Angel 1.7: "The Bachelor Party"
Written by Tracy Stern
Directed by David Straiton
In which Doyle’s estranged wife comes to town with her new fiancé, looking for divorce, and Angel has to save Doyle from a demonic ritual at the subsequent bachelor party…
Status Report
Early in the production of the series, Joss Whedon made the decision to remove Doyle from the cast. There are any number of reasons given for this change, ranging from a desire to shock the audience to personal troubles for Glenn Quinn. Whatever the case, the writing was on the wall long before Glenn Quinn’s exit. It seems odd, then, that the writers would focus an entire episode on Doyle and his life before hitting the skids.
In the overall scope of the series, Doyle is little more than a pawn, placed in his specific situation to push Angel towards his destined path and eventually pass the visions on to Cordelia. As the fourth season would eventually explain, Doyle was Jasmine’s instrument, duped into believing that “The Powers That Be” were telling him what to do. For all that Doyle’s exit would be heroic, it was tragically not the moment of free will that he thought it was.
Of course, to provide Doyle’s heroic exit, the writers had to give the character more than down and dirty qualities. It would be easy to assume from the previous episodes that Doyle does the right thing reluctantly and for largely selfish reasons. While also rounding out the character, this episode gives Doyle something of a softer side. Doyle goes from being the lifelong minor player to a man burdened by considerable psychological issues of self-depreciation.
One thing about Doyle that was clear from the start: he has issues with his half-breed nature and its effect on women. He yearns for Cordelia, despite her abrasive qualities, and finds it hard to believe that she would ever give him a fair chance. It’s bad enough that he doesn’t have the big money, something she’s obviously looking for. He also has that little spiky-demon skin condition that crops up now and then, and Cordy isn’t the most open-minded woman when it comes to demons.
For Cordelia’s part, she’s slowly but surely re-learning the lessons of Xander Harris. Her latest rich date turns out to be a bore, going on and on about futures trading. When the two are attacked by a vampire stalking Angel and Doyle, the date runs off, leaving Cordy to be a late night snack. In Xander-esque fashion, Doyle saves the day, and Cordy is shocked to discover that Doyle is brave…and she likes it.
Angel, for one, is not all that shocked to discover that Cordy is seeing Doyle in a new light. Cordy doesn’t like to think so, but she has a definite thing for the foolishly heroic. That bravery was one of the qualities that drew her to Xander in the first place, and she seemed to deny the value of it when Xander betrayed her trust. Still, Cordy can’t deny that attraction forever, as Angel knows all too well. But Angel is also aware of Doyle’s secret, and can smell the trouble coming on the horizon.
Of course, the fleeting love connection between Doyle and Cordy is interrupted by the sudden arrival of Doyle’s estranged wife, Harry. As it turns out, Doyle and Harry were once madly in love with one another, until something happened four years earlier to change it all. Harry went on an apparent world tour, and Doyle hit the bottle, among other things. Still, Doyle hasn’t completely lost the loving feeling, because he instantly pretends to be the boss, much to Cordy’s chagrin.
From the moment Richard is introduced, it’s rather clear that he’s not as bland as he seems to be. He certainly seems to be trying to act bland, which is always a bad sign. It’s amazing that Doyle doesn’t pick up on it right away, since he’s obviously very unhappy with the idea of Harry bringing around her new fiancé, looking for a last-minute divorce. It only serves to drive home all of the self-doubt that has plagued his attempts to woo Cordelia.
It’s interesting that Doyle’s demonic side didn’t come out until he was 21, since one would assume that puberty would have something to do with it. Even so, it seems that Doyle’s life was very different before the emergence of certain family genetic surprises. He was married before he was twenty, which suggests an incredibly stable life situation. Finding out the truth about his father pretty well destroyed him, and as a result, Harry left.
Equally interesting was Harry’s reaction to the truth. Love brings out the funny, and both Doyle and Harry reacted with equal but opposite extremes. Doyle couldn’t face his true nature, and wanted nothing to do with his demon side. Harry, on the other hand, wanted to embrace Doyle’s demonic heritage. In the process, they were both ignoring the valid feelings of the other. While Doyle let his entire world fall apart, Harry diverged in the opposite direction, studying the demon world so closely that she lost sight of its negative qualities.
The writers don’t take very long to show Richard’s true colors. Harry explains that Richard’s family really wanted Doyle to give his blessing, and in the very next scene, the family casually mentions the ritual “eating of the first husband’s brains”. This has both good and bad aspects to it. On the plus side, it establishes that Harry is too blinded by love to see the truth about Richard’s clan. On the other hand, it would have been better to let the mystery play out a little longer.
One continuity glitch arrives with the news that Doyle was a teacher with full credentials before meeting Harry. If Doyle and Harry were married before they were twenty, that’s a problem. Minimally, a teacher in the United States requires four years of college, if not more, and the average college student graduates around the age of 22. For Doyle to be teaching at the age of 19, he would have needed to graduate secondary (high) school around the age of 15. That’s certainly possible, if Doyle’s a hidden prodigy, but there’s no evidence to support that conclusion. It’s a silly mistake, but considering how often the Mutant Enemy writing staff would screw up simple math, it’s not unexpected!
It’s a bit harder to accept that Harry wouldn’t know the language used in the rituals of her future demon family. The seeds are thankfully planted earlier in the episode, where Harry seems to be completely fooled into believing that Richard’s clan has fully abandoned the old ways. The delay seems intended to delay Harry’s realization until Angel can be taken out of play and Doyle’s life can be put on the line.
One thing that doesn’t track, however, is the logic that Harry wouldn’t mind because she’s supposedly accepted Richard’s culture. If that’s the case, then why would Richard’s family have taken measures to ensure that Harry not learn about their orthodox beliefs? They knew she’d object, before or after, or they wouldn’t have hidden their intentions. So why assume she’d turn around and accept it after the fact?
The relationship between Harry and Richard melts down rather quickly, but that’s not the point of the episode. Doyle is reminded all too well of the problems with a mixed marriage and Cordelia’s attitude towards demons as a whole. There are some fairly obvious parallels drawn in terms of racism, but before they get too deep, it comes back around to Cordy and Doyle. Doyle gets the pleasure of hearing Cordy call him a nice guy, but still has to face the fact that she’s unaware of his true nature.
Considering how much of the episode sets the stage for “Hero”, it’s almost a shame that the intervening time would be spent with another crossover with “Buffy”. It would have been nice to get a closer look at Doyle before the end. But even as it stands, this episode provides enough background to support the idea of a heroic Doyle catching Cordelia’s eye, which is really the point of the entire exercise.
Memorable Quotes
CORDELIA: “Well, I was thinking, maybe I haven’t been entirely fair to you. Maybe you don’t actually have zero potential.”
DOYLE: “Wow, Cordelia. Thanks…”
HARRY: “He’s got a good heart, Francis, just like you.”
DOYLE: “Yeah, maybe, but the container? Can I get a side of bland with that bland?”
DAD DEMON: “Then comes the stripper, darts, then we have the ritual eating of the first husband’s brains…and then, charades.”
BROTHER DEMON: “Wait! What was that…charades?”
COUSIN DEMON: “Yeah, I don’t know about that…”
AUNT DEMON: “Come on, girls, it’s pornographic Pictionary time!”
HARRY: “Their ways are not our ways…”
HARRY: “It’s about the bachelor party. Richard said having the former husband present was some sort of tradition. I was just wondering…”
AUNT DEMON: “Well, they’ve certainly not going to eat your husband’s brains! For instance!”
RICHARD: “You’re not trying to back out, are you?”
DOYLE: “Yeah, yeah, I take it back!”
RICHARD: “Oh, well, I see! Now I’m not even sure I want to eat your brains!”
HARRY: “And when were you planning on telling me?”
RICHARD: “I thought maybe I wouldn’t have to.”
HARRY: “You were going to start out our life together with deceit?”
DOYLE: “Sort of missing the point, isn’t she?”
HARRY: “Oh, please, Uncle John! When is the last time you pried yourself away from ESPN long enough to spill the blood of a she-goat?”
HARRY: “One word, Francis, just one word, and I’ll eat your brains!”
Final Analysis
Overall, this episode finally provided some interesting background on Doyle, but of course, it was too little, too late. The actual plot was not very excited, and not much was left in suspense. The meat of the story was the advancement of Cordelia’s attraction to Doyle, something that would become very important to the series as a whole.
