Angel

PJz Shallowfeed: The Cautionary Tale of Numero Cinco (AtS 5x06)

Episode written and directed by Jeffery Bell

FINALLY an answer to "what’s up with the guy in the Mexican wrestling mask?" And I still say if that mask were solid black it could easily pass as an S&M mask. (Not that *I* have any experience in that regard.)

Lorne: Not in the episode much. Guess he’s still recovering from having his sleep removed. Still, he’s looking fabulous --- guess Pyleans don’t show fatigue the way more pale pasty faced folks (like myself) do. I’m partial to Lorne in a white sports coat. Gee… now I feel like singing. "A white sports coat and a pink carnation…." Guess he kinda brings that out in me. (Not really his era though. Hey, you know, it took almost all week to get both "I Will Survive" and "Don’t Leave Me This Way" outta my head. Disco be damned!)

LORNE: Fred, sweetie. You’re sorta like a woman.

FRED: Oh. That’s not a compliment.

LORNE: Well, more so than el cid here. And I need some insight: you’re an aging [sex pot and celebrating a decade of turning 29. You got two little rug rats that aren’t that little, a husband who thinks the extras trailer is a buffet table and… well… gravity, ain’t doing you any favours. So: Happy birthday sexy momma or---]

FRED: I heard. Don’t send a card. Don’t mention her birthday. Send a big bunch of flowers just because she’s special and perfect and eternally bladdy-blah.

LORNE: Staring me right in the face. Genius.

FRED: And I’m a lot like a woman.

LORNE: You’re all woman. You’re every woman. You’re Wonder Woman.

FRED: Damn straight.

Fred: I like Fred’s hair better up. But who notices her hair when she’s wearing those short skirts. AA is all leg, I tell you.

Angel: I like DB without the suit jacket. He looks SO much better with just a slick shirt --- particularly black, with or without a bit of pattern, I’m not fussy *eg* --- and with just a touch of smooth golden chest skin peeking through. I’m sorry… what was I saying???

Oh! Can’t forget his shoes. Now I don’t know whether it was just the stunt guy (since Angel typically wears a basic black oxford), but he seemed to be wearing a bit of a trendy pair of black and red casuals that one might expect to find at Gravity Pope. Nah… just the stunt guy.

And speaking of Angel’s stunt double, he looks more like Wesley. Think it’s the hair (and there was at least one scene in the office where Angel had just crazy hair. I think they’ve stopped straightening it).

ANGEL: Is that blood?

GUNN: Yeah. But it’s OK. It’s yours.

ANGEL: And how is that OK.

GUNN: Demon law requires blood signatures on all legal documents. Your Herbie Hancock here, locks and loads these docs then I take ’em into court and fire ’em away.

Gunn: I still think he looks better in warm tones but I think he got by far the best lines of the episode.

I REALLY liked Gunn in this one and it’s so nice to see him proud of what he’s accomplishing. Maybe this is JAR’s big pay-off season, since last year he didn’t have much of a storyline (in spite of all his on-screen sex scenes). He was more of an attachment to Fred and Gwen. Hmm… maybe attachment wasn’t the best choice of word. Still, I’m trying to convince myself that they won’t have him be the Big Evil this season since they pretty much did that with one of the gang last season.

GUNN: Look, I know legal weasels and business deals aren’t as heroic to you as rescuing young honeys from tumescent trolls but I love what we do.

Think Gunn pretty much hit the nail on the head on that one --- well, at least the part about Angel being all about the saving of hot young honeys. I don’t think that’s what he used to be about, but somewhere along the way he (or is it ME) seems to have gotten a little lost or distracted by the eye-candy.

GUNN: In house attacks are down 30% this week.

Wesley: I can happily say he was almost clean shaven this week and in spite of the dim lighting his eyes shone. Honestly, AD has the most beautiful eyes. (Sure JM can express things with his without saying a word, but AD... *sigh*) In fact, I was so completely taken with them, I never even noticed the first time around what a big narrow-minded jerk he was being to Spike about the Shanshu. (How the hell do YOU know a the ghost of a vampire with a soul can’t Shanshu, Wesley? OK, I’ll give you that the whole thing sounds quite ridiculous, but this is TV so anything is possible. *g*)

WESLEY: Police are on it but my sense is it’s more demonic than some murderous nut job.

SPIKE: So we’re ruling out demonic nut jobs then are we.

Spike: Has he been stuck with some residual effects of Lorne’s "will be done" spell (or whatever the heck you want to call it thing) from last week? These moments of cheerful positivism are… well, odd. Sometimes they’re funny --- but not always "funny, ha ha".

Miscellaneous Bits: OK, someone PLEASE explain the increase in bathroom humour in this season’s AtS. There was the thing about Spike making fun of Gunn’s … ah… parts in the bathroom. Then Gunn was urinating all over the place --- plus all the jokes made surrounding that awkward situation. Now we’ve got Spike mocking the elderly with incontinence issues. I don’t get it. (And what’s more, I’m bothered by the fact that I’m finding those moments to be amongst the funniest parts of these episodes.)

LORNE: Word on the Web has you sucker punching Grampa Moses.

ANGEL: The Web

LORNE: Don’t sweat it honey-buns, I’ve got my flak catcher spinning this into PR gold. Once word spreads that you beat up an innocent old man, the truly terrible will think twice about going toe to toe with our Avenging Angel.

SPIKE: Yes, the geriatric community will be soiling their nappies when they hear you’re on the case. Bravo.

And then there was that bit about Spike’s parts…

SPIKE: Can’t drink… smoke… diddle my willy.

Now please, someone explain that one to me. (No, not that.) I mean, if Spike can lift coffee cups and wander around clutching that awful duster to his body, why can’t he clutch and lift… well, um... his body??? I gotta figure, since it’s all a matter of focusing and will and all, that Spike’s just got to want to do it. Right?

I think Wolfram & Harts books are just so darned practical --- just ’cause they’re evil, doesn’t mean they don’t have fantastic ideas. Instead of entire libraries, Wes just needs a few volumes and the magic words.

What was up with the Spanish lines? (or at least their translations): "Let’s dance, milkmaid"??? "You ballerinas still wanna waltz?" ???

Interesting that they had Holland Manners recruit that guy --- who I assume didn’t always work in the mail room.

Why did the brothers have to dig their way out of their graves but they just faded away at the end???

Famous last words???

ANGEL: Nobody asks us to go out and fight, to put our lives on the line. We do it because we can, because we know how. We do it whether people remember us or not. In spite of the fact that there’s no shiny reward at the end of the day…

On the Promo: Had to snigger.

SPIKE: Shh... Don’t talk. I have to concentrate.