Post by PreachCaleb on Sept 25, 2017 14:59:06 GMT
This is part 2 of my reflections. Fitting since these two episodes are sort of a two-parter. But mostly because my Fool For Love review ran longer than I had anticipated.
What can I say about "Darla" that I didn't say about its sister episode? The writing is sublime. The emotions, a roller coaster, filled with some of Julie Benz and David Boreanaz's best work, topped only by their work in season 3.
It's incredible what a turn-around a few weeks and some time to cool down has done for Angel. He is no longer angry, unhinged, borderline murderous. He now genuinely wants to help Darla. He knows what the torment of a soul inside a centuries-old monster can do. And as a true hero, he doesn't wish that on anyone. Not even an enemy. There is no one who understands more what Darla is going through more than Angel. He knows this. Darla knows this. Wolfram and Hart knows this. They have been playing not only Angel, but Darla as well, in far more subtle ways than either of them knew.
The flashbacks are very interesting in that with Spike's episode, every scene in the flashbacks included him. But here, the very beginning is solely focused on Darla, naturally as its her "birth." But later we get a few moments where it's just Angel, lost after having received his soul and the scene where he saves the missionaries. These flashbacks are not a story being told like Spike's. It's almost like we're given a peek at the character's memories. Where as Spike's journey was all about him (fitting for his egotistical attitude), "Darla" the episode is really about both Angel and Darla's journeys together. How they changed each other's worlds multiple times. Darla sires Liam. Angelus convinces Darla to leave The Master. Darla brings Angelus the gypsy girl. Angel tries to reunite with Darla, Spike, and Dru. Darla forces Angel to choose between being a monster or being something else. They were always intertwined. Even Angel killing her couldn't keep them apart forever.
The crowning moment of both episodes is arguably the Boxer Rebellion. A scene that plays completely differently depending on which episode you watch. Spike's version is naturally full of action and full of, well, himself. He's so high on killing a slayer, he doesn't notice the tension between Darla and Angelus. To him, and maybe the audience, it's just Angelus showing jealousy. Spike has killed someone Angelus actively avoided. Fans who were very familiar with the lore, though, might've picked up on that there was something more going on. Angelus was cursed with a soul in 1898, but the Boxer Rebellion is taking place in the 1900's. What's going on?
The answer lay in Darla's side of the story. We see that Angelus in fact does still have his soul. We see he wanted to be what he once was. And we see he can never again be what he once was. The entire scene of the group meeting up in the streets of China is even edited together so that we see and even hear different things. Spike's version has almost no footage of Darla's reactions. There is only one quick shot that shows her glaring at Angelus, but it's easy to miss if you're not looking for it, especially since the scene, like the story teller, is focused on Spike's elation. But from Angelus and Darla's perspective we get plenty of shots of her staring a disbelieving hole through Angelus. She knows he's hiding something from her (the missionaries he just saved), and even asks, "Did you hear that?" when Spike tells him of his slayer conquest. Something we didn't get from Spike's point of view because it's something he didn't hear. He was too full of himself. One more thing: Dru's "I smell fear" takes on a far more chilling turn because we see she's looking right into the alley where the missionaries are still cowering. Angelus leading them all away with his claims of boredom are revealed to not be annoyance, but an attempt to distract them from any more possible victims.
The slow-motion scene of Darla, Angelus, Spike and Dru walking towards the camera again takes on a different tone through the editing as well. From "Fool For Love's" point of view, it's a triumphant moment as Spike supersedes Angelus as the alpha of the group. From "Darla's" point of view, it's about the splintering of the group. Both she and Angel seem to know it's never going to be like it was before.
Darla's last moments in the flashbacks with Angelus involved him running away. He's not a monster. He can't give her what she wants.
Darla's last moments in the present with Angel involved her running away. He's still not a monster, and he still can't give her what she wants.
I probably should've used this quote from "Innocence" in my review of "Dear Boy," but I feel it still works here: "Things are about to get very interesting."
