More on S2 Angel
Nov. 11th, 2003 09:43 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
butterflyThe valet really is the creepiest character in Are You Now or Have You Ever Been...?. We never really see evidence that the demon was talking to him. And in the hanging scene, he doesn't act the same as the people who were under the influence. Everyone else realizes what they did the second after the deed was done. And, of course, the biggest thing about what happened to Angel in this is that he learned (back in '52) that when he tried to help, he only made things worse. No wonder he walked away. Connection only led to horror on both sides.
And this is such a great introduction to a place. The Hyperion is such a fascinating home for Angel (notice how Angel always works out of his home - he had the home/office in S1, the Hyperion in 2-4, and now his new place is a penthouse in the W&H building).
And it focuses the show - the first season was about learning who Angel was - the demon and the man. And the focus was very much on the work. The Hyperion, on the other hand, made the show more home/family based, I think. Although, it is interesting that it was a hotel (Cordy - "It was supposed to be home - hotel, hotel - husband."), which implies a lack of permanence. It isn't really his home. Not for keeps. And Darla wasn't for keeps. And Cordy wasn't. And Connor wasn't. Angel doesn't get to keep the things he loves ("There are three things I don't do - tan, date, and sing in public" - there are three things that make up Angel's persona at this point - his vampness, his curse, and his pride, which, as then Host reminded us, is what goes before a fall. And S2 definitely had a big fall for Angel.).
Judgement introduces us to Angel assuming the role of the champion. He becomes one to save Jo (I think that was her name) and then lets that become a defining part of who he is.
But Judgement also contains something that points to the biggest difference in the way Angel and Buffy treat what they do - Wes says, "Of course. We shouldn't be keeping score. We're not running a race - we're doing a job - one soul at a time." A job. Which is what it is for Wes. He was a Watcher by trade, then a rogue demon hunter, then in Angel's employ, then just a demon fighter. But it's a job. To Buffy, it isn't, even though she jokes about it at times. And for Giles, too, it's not about a job. He says that he was meant to be a Watcher, that it wasn't really a choice, but destiny. He'd have rather been a fighter pilot or a grocer.
Buffy is about overturning the odds. About tipping that table over, like Gunn said in Inside Out. Interestingly, Gunn is the most like the characters on Buffy - it isn't a job for him... or at least it wasn't until he joined up with AI. He fought to stay alive and to save the people he loved. Buffy is about taking that person that you might write off and making her the most powerful person in the world.
I'm not sure what Angel is about yet. Forgiveness ("I want... forgiveness.” “Yes. That’s the truth, - and you want to earn it."). Redemption ("It's about saving souls. Possibly your own in the process."). Family ("His son. He took a lethal virus, and he stuck it inside his son."). The beast within ("...[vampires] can control themselves if they want to. I do it every day."). The weakness of the person and not the monster ("It's not the monster in me that needs killing, it's the man."). Choice ("You have a choice, Connor. That is something more precious then you'll ever know."). Those are all being explored. But the story isn't over. It could go either way. Any way.
It's a crazy time of fun.
And this is such a great introduction to a place. The Hyperion is such a fascinating home for Angel (notice how Angel always works out of his home - he had the home/office in S1, the Hyperion in 2-4, and now his new place is a penthouse in the W&H building).
And it focuses the show - the first season was about learning who Angel was - the demon and the man. And the focus was very much on the work. The Hyperion, on the other hand, made the show more home/family based, I think. Although, it is interesting that it was a hotel (Cordy - "It was supposed to be home - hotel, hotel - husband."), which implies a lack of permanence. It isn't really his home. Not for keeps. And Darla wasn't for keeps. And Cordy wasn't. And Connor wasn't. Angel doesn't get to keep the things he loves ("There are three things I don't do - tan, date, and sing in public" - there are three things that make up Angel's persona at this point - his vampness, his curse, and his pride, which, as then Host reminded us, is what goes before a fall. And S2 definitely had a big fall for Angel.).
Judgement introduces us to Angel assuming the role of the champion. He becomes one to save Jo (I think that was her name) and then lets that become a defining part of who he is.
But Judgement also contains something that points to the biggest difference in the way Angel and Buffy treat what they do - Wes says, "Of course. We shouldn't be keeping score. We're not running a race - we're doing a job - one soul at a time." A job. Which is what it is for Wes. He was a Watcher by trade, then a rogue demon hunter, then in Angel's employ, then just a demon fighter. But it's a job. To Buffy, it isn't, even though she jokes about it at times. And for Giles, too, it's not about a job. He says that he was meant to be a Watcher, that it wasn't really a choice, but destiny. He'd have rather been a fighter pilot or a grocer.
Buffy is about overturning the odds. About tipping that table over, like Gunn said in Inside Out. Interestingly, Gunn is the most like the characters on Buffy - it isn't a job for him... or at least it wasn't until he joined up with AI. He fought to stay alive and to save the people he loved. Buffy is about taking that person that you might write off and making her the most powerful person in the world.
I'm not sure what Angel is about yet. Forgiveness ("I want... forgiveness.” “Yes. That’s the truth, - and you want to earn it."). Redemption ("It's about saving souls. Possibly your own in the process."). Family ("His son. He took a lethal virus, and he stuck it inside his son."). The beast within ("...[vampires] can control themselves if they want to. I do it every day."). The weakness of the person and not the monster ("It's not the monster in me that needs killing, it's the man."). Choice ("You have a choice, Connor. That is something more precious then you'll ever know."). Those are all being explored. But the story isn't over. It could go either way. Any way.
It's a crazy time of fun.
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(no subject)
Date: 2003-11-12 12:39 am (UTC)In terms of Angel himself I have always felt it was a search for self forgiveness. One of my favourite parts of AYNOHYEB was that Angel so readily forgave Judy despite everything she had done (and its knock-on effect as to how he interacted with society over the following years). I mean, there was just no hesitation. I would like to think that Angel will reach a state where he can, one day, forgive himself. It's not about Shanshu, or being a champion, or being a hero, its about accepting who you are and what you've done and what you are capable of achieving.
Hence, the longer AtS goes on the more, to me, it is about identity and accepting who you really are and your place in the world. The points you pulled out forgiveness... redemption... family... the beast within... control... weakness... choice... must be explored to help define: Who am I? What am I capable of? How do I fit in?
That view also makes me very ambivalent about shanshu. It's a destination - you reach it and then what? But that is my own personal bugbear, so I'll leave that alone!
(no subject)
Date: 2003-11-12 01:44 am (UTC)And the shanshu is complicated in so many ways, but I like to think of it more as a new starting point then as a destination.
And Angel does need to forgive himself.