Angel - 3x13 “Waiting in the Wings” FULL REACTION

Wesley is the GOAT

Einar Sigurðsson

Three things 1) As you said , this was a shipper's dream which became a shipper's nightmare. The SS Cangel and RMS WesFred didn't even make it out of the harbor. Passengers were still boarding, the gangplanks hadn't even been pulled up yet, and *whoops* we get sinkage. :( 2) When you mentioned Wes and Lorne hanging out, I thought "hey, Angel could join them too!" and then I thought about the Hunter, Fitz and Coulson dynamic from the latter half of S2. Wes is the Fitz in that trio, and no one will convince me otherwise. 3) I agree that we need the fluuf and character moments. Your "FEED MEEE!" needs to be a gif, so here, have a snack. You have mentioned that you watched Supernatural. I don't know if you have kept up with it, but I'll just say it's canon from the latter seasons that Dean makes kickass burgers and irons his and Sam's shirts for their FBI suits. We see him ironing at least once, and there is a joke that I'd rather not spoil so I'm gonna stop typing now...

Jean Olenick

Your eye at the end of the episode - PRICELESS!

Pho3nixX

My nickname for this episode is "Shipwreck".

UTU49

OMG, how did I not see this before as well. Wesley is mirroring the role of Hilarion in the Ballet, and Gunn is Albrecht. (smacks forehead) It's so obvious I can't believe I didn't pick up on it before now!

Claire Eyles

A thing I didn't notice for a long time but now love about this episode is how they parallel Wesley and the Count. Wesley has a crush on Fred, but due in part to his insecurities and perhaps lack of experience (and Billy), he loves her from afar, putting her on a pedestal without really getting to know her. Gunn on the other hand hangs out with Fred seemingly all the time, and allows their relationship to grow to the point where he invites a kiss, but Fred is the one that initiates it. It just feels more equal to me, and I feel for Wesley but only really because I like Wesley and sympathize with his lack of confidence, not because I think he and Fred would be a good match. He and Fred are on the surface more similar to one another than Fred and Gunn, but uh sameness does not a good relationship make.

KT

When Gruu showed up, my reaction was pretty much the same as yours, Liam. I wasn't a fan of his character during Pylea epsiodes and I dislike love triangles (I think you can call their situation that way) almost any time they occur in fiction. That's why his reappearence here was frustrating, especially becasue I was suspecting it was him who Lorne saw in Hyperion, in the middle of the episode. I was thinking: It's either him, because this episode is full-on romance, or it's Holtz and we're getting dramatic clffhanger at the end. I remember almost hoping it would be Holtz during Angel's speech at the end, even if didn't make any sense.

Łukasz Biel

My ships soared and then they died! Cordy/Angel... I'm still screeching. I love them so much. But poor unobservant Cordy has no idea that Angel is head over heals. And Gruu showing up? Well, that's just classic Whedon fuckery. Regarding Fred/Gunn... not my OTP. I mean, personally, I prefer her with Wesley... they just seem better matched. But Gunn is great, so I'm not too miffed about Fred choosing him. It's just so sad for Wesley! Lovely reaction to one of my favorite episodes of Angel, Liam. ❤❤

Abby

The look at the end, when Gru showed up... Joss Whedon made you have that look. How you liking him now? LOL This episode is awesome. This is only the 3rd time I have seen it, and never realizes that was Summer (although, I had never seen Firefly). Poor Wes and Angel. :( Poor Liam :(

KiwiJello

Y'know what's fun? Imagining your past self watching a video where you say, "Something about Angel and Cordelia seems right to me"... say, the you who had just finished watching The Zeppo. Imagine that guy being told that someday he'd ship that... he never would have believed it. :) Also fun to watch afterthoughts from that era knowing how your feelings would come to evolve. If you watch one you truly get a sense of why we're all invested in you going through this. :)

Dipper

Perfect T-shirt you’re wearing Liam, we saw the words ‘what the’ just at the right moment 🤣

CeNedra

The whole Angel and Cordelia ship does not make sense and I am so surprised that so many are for it. I won’t get into the fact that there was basically no organic development for Angel’s feeling, I would only mention that Angel left Buffy because he believed that he won’t be able to give her the relationship she deserves. Why is Cordelia different in that respect? If he suddenly changed his mind, he should be with Buffy. And I am not a Bangel shipper, it simply does nit make sense.

S144

The scene where the Prime Ballerina (Summer Glau) is talking to Angel and describing how each time there's a moment where her foot slips and Kurskov doesn't even notice, because he knows nothing of ballet, is a stroke of genius as well. Not only does it establish that she is dancing the same performance, not just the same ballet, but the fact that Kurskov apparently doesn't even watch the dancer's feet really gets across the point that he really doesn't know about ballet and just wants the Ballerina for himself to control. People who are fans of ballet, especially those who have also studied it themselves, will tend to watch a dancer's feet as much as they will the rest of their performance - someone who doesn't even notice that a Prima Ballerina's foot has slipped is totally indicative of someone who has no real clue about the art form despite positioning themselves as some sort of great patron.

