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revdorothyl at 03:13pm on 30/04/2004 under angel episode commentary
revdorothyl at 03:13pm on 30/04/2004 under angel episode commentaryPart 1
Sorry to be chiming in so late, but I had 34 Anthropology papers to grade and a couple of final exams to write and format between Wednesday night and now (probably should have been working on all that instead of writing silly limericks while waiting for Angel to start, come to think of it). But, if I'm still capable of making any sense at all after beating my head repeatedly against the brick wall of undergraduate writing all day long, here's what I think:
As the title for this entry might suggest, for me the dominant theme of "Time Bomb" was instability and disorientation, not knowing which way is up. We had references to worlds (or ocean liners) turned upside down and misplaced compasses (Gunn), to the vertigo Wes feels when he hears Illyria's words coming from Fred's former mouth, to people becoming unstuck from the flow of time (Illyria, and then Angel), to Illyria's unstable mental and physical state (Angel: "Illyria's blown all her gaskets. She's out of her mind." Spike: "How can you tell? Yesterday she spent two hours mind-melding with a potted fern"), to unstable human minds (see Lorne's diagnosis of Wesley's "full-strength crazy" and "in-patient stare"), and, ultimately, to unexpected reversals as 'villains' act like heroes (Illyria's rescue of Gunn in the first scene) and heroes act like villains (Angel's apparent visit to the dark side in the last scene) for as-yet-unfathomed reasons of their own. (And that's not even mentioning the oddness of Spike explaining Wesley's scientific explanation to Angel, translating Wes-trying-to-be-Fred-talk into Car-talk that they could all understand.) What are we to make of all this?
I. You're Swimming In It
I'd intended to write something on this four days ago, but after seeing this week's episode I've got even more pretty pebbles to add to the design.
While helping students review before their final exam, I likened the experience of living under a successful hegemony to that of a fish in water: if you grow up swimming in it, surrounded by it, you never even notice it's there -- it's all just 'natural' and 'commonsense' and 'the way things are.' This naturally led me back to Lindsey's nod to 'Madge the manicurist' in the old Palmolive ads from two episodes ago: "The Apocalypse, man. You’re soakin’ in it." I'd intended to write something moderately profound (or at least obscure) on this aspect of 'apocalyptic' hegemony, concluding with a wild leap to the function of the "Atavachron" in the classic Star Trek episode "All Our Yesterdays" (to prepare someone to live in the past, altering their body and mind in such a way that the time to which they're sent, with its mindset and biology, becomes 'natural' to them -- without which you can't live in the past for more than a few days without fatal consequences).
Now, though, I can't stop thinking of Illyria's words to Angel, comparing herself (and perhaps those of similarly ancient origins, like the Wolf, Ram, and Hart?) to the ocean in which Angel and his friends are swimming ("Jealous. Plankton envying the ocean that holds them"). Add that in with Gunn's Poseidon Adventure metaphor and our heroes' uncertainty over what this "already in progress" apocalypse means for them, and you've got a rather tasty goulash.
Let's start with Gunn's conversation with squirrelly Wesley early in the episode (after they've agreed that Wes trying to apologize for having stabbed Gunn would just be awkward, and have apparently decided to skip over that):
Obviously we've got references to Spike's 'spinning moral compass' sermon, which he preached to Wes and Gunn in "Soul Purpose" when they came looking to enlist him as understudy for the role of Angel at W&H. Also, a pretty obvious 'heads up!' for Illyria's words to Spike in the next scene, dismissing adaptation as compromise (and therefore infinitely beneath her, we presume): is 'adjustment' just another word for 'complicity' with the hegemonic evil which surrounds you? Hmmm.
The next scene in the boardroom, bringing Gunn up to speed with the "you are here" map of the 'apocalypse,' further develops the idea of the 'secret war' between good and evil (hidden in plain sight) which almost seems as hopeless as punching the air or a fish declaring war on the water:
How will they be able to tell the players without a program, or begin to fight the right foes in the right ways so as to make a positive 'Hurray-for-the-forces-of-Good!' difference in this war? Not long after, Gunn (having just explained why having your heart ripped out on a daily basis but at least knowing where you were was preferable to the "happy family" game based on nothing but lies and hidden horror) asks Angel to tell him where he stands now:
To which Gunn, of course, replies that helping the good and decent Amanda not lose her baby to the Fell Brethren is their next move (or should be). Has Angel lost his compass, we begin to wonder?
