Angel 2.7: "Darla"

Written by Tim Minear
Directed by Tim Minear

In which Wolfram and Hart’s plan for Darla takes a major step forward as Angel decides to save her from herself, prompting him to remember their history together…

Status Report

This episode marks the transition point between the introduction of the season arc and the massive complications to come. Wolfram and Hart had been letting Darla mess with Angel’s head, slowly but surely wearing him down to the point where he would be confused and obsessed with her. Now the time comes to let Darla’s restored humanity rip Angel apart, and it’s not a pretty sight.

Angel has been trying to come to terms with his obsession, and the rest of the team has been trying to keep him from stepping too far out of bounds. As this episode unfolds, it becomes clear that Angel sees Darla’s redemption as a reflection of his own. If he can convince Darla to see the light so she can live a normal life, then he might feel better about his progress towards his own redemption. Like the woman in “Judgment”, Darla becomes a symbol for Angel’s chances of success.

Darla’s humanity, of course, has been catching up with her. In this episode, she seems to make the assumption that her problems are related to the restoration of her soul. She longs for the ability to be evil without guilt again. This says quite a bit about the woman Darla was before The Master came along. The human Darla is very close in personality to the demonic Darla, which is usually not the case. The vampire is usually a darker, exaggerated aspect of the original human personality. Perhaps the demonic vampire took Darla’s wicked sexuality and took it to a higher level; after all, Darla seems to have a natural sensuality.

Of course, it is later revealed that Darla’s growing instability is not just the result of her soul’s restoration. When she came back as a human, she came back with all the health issues present in her body at the time of death. As Holland says in this episode, it was just a matter of time, and apparently the syphilis was a known and anticipated quantity. Syphilis causes madness, and Darla’s mental state is visibly fractured in this episode.

That had to be part of the plan for Wolfram and Hart, because it puts pressure on Angel to find a solution to Darla’s apparent problem. Angel is already consumed by his obsession, and Darla’s fragile state feeds into it. As a result, Angel pulls further away from the rest of the team. His memories of his time with Darla become a sort of tunnel vision, as he looks back on the centuries.

In an interesting twist, Lindsey is led down a dark path, driven towards a deep and forbidden attraction for the former vampire. Darla plays that for all it’s worth, which is precisely the point. Holland wants Darla to believe that Wolfram and Hart holds no answers for her, and Lindsey becomes the symbol of that in Darla’s eyes. Lindsey would never do what had to be done, from Darla’s point of view, and so her only choice is to run into Angel’s arms.

While Holland’s deviousness has never been in question, this episode brings his clever mind into sharp focus. Holland has clearly been manipulating Lindsey from the moment Darla returned to the world, and Lindsey is smart enough to know that it doesn’t work to his benefit. Either he will look bad in the eyes of the Senior Partners for his apparent weakness, or Holland will use this as leverage to keep Lindsey under his thumb. This would, of course, drive Lindsey’s choices over the course of the season.

Following up on the character evolution in the previous episode, Wesley is more assertive, doing everything possible to keep Angel focused. This is the evidence of Wesley’s leadership, a subtle plot point that would become far more important as the season progresses. The writers recognize that Wesley’s later assumption of control over the team must make sense, and that is facilitated in this episode.

This episode is also notable for its connections to the “Buffy” episode that aired on the same night. “Fool for Love”, like “Darla”, focused on character development of a critical villain in the Buffyverse. More than that, both episodes represent an important turning point for the central characters for each series. In this case, Angel becomes utterly consumed by the desire to save Darla from herself, thus distracting him from the effects of that obsession.

The two episodes also covered the same events during the Boxer Rebellion, focusing on different sides of the story. “Fool for Love” gave the details on Spike’s killing of the Slayer, and “Darla” delved into Angel’s struggle for identity and purpose after the restoration of his soul. Angel’s struggle provides an important counterpoint to Darla’s rejection of her humanity.

While that parallel between past and present doesn’t always come together, and it’s always grating to hear David Boreanaz attempt an Irish accent, Darla’s history is fascinating and revealing. The events of this episode cascade into the series of complications that will help Angel understand more about Wolfram and Hart’s nature.

Memorable Quotes

DARLA: “Now do you know what we’ve become?”
LINDSEY: “Enemies.”
DARLA: “Oh, no…much worse. Now we’re soulmates.”

DARLA: “Drusilla…the camp. Go on…kill things…”

Final Analysis

Overall, this episode represents a powerful turning point for the second season, shifting from a slow but steady introduction to a surprising series of complications and revelations. This look into Darla’s history provides important context for their relationship, reminding the audience that it’s not as simple as it seems. Another winner for the oft-overlooked second season.

