ANGEL: "Through the Looking Glass" (Hines's spoiler review)
David Hines
the mirror and realize that what you
see is all that you will ever be.
Then you accept it; or you kill yourself.
Or you stop looking into mirrors."
-- Centauri Ambassador Londo Mollari,
in BABYLON 5: "Chrysalis"
(written by J. Michael Straczynski)
ANGEL
"Through the Looking Glass," by Tim Minear
review by David Hines
rating: ***1/2
Can I just say I love this show?
It's just so damn *fun,* that's all. The previous two episodes in the
"Host's home dimension" mini-storyline weren't great art, but they were
good goofy fun. And that's all good... but now the Mutant Enemies,
specifically Tim Minear, follow it with "Through The Looking Glass," which
remains deliriously silly -- and packs some good punches when you least
expect them. This works because the silliness in ANGEL, especially in
this episode, springs from the characters naturally rather than from
forced silliness on the part of the characters. These people don't make
us laugh because they're comic-relief morons; they make us laugh because
they are *them,* and if they make a lousy decision or two -- witness
Wesley's effort to talk his way out of a tight spot this week, only to
talk himself into an even tighter one -- it's not because they're not
trying.
I like that. ANGEL's characters can be vain, selfish, naive, or clumsy,
but they're not stupid. Minear is particularly adept at mining this for
laughs; he's done a fantastic job giving new depths to Cordelia and
Wesley, as well as the eponymous title character. But Minear also has a
diabolical fondness for the sucker punch, and for characters' choices and
foibles coming back to bite them. In this episode, he makes you laugh
with the set-up, then nails you with the pay-off. Angel discovering that
he reflects in the mirror, and becoming obsessed with that reflection, is
a good character-based funny (complete with the first Angel hair joke in a
while); when Angel later morphs into a hideous, uncontrollable version of
his demonic self, it's the sight of his reflection in a pool of water that
snaps him out of it -- and that leaves the handsome Angel we've all come
to know and (amazingly enough) like cowering, terrified, frozen in a fetal
position. In another episode, Angel commented that he tolerated mirrors
because he didn't have to look at himself in them. Here, he sees himself
-- and what is fun for the novelty factor quickly becomes a window into
Angel's character for himself and us.
The same thing happens to Cordelia, who finds herself a princess -- but
whose crusading nature leads her to attempt to rebel against the
puppetmasters who put her on the throne in the first place. It shows you
how far she's come since the bad old days; sure, she likes the comfort of
her throne (even if it could use some more pillows), but when she's given
a personal window into the problems of the world a really cute wanderer
named Groo, Cordy starts up a crusade from her position of power -- and
then gets a rude awakening that, deference shown her aside, she is nothing
but a figurehead. Someone with a low taste for puns might even call it a
heads-up. I enjoyed the hell out of Charisma Carpenter's revelling in the
power of her throne; I am very much looking forward to seeing her
performance of Cordelia's reaction to the Host's death. I think it may
send the character in a new and fascinating direction.
In addition to its effect on the stakes and on the characters (especially
the late Host), this episode is interesting, from the point of view of a
Usenet participant, not just because of a name shout-out to a fan, but
because it sees the realization of two usenet theories. Wesley's
*marvelous* competence in noting the Wolf, Ram, and Hart on the books of
prophecy in the priests' library is one (as soon as the Hart turned up, I
called it, because I'd really *dug* the theory that Wolfram & Hart had a
mystical connection involving said beasties back when it was suggested and
was hoping it would prove true some time -- but that's part of what makes
it good; no sooner did I call it then Wesley started shifting the books
around, and I cheered because I was rooting for him to get it). The
second prediction, puny in comparison, is my own, that the Mutant Enemies
were setting us up to like the Host so we'd be hurt when he died.
(Actually, I suspected that they'd torch the karaoke bar and crucify the
host. Now I'm wondering whether they'll keep Caritas, possibly as Angel's
new digs if Wolfram & Hart evict him from the Hyperion Hotel. I can hear
Gunn now: "Get off it, Angel -- do I *look* like Dooley Wilson to you?")
