Angel 1.13: "She"

Written by David Greenwalt and Marti Noxon
Directed by David Greenwalt

In which Angel investigates the burning death of a man, which leads him to a princess from another dimension, who is trying to save her sisters from a form of sexual mutilation…


Status Report

By the end of November sweeps, the series had been tossed into confusion and chaos by the abrupt (and apparently premature) loss of Doyle. During the off-sweeps period, three episodes aired that did much to repair the damage: Wesley was brought in and he became part of the family. Indeed, that was the entire point of the otherwise clichéd “Expecting”.

But there were also signs that the network was worried about the series and its future. The fans weren’t taking to Wesley quite so much as the writing staff, and there was the seeming desire to bring in a fresh character, to create more of an ensemble cast ala “Buffy”. And so even as the writers were taking the time to establish Wesley as an integral part of the team, the pressure came down to “reboot” the idea with an episode that would usher in the February sweeps.

Those who were watching the series during first run remember, unfortunately, the enormous amount of publicity that surrounding Bai Ling’s appearance in this episode. The network was more than happy to push the idea that Jhiera would be an important addition to the series, a recurring character with an instant chemistry with Angel. Everything about the episode was designed to communicate her raw sexuality and questionable morality (a Marti staple), even as her origin was tied to a thinly veiled commentary on “female circumcision” (or as civilized humans call it, mutilation).

The writers did what they could with the story, but it never escapes the male-fantasy comic book mentality that permeates Jhiera and her entire existence. Jhiera fights the evils of female objectification while running around in skintight, revealing leather and fighting the effects of uncontrollable sexual desire. (Buffy may be sexy, but that’s not pushed in the audience’s face). The thought, it seems, is that the male population of her dimension is terrified of the thought of being enslaved by the sexual desires of the women, which are substantial; thus, they take measures to enslave the women by denying them that sexual power.

For a writing staff that is supposed to understand “girl power”, they miss the mark here, largely in the effort to draw a strong parallel to the “female circumcision” issue. Those weak, pathetic children who think that female sexuality is something to fear, and thus must be destroyed, are a worthy target. But the writers choose to make the fictional “dangerous female sexuality” and turn it into a reality: the women of Oden Tal can literally kill out of the intensity of their desire, and they cannot control it. This little detail rips the writing staff from the moral high ground.

Was that aspect of the story their idea, or a network note designed to explain why Angel would have an instant rapport with a character that they themselves forced down the writers’ throats? It’s impossible to say, because Mutant Enemy did everything possible to make the best of a very bad situation. They played along and tried to give Bai Ling something to work with. Unfortunately, the whole thing was so utterly ridiculous and out of step with “Angel” as a concept that the writers were unable to make the case as strongly as they might have wanted.

If the introduction of Jhiera is poorly done (and poorly received), leading to the scrapping of any plans to bring her back as a recurring character, then the odd “reboot” of Wesley back to the bumbling of “Parting Gifts” is even harder to reconcile. The writers seem to be operating under the impression that the progress of the past three episodes must be summarized and made clear to the viewers that might not have been paying attention since “Hero”.

Fair enough, but why make Wesley into a complete and utter idiot, after spending three episodes establishing that he’s part of the team and valued? And doesn’t it take something away from the whole “don’t turn women into mindless sex objects” theme to have Wesley drooling like an idiot over a woman unable to control herself? It’s little wonder that the first season is uneven when the characters can’t even get their feet on the ground.

With the major plot threads of the episode coming up far short of the intended goal (this episode certainly didn’t live up to the immense hype), one might conclude that the entire effort is wasted. But there are signs of life in the smaller moments. When the writers aren’t forced to make “Angel” look like a live-action comic book (or at least, a much less interesting one than it normally is), they need to make up for the lack of originality somewhere. Along with the junk is a collection of smaller character moments that work.

The teaser, for instance, includes one of the most beloved moments of the first season: the Wesley Dance, followed by the even more cringe-inducing Angel Dance. Both are examples of why some men were never meant to dance the night away. Ever. This is followed by a rare Phantom Dennis scene, which emphasizes Angel’s lack of social skills and his overall sense of loneliness. Granted, this is meant to explain, in part, why he is susceptible to the charms of Jhiera, but it’s still a good scene on its own.

The introduction of portals (which is not really much of an introduction, so much as a refinement of an old “Buffy” concept) becomes important later in the series, especially at the end of the second season; indeed, when it comes to adding a character that gives the series more scope, Fred and her connection to portals definitely provided a better fit than Jhiera ever could. But the presentation of portals in this episode is fairly consistent with the later portrayal, which shows that the writers knew a good thing when they saw it.

Angel’s cell phone travails are a nice commentary on the days when everyone had to have a cell phone, yet the technology wasn’t quite optimized. Not only were hands-free devices a rarity in the public domain (available but not widely used), but nodes were far and few between. In some parts of the world, not much has changed (especially since morons still insist on holding their damn phones and killing people in the process), but in the major cities, a few years made a lot of difference!

Next comes the inspired bit with Angel giving an impromptu lecture on Monet and Baudelaire, including some hints that Angel was running about in the art circuit in his pre-Romanian days. Whenever Angel discusses his past adventures, it serves to remind the audience of how rich and fertile Angel’s past history can be for the writers. Indeed, the second and third seasons in particular were rooted in Angel’s past. This scene is as rewarding, in its own way, as the Angel Dance.

And while the episode’s treatment of Wesley is deplorable at times, it does highlight the fact that Wesley was clearly subservient to Angel in the first season. Contrast that to later seasons, where Angel was the one begging for Wesley’s forgiveness (at least until the end of the third season), and then the end of the series, at which point Angel and Wesley stood tall together as fellow warriors.

But a handful of scenes and concepts, classic as they may be, aren’t enough to overcome a plot and force-fed character introduction that ultimately mean little in terms of the series’ run. Whatever plans the network had for “She”, things quickly fell apart once it was clear that Jhiera was not a popular addition. Some loved the idea of the character, but hated the execution, including Bai Ling’s performance. Others couldn’t imagine how Ling could stand wearing that top.

Whatever the case, in retrospect, it was the sign of a series in the midst of creative flux. The much-lauded change to the series never came, and all the effort spent trying to make this episode a friendly introduction to the new status quo for new and casual viewers did little good. At the time, the episode seemed rather awkwardly earnest; seen after the end of the series with a more informed eye, the episode is an example of what can happen when a network tries to take too much creative control.


Memorable Quotes

CORDY: “I’m so glad you came. You know how parties are…you’re always worried that no one is going to suck the energy out of the room like a giant black hole of boring despair. But there you were…in the clinch!”

ANGEL: “I got two modes with people: bite and avoid. Hard to shift…”

CORDY: “Portals? There are portals now? When did they put in portals?”

ANGEL: “You know, these things were definitely cooked up by a bored warlock…”

WESLEY: “There were quite a few of them. Perhaps we need a plan.”
ANGEL: “Here’s the plan: We go in, I start hitting people hard in the face…see where it takes us…”


Final Analysis

Overall, this episode is an odd attempt to bring the audience up to speed with Wesley’s recent introduction while also attempting the introduction of a new character. The network’s desire to generate instant fan appreciation of the new character backfired completely, and whatever grand plan that might have been on the table was obviously shelved. This episode has its moments, but they are overwhelmed by the mixed social message at the heart of the story.

Writing: 0/2
Acting: 1/2
Direction: 1/2
Style: 1/4

Final Rating: 3/10