Writing: 2/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 3/4

Final Rating: 9/10

X-Files 6.13: "Agua Mala"

Written by David Amann
Directed by Rob Bowman

In which Mulder and Scully investigate the reports of a possible creature from the sea killing those left behind in an evacuated Florida town at the height of a hurricane…

Status Report

Coming on the heels of the mythology-heavy “Two Fathers”/”One Son” duology, the timing of this particular episode was more than a little unfortunate. A lot of fans were still buzzing over the massive shift in the direction of the series, while others were annoyed and fed up with the growing lack of cohesiveness since the end of the fifth season. It was the completely wrong time for a poor-to-mediocre “monster of the week” episode.

Unfortunately, someone thought that this episode made enough sense, right down to the budget for an entire fleet of rain trucks, to produce the episode and run it during sweeps. Needless to say, the reactions were enormously negative. Angry reactions began with the realization that Mulder and Scully were back on the X-Files without a word regarding the process of making that happen. Diana Fowley’s situation was never addressed, and Cancer Man’s plans for Mulder and Scully apparently disappeared in the wake of the Syndicate’s destruction. Why, after months of putting the agents into the most difficult situation possible, would everything simply jump back to square one?

Before the teaser was over, another logical problem emerged. The hurricane season on the East Coast runs from June to November. The events of “One Son” took place in early 1999. So when exactly was this episode supposed to take place? Mulder and Scully were assigned to domestic terrorism cases and background checks for the entire 1998 hurricane season. Mulder met Arthur Dales in “Travelers” in the spring of 1998, so it couldn’t have been a past event. So unless the writers were jumping into the future (thus negating some of the tension for the end of the season), this episode was never meant to fit into any acceptable spot in the continuity.

Both issues would become hallmarks of the post-“Fight the Future” version of the series in the sixth and seventh seasons. As the writers turned more towards the “iconic” versions of the characters over the more complicated versions developed through the fifth season, there was less need or desire to make sense of the flow from episode to episode. And while that was never considered vitally important by Chris Carter, the situation became steadily worse as other showrunners struggled with the network and the desire to keep new viewers from fleeing.

There is an attempt at balance in this episode, as evidenced by the connections made with Arthur Dales and Scully’s medical training. Mulder is more than just a wise-cracking paranormal and conspiracy nut, and Scully is more than just a scientific skeptic. But a lot of the context is missing beyond that. In some scenes, especially those with Arthur Dales, it almost seems like the writing staff needed to remind everyone why Scully was so important to Mulder’s crusade.

Joining Mulder and Scully for this little adventure is a band of hurricane refugees who are supposed to be wacky and amusing. They turn out to be annoying. Walter and Angela are two Cubans with a child on the way, and so of course, the baby must inevitably be born in the middle of the crisis. Angela’s lines are particularly cringe-worthy. There’s also a looter, played by someone trying desperately to channel Steve Buscemi, and a gun nut named George who looks like he’s ready to repel an invasion.

Rounding out the list of sins, the monster itself makes no sense at all. Creatures requiring salt water to survive are well understood, but none of them are effectively invisible and non-corporeal until enough water collects to allow them to materialize. The writers seem to be reaching for a nice little bottle show like “Ice”, but those episodes are usually used to reveal something about the characters trapped in that isolating situation. Nothing new is revealed about Mulder and Scully at all, and so everything becomes dependent on the novelty of the “monster”.

For those reasons, many fans consider this to be one of the worst episodes of the sixth season. One can’t help to wonder why they decided to bring back Arthur Dales for an episode that did nothing for the recurring character. In fact, his presence in the episode is completely unnecessary. Anyone could have served Dales’ function, and that odd lack of consideration touches nearly every aspect of this episode.

Memorable Quotes

SCULLY: “What he means is I don’t hear a story about a sea monster and automatically assume it’s the Lord’s gospel truth…”

Final Analysis

Overall, this episode was a massive disappointment to fans, leaving the audience with a number of questions about continuity by the end. The return of Arthur Dales is hard to reconcile, as his experience with the X-Files is never a meaningful factor. The guest cast is largely annoying, and the isolated circumstances of the plot never lead into an exploration of Mulder and Scully. In short, there is little reason to re-watch this particular dud.

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

Final Rating: 4/10

Battlestar: Galactica 3.11: "The Eye of Jupiter"

Written by Mark Verheiden
Directed by Michael Rymer

Discussing the first half of a two-part story is always difficult. On the one hand, setting up a complicated, massive set of cliffhangers is a difficult but satisfying writing challenge. As many writers would attest, it’s sometimes an exercise of setting up all the pieces without necessarily knowing how it will all work out in the end. It’s also a lot easier to generate tension during the swift escalation of various situations, if the story is handled correctly.

On the other hand, seasoned viewers can become immune to the more obvious attempts at building up a story, and there are a number of pitfalls to be avoided. More time needs to be spent on introduction of the various scenarios to ensure that the escalation and complication of the story makes sense. The greater the scale, the greater the set-up requirements.

In this case, there are so many elements that the pacing is forced into overdrive. Much like “Pegasus”, this feels like an episode that was cut down to size from a much longer version. Of course, that’s always been true of the series: nearly every episode feels like a highlight reel, and you end up wondering what else never made it into the run time.

