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That '70s Show: Killer Queen (2006)
Randy Sucks
This episode is tied for the worst in the entire series. It's almost as if the producers were looking for a way to reduce ratings to give them an excuse to end the show. What better excuse to annoy the viewers than by giving Donna a new beau. It was one thing when she was seeing Kelso's brother in season 4 because Eric was still there and it was never really serious. Randy is the worst character in television history and one of the biggest reasons why season 8 sucked even more than season 7. The only thing the producers did get right in the end was finally hooking Jackie and Fez up, which should've been done in season 2 or 3.
That '70s Show: Spread Your Wings (2006)
Randy Sucks
This episode is tied for the worst in the entire series. It's almost as if the producers were looking for a way to reduce ratings to give them an excuse to end the show. What better excuse to annoy the viewers than by giving Donna a new beau. It was one thing when she was seeing Kelso's brother in season 4 because Eric was still there and it was never really serious. Randy is the worst character in television history and one of the biggest reasons why season 8 sucked even more than season 7. The only thing the producers did get right in the end was finally hooking Jackie and Fez up, which should've been done in season 2 or 3.
How I Met Your Mother: Right Place Right Time (2009)
I hate cliffhangers but this was great.
I'm only going to comment on two events. First is the issue of Barney's 200th liaison. Even after the disappointment he feels over the supermodel bot being his 200th, we saw the next part coming. After saying "What's next?", it immediately goes to a scene of him looking at Robin. We all know what that means. This also happens to be the last scene and drove me nuts after what happened in the next comment.
Now for the big one. The whole episode is about Ted being in the right place at the right time. Throughout the episode we see a scene of Ted being tapped on the shoulder by a woman and him explaining about how circumstances led to him being on that street corner. Right before the last commercial break the mystery woman is finally revealed, AND IT'S STELLA! Leaving us with a cliffhanger like Stella reappearing makes me really anxious for next week and what will come of this.
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation: Ending Happy (2007)
Still laughing
By far the funniest and my most favorite episode. How often do you see a plot where a has-been boxer dies at a brothel. Doc Robbins calling every time to tell Brass and Grissom the person they thought was the killer wasn't it was the best. I hate Brass and seeing him get screwed over and over was great. The dealings with the employees of the brothel is what made it too funny. I won't go into details but I'll mention the major players. First is Binky and Doris, owners of the brothel called the Sugar Cane Ranch. Second is the escort Dreama Little, played by a shockingly grown up and amazingly hot Ashley Johnson, who was little brat on Growing Pains that looked like 'Annie'. Third is the bartender Connor Foster, previously seen in that role in the episode 'Homebodies'.
Beyond that, the best part had to be all of the fine ladies wearing very little, especially the uber-delicious Marnette Patterson. FYI: She's Aimee, AKA the one who says the line "I popped his man-cherry".
How I Met Your Mother: Woooo! (2008)
We are SVEN!
By far one of the funniest episodes so far. There are 2 main angles that take place.
First, the bank Barney & Marshall work for(Goliath National Bank) decides to go ahead with plans for a new downtown office. Naturally, Barney suggests Ted to his bosses as a potential designer of the building. His main competition is a Swedish architecture firm called SVEN. Ted spends weeks drawing up a sketch of his idea and the GNB brass are very impressed with his design. However, Barney later tells Ted that the contract went to SVEN and naturally Ted is crushed. Later when Marshall finds out that his boss Bilson voted for Ted, he is curious as to why SVEN won. When Barney tells the story, it's laugh your ass off time. SVEN presents a building shaped like a T-Rex that spits fire in which Barney will have an office in the brain. Barney acts like a kid in a candy store when presented with these ideas.
SVEN #1: "I am Sven Jorgensson, with me are Sven Karlsen and Sven Johansson, and we are SVEN! SVEN #2: SVEN! SVEN #3: SVEN! You are Goliath National Bank. You are cutting edge, you are new, you are fresh. Women want to be with you, men wish to harm you but the fool who does challenge you SHALL BE CRUSHED! Your headquarters will tell the world of these facts. Oh, and one more thing, DON'T LOOK NOW! Which of you is Barney Stinson, head of the search committee?" Barney: "Oh My God, That's me!" SVEN: "You, Barney Stinson are a man of power and virility. Your office shall be here, in the head of a Tyrannosaurus Rex." Barney: I never knew it till now but I've always dreamed of that!" SVEN: "On your large desk, upon there in rosewood shall be this button." Barney: What does the button do?!" SVEN: "Press it, press it for glory!" Flames shoot out of the T-Rex's mouth. Barney: "YES! This is the most awesome building in the universe! There is no way this building could be more awesome!" SVEN: "There is a strip club in the letter N." And Barney looks like he's about to have a heart attack.
