The One and Only Angel Season 5 Thread

[Guest Brian]

I've been putting it off. Funneling funds into other things, just not going to be able to watch it while I was doing Season 4.

[LaParkaMarka 0]

I grabbed Angel 5 from Virgin today. I really don't think I'll bother buying the seasons I'm missing (Buffy 6/7, Angel 4) since I consider Angel 5 to be the high point of the series. I've seen Smile Time like ten times already, and it's still amusing.

[Jericholic82 0]

yknow seeing all the s4 talk, I still wonder what Jasmines motives were. she tells angel that she truly wanted to bring peace by taking out free will. did she mean that? or did she just want to have slaves and be able to eat people?

 

I was thinking of just getting angel 5 but I havent got any other of its seasons yet or any of buffys (hey Im unemployed so give me a break lol)

 

but alas I cant even afford the 40 bucks

[Ripper 0]

Angel Season 5 is a amazing year of televison. I loved it at first, but now watching it on DVD, it was even more amazing.

[LaParkaMarka 0]

Well, Jasmine did abandon that spider-alien world, right? So she might have brought "peace" to Earth, gotten bored eventually, and moved on.

 

And yeah Ripper, S5 is brilliant. I still enjoy the episodes just as much the 2nd/3rd times as I did the first, which is more than I can say for a lot of Buffy S6/S7.

[Guest Brian]

It's all about power. Jasmine wanted to rule, and the best way of doing that for her was to turn everyone into a slave. That's why she took out Wolfram and Hart, cut off the conduit. It's why she tried to get Connor to kill Angelus, which I think was the real plan behind bringing him forth. I'm writing up something big on Seasons 2+3+4 all shot off "Home".

[Guest Brian]

Here you go Rudo. This is the prelude to "Home", covering the major themes:

 

Home. The characters in this show have spent so long looking for one in their own ways. Fred was lost in Pylea, Gunn was caught between two different cultures, Angel searching for his humanity, Wes out of the Watchers, Cordy in the real world, Connor in a new world, and Lorne away from his. All looking for their place, and it extends to big bads like Jasmine as a fallen power, Lindsay trying to make sense of his place in Wolfram and Hart, and Holtz trying to find his place in a world where the lines of good and bad were becoming increasingly blurred. Home is a strong theme in this show, as Angel is a place where people come to find their place.

 

Season Four is all about establishing where that place is. The central theme of love in Season Three has become all about family in Season Four. But it’s not as if love has dropped out of the picture; love is sacrifice, of course. Love is defined through family, as Angel’s definition of love has changed. In Season Three, Angel had arrived back from a sabbatical on the heels of losing the one woman he truly loved. In 240 years. That was reaffirmed in Epiphany, when Angel couldn’t shed his soul after doing the deed with Darla. Buffy was one of a kind, true love, that Angel would never have again. And Angel has to cope with that, knowing that he can never love again.

 

And in “Heartbreak”, you get your first taste of what love is about. As Angel is able to go about his job without being hindered, James is completely distraught at losing Elizabeth. Love is sacrifice. James gives up his life, or as he feels he has already given it up, to get at the man who killed him. And he questions Angel’s attachment to his job and how he is able to perform in the face of losing what he had. Was it true love?

 

And we also get a taste of another major theme in this episode. Cordelia, when consoling Angel for what he has done, tells him that he’s fighting. And she says that he fights because he loved her. The fight, and the reasons that he does, intertwine with Angel’s place, and his love, though it digs much deeper than Season 3 and I’ll return to it later.

 

Three of the next four episodes re-explore people’s places in Angel. Gunn’s loyalties are tested, Cordy’s sacrifices are measured, and Fred chooses to stay with the group. Each of these events are significant to their place in the group.

 

“Billy” puts a twist on the whole love story, at least for Wes. And it develops an awesome schism that rocks the Gunn and Wes friendship. Wes’ infection leads him to an obsessive love of Fred. Gunn sacrifices himself, willing to give up his body to save Fred. Wes finds himself heading down a dark path as a result, while Gunn’s sacrifice is among his defining moments. And it is very important to see that sacrifice is one of the most important measures of love, and how close that can be to the obsession that James was faced with.

