Re: 'Angel' Discussion

["Howard Russell" <howardrussell2000@xxxxxxxxx>]

We now present our regularly scheduled email, already in progress.


Hello Everybody!

Today, I'm finally getting to "Angel."  Just in time for the next episode, too.  Well, this is fun.  Damn the Romeo and Juliet overtones.  Sure, it was kinda romantic...at first...in a way.  But we now know it's a dead end.  That's why we're Wiffy 'shippers, after all.


Canon Cop Facts:

The 'Invitation Rule' is mentioned for the first time...in a scene where an uninvited vampire sticks his hand through the front door.

Angelus is named.  And it's pronounced 'an-GEL-us' as Joss had intended, not 'AN-gel-us' as it was mistakenly in season two.

Buffy sucks at History.  "She lives in the now."



General Stuff:

The invitation rule thing.  The vamp stuck his hand in through the open door to prevent Buffy from closing it.  But Buffy had said a general "get in" before then so that could count as an invite.  It wasn't verbally directed at him, but it was intended to be just Angel.  Does the intent count or just the words?  One fic suggested that a simple welcome mat might suffice to allow vampire entry but that's not canon.  Very questionable vamp behavior either way.

For the creep factor, Angel's a vampire--an animated corpse.  Shouldn't Buffy notice that the wound she's bandaging doesn't have blood flowing?  That the flesh is cold to the touch?  That the thing she's snogging is room temperature?  By god, Giles was right!  She really, *really* needs to learn to hone.  I mean, come on Buffy!  Wake up and smell the walking corpse!

*shudder*

Sorry, but it really bothers me.  I'm kinda with Xander on this, vampires are for slaying, not for smooching.

I have a general beef with a scene in this episode that's also duplicated in many vampire movies as well.  Angel gets burned by a crucifix that leaves a burn in the shape of a crucifix.  Why doesn't that crucifix scar continue to burn the vampire?  It's a freakin' cross, burned right in!  A cross burns vampires, right?  Well, there's one right there on his chest!  It ought to keep on burning.  That's my two cents, anyway.



Wiffy Stuff:

Check out this exchange in the very beginning of the episode.

    (Written by David Greenwalt)

    Willow:  So, we're talking about a guy?

    Buffy:   Not exactly a guy.  For us to have a
             conversation about a guy, there'd have
             to be a guy for us to have a conversation
             about.  Is that a sentence?

    Willow:  You lack a guy.

    Buffy:   I do.  Which is fine with me, most of
             the time, but...

I mean, wow!  The subtext is so wonderfully close to being main text, right there.  What is 'not exactly a guy' if not a girl?  She doesn't know Angel's a vampire yet, so she can't be referring to that.  It really sounds like the start of a self-outing.  Her love interest is 'not exactly a guy' and the 'lack of guy' is fine with her.  Hmm.  Damn, that's so close to what we want!  Prime for a Wiffy reinterpretation in a fic.

When Buffy asks if a vampire could be good, Giles gives a long speech about why it couldn't happen.  Willow sarcastically snaps, "So that'd be a no, huh?"  It's so OOC for her to snap at Giles--one of her many canon crushes.  Obviously there's something more there.  What could have been upsetting our young hacker?  The Buffy/Angel kissage, perhaps?

Perhaps not.  In the final Bronze scene, Willow has a happy smile on her face as she watches Buffy and Angel kiss.  Is she just getting her vicarious smoochies?  Or is she imagining that she's the one kissing Buffy?  You decide.



Wiffy Fic Possibilities:

Buffy is willing to spend long hours in the library, alone with Willow, under the pretext of studying.  What could happen between our girls late at night...all alone...

Buffy could, quite wisely, choose not to pursue the vampire.  At the end, she could tell him that she can't be with him, then go cry on Willow.  Smoochies to follow.



Well, the commentary track should be up shortly.  Hope you enjoy it when you get it.

Your fellow 'shipper,
Howard

Simulcast on BWW and The WD.



--
I had nothing to offer anyone but my own confusion. -- Jack Kerouac

http://www.geocities.com/howardrussell2000/


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Willow: "It's a good fight, Buffy, and I want in."
Buffy:  "I kinda love you."
                     --'Choices'

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