AOQ Angel Review 1-4: "I Fall To Pieces"
Arbitrar Of Quality
episodes in these review threads
ANGEL
Season One, Episode 4: "I Fall To Pieces"
(or "Taking a hands-off approach")
Writer: David Greenwalt; story by Greenwalt and Joss Whedon
Director: Vern Gillum
Another day, another damsel to be saved from a stalker. Actually, if I
can start things off with a big sweeping generalization and fill you in
on our personal viewing habits... Mrs. Quality has said that she's
not as engaged by _Angel_ as by BTVS so far (she'll give it a fair
shake). And a part of it is that it's simply less likely to appeal
to her; she digs the female-superhero vibe, so to her ATS is in some
sense just another show about how women need to be rescued by a man. I
don't really think on those levels myself, but I have found it
noticeable that this show (so far) really seems to have a thing with
stalker-monsters. Add the fact that Angel's clients have been
disproportionately (entirely?) young women, and, well...
One comment that she was quick to make is that Angel's a funny guy
with what's becoming quite a funny show. And there's a lot of
humor in this episode, including some that's even intentional. I
think the series is hitting its stride there, particularly in figuring
out the Cordelia/Doyle dynamic. The teaser, besides the fact that it
makes sense that this whole money issue should come up, is a strong
piece of comedic writing almost on par with Spike's one-man act from
the last episode. From Doyle's "attraction" to our hero, to the
old coffee (a running joke that *works*), to "I think my esophagus is
melting," to "then get over it! I mean that in a sensitive way,"
to Angel striding away in slow motion (complete with long coat flowing
behind him in a mysterious and attractive way), it's all good stuff.
Angel's usual approach of confronting frightened people in parking
lots would indeed seem to leave something to be desired in terms of
building trust, as he learns when first approaching Melissa. She comes
around, of course. Both the characters and the audience are on the
same page in the early going: there's little doubt that Ronald is
following her and generally giving my intended profession a bad name;
any mystery surrounds how exactly he's accomplishing it.
The show makes a wise move in reintroducing Kate, thus helping to
prevent "Lonely Hearts" from being totally worthless. I like the
idea of Angel having an ally in the LAPD who's amenable to some
mutual back-scratching. Here she also makes an argument that
explicitly brings up a theme that's been poked at a few times.
Kate's perspective is basically that whatever the legal or illegal
authorities do, Melissa isn't going to be able to move on while
she's scared rather than angry. Of course, dealing with fear is
easier said than done. Even more so than the talk about hope, I think
the issue of independence is the real dichotomy between what Angel
provides and what people really need. That might be interesting to
explore more, as this episode does by bringing up some of the benefits
of being more business-arrangement and less mysterious-savior. Which
is why I found myself agreeing with Doyle's assesment of why they
should charge for their services (without being averse to ever doing
gratis work, though).
Although they don't play into the story much here, the reference to
the lawyers is noted and appreciated.
You've gotta love the psychic guy, especially his vocal inflections,
and the fact that he quit teaching because he came across something
that *wasn't* quackery.
There's some actual good thinking being done here beyond "let's
talk to this guy, he might know something." In particular, look at
the character Angel plays when arranging a meeting with the good
doctor. As awkward as he gets with genuine emotion, he has no problem
manufacturing it and getting a sense of exactly how to talk to someone.
Such a thorough understanding of how people work combined with a lack
of interpersonal skills is a weird combination that might make sense
for, say, a centuries-old demon who'd only recently started trying to
live among us.
I slowly learned to appreciate Boreanaz's gorwing skill at playing
this character over three years of BTVS, but he still can't do
physical distress very well. His melodramatic gasping (and of course,
panting) after Angel gets poisoned isn't cutting it.
The first appearance of the floating eyeball caused a lot of laughter
in the Quality household. And of course, the hand puns flowed pretty
freely. I wonder how much of the humor there was intentional, but a
lot of it is quite funny. And let's not even mention the teeth
attack. Fortunately, IFTP isn't too weighed down its ludicrous
premise. Ronald is still a creepy whackjob, regardless of his methods.
