Angel S4-07: The Short Review

'Rain of Fire'/'Apocalypse, Nowish'

Written by Steven S DeKnight

Directed by Vern Gillum

OK, so I was wrong.

For the past two and a half years, I've been saying that Angel isn't going to do an apocalypse. Maybe in the final season, but they're not going to be the yearly plot device they are over on Buffy. If they were, it would cheapen all the emphasis on Angel being a major player (for one side or the other) in the apocalypse.

So I was wrong. The apocalypse is here, just in time to catch the end of November sweeps: Biblical portents and earthquakes and a rain of fire and all of it. Hey, all we need now is the sky turning to blood...But I digress.

The best thing about 'Apocalypse, Nowish' (or 'Rain of Fire', if you prefer) is that it does the apocalypse justice. This isn't just another monster. The sense of menace, of gathering doom, is expertly played out. Of course we know that the world can't end, but it's easy to believe that the characters believe it might. And as much as anything else, it's a struggle to see exactly how they're going to beat the Beast. Rocket launcher, perhaps?

For Angel Investigations, the timing sucks. Wesley is distracted by Lilah; Fred and Gunn are starting to face up to the reality of their relationship. Each had an idealised view of the other; Fred transferring her 'handsome hero' crush to Gunn, Gunn applying his strong protective streak to Fred. Cordelia is trying to come to terms with her returned memories, and trying to work out the reason for her return; and as the episode progresses, her hope that she can make a difference is systematically beaten down, from the pod-person-referencing nightmare at the start to the final proof of failure as fire falls from the sky at the end. Connor also is trying to work out where he fits, and the arrival of the Beast outside Caritas - a moment that had me grinning with excitement simply because it felt so right - shakes him to his core.

Indeed, Angel is almost single-handedly holding the group together. When Cordelia gets her vision (complete with scary white eyes - what's up with that?), it's just as well Angel is there because he's almost the only one in a position to respond.

Of course, there's one issue that has to be discussed in any review of this episode, and that's the liason between Connor and Cordelia. More accurately, Cordelia's role in the liason - I don't think anyone questions Connor's reactions. My personal feeling is that the writers don't quite manage to sell it to the audience. You can see what they're trying to do: Show a Cordelia in despair, beaten down by circumstance, convinced that nothing matters any more, and deciding to give Connor this one thing that he wants. But it's all a little too fast; one episode isn't enough to establish the necessary depth of feeling, although DeKnight does the best he can. And of course, when it happens, it's uncomfortable viewing - the fact that in all logical consideration it's a quite natural union between two young people is in conflict with the perception that, to a certain extent, Cordelia was a mother figure for Connor. It seems unlikely that this is gratuitous, however; rather, it is a further spin on the Connor-as-Oedipus theme.

(If nothing else, this season is certainly making me wish I knew my classics in more detail.)

Interesting musical sidebar: The scoring in act four consists almost entirely of themes that have been used before. The music in the fight against the Beast first appeared in 'Somnambulist' and 'Five by Five'; at the time, I hated it, whereas here I think it works. I'm not sure why - perhaps because of the larger-than-life, mythological quality of this story. Similarly, the music during the rain of fire itself is that which played over Cordelia's ascension at the end of S3; I actually liked this theme first time around, as well. It has a coldness that I think suits the scene.

To sum up: The arc is here, and by the looks of things it's only going to get more intense. Roll on next week.

The Council of Watchers rating: