Re: 'Angel' Discussion

["ebailey140" <ebailey140@xxxxxxx>]

--- In buffywantswillow@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, "Howard Russell"
<howardrussell2000@y...> wrote:
> 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."

We also start getting what will be a LOT of backstory before we're
done.  And, we have our first case of killing a character who keeps
turning back up.  We'll be seeing Darla a lot over the next six years.  

Darla is the first of Buffy's Dark Mirrors.  She'll have one each
season, a woman who will be a reflection of either where Buffy is at
the time or where she's going.  Here, we have blonde schoolgirl in
love with Angel vs blonde vampire in love with Angel who dresses like
a schoolgirl.  

Season 2 will see our darker Buffy, psychic girl being stalked by
Angelus, vs Drusilla, psychic girl that's the end result of being
stalked by Angelus.

Season 3 and 4, Faith.  Nuff said.

Season 5, Glory, blonde, insane, fashion concious, sarcastic,
obsessive, demonic god who just wants it all to end.

"You know what I wish? I wish that you could feel what I'm feeling
right now.  'Cause I don't know how much more of this I can take.  I
bet this is fun for you, isn't it? Say it. Why? You don't even own
the damn thing and I want it, I need it and I gotta have it now and
you keep refusing to tell me where the Key is!  It's typical! The
whole mortal meatsack comes complete with stink and bile sweat and
protein. Yes, I said humans! Not now, mummy's talking!  Wriggling,
piling, prowling, crawling, clowning, cavorting, doing it over and
over and over and over until someone's gonna sit down on their tuffet
and make this birthing stop!"

Season 6, Willow.  

WILLOW
Buffy, I gotta tell you - I get it now. The Slayer thing really isn't
about the violence.

Willow surrounds herself with energies streaming in at her from all
directions - as if she were collecting strength, the center of some
great cosmic vortex.

WILLOW (cont'd)
It's about the power.

Willow's eyes go BLACK.

This, naturally, leads us right into Season 7, where Willow's "It's
about power" line will be repeated at the beginning and end of the
season opener, first by Buffy, and then her ultimate Dark Mirror, who
takes the position quite literally. 
> 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.

Well, later, Harmony would be able to get in but her gang couldn't.  
> 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.

Well, this relationship (and there's that whole soul thing to
consider) would be the emotional heart of the series until the
spinoff.  Seasons 2 and 3 are still the most fondly remembered.   
> 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.

Doesn't seem to work that way.  Remember the crazy one from "Helpless".
> 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.

Willow tended to be very supportive of Buffy and Angel.  In one of the
first overtly subtexty bits in the next season, the "Ye gods"
conversation from Reptile Boy, Willow was happy over the thought of
Buffy going somewhere with Angel, but got jealous when she found out
Buffy was dating Cordy.  :)

E




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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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