Angel S4-05: The Short Review

'Supersymmetry'

Written by Elizabeth Craft and Sarah Fain

Directed by Bill Norton

Ladies and gentlemen, I think we may have just witnessed a first: An Angel episode featuring science that is (a) vaguely accurate and (b) relevant as an underlying theme. Elizabeth Craft and Sarah Fain, take a bow.

Supersymmetry really is an attempt to produce a grand unified theory of physics. My understanding is limited to a few half-remembered popular science texts and some Googling, but the basics seem to be:

• In the standard model, every mass-particle (fermion) has a corresponding force-particle (boson).
• Under supersymmetry, every standard model particle has a corresponding 'superpartner'.
• Superpartners are predicted by the mathematics of superstring theory; so far, none have been directly observed.

Two other remarks that might be of importance: Professor Seidel talks of 'spontaneous symmetry breaking', and Fred describes one of the characteristics of spacetime in her unified theory model as the ability to "undergo massive rearrangement of its structure [...] tearing and reconnecting according to a predetermined disposition."

Sound like any group of characters you know?

'Supersymmetry' is a study of the personal dynamics of Angel Investigations. The focus is on Fred and Gunn (this seems to be the year of Fred and Gunn), but everyone else gets a look-in. The question is, how far can we take the implications of the science?

Quite far, I would say. It's interesting that the concept of partners and superpartners can be mapped on to the characters in various ways. For instance, we could consider Gunn and Fred to be a fermion-boson pair. But where does Wesley fit in? Given Gunn's inferiority complex when it comes to Fred's work (an entirely understandable reaction), and the fact that Wesley is able to make at least a reasonable attempt at understanding it, an obvious suggestion is that Wesley is Fred's superpartner, the one she fits best with. Perhaps the one she can understand; the episode demonstrates that both Fred and Gunn have an idealised perception of the other, and suggests that facing up to who they really are may be a harder process than either would have anticipated.

On the other hand, superpartners seem to embody the idea of a complementary nature more than matched pairs. Perhaps Wesley and Fred are the standard model pair, and it is Fred and Gunn, by virtue of their differences, who are the superpartners. This interpretation takes account of Wesley enabling Fred's vengeance, and it also fits Lilah into the scheme: She is Wesley's complementary partner.

Or, a more unorthodox interpretation: Fred's possible paths in life - physics or AI - are her potential partners. The suggestion is that the life she is going to lead chose her. It is not necessarily that for which she is best suited - again, complementary rather than matching.

At root, this is an episode about how people match, and about where they fit. If 'Ground State' - the other physics-based title of the season - was a showcase for the new 'minimum energy' configuration of AI, then 'Supersymmetry' is about how that configuration is going to change in the future. The indications are not good; quite apart from Fred and Gunn's actions, it seems unlikely that Connor's oedipus-like infatuation with Cordelia is going to go away anytime soon.

Sadly, 'Supersymmetry' has a flaw, and that flaw is Fred's actions. Things feel...clunky, as though you can see through to the mechanisms beneath the plot. The basic concept of Fred being sent wild by the discovery of a focus for her Pylea issues is sound enough, and certainly consistent with the character we saw in Pylea; but it feels as though it's been too long coming. The episode is a companion to 'Fredless', but a whole year between the two puts it on the cusp of plausibility. For me, it falls on the right side of the line, but only barely, and only because I'm willing to forgive it to see where these developments take us.

The Council of Watchers rating: