Benediction

Benediction
Written by Tim Minear
Directed by Tim Minear

Original Airdate: May 13, 2002

Plot: Holtz encourages Connor to seek out his father and to spend time getting to know him, leading to the two going out on a vampire hunt together. Meanwhile, Lillah tries to sweeten the offer for Wesley to join Wolfram and Hart, Groo grows increasingly frustrated at Cordelia's devotion to Angel and Holtz contacts Justine to perform one final act for him.

Review

Warning: There's no ocean with waves crashing here to muffle the sounds of SPOILERS. So, if you've not yet seen the latest episode of Angel, "Benediction" and want to go in unaware of any of the twists and turns the episode has, I strongly suggest you turn back now.

In short: Good, if you don't think too much about it.

You'd think for someone who is 200+ years old and works as a detective that Angel might be a bit more astute at times. Say for example the final five or so minutes of Benediction as Holtz tells him, "Yeah, sure, I stole your son...but I'm giving him back and here's a unsealed letter that I know you'll read that will explain everything to him."

OK, work with me here...

This guy has spent the last 200 years or so swearing out vengeance upon you. His whole life has been one long vendetta to either kill you or make you suffer. He was encased in stone for over a century so he could reappear now and make your life a living hell. He took your son to a hell dimension because he wants you to suffer so badly. And yet, after years in that hell dimension, he suddenly get out and has found his compassion and gives you back the one thing you've always wanted most.

Yeah, right!

Seriously, Angel...how oblivious are you?!?

Is there anyone out there in the audience who didn't see that ending coming?

The thing was that it was meant to be powerful, shocking and to leave us on the edge of our seats until next week. Sort of like the cliffhanger at the end of Sleep Tight. But instead it just left me sort of cold and feeling like the entire thing had all been a set-up. It also left me with a lot of questions.

We know that Sajahn set up the prophecies that Connor would kill Angel. My big question coming out of this week's development is--how much of that prophecy is Holtz aware of and did he have Justine kill him in such a way to help bring that prophecy to light. If so, how upset do you think Holtz would be to find out that Sajahn had manipulated the prophecy to save his own demon-hide? I guess we'll never really know, unless Holtz appears again as some type of ghost or something like that.

The other major question I've got here--and this is kind of a big one--what did Justine do with all the blood? When a vampire bites into a person's neck, he or she drinks all the blood that would, naturally, come spilling out. Not so with Holtz. Justine cut him in such a way so as to make it look like Angel had fed on him, so we're presuming that there would be a LOT of blood somewhere. So, where was it? And will Connor see it and this make him question if Angel did feed on his father-figure and leave him for dead?

Maybe I just think too much...but I honestly think that these are important things to consider in the final moments of the story--not just the shock value of the ending.

And honestly, I'm left feeling as though we had structured the entire hour around this cliffhanger instead of the entire chain of events leading naturally into the cliffhanger. Again, look at Sleep Tight, that so naturally leads into a cliffhanger and leaves you wanting and anticipating more. But with Benediction, I never really got that feeling and that's a shame. Because we had some interesting ideas coming to the surface, struggling to get out.

And once again, let me just say that the best scenes were those featuring Alexis Denisof. At some point, I'm going to beat this horse to death (many of you would probably argue that I already have), but the scenes with him in them just took on a far greater intensity. The scene in the nightclub with Lillah was absolutely the highlight of the show. The idea that Lillah would give Wes what he wanted--a chance to see Justine get what was coming to her was absolutely perfect. And the question of would Wes not stay or stop and warn her was an intriguing one. And who didn't get chills when Lillah said that she'd won the day because Wes stopped to have to THINK about whether he would do the right thing or not. Absolutely and completely a superlative scene that was the highlight of the entire episode. Again, I say...give the man an Emmy nod. He richly deserves it.

There was also the issue of Connor and his attempts to integrate into our reality. I've got to admit I found this to be a bit all-over the map. The scenes with he and Angel together worked fairly well and the fight scenes were nicely done. And Tim Minear did make a huge point of showing how similar they are. The direction worked on a lot of levels here and Minear did a nice job of setting up and framing things so we could see this. (One scene that struck me was early on when we see both Connor and Angel in the hotel and having the same body language.)

It's just too bad the rest of it didn't work as well from a character stand point.

I know there are some out there who complain about Dawn's mood swings and behavior over on Buffy, but she has nothing on Connor, whose mood seems to change with the breeze. He was all over the place last night--from the rejection by his father-figure in Holtz to his enjoyment of fighting alongside Angel to his scene with Lorne and then trying to kill Cordelia to his desperate run through the city to save his father-figure from his birth-father. I don't mind that we saw many various moods--heck, I'll even give the young man who played Connor a world of credit for pulling all of these off and doing it fairly well--but the mood swings just seemed to come out of left field. It seemed at times like Minear had a lot of really good ideas that might have each been good for a script by themselves, but instead he packed them all into one story-line and, honestly, I think the flow of the episode suffered. Each time a scene would cut to Connor, I almost would ask myself--so what mood will he be in now?

And we finally got some movement forward of the Cordelia/Groo romance. It was nice to see Groo waking up and realizing things and jumping to conclusions. And that last scene between the two of them in the hotel was certainly telling. But, did anyone else feel like this plotline was merely content to tread water? Almost as if we were in a holding pattern so that we can get some really big revelations next week for the season finale?

I have this strange feeling that next week is going to be one of those scripts that is just brimming over with ideas and concepts and plotlines. And I am certain that not everything will be resolved next week.

So, I guess that's about it for now, except a few small things...

--So, Cordelia's new demon powers mean she can rewind within her visions now and enter them when and how she chooses? That's pretty cool. And she can also wacky glow evil out of people? Not so sure about the last one--and I hope it's not a power that we see her have just for this one time. And you've got to wonder if she won't at some point have to use wacky-glow-makes-evil-thoughts-go-away on Angel...

--So, will Sajahn ever re-enter the scene this season? I went in hearing that Holtz was the big bad, but I am more along the lines of wanting more Sajahn. If it's a choice between having a hurried resolution next week or seeing the first third of season four deal with dealing with Sajahn, I vote for the latter.

--At some point, we've got to realize that Angel has got really far off his goal for the show--to fight the good fight and get his humanity restored.

--I guess we've about seen the last of Groo. I liked the scene about subtext between he and Lorne.

--OK, seriously...we've got to move Lorne's plot forward. Give the man something to do besides hang around the hotel!

So, overall, I was a bit disappointed with Benediction. Again, it all felt like a lot of set-up for a cliffhanger and that Angel was merely treading water until it all hits the fan next week. I'm hoping next week ends season three on a strong note...because it's had some good notes in there and I want to see it go out on the same high note it came in.

My rating: 6.5 (out of 10.0)

Next up: Cordelia has a revelation and Connor takes justice and vengeance into his own hands...

"There's going to be danger and violence....you want to come with me?"

--Angel