Soulless/Calvary

Soulless & Calvary
Written by Sarah Fain & Elizabeth Craft, Jeff Bell & Steven DeKnight & Mere Smith
Directed by Sean Austin, Bill Norton

Original Airdate: February 5 & 12, 2003

Plot: With the return of Angelus, the gang tries different tactics to get information on the Beast from him. However, Angelus's knowledge is limited and may not be helpful to stopping the Beast, leading the gang to try and put Angel's soul back into him for the coming battle. When the vampire's soul disappears, the group must find a new way to restore the vampire to his former self. Meanwhile, Angelus stirs up things among the members of Angel Investigations, leading to revelations, fights and a break-up.

Review

Warning: If you've not yet seen the last two episodes of Angel, "Soulless" and "Calvary" I strongly recommend you turn back now. There are some HUGE plot twists and I think it would be far more fun to go in unaware of them. And I am going to SPOIL them big-time in the paragraphs ahead....

In short: One good and one great episode.

As most of you know, two weeks ago I was pretty irritated with Angel. So much so that I gave the episode the lowest ranking I've given to either Buffy or Angel in a long, long time. And I'll be honest--after the "it was all just a dream" episode, I was ready to throw in the towel.

About the only thing that kept me hanging on was knowing that Angelus was back and he wasn't going away quickly. Over the years, I've seen the absolute relish and gusto that David Boreanaz has for playing Angelus. It's one of his strengths--along with his ability to be brooding for endless amounts of time. And so, I have to admit that I tuned into these last two episodes not hoping for much, not expecting much, maybe not even really caring too much.

If you read my reviews each year, you know that I seem to get like this with Angel every year. I think that somewhere it's written that at least one third of the episodes in a season need to be lackluster to make us appreciate the other ones. It's almost as if the show will lose it's way from time to time, following too many plot threads and not dwelling on the really interesting ones. Last year, we got that with Gru. This year, it's been so much with Connor (who I feel needs to find a way to leave the show and soon.)

But, like I said, the last two weeks have gone a long way toward restoring my faith.

Becuase these last two episodes have done what Angel should do--be daring, be different and take chances.

And it also brought a lot of simmer plotlines to a boil and in a great way. It also brought some things into focus and raises some interesting issues for the rest of the season.

First of all, in one small scene, an entire half of a season of what appeared to be weak and inconsistent characterization may have been clearned up. I'm referring, of course, to the final scene of "Calvary" with Cordelia. Holy cow!?! Did anyone see that one coming? I sure didn't. For Cordy to be evil is such a huge and interestng twist that I am, quite frankly, upset that we have to wait three weeks for this story to continue. But it also does a lot toward explaining a lot of things. After considering what this might mean, I am hopeful now. Hopeful that this is not our Cordelia, but actually the Big Bad who is control of the Beast. If it is, it explains so much. It explains why Cordy hasn't acted quite right for the past few weeks. It explains why she'd sleep with Connor. It explains why she'd so callously dump Angel only to leap into bed with Connor. It explains EVERYTHING. And it puts a new twist on the whole season. Hot damn, this is good stuff.

Because I'll be the first to admit I thought Cordy was back. But now I am not so sure. I think she's still up with the powers. And this isn't really her. Is it maybe some type of crossover with Buffy--some link to the First? Or is it an evil sent to derail the Powers That Be by having Angel go Angelus. After all, he does figure pretty prominently in what we've heard about the predictions of the coming apocolopyse. So, I can imagine there is some evil force out there who'd rather him not be on anyone's side in this. So, let's bring on Angelus and let him wreak vengeance.

Also, Angelus has been a huge distraction to the crew of Angel Investigations.

Not only in worrying about brining him back and the angst that goes with that. But also that he's occupied their time with his soul being stolen and his ability to play on the fears and emotions that are boiling just below the surface. He's put wedges between Wes and Gunn, Wes and Fred, Fred and Gunn, Connor and everyone. He's got everyone so distracted by their fears and the shame of being discovered that they can't focus as much on finding out how to stop the demon. It's because of this that it becomes more interesting that Lilah, an outsider, is the one who finds the text that gives us information on the Beast. It's Lilah, who is not part of Angelus's games that discovers the Beast has had all mention of it and how to defeat it stricken from our dimension. It's only when Lilah comes into the fold and becomes a player that things get a bit distracted for her. So much so that she actually comes to ally herself with the group and ends up paying the ultimate price for it.

I also have to admit that I'm glad to see Wolfram and Hart are gone. They certainly were fun, but it's good to see that get some resolution. And it also opens the door to a whole new source of evil to come next year (should we be granted a fifth season of the show).

But, for now, we've got some huge problems. And it should be a heck of a ride to see how they all come out.

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

--The only bad part about "Soulless" was Connor's whining. I am so sick of it. Even Dawn isn't this bad.

--Loved seeing Wes make a move on Fred and the fight between Wes and Gunn.

--I figured somehow Angelus would be manipulating the group into thinking his soul was back, but I never figured Cordy would be behind it. Never once crossed my mind.

--So, who did Angelus trick Lorne into seeing him as souled?

--Have I mentioned that Connor needed to be the victim instead of Lillah?

--So, now Angelus is free but not happy since L.A. is not full of "Happy Meals with legs" (as Spike once put it). Will this cause him to actually help the gang?

--Have I mentioned I HATE long hiatuses just as the show gets interesting? At least it's not like last year when we had six long weeks. But dang, it's gonna be a long wait to March!

So, that's about it for now. I have to admit I'm back on board with Angel. And I'm ready for more.

My ratings:
Soulless--8.0
Calvary--9.5

Next up: In three weeks, Faith is back...can I get a "woo-hoo"?!? Until then, I shall have to be content exploring the season one DVD set. See you in three weeks!