More on Soulless

[thebratqueen]

More thoughts re: Angelus and Wes:

If Wes didn't totally give the game away by sitting down, he sure as Hell did when he said he would kill Angelus if he had to. Alexis acts this one beautifully - Wes's voice waivers a little. If Angelus somehow didn't know Wes still had strong feelings for Angel, that would've given him all he needs.

Angelus and Wes go back and forth, but by the end of the scene Wes is now throwing insults back at Angelus that are aimed at what Wes believes would be weak spots ("Yet I'm in a cage and you're not." "Connor is ashamed of you.") They miss their marks terribly b/c Wes doesn't have Angelus's skill, but it's interesting to see that the end result of all this is that Wes starts to act like Angelus.

And again - it's all in the blocking. He sits, he starts to leave, Angelus brings him back in, and just when Wes starts trying out the insults he's leaning against the wall as Angelus leaned against the bars, then he takes a step closer to crossing the safety line.

Poor Wes didn't stand a chance ;)

ETA: This reminds me of why Wes is a con artist's wet dream: He's smart. Any good con artist knows the smart ones are actually easier to dupe than the stupid ones, b/c the smart ones mistakenly think they're too clever to be tricked. Wes spent the whole time assuming Angelus's attacks would be blatent, like the Fred comments. He never thought of what mere body posture and conversation would do.

Also note how Angelus is much quieter and solid when he talks to Wes. He doesn't move much, he keeps his hands behind his back when not masturbating against the bars. Angelus makes himself a mystery, inviting Wes to try to solve him. Compare that to Gunn and Fred immediately after, when Angelus walks around, has looser movements, and allows emotion to show in his voice.