Claire Eyles

And for those who don't know the Ballet, 'Giselle', that is being performed in this episode: The title character (Giselle) is a sweet, innocent and trusting peasant girl, who loves to dance, but has a weak heart. She has a wannabe suitor in the village, 'Hilarion', who she doesn't love, but who still acts insanely jealous and pushy towards her. Then another man ('Loys') arrives in the village and begins to court her, she ends up falling in love with him, they get engaged, and she's so happy she dances to the point where she almost collapses & her mother has to warn her that if she dances too much she may die. What she doesn't know, at this point, is that Loys is actually called Albrecht and not only is he a Count who has disguised himself as a peasant, he's also already engaged to be married to a noble woman called Balthilde. Hilarion, being the utter prick that he is, discovers Albrecht's deception & sets it up so that it is revealed to Giselle in front of the whole village, presumably thinking that she'll be so grateful she'll rush straight into his arms. His plan backfires spectacularly when rather than crying on Hilarion's shoulder, Giselle is instead so distraught at the betrayal that she goes insane and dances until her heart gives out & she drops dead. Thus ends act I. Act II starts with a grieving Hilarion visiting Giselle's grave to lay flowers when he is frightened by the approach of Myrtha, Queen of the Wiles. The Wiles are vengeful spirits of betrayed women who died before their wedding day, Myrtha draws the others too her and they trap Hilarion and force him to dance until he collapses and dies from exhaustion. Myrtha then calls forth Giselle from her grave, and she becomes one of the Wiles. Eventually Albrecht arrives at her grave to mourn her death as well, only to find himself trapped like Hilarion was, seemingly going to also be forced to dance until death despite his desperate pleas for mercy. Just before he dies though, Giselle realises she still loves him, despite what he did to her, and she forgives him. The Wiles disappear with the coming of the dawn, Giselle along with them, and Albrecht is left alone to sit and have a really good think about what he's done...I mean mourn his lost love.

Claire Eyles

One of the things I really love about this episode is the story is so damn ballet-esque by itself. I mean they might as well have just named Count Kurskov 'Rothbart'. :D

Claire Eyles

Grusilug has fans? His own citizens deposed him and threw him out on his rear. He has no fans!

Steve Quast

Oh, this episode. Way back in season one, I commented on how one of my favorite things about this show is just how little chemistry Angel and Cordy have. Their meeting in the pilot episode, the bit with Cordy getting peanut butter on the bed, leaving her wet towel on the leather chair, that horrible kiss in Parting Gifts, etc. I adore those moments. Shows that have a male and female lead NOT paired together are so rare! But of course, I made that comment fully knowing that all this was coming, knowing we'd be at a point where they're such an undeniably perfect couple that the audience would be screaming to get them together. The journey these two have been on is incredible, the way they groo together is one of my favorite dynamics in the whole Whedonverse. This relationship feels so EARNED! God, I LOVE these two! Also, possibly a contentious opinion, but I think Buffy was actually Angel's weakest major love connection. His relationships with both Darla and Cordelia are so much deeper and richer, I care about them so much more. I mean, I was never much of a Bangel shipper in the first place, but two and a half seasons of Angel made me stop caring about Bangel completely.

Rachel Espiritu

Always loved this line 😂

And you should react to it 😊

Lostmyshoe22

I've probably watched this one more than any other Angel episode... even though I know nothing about ballet. I just enjoy seeing the characters in unfamiliar circumstances, and changes in their relationships. Summer Glau was hired for both her acting and her ballet dancing... but she gave one of the best guest performances on the show. Joss liked her performance so much that he cast her on Firefly.

UTU49

Sue me, but Fred x Gunn is my favorite pairing in the Buffyverse (alongside Tara x Willow). Look at them, they're just so damn cute with each other!!

4Tom4lepus4

Back in the powder wig days when I watched this episode I was fock all their relationships Gunn and Fred, from Sunnydale to Sunnydale U, to Los Angeles fock them all happy relationships I've been Team Single Wesley Wyndham Pryce true and through since. Also for a moment I thought the end of next episode was this episode and was waiting for chills but I was ahead of things. This Wesley reaction still gave me chills though and scared me a little at end cause I didn't know if Liam was acting true on his walk off the screen 😵😃

Juan Sanchez

Yeah Liam stop calling people pastries how you like it if I Chandler Bing you and call you beef steak Julie

Juan Sanchez

This episode is so Joss. He gets you 99% of the way to giving you something you want, then rips it away at the last moment, just because. But because it's Joss, he wraps it all up in a great episode, so you can't hate him lol....

Amanda S

https://youtu.be/po94GM4qvBg This is the link to the deleted scene. Even if you don’t react to it still takes look, I’m sure you’ll enjoy it Liam :-)

Ariel17

There is a deleted scene of Wesley fantasizing about dancing with Fred — Joss was inspired to write this when he learned that Amy Acker danced ballet. Joss cut the scene because it was tonally jarring, but you should definitely check it out. I don't know how safe youtube links are: https://youtu.be/po94GM4qvBg

Rachael

Whedon giveth and Whedon taketh....with a rusted blade cutting your heart out

Patrick Lyke

Also.... stop calling people pastries! Hahah it’s like Angel was talking directly to you Liam 😅

Ariel17

Knew you’d have an awesome reaction to this episode. Now you have to watch and react to the deleted scene for this episode! Please? Pretty please? It doesn’t contain spoilers but I’ll just say it involves your favorite character in Angel....the link is on YouTube somewhere in sure someone can post it.......please react to it!!!! :-)

Ariel17

Great rxn! I was waiting for that moment when you'd notice it was River lol. Cangle!! Yay! Great Cangle and some fun Angel too....though David's acting when he was possessed/trying to act sexy always makes me laugh and kind of takes me out of the moment lol....But truly, everyone delivered on this one. Ugh, the intense shifts between joy and frustration.....Thanks Joss!

SpikesEcho

This episode is extremely underrated. It's such a Funny and beautiful, but Tragic episode. Guess it was with the Theater Theme. Comedy and Tragedy

Bastion33

I haven't even watched your reaction, but I already approve of your "NSVDOFHEKSVSHKDIFUGNKDGFOFHFLDNMSGFIG" comment ;)

Amanda S

This is definitely a favorite of mine too.

Miss Timi Fantastico

I've been waiting for this one

Elisa H.