Angel 1.14: "I've Got You Under My Skin"
Written by David Greenwalt and Jeanine Renshaw
Directed by R.D. Price
In which Angel investigates the apparent demonic possession of a young boy, and the subsequent exorcism pushes Angel and Wesley into painful personal realizations…
Status Report
After an episode that felt more like a massively flawed ratings stunt than a natural progression of the season’s character arcs, the writers get back to business. Oddly enough, they choose a rather pedestrian topic to continue their sweeps period episode run: a knock-off of “The Exorcist”, which just about every supernatural series eventually tries to do. This has a few interesting twists to it, especially in terms of Wesley’s character development and final act, but it’s still not the most awe-inspiring episode in the first season.
The episode begins with a scene that almost suggests that the previous episode was inserted into the schedule out of nowhere; this could easily be the true follow-up to “Expecting”. Angel is back to hosting some “family” meal times, thus proving that his ability to connect with humans (even if just two of them) is improving. Wesley is still trying to demonstrate his worth, but not nearly as stridently as in the previous episode.
The point of the scene, however, comes when Angel slips and calls Wesley “Doyle”. This is an especially painful moment, because it immediately plays on the insecurities of the entire gang. Angel reveals the depth of his loss, Cordelia is reminded of everything she might have had, and Wesley suddenly has every reason to question Angel’s acknowledgment of his individual contribution. It’s rather clear, as the episode marches on, that this initial scene is meant to highlight Wesley’s insecurities and how far he will go to overcome them.
Angel’s reaction is to tighten his hold on the people under his care, because he still feels that Doyle’s death was his fault. He sees Cordy suffering like Doyle used to suffer, and he has to wonder at the point of it all. (It probably doesn’t help in later seasons, when he discovers that all this death and pain really was all about using him and his colleagues to bring about some diabolical plan!) This ultimately runs counter to Wesley’s desire to prove himself.
By the time that Angel saves Ryan from his apparent doom, the writers have established that something is Very Wrong. Certainly the early scenes try to establish that Seth is abusive, emotionally and possible physically. Paige comes across as a wife who looks to outside sources for psychological support (hence her belief in angels), and her constant hints to Angel suggest that she’s hoping someone will see the truth that she cannot bring herself to face directly. Unfortunately, as anyone who watches genre television knows, it’s always the innocent looking child that turns out to be the one with the demonic side.
That doesn’t mean that Seth isn’t very controlling. There are still some abusive overtones to his personality. But in this particular situation, it’s more honest to say that Seth is forced to be more controlling and strict, because it’s the only way he knows how to keep the family together. Paige is clearly the type to internally understand the situation yet live within a fantasy where everything is just a huge misunderstanding, and that’s not going to keep everyone alive. Seth, for all his obvious faults, is trying to keep a sinking ship afloat.
One inconsistency is the nature of Ryan’s evil spree over the years. Early in the episode, the “family friend” goes missing. Later, it’s clear that there’s a fire involved. Why would the news accounts from that incident exclude something as important as “presumed dead in a fire”? It would certainly paint a different picture than someone simply being “missing”. One might assume that revealing that plot point would take away from the end of the episode, but it would actually give the whole story a more focused perspective.
It’s rather apparent from the dinner scene that one of the kids will be revealed as the demon, if only because Angel develops such a quick and human rapport with them. There’s a quick hint about the final plot reveal when Stephanie mentions that Ryan has always been “bad”, but that’s overshadowed by the revelation of the Ethros demon. Indeed, the treatment of the demonic manifestation is problematic from a plot element perspective.
The writers clearly want the audience to believe that the Ethros demon is the one committing all the evil actions. The final reveal, however, plainly states that Ryan is inherently “soulless”, without a conscience, and that the demon is trapped and trying to get out. So if Ryan’s actions are not dictated by the demon possession, it’s a question of whether or not the depiction of Ryan’s exorcism makes sense in terms of the true source of Ryan’s evil. One can assume that Ryan begins acting out once the forced reveal of the Ethros possession gives him an excuse; the Ethros demon’s powers become his to exploit, but he’s firmly in control along the way, no longer forced to hold back.