What happens now that these theories have been realized is another
interesting question -- I'm looking forward to next week's, and next
season's, answer.
I'm also looking forward to seeing more of Fred, the physics grad student
who spent an uncomfortable five years running and hiding in the wilds of
Pylea. I'm not sure why the character and actress made such an impression
on me. With regard to the character, I suspect that her keeping Angel
from seriously harming Wesley and Gunn by luring him off with blood has
something to do with it. As Lois McMaster Bujold's Miles Vorkosigan once
put it, "*Ooooh, I adore competent women.*" So Fred is quick to think.
But she is also funny, and warm -- vide that whole babble/clam-up
"handsome man" reaction to Angel, and her taking care of him after his bad
experience with his demon -- and she seems like a good person. But
there's no question that competence is a major part of her appeal. Angel
saved her from the cribbel and the palace guards, yeah, but she came right
back and saved Angel from *himself,* which is more impressive when you
think about it. I don't know if I'm getting a vibe of Fred as a potential
love interest or potential friend or what, but I like whatever vibe it is
I'm getting. (Which makes me lean toward "friend," personally.)
There has been some criticism of the Mutant Enemies' decision to abandon
the Wolfram & Hart/Darla & Dru angle in the last several episodes of the
season. Some have even gone so far as to call ANGEL's stint in Pylea a
pointless holodeck adventure. That's not a fair or valid criticism of
this plotline. What made the holodeck adventures of STAR TREK: THE NEXT
GENERATION and later incarnations so execrable wasn't the standalone
nature of the episodes, but their pointlessness. Holodeck stories were
little romps in a reset-button cartoon funhouse. Not only didn't the
characters have a meaningful investment in the story, they didn't learn
anything from it... not even, amazingly, that they might want to avoid the
bug-ridden and insanely dangerous holodeck. The problem with holodeck
stories was that they were games for no stakes. Take a look into the
host's glazed and lifeless eyes, or Cordelia's when she sees his head
cooling on a silver platter; or watch Angel shivering in abject terror
after coming face-to-face with the reflection he's convinced represents
his true self... and then tell me with a straight face there are no stakes
here.
Did I enjoy the Darla/Dru arc? You betcha. Have the writers stepped away
from that a bit for more standalone-ish episodes? Yeah. Is there
anything wrong with that? Nope. I enjoy story arcs as much as the next
guy. But there's something more important than story arcs -- and that's
*good stories.* I don't care what ANGEL tells stories about, as long as
the show tells good stories. If the writers felt inclined to make season
three an all-standalone year, that would be fine by me; many of ANGEL's
very best episodes (even this season) have been standalones, and I'll take
a story like "Untouched" over one like "Redefinition" any day of the week.
Other shows, including one from Mutant Enemy, have gone story-arc crazy
and suffered. Give me a good tale well-told any day.
I don't have anything more to say about "Through the Looking Glass."
It's good, solid fun with a strong anchor and some good gut-punches, and
Tim Minear -- my man! -- delivers with his now-familiar style as writer
and director. Cast is uniformly strong, though J. August Richards still
needs more material. There's eye-candy for males and females, good
action, horsies, Motown, excellent character comedy and strong character
drama. All this and the Dance of Joy. What more do you want?
--
David "Cordelia shower scene" Hines
Mrs. Poet
>
>Did I enjoy the Darla/Dru arc?
I didn't, particularly, but...
>You >betcha. Have the writers stepped away
>from that a bit for more standalone-ish >episodes? Yeah.
No. They abandoned it for the duration of the season, unless I am sorely
mistaken and these two come roaring back in the finale.
>Is there
>anything wrong with that? Nope.
Yes. It's called dropping the ball. It is poor story construction when it
happens on BtVS, and it happens there all the time... and it's *also* poor
story construction when it happens on Angel. I hold both shows to the same
standard.
You can at least make a case (imo not a strong one) that Darla's story arc
came to a suitable season end when Angel told her to get lost, but Drusilla's
story was just left hanging. Big, giant loose thread. A loose piece of rope,
actually.
