Delusions of Angel

Episode 2.06: Guise Will Be Guise. Original Airdate: 11.07.00.

“Angel meets with a swami to end his obsession with Darla. Meanwhile, Wesley assumes Angel’s identity and plays bodyguard to a businessman’s daughter.”

 

Zelda’s Thoughts:

• The episode starts with Wes stumbling, struggling to open a file cabinet drawer, and spilling the contents everywhere. Because we have to have an arc.
• Aw, throwback to when Wesley was a rogue demon hunter … and then he takes a prat-fall on the spilled files.
• Whee, Angel and Gunn breaking into W&H through the basement. And Wes and Cordy crash their elevator to stop Angel from being a dumdum.
• AHAHAHAHA I love Gunn reacting to Angel’s shitty shitty plan: “What? That’s the plan? Walking real quick was the plan?” We still haven’t gotten to my favorite line about Angel’s bad planning skills, but I appreciate this character consistency/mocking thereof.
• Also the security guard’s stick has a retractable stake. Fancy.
• Aww they took Gunn to Caritas! He’s part of the gang.
• “Once more with less feeling,” says Lorne and it’s like he knows what my started Buffy episode was.
• Angel’s all twitchy and acting like an addict.
• Gunn’s worried Angel will have to sing, but Lorne lets us all off the hook and sends Angel to T’ish Magev to fix his brain. “He’ll shock your chakras, filet your soul, whatever you need.”
• Cordelia imitating Angel: “Oh no, I can’t do anything fun tonight. I have to count my past sins, then alphabetize them. Oh by the way, I’m thinking of snapping on Friday.” I fucking love it. The more this show mocks Angel, the more I dig it.
• Gasp! A heavy shows up waving a gun and threatening Cordelia. Wes overhears, then steps into action: hero shot, big flowy coat, a hint of bluster. Time to pretend to be Angel.
• Hah, I forgot this entire episode is basically T’ish Magev calling Angel out, starting with a vampire driving a flashy convertible in Los Angeles. And wearing all black.
• Angel claims the all black means he doesn’t have to worry about matching, which is incorrect. Some blacks are reddish, some bluish, especially under tinted lights, and you can tell when you’re mismatching them.
• HAH. Wes: *begins to enter the house* // Heavy: I invite you in. // Wes: *immediately ducks backwards, then enters again* 

Also, is he coming in from direct sunlight?

• This is a great episode for Alexis Denisof, so much fun for him.
• Eeep he has to drink a cup of blood as part of the subterfuge. *trying not to vomit* “Dear god that’s … nummy.”
• Anyway he’s asking him to protect his daughter.
• “There are two yous,” the T’ish Magev says over a shot of Wes!Angel. We see you, show.
• Anyway now he’s calling Angel out on his hair gel. 

• Wes sees his reflection in a mirror, freaks out, backs away, and knocks over a truly creepy clown-doll art. Well done.
• Wes, trying to be Angel to two random thugs: “Don’t worry, I don’t kill humans … unless I’m angry.” Props for his improv skills, but I’m still surprised people are buying his act. He’s got so many tells. If anyone here had good observation skills, he’d have been found out immediately.
• Anyway, T’ish is fighty-fighting with Angel and psychoanalyzing him and GASP he’s on the phone to someone, letting we the viewers know that he killed the real T’ish and is just here to keep Angel distracted, which is when the mysterious guy he’s on the phone with wonders who the hell is the English guy. Also, I’m sad because Lorne was like “Ramone is the best” and we find out Ramone is how they knew to set this whole thing up.
• Wow, for once it’s not W&H behind the subterfuge.
• Virginia: “I keep waiting for my life to start,” and it’s very strong Rapunzel vibes! 

• Two hooded guards try to take Virginia and Wes … trounces them! Good job, Wes!
• Oop, T’fake tells Angel to go hook up with someone else to help him get over Darla, and I guess the jig is up.
• But before that, time for Wes and Virginia to hook up!
• Cordy shows up to try to spring Wes, but it’s too late.
• “Oh no, not the sun! For I am a vampire! Oh, it burns!” Ooooooops.
• Anyway, Virginia’s rightly pissed because Wes was lying to her and they slept together.
• Also gasp! Turns out Bryce wanted a bodyguard for Virginia to keep her alive only until the sacrifice planned for his 50^th birthday and are there any good father figures in the Whedonverse?
• Angel, confused: “Were you in Virginia?” // “That’s beside the point.” #sexjoke [And because I am 11, this is my favorite line. - D]
• Luckily Angel is back in time to tell us that Bryce doesn’t worship a god but a demon, and Wes accesses his Watcher Brain for Yeska knowledge, and figures out the plan.
• Wes, still showing his better-than-Angel leadership skills, makes a plan, then backtracks before Angel and says he probably knows best. Angel adopts Wes’s plan because, again, Angel is bad at plans.
• Wow, all the party guests are just watching this shit happen, as Virginia is chained to the altar.
• Man, all the evils are human this episode, I guess we won’t be killing anyone.
• Anyway, it turns out none of this would have worked anyway, because Virginia is “impure,” and how nice, we’d gone too long without obsessing about a woman’s “purity” and sexuality as somehow reflective of her character.
• Aw, Virginia and Wes are still dating! That’s cute. Cordelia’s grumpy: “Reflective glory? That’s my thing.”

