"It's just a prophecy. It's not like it came from on
high!"
Interesting parallel, isn't it? The fourth season of Buffy ends with an epilogue, while the
first season of Angel ends with a
prologue. All sorts of stuff for next season is being set up here. Obviously we
have the resurrection of Darla by Wolfram and Hart, who are not clearly the Big
Bad of the series, but Cordelia has learned empathy, the Oracles are dead, Gunn
is looking more and more like a series regular, and…. Angel is apparently going
to become human.
It's impressive how confidently this episode judges such a
jumble of characters and tones. One moment Angel and co are having an
hilariously awkward conversation with billionaire nerd David Nabbitt (although
I have to wag a finger at the negative stereotyping of tabletop role-players
here!), another moment Angel's home has been blown up and both Cordelia and
Wesley are in hospital. There are some nice short scenes, too. I like the
confrontation between Angel and Kate, where he finally lets her have a piece of
his mind. Kate's aversion to demons because of her father was understandable up
to a point, but there comes a point where we have to say that a line has been
crossed and she's being racist. I'm not sure if the subtext is intended, but
this made me think of people who live in poverty and vote for far right parties
out of misdirected rage. Here's hoping Kate gets back over the line. Signs are
not good, though; she's become a subject of mockery because of her obsession
with the supernatural.
Lindsey, meanwhile, is now a junior partner with Wolfram and
Hart, with a massive salary; he's chosen his side and taken his "thirty
pieces of silver." His general competence is still somewhat questionable,
mind; I'm not sure why sacrificing a hand is quite able to atone for that, but
I suppose he does ensure that the spell to resurrect Darla is completed. Still,
all he actually achieves is to clear up after his own mess. And the
delightfully evil Lyla and Holland Manners are much cooler as baddies. Cooler
still is this week's disposable baddie, Vocah, whose metal mask conceals a face
halfway through the process of being eaten by maggots…!
Cordelia's realisation that there's so much pain in the
world is sort of a return to a perennial theme dating back to when she first
got her visions; it'll be interesting to see how long this newer, nicer
Cordelia lasts. Wesley is once again shown to be conscientious, loyal, and
rejuvenated with a real sense of purpose. He's grown so much since he first
joined Angel.
But the main revelation concerns Angel. When it seems that
the prophecy foretells his death, he's unbothered; he has no desires, no
pleasures, no prospect of reward. Life for him is nothing but atonement. He's
detached from the world, and has no stake in it, as we learn rather hilariously
through a rather brilliant sequence of exposition through comedy. Indeed,
there's something nicely meta in the suggestion that his problem is an
inability to develop as a character.
But, once we learn that the prophecy ion fact foretells his
one day, after many quests and trials, becoming human, suddenly there is hope
for him. It seems, perhaps, that he has something to live for, and a real
prospect of some rather interesting character development…
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