The result, however, is that some of the plot elements feel rushed, especially at the beginning. Tyrol’s discovery of the Temple of Five is a little too convenient, as is the sudden appearance of another text that explicitly references an object that points to the “road to Earth”. As I’ve said before, in light of “Torn”, I’m surprised that a greater effort hasn’t been made (by the priesthood, for instance) to compile all the references to such things. As it stands, they need to slip in a religious connection for Tyrol (including a hilarious story from his past) to make the leaps logical.

While I still don’t think that the connection between Baltar and D’Anna has been established very well, leaving the personal dynamics of the threesome in this episode a bit remote to the viewer, this opens up a lot of interesting ground for a spiritual connection between Humans and Cylons. Why would the Five, spiritual figures from more than 4000 years into humanity’s past, have a connection to the five unseen Cylon models, who would have emerged less than 40 years before the Genocide?

The Eye of Jupiter as a relic is interesting, but I wonder if the camera kept panning to the star with the nebula surrounding it because that, in fact, is the object in question. Of course, it could be that the star is getting ready to explode, which helps to place a critical timetable on the situation. This seems somewhat contrived, but so do a number of the plot elements. All of them are used to explore and complicate the interpersonal relationships, which is the key to the episode’s success.

Baltar comes face to face with Roslin and Adama, and the results are well worth the wait. Sharon finds out the truth about Hera, and when Roslin reveals her deception to Adama, it drives a wedge between them. The edge that seemed to return to Adama after “Unfinished Business” is evident here, as he plays a bluff that would result in some major deaths if his hand is forced. All of this drives the cliffhanger ending, as one would expect, and the real trick is figuring out how the situation will resolve without killing half the cast. (If the star’s instability plays a part, expect a lot of annoyed fans.)

Another major element of the episode is the relationship between Lee and Kara. Proving once again that “Unfinished Business” was an important episode and not filler, things have changed between them. Kara is taking a great deal of pleasure in fooling around with Lee, who wants them both to divorce their respective spouses to make it official. Kara, surprisingly, takes exception to breaking the “sacrament of marriage”, even though she has little problem tossing Anders to the curb on a regular basis. The scene is a bit ludicrous, but taken in tandem with her out-of-character speech in “The Passage”, it could all be a sign of increasing instability on her part. It wouldn’t be the first time that the writers played out a subtle character shift with forethought (Adama, for example).

The point is that Lee needs Anders to follow orders, and Anders is less than inclined. The two of them are two Alpha males clashing for control and dominance, and the results are not pretty. Even when the dialogue dips into pedestrian territory, the actors sell the conflict with their body language.

Perhaps the most impressive aspect of the episode is that it’s unexpectedly focused on character. That’s always the case with this show, but sometimes the bigger episodes with a rushed pace come down to the effects sequences. In this case, all the fireworks were reserved for interpersonal conflicts. In essence, despite the wider scope and escalation in scale, this episode has more in common with “Unfinished Business” than it does with “Exodus: Part II”. The trick will be making the resolution of the cliffhanger equally engaging.

(As a sidenote: I also have a podcast associated with my various reviews called “Dispatches from Tuzenor”. Current episodes cover “Battlestar: Galactica”, so it might be something of interest. Go to http://entil2001.libsyn.com if you want to listen!)

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

Final Rating: 8/10

Battlestar Galactica 3.10: "The Passage"

Written by Jane Espenson
Directed by Michael Nankin

Late in the second season, the writers ran into trouble when they chose to generate a seedy past for one of the main characters out of whole cloth. The result was “Black Market”, an episode that suffered from the dual sins of poor characterization (Lee Adama’s sudden sordid lifestyle and checkered past) and an over-the-top plot (human trafficking in what amounts to a small town). Even Ron Moore expressed his dissatisfaction with the episode, vowing to do everything possible to avoid the same mistakes.

Unfortunately, “The Passage” is what happens when history repeats itself. In this case, the whys and wherefores are even harder to fathom. For one thing, the main writer was Jane Espenson, well-regarding from her time with Joss Whedon’s Buffyverse, which seldom relied on cheap dramatics or retroactive character changes. Even if the writer’s room had dropped the ball, couldn’t Espenson have gotten things back on track?

The victim in this case is “Kat”, Starbuck’s longtime nemesis. Kat has gone through hell to gain the respect of her fellow pilots, but much of that is undermined in this episode. Suddenly Kat is a troubled young woman with a checkered past, possibly responsible for the infiltration of Cylons into the twelve colonies. Interesting parallels with “Hero” aside, making her an ex-drug runner seems extraneous and unnecessarily damaging.

