Yeah, during the front half I was unsure why this is regarded so highly, but this last stretch is very strong. I could still quibble. The arc is not quite working and Lorne is all but forgotten, which is never good. But so much is just hitting perfectly, notable because it's rare for this show.
The Girl in Question (A5.20) - Swaggering swing at stupidity. It earns it, because it's smart - the b-plot where Illyria pretends to be Fred is brilliantly cruel. Boreanaz and Marsters nail dumb character comedy you can only do with characters this fully drawn over time. Great last experiment. 10/10
Time Bomb (A5.19) - I'm a sucker for a structural high concept, especially when character-driven. The time travel plot isn't as smart as it wants to be, but it is stylish, and it throws the Wes and Illyria dynamic into an interesting place - the reveal Wes lied about killing her rocks. 8/10
Origin (A5.18) - Angel really wrote itself into a trap with this arc, a scrapped problem character prophesied to kill a villain last seen two seasons ago. But as it turns out, Connor just needed to be written as a person, and this smartly uses the forgone conclusion to foreground Wesley angst. 7/10
Genuinely funny that Sonia Sotomayor issued a public apology today for her mild criticism of a conservative colleague on a specific, substantive issue, and then a few hours later Clarence Thomas picked up a mic and was like ALL LIBERALS ARE AMERICA-HATING COWARDS
Underneath (A5.17) - Wasn't expecting offbeat comedy here, but it's great, a collection of truly weird ideas knit together to draw out the fallout of the past few weeks. Lorne drinking away the pain is both funny and brutal, and Gunn's choice here is one of the show's best uses of a core theme. 9/10
Shells (A5.16) - All fallout to the last episode, keeping the momentum and quality up. Killing a character in a way that gives the actor a better role is genius, and it's a good catalyst to get the cast to tear into each other. The plot resolution comes a bit easy, but the emotions are strong. 9/10
Aw, thank you so much!
Buffy will always be the superior of these works. At least it's actually about a woman who's allowed to be a complex and coherent person.
There's a moment where she's in a bed surrounded by pretty much the entire rest of the show's cast and is like "my boys" just to hit home that she's literally the only woman there and she's about to be fridged. I'm annoyed that it still works.
It's very annoying when Joss Whedon's misogyny makes for effective TV. There's so many things in this that annoy me. Fred was never the most coherent character, and her suddenly deciding to love Wesley just so he can watch her die is cheap and unmotivated. And yet, it's genuinely powerful television
A Hole in the World (A5.15) - A classic tragedy. It tells you something awful is going to happen, then sequentially crushes any escape route. It's a brutal and in some cases cheap trick - leaning more on tragic romance than Fred's agency is a bummer - but it works. Beautifully mean television. 10/10
the main issue with editing Calvin & Hobbes comic strips as a meme template is that you are probably not as funny as Bill Watterson
Smile Time (A5.14) - Look, I heard enough hype for this one to know what I was in for, and it lived up. The puppet angle is just inherently funny, there's some good moments of horror, and some strong romantic comedy while they're at it - apart from the awkward, clumsy Fred/Wesley manipulations. 9/10
Why We Fight (A5.13) - Solid change of pace with the period elements, with enough new ideas to be interesting even if they aren't satisfyingly explored. And speaking of unsatisfying - no mention whatsoever that they just killed off a lead? OK show. Wish the guy playing Lawson had more juice. 7/10
You're Welcome (A5.12) - The misogyny that got the show here with Cordy is still fully present throughout - poor Sarah Thompson is given the absolute worst as Eve - but there's much fun to be had here, and moments of genuine poetic beauty. Carpenter deserved better, but this was welcome. 8/10
Damage (A5.11) - A newly activated Slayer as an antagonist is just irresistible even before you get to the extra smart touches here, like her challenging Spike by remembering his murders, or Andrew generally. Some awkward tonal swings, the downside of Andrew, but the pluses are far stronger. 8/10
Soul Purpose (A5.10) - Spike roleplaying be Angel is a deligthful conceit, but the fun is covering for thematic territory the show has overdone without convincing much with. It doesn't help that these shows have just done a lot of dream episodes, many better. But also, credit due, some worse. 7/10
Harm's Way (A5.9) - A Harmony episode is always the correct move, and using her as a lens into the petty lower level office drama at Wolfram & Hart is even better. McNab and the editing work seamlessly in tandem for some crisp comic timing. Nice to see Angel remember it's good at the mundane. 9/10
Destiny (A5.8) - The Spike/Angel/Drusila history has been thoroughly mined by now, but the actors are so good at it this point that it's always a welcome detour, as are the antics of Spike and Angel tryig to outmacho each other. Little else here aside from some minor reveals, but fun. 7/10
Lineage (A5.7) - Hard to decide whether the final twist makes or breaks it, but it's an interesting swing complicating an episode that's already got some heft. The beats aren't new - Wesley's dad brings out exactly what you'd expect - but they land well in a solid character showcase. 8/10
hoping jd vance comes here to negotiate a stronger brexit so we can end up back in the eu
The UK government is trying to make ageplay porn illegal. Meanwhile, Euphoria is putting ageplay porn on television.
:sobbing: the taxation of trade routes is in dispute ::
genuinely insane that trump started a war for absolutely no reason and gave iran all the leverage. absolute american failure, probably the biggest in american history
It's such a clunker of a joke, and I admit I respect the restraint to not call attention to it at any point whatsoever.
I'm one of those trans women. I worked ground ops for Artemis I.
I am torn between celebrating the success of my friends and peers and grieving how my dream of working for NASA was shattered by hateful assholes in Tallahassee
I mean it's obviously intentional. Just dumb lol.
Democrats reaction to the Swalwell story is appropriate.
If he was a Republican, he’s go up at least 5 points with their primary voters.
Yeah I think Mind is racist and evil but not as racist and evil as Talons.
Unfortunately I think it also lacks Talons' redeeming qualities.