The scene in which the apartment is haunted by body parts trying to
get in still manages some tension, even though they're, well, trying
to duct-tape things to keep out detached body parts.
Sadly, the climax, while not being bad or anything, doesn't reach the
level of the rest of the episode. It provides exactly what the viewer
expects of it and no more. Monster breaks in, Melissa (sort of) stands
up for herself as the plot demands, Angel recovers and arrives in the
(ta-da!) knick of time, fight scene (albeit a cool one). And that's
all. We close with a solid wrap-up bit that brings us back to the
issues that started the show: Angel's almost-terror at the idea of
asking for money is pretty funny. And "I hope I never see you
again" is of course the right note to end this story on.
This Is Really Stupid But I Laughed Anyway moment(s):
- "I've got to change my shirt!"
- "You're not human!" "You should talk."
And I don't know if it qualifies as "really stupid," but also a
mention for "If I hit you on the head, will you have a vision?"
Cordelia is much less annoying than in the SHS days. As hard as this
is to type, I'm actually kinda getting to like her here.
You know a show was made in the late '90s when: There's more than
one joke about the O.J. Simpson trial in the same one-hour episode.
You'd think it wouldn't still be such a pop-culture staple by
'99, though.
So...
One-sentence summary: Pedestrian at times, but one of the best of the
year overall.
AOQ rating: Good
[Season One so far:
1) "City Of" - Good
2) "Lonely Hearts" - Weak
3) "Into The Dark" - Good
4) "I Fall To Pieces" - Good]
KenM47
>A reminder: Please avoid spoilers for later _Buffy_ and _Angel_
>episodes in these review threads
>
>
>ANGEL
>Season One, Episode 4: "I Fall To Pieces"
>(or "Taking a hands-off approach")
>Writer: David Greenwalt; story by Greenwalt and Joss Whedon
>Director: Vern Gillum
>
<SNIP>
>
>
>So...
>
>One-sentence summary: Pedestrian at times, but one of the best of the
>year overall.
>
>AOQ rating: Good
>
>[Season One so far:
>1) "City Of" - Good
>2) "Lonely Hearts" - Weak
>3) "Into The Dark" - Good
>4) "I Fall To Pieces" - Good]
Agreed on "Good."
Interesting that Cordy is starting to wear on you.
A thought that occurred to me for the first time on rewatching this
one: how come the eyeball could "fly" but the hands had to crawl?
Ken (Brooklyn)
One Bit Shy
news:1145211155.2...@e56g2000cwe.googlegroups.com...
> So...
>
> One-sentence summary: Pedestrian at times, but one of the best of the
> year overall.
>
> AOQ rating: Good
This'll be brief for me. I didn't much like it. I'd give it a Weak rating.
Some moments worked ok.
Cordy: You are a lot smarter than you look. Of course you look like a
retard. (Both for the joke and the setup - one of Doyle's better moments
when he justifies charging so that the clients can achieve closure.)
The hands in the bed is a creepy moment.
Doyle: Well, exactly like yours? Not quite so many. But protecting young
women such as yourself? Yeah, there've been -ah- 4. And 3 of them are
very much alive.
And I'm already stretching. Didn't like the evil guy. Didn't like the
victim. Didn't like the body parts. Didn't find it very funny.
What can I say? Not much.
OBS
KenM47
It's another one that I think works better in the rewatching of
everything. I vaguely recall not being mightily impressed on first
airing, and liking it more now.
Ken (Brooklyn)
One Bit Shy
news:2t954252kt6ptacfo...@4ax.com...
I'm patient. It's just the 4th episode of a series still finding itself and
it gave me a MOTW that didn't thrill me. No big deal. The 4th episode of
BtVS was Teacher's Pet.
