Dollhouse: Wake Up

On Friday, the final episode of Dollhouse aired, and unfortunately, I wasn't as blown away as I could have been. I understand that the writers rushed to wrap up the stories and condensed a few years of stories into a couple episodes, but for whatever reason, the acting and writing were not up to par. Therefore, I must give it my lowest rating yet: seven thumbs up... Sorry, Simpsons reference. Anyway, I'll get back to "Epitaph Two: The Return" in a moment. First, a brief look at where the series has gone since I went all radio silent.

Things went to hell for a while, with Keith Carradine's Harding taking over the L.A. Dollhouse after the debacle in D.C. that ended with Echo escaping. During that time, she became fully self-aware, and she and Ballard prepared to return to L.A. to free Victor, Sierra, and the other dolls. Topher, under pressure from Harding, figured out how to make a device that could remotely wipe and imprint anyone, even people without "Active architecture." Alpha returned and caused trouble (including leaving Ballard brain-dead, requiring Topher to turn Ballard into a doll of himself). Victor's contract expired, he and Sierra declared their love for each other, only for them and Echo to wind up in the Attic. Let me just say that while the entire concept of the Attic was pretty creepy, the saran wrap over their bodies unsettled me to no end. We also got to see Dominic again, which was great. And then we learned the identity of the head of Rossum: Boyd Langdon. Now I have to go back through the series to see if there are any subtle hints to his true identity. The penultimate episode was very thrilling, as well as heartbreaking (November had been recaptured in D.C. and her original personality was lost, so they put Mellie back in her... then Paul told her that she was an imprint). Although the characters thought they had saved the day, the episode ended in 2020, where we last left Mag, Zone, and mini-Caroline.

So "Epitaph Two." The story wasn't amazing, in my opinion, but I'm letting it slide a bit because of the circumstances. Regarding the characters, they are obviously in very different places than they were in 2010. For the most part, we got hints as to why they are the way they are now, but, obviously, it would have been so much greater to actually see them evolve. Speaking of evolving, Alpha is good now. Echo alluded to him switching sides in "Epitaph One" (although I thought her statement, coupled with her tone, was ambiguous and could have implied that Alpha did not intend to help), and in this episode, she said that he had evolved. But that was it. Nothing explaining how he was able to get control over himself the way Echo did. It was fun seeing him on our side, but it was like seeing Spike from Season 2 of Buffy, then, without warning, five episodes later seeing Spike from Season 7/Season 5 of Buffy/Angel.

My other big complaint with the ending was that things turned out relatively happily. Yes, I am a sadist when it comes to fictional characters, but I was fine with the happy ending of Buffy because they earned it and it fit with the story (as dark as the show could be, and as many shades of gray they added, Buffy's characters were Whedon's closest to traditional "heroes" and "villains"). The technology on Dollhouse was the problem, and, rather easily, the technology provided the answer. I have no idea how I would have ended the show, but allowing everyone to regain their original personalities without consequence (Victor and Sierra were able to avoid consequences by staying underground) and very little sacrifice (Ballard died, but was kind of reborn, and Topher sacrificed himself, but he was barely himself anymore anyway) didn't seem right to me. Once again, though, I acknowledge that the writers were working under a impossible situation.

Unfortunately, I can't give the acting and writing the same pass. Most of the regulars' acting was fine, but the two guest stars playing Harding and Ambrose (in new bodies; one of them was Eliza Dushku's brother) were painful to watch. And the writing for the entire first act (which was the only act the included Harding and Ambrose) was pretty bad. Eliza Dushku is not an amazing actress, but I like her more than many critics, but she had a hard time selling the "kick-ass" dialogue she was given in these scenes, and that is usually what she excels at. Oh well, the episode was still good. Much better than the back-up singer or blind girl episodes from Season 1. I'm probably just bitter that the show is over.

Up next: Social construction...

Dollhouse: Burning Down the House

Holy crap, it's been a long time. I've been so busy with law school that I haven't had time to write here. I promise that I will do the post on Garden State, as well as a look at how the third season of Mad Men concluded (I really wanted to do a write-up of one episode because it serendipitously aired on the same day as a major event that complimented an event that occurred in the episode). But I had to get back here to discuss the latest, and some of the last, episodes of Dollhouse. While I was away, FOX announced that the show was canceled. They promised to air all of the purchased episodes, even the ones that had not yet been produced. The one, slight, upside is that, because not all episodes had been produced, Whedon and the writers were able to create an ending for the show. Small victories...

Anyway, in the two episodes tonight, the Senator Perrin story was brought to the forefront and took some very unexpected turns. Many people in the online community guessed that Perrin's wife was a sleeper doll, and the promos for the episode all but confirmed it. The truth was much more surprising: Perrin himself is the one with altered memories, but he isn't quite a doll. He was born Daniel Perrin, who came from a long line of politicians. But Perrin was a screw-up. He failed out of Yale, was drunken frat boy, and would never amount to anything. Rossum took note of the situation, knew that with his pedigree, they had someone who could easily get elected if he could clean himself up, and did the cleaning for him. His "wife" is really his handler. So why would Rossum create a politician who wants to bring Rossum down? The plan involves Perrin learning the "truth," that all of his tips about Rossum have come from its competitors in an effort to destroy them. Rossum looks like the victim of corporate espionage, and now Perrin is in their corner. A potential white knight for people like Echo, Victor, and Sierra has become a monster.

The path to this revelation was incredible, mainly because we got to meet Bennett, the D.C. Dollhouse programmer, played by Summer Glau. Bennett is kind of like a twisted River Tam; she is a slightly crazy genius with a somewhat stunted maturation and sadistic streak. She is somehow tied to Caroline, and blames her for an accident that left her with a dead arm (the flashbacks we saw don't completely mesh with what little we know about Caroline, so I don't know if what we know is misdirection or if what she believes is wrong, but we know she isn't a doll). We also saw Ray Wise as the head of the D.C. Dollhouse, which was good, but not as great as it could have been. Unfortunately, for as great as these episodes were, there were some line readings that were a bit clunky. I'm not sure if it was the writing or the acting, but every now and then, things felt off, which is strange because of the writers and actors involved. One actor who was awesome as usual was Enver Gjokaj. Adelle and Topher both went to D.C., and to cover for Topher while he was gone, Victor was imprinted with Topher's mind. Gjokaj was able to imitate Topher's voice, mannerisms, and expressions nearly perfectly, and it was a joy to watch. Now that this show is over, Gjokaj needs his own series. Seriously.