>If the writers felt inclined to make season
>three an all-standalone year, that would >be fine by me;
Me too. But if they do an arc, I'm going to judge whether it's well done or
not. I didn't care for so much emphasis on Darla because I don't enjoy the
character. However, the story was well done until the (non) ending. I do like
Drusilla, and it's sad to see her just disappear with no explanation. People
who don't watch BtVS
wouldn't even have the luxury of fanwanking that Drusilla disappeared out of
despondency over her failure to get Spike back, or some such thing.
>What more do you want?
I want the vampire detective series back. ::shrug::
DR
Mike Zeares
>
> No. They abandoned it for the duration of the season, unless I am sorely
> mistaken and these two come roaring back in the finale.
Nothing was abandoned. They had served their purpose.
> Yes. It's called dropping the ball. It is poor story construction when it
> happens on BtVS, and it happens there all the time... and it's *also* poor
> story construction when it happens on Angel. I hold both shows to the same
> standard.
This assumes that the Dru/Darla arc was the main point of the season.
It wasn't. The point is Angel's personal journey. Darla and Dru were
just part of the road. Actually, there wasn't a Dru/Darla arc at all.
There's just an Angel arc, which lasts the entire season (if not the
entire series). There are no dropped balls here.
Of course, if the only character you care about on the show is Drusilla,
YMMV. But that's not the writers' problem.
> You can at least make a case (imo not a strong one) that Darla's story arc
> came to a suitable season end when Angel told her to get lost, but Drusilla's
> story was just left hanging. Big, giant loose thread. A loose piece of rope,
> actually.
Dru's story isn't important. Darla's was more important, so it did get
an actual end. As did Lindsey's. But neither of them was what this
season has been about. As for Dru, she was just a tool. Her main
function on the show was to turn Darla. Nothing more. You say her
story was left hanging, but she didn't *have* a story. She's never
really had a story. She was a catalyst, there to drive the plot along.
Heck, she's practically a McGuffin. The fact that you like her a lot is
irrelevant. Just like the fact that I like Darla a lot is irrelevant.
> >If the writers felt inclined to make season
> >three an all-standalone year, that would >be fine by me;
>
> Me too. But if they do an arc, I'm going to judge whether it's well done or
> not. I didn't care for so much emphasis on Darla because I don't enjoy the
> character. However, the story was well done until the (non) ending. I do like
> Drusilla, and it's sad to see her just disappear with no explanation. People
> who don't watch BtVS
> wouldn't even have the luxury of fanwanking that Drusilla disappeared out of
> despondency over her failure to get Spike back, or some such thing.
Again, you seem to be saying that the arc was about Dru. It wasn't.
Not even a little. It was all about Angel.
If you don't care about Angel at all, you have to accept the fact that
the elements you do care about may disappear at any time. Because the
show isn't about them. This is not the fault of the writers. There is
no fault.
-- Mike Zeares
Mrs. Poet
>From: Mike Zeares zea...@swbell.net
>Date: 5/21/2001 10:02 AM Pacific Daylight Time
>Message-id: <3B094A17...@swbell.net>
>
>"Mrs. Poet" wrote:
>
>>
>> No. They abandoned it for the duration of the season, unless I am sorely
>> mistaken and these two come roaring back in the finale.
>
>Nothing was abandoned. They had served their purpose.
>
I like to see resolution between characters, not just characters "serving their
purpose." Maybe that's just me.
>
>> Yes. It's called dropping the ball. It is poor story construction when it
>> happens on BtVS, and it happens there all the time... and it's *also* poor
>> story construction when it happens on Angel. I hold both shows to the same
>> standard.
>
>This assumes that the Dru/Darla arc was >the main point of the season.
No, actually. It doesn't. [Although at times it sure felt like the season was
all about Darla.]
>It wasn't. The point is Angel's personal journey. Darla and Dru were
>just part of the road. Actually, there wasn't a Dru/Darla arc at all.
>There's just an Angel arc, which lasts the entire season (if not the
>entire series). There are no dropped balls here.
>
Ah well. We disagree.
>Of course, if the only character you care about on the show is Drusilla,
>YMMV.
No. The character I care most about is Kate. The show isn't about her, either
yet they did resolve her story very effectively.
