La Not-so-Dolce Vita

[gwyn]

Still in too much pain to really write anything substantial about Angel. I’d like to, because the farcical quality interests me. In the grand tradition of a lot of classic fan shows, this episode turns the traditional world and characters into upside-down versions of themselves and heightens the more ridiculous or dramatic characteristics, whether it’s for a humorous effect or a tragedic one. It’s essentially the Fellini version of Angel, with the Monty Python top notes, so it has to take place in Rome with a very English absurdist humor topping.

But it also gives me whiplash, this constant fucking with canon and the feeling that our acceptance of what’s supposed to be believable -- and thus feelable, experiential -- of this universe is all just a joke. I partly resent that, at least, at this point in time, because with only a few hours left, this was empty filler for the most part. There were some chewy morsels of substance hidden inside the marshmallow fluff, and at any other time in the series that would have been marvelous. It’s the very thing that’s always made Angel such a wonderful, unexpected show; I just wish they might have timed this better. While ostensibly supposed to be about closure with the Buffy stuff, it really turns out to be about Angel and Spike getting closure with their own relationship, something they’ll need badly for the final eps. At heart, that might be a great idea (though personally I’d quibble in my little Spuffy heart about that), but the timing gives me a headache, and the constant degradation of the canonical structure annoys me.

It seems so transparent that they’re merely throwing in Darla and Dru as part of a farewell, and it might not have felt so annoying to me if all the flashback stuff had been done with even the slightest attention to making it feel like past flashbacks (and if the hair, dialog, and accents weren’t quite so wretched). I understand the desire to be self-referential and self-mocking about the Angel/Spike past (and loved their blowhard, self-absorbed posturing when they couldn’t get into the Immortal’s club), but coming at such a crucial juncture, it felt not so much farcical and facetious as fatuous and lame. Which is always the danger of doing these kinds of self-parodying shows --sometimes the results will be sublime (Smile Time, Something Blue), sometimes considerably less so.

More often than not, the success is made up of moments -- the parts don’t add up to a wonderful whole, but the parts are often delightful. In this, we had such excellent parts: the slo-mo fight scene to classic ItaloAmerican bad pop, the brief flashblip to Spike and Dru in hipster Italy (and isn’t jidabug’s icon wonderful?), the two of them arguing about how Buffy killed Angel in Becoming, not Angel sacrificing himself, the Donatella Versace-ish head of Italy’s W&H office (did anyone else want to see what the Italian Wes was like?), Andrew with the sage advice and swinging Bondian lifestyle, the head of the head, Angel in the Italian motorcycle jacket, the Vespa ride... all great parts. I just wish they’d added up to a better whole, where the askew bizarro world of fakey Italy combined with the grand tragedy of Wes and Fred/Illyria created something more deeply felt than amusing or generically sad. It’s a risk, though, to walk this line at this point in time, and I have to give them credit for it, even if I was dissatisfied personally. Plus, I still have issues with these lameass blond-haired girls seen from behind or the side and we’re supposed to accept it’s Buffy. She’s tangential to the story of course, but still... it’s just so damn cheesy.

I know I’m not the only one who wondered if the Immortal weren’t a... well an Immortal from Highlander. Maybe it’s Methos. Straddling the line between good and evil, blah blah... well, I mean, who knows, right? I’m surprised more people aren’t speculating about this, considering all the other fannish references sprinkled in throughout the episode. And clearly Andrew’s representation of the relationship isn’t what he’s saying -- let’s face it, the Immortal is not going to be snuggling on the couch, that most assuredly is not his MO, so then we’re left to wonder just what *is* going on (and by now, you’d think that Spike would understand just what an unreliable narrator of any situation Andrew is).

Anyway, definitely an ep that deserves more dissection -- how do parts add up to a whole? where is the line between successful self-parody and farce, and lame self-reference? -- but not, at least now, something I’m capable of. I suspect this will be, like Buffy’s near-end episode where she was kicked out of her house, talked about and argued over for a long time.

Comments

[varina8.livejournal.com]

an Immortal from Highlander.

What a grand idea! Of course, Methos would be more Willow's type (or Giles).

[killabeez.livejournal.com]

First, {{{{hugs!}}}} Pain? I've been out of the loop. Pain bad. buh?

Second, there has actually been quite a lot of speculation on that Immortal reference among the HL LJers. *g* I'm way behind the times in reading, so I haven't seen them all, I'm sure. But see LJs of sisabet, missmurchison, spikedluv, and nestra. I'm sure there are others. Of course, me, I was sure it was Duncan. *g* In the right mood, I feel certain Darla and Dru could have convinced him to string the boys up -- for their own good, as it were.

[coffeeandink.livejournal.com]

I know I’m not the only one who wondered if the Immortal weren’t a... well an Immortal from Highlander. Maybe it’s Methos. Straddling the line between good and evil, blah blah... well, I mean, who knows, right? I’m surprised more people aren’t speculating about this, considering all the other fannish references sprinkled in throughout the episode.

Read this (http://www.livejournal.com/users/nestra/49132.html).

[mlyn.livejournal.com]

About the Immortal...sisabet pointed out a review on *her* friends list that was really interesting. Check it out:

http://www.livejournal.com/users/sisabet/141455.html