Angel: 5x20 Full Reaction
Added 2025-12-03 15:00:10 +0000 UTC"The Girl In Question"
Comments
No one can convince me that Amy Acker isn't a superior actor. Literally playing Illyria acting as Fred but still speaking and using the mannerisms of Illyria and then immediately switching back to acting as Fred. Amazing
Eric J Quintern
2026-01-27 14:14:12 +0000 UTCExcept that he did stop wearing it in season 7, until a certain someone berated him into adopting that tough-guy Spike persona again. I see it as his security blanket - the coat (as twisted as that is), and the tough-guy facade it represents, which we know isn't really him. His need for this costume is a form of self-protection. He's even less well-adjusted than Angel, and that's saying something.
Maia Brodsky
2025-12-27 00:17:57 +0000 UTCMy take on the SMG body double dance scene has always been that the blond girl wasn't Buffy. For me, it adds to the episode, the idea that Spike and Angel have their heads so far up their own asses that they can't even tell that it wasn't her.
Arlo Murphy
2025-12-08 02:24:13 +0000 UTCYou're right that "SON OF A BITCH!" delivery was absolutely perfect. Probably my favorite line delivery from Spike as well. I don't think Buffy is in love with the immortal I just think Andrew probably doesn't know the difference between infatuation and love.
Captain Hammer
2025-12-04 00:32:23 +0000 UTCBspangel? Spbangel? Angespuffy? No, for sure not the last one. Bspangel, definitely Bspangel.
Preaching to the Horse's Mouth
2025-12-04 00:19:06 +0000 UTCHuh? No one said it was hated. Most liked it. It was a 6 for me.
Andrea Frank
2025-12-04 00:06:06 +0000 UTCThere's a lot of rumors that Sarah Michelle Gellar was supposed to appear here, and that the scheduling fell through and that's why they use a body double. However these rumors are false, and everybody involved in the production has said that she was never approached in the first place. The idea was that Buffy would always be 'just offscreen', like you said at the end. The actor who WAS supposed to appear was Michelle Trachtenberg, and Dawn would have been in Andrew's place in the story. But she did have a scheduling conflict, so that's why we got Andrew back. The thing that I always consider in this episode is that Drusilla is actually still alive somewhere. So she COULD have appeared in the present, and not a flashback. What would that have been like if Angel & Spike ran into her again?
JBK405
2025-12-04 00:05:49 +0000 UTCI didn't know people hated it until this comments section. I love this episode, it's hilarious.
Dee Aitch
2025-12-03 23:51:56 +0000 UTCThere is some fun stuff in this episode and some stuff that is pretty rough. But I want to highlight one moment in particular. Spike’s iconic leather jacket being destroyed and him immediately getting a bunch of identical copies is a funny gag, but it feels like the writers gave themselves an opportunity to get rid of the coat that (while yes it does look very cool) is literally something Spike took off of a person he murdered, when he was evil. So many characters in the Buffyverse get to show their character development through wardrobe changes but here is Spike, having basically the same look he had in BuffyS2E3, when he was introduced. It as if the writers thought ‘we could have a wardrobe change to symbolize his continued growth as a character or just stick to looking cool?’, and then decided it was more important for Spike to look cool.
James Smith
2025-12-03 22:20:13 +0000 UTCEvery time we hit an episode like this I'm like "is this my favourite?" and like, if I was to do a top 5, it probably wouldn't break it but - like, damn. as the last comedy episode of the show's run, it goes out on top. I know it's not beloved, but for me it's always just a right place, right time break in the tension.
Jon D Arthur
2025-12-03 21:20:59 +0000 UTCIt often seems like some of the best episodes combine complete and total wackiness with really serious character stuff (I'm thinking specifically of Tabula Rasa) and it seems to very much work. I enjoy the heck out of it.
Preaching to the Horse's Mouth
2025-12-03 17:13:09 +0000 UTCI can't believe we're so close to the end now. I like this episode a lot, even if it feels a bit out of place - it's so funny and the chemistry between Angel and Spike is endlessly entertaining. And on the flip side of the coin, we have the Illyria/Wesley/Burkles subplot, which is honestly pretty disturbing. Wesley is trapped between the ghost of Fred and the presence of Illyria, and the two can no longer be cleanly separated. Illyria experimenting like this exposes the limits of her newfound empathy; she knows enough to manipulate Fred's parents, and how she's affecting Wesley, but she seems to see relationships as data points rather than genuine emotional connections. As fun as the Angel/Spike stuff is, I think the real meat of the episode is this exploration of grief, denial, and identity. As another comment pointed out, yeah Season 8 of the Buffy comics reveals that Buffy has body doubles all over the world, including this one. It's been a while since I've read them all the way through but I enjoy them more than most people. That's all I'll say 🤐 The ending of Angel is superior to Buffy in my opinion, but I'll hold my thoughts until then ♥️
Jordan McLaren
2025-12-03 16:41:13 +0000 UTCOne of the episodes of all time
SuccessionLover
2025-12-03 16:08:49 +0000 UTC
