Angel S2-06: The Short Review

'Guise Will Be Guise'

Written by Jane Espenson

Directed by Krishna Rao

'Guise Will Be Guise' is a palate cleanser; it comes between two much darker episodes, and provides some welcome comic relief. This is not to say that the episode is trivial; indeed, if you know where to look, there is clear setup for some of the later elements of the series. However, I shall try to avoid saying much about this aspect of the episode in this review.

I have to say, however, that as much as 'Guise Will Be Guise' performs several important functions in the season structure, and has quite a few laugh-out-loud moments ("I even dated Rick", followed by a shuffling robed minion being my personal favourite), it's not an episode I rate terribly highly. There is a tad too much emphasis on slapstick and cringe-based humour for my liking; I don't get any particular pleasure from watching Wesley forced to drink blood. More successful by far are the exchanges between Angel and the fake swami, because they are insightful as well as funny.

One of the key questions when considering this episode is, I think, how much we can trust what the fake swami says. It's important because several of the points he makes are, if true, very revealing about Angel's nature and drives. He's clearly an insightful man; his comments about Angel's appearance and on the car he drives, for instance, are based on his observations of our brooding hero and have the ring of truth. However, he doesn't know the whole story - he's not aware of the curse until Angel fills him in - and so I'm inclined to take some of the more speculative statements he makes with a pinch of salt. I would pick 'the demon is you' as a notable example. It may well be that there is some truth in it, but the swami has no way of knowing. It's not something he can pick up in a day's observation. However, whilst Angel is under the impression that he's talking to the real T'ish Magev, I think we can take anything he says as honest.

To my mind, the most interesting thing that this perspective reveals is Angel's opinions of the curse. It's apparent that he, at least, is worried that sex can be a trigger, and that it doesn't have to be sex with Buffy ("So you really can't…at all?" "Well, that's part of what makes me special, right?"). It's by no means clear that this is actually the case, but it's also not clear that it isn't - and it's hardly the sort of thing Angel can risk testing. It's also telling that to the swami Angel is prepared to admit that he's obsessed with Darla ("I guess I am, a little"), whereas he seems to be unwilling to discuss it with the rest of the A-team. Indeed, his constant exhaustion and extra-brooding mood seems to have even been getting to Cordelia ("You know, I love Angel and everything, but right now, I'm so glad he's headed the other way").

So, humour and insight. Why don't I like this episode more? Part of it is the type of humour, as I said, but there are other reasons. Gunn, I think, may be one. The writers seem to have a good grip on the character as far as who he is and how he thinks goes - he gets several excellent lines in this episode - but somewhat at a loss for what he should be doing. Several times already this season, it's seemed as though he's only been in an episode because J. August Richards has to be, and that's a shame. It's also disappointing that Wesley's chance to shine seems to retread previous character development, rather than take him somewhere new.

That said, it is a good episode. Not a great episode, but a solid one, which mixes humour with some believable drama - the relationship between Wesley and Virginia, for instance, was well-portrayed. Oh, and it's also notable for introducing the concept of soul fellatio, about which I would rather not think too much.