I am very sad that this series is going to end. It wasn't always as good as Whedon's other shows, but it is/was one of the better series in production and was consistently entertaining and humorous (not to mention heart-wrenching). Next week's episodes look to be great based on who will be returning. If you want to know more about the remaining episodes, check out this page from Ain't It Cool. I tried not to read too much, but I did see the name of the final episode, which, based on the name, should be very interesting.

Edit: Another great link. Hometown pride!

Up next: Jersey boy and girl (I hope)...

Dollhouse: Beautiful Things on Thin Ice

Last week's Dollhouse was just ok. The ending was very important, but the story was boring/annoying. This week, however, was absolutely incredible. Although the overall story is moving forward relatively slowly (nowhere near the pace of the second half of last year), it is certainly moving, and this is the kind of engagement-of-the-week episode I can get behind. Echo's engagement to a literature professor (how does he have the money to rent a doll?) became intwined with Victor's imprint (not an engagement, though), both thematically and actually when something went horribly wrong.

Echo was imprinted with the mind of a ditzy college student who would be willing to sleep with her prof for a better grade. Turns out that the prof has always fantasized about this sort of thing, but either none of his students ever wanted to or he was too "ethical" to sleep with an actual student (I would have liked the show to have actually said that, and then have him justify making someone do it without them realizing it). Meanwhile, Victor gets imprinted with the mind of the nephew of one of Rossum's majority stockholders (the stockholder is played by Michael Hogan, who played Col. Tigh on Battlestar Galactica). The nephew is a whacked out killer with a serious aversion to women. Angry that his mother, sisters, and aunt would rather go on dates than play with him (he's in his 20's, by the way), he kidnaps women to fill these roles, drugs them up, and poses them like mannequins in a creepy outdoor croquet scene. One of his latest victims fought back, so he had to get a new woman to "play" his aunt, but he was hit by a car. In an effort to find the missing women, Topher, against his better judgment, imprinted Victor with the man's mind and had Ballard interrogate him. Unfortunately, he got out, and due to a mix-up, Victor's GPS chip was not in his body, so they had to track him down the hard way.

In addition to Echo's continuing mental degeneration, in which all of her imprints bleed together, the story took a somewhat significant step tonight when Topher attempted to do a remote wipe on Victor. Adelle knew it was possible because Alpha remote wiped Echo last year, but Topher was still reluctant. He partially succeeded, in that he was able to alter the actives' minds from the Dollhouse while the actives were in the field, but instead of wiping Victor, he switched Victor's serial killer with Echo's party girl. But as viewers of "Epitaph One" know, this will be significant, because Topher will eventually perfect remote wiping, setting the stage for the horrific future.

Speaking of a horrific future, cancellation talks are happening again. The ratings for the episode two weeks back were abysmal. Fortunately, the "Belle Chose" ratings were better, but the Save Our Show campaigns are starting up again, and even mainstream critics are joining in. FOX's attitude on this really upsets me, especially since they are doing things almost exactly the same as they did when Firefly was on the air (although they have shown enough faith to bring the show back for a second season). First of all, Dollhouse is on Friday nights. I love this show, but I've only watched it when it actually aired twice; the first time was "Omega" and the second time was "Belle Chose." Next, what do ratings really mean anymore, anyways? With Hulu.com, streaming episodes on FOX.com, TiVo, and illegal downloads, FOX can't possibly track the number of people who actually watch the show. Finally, I realized something when watching "Belle Chose" the other night: Just like Firefly, FOX is not advertising for Dollhouse at all (or at least, very minimally). I watch Glee most Wednesdays, but I missed it this week. While watching "Belle Chose," I saw a commercial for Glee, and it was then I realized that every week, when I watch Glee, I have never once seen a commercial for Dollhouse. Come on FOX.

I have found this website, which I like. Check it out, and PLEASE check out Dollhouse if you haven't already.

UPDATE

Up next: New Jersey state of mind...

Dollhouse: Second Chance

Last night, I missed the second season premiere of Dollhouse (I doubt I'll be catching many when they first air because it's on Friday nights... fuck you FOX), but I had an interesting exchange with a friend of mine, who is also a Dollhouse fan. She asked me if my girlfriend and myself were going to an after-party, but I told her that we couldn't because we had to get up early this morning. I said that it wasn't a matter of what we wanted, and my friend responded that it was about what we needed. She didn't even realize the show started up again last night. Fortunately, unlike Firefly, Dollhouse has gotten a second season and second chance to show us that Joss Whedon is a master storyteller.

Although I was unsure of the merits of this series after that back-up singer episode, every episode from "Man on the Street" through the unaired "Epitaph One" thoroughly entertained me and made me want to see what happened next immediately after viewing. "Epitaph One" made me want FOX to commission a companion show that takes place in the post-apocalyptic future after the imprinting technology got out of control. Although that isn't going to happen, Whedon has said that we will see more of that time period. Originally, a scene from 2019 was going to open the second season, but it was cut for time (episodes are no longer 50 minutes; FOX got rid of its "Remote-Free TV" campaign).

However, the episode did a lot to set up the new directions the show is going in. First off, Ballard's deal with DeWitt is rather strange; although we're still not clear on the specifics, he is acting as a kind of in-house client who uses Echo to take down criminals. Why DeWitt is allowing this is unclear, but Ballard proved his loyalty to Caroline/Echo, and he eventually became Echo's new handler. But this was after Echo was fundamentally altered. Although Topher thought he undid Alpha's composite event (all of Echo's personalities were simultaneously uploaded into her mind), the treatment didn't hold, and now Echo is now a different version of Alpha. Her composite personality has not caused her to go crazy the way Alpha's drove him insane. She has made it her mission to help the Dolls regain their true personalities, and Ballard is all too happy to help.

