Angel 1.11: "Somnambulist"
Written by Tim Minear
Directed by Winrich Kolbe
In which Angel’s world is shattered yet again when a familiar face from the past arrives for a little murder spree, forcing him to reveal his true nature to someone close to him…
Status Report
The transition from Doyle to Wesley was not a smooth one, even if the writing staff did everything possible to make it happen. The previous episode was an obvious attempt to insert Wesley into the mix, and it suffered because Wesley had to have a distinct beginning to his long and arduous character arc. Once the writers realized what they could do with Wesley, and how he could become vital to Angel’s world, there was a greater sense of how to incorporate Wesley’s past into each episode.
This episode is an interesting case because it was planned very early in the series as a follow-up to “Lonely Hearts”, paying off the fact that Kate and Angel were getting chummy. The audience had every reason to see Kate as a potential replacement for Buffy, given that Angel and Kate had much they could offer one another. The writers, of course, saw that as an opportunity to create conflict, by taking the already trust-challenged Kate and ripping away her ability to believe in Angel.
But the episode was originally blocked out by the writing staff when Doyle was still supposed to be on the series. The abrupt timetable of Doyle’s departure forced the writers to rewrite this episode with Wesley in mind. Rather than weakening the story, it actually resulted in a much better source of exposition. Wesley, after all, had every reason to know all the reasons why Angel might have gone bad, thus creating a new source of conflict. This episode makes the case for a new cast dynamic more than “Parting Gifts” ever could.
Episodes exploring Angel’s past were a staple of the first two seasons, because they were necessary for the purposes of fleshing out the character in terms of where he was and where he was going. His deeds as Angelus were more or less revealed in the second season of “Buffy”, but the depth of his depravity and his demonic “family” were still obscured. With the first season all about establishing his search for personal redemption and his place in the scheme of things, this episode demonstrates how Angel’s past will always have an effect on his future.
This episode also establishes something of a psychic connection between vampire parent and vampire child. This was hinted in a very indirect way in the second season of “Buffy”, when one of Angelus’ victims managed to taunt Buffy with information a new vampire wouldn’t have. The reverse takes place here: Angel begins to dream the activities of one of his “children”. This is an interesting exploration of the vampire mythology, but it’s also something that the writers would quickly abandon. (Note that it doesn’t really work in terms of Darla, Spike, or Dru).
There’s enough time, however, for the writers to avoid one major pitfall: shoving Wesley into the group too quickly. At the beginning, Wesley is still semi-autonomous, even though everyone is more or less thinking in terms of a group dynamic. Angel isn’t all that surprised to see him, but he’s still running with the “rogue demon hunter” persona. If the episode had started with Wesley a full member of the team, then it would have been a bit too pat.
When Angel discovers that Kate is investigating a series of murders that just happen to coincide with his dreams, the story begins to take shape. The early suggestion that Angel might be the killer without realizing it is a nice enough hook, but it’s also somewhat pedestrian. It would be easy to dismiss this episode based on the first act alone. Things don’t really get interesting until much further into the story, when these supposed nightmares escalate into a situation that alters Angel’s status quo.
This episode is not just a highlight in terms of Angel, but also a strong Kate episode. The writers have done much to establish Kate’s professional credentials and psychological hang-ups, and both play a role in this episode. Kate’s profile is at least half right, which is impressive, given that she’s missing some rather crucial information about the nature of the crimes and the universe in which it takes place. This informs Kate’s reaction when she learns the truth about Angel and Los Angeles.
Wesley’s history with the Watchers becomes an easy source of exposition. When the episode was originally written with Doyle in the mix, the writers found it difficult to find a reasonable source of information. Doyle wouldn’t know the details about Angel’s past, after all, and had Angel brought it up without some initial independent background discussion, it wouldn’t have been as natural a scene as it was.
If the exposition was rewritten so that Wesley could deliver it more smoothly, then the following scene and act break were probably right out of the original version of the story. Angel needs to be chained to the bed in order to reveal the truth about the killings, so that he can realize the source of his killing dreams. Never mind that the morning paper wouldn’t be able to report on a pre-dawn killing; it’s a plot convenience meant to move the story forward to bigger and better things.