OBS
vague disclaimer
"Arbitrar Of Quality" <tsm...@wildmail.com> wrote:
> A reminder: Please avoid spoilers for later _Buffy_ and _Angel_
> episodes in these review threads
>
>
> ANGEL
> Season One, Episode 4: "I Fall To Pieces"
> (or "Taking a hands-off approach")
> Writer: David Greenwalt; story by Greenwalt and Joss Whedon
> Director: Vern Gillum
Random trivia: Andy Umberger, aka the Doc, also aka D'Hoffryn (Anya's
ex-boss) aka the captain of the Dortmunder in Serenity (the tv episode).
--
A vague disclaimer is nobody's friend
Michael Ikeda
news:1145211155.2...@e56g2000cwe.googlegroups.com:
> A reminder: Please avoid spoilers for later _Buffy_ and _Angel_
> episodes in these review threads
>
>
> ANGEL
> Season One, Episode 4: "I Fall To Pieces"
> (or "Taking a hands-off approach")
> Writer: David Greenwalt; story by Greenwalt and Joss Whedon
> Director: Vern Gillum
>
>
> I slowly learned to appreciate Boreanaz's gorwing skill at
> playing this character over three years of BTVS, but he still
> can't do physical distress very well. His melodramatic gasping
> (and of course, panting) after Angel gets poisoned isn't cutting
> it.
>
My thought is that it may look a bit melodramatic because Angel is
PRETENDING to be in physical distress.
--
Michael Ikeda mmi...@erols.com
"Telling a statistician not to use sampling is like telling an
astronomer they can't say there is a moon and stars"
Lynne Billard, past president American Statistical Association
Mike Zeares
Arbitrar Of Quality wrote:
>
> One-sentence summary: Pedestrian at times, but one of the best of the
> year overall.
Meh. I like "Lonely Hearts" a lot more than this one. The
interaction between the cast members was starting to click really well,
but the show was starting to fall into an "Angel saves the damsel" rut.
Or perhaps it started out in that rut. I guess you have to establish
the formula before you can break it. Anyway, I don't think much of the
villain, the damsel, or the plot overall.
I did like seeing Kate again. The P.D. contact is a staple of the
detective show. AtS isn't quite in that genre, really, but it's using
some of the conventions of it. Plus I thought Kate was cute. A little
cross-eyed, but cute. And she think's Angel is cute. You can totally
tell.
Note Cordy's specific mention of AtS's "TV Guide" blurb of Angel saving
people from their personal demons. Kind of, "Hi, new viewers! Here's
what our show's about."
-- Mike Zeares
Apteryx
I know I upgraded my rating for it when I last watched it, but that may be
because I was taking a break from rewatching the mid season AtS S4, and that
can make anything look good :)
Regardless, I only upgraded it from a weak Decent to a decent Decent.
There's not much there to analyse. It is what it is, and what it is sort of
OK, I suppose. There's some good lines which AoQ and others have mentioned.
Overall, its my 76th favourite AtS episode, 15th best in Season 1
--
Apteryx
Kevin
Mike Zeares wrote:
> I did like seeing Kate again. The P.D. contact is a staple of the
> detective show. AtS isn't quite in that genre, really, but it's using
> some of the conventions of it. Plus I thought Kate was cute.
Cute indeed, and I also think she (Elisabeth Rohm) seemed a finer actor
on Angel than in her later role as the Assistant DA on Law & Order. I
never watched Angel until last year, on DVD, but had seen Rohm on many
L&O episodes before I stopped watching the show; I was expecting a very
wooden Kate, but was mostly pleasantly surprised with her.
(Rohm's L&O predecessor was Angie Harmon, and before Harmon was Carey
Lowell; all three were often assumed to have been cast for their looks.
Harmon, particularly, was widely viewed as little more than eye candy;
then Rohm arrived, and many [myself included] thought that her
performance made Harmon look like Meryl Streep.)
--Kevin
George W Harris
:
It's the Chicken Salad Rule: very few actors can
give a riveting performance from a pedestrian script. I
daresay Angel had generally better written characters
than L&O.
:
:--Kevin
--
"It is always a simple matter to drag people along whether it is a
democracy, or a fascist dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist
dictatorship. Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the
bidding of the leaders. This is easy. All you have to do is tell them
they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of
patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same in every
country."
-Hermann Goering
George W. Harris For actual email address, replace each 'u' with an 'i'.
Daniel Damouth
news:124598e...@news.supernews.com:
> Subject: Re: AOQ Angel Review 1-4: "I Fall To Pieces"
> From: "One Bit Shy" <O...@nomail.sorry>
> Newsgroups: alt.tv.angel,alt.tv.buffy-v-slayer
> Date: Sun, 16 Apr 2006 16:11:54 -0400
>
> "Arbitrar Of Quality" <tsm...@wildmail.com> wrote in message
> news:1145211155.2...@e56g2000cwe.googlegroups.com...
>
>> So...
>>
>> One-sentence summary: Pedestrian at times, but one of the best
>> of the year overall.
>>
>> AOQ rating: Good
>
> This'll be brief for me. I didn't much like it. I'd give it a
> Weak rating.
This was one of the worst episodes of the entire show for me. A
terribly uninteresting villain. A few good lines. AOQ's ratings
continue to be negatively correlated with mine.
-Dan Damouth
Vanya6724
episode ever!". I've rewatched it and while it may not be quite that
bad, it's certainly pretty weak. I've always suspected this was a
rejected X-Files script that Greenwalt pulled out of his files and
hastily rewrote.
kenm47
Sbe cer-Clyrn? V jbhyq tb jvgu Gur Evat nf jbefg bs gur ohapu.
Ken (Brooklyn)
Opus the Penguin
Gur jubyr frpbaq unys bs Frnfba 1 vf irel jrnx. Vg znqr zr srne gung
xvyyvat Qblyr jnf n purnc fghag gung onpxsverq. V jbaqre vs NBD jvyy
jrngure vg. Rira gur zrff bs Frnfba 4 jnf zber vagrerfgvat (ohg nyfb
zber veevgngvat).
Gung fnvq, Gur Evat jnfa'g greevoyr. Vg jnf whfg sbezhynvp naq n
yvggyr fvyyl. V jbhyq unir gb fnl gung Rkcrpgvat naq Fur jrer gur
gjb jbefg rcvfbqrf bs Natry rire. Univat gurz onpx gb onpx nyzbfg
znqr zr tvir hc ba gur fubj.
V jbaqre vs gurl ernyvmrq ubj onq guvatf jrer naq dhvpxyl znqr cynaf
gb oevat Ryvmn Qhfuxh va nf fbba nf cbffvoyr.
--
Opus the Penguin
The best darn penguin in all of Usenet
eli...@gmail.com
(Ohg gur ortvaavat vf snohybhf! Funzr gur rcvfbqr qvqa'g raq nsgre
Pbeqryvn'f cnegl.)
George W Harris
wrote:
:>> AOQ rating: Good
:>
:> This'll be brief for me. I didn't much like it. I'd give it a
:> Weak rating.
:
:This was one of the worst episodes of the entire show for me. A
:terribly uninteresting villain. A few good lines. AOQ's ratings
:continue to be negatively correlated with mine.
And they didn't even use the song!
:
:-Dan Damouth
--
"The truths of mathematics describe a bright and clear universe,
exquisite and beautiful in its structure, in comparison with
which the physical world is turbid and confused."
-Eulogy for G.H.Hardy
kenm47
You may have something there OPUS.
Ohg VJEL, RQ naq fbzr bgure rcf naq zbzragf VZB znxrf hc n ybg bs
tebhaq. Naq, bs pbhefr, gur zrzbel bs gur Q&Q tveyf va Frnfba 2 renfrf
n ybg bs bgure fghss.
