#Angel the Vampire with a Soul talks to Joyce Summers about not being able to build a life with her daughter Buffy Summers!

[juridical-angel-blog]

Angel the Vampire with a Soul 244 year old talks to Joyce Summers about not being able to build a life with her daughter Buffy Summers!

[buffster]

Becoming Part 1 (BTVS 2.21)

This is part of my ongoing Buffy Project, where I write notes/meta for every episode in an attempt to better understand the characters and themes of the show. You can find the full list here. Gifs are not mine.

Whistler: Here’s the thing. There’s moments in your life that make you. That set the course of who you’re gonna be. Sometimes they’re little, subtle moments. Sometimes they’re not. I’ll show you what I mean.

There’s a lot of time spend on Angel’s backstory in this episode, which I love. It was about time. It begins in Galway, 1753, with a young Liam drunkenly exiting a bar. He tells his friend they’re going to come back with some of his father’s silver. Then he spies Darla.

Liam: My lady, you will find that, with the exception of an honest day’s work, there is no challenge I am not prepared to face. 

He is excited by her proposal to see the world and she turns him. We return to present day where Buffy has decided she is taking the fight to Angel. Apparently she was hoping he’d attack and force her into what she has to do, but she’s tired of waiting it out. She assures her friends she is ready.

After a vision from Drusilla, Angelus decides to steal a relic from the local museum. It is Acathla, a demon who came forth to swallow the world. It was killed by a knight and turned to stone, as demons sometimes do (well, ok?). It was buried where no demon would look until some people decided to build on it. Angelus wants to be the worthy one to pull out the sword and send the whole world into hell. Giles says that only non-demon life will suffer there, but when Angel is sent there he suffers. This might be explained later but I don’t remember it.

The next flashback is London, 1860. Drusilla is praying and goes to confess. Unbeknownst to her Angelus is in the other side drinking the priest’s blood. She confesses to him that she is having visions and her mother says she is cursed. This is when she drew Angelus in: she wanted to do good and not give in to the devil. He can’t resist turning light into darkness.

Drusilla: No...I want to be good...I want to be pure.

Angelus: We all do, at first. The world doesn’t work that way.

Willow is tutoring Buffy for finals. She has no patience for Buffy calling herself a moron and tells her not to waste her time if she’s not going to try. Buffy says she really is a good teacher (kind of surprised Willow didn’t end up in this profession?). Buffy’s prophetic abilities are used again when she is able to locate Ms. Calendar’s missing disc after experiencing deja vu. 

The next flashback is in Rumanian Woods, 1898. There’s a glimpse of the body of the gypsy girl being grieved over and the old woman saying the spell to restore Angel’s soul. It’s returned to him and he begins to feel what he’s done. Just like with Spike in season seven, it overwhelms him. 

Back at the school Buffy and Willow are telling Cordelia, Xander, and Giles about their findings. Giles doesn’t think he can perform the ritual because he doesn’t have the required knowledge of the black arts, but Willow nervously admits she has been studying enough that she thinks she does. 

Giles: Willow, performing this kind of ritual--channeling such potent magicks through yourself--it will open a door you may not be able to close. 

They are continuing to argue (with Willow being the most passionately pro-ritual) when Xander jumps in with one of his worst moments of the series. He’s got Issue Face (as in, I’ve got personal issues here that are making me Non-Objective guy). Sorry, but I’m going to note the entire conversation for my future reference:

Xander: This spell might restore Angel’s humanity? Well, here’s an interesting angle: who cares?

Buffy: I care.

Xander: Is that right?

Giles: Xander, let’s not lose perspective here--

Xander: I’m perspective guy. Angel is a killer.

Willow: Xander--

Buffy: It’s not that simple.

Xander: What, come back home, all is forgiven? I can’t believe you people.

Cordelia: Xander has a point--

Xander: You know, just once I wish you would support me and I realize now that you were and I’m embarrassed so I’m gonna get back to the point which is that Angel needs to die. 

Giles: Curing Angel was apparently Jenny’s last wish...