After some hand-waving about the “psychic connection” between Angel and Penn, the drama gets very uncomfortable as Angel attempts to help Kate hunt down his old apprentice. It’s painful to watch Angel dance around his source of information, knowing exactly what Penn’s rationale must be. No matter how strong he thinks Kate might be (and no matter how much he associates her with Buffy; note how she pulls out that cross necklace so subtly), he understands that the lack of full disclosure could get her killed. And since she trusts him, it makes her moment of revelation that much harder.
The dragnet for Penn comes together relatively quickly, which allows the episode to move into the meat of the angst quickly and methodically. Some consider Kate’s decision to track Penn down in the abandoned building on her own as a plot contrivance; in actuality, it’s a subtle reminder that Kate tends to isolate herself from her co-workers, and that she only really trusts herself (and for the moment, Angel).
When Penn tosses Kate across the room, she’s dazed and confused. In a nice touch, her observation skills aren’t swept under the rug; if anything, she understands that listening and comprehending what’s happening between Angel and Penn is critical to her survival and solving the case. As soon as she realizes that she’s not in immediate danger and has a moment, she calls for assistance. Everything established about Kate becomes important in one momentous scene.
Facing down Angel in the moments after, Kate throws up a wall of disbelief and doesn’t want to face the truth. But almost immediately, she turns to historical research, looking for patterns. She finds previous murder sprees connected to “vampires” and puts the pieces together. And then she looks into bookstores with an old and musty esoteric air, where information usually confined to Watcher’s diaries. In other words, just like Buffy and Giles, she only finds the information on Angelus when she has a distinct reason to look in the places where such information would be; otherwise, it’s not something would be easy to find.
If there is a plot contrivance, it’s the thought that Cordy would be so easily fooled into giving Penn information on Kate. She’s smart enough to use the window blinds as a natural weapon, but not smart enough to find out from Angel what “Apt Pupil Boy” looks like? And then there’s the whole “steak/stake” thing, which didn’t fit at all. One could say that Cordy only thought about the blinds because she was previously thinking of ways to defend herself against Angel, but that’s a stretch. It’s a poorly conceived scene overall, especially since Wesley is placed in the role of buffoon yet again.
Angel understands that he needs Kate, but now that she knows the truth about him, her trust is in tatters. For someone who already has issues with trust, this is a doozy. Kate quickly gets the information she needs to deal with vampires, and thus to keep Angel out of her apartment (a plot point that is rather unfortunate in the future). This is important because it establishes, rather quickly, that Kate is preparing to handle herself in Angel’s world, but also that the broken trust will not make them the allies they were.
One interesting angle to “Angel” has always been the clear difference between Angel and Angelus. The darker Angel gets, the more Angelus influences his thinking, the more devious becomes. If Penn is trying to emulate Angelus with his simple misdirection, then Angel must struggle to compensate. Despite what Angel says to Penn, it’s not clear whether he was able to work out Penn’s true plan, or if he simply arrived to get Kate’s help at the right time.
The final battle between Angel and Penn is remarkably brutal, displaying some of the best fight choreography of the series to date. For all that, it’s still hard to believe that Kate, a normal human, could drive that blunt piece of wood through Angel’s gut and into Penn’s heart. For one thing, the angle’s wrong. Second, the wood is too uneven to ensure that Angel’s heart wouldn’t also be nicked. Finally, as noted, Kate is a normal human; even Slayers find that kind of thing tough (or Buffy did in the third season of her series).
The final conversation between Angel and Cordy sounds like it was originally written for Angel and Doyle. With minimal changes to the original version, the scene now speaks to the growing friendship and trust between Angel and Cordelia. Given how Angel has just lost two allies in the space of a few weeks, and the fact that Wesley is still not quite integrated into the dynamic, Cordy is really Angel’s last strong connection to humanity. It demonstrates very well how both have changed over the years, especially Cordelia. Gaining the visions was a key moment in Cordelia’s overall character arc, tragic as it is.
Coming at the very center of the season and delivering another major blow to Angel’s world, this episode is a nice recovery from the accelerated removal of Glenn Quinn from the series. The writers find a way to include Wesley in an organic and logical manner while still easing him into full membership in Angel’s world. The unexpected tension and animosity between Kate and Angel is a welcome development, especially since it is only the first step in a long conflict between them.
The production values in this episode are also very high. David’s Irish accent notwithstanding, it’s always fun to see the years of Angelus. Angelus has a psychological edge as a villain that cannot be beaten, and it’s interesting to see how lesser minds try to emulate his sinister genius. The fight sequences are also brought to another level in this episode; they are the precursor to the stylized sequences that would dominate the action set pieces in future seasons.
Perhaps most impressively, the writers took an episode that was clearly meant to be a big moment in the season as envisioned before Doyle’s departure and re-crafted it into one of the best of the season. Usually, when an episode needs to be hastily re-written, the results are uneven. In this case, the revision resulted in a number of improvements, and the season was all the better for it.
Memorable Quotes
WESLEY: “It’s about to speak.”
CORDELIA: “Nobody likes a smart-ass rogue demon hunter…”
ANGEL: “Who were you talking to?”
CORDELIA: “Nobody. And Wesley.”
CORDELIA: “No! I don’t care how many files you have on all the horrible things he did back in the powdered wig days! He is good now, and he’s my friend. And nothing you or anyone else can say will make me turn on a friend!”
ANGEL: “Cordelia…he’s right.”
CORDELIA: “You’ll stake him and I’ll cut his head off!”
CORDELIA: “My glamorous LA life…I get to make the coffee, and chain the boss to the bed…”
ANGEL: “You missed.”
KATE: “No I didn’t.”
ANGEL: “If the day ever comes that I-”
CORDELIA: “Oh, I’ll kill you dead!”
ANGEL: “Thanks.”
CORDELIA: “What are friends for?”
Final Analysis
Overall, this episode is one of the best of the season, bringing the action to a completely new level, while also delivering on another major plot twist. Kate’s reaction to Angel’s true nature is perfectly in character, and while many of Cordy’s scenes were clearly rewritten from old material for Doyle, it works as strong character development. Wesley also continues his slow but steady introduction to the gang, which is most welcome.
Writing: 2/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 3/4
Final Rating: 9/10
Directed by Winrich Kolbe
In which Angel’s world is shattered yet again when a familiar face from the past arrives for a little murder spree, forcing him to reveal his true nature to someone close to him…
Status Report
The transition from Doyle to Wesley was not a smooth one, even if the writing staff did everything possible to make it happen. The previous episode was an obvious attempt to insert Wesley into the mix, and it suffered because Wesley had to have a distinct beginning to his long and arduous character arc. Once the writers realized what they could do with Wesley, and how he could become vital to Angel’s world, there was a greater sense of how to incorporate Wesley’s past into each episode.
This episode is an interesting case because it was planned very early in the series as a follow-up to “Lonely Hearts”, paying off the fact that Kate and Angel were getting chummy. The audience had every reason to see Kate as a potential replacement for Buffy, given that Angel and Kate had much they could offer one another. The writers, of course, saw that as an opportunity to create conflict, by taking the already trust-challenged Kate and ripping away her ability to believe in Angel.
But the episode was originally blocked out by the writing staff when Doyle was still supposed to be on the series. The abrupt timetable of Doyle’s departure forced the writers to rewrite this episode with Wesley in mind. Rather than weakening the story, it actually resulted in a much better source of exposition. Wesley, after all, had every reason to know all the reasons why Angel might have gone bad, thus creating a new source of conflict. This episode makes the case for a new cast dynamic more than “Parting Gifts” ever could.
Episodes exploring Angel’s past were a staple of the first two seasons, because they were necessary for the purposes of fleshing out the character in terms of where he was and where he was going. His deeds as Angelus were more or less revealed in the second season of “Buffy”, but the depth of his depravity and his demonic “family” were still obscured. With the first season all about establishing his search for personal redemption and his place in the scheme of things, this episode demonstrates how Angel’s past will always have an effect on his future.
This episode also establishes something of a psychic connection between vampire parent and vampire child. This was hinted in a very indirect way in the second season of “Buffy”, when one of Angelus’ victims managed to taunt Buffy with information a new vampire wouldn’t have. The reverse takes place here: Angel begins to dream the activities of one of his “children”. This is an interesting exploration of the vampire mythology, but it’s also something that the writers would quickly abandon. (Note that it doesn’t really work in terms of Darla, Spike, or Dru).
