Supersymmetry

Supersymmetry
Written by Elizabeth Craft & Sarah Fain
Directed by Bill Norton

Original Airdate: November 3, 2002

Plot:After her article is published in a prestigious physics journal, Fred is invited to speak at a seminar where she runs into an old professor she greatly admired. During her presentation, Fred is attacked by a being from another dimension and soon figures out that her old professor hides a dark secret--one that explains how Fred got trapped in Pylea. Meanwhile, Connor and Cordy continue to grow closer....

Review

In short: Half the story was good, the other half was bad.

Joss Whedon, we need you.

I have extremely high hopes that next week's episode--from the pen of Joss Whedon, will put an end to the insanity that has been the first third of season four. I've always joked with people that somehow, each year, Angel finds a way for at least one third of the season to leave you scratching your head, going--what went wrong here? This show is usually so good--how can it be this pedestrian? In season one, we had it right after Doyle died and the show spent a few episodes finding a new voice. In season two, it was the wrapping up of the main season arc six weeks before the end of the season so that the show could be a contrast to the darkness taking place over on Buffy. In season three, it was the final run of episodes, after building a strong first half of the season. And that may be why, so far, I'm so frustrating with season four--because season three slouched to the finish line and so far, in all of season four, there hasn't been much of a glimmer of hope that the storylines will return to their old form.

I think I've said over the past few weeks that there's been a lot of things wrong with Angel--a lack of focus, a lack of development in some characters, an overall feeling like we're treading water. There are a lot of things very wrong with Angel right now, but the frustrating part is that there's a lot that could potentially be interesting.

I have to admit a large part of me blames this on the apparent behind the scenes fracas that went on over the summer. First of all, the show loses one of the two men who not only helped created the series, but has been with the character of Angel in David Greenwalt. Then, we lose another guiding voice as Tim Minear moves over to work on Firefly (a good fit, since so far his two scripts for Firefly have thrilled me more times over than ANYTHING he ever did for Angel. I think he's found a show that really reflects his voice and the stories he wants to tell and I'm all for seeing him continue to grow and offer more.) Then we had a producer who came in, worked for several weeks and found the stories too muddled and left. I have this strange feeling the first six or so episodes of the season come from his guidance and leadership and they are disjointed and overly complex. Please don't misunderstand me--I like the complex, intriguing mythology that Angel has and how it's carved out it's own little corner of the Buffy-verse. But the first six or so episode have screamed for someone to please take control and take charge of this thing before it spirals completely out of control.

Enter Joss Whedon, who is writing and directed next week's episode. And he's taken over day to day running of Angel. I think we're slowly seeing his stamp come back to the show, but it's going to take time. I have high hopes that next week will do a lot of things to rescue Angel from the downward spiral that has been season four. Honestly, the Joss episode cannot come soon enough--and based on what I've read in interviews, it sounds like Angel is poised to become really good, really quickly again. And I can't wait.

But in the meantime, we have to wait and get episodes like this week's story, Supersymmetry.

Which is wasn't that Supersymmetry was really that bad. But it just wasn't really that good. It had two very different plotlines--and that was a huge problem. One of them worked well on a lot of levels and the other just was empty and left me cold. (And if you're a regular reader of these reviews, you probably will not be shocked at which had me screaming in frustration).

But let's deal with the positive first. I have to admit that on paper, the idea that Fred would find her old mentor and then find out--hey, by the way, he sent you to your version of hell was particularly intriguing. And while there wasn't a lot of new ground broken here--indeed, the motivation that the professor sent her to Pylea because he felt threatened by her intelligence was one I saw coming a mile away--it's what the storyline did for the character of Fred that really worked for me. A few weeks ago, we saw Fred break down because she felt she like was expected to hold the gang together and she couldn't take that anymore. So, to see that continued here worked very well. Fred feels she has to hold it all together for Angel and Gunn, which is why her choice to run to Wesley for help worked so well.

Wesley is now an outsider--no longer part of the group. But he is also the one who would understand being betrayed and hurt and would be willing to help Fred. Seeing the steps he went through--even driving Fred where she needed to go and giving her the spell to send her professor to a demon dimension was nicely done. Indeed, if there's been one bright spot in the past five or so weeks, it's been Alexis Denisof who just takes any material he's given and runs with it. Sure, he's not quite on the same level that James Marsters is over on Buffy--but then again, who is? But he does very well with all the material given and he's really made Wes's journey from the center of the group to the disillusioned outsider one that I've enjoyed taking.

