To Shanshu in L.A.

To Shanshu in L.A.
Written and directed by David Greenwalt

Original Airdate: May 23, 2000

Plot: Wolfram and Hart conjure up a demon from the underworld to fulfill a prophecy, retrieve the scroll Angel stole and take out Angel. The demon starts by giving Cordy non-stop visions and destroying Angel Investigations headquarter...

Review

Warning: If your definition of Shanshu means avoiding SPOILERS, then I suggest you turn back now. There are major SPOILERS just ahead for the first season finale of Angel, "To Shanshu in L.A."....

In short: A nice wrap-up that sets up some ground work for next year.

In the past couple of weeks, both of Joss Whedon's series have mirrored other popular series in terms of their overall arcs. With Buffy, there were a lot of similarities in the way the season ended to the HBO hit drama, "The Sopranos." Namely, the entire season-long action arc ended and was followed up by a surreal, dream-like coda to end the year.

On "Angel" we got a lot of plot threads coming together and a general sense of excitment about the final run of episodes and how it is building up to next year. I found this to be very similar to the way some events played out on the WB's "Roswell."

It's been an interesting run of episodes for "Angel." And it all culminated with this week's offering, "To Shanshu in L.A." And in following the tradition of Buffy, we got an episode written and directed by one of the series creators--in this case by David Greenwalt.

There was a great deal to like about "To Shanshu in LA" Probably the biggest plus to the entire episode was how many characters were included and how they all got a moment to shine. "Angel" has spent a lot of time this year building up the supporting cast and I am intrigued to see how these supporting characters will develop next year.

We got to see Kate and got a check in our her rage at Angel. Certainly this hasn't diminished and on one hand I like where this storyline has gone. On the other, I have to agree with Angel that it's time for her to move on beyond it. It's a bit of a disservice to her character because it robs her of the sophistication she had before. What was once a more three-dimensional character has now turned into a one-note on. Kate shows up at crazy crime scenes, sees Angel, makes rude remarks, moves on. It certainly seems as if she's stuck in a rut and I can understand how that might be with the death of her father. But I want to see the grieving process move foward. Also, she's got to realize that at some point she's going to have to trust Angel. Three weeks ago, we saw her fury at him when he was harboring Faith. Certainly, she should have seen that through Faith's interaction with him that she might be wrong in her quick assumptions about Angel. Certainly he's shown himself to be an ally and friend long before she found out he was a vampire. Her predjuice, initially, made a great deal of sense, but it's seeming to be misplaced. Or it's more along the lines of the writers want to keep it going as long as possible because it brings more tension in. Certainly it has, but it's getting a bit old. And I've got to hope she heed Angel's advice and moves on. I want the three-dimensional character that I liked so much early this year back.

And we got check-ins with other characters we've come to know over the past three weeks. Certainly, I found the millionaire's wandering around outside Angel Investigations to be a bit suspect. It makes me wonder what he was doing there...if there was an alterior motive. I don't think this was brought up, but it could have been. Due to storms, my cable cut off twice for intervals of about 10 seconds and I might have missed this detail.

And we also got some time with our favorite lawyer, Lindsay. Personally, I'm not sure if I see how his crisis of conscience really affected him last week. Certainly it gave us some insight into his character. But this week, he seemed a bit more one-note. Certainly now that Angel has chopped off his hand, he will have yet another reason to want to destroy our favorite vampire. But I think a bit more of the shades of gray we saw last week might have helped. I like the character but I'm not sure where they're going with him.

But, while we did get a lot of supporting character time, the lion's share of the story went to the trio we've come to know and love.

Certainly we got a lot of Cordelia. It's been interesting to watch her grow this year. She's gone from the selfish girl we saw on Buffy to one who truly cares about Angel and Wesley. Indeed, the scenes where she felt more horror about Angel's prohecied death and the need to make him want something were nicely done. I also liked seeing her go and try to find Angel a hobby. I'm not sure he'd be too taken with painting, but it was a funny moment. Also, seeing that Cordy can still go to excess (making the vendor's day by buying what looked to be one of everything) was amusing.

But what also worked was the fact that after being put through an ordeal like she had, instead of being selfish and complaining, "poor me" that her focus was on how can they help the souls still out there to be saved. I really, really thought that was a major step forward for her as a character. Certainly it's a stark contrast from the "why me?" attitude she had earlier this year when Doyle first transferred his power to her. I can't wait to see how this continues to develop next year.

And while we got some moments with Wesley, there wasn't as much here for him. I can't really complain as he's been given a great deal to do the past few weeks. But I will say that I enjoyed Alexis Denisof's performance yet again. Wesley no longer seems as jarring or out of place as he once did. And his desparation to translate the scrolls came across nicely as did his obvious eagerness at finding out exactly what Shanshu means.

Which leaves us now with the star of the show.

Certainly I got the feeling that Joss and Greenwalt were addressing the main dillemia the series has faced since the beginnng. Angel is stuck at one age and can't change. As Cordy said, he's gone through it all. I liked the fact that they've introduced a way for Angel to change and become the way he was before Darla changed him. To do what he's wanted to do for a while, grow old and pass away. I liked the fact that the entire episode dealt with that issue. And how we saw that Angel has accepted it and that he won't get upset that he can't change, such as Cordy did. Also, the smile of satisfaction on his face after he finds out he can change was nicely done. No whoops of joy, but instead the look of a man content to face the future and whatever it holds. Certainly I don't think all the prophecy will come true--nor should it. But I do like how Angel reacted to it.

In many ways, I was reminded of the Becoming. Namely in the episode Angel was forced to take on a demonic foe and kept having his means of support taken away. He lost Kate, then the street gang, then Cordy and Wesley. In the end, in order to save his friends, he had to fight the good fight, alone. Certainly I won't go out and say the consequences were as heart-shattering as Buffy's in Becoming. But we did see Angel go through a similar type of arc.

With all of this character development going on, you'd almost forget that this was a plot-driven season finale...

Almost.

I liked the fact that Wolfram and Hart want the scroll back. I certainly found the efforts to eliminate Angel to be well done. The plotline with the demon from down below (not Australia!) certainly kept the suspense going. I do, however, wish they'd called him up a couple of weeks ago. Or had him be a threat longer. I know it'd be harder to do, but then again it would have made the final battle between he and Angel that much more compelling. As it was, I found myself far more intrigued by the battle of wills between Angel and Lindsay than I did in the final battle between Angel and the demon (which again reminded me of the famous sword fight between Buffy and Angelus in Becoming, Part 2).

As for the decision to raise Darla, I like it as a cliffhanger, but that's all I'll say. Certainly the pull back shocked me and got my interest up for next year. The question is where will they go with this and how will it affect Angel. And you've got to imagine that at some point Buffy will hear about it and want some revenge as well. After all, Darla did threaten Buffys' mom way back in season one of Buffy. (As if we could forget)

So, that about wraps it up for now. I liked a lot of "To Shanshu in L.A." but there were some niggling things that stuck out. Part of it may have been that it was so "conventional" in comparison to Buffy. But it's a good wrap up to a nicely done first year....

My rating: 7.5 (out of 10.0)

Next up: A long summer of repeats until October. Also look for my year-end wrap up review of the entire first season to come in the coming weeks. But don't hold your breath..I've gotta rewatch the entire season first...