Later on, however, after some soul searching and a talking to from Marshall, Barney convinces GNB to choose Ted's design and all is well. However, we find out that Marshall tells Ted the truth and they punish Barney by tying him to a mechanical bull and leaving him.
The second angle involves Lily, Robin and a friend of Lily's from work named Jillian, played by the delicious Jamie-Lynn Sigler. When Lily and Robin go to a birthday party for Jillian, they find out that she and her friends are so called 'Woo' girls. Basically, they scream "WOO" whenever they can for any ridiculous reason. Lily is surprised by this but Robin isn't as critical. Later, right after Barney delivers the bad news to Ted, we see Robin standing out of the sunroof of a Hummer limo screaming "WOO" as it rides down the street. Lily is shocked and confronts Robin about it.
Lily: "But that's not the biggest disappointment of the day." Robin: "What?" Lily: "We saw you Woo." Robin: "Saw who woo?" Lily: "Saw you Woo." Robin: "I didn't Woo." Lily: "You did too." Robin: "That's not true." Lily: "Your nose just grew. So what, you're like best friends with Jillian now?" Robin: "No, it's just, you're married Lily but I'm still single. Whenever I hang out with you, I'm usually the third wheel to you and Marshall. Sometimes it's fun to go out with other single women and do stuff that you don't want to." Lily: "Like what?" Robin: "Like Woo, Lily, like Woo." Lily: "I can Woo." Robin: "That's not true." Lily: "I can too." Robin: "It's just not you." Towards the end, Robin admits that Lily is her best friend and she needs her for the real parts in life but needs to have fun and just 'Woo' at times. We also see what the girls 'Woos' really mean. Crystal, the Asian girl's means "I cry in the shower". Misty, the blond's means "I've never been on a second date". Jillian's means "What if I never get to be a mom"? Stacey, the other brunette's means "I'm secretly in love with Jillian".
The ends of the 2 angles cross over in the final scene. After Barney is untied from the bull, Stacey suggests finding a guy for her and Jillian to have a 3-way with and hinting at just the two of them doing something if they can't. We see Barney repeatedly falling down from exhaustion trying to get over there. The episode ends with Jillian saying that she thought Ted was cute and to try and find him and Barney falling down one last time.
Angel: The Prodigal (2000)
Why?
Why did the writers have to totally ruin Kate and Angel's relationship? Kate had so much potential as a friend/romantic interest had she been used properly. Even 2/3 to 3/4 of the way through this episode you could see that Kate still mostly trusted and somewhat wanted Angel in more than a 'friend' way. That, however, was completely destroyed by the killing of her father by vampires. The fact that Trevor knew about demons and the underworld all along and Kate never knew really annoyed me. My least favorite part was Kate blaming Angel for her father's death. Yes, I understand that her emotions would be in disarray after seeing her father dead at the hands of vampires. Yes, I could see how she would need someone to lay blame on while in that state. However, she knew about the inviting the vampire in rule and that Angel had a soul. Why she chose to turn her back on someone who helped her and saved her life numerous times is something I've wanted to ask the writers about for years.
All in all, easily one of my top 10 least favorite episodes of the series. I liked Kate so much and couldn't bring myself to hate her, no matter how much I wanted to.
Family Guy: The Cleveland-Loretta Quagmire (2005)
Laugh Riot
By far my favorite and in my opinion, the funniest episode of Family Guy ever. There are just too many classic scenes with that over the top Family Guy edge. Peter at the car accident after the CPR class, Quagmire as Bill Clinton, the 'You Have Aids' song, Peter's 'Petercopter' and 'Hindenpeter' destroying Joe's property, the mock 'Bewitched' scene on TV, beds flipping out of every wall Cleveland hits in Quagmire's house, etc. I can't think of one part of this episode that I wasn't laughing my ass off.
Beyond that the basic gist of the story is that Peter & Brian catch Loretta cheating on Cleveland with Quagmire. The rest of the episode has to do with Peter telling Cleveland, dealing with Quagmire and the repercussions that follow. I'd suggest just watching the episode as it is a must see for any Family Guy fan who wants to be rolling on the floor laughing for 20+ minutes.