 

Darla’s reintroduction to the fold brings forth a lot of change. Angel’s definition of love is about to change. And the introduction of Holtz brings forth a character that is also searching for a home and love. Holtz is searching for a love lost, one that can’t be recovered, and is also brought to an obsessive edge to redeem like James. Holtz’s discovers a world that is completely different from the one he was expecting. Angelus’ is no longer, he is working for a demon, and he is in a different time. Holtz is lost, and like many characters in Angel he is looking for his place.

 

“Dad” gives Lorne a new home, and also develops the bond between Connor and Angel. “Birthday” lightly touches upon Cordelia’s place again. And with “Provider”, Angel is looking for something else. The love for Cordelia is almost a distraction, as the main story is between Connor and Angel and the coming together of the group.

“Waiting in the Wings” is pretty consequential in terms of fleshing out the love stories and turning a corner. It takes the focus back from “Provider”, bringing Angel back to Connor, and Cordelia becomes part of the main group for the time being. Wes loses out with Fred and Gunn takes the prize. As well, Groo is searching for his place, and not surprisingly he has arrived at the Hyperion’s doorsteps.

 

“Couplet” is an excellent way of strengthening some of the bonds created while drawing out some great character development that links into the characters. Angel is afraid he has lost his place in the group. But he is reassured by the end of the episode that he still has Connor, when he delivers:

Wes: I though I was alone.

Angel: Yeah. So did I.

And Wes takes on a new, more productive role with Fred, a different kind of love. This is the same love that is unmistakably evident when he decides to “save” Connor, when Gunn “saves” Fred from killing Professor Siedel, and when Angel makes his decision in “Home”.

 

“Couplet” also features a shocking ending that presents a new problem, as Wes finds himself conflicted by the new prophesy. Wes has to question how someone who loves someone else could possibly take their love, and he is completely skeptical at first. He also realizes that he has to protect Connor, much in the same way he feels he needs to protects Fred. Wes loves Connor, and it is what he has to do.

 

The next big push in these stories comes in “Forgiving” after Angel has already lost Connor, the one he loves. He’s willing to do anything and everything to get him back; kill Linwood and Lilah, fight Sahjahn, sacrifice and sever ties with a member of his own group. I think the most amazing thing in this episode is Lorne’s call for reconciliation, and how he ties that into forgiveness, and we are once again reminded of Angel’s ability to overcome his past and ascend to humanity through the Shanshu. And by the end of this episode, Wes is left in the cold without a place to go.

 

By “Double or Nothing”, Angel’s perspective is beginning to change into what defined love in Season 4. It’s re-examination of why Angel fights, as he is committing himself to saving Gunn. But it is also a clear shift to a new love theme, as Angel is concerned with everyone in his “family”. But there is also a collision of the two definitions, as Gunn sacrifices himself for his love, Fred. And Wes enters an empty home, his home, but without his “family” is it worth anything?

 

Connor’s reemergence changes the pace of things. The tease of Angel saving his “family” switches back to the more pure definition of love, where Angel finds himself battling for the affection of his son and also growing closer to Cordy. It is not surprising that those two that he holds dearest at one point are the two he loses by Season 4. Connor is left searching for a place, while he is being constantly manipulated by Holtz. The latter is not so different than Jasmine although Connor had learned to play her. Meanwhile with Wes is left trying to find consoling, and perhaps purpose, in Lilah. And at the end, everyone is divided.

 

Before getting into Season 4, it is important to go back and look at the continuing story of what Angel is fighting for. At the end of Season One, Angel is despondent. He doesn’t understand what he is fighting for. The Shanshu offers him something, though it is superficial and material. By Season Two, Angel is beginning to question whether it is possible to be redeemed. He is not a perfect hero, as revealed in “Are You Now…” and in his short separation, and he realizes to some regard that he has dug himself too deep. With Reprise, he hits rock bottom and feels that all is lost, as evil cannot be beaten. Epiphany drives him in a new direction, essentially beginning a third phase of the show that lasts until the end of the season.

