I find this episode a little underwhelming compared to its two predecessors, if only because the writers seem to have ran out of story around fifteen minutes in. There's No Place Like Plrtz Glrb is all about getting the hell out of Pylea, with our protagonists quickly discovering the darker side of paradise. There are a bunch of great scenes, but some of the humor felt a little more forced than usual here, and certain moments dragged. It's a little flat, yet not at all terrible.What feels most interesting about this finale is how most of the ensemble is altered in some way. Wesley is once again forced into the leader role by the Pylean radicals, and he finds that position a whole lot more comfortable than he did back in LA. Cordelia went into her role of queen with open arms, finally reaching that pinnacle of power that she always thought would be so wonderful. Only it turned out to be full of back-biting and slavery. Cue a Cordelia with a fully formed conscience. Lorne finally went home again, and came to the conclusion that he had to go back to Pylea to fully appreciate his love and need for the dimension where he now resides.
In the end, the Pylea arc was an interesting experiment that managed to be both hilarious as well as kind of profound in the end. Sure, we've had Numfar dancing and chain-mail comedy, but there's also the resigned heroism of the soldier Wesley essentially sends to his death, as well as the parental abuse behind the comedy maggot pile of Lorne's family. This was a series of episodes that jumped wildly from varying tones, but generally stayed consistently entertaining. Only the battle scenes at the end dip a little here, interest perked up again shortly after by a blind-siding cameo from Willow that suddenly reminds you of what just happened in the real world. Aww.
Season two has been on near-masterpiece levels for some time, a crazily ambitious year full of scope in terms of both character and storyline. Characters have become better fleshed out, the Angel Inc. team have wonderful chemistry together, and the recurring antagonists are spectacular all-round. Compare this to the mostly-weak first season, and Angel has come so far. C+
Credits
Guest stars Andy Hallett (Lorne); Amy Acker (Winifred 'Fred' Burkle); Brody Hutzler (Landok); Mark Lutz (The Groosalugg); Michael Phenicie (Silas); Tom McCleister (Elder); Lee Reherman (Captain)
Writer David Greenwalt Director David Greenwalt
I suppose it was just that the adventure was to its natural end as to why it lagged (I enjoyed it though!) but Lorne's head situation was too funny, as was the continuous conundrum of his sexual preference, I think he just likes everybody! Glad he's alright and singing.
ReplyDeleteAnd I loved that look Gunn gave Wesley when he
forgave the rebels so easily lol...
Very much enjoying the development of Angel's characters, here's to another experimental season I hope!