 

Daniel’s Thoughts:

• Hyperion with Wesley.  He does a bunch of physical comedy before some guy comes in.
• The guy wants to talk to Angel because he needs someone who is tough.
• Wesley tries to be tough but pratfalls and the guy leaves.
• Cordelia comes downstairs with some urgency.
• Meanwhile at Wolfram & Hart, Angel & Gunn are sneaking in through a grate in the basement.
• Wes & Cordelia have also snuck in, but instead of coming through the sewers, they disguise themselves as lawyers.
• Cordy warns Angel that W&H have vampire detectors.
• Sure enough a security guard with a baton-stake (cool!) tries to dust Angel, but Angel stabs him in the foot.

Oops

• Caritas.  It’s Gunn’s first time here.  Some guys are singing ‘I Got You Babe’.
• Wait, so they went to W&H but…just left after?
• Luckily, we don’t see Angel sing this time.  Lorne’s just giving him a reading. 
• Cordelia is also relieved that Angel doesn’t have to sing.
• Cabin in the woods! (in...Ohai)
• The swami is not what Angel expected.  Like could they not hire an Indian actor?  They hired a white actor for…the joke? 
• Meanwhile another mob looking guy threatens Cordelia if she doesn’t produce Angel.
• Enter, Wesley pretending to be Angel.  This will go well.
• Ugh, and this swami guy …they’re having a conversation about Angel’s car & clothing.  What is he a stylist? His publicist? What is happening?
• Wesley as Angel is introduced by Mr. Bryce who needs protection. 
• He offers Wesley blood…and oh man, there could be so many excuses to not drink it.  Wesley isn’t smooth. We know this.  So much not smooth that he dumps the rest of the blood in a…clear vase…
• Bryce wants WesGel…AngLey? to protect his daughter.  
• I get it.  This is a “fun” episode.
• Virginia is the spoiled rich daughter.   Oh, I remember her.  She’s recurring.  I’m sure she’ll have more depth later – but first impressions have to be stereotypical. 
• Cordelia calls Gunn for help.
• Some thugs try to take Virginia but Wesley reveals himself to be Angel and the thugs get spooked off really easily despite Wes’s obvious stammering and weirdness.
• Angel continues his own journey and the wise old white man continues to try to therapize him I guess.  It’s kinda boring.
• Ohhhhhhh.  EVIL REVEAL.  Turns out this guy is not the real swami & he’s in league with the mob guys.
• More guys trying to take Virginia.  This time Wesley actually shows off his fighting skills and kicks their asses.
• Now this guy is trying to coach Angel to go out and neg some girl to heal his heart.  And this…is when Angel starts getting suspicious.  Interesting that this happens only after we realize the evil reveal.
• Virginia and Wes get closer.  This is the part of the episode where the rich girl lets us all know that she has it tough too!  I’m sure a TikTokker has done this bit.
• This one is close. Follow @RachelWenitsky on Twitter. She's hilarious
• Virginia and Wes kiss.  
• Ok, I’m calling shenanigans. Virginia knows about the curse.  They’ve obviously done their research on Angel – they have tons of magical books and histories – and yet…they haven’t seen a picture of him?  Also, where was that original mob guy from the beginning who actually met Wesley and his pratfalliness. 
• Angel also tells the “guru” about the curse. He sorta explains it’s not always about sex – but ‘true happiness’, a distinction a lot of people don't seem to get.
• And Wesley has sex with Virginia under false pretenses.
• Gunn goes to find Angel but gets wacked in the head.  The guy, stays in the sunlight but Angel gets creative using a fishing pole.  It’s actually pretty cool make-up effect.

• Anyway the jig is up.  Everyone knows now that Wesley isn’t Angel so now he and Cordelia are trapped.
• Wait, he just....lets them go?
• Ah right.  The sacrifice. I remember this.
• “Were you in Virginia?” “That’s besides the point.”  Oh dude.
• With Angel back, they put everything together.  Angel is more concerned about his coat.
• I love when Angel’s vanity comes through.
• Virginia is at the big party and of course has no idea she’s about to be sacrificed.  Kinda like that time Doyle went to that bachelor party.
• The crew arrive in a v-formation like they always seem to do.  But this time,  Wesley is in front 
• OMG the demon looks like a demon from The Evil Dead. 

"I'll swallow your soul!"

• LOL, Angel offended being called a eunuch. 
• This whole spell was under the impression that Virginia was a virgin.  I mean…I’m getting this strange feeling like…she was named Virginia….for that express purpose. [Gross. - literally all of us]
• But Virginia is not…and has not been…a virgin since she was 16.
•  

 

Favorite Lines:

Zelda: “Oh no, I can’t do anything fun tonight. I have to count my past sins, then alphabetize them. Oh by the way, I’m thinking of snapping on Friday.” – Cordelia

Daniel: “Were you in Virginia?” “That’s besides the point.”  - Angel/Wesley

 

Arc/Continuity:

First Appearance: Virginia Bryce

Recurring: Lorne

Generally Known TV Face: Brigid Brannagh, Todd Susman, Saul Stein, Michael Yama, Patrick Kilpatrick

Generally Known Face: Art LaFleur

Lorne’s Nicknames: Angelito

Cordelia’s Alias: Lawyer, “Angel”

Wesley’s Alias: Angel

 

Caritas Song List

“I Got You, Babe”

 

Stats:

Cordelia’s Hair – blown straight, parted down the middle (clipped up when in Lawyer mode); bewildering low ponytail with half her hair loose

Dead Humans – 0

Dead Undeads – 0

Dead Flashbacks – 0

Dead Lawyers – 0

Cordelia Has a Vision – 0

Wesley Prat-falls – 2

Lawyered Ex Machina – 0

Evil Reveal – 2 (T’ish Magev isn’t T’ish Magev; Bryce wants to sacrifice his daughter, not just keep her safe)

Unevil Reveal – 0

Shenanigans Called – 1

Apocalypse Called – 0

Prophecy Called – 0