 

And now to get to Season 4. “Deep Down” is the perfect episode to introduce all the themes that have been established. Family is really moving into the forefront as a way to define love. In that first toast, you have Wes rejoining and the toast to “family”. You also have the search for Cordelia and Angel’s concern for bringing things back together. Angel getting left behind symbolizes how he’s fallen out of touch with the Powers, harkening back to Season Two where Angel was left without direction. It’s picked up in the next episode where Angel talks about bring a freak, and how you can’t trust some outside force to correct things for you. It also shows just how quick Angel can lose everything, as Dinza tells him in the next episode.

 

“The House Always Wins” introduces a free will dimension to what Angel fights for. This has always been a great theme for the show, as it’s been touched upon in various episodes and really challenged in “Carpe Noctem” where Angel sees what sets him apart. Here, his free will is linked to him fighting for his family. He is faced with fighting for the people he loves, and he breaks through and chooses to do so.

 

The next two episodes are rough, with “Slouching Toward Bethlehem” barely touching upon the family concept when Connor makes the save for a family and has a longing look of being apart of that. Cordy also asks Angel if they were a happy family while looking at the picture of her with Baby Connor. It is the only thing Angel can give him in the end. A brief interlude to free will as Lilah plays Wes. In Supersymmetry, they hit on the fact that Gunn is willing to sacrifice it all for Fred.

 

“Spin the Bottle” picks everything back up after it slowed down. The whole family is completely broken up by the end of the episode as reality strikes down on them so hard. Gunn and Wes, as teens, have nothing in common. Angel has nothing in common. Fred is small town and Cordy is a rich kid. These people prove to have nothing in common in this episode, and it really raises the question of what brings them together and why do they fight on the same side.

 

So with Cordy’s memory restored and despite their differences, the group seems to be heading back together. In “Apocalypse Nowish”, Angel even tosses Wes a crossbow, a confirmation of his trust in him. In the next episode, Angel attempts to recover Connor and save him. But both times ends with the “family separated as Angel loses Connor and Cordy both times.

 

Though “Awakening” is fantasy, it reflects a ton on the themes. First off, there is this family issue, with Wes apologizing, Gunn and Wes back together as friends, and everyone working together. There is also the Connor issue, as he and Angel fight side-by-side. In addition, there is also the issue of what makes a champion, which is reflection on how Angel has lost his cause in the fight. Connor reiterates some of Angel’s lines from “Deep Down”, showing just how far he is himself.

 

In “Cavalry” and “Soulless”, Angel exposes the weaknesses in the group that keeps them from being a family. Gunn’s isolation. Wes and his issues. Fred, Connor, Cordy. "Heroes, so tangled up in your own crap that you couldn't find the world to save it." Says a lot about family and the bigger picture.

 

Though the Faith arc is a strong set of episodes, it doesn’t really kick into the main direction if the season until Orpheus. There are little hints like Cordy telling Connor that they were connected in “Salvage”, and Wes calling Gunn someone he could trust in “Release”. “Release” also has that cool moment of Wes testing whether Faith actually chooses her path, or whether she is ingrained in her ways, always a bad apple. But the bulk of the story get life with “Orpheus”, where redemption takes a real grounding in what Angel and Faith fight for. They can’t be redeemed, no matter how many lives they save. It’s another major shift in the show, as Angel gets passed the demon within that haunted him during Season Two, and haunted Wes with the prophesy in Season Three. The awesome thing they’ve done with that is relate it to other characters with Wes’ dark side, Gunn killing, and Cordy’s sweet baby. And right before the family is back together, Cordy crashes in with the news.

 

In “Inside Out”, Angel really makes the commitment to Wes by telling him that Angel should care about Lilah because Wes did. Part of being in the family. And you have free will being attacked from all sides, with Cordy manipulating Connor and Darla exposure of it as well as Skip challenging everything that had happened. And it’s soon to be challenged even further as Jasmine arrives, bringing together the family both in her love and in their separation as the group heads out on the run. The latter is a dream like in “Awakening”.

 

The spider demon serves to reaffirm a lot of the themes. “Love is sacrifice” so crucial to the whole story. And in the next episode, the high priest asks Angel what he fights for. And Connor’s manipulation, and his free will is revealed. Everything is coming to a head for “Home”.