There’s enough time, however, for the writers to avoid one major pitfall: shoving Wesley into the group too quickly. At the beginning, Wesley is still semi-autonomous, even though everyone is more or less thinking in terms of a group dynamic. Angel isn’t all that surprised to see him, but he’s still running with the “rogue demon hunter” persona. If the episode had started with Wesley a full member of the team, then it would have been a bit too pat.
When Angel discovers that Kate is investigating a series of murders that just happen to coincide with his dreams, the story begins to take shape. The early suggestion that Angel might be the killer without realizing it is a nice enough hook, but it’s also somewhat pedestrian. It would be easy to dismiss this episode based on the first act alone. Things don’t really get interesting until much further into the story, when these supposed nightmares escalate into a situation that alters Angel’s status quo.
This episode is not just a highlight in terms of Angel, but also a strong Kate episode. The writers have done much to establish Kate’s professional credentials and psychological hang-ups, and both play a role in this episode. Kate’s profile is at least half right, which is impressive, given that she’s missing some rather crucial information about the nature of the crimes and the universe in which it takes place. This informs Kate’s reaction when she learns the truth about Angel and Los Angeles.
Wesley’s history with the Watchers becomes an easy source of exposition. When the episode was originally written with Doyle in the mix, the writers found it difficult to find a reasonable source of information. Doyle wouldn’t know the details about Angel’s past, after all, and had Angel brought it up without some initial independent background discussion, it wouldn’t have been as natural a scene as it was.
If the exposition was rewritten so that Wesley could deliver it more smoothly, then the following scene and act break were probably right out of the original version of the story. Angel needs to be chained to the bed in order to reveal the truth about the killings, so that he can realize the source of his killing dreams. Never mind that the morning paper wouldn’t be able to report on a pre-dawn killing; it’s a plot convenience meant to move the story forward to bigger and better things.
After some hand-waving about the “psychic connection” between Angel and Penn, the drama gets very uncomfortable as Angel attempts to help Kate hunt down his old apprentice. It’s painful to watch Angel dance around his source of information, knowing exactly what Penn’s rationale must be. No matter how strong he thinks Kate might be (and no matter how much he associates her with Buffy; note how she pulls out that cross necklace so subtly), he understands that the lack of full disclosure could get her killed. And since she trusts him, it makes her moment of revelation that much harder.
The dragnet for Penn comes together relatively quickly, which allows the episode to move into the meat of the angst quickly and methodically. Some consider Kate’s decision to track Penn down in the abandoned building on her own as a plot contrivance; in actuality, it’s a subtle reminder that Kate tends to isolate herself from her co-workers, and that she only really trusts herself (and for the moment, Angel).
When Penn tosses Kate across the room, she’s dazed and confused. In a nice touch, her observation skills aren’t swept under the rug; if anything, she understands that listening and comprehending what’s happening between Angel and Penn is critical to her survival and solving the case. As soon as she realizes that she’s not in immediate danger and has a moment, she calls for assistance. Everything established about Kate becomes important in one momentous scene.
Facing down Angel in the moments after, Kate throws up a wall of disbelief and doesn’t want to face the truth. But almost immediately, she turns to historical research, looking for patterns. She finds previous murder sprees connected to “vampires” and puts the pieces together. And then she looks into bookstores with an old and musty esoteric air, where information usually confined to Watcher’s diaries. In other words, just like Buffy and Giles, she only finds the information on Angelus when she has a distinct reason to look in the places where such information would be; otherwise, it’s not something would be easy to find.
If there is a plot contrivance, it’s the thought that Cordy would be so easily fooled into giving Penn information on Kate. She’s smart enough to use the window blinds as a natural weapon, but not smart enough to find out from Angel what “Apt Pupil Boy” looks like? And then there’s the whole “steak/stake” thing, which didn’t fit at all. One could say that Cordy only thought about the blinds because she was previously thinking of ways to defend herself against Angel, but that’s a stretch. It’s a poorly conceived scene overall, especially since Wesley is placed in the role of buffoon yet again.
