance; just Gwen, Gunn, Angel, and Cordy present). Later she has the 'memory' that Angelus knew the Beast, but Angel doesn't remember this. There was probably no meeting, (or maybe there was, the gang believe that the memory has been wiped, but I think the fact that it never happened made more sense) awakening Angelus was just a distraction and she led them right down that path with a little help from the Beast. In 'Calvary' again she has another vision that doesn't pan out and leads to Angelus being released.
The final arcs of Cordy being revealed as evil and pregnant is a little tough to take, just because it's Cordy a beloved character who is meant to be evil. It becomes more palatable when it is revealed that Jasmine has been the driving force all a long.
Jasmine is an interesting evil to have. Essentially she wants to bring a sort of utopia upon earth, which is very different from the big bads we've experienced on the show so far. Lilah commends the gang on ending world peace; she and W&H believe that that's just what Angel and team have done. Jasmine herself also believes this and her logic makes sense. Kill a few thousand to save millions. It's hard to hate her that much, when she offered happiness to so many and the gang definitely feel this after they have been released from her thrall. However, it is easy to see why Angel had to bring her down. For instance, if Jasmine was good, it seems hard to believe that she needed so much destruction and devastation for her to be brought about. Plus free will- pretty much a big thing, especially on this show. However this ambiguity is what makes Jasmine such an interesting, if not an especially enjoyable, big bad.

Character wise, Lorne becomes further ingratiated in the team and Gwen makes a big splash in her few episodes. Fred steps up to the plate and becomes more of a heroine rather than the victim she was. Wesley had changed immeasurably, but in many ways, his looser morals make him a more likable character. Angel, as a character is very much all over the place during this season and it continues into the next. Until he loses his soul, he mostly plays hurt and vengeful over the loss of Cordy and Connor and Cordy's growing relationship.
Whilst I enjoyed the Angelus arc and David Boreanaz does such a good job of playing him, it does annoy me a touch. For a show that dabbles in the grey area a lot, its annoying when the characters differentiate so much between souled and unsouled Angel. Plenty of characters in the show with souls (eg all W&H employees) do unspeakable things without feeling too much guilt so why should Angel (souled) be much different? Granted Angelus is far worse than most of the lawyers could be. Watching Buffy season 7 at the same time, showed the vast differences with how the writers of each handled their souled vampires and I have to say in respect to this Angelus/Angel argument, the Buffy writers handled Spike going 'good' a lot better as they didn't differentiate between the soul/no soul personalities as much (Spike's personality was pretty much the same in s6 and s7).

Overall then, even though this season does have it's problems, it's generally a highly enjoyable season to watch. There's few filler episodes and everything just flows from one episode to the next. (9/10)

Buffy and Angel

Episode Order
This was easily the hardest two seasons to watch together. Both seasons had big overarching arcs meaning that storylines flowed from one episode to the next with very few natural storyline breaks. This made it nearly impossible to watch the shows alternately, without taking a break in one where there shouldn't have been. This wasn't so hard for the beginning of the season but from the Faith arc, this became very difficult. As a result there the episode order I watched wasn't a perfect one.

Episodes
In some ways the seasons were very similar. They both had big 'Big Bad's'. On Buffy the big bad claimed to be the ultimate evil; on Angel the bad claimed to bringing world peace. The two storylines were fortunately kept separate until the end of Buffy. Angel's apocalypse and blotting out of the sun, was a little bizarre in that it was confined to LA but it would've messed with the story on Buffy if it had spread further. At the end of the season, having Angel present, would've severely negated the work the writers had out into developing Spike's own path to hero, making it a necessity that he left. Keep the shows separate didn't always work. I loved the Faith break-out of jail in Angel as it worked so well in the storyline; Faith is a character who naturally belongs in Angel. However it felt silly that the Scoobies didn't bring her back earlier. As the other remaining Slayer she would've been a natural asset to their cause.