[RavishingRickRudo 0]

Awesome. Awesome. Awesome.

 

It's hard for me to pin what Season 4's main theme was, because there were a lot of themes given.

 

Sacrifice

Family

Destiny

Free Will

Belonging

Perception

 

I think Sacrifice is the big one. The idea of willingly doing something that doing something that hurts you - physically or emotionally - in order to take the pain away from someone else. Selflessness. Gunn sacrifices his own innocence to "save" Fred. Faith sacrifices her life to save Angel. Wes and Lilah. Angel sacrifices his relationship with Connor to save Connor. The thing with Jasmine is... what did she sacrifice?

[Guest Brian]

I think the thing with Lilah is that Wes sacrificed her to come back into the family.

 

Love is the main theme, it's just how you define it, by what you sacrifice, or by your family and where you belong.

 

As for Jasmine, the idea was that she sacrificed being with the Powers to come down and save humanity, and the people she ate (and Cordy) sacrificed their lives for peace.

 

Rudo, are you going to review "Home" tonight with me.

 

God, the self-esteem song is so great, because it relates to all the sidebars going on in "Smile Time". Gunn with the utter lack of confidence in his own ability. Wes with Fred. Angel with Nina.

[RavishingRickRudo 0]

Jasmine didn't sacrifice anything, which is the point. When things got bad on the other world, she left them. Everyone had to make these sacrifices for her - Cordy, Connor, all those people she ate, making her a temple - and she didn't do anything. She gave them happy, and even then she didn't do anything - they just had to see her.

 

I gotcha on Home. It's one of the best episode in Whedonverse history. So well rounded, so "fun", the best conclusion to a storyline.

[Guest Brian]

Jasmine didn't sacrifice anything, which is the point. When things got bad on the other world, she left them. Everyone had to make these sacrifices for her - Cordy, Connor, all those people she ate, making her a temple - and she didn't do anything. She gave them happy, and even then she didn't do anything - they just had to see her.

Well, that was kind of the point. When you pulled away, like the dream in "Awakening" or like everyone coming together before the big fight in "Apocalypse Nowish", it wasn't really there. Everytime, until Angel finally figure out love is sacrifice, can things never be right.

[LaParkaMarka 0]

Despite the fact that Angel was cancelled ages ago, the FCC has still managed to get complaints about it.

 

FCC Rejects Complaints about Angel

[Guest Brian]

LILAH

There's a signed dollar in your wallet that says different.

WESLEY

(looks hurt, walks away) It's a lie.

LILAH

Lah. It's a Lilah.

This opening is so fucking sweet. Lilah calls the relationship with Wes a one-way street. Brining back the perpetuity clause from “Reprise” (Did Angel sign one of those too? It was something I wanted to do for Connor in a later season, bring him back without the soul). And I love the part at the end.

 

I love the big pause at the start before they reveal what’s going on.

 

Ending world peace. I love it. I love the moral ambiguities. And I love how it compares to Angel, because how many people had he killed and how many people had he saved. And could he reconcile that? Can Jasmine?

 

I love the complete and utter chaos. I love this guy searching for what he’s lost. And how he brings out the family, and how Connor wants that.

 

Ever-expanding perimeter? I know I’ve heard that somewhere before.

 

Wes calls Lilah a loved-one. Interesting.

 

I love everyone’s reaction to Wolfram and Hart. Fred picking up the gun. Gunn with the girl. Everyone saying ‘hi’ to Angel. And bringing Know into the fold.

 

Gunn still underestimating his ability and his strengths.

 

Did anyone notice how much brighter it got all of a sudden?

 

Wes brings up the Watcher’s Council, and Sirk brings up the gray area that Wes has been finding himself in. And I love that whole bit about watchers and libraries.

 

The temptation of being in the sun. Closer to humanity.

 

And Lilah harkens back to free will, what Angel chooses to do with the resources. And she quotes a little piece of the champions speech, how he lives as if the world is how it should be.

 

God, I love Lilah blaming Angel. It is so piercing.