>> You can at least make a case (imo not a strong one) that Darla's story arc
>> came to a suitable season end when Angel told her to get lost, but
>Drusilla's
>> story was just left hanging. Big, giant loose thread. A loose piece of
>rope,
>> actually.
>
>Dru's story isn't important.
Dru's relationship with Angel sure as heck is important, unless the fact that
he tortured a girl until he lost her mind then turned her into his nattering
sex slave tells us nothing about him or what he is now. That's what never
reached a conclusion... Dru's relationship with Angel. Or with Darla for that
matter.
Dru made only one present-day appearance on BTVS and yet they resolved her
relationship to Buffy and Spike. How important is she to the Buffy storyline?
Not very.
>Darla's was more important, so it did get
>an actual end.
Kind of.
>As did Lindsey's.
Yes, Lindsey's story was resolved.
>But neither of them was what this
>season has been about. As for Dru, she was just a tool. Her main
>function on the show was to turn Darla. Nothing more. You say her
>story was left hanging, but she didn't *have* a story. She's never
>really had a story. She was a catalyst, there to drive the plot along.
>Heck, she's practically a McGuffin.
That's not speaking very highly of the use of the character.
>The fact that you like her a lot is
>irrelevant.
Yes, that is true. However, I mentioned it anyway.
<snip>
>
>Again, you seem to be saying that the arc >was about Dru.
I don't think I seem to be saying that at all.
What I am saying is that they introduced Dru as an important character. Then
she went bye bye with no explanation. We disagree, I suppose, as to whether
that's a bad thing.
DR
Mike Zeares
says...
>What I am saying is that they introduced Dru as an important character. Then
>she went bye bye with no explanation. We disagree, I suppose, as to whether
>that's a bad thing.
Actually, we disagree about whether she was an important character on ANGEL.
Dru was an important character on BUFFY, which is why it was fitting that her
last scene was on that show. Well, that's how I see it, anyway.
-- Mike Zeares
Mrs. Poet
>Date: 5/21/2001 6:50 PM Pacific Daylight Time
>Message-id: <9ecgl...@drn.newsguy.com>
>
>In article <20010521143004...@ng-cg1.aol.com>,
>fyl...@aol.comspam
>says...
>
>>What I am saying is that they introduced Dru as an important character.
>Then
>>she went bye bye with no explanation. We disagree, I suppose, as to
>whether
>>that's a bad thing.
>
>Actually, we disagree about whether she >was an important character on ANGEL.
The theme of the season is Family (for both Angel and BtVS). She's his
"daughter"; she's a symbol of his guilt because he ruined a nice young woman's
body and mind and turned her into a psycho demon; she helped drive Angel over
the edge by turning Darla. Not an important character? Not an important
enough relationship to resolve? We're not talking a couple of cameos or
walk-ons here.
>Dru was an important character on BUFFY, which is why it was fitting that her
>last scene was on that show. Well, that's how I see it, anyway.
>
My first point in response is, Drusilla was pretty much irrelevant in S5 until
she showed up again in Crush.
My second point in response is what about people who only watch Angel, which is
supposed to be a show which stands on its own? Where is the conclusion for
them?
DR
Benjamin F. Elliott
addressed then. A thread that's held over from one season to the next.
Provided the actress who played Drusilla is available.
Actually, I wonder if the actress who played Drusilla was only available for
a certain period of time, and could not show up for work after a certain
point. If so, then her disappearance makes sense. They'd have taken the
story as far as they could in the time they had.
Benjamin F. Elliott
Mike Zeares
says...
>
>>Subject: Re: ANGEL: "Through the Looking Glass" (Hines's spoiler review)
>>From: Mike Zeares mze...@yahoo.com
>>
>
>The theme of the season is Family (for both Angel and BtVS). She's his
>"daughter"; she's a symbol of his guilt because he ruined a nice young woman's
>body and mind and turned her into a psycho demon; she helped drive Angel over
>the edge by turning Darla. Not an important character? Not an important
>enough relationship to resolve? We're not talking a couple of cameos or
>walk-ons here.
I meant in the context of this season. Didn't make that clear. Anyway, Angel
wasn't obsessing about Dru. Neither was Lindsey. The main plot of the season
was the Angel/Darla/Lindsey triangle. Dru was, as I said, the catalyst. Or,
from W&H's p.o.v, Plan B.
>>Dru was an important character on BUFFY, which is why it was fitting that her
>>last scene was on that show. Well, that's how I see it, anyway.
>>
>
>My first point in response is, Drusilla was pretty much irrelevant in S5 until
>she showed up again in Crush.
There I was talking about the context of the entire series. You know, there's a
reason I try not to get into debates very often. I usually just dig myself a
deeper hole.
>My second point in response is what about people who only watch Angel, which is
>supposed to be a show which stands on its own? Where is the conclusion for
>them?
And we're back to me thinking that her story, such as it was in S2 of ANGEL,
wasn't that important. However, I do see what you're saying. It's not as if I
think you're coming from an alternate dimension.
Well, that was mostly futile. I'm not sure I actually made a coherent point. I
think I'll stick to random lists of impressions.
-- Mike Zeares
Mrs. Poet
>
>Well, that was mostly futile. I'm not sure I actually made a coherent point.
>I
>think I'll stick to random lists of >impressions.
Does that mean I win? ;)
When I fail to make a coherent point [not that you did...your point is that Dru
wasn't important enough to tie up her story] I just use big words and sound
pretentious. It fools a few people and amuses everyone else. So it all works
out.
DR
Sarah Trombley
But it leaves _me_ feeling all hollow inside...
--Sarah T.
Mrs. Poet
>Date: 5/22/2001 10:21 AM Pacific Daylight Time
>Message-id: <9ee76l$ovm$1...@news.fas.harvard.edu>
Do a Superior Dance and you'll fill that space right up.
>
>
>
>
>
>
DR
Mrs. Poet
Usually tons of people reply. :o
Mark Nobles
> How come the only people to comment on Hines' review are Mike Zeares and me?
> Usually tons of people reply. :o
I guess the two of you covered it.
--
And try not to bleed on my couch, I've just had it steam-cleaned.
Daniel C. Jensen
> Mrs. Poet <fyl...@aol.comspam> wrote:
>
> > How come the only people to comment on Hines' review are Mike Zeares and me?
> > Usually tons of people reply. :o
>
> I guess the two of you covered it.
Because my ancestors toiled and I must sleep.
Dan
Gone quiet but not dead yet
--
"I go on-line sometimes, but everyone has really
bad spelling. It's depressing." Tara, BVS.
Shawn Hill
: Can I just say I love this show?
Sure. Glad to hear it. I like the rare positive spins we get in these forums.
: In addition to its effect on the stakes and on the characters (especially
: the late Host), this episode is interesting, from the point of view of a
Oops, not the most accurate prediction though.
: around, and I cheered because I was rooting for him to get it). The
: second prediction, puny in comparison, is my own, that the Mutant Enemies
: were setting us up to like the Host so we'd be hurt when he died.
: (Actually, I suspected that they'd torch the karaoke bar and crucify the
: host. Now I'm wondering whether they'll keep Caritas, possibly as Angel's
: What happens now that these theories have been realized is another
: interesting question -- I'm looking forward to next week's, and next
: season's, answer.
I'm guessing ... more karaoke.
: I'm also looking forward to seeing more of Fred, the physics grad student
: who spent an uncomfortable five years running and hiding in the wilds of
: Pylea. I'm not sure why the character and actress made such an impression
: on me. With regard to the character, I suspect that her keeping Angel
: from seriously harming Wesley and Gunn by luring him off with blood has
: something to do with it. As Lois McMaster Bujold's Miles Vorkosigan once
: put it, "*Ooooh, I adore competent women.*" So Fred is quick to think.
proof positive that even disparate spirits like me and Hines can be in
complete, congruent agreement at times. Fred is the most interesting addition
to the cast in ages. And I liked Virginia and Anne and Harmony, but Fred's mix
of real knowledge and real emotional needs and expressions is potentially
enthralling.