X-Men: The Last Stand (2006)
Same problem as the Spider-Man Trilogy
As we all know, Marvel and 20th Century Fox made huge bank bringing Spider-Man and X-Men to the big screen. You knew based on the success of the first movies in each series and how they ended that there would be sequels. Spider-Man 2 and X2 X-Men United both picked up where the first movies left off and continued with great story lines and character development. However, the third installment in each series in suffered the same problem in much more depressing scripts and trying to bring about an ending. Being that this review is on X-Men The Last Stand I'll discuss that movie only.
The first X-Men movie, including the credits ran a total of 1hr, 44min. Anyone who saw the movie will tell you that this was more than sufficient time to establish the main characters and the original plot. X2, including credits ran for 2hr, 13min. This running length made perfect sense as the story showed the development of more characters and help segue into the 3rd movie. X3, including credits ran for 1hr, 44min. Had X3 had the same running time as X2, it wouldn't have seemed like the writers were trying to cram so much story into so little time.
Fans on X-Men knew that based on how Jean Grey died in X2 that the Dark Phoenix saga was inevitable. Also, the previews for the movie told about a mutant cure angle being used. However, both angles and others were merely used as part of the plot and not developed enough. The cure was explained as something caused by a mutant and now being marketed by the government to mutants. There was no explanation on how it came to be or how it was discovered. Jean and the Phoenix angle didn't need as much explaining as most X-Men fans knew of its origin. However, her killing Scott, Xavier trying to help her in the lab, Logan trying to help her, Jean returning home and the killing Xavier was way too rushed.
As for others, character development was lacking and disappointing for a cure Mystique, Juggernaut and Archangel. After being unwillingly cured, Mystique disappears from the plot except for later on being shown in a video room helping the government. Juggernaut's powers were explained briefly and for the rest of the movie he was basically Magneto's muscle. Archangel was shown as being the son of the president of the company that manufactured the cure. The only parts he had in the plot were escaping when his father tried to cure him, coming to the mansion and saving his father at the end.
As for the main story line, it didn't live up to how great the first two movies were. No one expected to see Scott or Xavier die in that fashion. Jean being in a power struggle with the Dark Phoenix was done well but not explored enough. Rogue wanting the cure wasn't a shock but they needed to explore how it would affect her emotional relationship with Bobby before she did. Magneto's war on humans from his outrage over the cure was expected but the recruiting was too rushed and the fight scenes weren't led into well.
I'd love to explain more of what disappointed my but I'd rather you see the movie for yourself and form an opinion. As for now, I hope that 20th Century Fox and Marvel would consider doing a new 3rd installment to ease the consciences of those who wanted more.
How I Met Your Mother: Ten Sessions (2008)
Nice Office
When in your life are you ever going to see a doctor's office with a doctor as hot as Sarah Chalke and a receptionist as hot as Britney Spears? Maybe in LA but even there one or the other is either fugly or not as attractive. I honestly was amazed at how good Britney was as the receptionist Abby. She had a cute, innocent and impressionable vibe about her that is so not Britney over the last few years. The whole falling for Ted thing is a little far-fetched. Rarely in NY will you find a girl that pretty who is single, let alone attracted to a 'regular guy' like Ted. The only reason it makes sense with Abby is that she seems to be a bit of a ditz. Being I'm the nice, regular guy from New York I'd like to think I know what I'm talking about on this topic. Stella is great too. Sarah Chalke looked so incredibly hot in this role. It was so obvious throughout the episode that she was slowly growing attracted to Ted. The two minute date at the end was great. Even though she needed to get back to work, she still took the time to kiss Ted. After she went in, Abby seeing Ted with the flowers and flipping out was so funny. No shock that at the end, Barney immediately put the moves on Abby. After seeing how she was with Ted, I was kind of surprised to hear her say the line about having sex with Barney on his bed before going shopping. Hey, I guess you have to include some aspects of the actress in to the character.
How I Met Your Mother: I Heart NJ (2008)
Jersey Sucks
WARNING: This comment is very biased being I am a born and bred New Yorker. NY isn't just the media capital of the US but the capital of the world. United Nations building anyone? As for Stella's comment about not wanting to raise her kid in a noisy, urban environment. That's why NY has upstate and Long Island(I'm from Suffolk County) for suburban living. As for the safety of her kid, think about this. All drivers in NY and even the retired NY'ers in FL have one comment in common, 'Freakin' Jersey drivers'. Any time we see a yellow license plate on the back of a car, we know to stay more than one car length away and to watch our asses and the road closely. The only reasons I would be in NJ are to go to a Giants game, having to take I-95 down the coast or passing through to see friends in Philly.
