A note on peer-review, and our lovely class

Although I love the idea of peer-review, I haven't always had ideal experiences with the exercise in the past. However, I can honestly say that I enjoyed reading my classmates papers and having them read mine over the course of two classes.

The first day of peer-review, I read two papers (by Anna and Adam) that exposed me to entirely different topics: humor and existentialism! I admired their unique approach to their papers and enjoyed reading them. Both Anna and Adam took an outside concept--both very challenging and broad ones, at that--and applied them specifically and skillfully to Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

The second day of peer-review, I had the pleasure of reading a different batch of papers. What stood out most to me about the second session was the unexpected similarity of my paper and Adam Otto's. Honestly, I was nervous about Adam reading my paper about Willow Rosenberg since he has vocalized and blogged about his distaste for Willow. My paper stemmed from the idea of Willow being impossible to write off and how she deserves careful consideration. I was pleased to read Adam's paper about Cordelia Chase in which he essentially embraces the same premise--there is more to Cordelia than meets the eye and she also deserves thoughtful examination.

From the beginning, our class has been a huge mixture of opinions, voices, and approaches. The papers have been a great culmination of that mixture. Thanks to everyone who read my paper and gave me helpful feedback; I really appreciate it!

Also, I'll just say that I absolutely loved this class--perfectly organized, consistent/fair workload, and oh yeah--FUN. I've noted progress in my own writing, and that feels pretty darn good. So, Dr. H, thank you!

Best wishes to everyone with your papers. I can't wait for the presentations. :)

Cordelia, Doyle, and the 'love stuff' in "Hero"

Aside from the heroic acts and the great discussions about Angel and Doyle, something I've been thinking about from this episode is both the beginning and end of Cordelia and Doyle.

Cordelia and Angel (at least not yet) aren't romantically linked, so that leaves Cordelia single and ready to...well, you know. Doyle shows interest in her but never quite worked up the nerve. In "Hero," he attempts to ask her out but is rudely interrupted by the usual demon chaos. We see their first and final kiss before Doyle's martyr act.

My question is: had Doyle not died, would Doyle and Cordelia have worked out based on what we know about their characters? Or, is their kiss and prematurely ended relationship solely a way for Whedon to transfer the power of visions to Cordelia since Doyle isn't sticking around? As seasoned or new viewers of Angel, would we stand behind the relationship if it got to happen?

Though it's mostly speculation, I'm curious about how Whedon is using the love interest elements in Angel compared to other Whedon shows. For example, Buffy had just made an appearance in the show to highlight Angel's relationship woes, but Cordelia as the main female character hasn't gotten much of a love connection. I believe some people noted in class how Cordelia is growing as a character after "Hero." Still, I feel like Cordelia is in an interesting position as the female lead in Angel up to this point.