 

Angel tells her he can’t be apart of it but seeing Connor changes everything. He has to save his family.

 

I love Gunn and the panther.

 

Look at Connor trying to force the love on people.

 

Wes is freaking awesome breaking into contracts and records and taking Lilah’s out and burning it. He really is the nobleman. That last little bit was beautiful.

 

Can’t save em all? That is so much part of this show.

 

I love Connor saying he didn’t feel anything, dead too.

 

Darla and Angel both had to sacrifice themselves because they love Connor. Coolest thing ever.

 

Blaming Angel for Holtz. For Jasmine.

 

CONNOR

There's only one thing that ever changes anything... and that's death. (Angel starts to cry) Everything else is just a lie. (cries) You can't be saved by a lie. You can't be saved at all. (looks down at his explosive and starts to activate it)

 

That was so motherfucking powerful.

 

I’m about to bawl.

 

Blood magic. Connor faced with death. And a nice fight scene. And Angel proves his love by sacrificing Connor. But he also sacrifices part of everyone to save them.

 

Fred is the only one who is not willing to go. Maybe Gunn did save her, keep her innocent.

 

I love the little cliffhanger of them not knowing about Connor.

 

God, I’m gonna start weaping seeing Connor all in his family and Angel on the outside.

 

Banquet scene like in Angel’s hallucination of “Deep Down”. He got as close as he could, saving the core of his family, keeping Connor innocent, and Cordy protected. And it forms part of the core of Season's Five storyline, beginning with "A Hole in the World" and peaking with "Origin", bringing Angel closer to figuring out what he is fighting for.

 

That was a motherfucking episode. Very well balanced, very pulling and emotional, testing every theme and referencing so much writing. “The Gift” is the only thing that comes close in that regard.

[RavishingRickRudo 0]

God damn jesus lord buddha, Lilah looks smokin. Nay. FOXXXY~!

This lace print thingie looks fabulous on her. Nay. FOXULOUS.

 

"Cause this is the offer of a lifetime *dramatic music peaks* ... just not, you know.. mine"

 

Fred taking the breath, Wes repositioning himself, Lilah picking at her shirt and then fixing her hair, and then BRUSHING DIRT OFF HER SHOULDER! HOVA. THE ROCK!

 

"We ain't Lawyers" - Gunn. Well... Not yet.

 

"Or Evil, either" - Fred. Well... Not yet.

 

 

"HER STOMACH~!?!" - great delivery.

 

Double Thumbs up. God I want to stick my doodle in her.

 

The officer saying his family was his home was a nice touch.

 

Are they thinning/stretching the screen here? Esp. with Lorne.

 

"It's late.... well...." WESLEY~! Great delivery.

 

Lorne in the limo is the greatest punchline ever.

 

"Good morning Mr Angel" "There's no way this is going to go well" ~! I love it. Angel is so not that.

 

Gunns tour guide looks like a transvestite.

 

Wes said that they could trust WR&H when they were being split up because he thought that Lilah would take him on the tour. Didn't notice that.

 

"Grander?" GUNN!

 

Woodward is GOD. Best stumbler and slurrerererer everererereerererer.

 

Sirk has the best voice. I may have to copy it.

 

"Something about watchers and... libraries" never made the connection w/ Giles there.

 

Lilah looks hot. Did I mention that? Stephanie is just loving playing this role.

 

"Cool, is that High-def?"

 

This is one really shitty sports store.

 

"Look in the drawer" WOW, that was some awesome delivery. Romanov is peaking.

 

"She sacrificed herself because she loved you"

 

I love the cinematography following the limo along the hillside.

 

This is such a cheesy scene with Connor at the table. Good shit. Great conclusion to a 3 year arc.

[Mole 0]

I'd just like to add that I hate you all for having season 5.

[SuperJerk 0]

My local Sam's Club has every season for $37 apiece.

(Not a taunt.)

Hopefully they'll have the copies long enough for me to buy the other 4 season's I'm missing.

 

I finally saw "You're Welcome". Good ending.

 

I didn't realize how much I miss seeing Charisma Carpenter on a weekly basis. She was damn cute in this episode. Also, quite a contrast to how flat-chested she was the first 2 seasons of "Buffy".