Writing: 2/2
Acting: 1/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 1/4
Final Rating: 6/10
Directed by David Straiton
In which Doyle’s estranged wife comes to town with her new fiancé, looking for divorce, and Angel has to save Doyle from a demonic ritual at the subsequent bachelor party…
Status Report
Early in the production of the series, Joss Whedon made the decision to remove Doyle from the cast. There are any number of reasons given for this change, ranging from a desire to shock the audience to personal troubles for Glenn Quinn. Whatever the case, the writing was on the wall long before Glenn Quinn’s exit. It seems odd, then, that the writers would focus an entire episode on Doyle and his life before hitting the skids.
In the overall scope of the series, Doyle is little more than a pawn, placed in his specific situation to push Angel towards his destined path and eventually pass the visions on to Cordelia. As the fourth season would eventually explain, Doyle was Jasmine’s instrument, duped into believing that “The Powers That Be” were telling him what to do. For all that Doyle’s exit would be heroic, it was tragically not the moment of free will that he thought it was.
Of course, to provide Doyle’s heroic exit, the writers had to give the character more than down and dirty qualities. It would be easy to assume from the previous episodes that Doyle does the right thing reluctantly and for largely selfish reasons. While also rounding out the character, this episode gives Doyle something of a softer side. Doyle goes from being the lifelong minor player to a man burdened by considerable psychological issues of self-depreciation.
One thing about Doyle that was clear from the start: he has issues with his half-breed nature and its effect on women. He yearns for Cordelia, despite her abrasive qualities, and finds it hard to believe that she would ever give him a fair chance. It’s bad enough that he doesn’t have the big money, something she’s obviously looking for. He also has that little spiky-demon skin condition that crops up now and then, and Cordy isn’t the most open-minded woman when it comes to demons.
For Cordelia’s part, she’s slowly but surely re-learning the lessons of Xander Harris. Her latest rich date turns out to be a bore, going on and on about futures trading. When the two are attacked by a vampire stalking Angel and Doyle, the date runs off, leaving Cordy to be a late night snack. In Xander-esque fashion, Doyle saves the day, and Cordy is shocked to discover that Doyle is brave…and she likes it.
Angel, for one, is not all that shocked to discover that Cordy is seeing Doyle in a new light. Cordy doesn’t like to think so, but she has a definite thing for the foolishly heroic. That bravery was one of the qualities that drew her to Xander in the first place, and she seemed to deny the value of it when Xander betrayed her trust. Still, Cordy can’t deny that attraction forever, as Angel knows all too well. But Angel is also aware of Doyle’s secret, and can smell the trouble coming on the horizon.
Of course, the fleeting love connection between Doyle and Cordy is interrupted by the sudden arrival of Doyle’s estranged wife, Harry. As it turns out, Doyle and Harry were once madly in love with one another, until something happened four years earlier to change it all. Harry went on an apparent world tour, and Doyle hit the bottle, among other things. Still, Doyle hasn’t completely lost the loving feeling, because he instantly pretends to be the boss, much to Cordy’s chagrin.
From the moment Richard is introduced, it’s rather clear that he’s not as bland as he seems to be. He certainly seems to be trying to act bland, which is always a bad sign. It’s amazing that Doyle doesn’t pick up on it right away, since he’s obviously very unhappy with the idea of Harry bringing around her new fiancé, looking for a last-minute divorce. It only serves to drive home all of the self-doubt that has plagued his attempts to woo Cordelia.
It’s interesting that Doyle’s demonic side didn’t come out until he was 21, since one would assume that puberty would have something to do with it. Even so, it seems that Doyle’s life was very different before the emergence of certain family genetic surprises. He was married before he was twenty, which suggests an incredibly stable life situation. Finding out the truth about his father pretty well destroyed him, and as a result, Harry left.
Equally interesting was Harry’s reaction to the truth. Love brings out the funny, and both Doyle and Harry reacted with equal but opposite extremes. Doyle couldn’t face his true nature, and wanted nothing to do with his demon side. Harry, on the other hand, wanted to embrace Doyle’s demonic heritage. In the process, they were both ignoring the valid feelings of the other. While Doyle let his entire world fall apart, Harry diverged in the opposite direction, studying the demon world so closely that she lost sight of its negative qualities.