Now, on to the last part of the episode. Robin getting a foreign correspondent job and having to move to Japan is kind of sad. First, she is so incredibly hot and not seeing her would be a shame. Second, based on Barney's reaction, you could tell he really is in love with her and may not have the chance to say it. Based on the fact of her moving and Ted having to move to NJ, I have a feeling that the 4th season will be the last.
How I Met Your Mother: Monday Night Football (2007)
Give Me A Break
NOBODY HAS A FUNERAL ON SUPER BOWL Sunday! Even though it would be rude, my response would be "Who the hell has a funeral on Super Bowl Sunday?" The only acceptable way of having it on Super Bowl Sunday is if it was one of your closest relatives and the service was in the morning or early afternoon. Any funeral I've ever been to on a weekend has always been in the daytime. Nighttime funerals are pretty much only held on weekdays. Unless you don't give a crap about football, absolutely no one has the bad taste to hold it on a Sunday night, let alone that night. This episode was pretty lame so I'm not going to write a review on the plot.
How I Met Your Mother (2005)
Actually makes CBS seem funny
This show is actually pretty funny because parts of it remind me of my life. While I don't have a tight knit group of friends who hang out every night at the same bar, my life compares in these ways. First of all, I'm a New Yorker(born & bred). Any comments or jokes they make about area codes, counties, settings, etc. are things I know about and don't have to wonder what they mean. Ted in a way is like me. He's the nice guy who wants a meaningful relationship but has no luck in finding the right woman. Barney is too much. When he came out with that comment about Ted 'needing to get a suit' in the first episode it reminded me so much of a friend of mine. He always has to wear a suit when he goes out and tried to get me and another friend to do the same thing all the time. Barney can be a jackass thinking he is G-d's gift to women, having a very overinflated ego, coming up with ridiculous ways to meet women and flaunting everything in other people's faces. He's still funny, though. My favorite part are the ladies. I love redheads and Alyson Hannigan has always been one of my favorites. She is so damn cute. That and I don't think I've ever seen her look hotter than she does as Lily. Her overloaded sex drive and constant need to do it with her fiancé Marshall are in my opinion some of the funniest parts of the show. As for Robin, damn! She is one of the most delicious pieces of ass I've ever seen. I love tall women with great legs and she more than fits that mold. While the show has been on since 2005, I only started watching it online this week. Once I catch up, I think it'll be only the 3rd show I can enjoy on CBS, the other two being CSI and CSI: Miami.
Highlander: Diplomatic Immunity (1997)
Whoa
I watched this episode recently for one main reason. I am a huge fan of the Buffy/Angel universe and saw that Alexis Denisof had a role in this episode. I was curious to see him in a role outside of his BTVS/Angel character Wesley. Let's just say it was strange. While I know from his bio that he was born and raised in the US, I was always curious as to whether or not his English accent was real being he had lived in England for a period of time. Watching Alexis in the role of an American diplomat's coke-head son was weird. While the voice was the same, hearing him without the accent was very different. I don't know if was because I'm so used to the accent or his is real but at points I swore I heard an English tone to some of his lines. Anyway, I really didn't want to review this episode, just give my thoughts on one of the actors.
Angel: Fredless (2001)
Fred has arrived
I was so happy to see an episode revolving around Fred. Up till then every character had at least one episode where they were the focus. It was only fair that they do the same for the newest member of Team Angel. I liked her as the new addition because she was so sweet and adorable. That Southern charm combined with the nerdy but cute science girl made for a great role. I'm also a bit of a math nerd from way back and think that's kinda cute. What was great was how the plot developed with Fred's parents and the team. Fred seeing her normal, down home Southern parents in Wesley's office and freaking out. The team trying to hide what they normally do while the Burkles are suspicious of them and vice versa. Fred breaking down in the bus station and saying she didn't want to see her parents because it would confirm that her time in Pylea actually was real. Fred's mom mowing down the Durslar with a bus and the Burkles being so open-minded when they find out what Team Angel actually does.
Two other things. Wes & Cordy doing that little Angel & Buffy spoof was pretty funny. And G-d almighty, did Cordy look hot in that mini-skirt.