: There has been some criticism of the Mutant Enemies' decision to abandon
: the Wolfram & Hart/Darla & Dru angle in the last several episodes of the
: season. Some have even gone so far as to call ANGEL's stint in Pylea a
: pointless holodeck adventure. That's not a fair or valid criticism of
: this plotline. What made the holodeck adventures of STAR TREK: THE NEXT
: GENERATION and later incarnations so execrable wasn't the standalone
: nature of the episodes, but their pointlessness. Holodeck stories were
: little romps in a reset-button cartoon funhouse. Not only didn't the
See below.
: characters have a meaningful investment in the story, they didn't learn
: anything from it... not even, amazingly, that they might want to avoid the
: bug-ridden and insanely dangerous holodeck. The problem with holodeck
: stories was that they were games for no stakes. Take a look into the
Further down.
: host's glazed and lifeless eyes, or Cordelia's when she sees his head
: cooling on a silver platter; or watch Angel shivering in abject terror
: after coming face-to-face with the reflection he's convinced represents
: his true self... and then tell me with a straight face there are no stakes
: here.
How lively those eyes looked this week, though, hmmm? And how nice that the mom
who spurned and repudiated him preserved his body so well, too? Plus, Angel
can will the change if he only believes, just like Oz. "We're not doing
this anymore." What were those stakes again?
: Did I enjoy the Darla/Dru arc? You betcha. Have the writers stepped away
: from that a bit for more standalone-ish episodes? Yeah. Is there
: anything wrong with that? Nope. I enjoy story arcs as much as the next
: guy. But there's something more important than story arcs -- and that's
: *good stories.* I don't care what ANGEL tells stories about, as long as
: the show tells good stories. If the writers felt inclined to make season
I would agree here, except I like arc stories more than stand-alones for the
same reason I prefer novels to short stories. More to get attached to, more to
be enveloped by, more room and time to develop and explore consistent themes in
depth. Resonance and the build up of various threads that inter-relate rather
than short, succinct, not always interesting statements.
: three an all-standalone year, that would be fine by me; many of ANGEL's
: very best episodes (even this season) have been standalones, and I'll take
: a story like "Untouched" over one like "Redefinition" any day of the week.
: Other shows, including one from Mutant Enemy, have gone story-arc crazy
: and suffered. Give me a good tale well-told any day.
Pretty restrained way of slamming Buffy for a change, which I appreciate. I
like hearing about what you like more than about what you don't.
: I don't have anything more to say about "Through the Looking Glass."
: It's good, solid fun with a strong anchor and some good gut-punches, and
: Tim Minear -- my man! -- delivers with his now-familiar style as writer
: and director. Cast is uniformly strong, though J. August Richards still
: needs more material. There's eye-candy for males and females, good
: action, horsies, Motown, excellent character comedy and strong character
: drama. All this and the Dance of Joy. What more do you want?
How about some real drama and a sense of serious themes being explored? I
enjoyed the hijinks as much as you, not to mention all the macho derring do and
skimpy John Carter of Mars attire, but that sense of the characters having
real-world failings that you allude to fell mostly on Angel's always guilty
shoulders this week. And he's not the star of the show anymore, usually.
Interesting that the best-written episode in the Pylea mini-arc totally forgot
the themes that instigated the arc in the first place: are we what we do, and
do we do it well (corallary: is it worth doing?). Gunn's divided loyalties,
Cordy's potential for exploitation and powerlessness, Wesley's crippling
self-doubt that undermines his potential authority, Angel's post-Darla
humility....what about these important issues? In a show where we know people
can really suffer, where we've seen Cordy live in a dump and be hungry, where
Gunn's people die if he's not there to lead, where the homeless and the
addicted are at constant risk, and entire families have had to flee town during
pogroms ... the theme of how we make our livings (and what we make of our
lives) is significant.
In that context, of Earth being the human hell we're all doomed too, and all of
us constantly trying to improve our lot and rise above on our own merits,
Greenwalt's story this week went much further in bringing the characters to
real turning points, such as Cordy forgoing pleasure (and maybe health) for
duty, Gunn finding some sort of balance between his various struggles he can
live with, and Wesley believing in his own voice.
