Angel "The Trial" 2x9 Reaction
Added 2020-07-21 01:01:55 +0000 UTC
https://www.dropbox.com/s/8env1meae9v8hli/Angel%202X9.m4v?dl=0
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Wsbwqe_PJQ6mO5xGHej9OvOwvKj_-32M/view?usp=sharing
PASSWORD: Geekedoutnation
Comments
I agree with you there. As amazing as breaking bad was, Better Call Saul has constantly amazed me with its acting and writing. For me, BCS is just above BB.
J Scott Page
2020-07-29 02:23:15 +0000 UTCTechnically the Simpsons is a spin-off from Tracy Ullman Show. My own favorite spin-off is Stargate Universe though, which unfortunately got cancelled very early.
cryptc
2020-07-27 11:49:59 +0000 UTCPeople just don't give it a chance because they either hated Angel on Buffy or they don't like the more adult feel of the show. Buffy was more of a teen show until later seasons while Angel is more adult since the beginning.
Jess Mac
2020-07-24 08:13:37 +0000 UTCEp is a 10 for me. I care about Darla because Angel cares about Darla and as you seen in the episode Darla also cares about Angel(but didn't in the flashback because she couldn't). Angel wants to save Darla like Faith. He's sees himself in them and it's deeper with Darla because they spent centuries with each other. Don't forget Angel was having those dreams with Darla in the beginning of the season and like them. He obviously still had Darla back in his mind. Sorry if you spent 150 years with someone you're always going to have a connection with that person bad or good.
Jess Mac
2020-07-24 08:07:46 +0000 UTCI agree with you, i do not understand the reaction I am seeing to this episode from other, each their own, I guess
TheyCallMeJeff
2020-07-24 03:15:40 +0000 UTCFor me it was not strange that Angel cared or was obsessed with Darla. First she was his sire and they spent over 150 years together. Even when Angel got his soul he tried to go back to Darla because thats where he felt he belonged, after all he is still a Vampire. Angel still craved blood and was feeding off rats and evil people as Darla pointed out a couple episodes ago. Also i am sure he was curious at seeing his sire alive after killing her since we havent seen Vampires come back to life.( To me Angel never died since he was sent to the hell dimension.) The only other Vampire that was attempted at being resurrected was the Master and he had bones so I can understand his obsession with killing someone whom you spent over 150 years with who suddenly comes back to life. Also its his mission to help the helpless and save souls.
Tyrence Purnell
2020-07-23 10:33:31 +0000 UTCBetter Call Saul surpasses Breaking Bad imo; it does a lot to keep things interesting and fresh despite knowing how storylines and characters end up. It's probably the best written show on TV today. Gimme Jimmy!
Daniel R
2020-07-22 17:36:06 +0000 UTCAlso, I would say Breaking Bad/Better Call Saul is the only other one-two punch in TV that rivals Buffy/Angel in terms of quality. Sure there are classic shows that had spin-offs, and the spin-offs were sometimes just as good as the originals, but the medium hadn't reached its potential yet in terms of the level of storytelling that was possible with it back then, imo.
Andrea
2020-07-22 05:12:57 +0000 UTCFaith.......
o
2020-07-22 03:11:47 +0000 UTCwho said anything about being "worthy"...?
cil
2020-07-22 00:34:09 +0000 UTCi understand all that and i still don't feel that connected to her or care what happens to her at this point in the story and don't think the writers did a good job of building it up. just my opinion though. and apparently steven's too lol.
cil
2020-07-22 00:33:17 +0000 UTCYou have to remember Darla was out for revenge after remembering that Angel killed her. And not just killed her but killed her for another women or as she stated a cheerleader. Back on Buffy she even says to him that Buffy will leave him when she knows his true nature but she would be there for him afterwards. She repeated that same sentiment when they were in the underground water tank. Angelus was the reason she left the Master. On top of that she had been a vampire for so long that she has forgotten her human name and what It means to be human. Not that that means much, she was already broken as a human and had given up on humanity and kindness that was never shown to her then. It stands to reason that it would take her time to really understanding the multitude of her sins while a vampire. Angel himself took almost 100 years and with a big help from Whistler sending him to Buffy to start to get it and in a lot of ways he himself is still learning how to come to terms and make amends. Darla from the point that she was brought back was under the influence of Wolfram and Hart who were encouraging her darker nature that she had developed from being a vampire so long. Then sent her to Angel, the one who in her eyes betrayed her and took Angelus from her. Her breaking the mirrors were a big indicator that she was feeling the remorse but didn't understand or even know how to process that guilt. Was she a good person, no. But she could of been if given the chance as your see in this episode. Everybody has there own take on this. To me her story is a tragic one.