All of it has a point, of course. The audience is meant to realize that it’s possible to become a hero, even when you’ve started at the absolute bottom, that it doesn’t matter who you are, but what you are. At the same time, Kat is driven by her self-loathing and guilt into a long and painful death. There was no reason for her to choose that particular path, especially after so much time has passed, and so any “lessons to be learned” are buried under a mess of confusing and contradictory messages. By the time Kara lectures her about responsibility, it’s clear that some of the characterizations are way off.

Beyond the inexplicable characterization, there’s an unnecessary degree of technobabble, something that Espenson herself has praised the series for avoiding. As if to facilitate the decision to kill off Kat, the writers came up with a ridiculous premise that would allow for self-sacrifice and maximum peril for the Colonial Fleet. The problem is that the logic of the situation doesn’t hold water.

The audience is asked to believe that the fleet must go through the center of a deadly star cluster to reach a planet with enough food to stave off sudden starvation. To eliminate the most obvious of alternate solutions, the characters just dismiss the idea of going around the star cluster by saying it would take too long. Apparently it never occurred to anyone to send just the ships necessary for food processing through the cluster and send the rest around cluster on a safer route. Once the food is ready, ships can jump the shorter distance to where the bulk of the fleet is. That’s just one solution; many others come to mind with a little consideration.

This episode also provides the basis for another clash between Humans and Cylons, as Baltar gets some oracular advice from the Basestar hybrid. By linking the hybrid’s information with D’Anna’s dreams, Baltar manages to point the Cylons towards a possible marker for Earth. There’s also an apparent connection to the five unidentified Cylon models. While this leads Baltar down an interesting (and familiar) direction, it’s also incredibly contrived.

If D’Anna’s explorations of the space between life and death, guided in some twisted way by Baltar, had led them to some shared understanding, it might have worked better. That was already implied by her decision to engage Baltar and Caprica-Six in their unusual sleeping arrangements. Instead, the writers chose to dump some exposition into Baltar’s lap. Unless the writers manage to make better sense of that plot element, this contrivance could undermine confidence in the writing staff.

The episode wasn’t a complete loss, of course. The score was excellent as always, often lending more to a scene than the emotional context deserved. It’s been a while since we’ve seen the memorial wall, so I thought that was a nice touch. I had been expecting a return to that idea since the exodus from New Caprica, if only because there should be a lot of new content after the losses there. Even so, it’s a good example of what the audience was probably doing as a whole: searching for the seasoning that would make this episode easier to digest.

(As a sidenote: I also have a podcast associated with my various reviews called “Dispatches from Tuzenor”. Current episodes cover “Battlestar: Galactica”, so it might be something of interest. Go to http://entil2001.libsyn.com if you want to listen!)

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

Final Rating: 4/10

Smallville 6.9: "Subterranean"

Written by Caroline Dries
Directed by Rick Rosenthal

Every so often, shows like “Smallville” feel the need to address real-world problems within a fictionalized setting. Much like the original “Star Trek”, more modern science fiction allows for more leeway in addressing social concerns. Even shows like “X-Files” could take on the subjects of illegal immigration within reason. The problem, of course, is when tackling the issue becomes more important than telling a consistent story, and the whole thing becomes a jumbled mess.

In this case, it should have been simple. Clark is the ultimate illegal alien. His entire life is one massive lie. It’s one of the great ironies of the concept: Superman, supposedly the most moral hero on the planet, lies to everyone around him on a regular basis. So when it comes to addressing the issue of illegal migrant workers, one would expect Clark to struggle between the letter of the law and the spirit of the law.

At first, it seems as though Clark will be caught in the middle. His mother rightfully points out all the implications of helping an illegal immigrant from a legal point of view, while Clark appeals to the ideal of helping those in need from the moral point of view. There’s even the Latino law officer giving a nuanced perspective on “undocumented workers”.

It certainly doesn’t help that the young actor played Javier sounds anything but Mexican. It’s hard to identify with a group that is so poorly represented. Before long, the episode begins to fall apart as the balance gets lost. Certainly the writers want everyone to agree that the illegal immigrants should be helped and given a chance for true citizenship, and that they are exploited horribly by those who see them as cheap, expendable labor. By appealing to that side, however, the balance is lost. There’s little talk by the end of laws being broken by those crossing the border.

With the main plot being relatively weak, attention turns to the possible implications within the season arc. As with many shows with similar format, the overarching elements can sometimes make up for a weak “A” plot, and that’s definitely the case here. The migrant worker situation is linked to Lex and Project 33.1, which is shaping up as far more important than one might have expected earlier in the season. Clark and Lex end up in another shouting match, where neither side seems willing to concede even an inch. Lana’s decision to embrace power could take her character in interesting directions, especially if she’s led astray by good intentions. And of course, there’s also some amusing Chloe and Jimmy material.

This is also an episode that highlights Clark’s growing sense of global responsibility. He’s beginning to look outside of Smallville to the concerns of the country and the world. Perhaps he’s beginning to see how far Lex can reach with his influence and power, and with Oliver pointing out the evils to be fought off the farm, it’s a lesson Clark seems ready to learn. It just might have worked better with a less muddled issue. As it is, this is easily the least impressive episode of the season.