 

I'm not looking forward to watching "Why We Fight" for some reason.

 

Hey, Rick, what episode was it where Lilah dressed up like Fred?

[Guest Brian]

She was dressed up like Fred in Apocalypse Nowish.

[Ravenbomb 0]

Damn, I never noticed the evil face in the mirror ball in Life of the Party until I watched it yesterday. Did they use computers for that? Cause if they got it to happen on its own then kudos to the cinematographer and set direction people.

[SuperJerk 0]

She was dressed up like Fred in Apocalypse Nowish.

And wasn't that just the hottest Lilah scene ever?

 

Who's with me on this???

[BlackFlagg 0]

She was dressed up like Fred in Apocalypse Nowish.

And wasn't that just the hottest Lilah scene ever?

 

Who's with me on this???

 

 

 

 

[Guest Brian]

I'm just testing all the anemeties of the Season 5 DVD, and I like the Soul Purpose Commentary so far.

[LaParkaMarka 0]

I agree re: Lilah and the glasses. It's too bad Wes trashed that little fantasy though.

[SuperJerk 0]

Wes was such a damn pimp.

 

His girlfriend from Season 2 was hot, too.

[SuperJerk 0]

http://www.cnn.com/2005/SHOWBIZ/TV/02/25/f...y.ap/index.html

 

FCC rejects complaint involving 'Angel'

 

 

WASHINGTON (AP) -- A love scene from the canceled TV show "Angel" that showed a female character turning into a vampire and biting her partner's neck did not overstep federal indecency rules, the Federal Communications Commission ruled Friday.

 

It was one of two scenes from a November 2003 episode of "Angel" that were not "sufficiently graphic or explicit to render the program patently offensive" by contemporary standards, the FCC said in denying an indecency complaint from the Parents Television Council.

 

"Angel," which was canceled by the WB last year after five seasons, starred David Boreanaz in the title role of an 18th-century vampire who tried to atone for past evil deeds in present day Los Angeles.

 

One scene involved Angel in an intimate moment with a female character in which Angel's hips are seen "moving back and forth," the Parents Television Council said in its complaint.

 

In the scene depicting the female vampire biting the neck of her partner, also a vampire, both characters had clothes on and "their breathing is heavy," the complaint said.

 

The episode aired at 9 p.m. EST on November 19, 2003. The indecency law bars nonsatellite radio and noncable television stations from airing between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. indecent material such as references to sexual and excretory functions. Those are the hours when children are more likely to be watching TV.

 

But not all sexual and excretory references or scenes are considered indecent. The FCC must consider context and its decisions are subjective interpretations of the law.

 

The FCC said the "Angel" scenes were not patently offensive "as defined by commission precedent" and therefore were not indecent.

 

The complaint was officially filed against WBDC-TV in Washington, though the program aired on WB stations across the country. The FCC asks that indecency complaints include the call letters of a television or radio station.

 

 

PTC

 

They gave TV shows parental ratings and all TVs have v-chips now...what the fuck else do you idiots want?????

[Guest Brian]

"Conviction"

 

I absolutely love the opening sequence. Angel looking completely, over the top heroic, and then the whole company just swoops down and takes the wind out of everything. Great in relation to "City Of" and also in "Soul Purpose" with Spike. I love the sleazy lawyer. Is that the same guy that Wes shoots in the knee caps?

 

Fred's totally lost, as to be expected.

 

Wes asks Knox how long he's been evil. Interesting.

 

It's nice to see Gunn and Wes buddy-buddy again.

 

I love having Harmony in. I love her reaction to Cordy being in a coma, and the way she plays it. And the otter line, which comes back in "Damage".

 

Harmony gets in the lines. Her reaction to Corbin killing everyone that wasn't

 

Angel being totally seduced by the cars.

 

I love that little sceen with Spanky trying to choke out Angel.

 

Gunn and the doctor, getting the upgrade.

 

I like the fight, and how Angel kills the team leader.

 

Gunn makes his big re-entrance.

 

And SPIKE~! And Harmony again with the punch line.

