Ground State

[thebratqueen]

Okay - okay. I can stop breathing into a paper bag now. The episode doesn't look like it's going to entirely suck. I was worried b/c Mere Smith got the main writing credit here and while I was obviously hoping for another Loyalty, the odds are unfavorably stacked for another Fill In The Name Of Any Of Her Other Episodes Here.

Didn't see too many Mere Smith-isms in the outline of the plot. Dare I hope she took a writing class or two over the summer break? Don't get me wrong - if Mere's writing geniunely improves I'm all aboard that train because it means her episodes won't suck like a Hoover. But Loyalty, kick ass episode though it was, was no sign to me of her being a better writer. It was a sign to me of Jeff Bell doing uncredited help while the director pulled Mere's ass out of the fire on the various details she fucked up like she always does. So you can see why I don't get my hopes up.

But - I'm letting the bitterness go. I'm still riding the high of the premiere ep and my hopes that season 4 will follow happily in its footsteps. If season 4 can give me plausible, onscreen stories about the plots then I'm a happy camper, regardless of how season 3 made me feel about them. I'll even support the Angel/Cordy ship if it's continued to be presented in the way we saw snippets of in Deep Down.

Plus - gotta love the slash. Don't tell me that Angel/Wes scene doesn't read slashy. And yay! jennyo and I were right! Wes is running his own business, and doing a fucking kick-ass job of it! And Wes/Lilah angry sex! And Angel knowing about Wes and Lilah! Yay! I'm so happy for that. Can't wait to see how Angel handles that knowledge. I love how he didn't bring it up with Wesley. Subtext, lots of subtext (not all slashy, but all good).

Fred even looks interesting. Dear God, Amy Acker, please act well.

You know I may just need to mentally separate myself from Amy Acker's total inability to act and just take the Fred stuff at face value. Potentially this may help me with any plotlines about her. This will not in any way save the crap-fest that was Fred in season 3, but it may help with my optimistic attitude about season 4.

My one question though - what the fuck with the kiss? I knew it was coming and it still came out of nowhere. I'm hoping this plays better onscreen. Otherwise I'm nominating it as Mere's Mary Sue Moment of the Episode.