(As a sidenote: I also have a podcast associated with my various reviews called “Dispatches from Tuzenor”. Current episodes cover “Smallville”, so it might be something of interest. Go to http://entil2001.libsyn.com if you want to listen!)

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

Final Rating: 5/10

Supernatural 2.9: "Croatoan"

Written by John Shiban
Directed by Robert Singer


Coming into the winter hiatus, “Supernatural” continues to hit the ground running with excellent character development and psychological exploration. Both aspects have become hallmarks of the series, setting it apart from the typical “monster of the week” shows and many of its forebears. To turn back to a favorite point of comparison, the “X-Files” often lacked this kind of consistent character arc, especially when events called for deep consistency.

In what has become the common structure for the series, the supernatural occurrence taking place in Oregon is a means to an end. That end is abundantly clear by the final scene. Something had to force Dean into a corner regarding John’s final words, and this is the perfect time for it. Dean is close to cracking under the pressure, and Sam is getting tired of being held off.

As revealed up to this point in the season arc, Dean is a complete and utter mess. He blames himself for his father’s death, and he truly believes that he should be dead. That comes with constant shame, regret, and anger, all of which Dean tries to divert into the hunt and keeping watch over Sam. He takes the negativity out on the demonic, and it’s affecting his judgment. And now the situation with Sam is beginning to boil over, because what he sees happening with Sam doesn’t mix well with whatever secret he’s keeping. It’s no wonder that Dean is on the verge of a psychotic break.

Part of the problem is that Sam is no longer interfacing with the demonic in quite the same way. The visions were bad enough, because they link him to a dangerous legacy of people with similar abilities and unusually bad consequences. Also, he cannot control the visions, so the question of source and purpose comes into play. Now he’s immune to a demonic virus that causes people to go into a homicidal rage, something apparently planted to test Sam’s development from the demon’s point of view. Neither of the Brothers Winchester can ignore the implication that Sam is at the center of something nasty, especially since Dean knows the potential for it.

It’s always nice to see how characters slowly but surely arrive at a particular decision, and that happens in this episode. When it appears that Sam is infected, Dean makes the conscious decision to remain behind, giving up survival so he can attend to his brother’s fate himself. He looks to be welcoming death and an end to the hunt, which is a far cry from the super-confident maverick in the first season. It’s exactly that kind of measured storytelling that is all too rare in network television.

The characterization is so strong that the concept seems thin by comparison. The virus is really an excuse for a bottle show, and by that measure, it works beautifully. But as an independent concept, it’s essentially a riff on the recent fascination with zombies, and that’s beginning to get a little tiresome. Thankfully, the writers manage to transcend that by focusing on all the right elements.

(As a sidenote: I also have a podcast associated with my various reviews called “Dispatches from Tuzenor”. Current episodes cover “Supernatural”, so it might be something of interest. Go to http://entil2001.libsyn.com if you want to listen!)

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

Final Rating: 8/10

Buffy 5.7: "Fool for Love"

Written by Doug Petrie
Directed by Nick Marck

In which a botched vampire hunt leaves Buffy wondering how other Slayers died, leading to a conversation with the only person who has direct experience in the matter: Spike…


Status Report

With this episode, the season arc begins to take a turn towards darker material. Buffy has always been aware of her eventual fate, based on the Chosen legacy, but it’s been easy enough to keep that in the back of her mind. After all, having survived the major threats and with things being generally quiet, why get overly concerned?

Buffy’s lapse is hardly surprising, but it does jolt the audience back into a sense of “reality”. Slayers don’t usually live so long, and there’s a reason why that must be true. If it’s not about prowess or resources, then what it is about? Is it just a matter of time and odds, the damning harsh probabilities? Sooner or later, with so many battles, the Slayer must eventually lose.

Buffy, already in the process of exploring the Chosen legacy within herself, may have been ready to ask the question anyway. With her mother’s health dominating her thoughts, she must be thinking of the inevitable. This experience had to be the final straw, pushing her to ask the difficult questions. What’s somewhat amazing is that she hasn’t considered the notion that it’s always there, hanging in the air around them.

In fact, she fails to realize how hard it must be for Giles to be her Watcher. For all that the Watchers can be distant and chauvinistic, the ones forced into personal relationships with their charges must be left with an enormous sense of loss. The longer the Slayer lives, the harder it must be to reconcile the end. The entire conversation between Buffy and Giles is a nice bit of indirect foreshadowing for the end of the fifth season. In fact, the entire episode serves to remind the audience of the possibility that comes to pass all too soon.

All of which leads Buffy into a long and tense conversation with Spike, the one person who knows exactly how Slayers can be beaten. Having killed two Slayers himself, Spike seems like the right person to consult in terms of a post-mortem. It’s definitely a good excuse for Spike to tell the tale of his creation and rebirth, all wonderfully detailed from his admittedly warped point of view. What Buffy overlooks is the most obvious flaw in the concept: Spike is his own best PR machine, and it’s hard to know whether or not Spike is being entirely honest.