Ken (Brooklyn)
jil...@hotmail.com
gevrq gb trg uvz gb xvyy ure, engure guna Frnfba 4?
Slayah
> A reminder: Please avoid spoilers for later _Buffy_ and _Angel_
> episodes in these review threads
I'm in the camp of "worst episode ever!" but your review does remind me
that there are at still a few moments of humor. Otherwise, I hate this
one, the doctor, the damsel in distress (at least she wasn't blond), the
stupidity of the floating body parts, yuck, all of it!
After Cordie says "If I hit you on the head, will you have a vision?"
Doyle responds. Can anyone make out what he says or is it too faded out
by then?
Apteryx
news:Xns97A86CFA8FC32op...@127.0.0.1...
Crefbanyyl, gur obggbz gra (va snpg, ynfg ryrira) ba zl engvatf bs NgF
rcvfbqrf ner nyy sebz frnfbaf guerr naq sbhe (zbfgyl sbhe). Naq vgf uneq sbe
zr gb tb cnfg Njnxravat sbe jbefg rcvfbqr rire. Ohg sbe jbefg rcvfbqrf
bhgfvqr gubfr gjb frnfba, zl pubvprf jbhyq or nybat gur yvarf crbcyr unir
zragvbarq (Fur, Rkcrpgvat, Gur Evat) rkprcg gung ab bar unf lrg zragvbarq zl
"gbc" pubvpr sbe jbefg aba-guerr-aba-sbhe rcvfbqr, Jne Mbar.
--
Apteryx
One Bit Shy
news:kSV0g.21954$nA3....@news-wrt-01.rdc-nyc.rr.com...
"Get away from me. You're insane."
Opus the Penguin
> Ab, gurl qvqa'g. Be qb lbh zrna jura Snvgu qebccrq va ba Natry naq
> gevrq gb trg uvz gb xvyy ure, engure guna Frnfba 4?
Lrf. V jnf ersreevat gb gur nccrnenapr bs Snvgu va Frnfba 1.
Espen Schjønberg
> I think this is regarded by the majority of Angel fans as "worst
> episode ever!".
V nz nsenvq v unir irel znal pnaqvqngrf, ohg guvf vf abg rira bar bs
gurz. Yhpxvyl, V unir sbetbggra znal anzrf bs onq onq natry rcvfbqrf,
ohg v guvax v ibgr sbe gung ivfvba guvat. Shaavyl rabhtu bs gur fnzr
ernfba v qvq abg yvxr gur yngre ohssl-rcvfbqrf: gur urebf qvq abg guvax
ng nyy nal zber, naq gur onq thlf jnf bhg bs gurve yrnthrf. Cbbe pbeql
vf whfg znqr n ivpgvz. Va gur ivfvba guvat, natry artbgvngrf jvgu
greebevfgf, naq ur qbrf vg cbbeyl. Ur jvaf ng ynfg n irel yhpxl ivpgbel,
ohg gung jnf, jryy, bayl yhpx.
--
Espen
Noe er Feil[tm]
Opus the Penguin
Heh. I didn't know Greenwalt had written any X-Files scripts, but
apparently he did one.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0751211/
Even not knowing that, I remember thinking that this ep felt like an X-
Files. So I think that's a pretty astute suspicion on your part.
Opus the Penguin
Dude! Slayah was just asking a question.
One Bit Shy
Sorry. It's Cordie's fault. Whenever she comes up in conversation I
start blurting out inappropriate remarks. Some kind of infection I
think.
OBS
Slayah
> One Bit Shy (O...@nomail.sorry) wrote:
>> "Slayah" <Sla...@hellmouth.com> wrote in message
>>> After Cordie says "If I hit you on the head, will you have a
>>> vision?" Doyle responds. Can anyone make out what he says or is
>>> it too faded out by then?
>>
>>
>> "Get away from me. You're insane."
>>
>
>
> Dude! Slayah was just asking a question.