Angel: Waiting in the Wings (2002)
Bad choices
One of the worst episodes in the entire series. Fred kissing Gunn instead of Wes made me want to vomit. Lest we not remember that it was because of Gunn's old gang that Fred was in mortal danger in That Old Gang Of Mine. Was it not Gunn who didn't tell Wes & Angel that he knew it was his old crew killing random demons? Was it not Wesley who held Fred's hand, comforted and protected her during the situation at Caritas? Wes & Fred were so perfect for each other from the beginning. They always made more sense as a couple. Even Cordelia thought the same thing. What in the hell made Gunn seem so different from that episode to where he was all of the sudden a nice guy? I think the only reason the writers did this was because Amy Acker was sharing a trailer with J. August Richards during her first season. Why not let her be the on-screen love interest of the guy she was rooming with in real life? I guess it proved that some women really don't have good taste.
Angel: Sense and Sensitivity (1999)
Great potential couple
By far one of my top 5 favorite episodes of the entire series. I love how it was the first funny episode in the series. Kate arrests a fat Italian crime boss with some assistance from Angel. He claims she is too rough and the city forces her whole department to have a sensitivity training class. What we don't know is that the trainer is on Wolfram & Hart's payroll and his 'talking stick' is possessed.
What I liked best about this episode is the major development in Angel & Kate's relationship. Since we first saw her in 'Lonely Hearts', I thought the chemistry between the two of them was beyond amazing. This 'emotional connection' was taken to a new level here. Kate asking Angel to be her date to her Dad's retirement party showed that she trusted Angel in more than just a business way. Even though she was pretty 'high' from the talking stick while in Angel's office, her comments led me to believe that she wanted to be more than friends. Also, the comment of "Someone's got a crush" she made to Doyle & Cordy when she realized Doyle liked Cordy was pretty funny.
Angel & Kate would've made a great pair had the writers allowed their connection to grow stronger. The comments and actions they made near the end when both possessed by the stick were proof of that. Angel: "You know Anthony, you could be a rainbow, and not a painbow. I mean it really is all up to you." Kate points at Angel. Kate: "You." Angel: "No, you." Kate: "Come here." And then they hug. Cordy: "Anyone for vomit?" Angel: " It's so sad isn't it?" Kate: "Some people just really need to live in the problem." In my mind, Angel had better chemistry with Kate than most people gave them credit for. It just sucked that she was only on the show for a handful of episodes during the first two seasons. I would've liked to have seen her be more involved that she was.
P.S. Kate also looked wicked hot in this episode. I mean, that blue dress, c'mon. That combined with her blond hair and baby blue eyes. What a beautiful sight to behold.
CSI: Miami: And How Does That Make You Kill? (2008)
Please don't let it happen
I'm not going to discuss the whole episode, just the part that I know will lead to more drama in the season, which is also my least favorite part. when Delko & Calleigh were going through the patient files and Calleigh read Delko's notes, you knew something interesting would show up. Delko's reflections on life after getting shot came as a bit of a shock to Calleigh but not to the audience. Delko told his therapist he was serious now about settling down and taking it easy and wished that it could possibly be with Calleigh. Just the prospect of the two of them together in any way makes me cringe. Even though he wants to change his life, a former player like Delko doesn't deserve Calleigh. Before IA found out about their relationship and he went undercover, I loved Calleigh and Jake Berkeley as a couple. Why did the writers have to end that?
Angel: Somnambulist (2000)
Downturn
When we first saw Kate, the chemistry between her and Angel was amazing. Even in this episode up until Angel gave her the drawing of Penn, she still said she trusted him. However, that was ruined because this is the episode where Angel & Kate's relationship began to go south. Even though he was there as a friend and emotional shoulder previously, Kate freaked out when Angel went vamp while fighting Penn. After researching Angel's past, she totally forgot about everything he had done for her and basically gave him the finger. However, when Angel defended her while fighting Penn the second time in the sewer, we saw the original side of Kate. This was made evident when Penn had Angel in the full nelson and Kate shoved the large stake through Angel to kill Penn. When he said "You missed" and she replied "No, I didn't", it showed that Kate still needed and trusted Angel in some way, not matter how angry at him she was.
