Leftover thoughts on Vampires

The other day in class, during one of the heated Firefly discussions, Jason and I got side-tracked by a comment that Josh made about how the sci-fi/western stuff isn’t as important as the fundamental human struggles that characters go through and how Joss makes them relatable.

We started talking about how shows used to have the sense that something big always had to be at stake. Like how Buffy always had to give up love, family, school, and relationships for her duty as the slayer. Or how Angel could not keep his soul, gain his humanity and get the woman he loved, he had to choose his calling. These are all HUGE black and white issues, there are all HIGH stakes experiences, and it seems as though television during that era was very much marked by these characteristics.

This spawned a discussion about how some modern supernatural TV shows, our example was True Blood, seem to be countering, almost back-lashing against the idea that all TV has to have a “save the world” endgame. True Blood, for example is more focused on inter-personal relationships and the everyday workings of ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances, i.e. Sookie’s amazing new boyfriend just happens to be a vampire. Sookie, the lead female character, is not trying to save the world, she is not trying to find her place, make a difference, or anything of the like, she is just trying to take care of her friends and be with her boyfriend. The show openly avows this, and does not try to force a bigger message. If bad things happen, they are situational, not dictated by some higher force or karmic bad guy, they are rooted in the “humanity” and the “evil” within all creatures (vampires, werewolves, shape-shifter, dryads, fairies etc.) and the things that happens are meant to be the normal things that happen to friends, families, and couples, just twinged with a bit of magic!

Personal Growth Thoughts

I keep making connections between Angel’s growth as a person and the challenges he faces on the show. It makes me feel like I am pulling a “Daddy”-esque Sylvia Plath move, to constantly make connections between the supernatural that Angel faces, and the “human” (sort of) issues that he deals with. But, that’s not entirely a bad thing.

To whom it may concern, in other words I don't care, eat em all

Ok so imagine you live in a society where every one is ignorant of the lives of others. Everyone elses own lives are thriving, or at least that's what they make you think is happening. With all this success around you you are bound to question your own achievements in life, as well as your trust in the things people tell you, right? The world around you induces paranoia making you wonder and think and drives you mad thinking that you must do more that you must have more, that everyone is out to get you that you must only ever rely on yourself, doesn't it?

The episode "Have you now or ever been..." of Angel experiments with this concept of Paranoia and delves even deeper into the easily formed and even more easily broken bonds of trust between humans.

Even though Whedon didn't write this episode it was really well done and it conveys its themes in a very smart way. To make the flashback a large portion of the episode allowed the audience to get the feel for a society that is experiencing a time of crisis where everyone has something "big" to hide which in turn allows everyone to make themselves seem alot more successful than they are, which makes the others around them even more concious of their own lives, which creates self doubt, resulting in the paranoia that their life will fall to shambles beause their lives are just "too good to be true."

Angel goes Opposite

After thinking about this latest episode I realized something rather interesting. This episode showed something what I think could be classified as Opposite Racism. Anglea touched on the race topic briefly but I think this episode played on this concept strongly, but using subtle techniques.

For instance, near the beginning, there was a black family that was at the front desk trying to get a room. They were turned away even though the sign said "vacancy". Throughout the episode, besides the main woman (who's name escapes me) all the other chracters were white. All the people that died in the hotel were white. Angel, the person lynched, was white.

Except, the woman, who was mixed, did not die. As well, as many people mentioned in class, the demon at the end, appeared to be a southern black man. This is appears to me to be playing on the idea of racism, especially in the south, where it is mostly seen as white people killing black people. That probably sounds worse than I mean it to be.

It was just interesting to see how the idea of race in the hotel is turned upside down, without being overly obvious.

Elements of Fear in 'Are you now or have you ever'

I believe that fear is the theme of this episode of Angel. Fear is defined as a distressing emotion aroused by impending danger, whether real or imagined. The episode 'Are you now or have you ever been' shows the actions people take when faced with fear. The opening scene (after the credits) shows the Joseph McCarthy communist hearings on the television. This was occurring shortly after World War II and the beginning of the Cold War between the United States and the USSR. Many American's were afraid of the USSR and their restrictive, Communist Government. This fear escalated into what became a witch hunt for communists in the United States. Many American's, after being accused of communist activities, lost their jobs or were imprisoned. These fear based accusations were very similar to the witch hunts occuring in Salem Massachusettes (even though many of them were killed when found guilty of witchcraft). It was fear over an unexplained death, and their personal safety at the hotel, that fueled the panic resulting in Angel's hanging. Fear also fueled the racism that occurred in this episode. The inferior treatment of African American's was not isolated in the 1950's but is treatment historically based on fear of the unknown, or fear of the outcome of the unknown. In the case of Judy, she was a beautiful young woman with a fiance' and a good job who lost it all because she was discovered to be bi-racial. It wasn't that she became something different after the discovery, but she was viewed differently. This difference in treatment is rooted in fear. The fear of the bank owner over whether people will close their accounts if they find out he is employing a black woman and the fear of the fiance' over whether his family will disown him if they find out he fell in love (and married) a black woman. It is, once again, the outcome of the unknown that fuels the fear. There is also the element of self preservation, based on fear, woven into the episode too. From Biblical times this has been the downfall of man. When back into a corner, man will falsly persecute another to save himself. Judas betrayed Jesus in the same way Judy betrayed Angel. I could go on and on about the affects of fear and how they are brilliantly portrayed in this episode but I have rambled on long enough. I thought this episode was great and loved how the writers brought it full circle: the story begins with the hotel and ends with the hotel.

Pink Floyd, rat race, vampires, 1950's and wall paper

I was listening to Pink Floyd today and stumbled upon lyrics from the song "Three Four" that reminded me of the struggle of characters in this episode. My mind then parralleled the anti-rat race song themed to the purpose of the wall paper in the Yellow Wall Paper. The main character in the Yellow Wall Paper (as I've notice some of you have mentioned already) eventually breaks down the design of the wall paper into a woman constantly struggling to get out of the design.

The song "Three-Four" is about a similar theme to break the mold, the pointless constant struggle of humanity, especially Western outlook, to suceed in what can be perceived as a pointless struggle. Although this view tends to coincide with a bunch of stinky, drug happy hippies, its validity can be shown in some schools of thought, like existentialism.

All of the characters who have judgement cast on them, the marxist, Judy, and Angel, try to break out of these superficial standards. However, the design of 1950's society will not allow them to just be people or soulful vampires.

Anyways here are the lyrics and a link to the song. (link and image will have to wait my browsers are rebelling against me) :(




The memories of a man in his old age
Are the deeds of a man in his prime.
You shuffle in gloom of the sickroom
And talk to yourself as you die.

Life is a short, warm moment
And death is a long cold rest.
You get your chance to try in the twinkling of an eye:
Eighty years, with luck, or even less.

So all aboard for the American tour,
And maybe you'll make it to the top.
And mind how you go, and I can tell you, 'cause I know
You may find it hard to get off.

You are the angel of death
And I am the dead man's son.
And he was buried like a mole in a fox hole.
And everyone is still on the run.

And who is the master of fox hounds?
And who says the hunt has begun?
And who calls the tune in the courtroom?
And who beats the funeral drum?

The memories of a man in his old age
Are the deeds of a man in his prime.
You shuffle in gloom in the sickroom
And talk to yourself as you die.

Judy's Wallpaper Joke

As Michelle mentioned in her post, Judy makes a joke about the wallpaper which we can associate with "The Yellow Wallpaper" by Charlotte Perkins Gilman.

To add to the potential meanings behind the wallpaper joke, I came across this:

Judy: ''Can you imagine that wallpaper being the last thing you see before you go?''

Angel: ''Maybe it was the wallpaper that drove him to it.''

This may be a subtle reference to the reputed last words of poet Oscar Wilde (1854-1900): ''Either this wallpaper goes or I do.'' (Thanks to James Cappio for pointing this out.)

(From this website)

I love this so much, and I'd like to believe it's also an intended reference. :)

"Are You Now or Have You Ever Been?": Angel gets his James Dean moment

Natalie Wood and James Dean in Rebel Without a Cause (1955)

Angel and Judy in "Are You Now or Have You Ever Been?" from Angel (2000)

As Dr. H brought up in class today, "Are You Now or Have You Ever Been? gives such a huge shout-out to Rebel Without a Cause even in an episode so packed full of concepts. Upon doing some research to refresh my memory about the film, the reference is so visually and even conceptually thorough (and just plain awesome).

As the pictures above illustrate, Angel appears explicitly James Dean-esque. The wardrobe is on point (the classic red jacket/shirt!) and even the brooding, handsome, smoking thing is employed. He's perfecting the "I'm very aloof but I'll save your life" persona--something Angel is famous for, but I'm glad James Dean is getting due credit for some characteristics which he helped perfect in Hollywood cinema.

Like Judy in this episode of Angel, Natalie Wood's character is also named Judy in Rebel Without a Cause. Her style in the film is playing a major role in the Angel version of Judy; they both have brown, perfectly curled short hair, red lipstick, and standard feminine 50s attire.

A major plot element in Rebel Without a Cause is the paranoia surrounding the death of Buzz (the bully who challenges Jim to a game of "Chicken", which he loses). The central characters are paranoid about the police discovering their involvement in Buzz's death and endure anxiety over who-knows-what regarding the night of the accident. Similarly, Judy's character in Angel is on the run from her own "accident"--the bank robbery.

I can see some ties between the two relationships of Angel/Judy and Jim/Judy. I recall how Judy (Natalie Wood) and Jim (James Dean) start off rocky in the film--she lets her awful boyfriend and his crew torment James Dean's character (at the observatory especially--also featured in this episode!) In "Are You Now or Have You Ever Been?", Judy lets Angel take the blame for chaos going on in the hotel, and he also endures violence without Judy stepping in to help. Both the film and the episode of Angel resolve the respective Judy-relationships, though--but Natalie Wood doesn't become super old. :)

Dead Men Tell Some Tales

Inspired my Michelle’s post, which mentioned the little things that “Are You Now…” borrowed, I want to call attention to the man, the man who killed himself. I think his character’s choice and Angel’s reaction to it, as Michelle also notes, play a huge role in the character that Angel is becoming.

This episode is very much about Angel facing something. He is facing the person he used to be, in the physical location of where he was when he was that different person. When he says that “maybe it was the wallpaper that drove him mad” I felt an intense sense of empathy emanating from Angel himself. He knows this feeling, you can tell it from the way he looks around and the way it so easily comes to him.

It is horribly ironic when you think about how much Angel must want to end his life sometime. Think about it. A lifetime of being a soul-less dead things, cursed to never have love, or any type of human connection. We see Angel heartlessly taking a sip of his “cocktail” as he hears the music grow louder, and the gunshot go off. I almost felt like he was about to raise his glass in mock salute to the salesman, as if to say, “At least you made a choice, here’s to fate, man.”

It is also remarkable to see the growth that Angel has made. Now, in present day Whedonverse, he would have run up the stairs and made an anonymous tip to the police, instead we have Angel as an apathetic bystander who makes no action.

But WHY does he not react? Is it because he is afraid of becoming that desperate, does he recognize the ability to have nothing left to lose in himself? Maybe, is he afraid? Not likely, but is there something he could be afraid of?

This episode features SO much contrast between current Angel and 1950s Angel. I think that using the dead man as a metaphor for Angel, his reactions, and how he changes, can easily be done.

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.

*sigh* Another Christ Figure... I Like Him Though

In the Angel episode "Hero" Doyle dies. Sad moment of my life. For one he becomes the cliche "christ" figure that ends up sacrificing himself to save many lives, regardless of the fact that they are half-demons, whom he saves. Admirable, I know, however I noticed that he did so more out of guilt than for wholehearted selflessness. Doyle, as flashbacked in the episode, has had a previous experience with the "Scourge", where they killed entire clans of his demon race. This puts Doyle in a bit of a shock as he looks around the room as if he should be fearing for his life.

I do admire however the symbolism that is presented with Doyle's death. Because he is half demon one could argue that in his death he was saving the humanity of all that would die before him. Doyle transforms into his demon form when he jumps into the "Beacon of Light" and deactivates it however in doing so it kills him. As he dies he transforms back into a human as his demon side withers away before the light and though it kills him, Doyle does so with a human smile. This death symbolizes the cleansing of Doyle's past inaction and purification to redeem himself as he dies in his human form, thus saving the rest of the half demons.

Even though the death of Doyle causes me a bit saddened it happened in a way that is fitting of any person who is trying to make right things that they may not have been able to in the past, granted I'm not saying everyone should die to save the masses just to right a wrong but that it is "never too late" to change the way your life is led.

Reaching Out

I like the fact that Angel is not reaching out for a human connection.

I find it lovely, and delightfully refreshing that he has to be reminded, by Doyle, to hold on to a connection to the world, through Cordelia. Unlike Buffy, who was always seeking to make a connection with someone who might “get her” and love her ‘slayage’ and all, Angel is not looking for that.

We see him reject pretty girl he saves in the alley

He does not pull any sexual moves on Tina

In addition, he constantly reaffirms to the audience by his behavior that he is not out to make friends. He is in fact out do the opposite; he is out to punish himself through helping others….

Wow, that is an interesting thought. If Angel’s whole goal in life I atonement, what does that say about him and his lack of love and friendship if saving lives is his way of being masochistic?

A city is a large community where people are lonesome together. ~Herbert Prochnow

When the class brought up that Angel seemed more of an adult show than Buffy, and I sort of agree. Angel has some darker and adult nuances. To me that just adds to the over all male oriented feeling to show. In the first episode there's booze, fast cars and damsels in distress.

What I think makes Angel situation seem more adult, besides his character being over 200 years old, is the different setting. Cities to me have always represented an isolationist attitude versus unlike the suburbs that focus on community. These of course are generalizations. So Buffy's support systems seems more intertwined. To throw off this generalization, out of the loneliness Angel starts to form his own gang. Although his traits seem to steer clear of humans, the plot makes him escape his isolation. Angel is overcoming the isolation and superficiality that is my stereotypical image of L.A.

A City of Angel : So let's Kill More Vamps

In Angel the first episode I noticed some things that made it differ from Buffy, which I found to be more interesting from its predecessor.
1. Angel is more of a "mature" set show. This is basically due to the fact that the show takes place in a citywide environment and is no longer confined to the life of a school girl the way that Buffy was. In his own spinoff Angel is able to be more independent and make decisions as he sees fit, which opposed to Buffy, everything he did focused around her. In this series Angel also has a "job". Although this job does include fighting monsters (vamps, demons etc.) these commisioned jobs come from Doyle, our new "Xander" counterpart.
2. Angel is a much more violent show. Unlike Buffy who mainly used stakes, Angel uses an assortment of armaments, namely the dual hidden blade gauntlets (my personal favorite thanks to Assassin's Creed), and is shown with swords, axes, etc. in his apartment.
The adversaries of Angel in this series also have upgraded weaponry, and though we all enjoy the hand to hand combat that made Buffy, which has made some appearances in the fight scenes of Angel, the people angel face carry guns with them, providing a "mob" mentality which also emphasizes the "Maturity" of the world that is now Angel.

These changes are more enjoyable to me because they embody the fact that there is a life beyond the world of just education and being guided all your life, that there is in reality a time where you must go out on your own and face the world for what it really is, an "all or nothing" place.

Liking this a little better...

I thought the pilot episode for Angel was entertaining. I felt it had a darker theme than Buffy did. I found it hard not to compare the two shows together. The plots appear similar and yet presented in a different atmosphere. They incorporated Cordelia, a familiar character from Buffy, into the scene early. I took this as a definite ploy to attract avid Buffy watchers. The pilot did a good job setting up the series; you understand what Angel's history and current mission is. I felt sad when he was unable to save Tina from Russell but was very happy when Angel pushed him through the window to his death. Someone mentioned in class that Angel had a more mature feel to it than Buffy did. Maybe that is why I can relate to this program better than I could with Buffy and could see myself willingly watching more of it.

"Why me?" -- Angel

(Gratuitous photo of David Boreanaz because he's incredibly attractive. So, there.)

Until today, I had never seen an episode of Angel; the Angel that I knew was solely Buffy-based. While we pointed out some differences between Angel and Buffy in class today (more adult situations and so on), I have been thinking a bit more about how Angel, as a show, works with Buffy, particularly since the character of Angel was deemed worthy of his own spin off.

Angel's place within Buffy the Vampire Slayer is indelible. He's Buffy's first big love and proof that vampires can maintain some humanity (although there was that pesky curse). Still, Angel goes through major changes on the show, always in between the worlds of the ultimate good-guy or regressing into his soul-less vampire ways. Then, he simultaneously leaves Buffy/Buffy -- the relationship and the show.

The show Angel, however, allows the character to be presented more fully; he's on a mission to make things right with himself and his past. Doyle, the sidekick character, introduces the theme of atonement by saying "Well, we've all got something to atone for" when he acknowledges Angel's checkered past and motivations for wanting to help Tina. Aside from the theme of atonement in the context of the episode, I think that Angel as a whole atones for Angel's departure from Buffy's life (and her show). Somehow, Angel getting his own show makes it feel a little bit better that he's no longer on Buffy as the brooding on-again off-again love of her life. I think Whedon takes Angel's best qualities and is attempting to develop them with Angel to help loyal Buffy fans (and especially Team Angel fans) tune in to the new show. It's all Angel, all the time!

Killing Things Just Made It Better

Ok so this week we watched "Innocence" and I couldn't help but notice the trend of the teeenager's life that is represented throughout the media over and over again. Boy meets girl (in this case undead boy who is cursed meets girl, they fall in love, they do "it", he gets in , gets off, gets out and leaves.). Don't get me wrong I understand that it was needed for the plot of Buffy to move along and it was an inevitability, however it all moved a little too fast. When Angel says to Spike "to kill this girl you gotta love her" I find that to create more pain you draw it all out in one nice unbearably sweet... well you let it go on for a very long time, instead of just telling her "it's over" the day after.

The effect that this has on Buffy forces her to act faster towards the destruction of Angel, just as fast as he was to break her heart. Don't misunderstand however that what they did have seemed genuine before the events that took place, but when you force someone into the corner they either cower or fight back and let's face it he picked the wrong teenage girl to F*$# with.

This episode, through the quick break up of Buffy and Angel, also demonstrated a higher symbolic meaning for the essences of "being human". After the breakup Buffy is devastated and like all teenage girls who lose the man they lost their virginity to she cries a wholehearted cry. This shows that despite living out the destiny of a slayer and having the weight of humanity of her shoulders, Buffy is still just a teenage girl with problems of her own. She experiences heartbreak from losing boyfriends, and joy from being with her buddies. But with that pent up aggression of being who she is, killing things just makes life a bit easier.