Crossovers
The main crossover was of course Faith and even then that wasn't a strictly a crossover. Her story carried on Buffy after she departed LA, but since Faith' character was originally on Buffy, her story was naturally finished on here. The entire Faith arc was a joy to watch. She was amazing in her few episodes on Angel, slotting perfectly into the team also sorting out some of her issues along with it. She continued to 'deal' when she went to Sunnydale and sorted out her relationships with the Scoobies. Willow and Angel both pulled double duty on the two shows. Willows crossover was brilliant to watch mostly because of the off screen romance between Alyson Hannigan and Alexis Denisof, which added the 'awww' factor. Angel's appearance as Buffy's first love and because he is such an important on the show, was crucial to the show ending and going off in style. It was nice to add some sort of closure to their relationship, which was done in a brilliantly diplomatic way so as not to upset either Spike or Angel fans.

Overall
It's hard to pick which had the better season in that they were both pretty epic, but admittedly both seasons had pretty big flaws. Buffy's season ended stronger, but Angel's was probably consistently better. Overall I think Angel slightly edges out on best season, mostly because of the pure epic-ness of the season as a whole.

Buffy and Angel Rewatch part 62

B7.20 Touched
Since the ending is fast approaching, in many ways this is a nice human emotion episode to have. Buffy can get a little annoying when she's all melancholy; at least here she is starting to realise that maybe she isn't always right. Spike too falls into the annoying category, as he gets all superior about Buffy being kicked out with the gang and then again with Buffy herself.
The sex scenes that are referred to in the episodes title, make a lot of sense as they feature the shows core and likely to have sex characters. I do like the contrasts between the different couplings, including Xander and Anya's very messy sex on the kitchen floor!
As always it's nice to see the Mayor back on the show, even in the form of the First. No-one mattered more to Faith than him and since all the other Scoobies (minus Giles and Xander; shame Jenny couldn't have come back but she's already been the First once) have had visits from dead loved ones, it's about time she did too. What he said wasn't of great importance but it was a nice blast from the past.
Speaking of blasts, the ending was a very enjoyable one. I loved the cliffhanger aspect with the bomb ticking away. I guess since it's her show, Buffy had to be the one to find the scythe and be proven right, though it would've been nice for Faith's hard work to pay of as well. (8.5/10)

B7.21 End of Days
The end is indeed is indeed near. As the episode begins with an explosion which puts Faith out of commission, we finally see what they potentials can do. For the first time they are not fighting an ordinary vamp but the uber vamps. They're not great at it, admittedly, but this is only to allow Buffy to play the hero. The scenes of panic that play out at the house are good to watch as it really impresses home what danger they are all in. Sometimes on the show it can feel like everything will be alright in the end due to the safety net of it being a TV show, so these types of scenes are important.
Until the end there isn't much action but a lot of two people scenes. Sweet moments play out between some likely and unlikely pairings; Buffy/Xander, Buffy/Spike, Buffy/Faith, Willow/Giles and Anya/Andrew and they serve as a nice way to close the series for certain characters and pairings, especially Anya, Buffy/Xander and Buffy/Faith.
The scythe is a nice weapon to pull out of the bag at the eleventh hour, but we never get an explanation about why the First had it uncovered. It seems a pretty stupid thing to do, considering the power Buffy has with it. They do provide a nice back story to the scythe though in that it was created by people looking out for the Slayer herself. We have had a lot over the years about the Watchers and the men who originally created the Slayer, none of whom seemed to have the Slayer's best interests at heart, so it's nice that there were people watching over her.
Angel's return is obviously a major part of the episode. I used to be bothered that he could be so happy and heroic for Buffy considering all that's just happened to him in LA, but now I've realised that it's easy to put on a facade even when things are bad in your own life. Angel needs to be string and helpful for Buffy not depress her with all his problems. He has plenty of time to brood when he goes back to LA! (9.5/10)

B7.22 Chosen
Where do I start?! In a perfect and utterly satisfying conclusion to the show, Buffy saves the world (again). However this time she changes it as well, making every potential into an actual Slayer. As a concept this is an excellent way to bring the show full circle. The show's mission statement, spoken by The First in this episode, is completely altered and Buffy's biggest burden is now lifted. By doing this, Buffy is squarely put in Slayer history as the one Slayer who changed the rules and balanced out the fight against evil. One of my favourite things about this episode was the way in which Buffy's idea was revealed, first by hiding it and then revealing it towards the end. They have done the hidden plan thing before (Graduation Day, The Gift), but the sheer magnitude of the idea just made they way they did it in this episode, absolutely perfect.
Destroying Sunnydale was also another neat idea. The Hellmouth is always there as demonstrated by other times when Buffy has left and come back again and it will always need a Slayer to defend it. Closing the Hellmouth or at least getting rid of the humans living above and prey to it, was the best way to ensure that Buffy could truly move on.
The show did many other things to bring it full circle. Taking the fight to the High School and getting to destroy it again was a nice touch as was the final scene before the fight in which the core Scoobies, recount their conversation from season 1. I was also glad to see only the main alive characters in the final shot as these are the characters which made the show.
The fight scenes were brilliantly executed, as were the special effects, which were better than seen in some Hollywood blockbusters. Buffy coming face to face with The First/Buffy was also well done, but this was probably mostly due to Sarah Michelle Gellar's acting skills. I haven't mentioned it before, but like she did with the Buffy-bot, she pulled off the role of The First excellently and more convincing than many of the other actors brought in have done.
As for the deaths, Anya's was incredibly sad and quickly done; the shot of her lifeless body was a sad one, especially as she and Xander seemed so close during the episode. A main character death was much needed though, otherwise it wouldn't have felt like an apocalypse. Spike's death, whilst heroic, is cheapened by the fact that he doesn't really die and appears in Angel next season. His death here would be a lot more poignant had he stayed dead.
Overall this was a stellar episode and a beautiful way to end the show. I know many would've preferred The Gift, but personally the heroics and game-changing aspects of this episode make it the perfect to see out the show. (10/10)

Entourage Season 7 Premiere Party Photos- Whedon Alum to star?

One of my favourite things about HBO (and other cable networks) shows is that they hold cast premieres for each season of the show. True Blood recently had theirs and now is the turn of Entourage.



Their photos can be viewed here thanks to spoilertv. Along with the usual pictures of the boys and their girls on the show, lots of the seasons guest stars will pop up at the party. Case in point there are pictures of Autumn Reeser (reprising her role as agent Lizzie), Lenny Kravitz (starring as himself) Constance Zimmer (reprising her role as head of studio Dana Gordon as well as many others who will undoubtedly appear in the show.


However I was very intrigued to see the following photo... of Whedon alum Nathan Fillion. Now I'm a big Fillion fan and I would love to see him on the show, but I haven't heard any rumours about this. Now he might've just turned up for some HBO fun or because he's dating someone else appearing on the show. However since HBO don't tend to release many details about their shows too early, it could be entirely possible that he will be appearing in the show. If he is it will be very exciting and I look forward to see if he will be in character or playing himself. Due to his recent success with Castle, he might just be famous enough to appear on the show as himself.



Watch this space for updates!

Buffy and Angel Rewatch part 61

A4.19 The Magic Bullet
This episode does a great job of contrasting Fred's and later the groups, loneliness and despair over 'losing' Jasmine, with the happiness that the rest of LA is feeling, especially in the opening scene. The show is basically attributing to Jasmine's control to a cult and the mixing of the blood, to the loss of a cult and that sense of sureity and happiness. Fred's loneliness is sad to watch especially as she has been an outcast before in Pylea so this undoubtedly brings back
memories of that.
I'm not really sure what the writers were thinking writing a romantic scene between Fred and Angel; testing the water perhaps but they have already been down that road and feels a little odd to have every member of Angel Investigations fall for Fred.
There are a lot of fun scenes in this episode surprisingly, the open mic night and particularly Angel and Connor singing together was a real highlight. It's also pretty interesting to note that Lorne's demon-ness is completely out in the open and accepted as in another funny scene in which he discusses his physiology. A little odd perhaps that he's so open about it considering the wider demon 'jihad' as its put. (8/10)

A4.20 Sacrifice
Now that Angel Inc are out of Jasmine's control and her true colours are starting to show, the arc has become a lot more enjoyable. The show is always stronger when the gang is together anyway. The street/sewer kids were a good device to use to give the group direction. Them running away is not something we are used to; it makes more sense that they would stay to fight something. The skittery demon Angel fights, is pretty gruesome, though I did love that she was making a sacrifice out of a vampire, that was pretty amusing.
Jasmine continues to get creepier, especially in the scene in which she digs her nails into Connor and the final scene where she's manically laughing. However this also means that as a villain she is becoming stonger and more more interesting. When she talked about politicians surrendering to her was a particularly important scene as it gives an inclination into what she really wants. (8.5/10)

A4.21 Peace Out
This is an odd climax to the arc, but it was always going to be difficult to end. Jasmine's true name being the key to her destruction was a little hokey, but I loved her final confrontation with Angel. It throws up so many questions as to what Angel has achieved and the season as a whole. Was Jasmine really good like she says or was she evil? Yes she ate people, but she offered happiness. Lilah ascertains that Angel did just end world peace, but Angel contests that and it's a debate that will continue into the next episode. Speaking of, I also loved Lilah's entrance in this episode and it sets up for a much more satisfying finale than this episode would've been.
Connor played a major part in this episode, as it's revealed that he has known all along who Jasmine was. This is a little bit of ret-con but an interesting theory- perhaps he wasn't under her spell as he was her father. Why he overlooked it is easier to understand as Jasmine was to all intents and purposes, his daughter and parents tend to have a blind love. Vincent Karthesier, doesn't often get praised for his acting but he did a great job in this episode, especially in his monologue scene with Cordy, which a frank look at Connor's perspective. (8.5/10)

A4.22 Home
Though this episode starts off a little shaky, it develops into one of the best season finale the show has done. Coming of the back of an apocalypse and world peace/domination, where is there left to go for the team. They have saved the world, could they really go back to saving singular people week in and week out? That's why as the episode takes shape, the idea of Angel taking of W&H becomes more and more genius. It is a little hard to accept the idea of W&H now becoming
the gang's new home since it's been the villain for so long and also to see why the gang are considering it. There are perks for sure, but it must be hard for them to get their heads around the idea.
Bringing back Lilah was just a wonderful idea, there is no one better suited to entice the team. Her scene with Wesley, in amongst the filing cabinets is my favourite. The scene is fairly quiet, but there is a connection that runs surprisingly deep between the pair that just makes that scene so incredibly sweet and painful. This also goes for Angel in his scenes with both Lilah and Connor. Angel, along with Fred, is the least excited about the W&H deal; Angel was especially sceptical and even the offer of help for Buffy in Sunnydale wasn't enough to tempt him. Connor, of course would be the only reason for Angel to make a deal with the devil. It's perhaps an easy but necessary end for Connor's storyline and troubled past.
As for the rest of the gang's tours, I would've liked to have seen at least some of Lorne's and it's a shame that we didn't. Gunn's was the most interesting in that we don't see what happens to him in the White Room. Overall though this is a sensational finale and the perfect way to cap the season off. (10/10)

Buffy and Angel Rewatch part 60

A4.16 Players
I'm a big fan of this episode. What could've been a filler episode for the finale arc kicked in, was seamlessly part of the overall season by bringing back Gwen, who this time was looking for a cure. Her three episodes was actually a nice story arc for Gwen. We got to see her origins, and what she does best, then her helping the gang and being a hero, and finally her finding cure for her inner freak. This episode was also a nice episode for Gunn and showed that he has more talents that he has perhaps ever been given credit for. The final scene with the pair was incredibly hot and they would've made an interesting couple.
The storyline at the hotel felt a little filler, until the final scene, where it is revealed that Cordy's treachery has been found out. It makes for an exciting cliffhanger ending for the next episode. (9/10)