If the demon needs to be bound before the exorcism can begin, then it seems rather odd that Ryan doesn’t try to lash out and get away before he’s bound by the spell. He just sits on Mommy’s lap, and then lets everyone take him into Angel’s bedroom to be bound. Does the eucalyptus temporarily incapacitate the demon or something? Because that’s a lot of time for Ryan to play possum for no good reason.
One of the best scenes of the episode takes place in a church. Vampires have sometimes been a bit too happy to run around places of worship in the Buffyverse, but Angel is definitely wary of this particular venue. It adds to the overall impression that Angel is forcing himself to face great personal discomfort, all for the sake of Ryan. It’s a display of his character. The scene is made that much better by the fearless nun that moves the story along, making it clear that Angel and Wesley are the ones who have to help Ryan.
It comes down to Angel’s desire to take all the potential danger upon himself, in the name of protecting his friends, and Wesley’s desire to prove his worth and put to rest the personal demons that the case has resurrected. Both of them have the capacity to get over these issues rather quickly: Angel already knows that his friends have free will and can make their own choices, and Wesley has already defied his father’s wishes to do the right thing. But it all comes down to which one of them can more easily accomplish the task. Wesley’s method of communicating that point to Angel reveals a side of his character that would ultimately take hold in later seasons.
The implication of the exorcism scene is such, in retrospect, that Ryan is the one using the demonic guise to implement his true nihilism. Thus he is the one who wants to kill his mother, and he’s using the demon as a means of doing so without penalty. The exorcism rituals sap away the demonic power, but the core evil remains; Ryan is just apparently very good at hiding it.
The scenes with Cordy are used to lighten the mood somewhat, at least as far as the writers want the mood to be broken up. That’s a good thing, because as predictable as it might be at times, the exorcism scenes are creepy because of their character exploration. Wesley is forced to fight the demons of his father’s sense of discipline, which in and of itself is predictable yet still satisfying. When Ryan uses the strained dynamic between Wesley and Angel against them, Wesley pays the price. (The end of the third season makes this particularly satisfying, even if Wesley recovers far too quickly.)
Ryan uses Angel’s guilt over Doyle against him. Ryan wants to have the Ethros demon out of him, because it was holding him back. But if the struggle was too easy, Ryan would be exposed. One has to assume that Ryan was intelligent and clever enough to know that using Angel’s guilt over Doyle would be a good enough trigger to get Angel to drive the Ethros out, thus freeing him to act once his innocence is assumed.
The final twist is actually very clever, even if the execution leaves something to be desired. One can assume that the Ethros demon wouldn’t know how else to describe a child with no sense of morality, a “bad seed” that no amount of good parenting could control, but if taken as described, the explanation for Ryan is a little out of the usual Buffyverse bounds. How would a child be born without a soul? Then again, Angel and Darla later produce a child with a soul despite both being vampires, so anything is possible. It just doesn’t ring true.
Seth and Paige also seem to accept Ryan’s recovery at face value. Sure, they would want to believe that Ryan is better, but that’s closer to Paige’s way of thinking. Seth seems like a far more wary individual at this stage of the game, and one would expect him to be more skeptical of the abrupt cure. It works well enough, but under the circumstances, Ryan doesn’t do quite enough to make it seem like he’s suddenly all happiness and light. Once Ryan’s attempt to kill Stephanie is repelled, it’s equally odd how quickly Seth and Paige hand Ryan over to the authorities. For that matter, one has to wonder what they expect the authorities to do for Ryan at this point.
Beyond reminding the audience that Kate exists (very important for the next episode), the final scene drives home one of the themes of the episode. It’s not just an exploration of abusive fathers, potential or otherwise. It’s about what it takes sometimes to keep a family together and as intact as it can be. Angel needed to remember that, just as Wesley had to remind himself that he’s a man with his own sense of purpose now.