Seeing Fred want to go vengeance on her professor was nicely done--and there were some good lines in there, but I don't think this plotline worked as well as it should have, simply because I couldn't buy the emotional range Amy Acker is trying to play. Acker is trying her best with what she's given, but she was far more believable last year as flighty, out of her head Fred than she is here. Yes, I can buy that the character is angry and upset but the lines she's given to deliver, but no where in her performance did I feel the edge or dramatic intensity that this storyline really needed or deserved. If anything, it felt like Acker was phoning her performance in and it took me out of a lot of the scenes that featured Fred--which were many in this one--and that diminished what the story was trying to do.

Please don't get me wrong--she did some good work. The early scenes of Fred's giddiness at her article being published and her awkward non-joke, joke all worked well. It was just after that that things kind of went downhill.

What I found the most intriguing from this plotline was what they tried to do with Gunn. For most of the episode, we see Gunn befuddled and feeling left out of Fred's world--she's written a paper that he has no frame of reference for understanding, but he wants to try. He doesn't want her to go to the dark side and become all about vengeance since he knows that this will destroy her. I can only wonder what come of the news that she went to Wesley for help if and when that comes out. In the end, it's Gunn who must resort back to be a hunter and taking out vengeance in order to save Fred. He's back to the way we saw him when we first met him--violence is the solution to the hard problems in life. Gunn's killing of the professor was extremely shocking and a great move by the story. And while I'm sure to Gunn's mind that may have kept Fred from feeling guilt and being overwhelmed by becoming an inflictor of vengeance, it hasn't made things better. Now they both have guilt--Gunn that he did what he did and Fred that she wanted to, couldn't, but still had Gunn do it. And again, she went to Wes--so she used Wes for her own purposes. She knew full well how Wes felt and she took advantage of it.

Which is pretty much a common theme for the women in Wes's life. Though there was a sharp contrast here between Fred and Lillah. Seeing Lillah come to Wes with a peace offering was very well done. But also seeing her jealous of Fred and the past connection and affection that Wes still has played out well also. I did find myself wondering if Wes had set her up. He left the magazine out on the table and it was folded down to the Fred's article. Was that to lure Lillah there and thus ensure her confrontation with Angel? Did Wes think something might happen? Is he keeping an unnatural eye on Fred? All of these are interesting questions and hopefully some that we'll see answered as the story unfolds.

As for the whole Conner/Cordelia/Angel triangle, the sooner this thing ends the better. Joss, if you're listening--please, please, please push the rest button on this one and do it fast. It's not even remotely interesting and it's creepy as all get out.

I think part of my problem with this is that it was so much better done on Farscape with the D'argo/Chiana/Jothee love triangle. Part of the reason it worked so well was that the D'argo finding his son Jothee, who then ends up falling for his lover, Chiana and that leading to some tensions, was because it had a bit more time to unfold. Also that and Chiana wasn't a mother like figure to Jothee in his youngest days.

And, of course, I think we can see where this is heading. Conner is rebelling against daddy, so what better way than taking away the woman he loves?

Honestly, it's a bit too soap opera like for my liking. This is one plotline that Joss could end and end quickly and I would not complain in the least.

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

--I liked the comic book store guy who knew of Angel from the chat rooms. And Angel's reaction to him was also nicely done. Anyone else think it was a bit of a jab at we obsessive on-line fans? (Says the man who writes a detailed review of every new episode..yep, guilty as charged). :-)

--Interesting that the one thing that Conner brings to Cordy of her stuff that she comments on liking most is the fuzzy slippers than Angel suggested.

--The first and last scenes felt way too soap opera like.

--Interesting that Angel will go talk to Lillah about harming Fred but not about Lorne. Is this because Angel sees himself as the protector of the women in his life, but the men can fend for themselves? Kind of old fashioned, but in keeping with his character.

--Lorne's refusal to read Cordy again was nicely done.

So, overall, I have to admit that there were isolated parts of Supersymmetry I liked, but large chunks of it left me cold and frustrated. Again, I have hope that Angel can rebound next week with Joss's story. We've certainly seen the show come back from lower points that this before and do extremely well ("She" anyone?)

My rating: 4.5 (out of 10.0)

Next up: Everyone's lost their memory....I don't know about you but the line in the preview of Cordy saying than Angel should eat Fred first since she's all neck was funnier than anything in this entire episode.

"They talk about me in the chatty rooms..."

-Angel