A4.17 Inside Out
For me this a pretty amazing episode. We finally get explanations of all Cordy's transgressions and also we finally get to see fully evil Cordy. It would've been nice to see more of Cordy as this evil thing- Charisma Carpenter does evil so well, but the fact we get so little makes this episode more special. Whilst its nice seeing Skip again- visually he's a pretty amazing demon and he's pretty funny even when evil- I'm not sure I like his explanation of how fate or Jasmine specifically has worked. It therefore renders both shows as the machinations of this god, which doesn't quite sit right with me. Still an explanation is better than none at all. I do love his death though, Wes' amazing on target shot into Skip's head was just incredible.
The strongest part of this episode is of course the Darla/Connor scenes. Its a thrill to see Julie Benz back and for once being the good one. The scenes are hugely haunting. It was also a nice chance for mother and son to meet and a reminder that TPTB are still around, despite Angel thinking they have deserted them. (9/10)

A4.18 Shiny Happy People
This is an interesting start to the Jasmine arc. Like many of Angel's arcs it's difficult to talk about this episode in itself. The beginning is a touch tedious as all the team bow to her will and act all googly eyed over her. Unadulterated happiness isn't that interesting to watch on TV funnily enough. However things get a lot more interesting once Fred finally wakes up. Emotionally and physically Fred has always been the weakest of the characters (baring perhaps Lorne), but here she becomes the detective and eventual hero of the group. As the only remaining female member, it's probably harder on her than it would be on any of the others and that's what makes it so interesting. I love the scene where Fred tells Wes her findings and he betrays her. It's very poignant and enjoyable to watch. (7.5/10)

B7.18 Dirty Girls
This is one of my favourite episodes of the season. The return of Faith brings much joy; she has a lot more history with the Scoobies than with those in LA making her entrance that little bit more interesting. It's a touch annoying that we have to have so much exposition courtesy of Andrew as to Faith's past, but for new viewers at the time this must've been useful. She zings with all the main characters and its nice to see that apart from Dawn and to an extent Buffy, they are all able to put their history with her to one side.
The other notable entrance in this episode is of course of Caleb. Nathan Fillion plays this role to perfection and it's a testament to his incredible acting skills. Having a corporeal and coherent baddie was much needed. The Turok Han and the Bringers are fearsome warriors, but they don't say much and though the First like to talk the talk, he can't really do anything. Caleb however makes a dramatic impact killing at least two of the girls and of course the biggest impact in squeezing out Xander's eye. This scene doesn't get any less shocking or hard to watch the more times I watch it and puts Xander top of the casualty list. Apart from Anya, Xander hasn't really lost anyone or thing like the other Scoobies have (Angel, Joyce, Tara, Jenny) so perhaps it is fitting that he loses something so important now. His speech earlier in the episode only makes his loss here more poignant. (9.5/10)

B7.19 Empty Places
Though this is a very enjoyable episode, it is somewhat of a placeholder between the last episode and the next one. I love the final scene when Buffy is chucked out of her house, it is a very strong scene, especially as all the main Scoobies get involved with their thoughts. Silence from any of them was just not an option. If I'm honest it's a little hard to feel sorry for Buffy at the end of this episode. She hasn't always done well at her leadership role and it's something that she has definitely struggled with. This is exemplified here more than anything, when she refuses to listen to anyone else over what they should do. (I must say her view on democracy is very interesting considering American's think themselves as the leaders of democracy!) Whilst I do think the potentials step out of line here, Buffy doesn't want to listen to the other Scooby's, even those she is currently speaking to and this is her downfall here. Buffy hasn't been a bad leader this season, but she has definitely lost perspective by the end of this episode. That said I'm not sure Faith is a better leader for the girls. In effect she and Buffy do make a good team playing good/bad cop, and I love the scenes when the girls go to The Bronze, but Faith is really not a leader. Even during her stint on Angel, she struggled with it a little and Wesley was by her side in the planning and execution of their ruse to trap Angelus. (8.5/10)

