The Price

The Price
Written by Jeffrey Bell
Directed by Michael Grossman

Original Airdate: April 29, 2002

Plot: Everything in life has consequences...one of the consequences of reading this review without having seen the latest episode of Angel, "The Price" is that you'll see massive SPOILERS. If you haven't seen it yet and don't want to know what happens going in, turn back now. As with most of the last five or so episodes of Angel, seeing it unaware makes it a lot more fun....

Review

In short: Did exactly what was needed...well, except for one plotline.

If a TV drama is going to go serialized, you have to make sure a lot of really compelling elements are in place that make a viewer anxious to tune back in next week. There are a lot of shows over the years that have done this for me. Obviously Buffy is one of them, but you've also got such genre shows as Babylon Five, Farscape and Deep Space Nine. All of these knew how to tell an on-going story in exactly the right way--give you just enough to keep you satisfied but leave you with enough questions that you want to tune in next week for me. Of course, an important part of this equation is that you have to answer the questions you raise in a way the audience can understand, accept and most importantly understand. (If you want to see an example of a show with an internal mythology gone wrong by not giving the audience satisfying resolution, just watch the X-Files as any point past season six...or better yet, tune in to the final three episodes that I am sure will have me tearing my hair out.)

And in season three, Angel is rising to the ranks of a Buffy or Deep Space Nine in that it's doing the serialized drama very well. Events in one episode are long-term and, as a fan, I really like that. It's nice to be rewarded for long-time viewer ship of a show and all the set-up and pay-off in the last five or so episodes of Angel has been nicely done. Yes, we had a a bump in the road last week--but in the long-term emotional arc of the show, it was an important bump in the road. And it was important because Joss Whedon, David Greenwalt and company were willing to take an episode that allowed us to view Angel's struggle with grief and the loss of Connor and how he was working to try and put the pieces of his life back together. Sure the A-plot was dull as dishwater, but then again, following an instant classic like "Forgiving" is a tough act to follow.

And so it was with a great deal of joy that I returned to Angel this week, expecting and hoping for the best. And for the most part, "The Price" hit all the right notes.

It's also a hard episode to review.

Why you ask?

Because of the impact the final five or so minutes really had. There was a lot of moving plotlines forward and setting things in motion for the final run of episodes this year, but we don't know how it all pays off just yet. So, it's hard to really judge the episode on that basis--other than saying, boy they sure got it right and made me anxious to see more.

Character-wise I liked just about everything that went on here.

Back in season four of Babylon Five, J. Michael Stracynski was challenged to write an episode that was as compelling as all the action stories he'd done but simply concentrated on the give and take drama between characters. Stracysnki stepped up to the plate and delivered an episode that was character driven and just as strong--if not stronger--as anything Babylon Five ever gave us. The central dynamic was that there were duos who played off each other and did so extremely well.

And as I watched "The Price" I was strongly reminded of that.

We got a lot of work from duos.

First up, we had the confrontation that I'd been on the edge of my seat to see since Cordy got back last week--Cordy and Angel. The idea that Angel needs to confront his feelings on Connor's being taken wasn't exactly mind-boggling. But the idea that Cordy has some issues she needs to resolve about the whole thing was nicely done too. As I've said before, I sense a very strong big-brother/little-sister type of dynamic between the two of them and it was certainly on display. It also goes back to my assertion that Angel didn't call Cordelia in the midst of his blood-lust to do get vengeance and bring Connor back because he knew deep down she is the one person who can legitimately call him on it and would do so. The early scene in the hotel lobby between them both was superbly done--from a writing standpoint, an acting standpoint and from the direction used in that scene. I know that I bought into the idea that Angel and Cordy romantically linked might be a good idea--well, until Groo was brought in--and based on seeing this, I still see that some embers are there, but it's moved back to the brother/sister thing that worked so well early-on.

