Are You Now Or Have You Ever Been

Are You Now Or Have You Ever Been
Written by Tim Minear
Directed by

Original Airdate: October 3, 2000

Plot: Angel instructs Cordelia and Wesley to dig into the history of a deserted hotel in downtown L.A.--a hotel with a link to Angel's past.

Review
Warning: If you're paranoid about seeing SPOILERS for the latest episode of Angel, "Are You Now Or Have You Ever Been" then I am telling you in a loud voice to please turn back now. Major SPOILERS are just ahead....
In short: Not exactly what I'd call an "event" episode.

Is it just me or do there seem to be a lot of "event" episode out there on TV today?
Certainly it seems like when any time I tune into the WB or UPN, I am bombarded with promos that proclaim the next episode of a certain series as an "event" thus implying that it's not to be missed .
Part of that is, of course, to generate interest from casual fans to tune into the show despite the stiff competition from other networks. Which is what I think happened in the promo department at the WB this week.
I can understand they are wary of the new FOX series "Dark Angel" and want to do what they can to counterprogram it. So to call an Angel episode an event seemed like a good idea.
I just wish that it'd been a bit more of an "event" episode.
Don't get me wrong. I enjoyed the story and found it interesting in places. But it wasn't quite what I'd hoped for.
And there was certainly a great deal to like in the episode.
The best part was that we saw some continued growth of Angel as a character. After spending last week discovering that Angel can't just go out and save 20 lives in order to become human but it's the quality of those he saves and the investment he makes, it was nice to see that continued growth here. After last week's coda, in which we saw him continue to reach out to rehabilitate Faith, it was interesting to see Angel attempt to make amends for a mistake from his past--this time his turning over the souls of those in the hotel to the demon (whose name I can't remember and would butcher if I even attempted to type it!). I liked the fact that Angel built up the relationship and friendship with the woman who was being hunted for stealing the money (does anyone else think this was a bit of an homage to Psycho in some sense...woman steals money from bank and goes on run, ending up in spooky hotel). I liked seeing the give and take there, especially as Angel serves as a liste! ning ear to her as she unloads her past problems to him.
Also, seeing Angel's anger at being betrayed by her was nicely done. I liked the mob mentality that took over the hotel and led to Angel's hanging in the later stages. And then to see Angel let the entire hotel be taken by the demon for his own purposes was a nice touch.
But I also liked that we saw Angel realize he had to go back and put right what he'd done. To see him look back and try to correct a mistake he made in a fit of anger worked well. And while the twist of having his friend still be there and feeding the demon worked fairly well, it wasn't unexpected enough. Maybe it's just that they did such a good job of keeping Faith's presence in the dark until she appeared last week that this time it seemed like a bit of a stretch for the surprise conclusion.
I will also admit that David Borenaz did a great job in the role of Angel this week. I liked that he was able to give us two different versions of the same character in the episode. Beyond his clothing choice, you could tell which period we were in based on how Angel acted and reacted to events around him. And Angel's obvious determination to stop the demon in the present was a nicely done touch. One scene that stuck out was when he said, "Let's do this" with such a determination but also a bit of bittersweet revenge in his voice. You could almost tell he wanted and needed to confront this old demon from his past in order to get some kind of absolution and forgiveness.
I liked all of that.
What I didn't like were a lot of the side elements.
Certainly the hotel staff and guests were a bit too one-dimensional. We never learned much about them and while I'm sure that was intended, it didn't feel right. Angel and Buffy have both taken conventional plots and looked at them in new ways. And I think the feeling of a hotel murder type story could have been better done. Certainly giving the supporting cast a bit more to do and a bit more character depth might have been in order.
Also, I'm not sure I buy why exactly Angel had Cordy and Wesley do research when he seemed to already know what the demon was and how to defeat it. Maybe it's a bit to get them ready to face the demon and not just call them in to help kill it and have them fall under its spell. But if you follow this logic, then he shouldn't have included Gunn who didn't have the benefit of the research that Cordy and Wesley had done. (Of course, we all know the reason that they had to do it--to provide the audience with the background that was needed to get from 1952 to the present).
As for Gunn, I felt he was not used effectively here. His presence felt like the producers felt they had to use him since he's in the opening credits. Beyond one great line from Cordy about Wesley and Gunn fighting the entire way over, Gunn's presence wasn't really required. And that's a shame since this character has a lot of potential when used well. Certainly as the season progresses we've got to see some character development for him. Or maybe even an episode devoted to Gunn.
I do have to admit that one final thing that struck me as good was the demon's playing on Wesley's uncertainty. That goes back to last year's "I've Got You Under My Skin" and it's nice to see that that just didn't go away or get swept under the rug. It will be interesting to see how this continues to develop.
Well, that's about it for now, except a few minor things...
--Have we previously established in the Buffy/Angel universe that vamps don't photograph? If so, then we've got a major error there. Also, it may still be one based on what little I know of camera equipment from that time and they used mirrors....
--Did anyone else expect to see Kate turn up?
--I liked the demon and that he floated. Certainly that must have made for some interesting challenges while filming.
So, to wrap it up, a nice episode, but not one I'd call an Angel event. There was some good to it but there were also some negatives.
My rating: 7.0 (out of 10.0) Same rating that Judgment got, but this one got it for entirely different reasons.
Next up: Darla is invading Angel's dreams...
"They were like that in the car the whole way over."
--Cordelia

Review Copyright 2000 by Michael T. Hickerson. All Rights Reserved.
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