In a sense, this episode was a return to the kind of character development that had been momentarily abandoned with “She”. And in fact, for all its faults, this episode is entirely in keeping with what the fans themselves had been looking for. After all, this episode is an analogue to the early episodes of “Buffy”, where standard plot elements were used to introduce and expand character elements that would become important later in the series. Indeed, Wesley’s character becomes much closer to the haunted and determined warrior that emerges here, a far cry from bumbling fool of the previous episode.
Angel, on the other hand, is still a work in progress. This early in the series, his purpose is still unclear, his mission undefined. He knows that he should be helping people for the sake of personal redemption, but he hasn’t come to the point where he recognizes that it’s his ability to bring together resources in common cause that matters. This episode is one step closer to the more ensemble scope that would dominate the future of “Angel”.
Memorable Quotes
ANGEL: “She’s making brownies.”
WESLEY: “Oh, is that what I smell?”
ANGEL: “I’ll be fine, really….I’m not a big bleeder…”
SETH: “Like anyone needs to live forever.”
ANGEL: “No one needs that.”
WESLEY: “A father doesn’t need to be possessed to terrorize his children. He just has to…”
SETH: “The roast was a little dry.”
ANGEL: “No, it was full of…roasty goodness…”
CORDY: “Geez, we got it! Circle, angry, kill kill kill! Go to church already!”
WESLEY: “So our only option is…you do it?”
ANGEL: “That was vulgar.”
WESLEY: “But I believe I made my point…”
CORDY: “Looks the same. Hand-crafted by blind Tibetan monks?”
RICK: “Pieced together by mute Chinese nuns. Now that’s craftsmanship!”
Final Analysis
Overall, this episode has some solid character development, hampered slightly by the stock horror concept at the heart of the story. The writers try to put a fresh spin on the “possession” concept, and in the process, they make the story better while muddying the Buffyverse waters a bit. While there are some strong character moments, the overall episode is rather average.
Writing: 2/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 1/4
Final Rating: 7/10
Directed by R.D. Price
In which Angel investigates the apparent demonic possession of a young boy, and the subsequent exorcism pushes Angel and Wesley into painful personal realizations…
Status Report
After an episode that felt more like a massively flawed ratings stunt than a natural progression of the season’s character arcs, the writers get back to business. Oddly enough, they choose a rather pedestrian topic to continue their sweeps period episode run: a knock-off of “The Exorcist”, which just about every supernatural series eventually tries to do. This has a few interesting twists to it, especially in terms of Wesley’s character development and final act, but it’s still not the most awe-inspiring episode in the first season.
The episode begins with a scene that almost suggests that the previous episode was inserted into the schedule out of nowhere; this could easily be the true follow-up to “Expecting”. Angel is back to hosting some “family” meal times, thus proving that his ability to connect with humans (even if just two of them) is improving. Wesley is still trying to demonstrate his worth, but not nearly as stridently as in the previous episode.
The point of the scene, however, comes when Angel slips and calls Wesley “Doyle”. This is an especially painful moment, because it immediately plays on the insecurities of the entire gang. Angel reveals the depth of his loss, Cordelia is reminded of everything she might have had, and Wesley suddenly has every reason to question Angel’s acknowledgment of his individual contribution. It’s rather clear, as the episode marches on, that this initial scene is meant to highlight Wesley’s insecurities and how far he will go to overcome them.
Angel’s reaction is to tighten his hold on the people under his care, because he still feels that Doyle’s death was his fault. He sees Cordy suffering like Doyle used to suffer, and he has to wonder at the point of it all. (It probably doesn’t help in later seasons, when he discovers that all this death and pain really was all about using him and his colleagues to bring about some diabolical plan!) This ultimately runs counter to Wesley’s desire to prove himself.