So the question is: can Buffy trust what Spike is telling her? After all, if Spike had simply explained the battle scenarios, down to the moves and countermoves, it would be all but useless. Buffy is really looking for some sense of the Slayer’s psychology in each case. She’s looking for a magic bullet, something simple to avoid. If she wanted to take a more rational look at the problem, she’d realize that two examples out of thousands would be all but useless.

More interestingly, Buffy seems to take Spike seriously enough to listen to what he has to say, and he’s more than willing to give her practical advice. It would be enormously easy for Spike to set Buffy up for failure, but he genuinely tries to get through to her. He’s still doing it for personal reasons, since Buffy is his current obsession, but he gives her better advice than Giles in this instance. Both of them let confusing personal issues lead them into a conversation that requires, on some level, a sense of common cause and trust. In retrospect, the dynamic between Buffy and Spike in this episode makes the beginning of the sixth season a lot more sensible and consistent than usually acknowledged.

This episode is most often remembered for the exploration of Spike’s history. Even taking Spike’s perspective into account, this episode goes a long way towards exposing what happens when a vampire is created. There is ample evidence in this episode that Spike began his life as a human with strong obsessive tendencies. More than that, the object of his affection was often someone who presented a challenge. (There’s even a mention of his mother, who would later be revealed as another object of obsession in the seventh season.)

So William the Bloody Awful Poet, obsessed with Cecily and bitter over her crushing dismissal of his affections, became Spike, the obsessed bastard with an unending desire to generate a terrifying reputation and repudiate his foppish upbringing. The posturing side of Spike, the vaguely poetic remnant, saw the Slayer as the ultimate challenge. And as such, as Spike admits himself, a new obsession began. He was in love with the notion of taking on the most dangerous foe to his kind.

It’s reflective of the deathwish that Spike insists the Slayers must have. While Spike is more right than wrong about the Slayer and her obvious obsession and connection to death (again, a foreshadowing of the season finale), he’s overlooking his own obvious penchant for self-destruction. His obsessions are an outgrowth and response to his self-loathing. He’s constantly slipping back and forth between the drive for survival and a desire to find eternal peace.

By the end of the episode, Buffy is left contemplating her recent brushes with death, with her mother’s situation firmly in mind. Spike is incensed by Buffy’s dismissal of him, but he’s still obsessed with her. In the end, despite the hatred, there’s a connection.


Memorable Quotes

DRUSILLA: “Oh, I see you…a man surrounded by fools who cannot see his strength, his vision, his glory. That and burning baby fish swimming all around your head.”

DARLA: “I think our boys are going to fight!”
DRUSILLA: “The King of Cups expects a picnic! But this is not his birthday…”
DARLA: “Good point…”

SPIKE: “Lesson the first….a Slayer must always reach for her weapon. I’ve already got mine.”

BUFFY: “You think we’re dancing?”
SPIKE: “That’s all we’ve ever done.”


Final Analysis

Overall, this episode deftly covers two important elements of the Buffyverse mythology: the deathwish inherent to every Slayer and Spike’s complicated history. In retrospect, many elements in this episode serve as foreshadowing for the season finale, and the unusual relationship between Buffy and Spike continues to evolve. Definitely one of the highlights of the fifth season.

Writing: 2/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 3/4

Final Rating: 9/10

24 6.0: "Day 6: DVD Prequel"

I’ve come to enjoy the regularity of the corporate-sponsored prequels for each season of “24”. I understand the hue and cry over the gratuitous product placement, which turns each prequel into an adventurous car commercial, but at this point, the ship has long since sailed and it’s time to make the best out of a disappointing reality. I thought the lead-in for the fifth season, for example, made contextual sense out of the commercial aspects while giving us a taste of the fun to come.

So the question is: how did the writers fare this time? Was the same balance struck? I’m not sure it was. The fans were definitely given a bit of story to go with the Toyota glamour shots, but I was a little disappointed in it. A third of the prequel was a complete retread of the very end of the fifth season, which is a little bit of a cheat.

We then jump seven months forward, and it looks like we are supposed to believe that the Chinese have elected to use physical torture as an interrogation technique for more than 200 days straight. I’m not sure that makes any sense, especially since the standard CTU techniques involve psychotropic drugs. Granted, the plot is to show why Jack is in the right condition to believe in a rescue.

Of course, one would think that Jack would notice the incredibly clean and shiny Toyota vehicle, completely untouched by the covert ops needed to get it in just the right position, and wonder how exactly that happened. Because a covert ops team always elects to use a silver-shiny civilian vehicle when a camouflaged and armored military transport is otherwise available. But that’s the price of corporate sponsorship!