P.S. I can't forget what is one of my favorite bits of foreshadowing: Drusilla (after referring to her as Grandmother) telling Darla in 1880, "Don't be cross. I could be your mommy."
What can I say about "Darla" that I didn't say about its sister episode? The writing is sublime. The emotions, a roller coaster, filled with some of Julie Benz and David Boreanaz's best work, topped only by their work in season 3.
It's incredible what a turn-around a few weeks and some time to cool down has done for Angel. He is no longer angry, unhinged, borderline murderous. He now genuinely wants to help Darla. He knows what the torment of a soul inside a centuries-old monster can do. And as a true hero, he doesn't wish that on anyone. Not even an enemy. There is no one who understands more what Darla is going through more than Angel. He knows this. Darla knows this. Wolfram and Hart knows this. They have been playing not only Angel, but Darla as well, in far more subtle ways than either of them knew.
The flashbacks are very interesting in that with Spike's episode, every scene in the flashbacks included him. But here, the very beginning is solely focused on Darla, naturally as its her "birth." But later we get a few moments where it's just Angel, lost after having received his soul and the scene where he saves the missionaries. These flashbacks are not a story being told like Spike's. It's almost like we're given a peek at the character's memories. Where as Spike's journey was all about him (fitting for his egotistical attitude), "Darla" the episode is really about both Angel and Darla's journeys together. How they changed each other's worlds multiple times. Darla sires Liam. Angelus convinces Darla to leave The Master. Darla brings Angelus the gypsy girl. Angel tries to reunite with Darla, Spike, and Dru. Darla forces Angel to choose between being a monster or being something else. They were always intertwined. Even Angel killing her couldn't keep them apart forever.
The crowning moment of both episodes is arguably the Boxer Rebellion. A scene that plays completely differently depending on which episode you watch. Spike's version is naturally full of action and full of, well, himself. He's so high on killing a slayer, he doesn't notice the tension between Darla and Angelus. To him, and maybe the audience, it's just Angelus showing jealousy. Spike has killed someone Angelus actively avoided. Fans who were very familiar with the lore, though, might've picked up on that there was something more going on. Angelus was cursed with a soul in 1898, but the Boxer Rebellion is taking place in the 1900's. What's going on?
The answer lay in Darla's side of the story. We see that Angelus in fact does still have his soul. We see he wanted to be what he once was. And we see he can never again be what he once was. The entire scene of the group meeting up in the streets of China is even edited together so that we see and even hear different things. Spike's version has almost no footage of Darla's reactions. There is only one quick shot that shows her glaring at Angelus, but it's easy to miss if you're not looking for it, especially since the scene, like the story teller, is focused on Spike's elation. But from Angelus and Darla's perspective we get plenty of shots of her staring a disbelieving hole through Angelus. She knows he's hiding something from her (the missionaries he just saved), and even asks, "Did you hear that?" when Spike tells him of his slayer conquest. Something we didn't get from Spike's point of view because it's something he didn't hear. He was too full of himself. One more thing: Dru's "I smell fear" takes on a far more chilling turn because we see she's looking right into the alley where the missionaries are still cowering. Angelus leading them all away with his claims of boredom are revealed to not be annoyance, but an attempt to distract them from any more possible victims.
The slow-motion scene of Darla, Angelus, Spike and Dru walking towards the camera again takes on a different tone through the editing as well. From "Fool For Love's" point of view, it's a triumphant moment as Spike supersedes Angelus as the alpha of the group. From "Darla's" point of view, it's about the splintering of the group. Both she and Angel seem to know it's never going to be like it was before.
Darla's last moments in the flashbacks with Angelus involved him running away. He's not a monster. He can't give her what she wants.
Darla's last moments in the present with Angel involved her running away. He's still not a monster, and he still can't give her what she wants.
I probably should've used this quote from "Innocence" in my review of "Dear Boy," but I feel it still works here: "Things are about to get very interesting."
P.S. I can't forget what is one of my favorite bits of foreshadowing: Drusilla (after referring to her as Grandmother) telling Darla in 1880, "Don't be cross. I could be your mommy."