Without perhaps the style and panache of TTLG, but in terms of story that stays
true to the characters involved, more convincing than lots of monks blathering
on and Angel being stupified by his potential for being both loved and feared.
Shawn
xfxfxfxfxfxfxfxfxfxfxfxfxfxfxfxfxfxfxfxfxfxfxfxfxf
"I'm fine, Mulder."
-- dana
xfxfxfxfxfxfxfxfxfxfxfxfxfxfxfxfxfxfxfxfxfxfxffxfx
sh...@husc.harvard.edu Shawn Hill
Shawn Hill
: Mike Z. wrote:
: When I fail to make a coherent point [not that you did...your point is that Dru
: wasn't important enough to tie up her story] I just use big words and sound
: pretentious. It fools a few people and amuses everyone else. So it all works
: out.
Big words always help!!!
Shawn, can't think of any right now, though
Shawn Hill
: Actually, I wonder if the actress who played Drusilla was only available for
: a certain period of time, and could not show up for work after a certain
: point. If so, then her disappearance makes sense. They'd have taken the
: story as far as they could in the time they had.
I'm certain this is part of it, and its also why I think Dru's never played a
major season long role on either show since Buffy S2. Juliet has never made
herself available for that long.
Shawn
Shawn Hill
: "Mrs. Poet" wrote:
: Dru's story isn't important. Darla's was more important, so it did get
: an actual end. As did Lindsey's. But neither of them was what this
Why, though? Is Dru no more than scary window-dressing, a source of upsetting
non sequitors? She raised Darla, and was far more interesting than any other
vampire threat of the season. At the very least, there's a lot of wasted
potential there that might go somewhere else than Angel or Lindsey's bedroom.
: season has been about. As for Dru, she was just a tool. Her main
: function on the show was to turn Darla. Nothing more. You say her
: story was left hanging, but she didn't *have* a story. She's never
: really had a story. She was a catalyst, there to drive the plot along.
: Heck, she's practically a McGuffin. The fact that you like her a lot is
: irrelevant. Just like the fact that I like Darla a lot is irrelevant.
And that's not the writers' fault?
: If you don't care about Angel at all, you have to accept the fact that
: the elements you do care about may disappear at any time. Because the
: show isn't about them. This is not the fault of the writers. There is
: no fault.
Lack of entertaining and involving exploration of the themes they bring up is a
fault.
Shawn
Shawn Hill
: Mrs. Poet <fyl...@aol.comspam> wrote:
:> How come the only people to comment on Hines' review are Mike Zeares and me?
:> Usually tons of people reply. :o
: I guess the two of you covered it.
Promised myself I wouldn't read any of them until after the finales. :)
Shawn
Shawn Hill
: In article <20010521143004...@ng-cg1.aol.com>, fyl...@aol.comspam
: says...
As Angelus' greatest accomplishment, she has a relation to Angel, too.
Shawn
James Craine
Mike Zeros wrote:
> Dru's story isn't important. Darla's was more important, so it did get
> an actual end. As did Lindsey's. But neither of them was what this
> season has been about. As for Dru, she was just a tool. Her main
> function on the show was to turn Darla. Nothing more. You say her
> story was left hanging, but she didn't *have* a story. She's never
> really had a story. She was a catalyst, there to drive the plot along.
> Heck, she's practically a McGuffin. The fact that you like her a lot is
> irrelevant.
I believe this to be an incorrect use of the term McGuffin. As I
understand it Alfred Hitchcock used the term first to define the thing
that motivated the plot. The quintessential McGuffin of all time being
the 'Maltese Falcon'. Other popular McGs are: the hidden tapes of the
Mafia Don ordering a murder, missile guidance system stolen by a spy who
must be stopped before he get back to KGB/ Smersh/ Chaos/ Big O/
Spectre/ Black Dragon headquarters, the key to time, or even a key to
open the dimensions between universes.
The McG is essential, not something that that shows up, starts
something, then is abandoned.
On a recent 'Nero Wolf' (detective fiction A&E) a woman showed up, got
our heroes involved in her story, then got murdered. The heroes stayed
involved in the story. She was not a McG, the McG was a contract she
had signed.