My favorite parts of the episode involved Topher and Dr. Saunders/Whiskey. The knowledge that you are not who you think you are, that you are not real and are only temporarily occupying someone else's body, cannot be good for the psyche. Dr. Saunders is trying to make sense of who she is and what she can do, and it doesn't help that her slight contempt for the Dollhouse, which maker her want to return her body to whoever owns it, is being overtaken by her sense of self-preservation. How can you ask someone to willingly give up their life (over the hiatus I wondered what would happen if someone accidentally triggered her by asking about a treatment, but when Topher made such a comment, it didn't seem to have any effect on her)? What makes matters even worse for her is that DeWitt has spent big bucks on facial reconstruction surgery for Victor to heal the scars Alpha gave him. As of now (though as we know, not forever) Whiskey still has her scars, and even though she was the most popular Active, DeWitt loves Victor (or at least one of his imprints). Knowing that the surgery is available, but that you aren't getting it while someone less qualified gets it right away may not be as jarring as knowing you are a doll, but it can't help the situation.

So she has resorted to playing cruel pranks on Topher; not only did she learn she isn't real, she learned that the man she loathed was responsible for everything about herself (her line about being designed by a sociopath in a sweater vest was pretty great). This culminated in an incredible scene between the two (about 1/3 of the incredibleness extends from the fact that Amy Acker was in a nightie the whole time) in which she got into his bed to see if he would sleep with her. The result was both an incredible conversation about free will and an illuminating look into Topher's character. Topher explained why he gave her some of the character traits he did, but explained that it was her own mind that used such traits to form opinions. He didn't make her hate him, she came to that conclusion on his own. And for all of Topher's arrogance and amorality, he showed that he does care about the Dolls and wants to do everything possible to keep them safe, even if it means working closely with someone who won't get along with him every day. Dr. Saunders finally left the Dollhouse, going against Topher's programming intended to keep here there, in an effort to show herself she had free will and to defy Topher and DeWitt. Quick side note: last year, I noticed that we never saw DeWitt, Boyd, Saunders, or Topher at their homes (unless that place in "A Spy in the House of Love" was DeWitt's home), and I wondered how much freedom people who work are the Dollhouse are given by the Rossum Corporation. It probably can't be too much, based on the sensitive nature of their work, but why would anyone want to be subject to such restriction? Even if they were paid all the money they could possibly want, there would be no way to derive any pleasure from it. I bring this up because we see Topher's makeshift bedroom inside a server room, and I have to wonder, is that where he lives, or is that his sanctuary during his long hours?

Finally, I am really excited to have Alexis Denisof become a recurring character on the show. He is playing a U.S. Senator (and therefore using his real voice, which is a bit of a change from the British accent Whedon fans are used to hearing; on that note, Jamie Bamber of Battlestar Galactica got to use his actual speaking voice, which has a British accent, in the episode) with a bone to pick with the Rossum Corporation. Ain't It Cool News referred to him as being either the Big Bad (something familiar to Buffy fans) or the Big Good of the season. I find that observation both funny and astute, because we cannot forget that at the end of the day, the non-Doll characters we follow every week are not working in humanity's best interest, no matter how they justify what they do. As we saw in "Epitaph One," the Dollhouse tech will lead to very bad things, and even if DeWitt and Topher don't believe everything the higher-ups in Rossum do (DeWitt seems to draw the line at permanent, rather than temporary, slavery), they are certainly helping the problem right now.

Up next: More TV...

Dollhouse: Actuals

So something came up. My curiosity was piqued, and I had to watch "Epitaph One". It turns out that FOX is going beyond shooting itself in the foot by not airing this, because not only will the events of the episode matter in the upcoming season, but it is a damn good episode. It mostly takes place in 2019, but we see a series of "memories" (which may or may not be accurate) of the Dollhouse's later (and early) days. One scene features Echo and Ballard working together, and shows us that Echo's time as Omega left some strange side effects. But the rest of the episode is dedicated to showing how the technology that makes the Dollhouse possible could (and in the continuity of the show, does) destroy the world.

In "Man on the Street", each act begins with someone discussing the existence and potential of imprinting people. The last interviewee states that the human race will end because of this technology because if we can erase who we are, there will be no way to be ourselves. In the future of Dollhouse, that is exactly what has happened. It started with Rossum deciding that the dolls would become permanent slaves in order to allow their clients to upgrade themselves by permanently placing themselves in an active's body. If a client doesn't like the way they look, or doesn't want to be allergic to shellfish, they can upload their mind into a better body. And when that body dies, they can put themselves in a new one. Suddenly, the episode "Haunted" takes on all new meaning. Will this stagnate the human race? Will anyone new ever be born? Or will people be raised like animals to be made into vessels for the wealthy if the person is attractive?

One of my favorite aspects of the episode was the tragedy of Topher Brink; here is a man who wanted to change the world, and he succeeded in ways he never imagined. Topher wasn't the most moral of people; he not only was ok with the idea of the Dollhouse, but he relished the ability to improve it. He made the technology better, faster, and more accessible. And then, all his ideas were corrupted and used to turn any broadcasting device into an imprint chair (kind of like in "Gray Hour"; you see, Joss knew what he was doing back at the beginning of the season when everyone was complaining about the episodic nature of the show). The knowledge that he gave world governments the power to turn people into killing machines through telephones eventually drove him insane.

Also, the scenes with Whiskey were beyond creepy, which, to me, means that I loved them. Amy Acker is a seriously underappreciated actress (Enver Gjokaj also is showing promise because he seemlessly becomes a new character every week), and her portrayal of a mind-wiped but still somewhat aware doll very well. I could have done without the speech from Felicia Day and Caroline-in-the-kid at the end, but I am super-psyched to see where things go from here. Oh, and I was very happy to see Laurence Dominic again; I knew he'd find his way out of the attic somehow.

Up next: Down the rabbit hole...

Comic Con: Preparing for Next Year

First up, I want to thank Ain't It Cool News for posting these stories. In the LOST article, they reported on a lot of serious and humorous events from the LOST panel, many of which made me happy to hear. However, after 5 seasons, I am a little weary of believing everything they say; in the past, they have said things in order to misdirect us (they said a lot of things were going to happen in the Season 1 finale, only to either have the exact opposite happen, or to wait years for the event to actually occur. Other times, they have promised something, only to have to push it back (I think they have finally realized that they will never tell Libby's story, regardless of the promises at the end of Seasons 3 and 4). I am excited to see that (they claim) Juliet and Daniel are coming back. Unfortunately, because I am abroad right now, I cannot watch all the videos. I WAS able to watch the last one, marked "Fakery", which was very intriguing indeed.

UPDATE: A new link from The Onion AV Club!

UPDATE 2: So I just had a thought; Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse have been saying that there won't be flashbacks, flashforwards, or time travel in Season 6, and that they are planning something different. A few of the Comic Con videos have involved an alternate universe where either the plane didn't crash and the castaways continued living their lives, or, the detonation of the bomb altered events before the crash as well. In one video, Kate was featured on America's Most Wanted for killing her step-father's apprentice by accident, rather than her step-father himself (and another video showed Oceanic 815 crashing on the tarmac in LA). What if this year, instead of flashbacks, etc., we see scenes from this alternate timeline? I don't know what the purpose would be because none of what happened in the timeline would matter unless Lindelof and Cuse (I don't know why I keep tagging J.J. Abrams for LOST) find a way to reconcile the two timelines.

Up next, in the Battlestar Galactica article, the reporter noted that there could be more made-for-TV Galactica movies after The Plan. I don't know how I feel about this; on one hand, I love the show and would enjoy seeing more from that world (and that time, since we are getting Caprica soon). On the other, I don't want some story shoehorned in that doesn't make sense. Finally, I still need to see the Caprica pilot, and if I like it, I will try to follow it here.

Finally, I have not yet read the Dollhouse article because it deals with "Epitaph One", which I haven't seen yet. I can't wait to check it out.

Up next: The Legend continues...

Firefly # 1: Out of Gas

Episode 8
First Aired October 25th, 2002

The first time I saw this episode, I thought it was fine, but nothing spectacular. I'm not sure why it didn't click with me, but one reason may be that it wasn't action-packed and it didn't drive the plot forward. What it does do is show how much Mal loves his ship, which is much more important than I initially realized. The episode also weaves three timelines together in a way that accents what is going on in the present through flashbacks and still allows us to follow what is going on in the present.

The present narrative begins with a wounded Mal holding a machine part. These segments have absolutely no dialogue (except for recorded warnings from Serenity herself) and feature no character beside Mal as he makes his way from the cargo bay to the engine room. These segments are full of hauntingly sad music as Mal struggles to save his ship. The second narrative starts about a day earlier and works up to the beginning of the present narrative. It shows how Serenity became damaged, where the rest of the crew went, and how Mal got injured. The third timeline consists of flashbacks detailing how everyone got on the ship (except Simon, River, and Book, because in the unaired pilot "Serenity", we see them get on Serenity for the first time). The episode sometimes misdirects us with these glimpses into the past; when Mal and Zoe hire Wash, Mal notes that now they have a pilot to go with their genius mechanic, who turns out to be someone besides Kaylee. The best misdirect comes at the end, but I won't say what it was.

"Out of Gas" is a beautiful episode that shows the crew at their most desperate. It also shows us just how devoted to each other this crew is; Wash is willing to defy Mal to keep Zoe safe (she was injured in the explosion that crippled Serenity), but he also figures out a way for Mal to call the crew back in case he is somehow able to fix the ship. There is also a rather meta explanation to the beauty of this episode; as I said, Wash rigs a button to send out a signal to the two shuttles carrying the crew in case Mal is able to repair the ship. He tells Mal that when his miracle arrives, push the button, and the crew will return. Alan Tudyk, who plays Wash stole that button from the set, and when the network cancelled the show, he gave it to Joss Whedon, telling him that if some miracle occurs, he could use the button to call back the cast members. Like Mal, Joss was eventually able to use the button.

Up next: Brief movie update...

Firefly # 2: Ariel

Episode 9
First Aired November 15th, 2002

"Ariel" is probably the episode that is the heaviest on the science fiction aspects of the series. It is the only time we ever see a central planet (the titular Ariel) and we see some of the most technologically advanced equipment ever shown in the 'verse. Serenity is in port on Ariel so that Inara can have a routine check-up to keep her companion's license, and Mal forbids anyone from leaving the ship. However, the group is strapped for cash, and Simon proposes a lucrative job: if the crew can River and him into a hospital containing an advanced brain scanner (kind of an advanced MRI machine), he will instruct them on how to steal extremely valuable medicine from the hospital's store room.

As is usually the case with Firefly, things don't go according to plan. This time around, Jayne causes trouble by alerting the police that he will have the fugitive Tam siblings. Believing he will get a huge payday, the officer making the arrest double crosses Jayne and plans to claim the reward himself. Before the fearsome Hands of Blue agents arrived to claim the Tams, Simon showed that he can remain calm in tough situations as he tried to stall for time to allow Jayne to subdue their captors. Jayne and Simon were able to work together to escape their captors, and when the Hands of Blue finally arrived, they were upset to find the prisoners gone. But what they found even worse was that the officer spoke to River; for this, they used a strange device that caused his blood vessels to burst, leaking blood out of his eyes, mouth, and fingertips.

Jayne, Simon, and River were eventually able to rendez-vous with the ship. Thinking that they were in the clear, Jayne let his guard down, only to get knocked out by Mal. Mal figured out what happened and nearly killed Jayne in response. The scene between the two of them, with Jayne in the airlock with the hatch door open as they were about to leave the planet's atmosphere and Mal safely on the other side of the door was fantastic. We learned just how much Mal cared about his crew, including Simon and River, and how far he would go to protect them.

Up next: Firefly #1...