The next duo we get is the Gavin/Lillah duo. I'd honestly begun to wonder just where Gavin has slithered off to and when I say Daniel Day-Kim's name in the credits, I got very, very hopeful. My hope was paid off. Boy, Gavin is a slippery creature to say the list. I love watching him beat Lillah at her own manipulative game--the same game she pulled on Lindsay. It's easy to be the second in command and to do the right things when you can make someone else look foolish. But it gets harder when you're the big dog and have giant target on your back. And once again, Gavin is more than willing to take potshots at Lillah. And boy, does he hit home time and again. Gavin has the ability to think things through to the most minute level of detail in ways that Lillah isn't. (And she used to). Seeing her dawning realization that the senior partners would be mad if Angel dies as the result of the bugs and then taking steps to avoid it was nicely done. And seeing her trumped by Gavin after doing what she thought was the best thing to save herself and her job was superbly done. I almost wanted to jump and say, "Boy, it's sure different when the shoe is on the other foot isn't it?" After seeing all of this, I've got to wonder just how much longer Lillah will be an asset to Wolfram and Hart. Certainly she wants to kill Angel and that may interfere with the long-term plans they have.

Another interesting duo was Wesley and Gunn. Seeing the two romantic rivals and their conversation was superb. And wow...let me just say it again--Alexis Denisof needs an Emmy nod. He was only in a few scenes as Wesley, but they made me sit up and take notice. The raw emotion he brought to his speech with Gunn about the only thing that kept him alive was getting to see his friends and explain what he did and not being cut off was superbly done. And then to hear him tell Gunn that'd help only out of his loyalty to and love for Fred. And the final comment that Wes would this time but to not come to him for help again was chilling.

But the other interesting part was Gunn's thought process. Knowing that he could go to Wes for help and finding the right strings to pull to save Fred, that all worked. (And on a side note, Gunn's desperation to do whatever it took to save Fred rang so much more emotionally true than did all of last week's mushy professions of love...at least for me!). Also, seeing Gunn begin to understand just what Angel had gone through and why he'd done it.

However, there was one character plotline development that left me cold--and if you're a long time reader of my reviews, this one will not come as a huge shock to you. Yes, I was not so thrilled by the wacky Three's Company like direction this plotline took this week. (Of course, as I thought about it, and how's Three Company like this entire Cordy/Groo thing has been...maybe that's appropriate.) Groo overhears Cordy saying that Angel is the only thing that matters and takes it out of context and then reads things into other events. Sorry, but it just didn't thrill me and it seems that Groo has been so able to speak anything on his mind that he'd bring this up to Cordy earlier than he did. Plus, she must have explained to him the depth of friendship and caring she and Angel share--heck, the man went to a demon dimension to bring her back. Yet Groo didn't feel overly jealous about that...so why start here? Honestly, it bothered me most because like much of this relationship, it didn't feel real. And that's a shame because there is, actually, potential there for the audience to care about it. (And based on how little I care for this plotline, that's a big admission for me.)

And while the main plotline of the bugs was interesting and I like that Angel is dealing with long-term consequences to actions, I'm not so sure if I liked the bugs that glow in the dark thing. It seemed too much like a page out of Pitch Black--a movie I only honestly watched for the Claudia Black (Aeryn from Farscape) goodness. So this plotline didn't thrill me that much. I never understood why it was these bugs that came out to do their damage. Maybe they'll get to explaining this next week.....though based on what we saw as the cliffhanger, I think there are going to be other more pressing issues to resolve.

As for who the hinted at Destroyer was--a mystery that really only lasted five minutes of screen time--it was no huge shock to me. I figured that it would be Connor and I was proved right. But I will say this--despite calling that it was Connor when they said the Destroyer is coming, I was still on the edge of my seat. And the look on Angel's face at seeing the Destroyer come through and then his announcement that he's here to kill his father was superbly done. And it did what it was intended to do--make me WANT to see the next episode ASAP!

So, I guess that about wraps it up except for a few small things...

--So, Groo is a good color co-ordinator? A genuinely funny moment. I like seeing Groo as the fish out of water and being more than we expect of mid-evil dimension boy.

--Fred's continued desire to help Wesley is interesting. You've got to wonder if there might not be some unresolved feelings for Wes brewing there under the surface.

--So, there's a whole wing of the hotel that is never used...and it could be turned into a place for the Host? Not entirely unexpected, I guess. And it'd be nice to see Lorne have the karaoke bar back...(Dear God, am I actually typing that?!? I never thought I'd say it!)

All-in-all, "The Price" was exactly what it needed to be character-wise. Plot-wise it left some things to be desired, but I am afraid I can't judge it too favorably or too harshly just yet. I'm going to wait and see where all of this goes from here. Based on what we've seen, it's going to be a wild ride to the end of season three...

My rating: 7.5 (out of 10.0)

Next up: Connor's back...and he is really unhappy with his father. Boy, did the preview look GREAT!