Angel S2-22: The Short Review

'There's No Place Like Plrtz Glrb'

Written and Directed by David Greenwalt

And so, the second series of 'Angel' draws to a close, in much the same way that it began. Like 'Judgement', 'No Place Like Plrtz Glrb' is a perfectly adequate episode. All the right ingredients for a finale are there, and it doesn't do anything monumentally stupid, but somehow nothing really gels. It lacks that extra spark to make it truly memorable - and for the season that gave us episodes such as 'Are You Now Or Have You Ever Been?' and 'Reprise', that's more than a little disappointing.

In my opinion, the main problem with the Pylea arc is that it hasn't had a consistent tone. 'No Place Like Plrtz Glrb' eschews the fairytale atmospherics of 'Through The Looking Glass' for the cliched fantasy of 'Over The Rainbow', and the result is that the story feels uneven and a little forced. Apart form anything else, it make the budgetary restrictions more obvious; it makes the assault on the castle, for instance, look a bit pathetic, although things improve once they're on the inside.

I can't decide how annoyed I am about the Host's non-death. On the one hand, it was shamelessly playing the viewer, which I dislike intensely. On the other hand, the clues were there (It makes a certain amount of sense for Deathwok clan children to be fascinated by the story of 'I Fall To Pieces', for instance), they didn't keep us in suspense throughout the episode, and it did result in some funny moments - my favourite being when the head-in-the-basket suddenly starts talking to Angel, Wesley, Gunn and Fred, and the three men jump back whilst Fred remains impassive. Plus, I do like the Host. I just hope they cut back on his use a little next season.

Without a doubt, the best part of the episode was General Wesley. For my money, this was real heroism. He earns our respect, and does what has to be done, but there is a bitter aftertaste to it all. This seems to be another example of Pylea as a mirror - Wesley becomes a leader when those around him see him as a leader. On of the most interesting consequence of this is Gunn's reaction. I'm coming to the conclusion, slowly, that over the course of this year Gunn's character hasn't been quite as badly handled as it at first appears. I think there was a plan there, but the execution was a bit muddled; this episode helped a lot in that regard. Gunn's response to Wesley's leadership emphasised Gunn's protective nature, and the fact that by trying to save everybody, he was spreading himself too thin. It emphasises that, once and for all, he has to make a choice.

Cordelia's and Angel's stories were disappointing. Cordelia's was trite, and if anything a little dull - although I did like the fact that she never considered giving the visions away. Angel's story didn't seem to follow from the events of last week. I'm not sure why, but I didn't quite get the sense of self-loathing and horror that I think I was supposed to. The ending, I don't have a problem with; we've seen that once Pyleans decide that something is Right and True, they stick to it so it seems at least plausible that the A-team should be able to effect such seismic shifts in social structure.

The idea of a change of direction towards the end of the season, of a coda that revisits the main themes of the season from a different perspective, is one that I like a great deal. I also, as I have said before, like the fact that the writers are constantly willing to try new things. In this case, however, it hasn't really worked. Somewhere in the execution, the central idea got a bit lost. This is especially true of 'No Place Like Plrtz Glrb', in which there is a tremendous amount happening, but - with the exception of Wesley's actions - none of it feels very important. The end result of it all, however, is that when they get back to LA, we have an A-team in which each member has reaffirmed their role and accepted their duties. It's the logical endpoint for the character arcs of the season - and it leaves them in a perfect position to have the rug pulled out from under them next season!