Buffy and Angel Rewatch part 65

5.05 Life of the Party
Though I love that we got a Lorne-centric episode, I just wish it could've been better. All the pieces were there in the story- the big party, the crazy antics of the gang (especially Fred and Wes who were hilarious), the introduction of some key W&H clients- however something about this episode just didn't quite gel together. Perhaps this is because Lorne was never really a leading character, so the episode struggled with him at the centre. Maybe it's because at the heart of the story- Lorne having his sleep taken out, was very unsatisfactorily resolved, without any input from Lorne as to why he did this. Plus the Lorne monster was a little cheesy. (6.5/10)

5.06 The Cautionary Tale of Numero Cinco
This is a polarizing episode; on one hand it's a rather sweet tale of Mexican folklore (fictional) which nicely plays to Angel's own insecurities. On the other hand, it's cheesy, lazy and pretty all round ridiculous. The ending in the graveyard was silly, though in a way it was a nice way to end the story. Otherwise there wasn't too much to like in this episode. There was a lot of talking and a lot of exposition with Numero Cinco, and the flashbacks felt tacky and not at all that funny.
However it was nice to have the core gang working on the problem, though annoyingly Spike hung around uselessly for most of it as well. I liked the continuity with Numero Cinco as he has appeared in previous episodes and it was a nice touch to bring him back. However it probably would've been preferable to have him as a recurring gag than as a focal point of the episode. Also I have to point out how I didn't like that Angel could call upon the Shanshu prophecy from the book. Yes technology has moved on and no doubt so had magic technology, but there was so much trouble over the scroll in the season 1 finale that this felt a little too easy and well rounded. (6/10)

5.07 Lineage
Wesley is easily one of the strongest characters in the show and therefore his character centric episodes usually turn out fairly well. This is a particularly good one for me and a nice change from the recent average episodes. The cyborg story at the centre of the episode wasn't terribly interesting, especially as there wasn't a resolution, but Wesley's father issues were brilliant to watch. Alexis Denisof, is such a wonderful actor, that every quip from his father could be felt as he battled that fine line between loving and hating your parents. His feelings for Fred were also displayed here and it's heartbreaking to watch Fred leave with Knox after he made that hidden, yet very obvious declaration of his love for her.
Also in this episode we get some nice foreshadowing from Spike and Eve of the role she has played in bringing him back which is nicely underplayed. (8.5/10)

5.08 Destiny
This episode is seen by many as one of the best of season 5 and I really can't understand why. Until the final scene, it's very unfulfilling as it doesn't really offer up an answers and the gang don't seem in a rush to explore the matter in following episodes. The Spike/Angel fight is quite enjoyable though it goes on for a little too long though the flashbacks are quite fun to watch, especially Angel's and Spike original camaraderie.
Spike becoming real is something that was very necessary as he was really starting to grate. Though his little quips are there, at least now he's corporeal, he can actually affect things and become more interesting.
Another character becoming more interesting surprisingly is Eve, whose character they cleverly played making her ambiguously good with until that final reveal. As a big Lindsay fan, I'm thrilled to see him back. Spike was brought on as an antagonist for Angel but he never managed it quite as well as Lindsay has. (7/10)