[CONTINUED IN NEXT ENTRY]
Sorry to be chiming in so late, but I had 34 Anthropology papers to grade and a couple of final exams to write and format between Wednesday night and now (probably should have been working on all that instead of writing silly limericks while waiting for Angel to start, come to think of it). But, if I'm still capable of making any sense at all after beating my head repeatedly against the brick wall of undergraduate writing all day long, here's what I think:
As the title for this entry might suggest, for me the dominant theme of "Time Bomb" was instability and disorientation, not knowing which way is up. We had references to worlds (or ocean liners) turned upside down and misplaced compasses (Gunn), to the vertigo Wes feels when he hears Illyria's words coming from Fred's former mouth, to people becoming unstuck from the flow of time (Illyria, and then Angel), to Illyria's unstable mental and physical state (Angel: "Illyria's blown all her gaskets. She's out of her mind." Spike: "How can you tell? Yesterday she spent two hours mind-melding with a potted fern"), to unstable human minds (see Lorne's diagnosis of Wesley's "full-strength crazy" and "in-patient stare"), and, ultimately, to unexpected reversals as 'villains' act like heroes (Illyria's rescue of Gunn in the first scene) and heroes act like villains (Angel's apparent visit to the dark side in the last scene) for as-yet-unfathomed reasons of their own. (And that's not even mentioning the oddness of Spike explaining Wesley's scientific explanation to Angel, translating Wes-trying-to-be-Fred-talk into Car-talk that they could all understand.) What are we to make of all this?
I. You're Swimming In It
I'd intended to write something on this four days ago, but after seeing this week's episode I've got even more pretty pebbles to add to the design.
While helping students review before their final exam, I likened the experience of living under a successful hegemony to that of a fish in water: if you grow up swimming in it, surrounded by it, you never even notice it's there -- it's all just 'natural' and 'commonsense' and 'the way things are.' This naturally led me back to Lindsey's nod to 'Madge the manicurist' in the old Palmolive ads from two episodes ago: "The Apocalypse, man. You’re soakin’ in it." I'd intended to write something moderately profound (or at least obscure) on this aspect of 'apocalyptic' hegemony, concluding with a wild leap to the function of the "Atavachron" in the classic Star Trek episode "All Our Yesterdays" (to prepare someone to live in the past, altering their body and mind in such a way that the time to which they're sent, with its mindset and biology, becomes 'natural' to them -- without which you can't live in the past for more than a few days without fatal consequences).
Now, though, I can't stop thinking of Illyria's words to Angel, comparing herself (and perhaps those of similarly ancient origins, like the Wolf, Ram, and Hart?) to the ocean in which Angel and his friends are swimming ("Jealous. Plankton envying the ocean that holds them"). Add that in with Gunn's Poseidon Adventure metaphor and our heroes' uncertainty over what this "already in progress" apocalypse means for them, and you've got a rather tasty goulash.
Let's start with Gunn's conversation with squirrelly Wesley early in the episode (after they've agreed that Wes trying to apologize for having stabbed Gunn would just be awkward, and have apparently decided to skip over that):
Wes: So...what are you looking for?
Gunn: I don't know. A compass, maybe? The thing that killed my friend just saved my life. No one knows why. This place just went 'Poseidon' on my ass. I don't know which way is up.
Wes: Everything is...a bit odd. I suppose we have to adjust. I imagine that's what all this is: adjustment.
Obviously we've got references to Spike's 'spinning moral compass' sermon, which he preached to Wes and Gunn in "Soul Purpose" when they came looking to enlist him as understudy for the role of Angel at W&H. Also, a pretty obvious 'heads up!' for Illyria's words to Spike in the next scene, dismissing adaptation as compromise (and therefore infinitely beneath her, we presume): is 'adjustment' just another word for 'complicity' with the hegemonic evil which surrounds you? Hmmm.
The next scene in the boardroom, bringing Gunn up to speed with the "you are here" map of the 'apocalypse,' further develops the idea of the 'secret war' between good and evil (hidden in plain sight) which almost seems as hopeless as punching the air or a fish declaring war on the water:
Gunn: ...The apocalypse. Still trying to get my head around that one. Lindsey said we're in the middle of it?
Wes: Oh, yes, the thousand year war of good vs. evil is well under way.
Angel: Evil just hasn't told anyone about it, yet, which is probably why they're winning.
Spike: Oh, and by the way? We're apparently on the wrong side....Or the right side, if you like winning.
. . .
Gunn: So what's that mean for us?
Angel: Tell us how we fight an invisible war. I don't even know who we're fighting. All the evil we've stopped so far, and we're still the Partners' number one earner.
How will they be able to tell the players without a program, or begin to fight the right foes in the right ways so as to make a positive 'Hurray-for-the-forces-of-Good!' difference in this war? Not long after, Gunn (having just explained why having your heart ripped out on a daily basis but at least knowing where you were was preferable to the "happy family" game based on nothing but lies and hidden horror) asks Angel to tell him where he stands now:
Gunn: ...Is that all we're doing here? Just hiding the horror?
Angel: No.
Gunn: 'Cause I don't think I can stomach it anymore, not after all that's happened.
Angel: You have to. Listen to me, Gunn. I need you to get through this -- to get through all of it -- so we can figure out the big picture, plot our next move.
To which Gunn, of course, replies that helping the good and decent Amanda not lose her baby to the Fell Brethren is their next move (or should be). Has Angel lost his compass, we begin to wonder?
[CONTINUED IN NEXT ENTRY]
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