The Faith two-parter really marked that moment where Angel became its own show with its own universe and its own way of doing things. War Zone takes its lead from those episodes, expanding the Angel world and introducing a new character who looks and feels different to anything we've been granted so far in the Buffyverse. Whatever you think of Gunn later on, he makes an immediate impression here. He's an admirable guy who kills vampires out of pure heroism, not merely out of necessity. He champions a group of street kids, and has the similarly 'haunted' quality that makes Angel so absorbing.Elsewhere, the brief Angel Investigations subplot was a lot of fun, especially Cordelia's interest in shacking up with David Nabbit. It still feels like Angel is separated from Wes and Cordy too often, but I enjoy the latter two alone together, regardless. They have a lot of chemistry, and it's notable to see how far both have grown since their first appearances on this show. I also liked the concept of a demon brothel, and the throwback to that brief flash in the pilot episode of a similar-looking demon to the tentacle-haired Lina.
War Zone successfully re-shuffles the Angel dynamic, giving the Los Angeles world a greater intensity and spark that hasn't been explored for a while. It's also worth mentioning that the show depicted a bunch of scenes here featuring none of the Angel regulars, and considering the strength of most of them (notably Gunn's dusting of his sister), the general increase in quality is more noticeable than ever. B+
Credits
Guest stars Michele Kelly (Alonna Gunn); Maurice Compte (Chain); Mick Murray (Knox); Joe Basile (Lenny Edwards); David Herman (David Nabbit); J. August Richards (Charles Gunn)
Writer Garry Campbell Director David Straiton
This was a good episode!
ReplyDeleteVery sophisticated (like Angel's cashmere vampire coat).
I thought there was a change in tone in the Faith episodes, glad its here to stay! I definitely felt like it meant more to Angel himself, maybe helping Faith had a reaffirming affect on him? I remember in Buffy when he first found out from that demon that he had to help people- when he's been on his own it's always been on a smaller scale but now I think he's really found his feet in looking after a whole city and being further integrated in society- its cool!
Absolutely. This is where Angel as a show begins to evolve and strengthen. And the Faith episodes definitely felt like the benchmark from here on out.
ReplyDeleteReally enjoying your recent comments, Maya. Thanks for reading.
Oh thanks! (I was a bit worried I might be starting to annoy you!)
ReplyDeleteYou have a great knack for reviews =)
No problem! Barely anybody comments here anyway, so it's always welcome.
ReplyDelete