A Hole in the World

[butterfly]

And really, episodes like this are why it just isn't feasible to write a Connor essay until the season is over. Though now I kinda want to call said essay 'A Hole in the World'.

Once again, we're running smack back into destiny. Angel is destined to bring a great, controlling power into the world through a woman that he cares about. It's Cordy/Jasmine all over again, but different, because he set them into a place where something much more destructive could reach them. He put them into Wolfram and Hart, where Knox could decide that Fred was the perfect vessel. He signed them all up, and it's the people he cares about who pay the highest price.

Once again, someone on the inside is an instrumental part in what happens - Gunn as Connor, though Wes is the one in love with the woman this time.

The Butterfly Effect - change one thing, change everything. And yet, some things that are meant to be cannot be changed (and things that are not meant to be cannot be forced).

And Angel can't escape his destiny, run though he may.

Eventually, he will have to turn and fight it, and the backlash will be all the worse because he refused to let it happen last time. The universe is building up against him and the hell he's trapped himself in grows darker without the light of the only optimist that they really had left.

Am I the only one disturbed by Lorne hitting Eve? Hitting an enemy that's already down is never a good sign. And Eve was not only down, she was clearly out - out of the game, left with only hope and despair. She may yet climb back in, but this... well, it's as unreasonable as Angel always was with Lindsey, so I suppose it makes sense. Still, hitting an enemy that's down will only make them hate you, personally. And it's got to be bad for your.. karma. And in the Jossverse, everything has consequences.

Comments

[livinglaurel.livejournal.com]

Eventually, he will have to turn and fight it, and the backlash will be all the worse because he refused to let it happen last time

Not much to say but Yes yes yes yes. It's like a Greek tragedy ("we should only be Greeks!") -- you think you're turning your back on destiny and running away from it, and in truth you're running right into its arms (Oedipus is the big example, but there are lots of other ones).

Lorne beating on Eve kinda distressed me too -- maybe because she was so helpless and pathetic-looking, with no allies or mojo or hope. Maybe it was meant to illustrate that even Lorne -- who ordinarily isn't violent and is usually pretty empathic -- was willing to wale away on the Enemy for Fred. Although was it me or did she only tell them about the Old Ones in exchange for not revealing her whereabouts to the SP?

moi

[butterfly.livejournal.com]

It's like a Greek tragedy ("we should only be Greeks!")

They are - we are. We're the Greeks! (The Greeks are the ones that took over Illyria, historically speaking. They were the astronauts). Not wonder it's a tragedy.

[livinglaurel.livejournal.com]

It's just Not Looking Good for the astronauts, is it? Why don't we get any weapons?

moi

[butterfly.livejournal.com]

We do, but we aren't using them. Or rather, we're letting them use us.

[livinglaurel.livejournal.com]

(My apologies for the lateness of this; I let email notification of comments get awfully backed up.)

Wow, that goes right back to Lindsey's "You can't play their game, you have to make them play yours," doesn't it?

I thought they were going to play this out a little more with Knox, but I've known a few scientists who were doing research for the gov't and had some ethical qualms about whether or not they should just regard it as pure research, or ask questions about what kinds of applications it might be used in (cf Fred's "Do we even have an antidote division?" ((paraphrasing)) ).

moi

[karra.livejournal.com]

The Butterfly Effect - change one thing, change everything.

Or, in Feigenbaum's Bifurcation of Chaos Theory which is where they seem to be smoking gunning us, getting the same result from different circumstances.

See, Feigenbaum really is the Master of Chaos. *G*

[butterfly.livejournal.com]

Is that like the Trousers of Time?

Seriously, though, thank you. Another wonder gem in the episode to ponder.

[karra.livejournal.com]

Ha! *G*

Definetly. Apparently someone at ME is reading their science books. *G*