Angel: Epiphany (2001)
There is such a thing as bad sex
While 'Epiphany' has its ups and downs, it's still one of the best episodes of season 2 because of all the emotion involved. After being on the brink in 'Reprise' and doing it with Darla while almost in a fit of depression, he wakes up and miraculously comes to his senses. Having the scene so similar to when he lost his soul after sleeping with Buffy was a perfect set up for his return to reality. Seeing him out in the rain, I first thought, "Oh great, he's lost his soul again." But when he comes to and is disgusted by what he did with Darla was kind of a shock. Telling her that unlike when he did it with Buffy, sleeping with her was perfect despair, not happiness. While kicking her out was a little cruel, she still was a vampire, wasn't she.
My least favorite part was that this was Kate's last episode. I enjoyed any episode she was in and wanted to see more of her. Kate & Angel had such amazing chemistry as characters. When she first appeared in 'Lonely Hearts' and especially in 'Sense and Sensitivity', she and Angel almost seemed like they'd make a better couple than Angel & Buffy ever did. And no matter how much Kate may have turned on Angel, this episode proved that he did care for her in more than a platonic way. This was made evident by him going out of his way to save her after her attempted suicide. The mutual bond was confirmed at the end when she's the only one who realizes Angel had an epiphany. KATE: "Yikes. it sounds like you had an epiphany." ANGEL: "I keep saying that but nobody's listening." KATE: "Well I'm pretty much convinced since I'm alive to be convinced." ANGEL: "You know, you don't have to be a cop." KATE: "I'm okay. Anyway, I'm not headed towards another pill-a-thon. I'm very grateful. I never thought you'd come for me but I got cut a huge break and I believe. I don't know what I believe but I..have..faith that maybe we're not alone in this." ANGEL: "Why?" KATE: "Because I never invited you in." Even though those were her last lines, I was happy to see Kate's tenure on the show end on a positive note with her 'being on Angel's side' again. Losing her also sucked because she was so damn hot.
Even though it was a little cheesy with how they did it, I was happy to see Angel reunite with Wes, Gunn & Cordy. Him saying he wanted to work for them actually made sense in some way. It allows Angel the freedom to be the champion and do a lot of the leg work without all of the pressure of being the boss.
Angel: The Shroud of Rahmon (2000)
Run of the mill episode
Nothing over the top but still an interesting episode. Angel posing as the Rat Pack-esquire vampire Jay-don was pretty interesting. Hearing him talk like a native of Brooklyn and dressing almost as flashy as Lorne was actually quite funny. No shocker that Gunn posed as his cousin in order to possibly keep an eye on Angel and stick it to him for telling him not to go along. My favorite part is when Angel bit Kate in order to protect her. All I have to say is David Boreanaz is one lucky SOB. If I ever had the opportunity to suck the neck of someone as hot as Elisabeth Rohm like that, I wouldn't want to let go. What is shocking is that Angel biting Kate and telling her to play dead in some way leads to her beginning to trust him again throughout the rest of her episodes. Even though there much more happened in this episode, I only felt like writing about the parts I liked.
Angel: Guise Will Be Guise (2000)
Wes grows up
As great as Doyle was, this episode showed why Wesley was better in the area of character development. While a half-demon with visions was great, personality wise, he was pretty much set in stone. Bringing in someone with Wesley's quirks allowed for much more flexibility and creativity in shaping his persona as the series went on. Guise Will Be Guise helped accelerate the changing of Wesley in one direction, and that's in his more manly persona. While we still saw some of his classic goofiness at the onset of pretending to be Angel, he adapted very quickly. Look no further than when he beat up the hooded men at Virginia's bedroom. The old Wes would've either ran or passed out. And it ends up leading to him getting laid. Even after Virginia gets mad at Wesley after finding out he lied about being Angel, he still goes back to help her when he realizes the peril she's in. The way he barges in and says "Release her or die" and the way he fights showed how even just pretending to be Angel instilled in him a sense of manliness and bravery. Then when Virginia asks "Why did you come back?", his answer of "I said I'd protect you" shows how even though the situation was very dangerous, he was going to live up to his word.