Firefly # 3: Objects In Space

Episode 14
First Aired December 13th, 2002

Sadly, Firefly only got one season, but while it certainly wasn't perfect, it was by far the best opening season of Joss Whedon's first three shows (not a single episode from the first seasons of Buffy and Angel made their lists, but first season episodes from both shows were considered). Ok, the comparison isn't exactly apt because I have nothing else to compare the 14 episodes of Firefly against (the film Serenity doesn't count because it was a film), but the episodes of Firefly were so good that I have a harder time thinking about how much better it could have gotten than I do thinking about how much the first season episodes of the Buffyverse could have improved (I of course believe that it COULD have gotten better, especially knowing what I know from Serenity).

"Objects In Space" was a great season finale, but it was not meant to be a series finale. The first time I saw it, I didn't like it because it didn't answer any questions (and Serenity hadn't been announced yet). Upon watching it again, I realized that it was indeed a terrific episode that would have been an incredible season ender. The main purpose of the episode is to finally have River become a full member of the crew; all season, she was an outcast, unable to do anything except make trouble for the crew of Serenity. "Objects In Space" showed us that she would continue to make life difficult because of her status as a wanted fugitive, but it also showed us that she may be able to pull her weight on the ship and can come back from her insane mindset.

On the surface of the episode, the plot is about a bounty hunter sneaking onto Serenity to capture River. He effectively neutralized the various crew members with methods tailored to their personalities; he attacked Mal and Book (further proof that Book was more than a simple man of the cloth), locked Zoe in her room with Wash, and sadisticly threatened to rape Kaylee if she made trouble for him. He then captured Simon and tried to force him to help him find the missing River. River meanwhile was hiding and was able to use the ship's intercom system to speak with the various crewmembers to put a plan into motion to retake the ship.

The episode also is very philosophical; the bounty hunter wonders aloud to Simon about the meaning of various objects. He talks about the way of the world and how it is unfair in some ways (though many of these ways are twisted outlooks on life). River also thinks about meaning, but her warped worldview is what causes her to make these statements. When she holds up a gun, she sees it as a stick, and states that it is just an object. That is true, but to her, it is a harmless thing, but the rest of the crew feels differently.

"Objects In Space" is a great way for Whedon to express some of his philosophical views in both ways he agrees and disagrees with, and the episode makes for a great way to end the season. Too bad it ended the series... sort of (the episode that aired last was actually the two-part pilot, "Serenity").

Up next: Firefly #2...

Angel # 1: Reunion

Season 2, Episode 10
First Aired December 19th, 2000

I thought about including the preceding episode "The Trial" and/or the following episode "Redefinition" along with "Reunion" but ultimately decided to present it on its own. "Reunion" was a pivotal episode in Season 2; it kicked off the "beige Angel" arc and changed the direction of the season. The previous episode ended with Angel and Darla realizing that even though Angel couldn't save Darla's life, he had saved her soul. Then Lindsey and a bunch of Wolfram and Hart security personnel showed up with Drusilla, subdued Angel, and had Drusilla re-sire Darla. This episode begins immediately after and the first part follows Angel as he tries to find Darla before she awakens as a vampire again. Unfortunately, Wolfram and Hart did a pretty good job keeping her hidden, and even the Powers That Be try to keep Angel from succeeding; when he finally figures out where Darla is being kept, Cordelia receives a vision telling them to go the other direction.

Angel later confronts Holland Manners, the W&H lawyer in charge of the Darla "project"; Manners was quite pleased with himself, and looked forward to the massacre Darla and Drusilla would commit in Los Angeles. Ironically, reviving Darla would be the end of Holland and 20 other W&H lawyers. That night, Manners hosted a wine party in his cellar for his colleagues, including Lindsey and Lilah Morgan. Unfortunately, Darla and Drusilla showed up to get revenge for the way they treated Darla; they brought her back as human, used her as bait for Angel, knowing that she would eventually (1) regain her conscience (and feel terrible about her deeds as a vampire) and (2) succumb to syphilis. Before the two vampires could begin their feast, Angel showed up at Manners' house, but instead of saving the attorneys, he locked them in the cellar with Darla and Drusilla. Lindsey and Lilah would be the only survivors. When Angel returned to the Hyperion, Cordelia, Wesley, and Gunn expressed their growing unease with the way Angel was conducting himself, so he fired them, to allow for his all-out war against Wolfram and Hart.

Up next: Firefly #3...

Angel # 2: A Hole In The World/Shells

Season 5, Episodes 15 and 16
First Aired February 25th and March 3rd, 2004

"A Hole In The World" (which, for whatever reason, I always initially write as "Whole") is one of the most emotionally charged episodes of Angel; two seemingly minor events that happened in the previous episode ("Smile Time") come back in a big way. First, Wesley and Fred are now a couple, and Gunn signed papers to release some strange package from customs in exchange to make his legal education imprint permanent. I turns out that the package was a mysterious sarcophagus, and it was delivered to Fred's lab. When she touched it, it released dust that blew into her mouth and nose. Although the infirmary determined that the dust didn't do anything to her, the group quickly learned that it infected her with the essence of Illyria, an ancient demon. The various team members react to the situation differently. Lorne, the pacifist, becomes violent when questioning Eve about the situation. Gunn bargains with the doctor who gave him the imprint to remove everything from his brain in return for saving Fred. Wes obsesses over saving Fred, and demands that the entire staff of Wolfram and Hart devote all their time to finding a cure. And Angel and Spike head to England to find a cure; both of them care very much about her and are willing to do anything to save her (Fred endeared herself to Spike by not giving up on finding a way to restore him to corporeal form at the beginning of the season). Or at least, anything but the only way to save her, because it would sacrifice the lives of millions.

The episode ends with Fred dying in Wes' arms. The final shot is the resurrected Illyria examining his/her new body. "Shells", on the other hand, is a much more action-packed episode. Its main purpose is to show us Illyria's power and to set up where Wes will be going for the rest of the series. The death of Fred was a powerful blow to him, and he becomes absolutely ruthless; he visciously attacks anyone he believes responsible for Fred's death, including Gunn. The episode features some very good fight scenes between Angel, Spike, and Illyria, even though the two vampires barely pose Illyria a threat. Emotions were certainly running high in this episode, and it was a great way to leave the series before the final 6 episodes aired.