I have no doubt that many fans were stunned to discover that the “rescue” was all a ruse. Those with a general knowledge of interrogation techniques would have seen it coming miles away. For all that, it does play into the idea that the Chinese might wear down Jack’s mental resistance before he manages to hit American shores again. Wouldn’t it be fun if he turned out to be some kind of Manchurian Candidate type?

Despite the disappointment, the prequel served its purpose. I was struck by the desire to re-watch some of my “24” DVDs and get a liberal dose of Jack Bauer goodness. Whatever the failings, if the prequel managed that much, then what else could we ask for?

Studio 60 1.11: "The Christmas Show"

I am not typically one to enjoy sentiment. For that matter, I give only grudging respect to things nostalgic. Too often, writers turn to the familiar and sentimental because it’s easier to borrow an emotional response than generate something real and contextually satisfying. This is never more apparent than the annual slew of holiday episodes, where character often set aside differences and come together in harmony because, damn it, that’s what Americans do.

When shows embrace the sentiment with full awareness of the absurdity, it works wonders. Countless examples come to mind. When writers manage to take the emotional undercurrents of the holidays and use them to reveal something about the characters, even something deeply familiar, it can be a stroke of genius. And this episode of “Studio 60” managed to sing its familiar song through a set of unique and textured voices.

I found it fascinating (and yet completely believable) that Matt, a character of Jewish background, understood and demanded that the show touch on the spirit of Christmas. Faced with a stunning array of agnosticism and atheism, Matt managed to hit at the heart of the matter. Danny understood what he was going for, and together they put together an amazing piece of nostalgic sentiment. I challenge anyone to listen to “O Holy Night” in the final act and not feel a genuine tug at the heartstrings.

There will be, as always, a bit of backlash at the constant barrage of “anti-Christian” items mentioned by the writing staff. In this case, I thought Sorkin managed to pull off an impressive balancing act. All of those criticisms have a measure of merit, and for some, they could add up to a reason to dismiss Christmas and everything traditional about it. Matt, however, gets it. It’s not about the facts and the figures; it’s about the meaning and the promise. One doesn’t have to be Christian to “get” Christmas.

Had the entire episode been the struggle to put on a great Christmas episode, it wouldn’t have worked. I say this despite the “To Catch a Predator” sketch, which was the first time I genuinely laughed at loud at one of the comedy bits. It was the array of flawed characters swarming around this common goal. It was the writing staff and their quibbles. It was Carl trying to overcome the silliest of obstacles to make fake snow. It was Matt struggling with his jealousy and undermining everything about his Christmas spirit by planting seeds of doubt in Harriet at an important time in her career. It was Jack coming at a difficult personal crossroads between compromising for success and standing up for the right thing. And finally, most importantly, it was about Danny and Jordan.

I took a lot of heat for disliking the manner in which Amanda Peet’s pregnancy was incorporated into the story. I stand by what I said; in fact, many of the same problems carry into this episode. Jordan is still a walking cliché with the compulsive eating. But I’ve also said that the writers are getting me to love Jordan, and so it’s no surprise at all to see Danny falling quickly and completely under her spell. Everything about his character points right in this direction, and I’m glad they bit the bullet and made it work.

And it works because it’s not easy. On the one hand, it’s deeply romantic. On the other, it’s deeply disturbing. Danny calls himself the “executive producer” in the teaser, and that really does define him. Once he realized where his heart was going, he had to follow it. His history suggests it’s not the first time, and it may not be the last. But he can’t let it linger, because unlike Matt, he doesn’t gain strength from the struggle and the angst.

Danny’s declaration has the air of victory. He’s a man desiring a chance at love and responsibility with a woman he deeply respects. But taken a slightly different way, it’s incredibly unnerving. How exactly will Jordan react to his words? If she has interest, it could go very well. If not, he’s just stepped into potential stalker territory. This episode gave us no opportunity to hear from Jordan on the issue, and so the uneasy question will remain, at least for a little while.

And so what could have been an exercise in sappy nostalgia becomes a far more complicated tale, a look at several characters at a crossroads. It’s no mistake that this episode comes at the mid-point of the season. That’s traditionally when the biggest turns take place, when events driving the rest of the season are set in motion. This episode manages to transcend that function. When we look back at what “Studio 60” had to offer, this episode will stand as one of the most potent examples.


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

Final Rating: 10/10

Heroes 1.11: "Fallout"

After a brief but informative trip into the recent past, the writers return to the “present day” aspects of the story and focus on the consequences of the incident at Claire’s homecoming. There’s a certain chaotic quality to this episode, but that makes a great deal of sense, especially as characters begin to maneuver around each other.

There has been speculation that Mr. Bennett is working for someone else, perhaps a government agency charged with the task to control or examine super-humans. They see a lot more potential in Sylar, probably because they have no idea how dangerous he can be (or they don’t care). Eden’s death proves that the precautions taken were inadequate, and it should be interesting to see how Mr. Bennett and his superiors respond.

