Series Stats:
Dead Flashbacks - 26 (+)
Alterna-Dead Humans - 2
Alterna-Dead Undeads - 1
Dead Lawyers - 16
Doyle Has a Vision - 7
Cordelia Has a Vision - 21
Wesley Prat-Falls - 9
Lawyered Ex Machina - 9
Evil Reveal - 13
Unevil Reveal - 11
Shenanigans Called - 26
Apocalypse Called - 4
Prophecy Called - 7
Champion Called - 4
Season Two Stats (including comparison to previous season):
Dead Humans: 40+ (+13)
Dead Undeads: 53+ (-9)
Dead Flashbacks: 9+ (-8/?)
Alterna-Dead Humans: 0 (-2)
Alterna-Dead Undeads: 0 (-1)
Dead Lawyers: 15 (+15)
Doyle Has a Vision: 0 (-9)
Cordelia Has a Vision: 14 (+7)
Wesley Prat-Falls: 2 (-5)
(Angel Prat-Falls: 1)
Lawyered Ex Machina: 1 (-7)
(Evil Handed Ex Machina: 1)
Evil Reveal: 4 (-5)
Unevil Reveal: 4 (-3)
(Eyeroll Reveal: 1)
(Duh Reveal: 1)
Shenanigans Called: 15 (+5)
Apocalypse Called: 3 (+2)
Prophecy Called: 4 (+1)
Champion Called: 4 (+40
Additional Stats
New Recurring Characters: 25 (The Host (Lorne), Caritas, the Hyperion, Angel's love for Manilow, Gunn's hubcap axe, Drusilla, Virginia Bryce, Anne Steele, Nathan Reed, Rondell, George, Francine Sharp, Stephanie Sharp, Skilosh Demon, Harmony Kendall, Willow Rosenberg, Fred Burkle, Landok, Gavin Park, Silas, Constable Narwek, Priest #1, Lorne's Mom, Groosalugg, Rebel Leader)
Future Famous Person: 2 (Justina Machado, Daniel Dae Kim)
Already/Past Famous Person: 1 (Tony Todd)
Generally Known TV Face: 51 (Brett Rickaby, J.P. Manoux, Tony Amendola, Christopher Babers, Edwin Hodge, Angel Parker, Ray Campbell, Gareth Williams, David Meunier (as David J. Miller), Stewart Skelton, Cheryl White, Rich Hutchman, Brigid Brannagh, Todd Susman, Saul Stein, Michael Yama, Patrick Kilpatrick, W. Earl Brown, Dwayne Barnes, Tom Kiesche, Jim Piddock, Evan Arnold, Nicolas Surovy, Jamie McShane, Gerry Becker, Mark Rolston, Darby Stanchfield, Matt Champagne, Mike Hagerty, Victoria Kelleher, Eric Lange, Norma Michaels, Cory Hadrict, Kyle Davis, Darris Love, Leah Pipes, Thomas Kopache, Pat Healy, Rebecca Avery, Michael Dempsey, Kavita Patil, Pete Gardner, Stephanie Nash, Brody Hutzler, Susan Blommaert, Persia White, William Newman, Tom McCleistser, Mark Lutz, Adoni Maropis, Lee Reherman)
Generally Known Face: 1 (Art LaFleur)
Buffy Crossover: 8 (Faith, Drusilla, The Master, Spike, Romani Man, Anne Steele, Harmony Kendall, Willow Rosenberg)
Whedonverse Hat Trick: 25 (Rob Boltin, Keith Campbell, Edward James Gage, David Meunier (as David J. Miller), Drew Wicks, Stewart Skelton, Michael Nagy, Jim Piddock, Joel Stoffer, Jamie McShane, Jason Padgett, Brendan Wayne, Eric Lange, Norma Michaels, Jarrod Crawford, Darris Love, David Fury, Adam Weiner, Kavita Patil, Stephanie Nash, Amy Acker, Persia White, Jackson Bolt, Joss Whedon, Whitney Dylan)
Angel's Alias: 4 (Police Detective, Jay-Don fanboy, Jay-Don, Leonard Taubman from the Taubman Foundation)
Cordelia's Alias: 3 (Lawyer, "Angel," Darla's sister)
Darla's Alias: 1 (DeEtta Kramer)
Wesley's Alias: 1 (Angel)
Gunn's Alias: 1 (Lester)
Lorne's Nicknames: 19 (Mr. Tall, Dark and Rockin', Curt Jurgens in The Enemy Below, Angelito, Hunk of Hero Sandwich, Mr. Get-to-the-point-y-pants, Angel Face, Goliath, F. Scott, Angelcakes (x2), My Lamb, Sparky, My Little Cacophany, Pilgrim, Sugar, Lorne, Golden Spawn, Copernicus, Pudding, Hans Christian Tarantino)
Cordy's Nicknames: 3 (Mr. I-don't-take-orders-now-where-do-I-stick-my-axe, Ass-pansy, Mr. Big Mojo Guy)
Lilah's Nicknames: 1 (Napoleon)
Merl's Nicknames: 1 (Fluffy)
Lindsey's Nicknames: 1 (Mr. Save-a-Soul)
The body count is getting significantly harder to track, thanks to a few slaughters and battles. We're counting as best we can, but you'll notice each one now has a + next to it, to indicate that the body count may be higher but we have no real way to calculate. Meanwhile in visions, it looks like Cordy's vision count has doubled, but if you take into account that she acquired that vision thing midway through season one, the total this season of 14 is equal to last season's. Our shenanigan count is way up, and we expect that trend to continue. We've also introduced a Champion count because ... that's a thing now.