Xander: Yeah, well, Jenny’s dead.

Giles: Don’t you speak of her in that insolent--

Xander: Can’t you see what I’m saying--

Buffy: Alright, stop it!

Willow: (to Buffy) What do you want to do?

Buffy: I don’t know...what happened to Angel wasn’t his fault...

Xander: What happened to Ms. Calendar is. You can paint this however you want. Way I see it you want to forget all about Ms. Calendar’s murder so you can get your boyfriend back. 

Cordelia: Wow. Even I know that was insensitive.

Xander: Am I wrong?

I think his issue here is multi-faceted. One is that he doesn’t see any distinction between Angel and Angelus. It’s almost as if he views Angel as a muzzled dog that’s too dangerous to let live. Which, to be honest, is a fair point. Angelus will always be a possibility that’s pretty dangerous for the world. I also don’t think some critics are wrong that there’s a part of this that’s about jealousy over Buffy. My third view is that he has seen Angel as That Guy from the beginning--the guy that’s a total jerk but the pretty girl and everyone else can’t see it. The kind of guy that probably bullied Xander a lot. I think he’s been looking forward to Angel’s death for awhile now and he doesn’t want to let that go. My least favorite part of this scene is that he accuses Buffy of not caring about what Angelus did to Ms. Calendar. We know that’s not true and how much the guilt weighs on her. Xander’s character is a bit uncompromising and very black and white.

Buffy and Willow later talk on the phone, where Willow condemns Xander with some strong language. Buffy isn’t sure what she wants but then finds her Claddagh ring at the bottom of her drawer. 

Kendra returns to help them fight. She brings a sword blessed by the knight who first slew the demon. There’s another crazy moment where a vampire bursts into flames in the middle of a classroom delivering a message to Buffy. These kinds of events lead to all the students helping in Graduation. Buffy decides to meet Angel while Kendra guards everyone else. 

We go to Manhattan, 1996. Whistler approaches Angel (sent by the Powers that Be?), who looks horrible and is feeding on rats. He tells him to stop feeling sorry for himself and shows him Buffy, who has just become the slayer. I love flashback Buffy even more than flashback Angel. She is very much season one Cordelia, sucking on a lollipop and talking about boys with her friends (she’s clearly the ringleader). Her clothes are very different; she’s dressed in bright neon colors. Her first Watcher, Merrick, approaches her. Buffy barely manages to kill her first vampire as Angel watches.

Back in present day Buffy goes to fight Angelus. While she’s there the Scoobies are attacked. Willow is knocked down by a shelf, Xander is injured fighting, Giles is taken, Cordelia flees, and Kendra is killed by Drusilla. I’ve read before that her obedient nature is what made her susceptible to Dru’s hypnosis, which I think is pretty interesting. Buffy returns to find chaos and Kendra’s dead body. She is approached by a policewoman.

Whistler: Bottom line is even if you see em coming, you’re not ready for the big moments. No one asks for their life to change, not really, but it does. So, what, are we helpless? Puppets? No. The big moments are gonna come, can’t help that. It’s what you do afterwards that counts. That’s when you find out who you are.

As Angel performs the ritual to bring forth Acathla, he says, “As I ascend, as I become”. He also says he wants to become someone to Whistler (there’s our title). 

Character Notes:

Cordelia Chase: Cordelia actually compliments Willow and her dedication to teaching and tutoring. 

Principal Snyder: He is upset about Cordelia and Xander and Willow and Oz’s PDA. He also tells Buffy she should just give him a reason to kick her out.

Rupert Giles: Giles is the best authority on obscure relics in Sunnydale and a professor refers him to the museum curator. 

Hank and Joyce Summers: The original script had a scene where Joyce tells Buffy that her and Hank are agnostic. In the actual show there is a flashback where they argue because Hank wants to be tougher on Buffy.

Whistler: Whistler is the one who gives Angel the information to find blood at the butcher’s. He says his real name is hard to pronounce unless you’re a dolphin. 