Angel understands that he needs Kate, but now that she knows the truth about him, her trust is in tatters. For someone who already has issues with trust, this is a doozy. Kate quickly gets the information she needs to deal with vampires, and thus to keep Angel out of her apartment (a plot point that is rather unfortunate in the future). This is important because it establishes, rather quickly, that Kate is preparing to handle herself in Angel’s world, but also that the broken trust will not make them the allies they were.
One interesting angle to “Angel” has always been the clear difference between Angel and Angelus. The darker Angel gets, the more Angelus influences his thinking, the more devious becomes. If Penn is trying to emulate Angelus with his simple misdirection, then Angel must struggle to compensate. Despite what Angel says to Penn, it’s not clear whether he was able to work out Penn’s true plan, or if he simply arrived to get Kate’s help at the right time.
The final battle between Angel and Penn is remarkably brutal, displaying some of the best fight choreography of the series to date. For all that, it’s still hard to believe that Kate, a normal human, could drive that blunt piece of wood through Angel’s gut and into Penn’s heart. For one thing, the angle’s wrong. Second, the wood is too uneven to ensure that Angel’s heart wouldn’t also be nicked. Finally, as noted, Kate is a normal human; even Slayers find that kind of thing tough (or Buffy did in the third season of her series).
The final conversation between Angel and Cordy sounds like it was originally written for Angel and Doyle. With minimal changes to the original version, the scene now speaks to the growing friendship and trust between Angel and Cordelia. Given how Angel has just lost two allies in the space of a few weeks, and the fact that Wesley is still not quite integrated into the dynamic, Cordy is really Angel’s last strong connection to humanity. It demonstrates very well how both have changed over the years, especially Cordelia. Gaining the visions was a key moment in Cordelia’s overall character arc, tragic as it is.
Coming at the very center of the season and delivering another major blow to Angel’s world, this episode is a nice recovery from the accelerated removal of Glenn Quinn from the series. The writers find a way to include Wesley in an organic and logical manner while still easing him into full membership in Angel’s world. The unexpected tension and animosity between Kate and Angel is a welcome development, especially since it is only the first step in a long conflict between them.
The production values in this episode are also very high. David’s Irish accent notwithstanding, it’s always fun to see the years of Angelus. Angelus has a psychological edge as a villain that cannot be beaten, and it’s interesting to see how lesser minds try to emulate his sinister genius. The fight sequences are also brought to another level in this episode; they are the precursor to the stylized sequences that would dominate the action set pieces in future seasons.
Perhaps most impressively, the writers took an episode that was clearly meant to be a big moment in the season as envisioned before Doyle’s departure and re-crafted it into one of the best of the season. Usually, when an episode needs to be hastily re-written, the results are uneven. In this case, the revision resulted in a number of improvements, and the season was all the better for it.
Memorable Quotes
WESLEY: “It’s about to speak.”
CORDELIA: “Nobody likes a smart-ass rogue demon hunter…”
ANGEL: “Who were you talking to?”
CORDELIA: “Nobody. And Wesley.”
CORDELIA: “No! I don’t care how many files you have on all the horrible things he did back in the powdered wig days! He is good now, and he’s my friend. And nothing you or anyone else can say will make me turn on a friend!”
ANGEL: “Cordelia…he’s right.”
CORDELIA: “You’ll stake him and I’ll cut his head off!”
CORDELIA: “My glamorous LA life…I get to make the coffee, and chain the boss to the bed…”
ANGEL: “You missed.”
KATE: “No I didn’t.”
ANGEL: “If the day ever comes that I-”
CORDELIA: “Oh, I’ll kill you dead!”
ANGEL: “Thanks.”
CORDELIA: “What are friends for?”
Final Analysis
Overall, this episode is one of the best of the season, bringing the action to a completely new level, while also delivering on another major plot twist. Kate’s reaction to Angel’s true nature is perfectly in character, and while many of Cordy’s scenes were clearly rewritten from old material for Doyle, it works as strong character development. Wesley also continues his slow but steady introduction to the gang, which is most welcome.
Writing: 2/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 3/4
Final Rating: 9/10
posted by John Keegan | 16:46
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