Misty
2020-07-22 00:16:22 +0000 UTCIt is not about "worthy" with Angel, he yelled at Buffy what his mission statement was, Angel is here to "Save Souls" and here is another "Soul" to save. That is why he cares, why he cares so much is because this is the women who sired him, who helped unleash Angelus upon the world a women he killed to protect Buffy and now he has a chance to clean the red out of his ledger. He stalked Buffy, killed Mrs Calendar, placed her body in Giles bed with a note and lovely music and then went to Buffy's house to watch her get the news. You asked after that episode if "Angel could ever be redeemed", saving Darla's soul would seem like a pretty big win to making that happen.
o
2020-07-21 18:42:05 +0000 UTCWhy would we care about or want to root for human Darla? What good deeds have we seen her do as a human? I mean she was okay with an innocent man dying a few episodes ago in "Dear Boy". I agree with you Steven, there is zero reason for the viewer to want to root for her. Her being human isn't enough, especially if she's done little to no good as a human. The writers want us to care because Angel cares, but even him caring to the extent that he does seems kind of random. They've had nothing to do with each other for a while and yet we are suppose to care about her think it's believable that Angel would care enough to want to die for her?
cil
2020-07-21 17:24:43 +0000 UTCI love this episode. To me it’s a 10. After the episode called Darla where they give us all of Darla’s tragic backstory, that she was a prostitute with very little money in the 1600s, dying of an std that she received turning tricks, saved by the master on her death bed. It’s been that long since she’s been human. So long that she doesn’t even remember her birth name. And now she’s been brought back to life with no say in the matter and is human again for the first time in 400 years and that std that was killing her is back. It’s pretty tragic if you ask me. And I find Julie Benz’s performance so captivating that those things combined make me care very much for Darla. And then this episode we think ends on the twist ending that she couldn’t be saved after the trials. Just to have a second twist on top of that where Dru returns and turns Darla back as Angel has to watch, knowing that he failed to save her. Maybe he didn’t love Darla, as he tells Lindsay, he wasn’t capable of it back then. But he does have a lot of history with and at the very least a fondness for. He sees his own redemption story and wants that for her too. Such great parallels there. Angel would go out of his way and risk death to save a random person (I’m thinking of the season 2 premiere with the pregnant lady) that of course he’d want to do whatever he could to save Darla. For me personally even on my first watch, I loved Darla at this point and didn’t think it felt forced. I’m was very invested in her story.
Ray D
2020-07-21 17:23:07 +0000 UTCI especially appreciate in in season 2... the best season : )
Bisibia
2020-07-21 17:13:49 +0000 UTCAs a long time viewer of this show... I absolutely adore the Darla/Angel story. However, I toltallyunderstand how you feel about not being totally attached to Darla, and not really caring if she dies. I think they did a really good job building Angel's obsession this season, though. It's different than how he felt about her in Buffy because he had a century to accept that she was just an evil vampire and get over her. Now, though, she is a human... and she's the symbolic representation of everything evil about his vampire side. So if he can fix her, save her soul, it would represent his truest act of good as it pertains to him personally. He never believed he could save her in Buffy, but in Angel season 2, he had that chance, and that's where the obsession began. From the novice viewer, though, I get it. Darla was around 5 seasons ago, and BtVS wasn't at its strongest with the continuous storylines back then... so her importance was drastically increased once Angel the series began.
Bisibia
2020-07-21 17:12:14 +0000 UTCInteresting you didn't like the flashback. It was I guess a bit less scenic than usual, just being in a barn, but I always liked the flashbacks more than anything else with this show. Even just the backstory of how they were being chased by a vampire hunter is kind of neat.
J.D.
2020-07-21 13:20:54 +0000 UTCI think they built up his feelings for Darla well. The only issue I have are the fillers. Just think of last episode as Supernatural fillers, not really having anything to do with the plot and may or may not ever be brought up again.
Calvin Allen
2020-07-21 11:06:13 +0000 UTCBetter Call Saul is soo good!
Phoenix Dawn
2020-07-21 10:50:55 +0000 UTCHere's the thing, whether or not you feel sympathy for Darla is dependent on if she is guilty of anything. 99% of her crimes was committed by the soulless vampire Darla, not human Darla, Both this show and Buffy effectively states that the souled version is not responsible for what the soulless version does. If you disagree with that I can only imagine how you feel about Angel, and if you do agree with ot why wouldn't someone feel at least some small measure of sympathy .
EPIC00
2020-07-21 08:02:27 +0000 UTCYou’re right. At this point the Darla thing feels a little bit forced. The first time I watched I wasn’t sold either on all those feelings that Angel has towards Darla. As I said a lot of retconning to make the characters more interesting than when they appeared on Buffy (Both Angel and Darla). I admit that David and Julie have amazing chemistry, so it’s enjoyable to watch.
