Angel, Season 4: Episodes 1-5

[laceblade]

I loved the first episode! A lot. I think it might have been my favorite one so far. I was interested in every character in every scene, through the whole episode. And at the very end, I thought they were going to do something really lame with Cordelia, but instead it was her face, surrounded by ethereal clouds, saying, "I am so bored." It was like, "Hey, that sounds like something Cordelia would say, unlike the majority of season three! It made me laugh, because it was unexpected. Buffy makes me do this all the time, but Angel seems to have been stuck in a rut for a while of focusing on the melodrama, and not often having an amusing subversion of the audience's expectations.

I liked Lilah killing her boss. That was bad-ass. It makes me wonder if she thinks she's going to use Wesley somehow, or if she's going to cut herself off from him, lest she appear weak in front of the rest of Wolfram & Hart.

I liked all of Wesley, of course. I knew that he wasn't totally evil, but making him "just evil enough" is awesome - threatening to take Justine's pot away, throwing her the key to freedom, leaving Fred and Gunn with Angel. Also, what is up with Fred being a total bitch to him every time she sees him?! Can't she see how tortured he was, and how he had to do everything he did??

Connor seems to be going the emo kid route, which could be annoying.

I AM SO IN LOVE WITH LORNE! His singing "It's not easy being green" and the Moulin Rouge song in Vegas?? LORNE, I LOVE YOU!

Connor/Cordelia: DISGUSTING, OR ABHORRENT? DISCUSS. Seriously, I have never seen a kiss that made me shudder more than that one. OH MAN.

Watching Fred go all bad-ass was pretty amazing. I wish the girls on this show would kick ass more often. Watching Cordelia fight with Connor was nice, too. My favorite Fred line was, "You know what they say about payback? Well, I'm the bitch."

Call me a sadistic fan, but I think it's SO CUTE that Fred turns to Wesley for advice on how to wreak havoc. That's a sign of true love - recognizing that only one man can understand your need for violent vengeance.

WTF is up with Gunn's taking away her opportunity? I'm sorry, but that kind of stank horribly from a feminist POV. "Oh, Fred, if YOU kill him....I will lose you!" (WTF, because Fred losing a part of her soul isn't a problem for....I don't know....FRED?) But it's okay for Gunn to kill him instead because he's a big strong man? Or maybe it's because Gunn is "from the hood." This show can sometimes get squicky with race, too.

Also, it's pretty obvious that the male professor isn't the one responsible, and the jealous female TA is, right? LOL MISTAKE.

Things I Want to Happen:
--Now that Lilah realizes Wesley loves Fred, she will try to kill Fred/manipulate Wesley....BUT WESLEY WILL OUT-MANIPULATE HER!
--Connor to realize that him kissing Cordelia was yucky AND NOT OKAY. He can totally continue with the Buffy-esque slaying and witty comments, though. His hair's getting a tad too long. Oh, the negative effects of being raised by Holtz.
--References to Yeats' "The Second Coming" can continue. I LOVE THAT POEM.
--Lorne can continue to be tortured and look beautimous. This might be the first time in my life that I've been attracted to a green man. Go me!
--Wesley will continue to wear scruff, have a bad-ass scar across his throat, save Angel Investigations people, and be tortured and angsty. But how come he can't wear glasses now that he's morally gray?! I liked the glasses a lot! Dating Antoine has made me really attracted to men in glasses.

Why did Lilah have Wesley sign the dollar, WTF!?

ALSO! I read the back of a Wesley action figure at Westfield Comics. WHY DO PEOPLE PUT SUCH SPOILERS ON DVD CASES, ACTION FIGURES, AND OTHER SEEMINGLY HARMLESS THINGS?! YOU FUCKERS.

The next episode is called "Spin the Bottle," which makes me desperately want to watch it. I think this is the first time I've been more excited to see a new Angel episode than a new Buffy episode. With Buffy, though, it might be because I'm closing on the last season and want to savor it.

Random Note: What the hell happened to the premise of the show? Unlike Buffy, who still has to save random people, it doesn't seem like Angel Investigations is doing a lot of investigating. I can't remember anyone from the last two seasons who wasn't a setup by Wolfram & Hart, or directly related to one of the main characters. WTF PREMISE?