By the time that Angel saves Ryan from his apparent doom, the writers have established that something is Very Wrong. Certainly the early scenes try to establish that Seth is abusive, emotionally and possible physically. Paige comes across as a wife who looks to outside sources for psychological support (hence her belief in angels), and her constant hints to Angel suggest that she’s hoping someone will see the truth that she cannot bring herself to face directly. Unfortunately, as anyone who watches genre television knows, it’s always the innocent looking child that turns out to be the one with the demonic side.
That doesn’t mean that Seth isn’t very controlling. There are still some abusive overtones to his personality. But in this particular situation, it’s more honest to say that Seth is forced to be more controlling and strict, because it’s the only way he knows how to keep the family together. Paige is clearly the type to internally understand the situation yet live within a fantasy where everything is just a huge misunderstanding, and that’s not going to keep everyone alive. Seth, for all his obvious faults, is trying to keep a sinking ship afloat.
One inconsistency is the nature of Ryan’s evil spree over the years. Early in the episode, the “family friend” goes missing. Later, it’s clear that there’s a fire involved. Why would the news accounts from that incident exclude something as important as “presumed dead in a fire”? It would certainly paint a different picture than someone simply being “missing”. One might assume that revealing that plot point would take away from the end of the episode, but it would actually give the whole story a more focused perspective.
It’s rather apparent from the dinner scene that one of the kids will be revealed as the demon, if only because Angel develops such a quick and human rapport with them. There’s a quick hint about the final plot reveal when Stephanie mentions that Ryan has always been “bad”, but that’s overshadowed by the revelation of the Ethros demon. Indeed, the treatment of the demonic manifestation is problematic from a plot element perspective.
The writers clearly want the audience to believe that the Ethros demon is the one committing all the evil actions. The final reveal, however, plainly states that Ryan is inherently “soulless”, without a conscience, and that the demon is trapped and trying to get out. So if Ryan’s actions are not dictated by the demon possession, it’s a question of whether or not the depiction of Ryan’s exorcism makes sense in terms of the true source of Ryan’s evil. One can assume that Ryan begins acting out once the forced reveal of the Ethros possession gives him an excuse; the Ethros demon’s powers become his to exploit, but he’s firmly in control along the way, no longer forced to hold back.
If the demon needs to be bound before the exorcism can begin, then it seems rather odd that Ryan doesn’t try to lash out and get away before he’s bound by the spell. He just sits on Mommy’s lap, and then lets everyone take him into Angel’s bedroom to be bound. Does the eucalyptus temporarily incapacitate the demon or something? Because that’s a lot of time for Ryan to play possum for no good reason.
One of the best scenes of the episode takes place in a church. Vampires have sometimes been a bit too happy to run around places of worship in the Buffyverse, but Angel is definitely wary of this particular venue. It adds to the overall impression that Angel is forcing himself to face great personal discomfort, all for the sake of Ryan. It’s a display of his character. The scene is made that much better by the fearless nun that moves the story along, making it clear that Angel and Wesley are the ones who have to help Ryan.
It comes down to Angel’s desire to take all the potential danger upon himself, in the name of protecting his friends, and Wesley’s desire to prove his worth and put to rest the personal demons that the case has resurrected. Both of them have the capacity to get over these issues rather quickly: Angel already knows that his friends have free will and can make their own choices, and Wesley has already defied his father’s wishes to do the right thing. But it all comes down to which one of them can more easily accomplish the task. Wesley’s method of communicating that point to Angel reveals a side of his character that would ultimately take hold in later seasons.
The implication of the exorcism scene is such, in retrospect, that Ryan is the one using the demonic guise to implement his true nihilism. Thus he is the one who wants to kill his mother, and he’s using the demon as a means of doing so without penalty. The exorcism rituals sap away the demonic power, but the core evil remains; Ryan is just apparently very good at hiding it.
The scenes with Cordy are used to lighten the mood somewhat, at least as far as the writers want the mood to be broken up. That’s a good thing, because as predictable as it might be at times, the exorcism scenes are creepy because of their character exploration. Wesley is forced to fight the demons of his father’s sense of discipline, which in and of itself is predictable yet still satisfying. When Ryan uses the strained dynamic between Wesley and Angel against them, Wesley pays the price. (The end of the third season makes this particularly satisfying, even if Wesley recovers far too quickly.)