Buffy Summers: She mentions she has stolen lipstick when Merrick approaches her. Possibly something she did for her parent’s attention like Dawn in later seasons?

Kendra Young: She gives Buffy her lucky stake, Mr. Pointy. 

[buffster]

Passion (BTVS 2.17)

This is part of my ongoing Buffy Project, where I write notes/meta for every episode in an attempt to better understand the characters and themes of the show. You can find the full list here. Gifs are not mine.

Angelus: Passion. It lies in all of us. Sleeping. Waiting. And although unwanted, unbidden...it will stir. Open it’s jaws and howl. 

Passion was a joy to watch not simply from an entertainment standpoint but an analytical one as well. The episode spends a lot of time on Angelus and the line between him and Angel begins to blur. Just as Angel did, Angelus watches from the shadows unnoticed by Buffy or her friends. Her lurks at the Bronze just as he did before (did he stalk her constantly and just announce himself at opportune moments?) and is standing not three feet from Buffy sucking a girl dry as she walks past, oblivious. 

Angelus: It speaks to us. Guides us. Passion rules us all, and we obey. What other choice do we have?

He lurks in her bedroom and draws a picture of her sleeping to lay on her pillow. It begs the question: had Angel done this would Buffy have found it romantic? It has apparently only just occurred to the gang that Angelus has an all access pass to their homes and school. Cordelia is concerned she invited him into her car. Apparently no one bothers explaining to her this isn’t a thing because she later says she convinced her grandmother to switch cars with her. 

Xander: Yep, you’re doomed to having to give him and his vamp pals a lift whenever they feel like it. And those guys never chip in for gas.

One of my favorite things about Buffy is it’s willingness to make fun of itself. It does so this episode when Jonathan Levinson and an unnamed student walk into the library looking for books.

Xander: Does this look like a Barnes and Noble?

Giles directs them to the books and the entire gang watches in disbelief. They leave and Cordelia asks, not unreasonably, why Angelus doesn’t just slit Buffy’s throat. Giles says that he is just trying to provoke her and that she needs to ignore him. His dedication to procedure will see him punished this episode as he fails to take Angelus’ threat seriously. 

Giles: As the slayer you don’t have the luxury of being a slave to your passions. 

Both Xander and Buffy dumb down Giles’ long-winded explanations, but as pointed out by Xander only he is given the withering looks and snotty attitude. I’ve noticed that, for now at least, Giles seems to like Xander less than the other Scoobies. It’s unclear why that is, but my theory is that he sees him as a liability. Willow offers technical and research support. Buffy is the slayer. Xander gets the doughnuts. 

Willow is Angelus’ next victim. He strings up her fish and leaves them in an envelope. Buffy tells her that when things like this happen she still wants to run to Angel, but he’s gone. Willow tells her that one thing has not changed: she is still all he thinks about. 

Joyce is next. He leaves a picture of her for Buffy and then confronts her outside their house. He tells Joyce that he slept with her daughter. Right afterwards Willow performs the ritual to lock him out of the house.

There were quite a few insights into Joyce this episode. She asks Buffy what’s wrong and says, “I’ve read all the parenting books. You cannot surprise me.” Joyce feels the need to appear to be parenting well, but she clearly struggles to follow any of the advice laid out for her. She has little backbone and also isn’t even sure she wants to know what her daughter gets up to. Joyce also struggles to let Buffy talk and assumes she knows exactly what’s going on at all times. I could sympathize with her in this situation simply because Angelus doesn’t act at all stable when he speaks to Joyce. It would be hard to imagine how you’d fall for this guy’s tricks. She is also upset because she slept with a boy Joyce didn’t even know she was dating, clearly illustrating how out of the loop her mother is. But Joyce doesn’t exactly encourage things to be different.

Joyce: Buffy, you can shut me out of your life--I am pretty much used to that. But don’t ever expect me to stop caring about you because it’s never gonna happen. I love you more than anything in the world.

Giles and Jenny begin to speak again. Giles admits he felt betrayed and Jenny admits she fell in love with him. He wants her to make things right with Buffy but can’t deny he misses her. They plan to get together that evening, but first she wants to nail down the spell used to grant Angel a soul.

