PLEASE NOTE: THIS IS A SPOILER-RICH ZONE

PLEASE NOTE: THIS IS A SPOILER-RICH ZONE. If your diet requires you to dine on television spoiler-free ... good luck with that.

REVIEW ARCHIVES

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

What is This, A Lobster?

Episode 1.02: Lonely Heart. Original Airdate: 10.12.99

“Angel tracks a wormlike demon that preys on lonely hearts at a trendy nightclub.”



Zelda’s Thoughts:

  • Angel, dimly lit, pensive.
  • Doyle, weird shirt, crushing on Cordy.
  • Cordelia, bright and excited about business cards.
  • And oops the drawing of an angel might be a butterfly or an owl and maybe Cordelia should have run the art by a focus group.
  • Oooh our first seizure vision.
  • And as we see randos Kevin and Sharon meet, Kevin leads with “God, I hate places like this, don’t you?” (which is only important as setting up a red herring later in the ep)
  • Oh hey, the bartender is Bodie from Dawson’s Creek.
  • “The services our friend Angel provides might put people in mind of the V word.” // “Vampire?” // “No, vigilante.”
  • IT’S KATE. HI KATE.
HI ZELDA


  • I like that her first line is asking if Angel is okay. It’s the same impulse that drives Angel, I think. Looking for a way to help, to make the world better.
  • Doyle calls the visions he gets his gift. Cordy: “If that was my gift, I’d return it.” WILL SHE THOUGH. (Well, yeah, I mean, she’ll try.)
  • “But I’ll know it when I see it.” // “Would you?”
  • The thing is, is Kate coming on like this because she thinks he might be the serial killer, or because she’s interested? Or an awkward bit of both?
  • Aaaaand Doyle’s in a fight with two randos because they assumed Cordelia, handing out cards (that have, for the record, no name of the business, just a drawing), must be a prostitute.
  • And Angel, looking to help people, has left Kate behind and she leaves.
  • Ah, back to Kevin and Sharon, having had sex but both feeling empty.
  • Kevin asks to hold her, and it’s a clever bait and switch they set up to us, with Sharon walking away and Kevin emptied out. We think Sharon is the actual baddie, not realizing it’s a parasite passing from body to body.
  • I’m pleased Angel listened to me during the Pilot and got a computer for the office.
  • “You can go to hell.” // “Been there, done that.” Good line, meh delivery.
  • “Ugh, demons, is there anything more disgusting?” And oops Doyle’s face. Just tell her, Doyle!
  • Angel’s on the case! Paging quickly through a phone book to find Sharon’s address.
  • And Sharon and new rando are post-coital, still feeling nothing, and she asks him to roll over so she can spoon him. Time for another body transfer for our parasite.
  • And Angel is able to burst into the apartment – not a good sign – because Sharon is already dead.
  • But Angel is here in time to see it finish swiveling its way into new guy’s body, who turns and says “You’re not human.”
  • GASP! Kate is a detective!
  • Why are we meeting at Cordelia’s apartment instead of the office? Oh, right, Kate might come looking for Angel there, now we know she’s a detective with detective resources.
  • The guys need to stop being such shits about Cordelia’s home. She has no money and they’re her guests. Also remember when Angel lived on the streets? Don’t be shits.
  • Montage of Angel hunting for the demon, of Kate snooping through Angel’s office and home, and another dead human.
  • So far the dead human count on this series is not looking good for our heroes.
  • Demon is named Tahlmer.
  • Oh and a rando approaches Kate with “God I hate places like this, don’t you.” So we think he’s the parasite, because TRICK.
  • Because actually Bartender Bodie is the current carrier and he’s knocked Kate out intending to transfer to her … even though they haven’t had sex? I thought sex was supposed to happen before the transfer? I’m confused. [I don't think sex is necessary - like the guy before who I assume couldn't get it up - I think it's just the being close part- D]
  • So we don’t see her die, but I guess we can assume another woman died when the parasite transferred to Bartender Bodie.
  • And Angel tries to Batman grappling hook his way out of the basement, but oops the beam broke.
  • It’s okay, Angel, Kate’s got this.
  • Bodie’s looking worse and worse, begging women to let him hold them. 

  • And as human and parasite burn to death, Kate shoots for good measure.
  • And the version the police are getting, and that Kate believes, is that the bartender was behind all of it.
  • Kate admits she searched Angel’s place so they can “start fresh, no secrets.” Um, good luck with that?