LOL!! Hey, it was a valid response...
Randy Money
> A reminder: Please avoid spoilers for later _Buffy_ and _Angel_
> episodes in these review threads
>
>
> Season One, Episode 4: "I Fall To Pieces"
> (or "Taking a hands-off approach")
> Writer: David Greenwalt; story by Greenwalt and Joss Whedon
> Director: Vern Gillum
>
> can start things off with a big sweeping generalization and fill you in
> on our personal viewing habits... Mrs. Quality has said that she's
> not as engaged by _Angel_ as by BTVS so far (she'll give it a fair
> shake). And a part of it is that it's simply less likely to appeal
> to her; she digs the female-superhero vibe, so to her ATS is in some
> sense just another show about how women need to be rescued by a man. I
> don't really think on those levels myself, but I have found it
> noticeable that this show (so far) really seems to have a thing with
> stalker-monsters. Add the fact that Angel's clients have been
> disproportionately (entirely?) young women, and, well...
Very good points here, AoQ.
> One comment that she was quick to make is that Angel's a funny guy
> with what's becoming quite a funny show. And there's a lot of
> humor in this episode, including some that's even intentional. I
> think the series is hitting its stride there, particularly in figuring
> out the Cordelia/Doyle dynamic. The teaser, besides the fact that it
> makes sense that this whole money issue should come up, is a strong
> piece of comedic writing almost on par with Spike's one-man act from
> the last episode. From Doyle's "attraction" to our hero, to the
> old coffee (a running joke that *works*), to "I think my esophagus is
> melting," to "then get over it! I mean that in a sensitive way,"
> to Angel striding away in slow motion (complete with long coat flowing
> behind him in a mysterious and attractive way), it's all good stuff.
Part of the enjoyment was watching three actors with excellent comic
timing play off each other. Cordy was often great comic relief over at
BtVS, but in the early going on Angel they needed Carpenter to step up
and be amusing more often. From the confrontation with the vamp in "City
of..." to this point, she did just fine.
I remember first hearing about the spin-off and that Cordy was moving to
it, and wondering what the hell Joss was thinking. Well, he got it right.
[...]
> The first appearance of the floating eyeball caused a lot of laughter
> in the Quality household.
But, oddly perhaps, for me and, I think, my family this remains one of
the creepiest images in the Buffy-verse.
The hands under the covers aren't as effective, but still provide an
invasion of privacy vibe that I didn't find funny.
> Sadly, the climax, while not being bad or anything, doesn't reach the
> level of the rest of the episode. It provides exactly what the viewer
> expects of it and no more. Monster breaks in, Melissa (sort of) stands
> up for herself as the plot demands, Angel recovers and arrives in the
> (ta-da!) knick of time, fight scene (albeit a cool one). And that's
> all. We close with a solid wrap-up bit that brings us back to the
> issues that started the show: Angel's almost-terror at the idea of
> asking for money is pretty funny. And "I hope I never see you
> again" is of course the right note to end this story on.
And I agree with all of this.
> This Is Really Stupid But I Laughed Anyway moment(s):
> - "I've got to change my shirt!"
> - "You're not human!" "You should talk."
> And I don't know if it qualifies as "really stupid," but also a
> mention for "If I hit you on the head, will you have a vision?"
>
> Cordelia is much less annoying than in the SHS days. As hard as this
> is to type, I'm actually kinda getting to like her here.
[...]
> 4) "I Fall To Pieces" - Good]
>
All agreed.
Randy M.
James Craine
Arbitrar Of Quality wrote:
> A reminder: Please avoid spoilers for later _Buffy_ and _Angel_
> episodes in these review threads
>
>
> ANGEL
> Season One, Episode 4: "I Fall To Pieces"
> (or "Taking a hands-off approach")
> Writer: David Greenwalt; story by Greenwalt and Joss Whedon
> Director: Vern Gillum
>
This is your best alternative title.