Buffy and Angel Rewatch part 59

B7.16 Storyteller
Whilst its nice to get a little background as to what happened before Andrew killed Jonathan, this episode feels a little strange. Its format and focusing on a minor character feels a little weird and it doesn't quite fit in with the rest of the season, especially so late on. Andrew can be funny though, so it wasn't awful. Having to see so much of the Trio is a little annoying though. It was nice to see Xander and Anya make nice after their previous year of difficulties, even if they're not meant to be as a couple. The students freaking out on the Hellmouth was also fun to see; calling back to many season 1-3 storylines. (7.5/10)

B7.17 Lies My Parents Told Me
My opinion on this episode has definitely changed from the last time I watched it. Whilst it is still an excellent episode, I'm more firmly on Wood's side here. They are in a war, but Wood's need for vengeance here is completely understandable. Giles too, had just cause for worrying about Spike, since Buffy seems to be more blind to the danger he poses than she did to Angel. Now I'm not saying Buffy is totally wrong for saying Spike has changed because the soul has surely changed who he is, just like it changed Angel, but its unfair for her to shut Giles out (literally and figuratively) at the end of the episode.
The flashbacks are a fun and effective way for Spike to work out his Oedipal issues, which are allowing the First to take control of him. The episode is flawed though in the fact that even after Spike is sired, he still dotes on his mother, but she completely turns on him. The writing here isn't completely consistent with how far the demon takes over the body as Spike's inner demon doesn't seem to have complete control over him. Therefore when Spike tells Robin that his mother loved him, the point isn't quite true. Similarly when Spike tells Robin that Nikki didn't love him completely, well that isn't true either. I severely don't think that Nikki should've given up her calling just because she had a son. She wouldn't have been able to live with herself of she had. Like Buffy she doesn't have the luxury of choosing to protect the world. It chose her. (8.5/10)

A4.14 Release
The Faith and Wesley aspect of this episode is very strong. Its understandable that Faith would be off her game, now she's reformed after her stint in prison. She's used to fighting like she didn't care for her life and now she does, forcing her to adjust. Wes, is very in tune with this and knows just what to do and say to get her back to her best. Their confrontation over her torturing him was particularly notable as Wes has never had a chance to avenge this and so its only right he get's a chance to say what he's probably wanted to say for 3 years.
The activities at the hotel are less interesting however. Gunn and Fred's interactions weren't that thrilling, though it did give them a chance for closure. I didn't care for Connor and Cordy much either, they are a bit icky, though the scene where Connor checks for vampire-ness was funny. I also wasn't a fan of Cordy/the Beast master speaking to Angelus in his head. The 'British' voice was a little cheesy and it made the scenes where Angelus was talking to her a bit weird. (8/10)

A4.15 Orpheus
When Willow comes to LA in his episode, it does make you wonder why in the story they never thought of that beforehand. However her return, at any time is welcome and her interactions with all the cast members here are a lot of fun. All the Sunnydale characters here have changed a lot since they were last all together in Buffy's season 3, so there's a lot of catching up to do as well as a lot of changed agenda's. However considering Cordy and Willow's history, it is fun to see them fight magically even if Willow doesn't know it. The Connor and Cordy stuff continues to get more icky, which Fred thankfully points out but the end reveal more than makes up for it.
The Angelus/Faith flashbacking, isn't my favourite aspect of the episode as its a bit of a weird concept, but it acts as a nice character arc for Faith and gets her back to where she needs to be for her time in Sunnydale. As for Angel's soul being returned, I can't say that I'm that sad to see Angelus leave. He started off the arc so interesting and fun to watch, but he hasn't really done anything that evil this time round (probably so Angel doesn't have to atone for it), apart from a lot of talking especially in the last couple of episodes. (9.5/10)

