#also Doyle shows his skill in writing comedy again

[thefisherqueen]

“Did he say anything more?” “He mentioned his name.” Holmes cast a swift glance of triumph at me. “Oh, he mentioned his name, did he? That was imprudent. What was the name that he mentioned?” “His name,” said the cabman, “was Mr. Sherlock Holmes.” Never have I seen my friend more completely taken aback than by the cabman's reply. For an instant he sat in silent amazement. Then he burst into a hearty laugh.

I have to say, this villain has excellent humour

[buffster]

Sense and Sensitivity (ATS 1.06)

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

There’s so much that I love about Sense and Sensitivity--it has some dorky Angel comedy gold and it’s the episode that made me adore Kate Lockley. It’s just a good watch. Not sure if that’s a popular opinion or not but...oh well.

We get quite a bit of information on Kate this episode. Namely her relationship with her father and how that informs her issues with opening up and the anger she’s toting around (she has to be pulled out of an interrogation for getting violent with a suspect). Her father is such an ass and it’s especially annoying because he reminds me of mine. We’ve quit speaking altogether--gotta admire Kate for continuing to try despite continual rejection. 

Cordelia: You want to know what I think?  I think he uses his tortured creature of the night status as a license to be rude and insensitive! 

Have to agree with Doyle that’s it’s pretty ironic Cordy is criticizing Angel for being insensitive. I do think he’s not all that practiced at human interaction. Keeping his feelings locked down and remaining aloof are kind of a survival skill for him. This is the first episode we really get to see a more human side of Angel--beginning with his disguise as Herb Saunders. That was amazing. 

Tony:  You've – you’ve been running after me for a long time, haven't you sweetheart?  If I'd know how bad you wanted me, I might have let you catch me a little sooner.

Kate:  If I'd know how badly you needed the exercise, I might have let you run a little longer.

Well that was just a gross exchange. Wolfram & Hart are representing Little Tony, the guy Kate is trying to catch. They plan to make Kate the “Mark Fuhrman” of the case and win Tony’s freedom (look who recently watched American Crime: The People vs. OJ Simpson and actually knows who that is!). Sensitivity training is ordered for the cops but it’s being controlled by W&H and...oh, god. I really don’t want to call him Mr. Magic Stick but I can’t remember his name.  Oh! It’s Allen. 

Kate: Why do you do that? Pretend important things don’t matter?

So let’s take a moment to talk about Mr. Ass Lockley. He pretty much pretends Kate doesn’t exist and makes her feel inadequate as he spends time with the other cops and not her. I feel like there might be some gendered BS going on here. He also suggests she might be a lesbian because she hasn’t gone on many dates (embarrassing her in front of Angel).

Kate: Now the old man would like us to believe that he couldn't care less about all this attention and free booze. But I know him better than that.  He put a lot of years in on the job, and he made a difference in a lot of lives. And now it's over.  That's a huge deal, no matter what he says.  In fact I'm not really sure if he knows what he's going to do with himself.  He forgot how to be anything but a cop a long time ago.  And maybe, - maybe that's why I became a cop too.  -  After mom died, you stopped , you know?  It was like you couldn't stand the sight of me.  Her face, her eyes looking up at you.  -  But big girls don't cry, right?  You said, gone's gone, and there’s no use wallowing.  - Worms and dirt and nothing, forever.  Not one word about a better place.  You couldn't even tell a scared little girl a beautiful lie. God, I wanted to drink with you.  I wanted you to laugh with me just once, the way you laughed with Jimmy here, or Frank.

Wow was that awkward. And so sad...especially with her father’s line at the end of the episode about never bringing it up again because she embarrassed herself. Being honest didn’t get her anywhere with him. I wonder what he would say if he’d had the sensitivity training?

Kate:  My best friend Joanne, her mom was soft, and she smelled like macaroni and cheese, and she'd pick me up on her lap and she would rock me.  She said that she wanted to keep me to herself.  -  She said that I was good and sweet.  Everybody said I was.  -  Do you realize that you’ve never told me that I'm pretty?  Not once in my life?

Everyone at the party gets overly emotional. Angel drags Kate back to AI, where she embarrasses Cordelia by bringing up Doyle’s feelings for her--something she’s been trying hard to ignore. I have to say I’m not sure how I feel about the whole Doyle/Cordelia arc. On the positive side I get that part of Cordelia’s journey is learning to be less snobby and see past appearances and money. But on the negative I don’t love the idea that Doyle can “win” Cordelia if he just continues to push despite her lack of interest (or the nice guy overtones where he’s clearly the best but all she wants is looks and money). 

Angel:  My parents were great. Tasted a lot like chicken. 

There’s such complexity to Angel that I feel like we never really explore. We spend a lot of time on the idea of Angel vs. Angelus and how separate they are, but in my opinion not enough on the darker parts of Angel that manifest in Angelus. I’m excited for my meta on how they’re connected. He’ll say these throwaway lines that reveal he still harbors rage and isn’t as remorseful as he appears (”Beautiful...dumb as a post, but...”, “Tasted a lot like chicken.”)

Cordelia:  Right now.  It's time for you to get all vampy - grr!  -  Kate needs you.

Angel:  I don't want to.  You both withdraw when I go vamp.  I feel you judge me.

I loved sensitive Angel. I also enjoyed the scenes with the cops trying to understand the people in jail and the complexity of how people end up where they are. Everyone has their reasons but it isn’t always productive to worry about them. Angel takes down Little Tony and Wolfram & Hart drop him as a client. Some exposure is too much for even the worst best lawyers. 

Angel:  You know, Anthony you could be a rainbow and not a painbow. 

Character Notes:

Kate Lockley: Her father calls her Katie. Angel tells her to picture the public in their underwear during her speech and she seems to be thinking of him in particular. 

Angel: He calls Cordelia precious when under the sensitivity spell.

Allen Francis Doyle: Cordelia is upset Angel hasn’t noticed her new shoes, which Doyle notices immediately. But to be fair Doyle pays a lot of extra attention to Cordelia.

[faithful-grigori]

”#also Doyle shows his skill in writing comedy again, #too funny”

“Did he say anything more?” “He mentioned his name.” Holmes cast a swift glance of triumph at me. “Oh, he mentioned his name, did he? That was imprudent. What was the name that he mentioned?” “His name,” said the cabman, “was Mr. Sherlock Holmes.” Never have I seen my friend more completely taken aback than by the cabman's reply. For an instant he sat in silent amazement. Then he burst into a hearty laugh.

I have to say, this villain has excellent humour