Wow! And I mean. . . WOW! This was a really terrific season. So much stuff! And, even tho I started watching ANGEL abut halfway thru the 4th Season, these stories were well-crafted enough that I was able to enjoy them even with so many "spoilers" already in my head.
Agreed, great season, I did have a problem that I brought up before...
**Spoiler**
The whole Father will Kill the Son prophecy stops making sense once time travelling big bad takes responsibility for it. Given that he seems to have no idea how events would play out, and his goal is a dead Conner, I can see no way that his fake prophecy would conceivably make that happen. Is this addressed in season 4, is there something I'm missing, did the writers have a brain fart, or did they just want Wes alienated from the group and sloppily shoe-horn in the "shocking reveal"
A couple of references the Time-Hopping-Demon makes (arriving in the bar to meet Lilah and saying he's come 200 years for the meeting, for instance), indicate that his manipulations of the Prophecy are something of a "work in progress". Altho it was not explicitly stated as such, I got the impression he was jumping around in time, tweaking constantly, to get to the point at which he was revealed. He may not have thought the reveal was going to have an effect, in fact, since he clearly did not anticipate being captured at that point.
The wife and I watched it over the weekend. Good stuff. Really liked Holtz. A number of moments that would have been pretty jaw dropping if I hadn't started watching the series with the first episode of Season 4. In particular, Darla's pregnancy, Angel trying to kill Wes, and Wes and Lilah hooking up.
Re: the prophecy. I can see it. Angel and co. were doing a pretty good job of keeping Conner guarded. If Wes took him away from Angel, the baby would be that much less protected and that much easier to kill.
Looking forward to Season 4 on DVD. It'll be nice to watch the early episodes knowing what the deal is with the characters. (Beyond "tormented vampire," I didn't know a thing about Angel prior to watching it.)
Beyond "tormented vampire," I didn't know a thing about Angel prior to watching it.
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My most fond discovery, watching ANGEL, was "Not the whiny guy he was on BUFFY." Best thing they did for the character was spinning him off into his own series.
Great season of a fantastic series. It was a lot of fun watching the show in the span of about four days. Episodes back to back to back. Interesting to notice how Fred's Texan accent slowly faded away over the course of 22 episodes. I realized that I actually missed more episodes during the original run than I thought, around 8. In that time I missed most of Holtz, Conner's introduction as an adult, the "glowing" Cordy, Wesley's slit throat and Angel's empassioned speech over his bed screaming that he'll kill him. Of course, I found out about all of this from friends and recaps in Season 4, but watching them for the first time was a whole hell of a lot of fun.
Good stuff all the way around. Can't wait for the next season on DVD in the fall.
Interesting to notice how Fred's Texan accent slowly faded away over the course of 22 episodes
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Did you check the special features? Hearing Amy Acker speak -- and seeing her body language -- in non-Fred mode is quite surprising. No trace of accent, and much more forceful (if that's the word!).
Did you check the special features? Hearing Amy Acker speak -- and seeing her body language -- in non-Fred mode is quite surprising. No trace of accent, and much more forceful (if that's the word!).
I was taken aback by that as much as I am always taken aback by hearing Alexis Denisof speak in his natural American accent. The special features on this set were definitely better than on the previous two.
From reading a few backsources (websites, Angel RPG, etc) this is how it goes.
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Sahjan (said time-traveling demon) at some point or another is supposed to be killed by Conner. He cooked up the fake prophecy. That's why he was so intent on seeing Conner killed.
I've only watched up to Connor being born so that info is a bit second hand. If I catch him saying it in an episode I'll post it. Could just be an off-scene thing though so who knows. The RPG books get the thrice over for episode facts (even if a few misquotes happen).
I skipped all but the first post of this thread, just because I've only watched the first 5 episodes of Season 3 so far. I would like to add my vote to the "I love this show" camp.
In fact, just 10 minutes ago I finished watching the episode where Fred's parents turn up. This episode alone has caused me to warm up to her tremendously.
I was taken aback by that as much as I am always taken aback by hearing Alexis Denisof speak in his natural American accent.
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Alexis Denisof and James Marsters do the best Brit accents I have heard from American actors, bar none. Oddly, when Denisof speaks with his natural accent, he sounds to me like an Englishman doing an American accent! With a name like Alexis Denisof, I wonder if English is not his first language, and that a formal education in the tongue is what allows him such a mastery of the accent.
(And before anyone leaps to point out he was born in Maryland, let me remind you Lawrence Welk was born in North Dakota!)
Alexis Denisof and James Marsters do the best Brit accents I have heard from American actors, bar none. Oddly, when Denisof speaks with his natural accent, he sounds to me like an Englishman doing an American accent! With a name like Alexis Denisof, I wonder if English is not his first language, and that a formal education in the tongue is what allows him such a mastery of the accent.
(And before anyone leaps to point out he was born in Maryland, let me remind you Lawrence Welk was born in North Dakota!)
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Don't know about English being his first language, but according to his bio on imdb.com he lived in London for 13 years after high school (he went there to study at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art). It might be those influences that you pick up on JB? It certainly isn't unheard of that living for extended periods of time away from the area where one grew up having impact on one's accent.
Just got back from a week London. As you may know, Alyson Hannigan is performing in a stage version of WHEN HARRY MET SALLY in the West End (with Luke Perry). My wife and I were having dinner at a noodle place and saw Alexis Denisof there, on a cell phone, presumably picking up takeout for his wife before her performance. Dutiful chap.
I didn't hear him speaking ... it would have been jarring. I hadn't even known he was American.
Same deal with my surprise about Marsters. To this list I'd also like to add David Anders who plays Sark on "Alias." He's an American in his early 20s who is utterly convincing as a 30ish Brit.
JB, you said a while back that you'd acquired the first season of "Alias" on DVD. Has it made its way into your player yet?
I would ask you all to stop sprending lies: Alexis Denisof is clearly english. If he was not, it would mean that I had been 100% fooled from day 1. This is not possible therefore you all telling porkie pies.
I knew James Marsters wasn't British, but had no idea about Alexis Denisof.
Blimey. What a turn up for the books. I think I would agree that his Brit accent is one of the best I've ever heard.
Incidentally (mild drift) keep an eye out for Tony Head as the British Prime Minister in the new UK comedy sketch show Little Britain when/if it gets to the States (also Tom Baker/Dr Who No 4(?) doing some fabulous voiceover work).
(Beyond "tormented vampire," I didn't know a thing about Angel prior to watching it.)