Back at the factory Spike is refusing to eat. He hates feeling helpless and childlike, especially with Angelus taunting all that Dru does for him. Drusilla seems thrilled to be fought over until she has a vision about Jenny’s plans. Drusilla is a serious danger and would have thwarted many a Scooby victory had she stuck around.

Just as Jenny figures out the spell translation Angelus appears. He says that he is able to get in because the sign outside reads Enter all ye who seek knowledge. Even watching this over and over again you can’t help but root for Jenny as Angelus chases her. And then you see the big window and think nooooo as he snaps her neck.

I noticed at the beginning of the episode Jenny told her students she wanted a paper and disc copy of their work. It foreshadows her leaving behind a disc copy. I also liked how Jenny had a lasting legacy on the show with this final piece of work.

Giles walks into his apartment to music, roses, and candles. Had Giles paid more attention to Buffy’s worry over Angelus he would have recognized the paper immediately (reading ‘Upstairs’). He finds Jenny’s body where he is expecting to find her ready for a romantic evening. This was an important episode to understand the cruelty of Angelus and how different he is from other vampires. The way he gets off on other people’s pain speaks to a deep sense of rage...but I’ll muse on that later. Giles stands frozen as the police arrive. When they ask him to come with him he says, “Of course. Yes. Procedure...” 

Angelus: Passion is the source of our finest moments. The joy of love, the clarity of hatred, and the ecstasy of grief.

Angelus watches from the window as Buffy gets the call from Giles. She hands the phone to Willow and drops to the floor. Willow is the one to be comforted by Joyce as she begins sobbing. They go to Giles’ apartment and survey the scene. Angel has sketched Jenny’s face in death. 

Buffy: Giles didn’t set this up. Angel did. This is the wrapping for the gift.

They surmise that Giles intends to kill Angel.

Xander: Well it’s about time somebody did. Well, I’m sorry but I hated Angel long before you guys jumped on the bandwagon. So I think I deserve a little something for not saying I told you so long before now. If Giles wants to go after the fiend that killed his girlfriend...

Buffy: You’re right. There’s only one problem with Giles’ little revenge plan.

Xander: And what’s that?

Buffy: It’s gonna get him killed.

Xander’s being an insensitive ass here, yes. Honestly I think he views caring for a vampire the way we view keeping a wild tiger for a pet. How surprised and sorry do you really want us to be when it turns around and bites you? That’s what tigers do. He never quite understands the grey area of morality. He’d be a terrible fit for Angel the Series, which deals in it a lot more. I don’t think he’s trying to be a jerk. To him stay away from vampires is just what’s right and makes sense.

Back at the factory Spike is angry with Angelus for playing games. Buffy finds them and attacks Angelus before he can kill Giles but lets him get away to save her Watcher. Afterwards, Buffy punches Giles and says he can’t leave her to do this alone. They hug each other and sob.

Angelus: It hurts sometimes more than we can bear. If we could live without passion, maybe we would know some kind of peace. But we would be hollow. Empty rooms, shuttered and dank. Without passion we’d be truly dead.

The events have moved Giles out of his comfort zone as the cool and removed Watcher. He admits he’s buried many people but Jenny was the first he loved. He now understands what it means to be personally involved. Buffy feels responsible because she wasn’t able to bring herself to kill Angelus when she had the chance. 

Buffy: Angel is gone. Nothing is ever gonna bring him back. 

She’s ready.

Character Notes:

Willow Rosenberg: Willow panics when offered the chance to teach the computer class. She’s excited but full of self-doubt. She spends five hours planning lessons for a few minutes of teaching time. 

Angelus: Giles says that “since Angel lost his soul he’s regained his sense of whimsy”. 

Buffy Summers: Buffy is still unhappy with Jenny but tells her to talk to Giles because she doesn’t want anybody to be lonely. One of the things that makes Buffy a hero is her ability to turn her inner pain into compassion.