First impression...

[sharelle]

...of the Angel series finale. Good. But flawed.

In general, I felt awfully rushed throughout - like there was so much that needed to happen, but not nearly enough time to fit it all in. I'll say the same thing that I said following the BtVS finale: 2. Hour. Episode.
Series finales really should be twice as long if the writing/production team wants to include that many details. (Especially to give closure to fans who, let's face it, need it. Most especially at the end of the line.)

A few random observances:



* The action was good, but, as I said, really rushed, since they tried to fit it all in during the last 20 minutes.

* I liked Spike's poetry session. Nice to see some people appreciate it for once! (Not "bloody awful," just ahead of his time. *G*)

* Angel's "champion" status - really iffy. And I don't just mean because he supposedly signed away the Shanshu. He actually killed Drogyn - who was admittedly an innocent, a pure being. (I had thought it might have been part of the setup.) Sorry, but you just don't get brownie points for brutally plotting the death of and then killing someone who trusted you like a brother, even for the greater good. And speaking of that pesky Shanshu, which has been a story arc since Season 1, . . . .

* What? They just ignored it? Wow. If that's not the ultimate McGuffin, I don't know what is.

* Lorne was absolutely heartbreaking. I have no words.

* Both of the Wes/Illyria interactions reduced me to tears. The first in Spike's apartment just tore out my little heart, and his death scene then proceeded to stomp on it. I thought it was handled beautifully, but since Wesley's been with this universe the longest (spanning both series, next to Angel and Cordelia) his demise was so purely sad. *tearing up again*

* Harmony's exit seemed very forced. Sure, she's shallow, but I guess I expected more, especially after they added her to the opening credits a few weeks ago. (And after how sympathetic she was with Gunn during "Shells.") It was almost like the writers forgot she didn't have a soul, and then suddenly remembered. ("Oh, yeah! She's supposed to be all eeeevil and selfish! Done!") True, it was all an act, but still . . . struck me as kinda hollow.

* Part of me wants to think that Fred had a hand in killing Vale. (Pun intended.) When she told Wesley they could be together now, I couldn't help but think of a line from after Fred's death referring to her soul being destroyed when Illyria entered her body. They made such a point of it, but I can only look back now and hope that's not the case. Otherwise Wes will still be alone. *tearing up again*

* I was glad to see Connor make one more appearance. (And something tells me he didn't leave when he was told to. You just know he's heading down to that alley.)

* The episode was supposed to be about the fight against the Circle of the Black Thorn. Was I the only one who was disappointed to really only see the details of Wes' and Angel's? (And Hamilton the Big Bad fight? Um, okay.)

* Since Angel bit Hamilton, does that mean he's got the power of W&H in him now? Are we supposed to believe that's going to help him, or are we just ignoring that now, too?

* I felt bad for Lindsey. Like Drogyn, he's another person whose fate Angel seals for no real reason. He followed through on his part of the bargain, and look what he got. (Unless, of course, you don't believe his assurances that he's happy to have been fighting the good fight.) No wonder Lorne was crushed. The gentle soul that he is, Angel did him a great injustice by asking him to go through with that. I don't blame him for his "don't look for me" sendoff.

* Spike: "Can I deny you three times?" Priceless. (Although if he's supposed to be Peter to Angel's Christ, how far should we take that parallel? Second in command? Closest friend? The "rock" who takes over after the leader's ultimate sacrifice?)

* So that's the Apocalypse with the capital "A"? Personally, I think it's a fantastic way to end a season, though I believe there should be much more closure when signing off an entire series. (Especially since the TV movie route is shaping up to be another road not taken.)

* Your friends at the WB? Shyeah, uh-huh.

* "Let's go to work." -- I like the last line. It shows promise.

Comments

[silentbob037.livejournal.com]

I thought that the whole "Angel/flunky" thing was that Lindsey saw himself as Angel's arch rival and that, after all the stuff that went down, it was beneath him to die at the hands of someone like Lorne, a person that he could only see as a flunkie. It is possible that Angel thought that Lindsey wouldn't be expecting what Lorne did which would make it easier to kill him than if Angel had done it himself. Then again, it seems slightly unfair to have had Lindsey help and then to kill him.