Angel S4-04: The Short Review

'Slouching Toward Bethlehem'

Written by Jeffrey Bell

Directed by Skip Schoolnik

That's more like it.

'Slouching Toward Bethlehem' isn't a great episode, but it is a satisfying, coherent one. Considering that the story revolves around the dreaded amnesia plot, that's no mean feat, and it speaks well of Jeff Bell's ability to handle the characters.

Probably the single best thing about the episode is that Angel, Fred and Gunn handle the situation relatively intelligently. Angel is right to worry that telling Cordelia the truth up front would freak her out, but he doesn't go to extreme lengths to keep up the pretense. He respects Cordelia's wishes, he leaves her to start coming across the truth at her own speed and, as soon as it becomes apparent that the charade is doing more harm than good, he comes clean.

The other element I appreciated was that the episode represents a genuine win for Wolfram and Hart. That's important because it reinforces Lilah's credibility, and by extension the credibility of the whole law firm. There is, for the first time in a while, a feeling that rather than just standing on the sidelines Wolfram and Hart may be getting back into the game, and that can only bode well for the season. It's interesting that the win comes at Wesley's expense; the writers, if they wish, now have another excuse for AI to mistrust Wesley, since he was the one who gave them the false information. However, that doesn't seem to be the route they're taking; indeed, when Wesley showed up at the Hyperion, Angel was quite willing to share information up front, with no strings attached. Whilst the same can't be said for Fred and Gunn, it would seem that the next move towards reconciliation needs to come from Wesley - if he wants it.

'Slouching Toward Bethlehem' is unusual in that it is an arc episode - it focuses solely on the established situations of the characters; there is no external plot - but remains low-key for most of its length. The are no scenes as intense as the Angel/Darla confrontation in 'Dear Boy', for instance. In some ways, this works in the episode's favour; I think it is one reason why the final twist works as well as it does. And I certainly think the time was right for an arc episode - it renews the show's direction, and gives us a feel for where things are going. They've found Cordelia, but now they've got to help her. On the other hand, by limiting itself to only established situations, the episode can't help feeling a little, well, limited.

It doesn't help that whilst clearly written with a purpose - a study of the importance of trust and honesty - the execution leaves a little to be desired, in part because it's not obvious what we're meant to think of Cordelia's responses. On the one hand, they're understandable for anybody in that situation, especially someone carrying around the feeling of impending doom that she is. On the other hand, there seems to be the suggestion that we're meant to see the emphasis on honesty as the 'essential Cordelia' - obviously she'd want to know upfront, she's still Cordy! - and that makes me uncomfortable, because it's not how amnesia works. Memories are not just our record of our lives; in a sense, they are who we are.

I suppose I should just be thankful that Queen C was kept to a minimum.

Overall, though, 'Slouching...' sets a solid base for the rest of the season to launch from. I liked the deft parallels between Cordelia, Connor and Wesley regarding what they've lost, what they had, and what they need now; and as I discussed above, I liked what the episode achieved even whilst I'm not entirely convinced about how it was achieved.

The Council of Watchers rating: