Angel 5x06

[estepheia]

I've only watched the epi once so far. Usually I try to watch each epi three times before talking about it, in this case I'm not so sure I even want to watch it again to be able to talk knowledgable.
I read about a dozen or so posts on the epi and have noticed that fandom is divided on this one. Disagreement is common, we have various camps, but why this polarisation?

What I liked about the episode:
- More Wesley than in previous episodes. Also, liked AD's diction and voice (more S3 than S4) . I like the reappearance of the magical books). I enjoyed Wes's interaction with Angel and with Spike. He cares about Angel's shanshu more than Angel himself. With the memory of Lilah presumably gone one wonders why Wes thinks he ever agreed to the W&H deal.
- Gunn got to interact with the other characters and while he contributed to the solution by checking records, he didn't save the day with a bit of legal mumbo jumbo.
- the Fred/Lorne scene was cute
- Angel: 'I hate this place'
- Spike complaining about not being able to diddle his willie (the 'willie' cracks me up because of the Will pun, sorry, I'm five)
- Spike mentioning the shanshu prophecy to Wes
- Spike's interaction with Fred. He's just so utterly grateful for a bit of recognition. Poor widdle puppy.

What I hated with the passion of a thousand fiery suns:
- everything else

okay I'll elaborate.
The A plot was mind-bogglingly dull. The dialogue sucked, the masks were silly (I don't care if it's a long standing mexican tradition, it's still daft), the metaphor was anvilly, Angel's speechifying was heavy-handed (I would have split long before Number 5), it was dull, Lorne was a gratuitous splash of color in an otherwise bland epi, Fred was geekier than thou, the exposition was dull dull dull, and they didn't even bother to come up with a new trick for Spike but did the cup lifting again. Why couldn't he use a pencil? Or pick up a phone. Spike's lines are too convoluted, his whining about his lack of substance is a regression since he spent all of 5x04 coming to terms with his limitations. Oh, and the thing was boring as hell.

I think they probably lost me on the visual level. Five guys in suits with stupid masks? The stupid aztec warrior? What a disappointment. Would have been nicer if he'd been a half naked warrior clad in the attire or an aztec eagle knight, with feathers and obsidian knife. Still silly, but at least eye candy. Why is evil always ugly? Also, what is it about American natives? After the Chumash epi on Buffy I'm kinda sensitive here.

Also, it was contrived. Angel + Wes + Gunn + Fred + Lorne = 5 .... *Yawn* Okay, I get it. They are like a hand or a fist. blah di blah di blah. Together they can win, blah blah. I bet you one of the five is going to snuff it this season, thus echoing and reversing the scenario of the five wrestlers.
My money is on Lorne, since AH has trouble with the make up. Also, has anyone noticed the severe lack of purpose? The writers clearly have no idea what to do with him.

I'll watch the epi again with the hubby, maybe I'll find more redeeming features. I liked 5x03 better after the third viewing, but I must admit, the prospect of suffering through that again, is kinda daunting.
I think it's the worst epi so far. This is how I'd rank the epis so far:

1. Hellbound (had me spellbound)
2. Conviction (good, in spite of the technical problems)
3. Just Rewards (could have been better if James's acting and the directing hadn't been so lousy in the first few scenes)
4. Life of the Party (AD overacted, but at least Lorne got his own story for a change)
5. Unleashed (didn't care much about the girl, but the dialogue was ok)
6. The Cautinary Tale... (Yawn)

ETA: It bugs me that evil comes in the shape of an American native. The Aztec religion was utterly bloodthirsty, but these people seriously believed that their gods needed the sacrifices to keep creation going. Ok, it says in the epi that the evil warrior was already considered evil by his people, but still, the whole aztec backstory was contrived. As a monster of the week it was utterly dull. And annoyingly ugly too.

Comments

[ladycat777.livejournal.com]

about American natives?

Aztec *are* natives. Well, as any of the indian tribes in the USA proper can be considered 'native', so I'm not sure why the Chumash would be considered any less native. My only problem was that if they wanted to be really cute and clever, they could've gone with Toltecs - even *mentioning* them, because that would've at least told me they did their homerwork. And I was ready to throw something at the tv if they said the Maya were peaceful, which thank god, they didn't. As for why the demon wasn't attractive, eh, that doesn't bother me, probably a budget thing. But the regalia he was wearing *was* patterned after actual Aztec warrior garb, well, an interpretation therein.

I think the big thing was the masks. It took me a little to remember that luchadores did wear those masks - all the time, every day of their *lives* and I've done some checking and they really did look kinda like that - but before I did I was kinda annoyed as to why they chose that. But Mucha Lucha is a huge, huge, huge thing and anyone in the South West would've twigged it immediately, so maybe it was, just, well, not understanding the significance?

Although, like I said, the wrestling montage was silly. The rest of it, though, was a nod to the golden age of heros, when men changed their clothes in phone booths and glases were an effective disguise. *shrug* Like I've told you, though, everyone likes different things.

[entrenous88.livejournal.com]

Este, thank you for articulating why this episode was so ooky. Much more eloquent than my rxn would have been (as you may have guessed from "ooky", lol). I've read why other people liked, and I'll admit I don't get it at all. Happy to have varying opinions in the fandom, but I fail to see why this episode could not have been chucked. I mean, 22 eps in a season -- why waste one on this drivel?

Spike's interaction with Fred. He's just so utterly grateful for a bit of recognition. Poor widdle puppy.

This was my favorite moment in the ep. There's something so innocent in Spike's reaction -- love that Fred just believes in him, and that it both puzzles and appeals to Spike.

[othercat.livejournal.com]

Also, what is it about American natives?

What do you mean, "what is it about American natives"?

Possibly going for that multi-cultural thing?

Or because an Aztec demon would make the most sense, considering the Mexican Wrestlers Who Were Champions Fifty years Back?

[shapinglight]

I'm amazed at how many different reactions to this episode I've seen! Who'd've thought something that looked so dull on paper could have aroused such polarised views?

Obviously, I'll wait to see it myself, but I think I must be very easily pleased. I loved JM all through JR, and ep3 is the only one so far that I thought we could have done without.