Angel: 5x6 Full Reaction
Added 2025-10-15 15:00:11 +0000 UTC"The Cautionary Tale of Numero Cinco"
Comments
But, if you consider what the monks pulled off, in regards to Dawn put into Buffyโs life, which was a full 14 years of redesign, then it should be easy to manipulate the few who really knew Conner into not remembering him, by W&H
Andrea Frank
2025-10-16 03:10:59 +0000 UTCYou hate wrestling???? BOOOOOO!!!!
Keenan White
2025-10-16 01:49:26 +0000 UTCIf you see Numero Cinco as an image of Angel, this is a quite moving and significant episode. Both joined Wolfram & Hart believing they could do good, but now walk the halls feeling meaningless, without hope of redemption. When Cinco's brothers return for him, proving he is worthy ("He died a hero"), does that mean that Angel can gain redemption, too? His searching out the shanshu prophecy means he may be regaining that hope. The flashback is a wonderful tribute to the goofy Mexican wrestler movies made in the 1950's and 60's (I'm almost sure one must have had a title like "Santo vs. The Devil's Robot."๐) Wesley's blank response when Angel makes the oblique reference to Conner again brings up my major question about Angel's deal with Wolfram & Hart. You said it yourself: What does Wes think happened in the past year?
DanielOrme
2025-10-16 01:29:48 +0000 UTCOh, and the reason that the Brothers returned is because it is the Day of the Dead in this episode. That is when the living are visited by the deceased (Although it's usually taken metaphorically in real life). With the magic of the show combined with the holiday and Number 5 proving himself a hero, his brothers could return even without being vampires or zombies.
JBK405
2025-10-16 00:13:20 +0000 UTCGoing way back to the beginning, this episode touches on Doyle's original message to Angel from the first episode. It doesn't just matter that Angel is killing demons and saving lives, it matters that he CARE and CONNECT to humanity. If it's just a numbers game, then eventually he'll stop, because why wouldn't he? Having hope is just as important as giving hope. When it comes to whether or not wrestling is "fake", I sidestep the whole argument and instead say that it's "scripted". Because the people are really running around the ring, and jumping off ropes and picking each other up and dropping them, so that's all real, but it is choreographed and arranged in advance and the wrestlers are working together, so the competition is fake. Does that make the whole thing fake? At this point it's a philosophical question. Lucha libre, Mexican wrestling, is its own FASCINATING subculture. The roles of the masks heavily intertwined, and successful luchadores really will wear their masks full-time.
JBK405
2025-10-16 00:10:44 +0000 UTCI really like this episode: its a lot of fun and Halloween-adjacent. The Wolfram&Hart guy who recruited Numero Cinco; the business card he gave out identified him as Holland Manners, the head of Special Projects from S1 and S2, (the hell elevator guy) Also since the flashbacks took place 50 years ago, that means that Angel was in the Hyperion trying to fight the paranoia demon (from the episode S2E2 Are You Now or Have You Ever Been) around the time that the Hermanos Numeros were the champions of LA.
James Smith
2025-10-15 21:24:39 +0000 UTCI'm always surprised at how much I like this episode when I rewatch it. It's easily overlooked in the grand scheme of things, and I don't care about wrestling, but the thematic throughline of what it means to be a hero is very strong, and tying that into Angel's own doubts and the Shanshu Prophecy is brilliant. As campy and funny as that fight in the graveyard is, it's still incredibly heartfelt when Number 5 dies, at peace with himself and his brothers. That final visual of them all together is pretty powerful. Minor note, but Wes saying "El Diablo Robotico" while staring off into the distance always cracks me up for some reason lol Going by the description of the talisman it certainly sounds like the necklace that Spike wore, what with the connection to the sun and heroes. To avoid confusion, maybe the writers should have made it a belt buckle or something lol - too many magical necklaces! Blink-and-you-miss-it moment: the Wolfram and Hart employee who hired Number 5 in the flashback was Holland Manners from Seasons 1 and 2, the bigwig who took Angel on an elevator ride in "Epiphany". Always liked that little detail. Excited for the next one, it's a great one :)
Jordan McLaren
2025-10-15 19:04:57 +0000 UTCHuh I could be wrong but I don't think so, I think it was meant to air alongside the Day of The Dead which is at the start of November, so after the halloween episode.
Mollie K
2025-10-15 18:18:04 +0000 UTCOh yeah I see the confusion but different amulets! The necklace Spike is bound to was silver, not gold, and with a big glassy stone in the middle - Spike said it made him look like Elizabeth Taylor (cue taylor swift song lol). Like you I don't care much for wrestling but I do think there's a lot of heart to this episode, and its always cool to hear about other champions out there in the buffyverse.
Mollie K
2025-10-15 18:13:51 +0000 UTCI feel crazy, didn't this originally air before Life of the Party?
MaggieStormborn
2025-10-15 17:57:10 +0000 UTCI haven't watched your outro yet so maybe you got it all cleared up, but just in case: the talisman and the necklace are two separate things. The talisman is something for this episode only with it's own little history and backstory relating to the brothers and the demon. I really like this one. It definitely helps that I'm a bit of a wrestling fan, for sure. But I also enjoy it when we do something that has a bit of different feel to it. Owing to the wrestling/luche influence this one definitely has an extra layer of camp and silliness added to it that I very much like. But then at the same time it's also very heavy on the melancholy and ennui and it makes for an interesting mix. The graveyard dialogue/fight scene makes me tear up a little every time lol. Great reaction as always, C, can't wait for the next one ๐
Preaching to the Horse's Mouth
2025-10-15 16:00:50 +0000 UTC