Ryan uses Angel’s guilt over Doyle against him. Ryan wants to have the Ethros demon out of him, because it was holding him back. But if the struggle was too easy, Ryan would be exposed. One has to assume that Ryan was intelligent and clever enough to know that using Angel’s guilt over Doyle would be a good enough trigger to get Angel to drive the Ethros out, thus freeing him to act once his innocence is assumed.
The final twist is actually very clever, even if the execution leaves something to be desired. One can assume that the Ethros demon wouldn’t know how else to describe a child with no sense of morality, a “bad seed” that no amount of good parenting could control, but if taken as described, the explanation for Ryan is a little out of the usual Buffyverse bounds. How would a child be born without a soul? Then again, Angel and Darla later produce a child with a soul despite both being vampires, so anything is possible. It just doesn’t ring true.
Seth and Paige also seem to accept Ryan’s recovery at face value. Sure, they would want to believe that Ryan is better, but that’s closer to Paige’s way of thinking. Seth seems like a far more wary individual at this stage of the game, and one would expect him to be more skeptical of the abrupt cure. It works well enough, but under the circumstances, Ryan doesn’t do quite enough to make it seem like he’s suddenly all happiness and light. Once Ryan’s attempt to kill Stephanie is repelled, it’s equally odd how quickly Seth and Paige hand Ryan over to the authorities. For that matter, one has to wonder what they expect the authorities to do for Ryan at this point.
Beyond reminding the audience that Kate exists (very important for the next episode), the final scene drives home one of the themes of the episode. It’s not just an exploration of abusive fathers, potential or otherwise. It’s about what it takes sometimes to keep a family together and as intact as it can be. Angel needed to remember that, just as Wesley had to remind himself that he’s a man with his own sense of purpose now.
In a sense, this episode was a return to the kind of character development that had been momentarily abandoned with “She”. And in fact, for all its faults, this episode is entirely in keeping with what the fans themselves had been looking for. After all, this episode is an analogue to the early episodes of “Buffy”, where standard plot elements were used to introduce and expand character elements that would become important later in the series. Indeed, Wesley’s character becomes much closer to the haunted and determined warrior that emerges here, a far cry from bumbling fool of the previous episode.
Angel, on the other hand, is still a work in progress. This early in the series, his purpose is still unclear, his mission undefined. He knows that he should be helping people for the sake of personal redemption, but he hasn’t come to the point where he recognizes that it’s his ability to bring together resources in common cause that matters. This episode is one step closer to the more ensemble scope that would dominate the future of “Angel”.
Memorable Quotes
ANGEL: “She’s making brownies.”
WESLEY: “Oh, is that what I smell?”
ANGEL: “I’ll be fine, really….I’m not a big bleeder…”
SETH: “Like anyone needs to live forever.”
ANGEL: “No one needs that.”
WESLEY: “A father doesn’t need to be possessed to terrorize his children. He just has to…”
SETH: “The roast was a little dry.”
ANGEL: “No, it was full of…roasty goodness…”
CORDY: “Geez, we got it! Circle, angry, kill kill kill! Go to church already!”
WESLEY: “So our only option is…you do it?”
ANGEL: “That was vulgar.”
WESLEY: “But I believe I made my point…”
CORDY: “Looks the same. Hand-crafted by blind Tibetan monks?”
RICK: “Pieced together by mute Chinese nuns. Now that’s craftsmanship!”
Final Analysis
Overall, this episode has some solid character development, hampered slightly by the stock horror concept at the heart of the story. The writers try to put a fresh spin on the “possession” concept, and in the process, they make the story better while muddying the Buffyverse waters a bit. While there are some strong character moments, the overall episode is rather average.
Writing: 2/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 1/4
Final Rating: 7/10
posted by John Keegan | 18:14
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home