Up next: Angel #1...

Angel # 3: Smile Time

Season 5, Episode 14
First Aired February 18th, 2004

I feel a little bad putting this episode on the list because to fit it in, I had to cut out the Faith two-parter from Season 1, which is much more emotionally powerful than this episode. But "Smile Time" is just so hilarious and well-produced. The idea of Angel turning into a puppet sounds so silly, but the execution was incredible. That's basically the episode: Angel becomes a puppet, and the group needs to figure out how to break the spell. Ok, Wes and Fred finally got together, Angel decided to date Nina the werewolf, and Gunn made a fateful decision, but mainly, this was all about puppet-Angel.

Joss Whedon co-wrote this episode with Ben Edlund (who has done some work on The Venture Bros.), and there are few funnier episodes of either Angel or Buffy. The various reactions to Angel as a puppet were incredible, espeically Spike's "wee little puppet man". The script called for Spike to laugh uncontrollably, but I've heard that James Marsters blew takes because he was laughing too much. The puppet choreography was really good, especially the puppet fight at the climax. And then there were all the various puppet jokes ("Is there a Gepetto in the house?").

This episode didn't significantly advance the plot of Season 5, but it did plant the seeds for things to come. And it was absolutely hilarious.

Up next: Angel #2...

Angel # 4: You're Welcome

Season 5, Episode 12
First Aired February 4th, 2004

"You're Welcome" is the 100th episode of Angel. It set up the rest of the season (and series) and it very beautifully gave Cordelia Chase closure. At the end of Season 4, she fell into a coma because of the stress of birthing Jasmine, and at the beginning of this episode, just as Angel was starting to give up on himself as the CEO of Wolfram and Hart, Cordelia finally woke up. She came back to a world she barely recognized; Angel was the CEO of Wolfram and Hart and Spike had a soul and was helping the helpless. Unbeknownst to Angel and his friends, Spike was going out at night to save people, much the way Angel did in the first two seasons of the show. In fact, Spike was receiving tips on where to go to save people from someone who called himself Doyle. "Doyle" claimed to receive visions from the Powers That Be of people in need.

When Spike told Angel and Cordelia about this, they both became quite upset, because Doyle was their original partner. He received visions of people in trouble and directed Angel to their location. Even worse was the fact that Doyle was in fact Lindsey McDonald, who had set up the situations for Spike. He and Eve were working on a plan to bring down Angel's self-esteem by making him think that Spike was the subject of the Shanshu Prophecy.

Cordelia helped reassure Angel, and he and Lindsey met for a showdown in the bowels of the Wolfram and Hart building. However, when things looked like they were finally going to turn out alright for Angel and Cordelia, Angel got hit with a realization. The final twist made complete sense based on previous comments made in the episode, and it was very sad but dramatically satisfying. Cordelia's role in the episode put Angel back on track in ways that won't be quite clear until the end of the season, and in ways beyond what she did in her waking state.

Up next: Angel #3...

Angel # 5: Reprise/Epiphany

Season 2, Episodes 15 and 16
First Aired February 20th and 27th, 2001

There are a stretch of episodes in the second season of Angel the producers refer to as the "beige Angel" arc when Angel (not Angelus) decides that instead of helping the helpless, his duty is to take down Wolfram and Hart any way he can (the beige comes from Lorne stating that his aura has changed to a beige color). Angel "fired" his friends from Angel Investigations and began a guerrilla campaign against the evil law firm. He was willing to hurt the innocent in pursuit of the greater good.

His crusade eventually brought him to an opportunity to kill one of the Senior Partners of Wolfram and Hart (other-worldly demons) and get to the "home office" to finish off the firm once and for all. When Angel carries out his plan, he is confronted by Holland Manners, one of the LA branch's leading partners. Angel was indirectly responsible for Manners' death, so seeing him again came as a bit of a shock; Angel, and the audience, learned about the Wolfram and Hart policy that keeps employees under contract long after their deaths. Manners agrees to take Angel to the "home office", and throughout their journey, he talks about the goals of Wolfram and Hart, its purpose, and its history. But when the pair arrive, Angel learns that the "home office" is our dimension. The wicked side of human nature makes the firm possible. Utterly defeated, Angel returns to his home, only to find Darla ready to kill him. Instead, he decides to violently have sex with her, believing that he has no reason to retain his soul any longer if he cannot make a difference. "Reprise" ends almost exactly the way the Buffy episode "Surprise" ended, with a thunderclap awakening a post-coital Angel.

However, "Epiphany" does not begin like "Innocence"; Angel does not lose his soul. The key to breaking the curse isn't sex, but happiness, and Angel fucked Darla out of despair. He retained his soul and had an epiphany. He realized that he had become no better than Wolfram and Hart, because even though he technically represented "good", he wasn't helping people. He had turned away from the people he cared about most and the people who cared about him the most, and allowed them to be put in harm's way. Angel set out to apologize to his friends and even offered to work for Wes, who had become the boss of Angel Investigations after Angel fired him, Cordelia, and Gunn.

In one important scene with Kate Lockley, who also reached rock bottom, Angel explained his new outlook on life, and I have tried to use his philosophy as a basis for my own life. He explained that if there is no greater meaning to life, then the smallest act of kindness is the greatest thing in the world. Kate also gave him hope for the world by explaining that there may be a higher power working for good out there after all; Angel broke into Kate's apartment to revive her after she attempted suicide, but one of the rules about vampires in the Buffyverse is that they cannot enter a home uninvited, and Kate had never invited Angel in before.

These episodes showed Angel hit his bottom, rebound, and receive a new outlook on life. They also sowed the seeds for the third and fourth seasons of the show.

Up next: Angel #4...

