Angel || 5x14 || Discussion
Added 2023-08-23 20:30:01 +0000 UTC5x14: "Smile Time"
Next: Firefly 1x14 on Sat 8/26
ANGEL IS A PUPPET???? SHUT UP THIS IS SO FUCKING FUNNY SKCJSCKDN
I can not get over this episode.. I love it. Buffyverse GOLD right here!!!
Comments
I understand, and agree, with your meaning, but I honestly think the Cordelia erasure began within the text while Charisma was still a series regular on the show (in season three) so it feels par for the course at this point. Genuine question though; do you think Cordelia was the love of Angel’s life? He might have loved her but they were never in a relationship, which in my eyes would be a requirement for a “love of one’s life” type (though I’m sure I could be wrong about that). Maybe she’d be more of “the one that got away”, but I’m not sure that fits either. She certainly was an “unrequited love” for a long time. (I always feel the need to make it clear that I am not a shipper in any way, so I’m not commenting as a die-hard Bangel shipper. I think Buffy and Angel’s story was always about why they couldn’t be together which is why I could never personally say they were great together.) I’m genuinely interested in your opinion if you do believe Cordelia was the love of Angel’s life.
tc3
2023-08-30 21:25:01 +0000 UTCThis episode is great, apart from the weird pedophile-y vibes of the puppet -- could have done without that -- and the Angel/Nina thing. Again feels like Cordelia erasure, I just do not buy Angel would be even a little bit into ANYONE right after the love of his life died. And yeah, Nina has no character traits other than "pretty." This season is too focused on one-offs at the expense of an overall arc up until this point. That will be remedied very soon, but I do wish they'd focused more on an overarching arc + developing our main characters over quirky one-off eps during the final season.
Mary Kate
2023-08-26 02:10:57 +0000 UTCTo me, "Self Esteem" is not just a painfully catchy theme song but also the underlying theme of this episode- at least for Angel, Wes and Gunn. They are all struggling with this issue in varying ways and to varying degrees. Angel doesn't see himself as being emotionally available enough and worthy of Nina's affection. Wes felt that he blew it with Fred long ago and is so mired in his own insecurities that he is blind to her very obvious overtures toward him. Gunn is (still) scared that he would bring nothing to the team if he didn't have the legal knowledge W&H shoved in his head. And in case you didn't catch this message, the dog puppet directly tells us, "I have a great idea for a song about the difference between analogy and metaphor". In other words, Angel being reduced to a puppet- essentially an inanimate object that truly isn't capable of emotion- is a metaphor for his internal struggles and fear. And of course he's still struggling with his fear that he is becoming is a puppet for W&H. On a more surface level, VampAngel Puppet is the cutest and most hilarious thing I've ever seen.
StephanieB
2023-08-25 20:08:31 +0000 UTC
