Angel: 4x18 Full Reaction
Added 2025-09-05 14:25:28 +0000 UTC"Shiny Happy People"
Comments
Fresca?
Kevin E Maul
2025-09-11 23:54:38 +0000 UTC"Sometimes it's not about holding hands." But its all about getting what you want. Or preventing somebody else getting it. The show delves into this all the time, because of course it generates drama and conflict, and brings out nobility and pettiness in characters, draws out complicated plots, entertains us seeing who gets what they want, how they lose it when they finally do, who never gets there. This year is all about what happens when evil wins, how do the good get what they want out of life then? Through suffering, and never giving up the fight. Right now Fred is the only one feeling unsatisfied, even though it is obviously a glamour by the god made flesh thing in the beautiful tall female body of Gina Torres (Whedon cast her again on Firefly, and I think she was in one of The Matrix movies.) It will be interesting to see if the things each character "wants" will override the spell, because the bliss out of it all doesn't fulfill the wanting, it kind of pushes it away. But as they say Blood Will Out, meaning the impulse toward the real things people are striving for will exert itself again. The idea of taking away or diverting all the ambitions of everyone in the show, well that isn't going to be much drama for more than a episode or two. I thought they way they handled Angelus was a bit weird, in that he had no plans, nothing going on, except to react to everyone else with some evil monkeywrenching here and there. I mean Angelus had a very long time to plot his revenge on Angel and everyone including Cordy and Wesely and Buffy, but where was all that? not really anywhere. Angelus stayed alone while he was the only spirit in Angels body. It could be that the beast master knew Angel would figure it out too soon, as he pretty much did as soon as he got back. Conner did Cordy and everyone dirty, being part of the sacrifice. I don't think he actually gave a shit anymore, he can't be that stupid. When you're murdering teen girls as an FU to mom and dad, you are just a piece of shit, and you aren't coming back no matter what the writers try to do later. "One of these days you're gonna wake up in a coma." Well Cordy, I guess this is one of these days, eh? Such a lame way to make a point about how everyone is expendable in Hollywood. This storyline makes me want to nope-out on the show. It is just so off-brand.
spikeysnack
2025-09-07 19:43:34 +0000 UTCAye, this is a good warning. Do NOT watch the opening credits for 5x01.
JBK405
2025-09-06 22:15:24 +0000 UTCAlso he played Crashdown, Boomer’s ECO in Battlestar Galactica.
Joshua Taylor
2025-09-06 14:32:29 +0000 UTCLooks like Fred's on her own again. First in Pylea for 5 years and now this. This season is pretty gripping. They definitely hit you where it hurts.
Morgan Williams
2025-09-06 04:31:39 +0000 UTCA little off topic but… not sure how far ahead you’re pre-taping your Angel reactions… but when you get to Season 5, Episode 1… DON’T watch the opening credits!
AK
2025-09-06 04:22:42 +0000 UTCWe get another reference to The Mission in this episode. That phrase has been a recurring refrain in this series starting in the early seasons. What I've noticed is that over the course of the series, The Mission seems to transfer from person to person. The Mission was originally associated with Gunn before he joined Angel Investigations. Gunn and his crew being on The Mission was what separated them from the other street gangs that were just criminals. It's also the reason he gave to his former crew as to why he was sticking with Angel instead of them. They lost The Mission, while Angel Investigations had it. After that, The Mission was mainly used to refer to Angel's Destiny, and his quest for Redemption, and the good that Angel Investigations did with him as the leader. Now we hear that Fred has The Mission. That she's Called to The Mission. And she doesn't think she's the type of person who gets called, but as we can see... Regarding just how or why certain people see Jasmine for what she really is, I'll say that the information was actually presented to you in this episode. I'm not saying what it was, because everybody needs to figure it out for themselves, but the clues are here. (Don't feel bad for missing them, nobody gets it the first time through).
JBK405
2025-09-06 02:31:01 +0000 UTCAlso, its interesting you picked up on them mentioning jasmine a lot in this episode, cause most reactors I've seen don't pay attention to that detail. Jasmine choosing that name for herself and her love of the flower's scent was also somewhat foreshadowed as both Darla (her grandma) and Drusilla (her grandma's sire) expressed their love of jasmine. In S2 of Angel (ep 2x9), human Darla is sitting in the hotel's garden smelling a jasmine flower and says "mmm, jasmine. It blooms at night. I remember what that was like". And in Buffy S2 ep19, when Angelus is showing Dru and Spike the garden in their new mansion/lair, Dru immediately notices the flower: Dru: "Look! Jasmine..." Angelus: "Night blooming" Dru: "Like us..."
Ariel17
2025-09-06 01:46:32 +0000 UTCNow that you've seen Jasmine's power and how she preaches about love and changing the world and all, it makes the song that Cordy sang for Lorne earlier in the season even more eerie. Back in ep 4x4 amnesiac Cordy chose to sing "The Greatest Love of All" (which BTW is the same song she was singing for the talent show ep in Buffy S1), and the specific lyrics that she sings from the chorus could be seen as foreshadowing what was to come later this season: "Because the greatest love of all is happening to me I found the greatest love of all INSIDE of me"
Ariel17
2025-09-06 01:42:47 +0000 UTCSam Whitwer was a vampire in TV show Being Human which I have only seen a lil bit of, TV show Smallville later in the show, tv show Dexter season 1, and TV show Once Upon a Time later in the show. All great shows, although I have seen very lil of Being Human, kinda found it to be a slower type show.
Morgan Williams
2025-09-06 01:25:57 +0000 UTCHe was a vampire in Being Human”. That’s where I got to know him.
Andrea Frank
2025-09-06 01:01:34 +0000 UTCJasmine saying that those who oppose her are drive by hatred and that the guy who attacked her is full of fear and anger is interesting. That actor is Sam Witwer, who has portrayed/voiced lots of evil characters in the Star Wars franchise. The Sith/Dark Side in Star Wars being driven by fear, anger, and hatred.
James Smith
2025-09-06 00:04:14 +0000 UTCFred must feel like the only person in the world right now.
Preaching to the Horse's Mouth
2025-09-05 23:22:12 +0000 UTCThe Jasmine arc is pretty crazy. It's like a supernatural version of Invasion of the Body Snatchers.
Steve Quast
2025-09-05 19:16:05 +0000 UTCwell you can't say the powers that be never do anything. Well one of them anyway.
Jason Harrelson
2025-09-05 17:30:17 +0000 UTCPraise Jasmine 🙌 Our light in the darkness, our guiding beacon - spread her love ❤️
Jordan McLaren
2025-09-05 16:19:15 +0000 UTCThat last pan out shot combined with the music is so goddamn creepy.
Preaching to the Horse's Mouth
2025-09-05 15:37:36 +0000 UTCThis initial Jasmine reveal almost makes the dramatics of season 4 worth it all for me. The way a Big Bad crept in and played on the team’s interpersonal battles to distract them during its ‘prep time’ is such a unique way to subvert the expectations of a supernatural TV show. The villain plan has been stirring since ‘Cordelia’ returned but it’s only obvious in retrospect.
Isaiah Bryant
2025-09-05 15:09:16 +0000 UTC