Angel # 6: Orpheus

Season 4, Episode 15
First Aired March 19th, 2003

It was a tough choice between this episode and the preceding episode, but I ultimately went with this one because it nicely wrapped up the Angelus and Faith storylines. And because it had an Angel vs. Angelus fight. The previous episode ended with Angelus biting Faith in order to turn her into a vampire. "Orpheus" begins right there, but Angelus quickly learned that Faith intended for him to bite her, and she injected herself with a bizarre drug, called Orpheus, in order to incapacitate Angelus. She felt that capturing Angelus was so important that she subjected herself to the effects of the drug too, and it had a much more powerful effect on her because although Angelus had the drug "filtered" through Faith's blood, she got the full blow from it.

Orpheus is a mystical drug that induces visions that are supposed to torment the user. Angelus and Faith can communicate to each other in their comatose states and they simultaneously get the same visions. Angelus is forced to rewatch the best deeds that Angel performed, including saving a puppy in 1920s Chicago, while Faith has to watch Angel's worst and most desperate deeds, such as failing to call the police after a robbery so he could feed off the victim. Their visions climax with a suddenly aware past Angel taking on Angelus and trying to tell Faith what it means to be alive.

In the waking world, Cordelia desperately tries to stop Willow from restoring Angel's soul and eventually reveals her "pregnancy" to the rest of the group. She also further turns Connor away from the rest of the group.

The end sets up Faith's story in the remainder of Buffy and brings Angel back to the group.

Up next: Angel #5...

Angel # 7: Sleep Tight

Season 3, Episode 16
First Aired March 4, 2002

The preceding episodes followed Wesley as he tried to translate a prophecy about Angel's new son Connor. Eventually, he discovered that it said "The Father will eat the Son", and although it scared Wes, he initially brushed it off. But various portents had come to pass that made him believe there was merit to the prophecy after all, and by the time "Sleep Tight" started, Wes was all but convinced that Angel would kill his infant son. In this episode, Angel started to show signs of bloodlust and became very agitated with Connor, prompting Wes to seek out Holtz, Angel's time-displaced nemesis. Wesley and Holtz make a deal; Wes will stop Angel from killing Connor and Holtz will give up his revenge scheme.

Elsewhere, Angel learns that Wolfram and Hart has been spiking his pig blood supply with some of Connor's blood they stole in an effort to make Connor smell like food to Angel. Angel confronts Lilah and finally meets Sajahn, the demon responsible for bringing Holtz to the present. Sajahn tells Angel that they are sworn enemies, but Angel has never seen the demon before.

That night, a desperate Wes prepares to take Connor, only to run into Lorne. When Wes hums a lullaby to soothe Connor, Lorne discerns (some of) Wes' intentions, forcing Wes to knock Lorne out. While escaping, Wesley runs into one of Holtz's lieutenants, who cut Wes' throat and stole Connor. Angel eventually learned of what Wesley did and tried to find him to get his son back. This led to a stalemate when every party interested in the son of two vampires converged in one spot. Holtz, who was in physical possession of the infant Connor, wanted to raise Connor as his own to hurt Angel the way Angelus had hurt Holtz (he and Darla killed Holtz's wife and turned his daughter into a vampire). Wolfram and Hart wanted Connor for study. Angel wanted his son back. And Sajahn wanted Connor dead. Angel knew that if Wolfram and Hart got his son, he would become nothing but a lab rat. He also knew that W&H wouldn't kill something of such value, so he finally told Holtz to take his son and raise him as his own. Sajahn intervened and opened a portal to a hell dimension, and threatened that he would widen it to consume everyone present if someone didn't kill Connor. Instead, Holtz ran through the portal, taking Connor with him. Pleased with himself, Sajahn disapparated. Dejected, but knowing business would continue as usual, the Wolfram and Hart employees left. But Angel fell to the ground, crying at the loss of his son.

Up next: Hiya...

Angel # 8: Destiny

Season 5, Episode 8
First Aired November 19th, 2003

Season 5 of Angel was the only season of the Buffyverse that I watched when it was actually on television, so in these posts, I may throw in bits about what it was like watching the episodes as they aired, as opposed to on DVD. "Destiny" was the last episode before the winter break, and it was a great episode to go out on, in that it had me begging to see what happened next immediately after it ended. So much happened in this episode: Spike became corporeal again, Spike won a fight against Angel for the first time, and a certain character returned (more on that later).

After about 6 episodes (Spike didn't show up until the final scene of the season premiere) as kind-of-sort-of ghost, a mysterious package showed up that gave Spike his body back. But along with his body came chaos because now the world had two ensouled vampires who fit the bill of "champion". Although Angel and Spike both existed with souls for about a year (end of Seasons 6/3 through the end of Seasons 7/4) Spike wasn't a champion until he closed the Hellmouth in "Chosen", the series finale of Buffy. However, he had to die to do it, so he and Angel were never simultaneously champions. Now, the a weird force started overtaking Wolfram and Hart, and Angel and Spike tried to find a way to stop it. They learned about an artifact that would once and for all determine who the subject of the Shanshu Prophecy was, and they both go after it.

This leads to a ruthless and bloody fight between the two as they each try to prove to the other that one of them is destined to become human again, even if it means suffering unspeakable torment before it happens. They each argue about their love for Buffy, the good deeds that they've done (and use the other's evil ones against them). At one point, Spike shows his conviction by picking up a huge wooden cross to use as a weapon against Angel, even though it burns his flesh just as much as it burns Angel's. Eventually, Spike is the victor, but just barely. When he drinks from the cup, he realizes that the liquid inside is Mountain Dew, and that they were scammed.

Back in Los Angeles, Angel confides to Gunn that Spike's victory, even though it was meaningless in that moment, has him worried that maybe Spike is the vampire in the prophecy after all. Meanwhile, Eve, the team's liaison to the Senior Partners, enters an apartment and tells her lover that their plan is going smoothly; Angel and Spike nearly killed each other, and the Senior Partners were as in the dark about the true nature of the chaos as Angel. She eventually gets in bed and the audience learns that the man pulling the strings is none other than Lindsey McDonald, Angel's old nemesis, who has been gone since Season 2.