[Guest Brian]

I kinda feel sorry for Joss, Amy, and Alexis having to do commentary on "A Hole in the World". It is not an episode that lends itself well to commentary to begin with.

[SuperJerk 0]

One thing I never noticed before watching the season 5 DVDs how nice a body Mercedes McNab has.

[Guest Brian]

"Just Rewards"

 

Wow, “Previously on Angel.”

 

“Bugger.” SPIKE~!

 

They cut whiny Connor and Cordy and upgraded with Spike and Harmony.

 

I love Spike questioning the Powers. Not so much different than Angel.

 

Soul. Saving the world. Captain Forehead. Casper. God I love these two.

 

Wes brings up another player in the game. As in Lindsay.

 

I love it that Gunn has the solution.

 

Spike sitting in the Viper. Knew what Angel was going to pick.

 

A spoon. And Spike’s reaction is golden.

 

Angel yelling about his soul and Spike’s is so great.

 

Ohh, they mentioned Haisnley has tie to politics and other venues of power, like a member of the Black Thorn.

 

They do a pretty good job building up to Spike and tricking Hainsley.

 

Spike haunts Angel in his sleep.

 

SPIKE~! I love that he fights Angel with Hainsley’s body after he’s already dead.

 

“Preaching to the horse’s mouth.” Harm.

 

I love Spike's last lines. About heel and where heroes are supposed to go. He can't be redeemed either, the shanshu was never meant for either of them.

[Ravenbomb 0]

Speaking of Spike:

WASHINGTON (AP) -- A love scene from the canceled TV show "Angel" that showed a female character turning into a vampire and biting her partner's neck did not overstep federal indecency rules, the Federal Communications Commission ruled Friday.

 

It was one of two scenes from a November 2003 episode of "Angel" that were not "sufficiently graphic or explicit to render the program patently offensive" by contemporary standards, the FCC said in denying an indecency complaint from the Parents Television Council.

 

"Angel," which was canceled by the WB last year after five seasons, starred David Boreanaz in the title role of an 18th-century vampire who tried to atone for past evil deeds in present day Los Angeles.

 

One scene involved Angel in an intimate moment with a female character in which Angel's hips are seen "moving back and forth," the Parents Television Council said in its complaint.

 

In the scene depicting the female vampire biting the neck of her partner, also a vampire, both characters had clothes on and "their breathing is heavy," the complaint said.

 

The episode aired at 9 p.m. EST on November 19, 2003. The indecency law bars nonsatellite radio and noncable television stations from airing between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. indecent material such as references to sexual and excretory functions. Those are the hours when children are more likely to be watching TV.

 

But not all sexual and excretory references or scenes are considered indecent. The FCC must consider context and its decisions are subjective interpretations of the law.

 

The FCC said the "Angel" scenes were not patently offensive "as defined by commission precedent" and therefore were not indecent.

 

The complaint was officially filed against WBDC-TV in Washington, though the program aired on WB stations across the country. The FCC asks that indecency complaints include the call letters of a television or radio station.

 

Good on the FCC for once. I'm assuming that the scene in question is the one in Destiny between Spike and Harmony

[Guest Brian]

Wes questions Knox at the start of the episode. Obviously jealous, but interesting.

 

Gunn is pretty corrupted. On the defensive.

 

Nina <Bites hand>

 

ANGEL

Probably tried to control it for a while and just gave up.

(they walk into the elevator)

Thought he had to fight it alone, ended up with nothing worth fighting for.

 

Interesting choice of words from our hero.

 

Spike was awesome, going all serious with his fake Wes feud, and Fred totally didn't bite. That was great. And then his story about fighting a werewolf for an hour is ruined when Fred tells him Angel killed the werewolf with a pen.

 

This is one of those "reflection on Angel's nature" types.

 

Planting the seeds for the Nina crush.

 

Nina calls them a family.

 

Nina and the water <Bites hand>

 

I love it when they use the vamp out to put pressure on people and threaten them. "He's scarier than you." "Wanna bet?"

 

Gunn busted out the shotgun. Oh fuck, what just happened here? Is Gunn Wes?

 

Nice little poke at Angel's frugality. Haven't pulled one of those in a while.