Angel 4.12: Calvary

[thebratqueen]

The Big Bad

Can you imagine how hard it's been sitting on this spoiler? Gah! Gah! Finally, we can talk!

You know, when jennyo first suggested Cordy as the mole way back when, I thought it was the most kick-ass idea ever to come along the pike. I also thought it would never happen in a million years. It was too cool.

Boy did I forget what show I was watching.

Turning Cordelia into the big bad is the greatest act on this show this side of Angel locking the lawyers into the basement. It's why I love this show so much. It's not afraid to do what other shows, even Buffy, would shy away from. Yeah Angel has its moments of lame (season 3 in particular, we're looking at you) but when it's good it's orgasmic.

And the beauty of the Cordy thing is that it's lasted for episodes now. Go back and watch Soulless and understand now why I was in such raptures over the blocking. (For those of you who don't memorize every word I say, Angelus was able to make everybody move the way he wanted to except Cordelia. She paced him, then stood stock still while he leapt at her) Frankly the blocking of evil Cordy in last week's ep was so brilliantly done I was amazed that they got away with it, considering how much it gave away about Cordy's character if you really paid attention.

Go back too, and watch the dialogue. Watch how Cordy subtly manipulates the others. Back when I was saying I didn't mind the forced "it's Connor it's Connor no really it's Connor" because of who brought him up the most in their games of non-sequitor tennis? It wasn't Gunn, it was Cordy. Cordy manipulates Connor into thinking he's guilty, manipulates him and Angel to keep away from each other, manipulates Angel into agreeing to give up his soul - the list goes on and on.

And it's beautifully done. I've got to admit I've got a huge addiction to hide-in-plain-sight evil characters like this and thus far they have in no way disappointed me.

FWIW - even us spoiler whores don't know how she's evil. We only knew that she was. So as of right now, it's going to be as much a surprise to us as to you what the backstory is. I'm hoping like hell they don't screw this up.

Oh yeah, there was an episode too

Tonight's ep was great, but didn't get me as immediately excited as last week's did. I think because of the writing. I don't know why we had 3 writers for this week's ep (and I will be singing the Bitter Woman Blues about this when episode 13, aka "David Fury is writing this because Firefly stole Tim from us", comes around, I'm sure - 3 for this week and David alone for 13??? Bell or DeKnight couldn't be spared to at least lend him a hand?) and I wish I knew who did what. I've yet to learn what gives somebody a co-writer credit vs. them simply lending a hand behind the scenes (case in point, really The Price was co-written by David Fury and Mere Smith, since Mere was responsible for the Wolfram & Hart plotline and contributed to Angel's dialog, yet David got sole credit). So I'm at a total loss as to A) who did what and B) why we needed 3 writers in the first place.

That being said, of all things Angelus struck me as the weakest part of the ep. His dialogue felt looser, and not written with as much care. I think because he was given the highly unlikely task of Exposition Ex Machina. I'm fine for Angelus being smart enough to figure out the Beast is only a minion. I'm not so fine with him feeling a need to share it. Why would he? He gains nothing by it, nobody in the gang is hurt by it, and even with him peppering the helpful information with insults it's really little more than a plot-driven altruistic act, two things which should never be attached to Angelus by any stretch of the imagination.

Throw in the fact that some of his jokes sounded more like "these are supposed to be funny on a meta level" instead of "Angelus would actually say this dialogue which happens to be funny" and I can't help but feel that for some crack-driven reason somebody thought that Mere Smith should write Angelus's dialogue. Of the 3 writers, she's the one most likely to abandon characterization for both humor and plot. Granted I don't know Steve DeKnight's work that well so for all I know it was him. (Watch fate prove me wrong and make it Bell)

Still, doesn't mean I didn't like the ep. Just means that maybe it knocks it down from an A+ to an A.

The line

Of course this review wouldn't be complete without addressing the line, aka "total shout-out to TBQ". Of course the thing that interests me about it is that, IMO, it actually comments more on Wes's sexuality than Angelus's. After all, Angelus lies all the time. Just because he said he'd go after Wes if he swung that way is no proof of either A) him actually being that interested in Wesley or B) him not swinging that way. It's Angelus. He's not interested in sharing about himself. He's interested in saying things that will hurt people and/or shake things up.

So who does the comment have the most chance of hurting? Wesley. Good ol' Wes, who's been working so hard to shed his sissy background (my comments here will probably make sense only to those who have read the essay in the link). Why? Because note that at no time does Angelus show any doubt that Wes swings that way (or would turn him down if approached). It's an attack on Wes's sexuality. And if Wes is anything like all "cured" sissies before him he's terrified of either people thinking he's gay or of finding out himself that he is. Angelus's comment then is a direct hit on a weak spot, possibly his weakest spot.

And, putting the comment into the context of the essay, Angelus's comment simply continues the show's trend of being fine with homosexuality. Angelus doesn't have a problem with anyone being gay, he simply implies that he himself is not, with the added implication that if he was that'd be fine too. Even Wes, the victim of the insult, is fine with it and actually takes it as a compliment. And the concept of Wes's "cure" being his downfall continues when the worst reaction of all is saved for Fred, who's not nearly as upset by Angelus's flirting as she is by finding out that Wesley had sex with Lilah.

jennyo suggested that Lilah's hinting at bisexuality with Cordy could be viewed as more of the "evil gay" stereotype, but after watching the ep I'd say the latter. Anyone who didn't know that Lilah dies at the end would've thought this was the ep that brought about the start of her redemption. So, if anything, they took a bad character and put her on the path to good, then let her hint at bisexuality. Of course killing her off is, well, killing her off. Oh well.

Directing

Directing this week was not as good as last week. Somebody needed to keep a tighter leash on David B. He skirted too close to his brand of dorkiness again. Although Angelus pretending to be Angel had me cracking up in ways I can't even begin to talk about now, but perhaps I will in a few weeks.

Random comments

My theory is that Cordy's spell just gave the impression of a soul. Angelus was lying the whole time, the spell took care of Lorne, and then the negotiations to get out of the cage was Angelus and Cordy both putting on a front.

The episode name is CALVARY. Not Cavalry. C-A-L-V-A-R-Y.

Why did Fred take the time to give herself a makeover?

I'll bet you anything people start writing Gunn/Connor before 24 hours have passed.

And, finally: THREE FUCKING WEEKS??? THE HELL???