Post by PreachCaleb on Dec 5, 2017 16:53:44 GMT
Triangle
What a fun comedic team Anya and Willow make. I'd say this goes all the way back to their first interaction in Dopplegangland. It was nice to see them work out their conflict. And we get some backstory on Anya as we learn she was not originally a demon. Olaf made for a fun villain of the week, and his hammer will of course play a more important role later on.
I'm glad the characters are still dealing with the fallout of Riley's exit. Even Xander seems to miss the guy. I still consider that a big missed opportunity for the show: Xander and Riley bonding could've made for an interesting dynamic.
And of course, Spike attempting to help Olaf find babies to eat is one of the show's funnier dark comedy moments.
One thing the writers seem to have either changed their minds about or messed up is at the very end of the episode. The scene with Buffy, Giles, and Joyce discussing the Council's involvement in the Glory/Key situation (a nice set up for the the next episode) appears to set up Dawn overhearing she is the Key. This however is quickly forgotten in the next episodes with Dawn having no idea. I wonder what happened there.
Redefinition
The wonderful finale of the one of Angel's best trilogy of episodes (the show has several). Angel is now no longer a hero. He's not even a soldier. He comes across as a force of nature burning--literally--everything in his path. He starts with photos and drawings he's made of Darla over the past months by tossing them into the incinerator. An especially haunting foreshadowing.
Wes, Darla, and Gunn looking for meaning at Karitas bonds the three of them in a way they never could when everything they did revolved around Angel. It was Angel's mission that they worked on. The visions were meant for Angel. Darla was Angel's obsession. Even the Hyperion was a part of Angel's past. And while Angel may have turned his back on everything he'd worked to accomplish for the past year and a half, his former employees won't.
Darla and Drusilla. What can I say about those two. What a deliciously wicked pair they made. I loved how they commanded respect and fear. Whether it was among the lowly street demons or in the offices of Wolfram and Hart. They were almost as much a force of nature as Angel was. Darla, though, is still clearly feeling the memories of being human. Angel's name can rattle her like nothing else.
At least until they actually run into him, and he is something she's never known him to be. He has a soul, yet there is no emotion behind what he does. He sets Dru and Darla on fire not to kill them. But to punish them. To literally, and symbolically, burn her out of him. Angel no longer cares about helping the hopeless. His only goal is to punish the wicked. After a year of building up a team of confidants, Angel is in an even more isolated place than when he moved to LA on his own.
It's funny how many iconic moments are from this one episode alone. Angel with his broadsword, Angel walking through the sewer tunnels, and Angel beheading a vampire are all moments that will be a part of the opening credits montage for future seasons.
If there's one thing I'm ambivalent about this episode it's Angel's narration. I can see how it works as a nice callback to "Passion" from Buffy, yet coincidentally, also from a second season. In "Passion," Angel is probably at the darkest BTVS has ever shown him. In "Redefinition," he's at the darkest ATS has ever shown him. Both are punctuated with his narration.
That being said, I think the episode could've been that much more powerful without hearing David's voice at all. Angel says nothing out loud the entire episode. Not to Darla, not to Dru, or Merle, or even Wesley. Had he stayed silent with no narration, it would've emphasized his detachment from everything and everyone, even from the audience. Apart from the closing line about "Fighting the war," the narration doesn't really add anything of substance that DB doesn't get across through his facial expressions and body language. Angel's complete silence would've made the episode really stand out.
What a fun comedic team Anya and Willow make. I'd say this goes all the way back to their first interaction in Dopplegangland. It was nice to see them work out their conflict. And we get some backstory on Anya as we learn she was not originally a demon. Olaf made for a fun villain of the week, and his hammer will of course play a more important role later on.
I'm glad the characters are still dealing with the fallout of Riley's exit. Even Xander seems to miss the guy. I still consider that a big missed opportunity for the show: Xander and Riley bonding could've made for an interesting dynamic.
And of course, Spike attempting to help Olaf find babies to eat is one of the show's funnier dark comedy moments.
One thing the writers seem to have either changed their minds about or messed up is at the very end of the episode. The scene with Buffy, Giles, and Joyce discussing the Council's involvement in the Glory/Key situation (a nice set up for the the next episode) appears to set up Dawn overhearing she is the Key. This however is quickly forgotten in the next episodes with Dawn having no idea. I wonder what happened there.
Redefinition
The wonderful finale of the one of Angel's best trilogy of episodes (the show has several). Angel is now no longer a hero. He's not even a soldier. He comes across as a force of nature burning--literally--everything in his path. He starts with photos and drawings he's made of Darla over the past months by tossing them into the incinerator. An especially haunting foreshadowing.
Wes, Darla, and Gunn looking for meaning at Karitas bonds the three of them in a way they never could when everything they did revolved around Angel. It was Angel's mission that they worked on. The visions were meant for Angel. Darla was Angel's obsession. Even the Hyperion was a part of Angel's past. And while Angel may have turned his back on everything he'd worked to accomplish for the past year and a half, his former employees won't.
Darla and Drusilla. What can I say about those two. What a deliciously wicked pair they made. I loved how they commanded respect and fear. Whether it was among the lowly street demons or in the offices of Wolfram and Hart. They were almost as much a force of nature as Angel was. Darla, though, is still clearly feeling the memories of being human. Angel's name can rattle her like nothing else.
At least until they actually run into him, and he is something she's never known him to be. He has a soul, yet there is no emotion behind what he does. He sets Dru and Darla on fire not to kill them. But to punish them. To literally, and symbolically, burn her out of him. Angel no longer cares about helping the hopeless. His only goal is to punish the wicked. After a year of building up a team of confidants, Angel is in an even more isolated place than when he moved to LA on his own.
It's funny how many iconic moments are from this one episode alone. Angel with his broadsword, Angel walking through the sewer tunnels, and Angel beheading a vampire are all moments that will be a part of the opening credits montage for future seasons.
If there's one thing I'm ambivalent about this episode it's Angel's narration. I can see how it works as a nice callback to "Passion" from Buffy, yet coincidentally, also from a second season. In "Passion," Angel is probably at the darkest BTVS has ever shown him. In "Redefinition," he's at the darkest ATS has ever shown him. Both are punctuated with his narration.
That being said, I think the episode could've been that much more powerful without hearing David's voice at all. Angel says nothing out loud the entire episode. Not to Darla, not to Dru, or Merle, or even Wesley. Had he stayed silent with no narration, it would've emphasized his detachment from everything and everyone, even from the audience. Apart from the closing line about "Fighting the war," the narration doesn't really add anything of substance that DB doesn't get across through his facial expressions and body language. Angel's complete silence would've made the episode really stand out.