Up next: Angel #7...

Angel # 9: Awakening

Season 4, Episode 10
First Aired January 29th, 2003

With one brief exception in Season 1, Season 4 of Angel was the only time Angelus appeared in the present day of the series (he was often featured in flashbacks, and he kind of resurfaced for a few hours in the Season 1 episode "Eternity" due to some drugs). The Angelus arc was probably my favorite part of Season 4; even though he couldn't do anything as horrific as the big things he did in Season 2 of Buffy (because he didn't love anyone as much as he loved Buffy, he couldn't torment the way he did to her, and even if he did love Cordelia, she wasn't exactly present), I think that I was more entertained by some of the little things he did this time around. I'll try and hit on those points in a later posting, because "Awakening" is the story of how Angelus returned.

So far, the Angel Investiagtions team has been having a bad year. In addition to all the personal tension, a huge rock demon, known only as the Beast, emerged from the ground, prevailed in numerous fights against the group (and I mean the group; it fought Angel, Gunn, Wes, and Lorne simultaneously), and succeeded in blocking out the sun in LA, making it a demon playground. Believing that only Angelus has the knowledge that can stop the Beast (normally, Angel and Angelus have the same memories, but all references to the Beast were elimiated in our dimension, including peoples' memories), Wes hired a powerful shaman to remove and store Angel's soul in order to question Angelus about the Beast.

Angel is very reluctant, but eventually decides to go ahead with the plan. The group builds a massive cage to hold Angelus in, and they strap Angel down while the shaman performs the spell. Halfway through the incantation, the shaman reveals that he is an agent of the Beast, and the group is forced to take him out. They discover that all over his body are tattoos telling the story of the Beast, and revealing how to defeat him. The tattoos state that a sword exists that is powerful enough to kill the Beast and restore the sun. On their quest to get the sword, Angel and Wes make amends (Wes even apologizes, which is something he had never done before), the rest of the group make up, Connor comes to see Angel as a good person, and after the Beast is destroyed, Angel and Cordelia celebrate by making love.

It is then that Angel loses his soul, and the whole adventure is revealed to be part of the spell, a way of making Angel think he is perfectly happy. Every problem in his life was conveniently solved, every broken relationship was fixed. The fantasy gives us a window into what Angel wants and reminds us that things are going to get much worse before they get better...

Up next: Angel #8...

Angel # 10: Waiting In The Wings

Season 3, Episode 13
First Aired February 4, 2002

Welcome to the Angel list. As with the Buffy list, there were a ton of episodes that I considered, but I had to pick 10. The same rules apply as before, so let's begin.

"Waiting In The Wings" was a pivotal episode for a lot of the relationships on the show. Angel realized that he was falling in love with Cordelia, Fred and Gunn began their relationship, and Wesley was forced to watch as the woman he had fallen in love with (Fred) chose another man. Also, the cast looked great in their tuxes and evening dresses.

Angel got tickets to a ballet from a very respected theater company; he related a story about how he saw the company's performance of Giselle (the same show they'd be going to that night) when he was still Angelus, and it was still able to move him to tears. When the rest of the group acknowledged that the show was indeed wonderful, Angel made a startling realization: it was the exact same show as the one he saw in the 1800s. The exact same actors made the exact same movements, the same mistakes. Angel, Cordelia, Wes, Gunn, and Fred investigated backstage to discover that the owner of the company had a powerful spell that kept the actors alive and performing the same show for eternity. While backstage, the group began feeling the effects, and Angel and Cordelia and Fred and Gunn began acting out scenes together.

The consequence of Angel and Cordelia's scene is that the two of them become even more uncomfortable about the growing mutual attraction (it doesn't help that the Groosalug shows up at the end and sweeps Cordy off her feet again), while Wes witnesses Gunn and Fred kissing, which broke his heart. However, Wes proved that he constantly puts everyone else above himself when he saved Gunn's life (he would prove this again later in the season, but with much different results).

There was definitely humor in the episode, but it was few and far between, and it became one of the saddest episodes of the series (until "A Hole In The World", that is).

Also, this episode introduced us to Summer Glau, who played the Prima Ballerina.

Up next: Angel #9...

Buffy the Vampire Slayer # 1: Becoming

Season 2, Episodes 21, 22
First Aired May 12th and 19th, 1998

So we've had a silent episode, a musical episode, and three season finales. What could possibly be my favorite episode(s) of Buffy? The Season 2 finale, "Becoming, Parts 1 and 2" may have the greatest fight sequence I've ever seen. After watching Buffy and Angel fall in love, only to be torn apart by the reawakening of Angelus, the only way this season could end was with a fight between Buffy and Angelus. But the buildup was just as intense.

Angelus, Spike, and Drusilla found the remains of an ancient demon that, if awakened, would be able to suck the world into a hell dimension. Desperate to stop Angelus from fulfilling his goal, Buffy walked into a trap, and Giles was captured by Drusilla, Kendra (a vampire slayer called when Buffy was momentarily dead in the Season 1 finale) was killed by Drusilla, and Willow was injured while trying to perform the spell to restore Angel's soul. These events finally made Buffy realize that Angel would not be coming back, and it gave her the resolve to finally take him on.

However, she couldn't take on Angelus, Spike, and Drusilla by herself... but Spike wouldn't be a problem. He didn't want to destroy the world, and he wanted Angelus out of the picture, so he offered Buffy a truce. The two foes worked together to try and prevent Angelus from awakening the demon, but they failed. Once Angelus performed the ritual, Buffy had to reverse the spell by offering Angelus as a sacrifice to it. As she was ready to perform the finishing blow, Willow was able to restore his soul. Buffy was instead forced to send the man she loved to hell, rather than an evil vampire. Sarah Michelle Gellar hit it out of the park, and she tearfully did what she had to in order to save the world. This sacrifice was slightly cheapened because Angel came back (The WB ordered the spin-off Angel, and if Angel didn't come back, the show wouldn't have a leading character), but the scene still tugs at my heartstrings every time I see it. This was truly the best episode of the series.

Up next: Angel #10...