We see a lot more of Mr. Bennett’s activities in this episode, and that helps to shed light on the Haitian working with him. Apparently he has been working with Mr. Bennett for a long time, wiping memories and potentially canceling out abilities in the process. But he also has his own agenda, which adds a lot more complication to the story. At first glance, it would appear that the Haitian has been slowly building a resistance against Mr. Bennett and his superiors, possibly because of his first-hand experience with their methods and decisions.

All of this complexity involves Matt (his experiences shed light on the Haitian’s abilities) and Peter. Peter’s power is still very hard to understand, but there’s a growing body of evidence suggesting that he is not just a simple “leech”. He appears to assert some degree of subconscious control or influence on those around him. He may also retain certain aspects of a power he previously absorbed. His “dream” of the future seems more like something Isaac would see.

Isaac is now less drugged and more confident, and that helps make him a more viable character. Since it seems that the timeline is crawling along at a very measured pace, there’s plenty of time for Hiro to jump around in time, learning his lessons and gaining vital experience. I’m not sure how the series will manage to cover a swordfight with a T. Rex, but it’s quite possible that things are not what they seem. After all, have we encountered a shapeshifting super-human yet?

While it still hasn’t managed to thread into the main plot structure yet, Niki’s situation continues to be intriguing. Not only is Jessica stronger and more confident than Niki, she’s also a lot less stable. The effect on Micah was an obvious example of that, but she’s always been impulsive and violent. The jury is still out on Jessica’s true nature, but if Niki and Jessica ever managed to merge into a single personality, a more confident Niki could be a lot of fun. (Hopefully, she’d gain Jessica’s wicked streak in the process!)

(As a sidenote: I also have a podcast associated with my various reviews called “Dispatches from Tuzenor”. Current episodes cover “Heroes”, so it might be something of interest. Go to http://entil2001.libsyn.com if you want to listen!)

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

Final Rating: 8/10

Battlestar Galactica 3.9: "Unfinished Business"

Written by Michael Taylor
Directed by Robert Young


Ever since the second season finale, fans have been wondering what happened to the characters in the year or so between the decision to colonize New Caprica and the Cylon Occupation. In particular, there were some obvious character shifts that needed to be explained. Adama was far too soft and unfocused, there was some tension between Lee and Kara, and Kara married Anders. So what brought about those changes, and what does it mean for the characters now?

Adama has been at the center of controversy, because many felt that the writers had destroyed the character or lost touch with who he was supposed to be. In some cases, that was an example of fans distrusting the writing staff, assuming that it was a mistake instead of a calculated story decision. In this case, it appears that Adama’s character shift was completely intentional.

The question is: does Adama’s decision to relax his military posture and adopt a softer policy make sense? It depends on whether or not it’s logical to assume that Baltar’s presidency broke his spirit. Before he came to respect Roslin, Adama felt that he was the only one capable of holding it all together, and that the fleet expected it of him. Once he allied with Roslin, that attitude was reinforced. So with Baltar’s ascension, did he come to the conclusion that it wasn’t his responsibility anymore? Did he feel as though his moral authority had been undermined or removed?

Roslin’s own decision to step out of the politics and find a new life might have played into that psychological shift. In this episode, we see their relationship more clearly. If the promise of New Caprica had been fulfilled, would Adama and Roslin have settled together, once and for all? This would explain why Adama was so out of character, even during and after the rescue. And it also confirms that some of his anger towards Lee was, in fact, transference of his own self-loathing.

Lee’s weight gain and general dissatisfaction with himself can now be linked to his decision to leave Dee and pursue a relationship with Kara, only to have it all fall apart. Dee is far from stupid, and she had to have known about the tryst to some degree. Lee wasn’t particularly good at hiding his emotions, and apparently by the time of the Occupation, he was treating Kara and Anders poorly.

Kara shoulders quite a bit of the blame. It turns out that her ambivalence with Anders never really disappeared, despite how it might seemed in the second season finale. She thought that rescuing Anders would exorcise her demons, but that never really happened. Kara is still dealing with some serious self-sabotaging issues, and she continues to lash out at the people who love her.

What makes this episode fun is the structure. A lot of information is covered in flashbacks as the characters beat the hell out of each other in a semi-regulated boxing match. What starts in the teaser as a means of blowing off steam quickly becomes deeply personal, despite what Adama might say, and by the final act, it’s hard to watch. Some of the characters seem to find themselves again, but the process is brutal. It’s a distinctly male/military way of resolving emotional interpersonal issues, akin to bitter enemies fighting in the schoolyard, only to become best friends. Time will tell if the physical scars will really help to strip away the emotional ones.

(As a sidenote: I also have a podcast associated with my various reviews called “Dispatches from Tuzenor”. Current episodes cover “Battlestar: Galactica”, so it might be something of interest. Go to http://entil2001.libsyn.com if you want to listen!)

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

Final Rating: 8/10