Last night’s “Angel” was all about control. Spike yearns to have a body, a corporeal entity (although I didn’t know ghosts could ride in cars and lean on doorframes); Angel, Spike, and the necromancer have this three-way battle over who will control whose body; and meanwhile, Angel and his pals are being controlled by who-knows-what. Who are the senior partners of Wolfram & Hart? Why was it decided that Spike must stay in Los Angeles? Did Angel thwart fate by giving Spike the amulet, or was it meant for Spike all along? They’re all being tossed about by forces they can’t control.
It’s interesting that Spike complained about not being able to affect anything, while he actually played a crucial role in defeating the necromancer. It’s not all about physical power.
I got a little sad when they showed the clip of the “Buffy” series finale (but what happened to Buffy’s “I love you” and Spike’s “No you don’t, but thanks for saying it”?), and I got a little sad again when Angel referred to Buffy being in Europe. It made me miss the Scoobies. I really hope Willow or Xander or Giles or even Dawn or Andrew make some guest appearances in L.A. this year. I’d love to see Giles and Wesley interact again, I’d love to see Willow flirt with Fred, and I’d just generally love to see Andrew. I hope they come back.
As I said last week, I’m sure there are people who will resent Spike’s practically taking over “Angel.” Why bother calling it “Angel” anymore? Why not just call it “Spike”? But it’s still going to be Angel’s show. Angel’s always been the straight man surrounded by weirdos, kind of like Bob Newhart on “Newhart” (his 80s show with the Vermont inn). Perhaps Spike will be another quirky character thrown into the mix. I love the idea of Spike haunting Angel; Angel just wants to brood and yet he’s got this cocky British ensouled vampire ghost yammering and complaining at him. Doesn’t this sound like a great idea for a sitcom?
Anyway, the plot was a little confusing; I don’t like it when main characters withhold their crafty plans from the audience. And I’m still not sure how Angel & Co. are supposed to use Wolfram & Hart’s resources in some judo maneuver to use evil to defeat evil, or even if they’re going to be allowed to do so, or if the senior partners have something else in mind. I’ve missed about two and a half seasons of “Angel,” but it seems that one of the themes of the show has always been that there are these mysterious forces out there that control us without telling us what their plans are. It’s all sinister and spooky and unsettling and confusing and I’m curious to see where it all goes.
I agree with you about the rest of the Scoobies needing to come down for a guest spot from time to time . . . with one exception, Dawn. She was the Scrappy Doo of the Buffy world and I, for one, was glad to see her go.
But thanks for the Angel update. I don’t have a TV, but I like to at least hear what’s going on.
I adored the Angel-Bob Newhart comparison…gives me a whole new way of looking at a show that I’ve only watched intermittently. And I felt the same way about the bit they showed from the “Buffy” season finale. Spike’s presence and the reasons for it seems to give a coherence to the Buffyverse that seems to have been missing from “Angel” before this, and which leads me to suspect, again, that he wasn’t really ready for “Buffy” to end when Sarah Michelle Gellar decided to pull out.