Buffy and Angel Rewatch part 58

A4.10 Awakening
When I first watched this episode, up until the Beast killing, I mostly bought into the Angel's dream fantasy. Now it's hard to see why I did. To bring about Angel's happiness, a lot of wounds and fractures needed to be dealt with, resulting in a very sentimental and speechy episode. There's Angel's motivational speeches, Cordy's guilt, Wesley's contriteness, and Connor accepting Angel and Cordy all of which are glaring evidence that this episode is just a dream. The Indiana Jones style quest to get the sort is neat however and balances out some of the mushiness. Overall though, the concept of the episode is excellent; Angel's soul couldn't just be taken away from him by a simple spell, it had to take some kind of journey and it pays off when Angelus' haunting laugh closes out the episode.
My main problem with this episode is the dichotomy the show places between Angel and Angelus. I didn't really like the concept the show used to bring Angelus forward; ie Angelus knows something Angel doesn't. This basically says that Angel and Angelus are two different people, which is annoying. However since Angelus is such a good character and it does make for a good arc, I won't let it bother me too much! (8/10)

A4.11 Soulless
The best thing about Angelus is, that without his pesky conscience, he's unfiltered and says whatever the hell he likes. This means that he can be pretty funny with what he says. He has Angel's inside knowledge on all the gang, so can hit their sore points and hurt them in ways they didn't imagine. He also says a few things that the other characters might want to say but never would- Wes' love for Fred, Connor's Oedipal complex for example. It all makes for some pretty thrilling and enjoyable one-on-one time with Angelus, for both characters and audience. The episode is much less action packed than a typical episode, but with Angelus back and causing trouble, it isn't really needed. We do get some action in the form of Wes and Gunn's fist fight, which was a long time coming. Its nice to see Wes finally take control and admit to his feelings for Fred; it was his hesitance that lost her in the first place, though I do feel sorry for Gunn here. (9/10)

A4.12 Calvary
Finally Angelus is released. As Angelus was prowling the streets and the hotel at the end of the episode, its easy to see how enjoyable he is to watch. He has the vicious personality of a vampire and the swagger that David Boreanaz brings to the character(s). This episode is highly significant in the course of the season and I forget how much. There's the disintegration of Gunn and Fred's relationship, Lilah's death, the revelation that the Beast has a Master and that the Master is Cordy. The first event is somewhat of a relief as the pair (Gunn and Fred) never quite worked well together and their relationship has been strained for so long, it was best to put it out of its misery.
Lilah's death is a sad one for me; she's always been such an interesting character, though her death is a better end for her than just her disappearing (the parallels between her and Lindsay's death are startling; killed whilst fighting on the side of good and by one of Angel's team). Finally the reveal that 'Cordy' is evil is a startling one, no matter how many times you watch it. (9/10)

A4.13 Salvage
What an excellent episode. bringing Faith back to the Buffyverse was a dead cert considering the goings-ons over on Buffy, but bringing her back to Angel first was just perfect. With her borderline morality, the character of Faith found a natural home on Angel; even here she fits in perfectly with the characters and all their flaws. He escape is one of my favourite moments of the show, its interesting to see how far both Faith and Wes have come so that they're now fighting evil together. Seeing Faith beat down by the Beast was also pretty sensational; it was more of a contest than any of the others have been for the Beast, but still she couldn't beat him. The knife forged from his own bone killing the Beast was a neat trick, though I can't help but think that it was perhaps too soon? At least it lays the foundations for a proper Angelus/Faith in the next episode.
A lot was packed into the episode, including Wes having to decapitate Lilah which was a chilling and gut wrenching couple of scenes. It was nice to see the two work out some issues, and also to see how much he cared when he sobbed after doing the act. Less enjoyable was the Cordy stuff. She's more tolerable regarding her as Jasmine, but the Beast kissing and especially the Connor/pregnancy thing was icky. (9.5/10)

Entourage Season 7 poster

Saw this on facebook... and yeah I had to post it!! (won't let me embed though)

http://tinyurl.com/3yb829m


One thing I have to say- Ari's been photoshopped!! :O