Angel! In! History!
- In 1952 Angel combed his hair with a side part, lived in the Hyperion Hotel, smoked, and tried to mind his own cynical business.
- Angel prays to forget several fashion trends he's lived through.
- Flashback!Angel had Flashback!kinkysex with Flashback!Darla while the Romani girl was tied up in the room, forced to watch.
- Angel is 247. He was with Darla for 150 years. And he has a thing for convents.
- Darla picked out Drusilla for Angelus. He murdered her entire family, pursued her to a convent, murdered everyone there, and then had sex with Darla in her lap. She didn't take it well.
- He staked Darla 3.5 years ago.
- There are a few hells. Angel's been to one of them.
- It took Angel a century of soul-having but soul-not-wanting to start his redemption arc. During the Boxer Rebellion (when Spike murdered his first Slayer), Angel was souled but trying to get Darla back. It didn't work out.
- In 1765 Darla and Angelus were on the run from Holtz in France (Spike and Dru presumably not yet part of the gang), though Angelus wants to go to Romania next (le gasp!). And when he was in Italy he wanted to go to France. Also Darla leaves him in a burning barn to face the horde alone, but promising to meet him in Vienna if he survives.
- In the 1920s Angel was in Juarez in Mexico and got into a 3.5 hour fight with Boone over "a senorita." It ended when the sun came out.
- "Back in the 50s, we all thought life was gonna be like The Jetsons by now."
- Also Angel is old enough to think $1 is a good tip on a whole bunch of delivery food.
- Angel is so old he remembers when a few bob would get you a good meal, a bottle, and a tavern wench. Also he was a fan of Bonanza.
- Angel remembers being imprisoned in the Tower of London: "Wasn't that bad."
Darla! In! History!
- In 1609 Darla was a sex worker dying in the Virginia colony, and was turned by the Master.
- After siring Angelus, she brought him to meet the Master in 1760, but then left the Master's Order of Aurelius to go on Angelus adventures.
- In 1880 London the group picked up Spike.
- In 1898 she tried to bargain with the Romani tribe to remove Angelus's soul.
- In 1900 during the Boxer Rebellion she tried to reconcile with Angel, but ultimately rejected him.
- We don't know when she returned to serve the Master, but it was sometime after this.
Caritas Song List:
"I Will Survive"
"I'm So Excited"
"Sexual Healing"
"Mandy"
"Achy Breaky Heart"
"Send in the Clowns"
"Tears of a Clown"
"Get Here (If You Can)"
"Everybody Have Fun Tonight"
"I Got You, Babe"
"Ill Wind"
"Lady Marmalade"
"We are the Champions"
"Bye Bye Love"
"All By Myself"
"Reunited"
"The Way We Were"
"LA Song"
"Superstition"
Caritas on Tour Song List
"Star Spangled Banner"
"Greensleeves"
"For He's a Jolly Good Fellow"
"Stop! In the Name of Love"
"Somewhere Over the Rainbow"
Zelda's Thoughts:
Two weeks ago, this would be a very different post. Honestly, two years ago this would be a very different post. Although I'm grateful Daniel and I managed to find a way to continue the blog, even if we're no longer watching together under the same roof, 2020 has been a sufficient clusterfluff for all of us that I'm having a lot of trouble even holding the season in my head. It was only through going back through the stats that I remembered this season contained so much Darla because right now it all feels so long ago. Heck, even Beige Angel feels long ago. Basically anything before Pylea. Anything before the truth about the toxic culture perpetuated by Whedon on his sets came out. Let's see what I can remember ... S2 is in general a lot stronger shape than S1, because they're getting a better sense of who the characters are, as well as fleshing it out beyond just the "core" three of S1. Gunn is here, and while he's not perfectly written (a white writers room writing for a Black character will do that to ya), he is still a lovely addition with a nuanced performance by J. August Richards. Lindsey and Lilah also get a lot more to do, and both actors are clearly relishing the chance to play more colors. Cordelia's arc feels grounded and honest, showing her conflicting desires to be part of the larger mission and her waning desire to be a respected actor. But we see a lot more of her willingly taking on the hero mantle, during the Beige Angel arc especially, and then in Pylea, as she refused to let Groo lift the visions from her. Darla of course had an amazing arc, brilliantly performed by Julie Benz--such a gift to the series. Angel ... well he had some stuff. I dunno. The Beige Angel arc is so blah to me, the Obsessed Angel arc was making me all kinds of uncomfortable (remember when he was sniffing Cordy's hair for no damn reason?), and it feels like once he had his epiphany (which, don't get me wrong, is a great thesis statement for the whole series) he sort of factory-reset his personality: heroic, comically petty and vain, with that zest of self-hatred. Other good things: this season introduced us to Lorne, and I love him so so much. He and Caritas are such a gift of flavor (and music) to the series, and a great way of really establishing a flavor to Angel that is entirely separate from Buffy.
I'm not sure what moving forward is going to look like for us. I'm not sure if I'll be able to stomach the Cordelia pregnancy storyline in two seasons, knowing how awful it was for Charisma Carpenter to survive any of that. I'm also not that kicked on getting into the Holtz of it all next season, even if we'll also be getting more greatness from Julie Benz as Darla. If I remember correctly, things are about to get all gnarled up in every direction. I guess we'll see how we do.
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