Vicky N
2020-07-21 07:49:48 +0000 UTCThe thing with Darla is that Angel sees in her his own redemption. He did even worse things over the years than Darla did. He was known as the worst of the worst when it came to vampires. And Darla was his sire, the one who made him into that. She knew that part of him better than anyone. And she's the first being he's ever encountered that could relate to him now, having been a former soulless demon, suddenly "cursed" with a soul. In his eyes, if there's hope for her, there's hope for him. He's all about saving souls, and for the first time in the centuries he's known her, she too has a soul to save. And that is worth everything to him. That's what he's willing to die for - it's not about some romantic attachment the show just failed to sell us on, it's about what she represents to him. Also, I feel the point of that flashback was to show the stark difference between soulless Darla and human Darla. The old Darla didn't care if Angel died so she could live. This Darla now clearly does. It's like Angel said to The Host at the karaoke bar - in her 400+ years, Darla had never really been given a chance. Even from what we know of her past human life she was clearly dealt a pretty bad hand from the start, and had no faith in anything. Maybe if given a chance to care, and to believe in something (or someone), she could be good. And I think what this episode showed was, yeah, Angel was right - there WAS hope for Darla yet. The final scene was showing that Angel succeeded: Darla accepted her fate as what she deserved, displayed remorse for her past atrocities, and was willing to die rather than to become a monster again just to keep living. He couldn't save her life, but he saved her soul. Right in time for Wofram & Hart & Drusilla to come in and rip it away. To me this was the most tragic route it could go.
Andrea
2020-07-21 05:43:07 +0000 UTCalso, regarding your comment at the beginning...i can't believe there are actually buffy fans who don't like angel. the two shows go together so well, i can't picture anyone loving one and disliking the other.
cil
2020-07-21 04:58:47 +0000 UTCi actually agree with you. it is weird that the writers want us to root for darla or feel any sympathy for her at all at this point when we've been given no reason to. it's also weird that we are to believe angel would be willing to die for her when up until recently they had nothing to do with each other and he could care less about her being gone. the writers could've built this up a bit better. i also agree that the ending is what makes this episode a great one. because it's so unexpected and has the brilliant use and return of a legendary character.
cil
2020-07-21 04:51:49 +0000 UTCOk you were wondering why the layout of the episode were so weird with the other 2 before. I can't really get into without spoiling to much but the last episode with him drinking from Kate was a kind of episodes that wasn't so much about the story but about the characters. It was a behind the curtain take in were each characters are at. In that way it was highlighting their struggles and faults that each were facing or had faced. Each reacted differently to the shrouds influence and how they came out of it. Which may or may not play into later in the season. I think Angel is desperate to save Darla because he needs to know she can be saved which means he can be as well. Plus they were together for over a 150 years which has been repeated over and over this season. I'm sure Angel as much as he denies it, he does care for her, especially because now she has a soul and going through what he want through. Only unlike before were he was alone, she doesn't have to be in his eyes. On Buffy right before he killed her they hadn't seen each other for almost a 100 years which was When they had that fight over the baby and Angels soul. On Buffy they both were on opposite sides so they couldnt really stop and talk or fight about their past. Though they did mention some stuff that did give away that they were much closer at one time. Plus he was willing to die for her in this episode. So she does mean something to him. That is just an personal opinion and observation of mine. On another note Dru told Darla that she could be her mommy and it looks like it might of happened.
Misty
2020-07-21 04:23:18 +0000 UTCI was waiting for you to watch the ending of this episode since I remember you saying on many occasions about why isn’t Dru being used in the present and than it happened! One of the best cliffhangers of the series and I am happy they did not spoil Dru return to the viewers by having the actress name at the beginning of the episode, they had it in the end credits.
Tia
2020-07-21 03:23:04 +0000 UTCI so wanted you to call "Lindsey": Hope.......hahahahahaha, excellent review, your score is probably correct, I just can't help myself with the Dru thing.
o
2020-07-21 02:36:49 +0000 UTCI had to stop in the first minute of watching to just say that I am a big Angel the show fan, much more then BTVS show. So there are us out there who like it when it has a clump of episodes together. 😁
Misty
2020-07-21 02:35:51 +0000 UTCThe thing with this episode is you are correct, they did rush this, they could have solved it with a simple conversation about Angel and his guilt over Mrs Calendar and how he came back and was giving another chance and just thought she deserved one too. However Drusilla walking through that door, still stands as one of my all time "WTF" moments, so this gets a 10, I get it, people will mark it lower and they are possibly correct, but the effect/affect this had the first time watching it remains to this day, so in the words of Billy Bob......."I give a 10.......a 10"
o
2020-07-21 02:29:13 +0000 UTCIn my Brain, he is and forever will be Leslie
Steven Merced
2020-07-21 02:11:56 +0000 UTCWe're back to calling Lindsay "Lesley" again? :P Come on Steven, he's been in so many episodes now.
SweetSummit
2020-07-21 02:02:49 +0000 UTCI started and had to stop to say.....the ending.....
o
2020-07-21 01:49:13 +0000 UTC7:40 Yes, but people could also point to "Cheers"/ Frasier"....... "Happy Days/Laverne and Shirley/Mork and Mindy"....... "Dallas/Knotts Landing" ....... "All in The Family/Maude/The Jeffersons" "Different Strokes/"Facts of Life", but for my money it is hands down Buffy and Angel, but that may just be me.
o
2020-07-21 01:38:33 +0000 UTC