Daniel’s Thoughts:

  • Lonely Hearts will become a theme on this show.
  • The episode starts, like most, with Angel brooding.
  • Doyle: we deserve a night of fun.    Really?  They’ve had one case.
  • And thus also begins Doyle’s crush on Cordelia.
  • Angel’s got a business card!  And it’s hilarious that they don’t know the drawing is an angel.
  • And I remember this story of the week and it’s kinda cool.  It’s very sci-fi horror-esque.
  • What kind of club is this?  It’s weird.  Is this what LA was like in the 90s? It’s just so quiet for a bar.
  • I love Cordelia’s just giving out cards.
  • “I’m an actress.”  So we’re still doing that, huh?
  • And we’re introduced to Kate – someone who could have been a great recurring character if she didn’t just disappear off the face of the earth one day.
  • I love that Kate and Angel are both kinda working each other for information, though we don’t know about Kate yet.
  • “I’m a veterinarian.”   Weird lie, but ok.
  • Kate actually looks like she feels rejected. 
  • This bar looks like the Hyperion, too.

So...does every building in LA look like this or?

  • This bartender reminds me of Wes from HtGAwM
  • Angel’s back at the bar, as is Kate.
  • Doyle & Cordelia doing book studyin’ of demons: Willow would be proud.
  • “She’s with some Screech.” Really?    I guess he’s TV ugly? I mean, not even.  Ick, this episode is not good for my self-esteem.
  • Omg! Dude gets Aliened!
  • Ooh, but plot twist – the alien goes from body to body.  It’s kind of a cool concept and definitely unexpected.
  • Oh man, the 90s looks are distracting me from this fight.   All the black over-sized sweaters.
  • What?? Kate’s a cop??
  • Angel: Do you really live here?  Me: Rude.
  • “It’s a burrower.”  “It’s a donkey?  We didn’t see any donkey demons.”
  • It’s gotta keep trying to make a connection. Do you get the metaphor yet???
  • Kate’s a good detective, though.  She found out where Angel lives/works.
  • Montage of death!  What is this song, though?
  • Kate reveals herself to bartender Wes who is so obviously the new bad guy.  And he proves it by concocting an obviously false story that Angel is in the back.
  • Parasite donkey demon’s skinsuit is falling apart and he’s having trouble making a connection.
  • Continuity, I guess – Angel uses his utility belt thing, the grappling hook.
  • Second bad guy to die by fire in two weeks.
  • Oh man, that fake LA street is just so…fake.
  • What kinda sucks is that the innocent bartender is now known as a serial killer...  What about his family, his friends?  That just really bites.

Crossfire!
"Dowdy"

Dudebro: Sharon? That dowdy chick?
Daniel: In what UNIVERSE is she dowdy?
Zelda: She didn’t wear eye makeup.





Favorite Lines:
Zelda:  “The services our friend Angel provides might put people in mind of the V word.” // “Vampire?” // “No, vigilante.” - Doyle & Cordelia
Daniel: “It’s a burrower.” “It’s a donkey? We didn’t see any donkey demons.” - Angel, Cordelia

Arc/Continuity:
First Appearance: Detective Kate Lockley
Generally Known TV Face: Elisabeth Rohm
Whedonverse Hat Trick: Lilli Birdsell and Derek Hughes (Lucy Bauer and The Amazing Mertz on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., respectively)


Stats:
Cordelia’s Hair – curled at the ends
Dead Humans – 5 (even though we don’t see the final woman’s death)
Dead Undeads – 1
Dead Flashbacks – 0
Dead Lawyers – 0
Doyle Has a Vision – 1
Lawyered Ex Machina – 0
Evil Reveal – 1 (Bartender carried the burrower demon)
Unevil Reveal – 1 (Sharon carried the burrower demon but wasn’t the actual predator)
Shenanigans Called – 0
Apocalypse Called – 0
Prophecy Called – 0

7 comments:

  1. Bodie! Aw, he turns out to be a bad guy-ish. That does really suck when you think about it. All the deaths pinned on some innocent bartender because he happened to be the last person infected with the demon donkey thing.

    I...don't remember Detective Kate that much. Is it because I only watched the episodes that featured Doyle and then quit? Or just my bad memory because she does keep reappearing during those first 8 episodes?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kate is eventually fizzled out. No explanation, nuthin.

      Delete
    2. Yeah, she had to go get hired by Law & Order. Apparently she shows up in the comics at some point.

      Delete
    3. Aw, that's too bad. I got mildly interested in Angel again for a second.

      Jill, Law & Order is totally where I know her from. Brings back memories of me binging Law & Order reruns daily in highschool/college.

      Delete
  2. Hold up...is Kate played by Elizabeth Rohm!? As in Law & Order and A Christmas Kiss Elizabeth Rohm!!!??? Holy crap, how did I not remember her on this show?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hah, that's funny, because for me Kate is the most significant role I've seen Rohm play (she also shows up on Jane the Virgin for a stretch). I don't know that I agree with Daniel that she fizzles out with no explanation. She's given a tragic arc, and does eventually stop appearing, but it's not like she got sent to Mandyville.

      Delete
    2. I was all about watching Law & Order for a good long while so that's her for me. Then I saw her in A Christmas Kiss with the guy from Roswell (not Jason Behr) and I've watched that movie every year at Christmas since. It's so bad but I'm addicted to it. I love me some holiday rom coms with nostalgic actors in them.

      Delete