The writers don’t take very long to show Richard’s true colors. Harry explains that Richard’s family really wanted Doyle to give his blessing, and in the very next scene, the family casually mentions the ritual “eating of the first husband’s brains”. This has both good and bad aspects to it. On the plus side, it establishes that Harry is too blinded by love to see the truth about Richard’s clan. On the other hand, it would have been better to let the mystery play out a little longer.
One continuity glitch arrives with the news that Doyle was a teacher with full credentials before meeting Harry. If Doyle and Harry were married before they were twenty, that’s a problem. Minimally, a teacher in the United States requires four years of college, if not more, and the average college student graduates around the age of 22. For Doyle to be teaching at the age of 19, he would have needed to graduate secondary (high) school around the age of 15. That’s certainly possible, if Doyle’s a hidden prodigy, but there’s no evidence to support that conclusion. It’s a silly mistake, but considering how often the Mutant Enemy writing staff would screw up simple math, it’s not unexpected!
It’s a bit harder to accept that Harry wouldn’t know the language used in the rituals of her future demon family. The seeds are thankfully planted earlier in the episode, where Harry seems to be completely fooled into believing that Richard’s clan has fully abandoned the old ways. The delay seems intended to delay Harry’s realization until Angel can be taken out of play and Doyle’s life can be put on the line.
One thing that doesn’t track, however, is the logic that Harry wouldn’t mind because she’s supposedly accepted Richard’s culture. If that’s the case, then why would Richard’s family have taken measures to ensure that Harry not learn about their orthodox beliefs? They knew she’d object, before or after, or they wouldn’t have hidden their intentions. So why assume she’d turn around and accept it after the fact?
The relationship between Harry and Richard melts down rather quickly, but that’s not the point of the episode. Doyle is reminded all too well of the problems with a mixed marriage and Cordelia’s attitude towards demons as a whole. There are some fairly obvious parallels drawn in terms of racism, but before they get too deep, it comes back around to Cordy and Doyle. Doyle gets the pleasure of hearing Cordy call him a nice guy, but still has to face the fact that she’s unaware of his true nature.
Considering how much of the episode sets the stage for “Hero”, it’s almost a shame that the intervening time would be spent with another crossover with “Buffy”. It would have been nice to get a closer look at Doyle before the end. But even as it stands, this episode provides enough background to support the idea of a heroic Doyle catching Cordelia’s eye, which is really the point of the entire exercise.
Memorable Quotes
CORDELIA: “Well, I was thinking, maybe I haven’t been entirely fair to you. Maybe you don’t actually have zero potential.”
DOYLE: “Wow, Cordelia. Thanks…”
HARRY: “He’s got a good heart, Francis, just like you.”
DOYLE: “Yeah, maybe, but the container? Can I get a side of bland with that bland?”
DAD DEMON: “Then comes the stripper, darts, then we have the ritual eating of the first husband’s brains…and then, charades.”
BROTHER DEMON: “Wait! What was that…charades?”
COUSIN DEMON: “Yeah, I don’t know about that…”
AUNT DEMON: “Come on, girls, it’s pornographic Pictionary time!”
HARRY: “Their ways are not our ways…”
HARRY: “It’s about the bachelor party. Richard said having the former husband present was some sort of tradition. I was just wondering…”
AUNT DEMON: “Well, they’ve certainly not going to eat your husband’s brains! For instance!”
RICHARD: “You’re not trying to back out, are you?”
DOYLE: “Yeah, yeah, I take it back!”
RICHARD: “Oh, well, I see! Now I’m not even sure I want to eat your brains!”
HARRY: “And when were you planning on telling me?”
RICHARD: “I thought maybe I wouldn’t have to.”
HARRY: “You were going to start out our life together with deceit?”
DOYLE: “Sort of missing the point, isn’t she?”
HARRY: “Oh, please, Uncle John! When is the last time you pried yourself away from ESPN long enough to spill the blood of a she-goat?”
HARRY: “One word, Francis, just one word, and I’ll eat your brains!”
Final Analysis
Overall, this episode finally provided some interesting background on Doyle, but of course, it was too little, too late. The actual plot was not very excited, and not much was left in suspense. The meat of the story was the advancement of Cordelia’s attraction to Doyle, something that would become very important to the series as a whole.
Writing: 2/2
Acting: 1/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 1/4
Final Rating: 6/10
posted by John Keegan | 11:50
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