Angel: Origin (2004)
That was awesome
For the first time I actually liked seeing Connor. His reaction to Angel beating the hell out of those two demons who attacked his parents could be interpreted in two ways. First, it was just that of a normal late adolescent boy who finds stuff like that cool. Second, it gave off a vibe that no matter how much Connor's memories had changed, somehow he still knew something subconsciously about who he really is. Finding out that Cyvus Vail had set this scenario up in order to bring Connor to Angel made total sense once he mentioned Sahjhan and the prophecy. You almost got the feeling that somehow the 'real' Connor would reappear. The most surprising thing though was the slowly growing connection between Wesley & Illryia. The fact that she helped to rouse Wesley's suspicions even more by saying that Fred's memories had been changed in certain areas. When she hit Angel and said "He doesn't follow you any longer", almost as if she respected Wesley in some way. I got what I was waiting for though when Wes broke the box with the original memories in it. After seeing Connor brought back and kill Sahjhan, I thought all hell was going to break loose. When it was over and he was still acting like the 'fictional' Connor, I was thankful that they wouldn't draw this out. The ending line of "You gotta do what you can to protect your family. I learned that from my father" pretty much said that even Connor knew the truth, he still wanted and preferred the fictional life.
Angel: Shells (2004)
Because I look like her
I'm too sad to talk about the details. I'll just talk about my feelings on the situations. Wes telling Gunn that he didn't feel her die almost made me cry. Knox is a little piece of crap. While we knew that he was more or less responsible for the sarcophagus arriving, the fact that he was, for more or less, Illryia's priest and that he chose Fred made him even more of a schmuck. I was just waiting to see what happened when Wes found out about Gunn being the one who signed the customs release form. We all knew that Dr. Sparrow was involved but not the knew such intimate details about Illryia. SHOW CROSSOVER: The guy that plays Doc Sparrow also plays Ecklie on CSI and I have never liked him. Wes stabbing Gunn was poetic justice in my mind. Wes was shot helping Gunn's friends in season 2 and Gunn was the main catalyst for everyone abandoning Wesley in season 3. Finding out that Fred's soul was destroyed resurrecting Illyria and that she will never be at rest hurt me off more than it made me sad. What's good is that Gunn will now have to live with the pain that he was in someway involved with Fred's death. Knox getting shot and killed by Wes at Illryia's temple was very predictable but still good to see.
Illyria's emotional reaction to her army being destroyed showed that anyone and anything has feelings about something. Her asking Wesley to help teach her to live in this world because she can't go back was almost too much to bear. These 4 lines made me tear up more than anything else in the episode. Illyria: If I abide, you will help me? Wesley: Yes. Illyria: Because I look like her. Wesley: Yes.
Angel: You're Welcome (2004)
The heart still beats....
As Fred said in the season 3 episode 'Fredless', Cordy was the heart of Team Angel. 'You're Welcome' more than confirmed that comment. I was so happy to see Cordy back, even if just for one episode. Cordy's comment on Doyle "Used his last breath to keep on fighting" is so pivotal in this episode and the end of the season. She basically has returned to help put Angel back on the path he walked before Wolfram & Hart. Telling Angel what's what, helping him stop Lindsey(which is so reminiscent of how Doyle died) and helping him feel like a champion again. The best scene was at the end when she finally kissed Angel and said that the PTB owed her one. I was so happy until Angel got the phone call where he found out that Cordy had died. Like most others, I was shocked at how this could have happened but maybe that's what she meant by the PTB giving her that last one. I'm sure I wasn't the only one who thought than when she kissed Angel that she passed the visions on, like Doyle did to her.
Angel: Damage (2004)
Are you kidding me?
Whose idea was it to have that little ponce Andrew in an episode? And of all things, he's a Watcher, let alone Giles' "top man". Andrew makes Wesley on BTVS look like he does in season 5 of Angel. The brown bag lunch with a juice box, the Frodo comment, screeching like a little girl when he sees the dead body while following Spike. David Nabbit, the Dungeons & Dragons guy from 'War Zone', 'To Shanshu in LA' and 'First Impressions' would've been more believable as a watcher than Andrew.
OK now, on to the main part of the story line. A psychotic girl has escaped from a mental asylum and by chance she's one of the potential slayers. To make matters even more fun, she was driven insane from being tortured by the man who killed her family 15 years earlier. Due to the memories of past slayers and what she's seeing mixing in her head, she thinks that man is Spike. And wouldn't you know it, he is the 'vigilante' do-gooder who is tracking her while Team Angel looks for her too. Now she tortures him by drugging him and cutting his hands off before Angel and the strike team manage to subdue her.
Now for the biggest shocker. Andrew stands up to Angel and says he's taking custody of the girl. Of course, he does it with 12 of the new slayers around him. For him to say that the orders came from Buffy, that they don't trust Team Angel anymore because they work for Wolfram & Hart and that they're the enemy now shows how much of a narrow minded bitch Buffy had really become.