DVD review - Angel season 3 / Buffy season 6 episode 9

Continuing my viewing and reviewing of Angel season 3 and Buffy the Vampire Slayer season 6...

*** SPOILERS ***

A3-9: Lullaby (written by Tim Minear, airdate 11/19/01)

Another outstanding episode - for a lot of reasons. First, major dimensions to the character Holtz (I just knew what he was going to have to do when he returned to his home in 1764's flashback - brutal). In the present, great stuff with Lilah interacting with Holtz and the translator, with Fred spouting off possible scenarios and continuiously have to slap Gunn, the deep emotion and discussions between Angel and Darla, the fact that Caritas gets trashed (AGAIN!!) and of course those final scenes in the alleyway. Man, Darla did something very redeeming in the end and Holtz's response was very interesting indeed. I love how this show continues to keep me hooked.


B6-9: Smashed (written by Drew Z. Greenberg, airdate 11/20/01)

This show waffles for me this season and even within this episode. On one hand, you've got the campiness of the Trio (I swear, they are like a lame version of the worst comicbook rogues gallery ever). Their only redeeming bit was when Spike shows up and threatens their Boba Fett. Too funny. Spike: "help me out, Spock - I don't speak loser". Bwahahaha. Of course, I put two and two together long before Spike and realized that it wasn't the chip that was the problem - that it is Buffy. The fact that the two fought hard and then fell into the passion that literally took the house down was rather interesting (and the way that they consumated the relationship - bordering on the graphic, of sorts). This stuff felt more like classic Buffy as did the stuff with the Scoobies as well. The Tara and Dawn scenes worked too - to show how maternal Tara had gotten for the teen while Buffy was dead. Then we get the very concerning side - Willow hanging with the now restored Amy (loved how she was disoriented after losing three years of her life) and the two throwing around magic as if it were no big deal. Uh...this can't be good at all. Willow is falling into the dark side - more so than Buffy's dallying with Spike (at least she's been with a vampire before and Spike does love her).