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Lineage Review by Nemo
Episode 5.7
Original Air Date: 11.12.03
Small Summary | Big Summary | Quoteable | Continuity | 3 W's | Ficcable? | Rating
Short Summary and alternate episode title (for those who don’t want to futz with the big one):
Why It Sucks to Be Wesley
Wesley’s father is an ass. Angel’s a dick. Fred’s an oblivious twit. Gunn’s supportive, but really not there too much. Spike is well-meaning, but his methods of comfort leave something to be desired. Wesley’s father uses him to get at Angel, tries to shoot Fred, and Wesley ends up gunning down his own father. Doesn’t matter that his father was actually a cyborg made to look like the old man, Wesley willingly and deliberately committed patricide. No one gets this fact, and eventually, Wesley sacrifices his own hopes with Fred to let her have a relationship with a man who isn’t completely messed up. Moral of this tale: Making the really tough decisions is a bitch, but somebody’s gotta do it, and it won’t be Angel.
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Big Summary (for anyone who wants to fic, but missed the episode):
Fade in on a warehouse, in which a Jamaican weapons dealer fiercely advocates “word of mouth advertising” (basically dealing with customer complaints quickly and violently) to a man with his back to the camera. Switch to that man, who is none other than Wesley. He drawls that if he’d known it was going to be a seminar, he would have worn his nametag. He goes on to state that this man, Emile, is at the end of his patience. He agreed to meet with Emile’s distributor, and not the middle-man. Still, they have come this far, and the distributor is cautious. He wants to have the merchandise verified before they go any farter in negotiations. Enter Fred, with a severe hairstyle and looking as stream-lined and military as she ever has. She places a briefcase on the table between the two men, opens it, and begins to assemble the gun inside, rattling off the specs with rapid-fire precision as she goes. Emile notes that this presentation is definitely hot (a comment which I grudgingly agreed with), and she snappishly responded with her “surprise” that he would be turned on by a woman holding a big gun.
It seems that whatever they’re doing is going smoothly. Wesley closes the deal with Emile and the man gives him a number with which he can contact the distributor. Unfortunately, things take a serious turn for the worse about there, as a grappling hook appears out of nowhere, wrapping around one of Emile’s bodyguard’s throat, the spike at the end slamming through his trachea.
Both parties are startled, but it appears that Emile thinks it’s a betrayal, because, as Wesley and Fred duck and cover, his other bodyguard pulls out a gun and starts firing. Wes and Fred confirm that they have no clue what’s happening, but Wes definitely knows what to do about it. Diving from cove, a gun in each hand, he easily takes down the guard in beautiful slow-motion glory. As he does so, Fred mutters that, yes, Wesley, she would love a gun.
At that moment, someone new, and masked, drops in and kills Emile with dispatch, then dives behind a crate. Wesley slowly approaches; one gun trained forward, the other to the side. Unfortunately, out pops our commando, and uses his chain to wrap around Wesley’s arms, flinging him out of the way.
Things are not looking good, when, suddenly, through the window bursts Angel, fighting the commando, and eventually snapping its neck. Suddenly, the things is convulsed with arcs of electricity, and the dumbfounded duo stare as it falls down, fizzling to a halt. Angel pulls of the thing’s mask, revealing nothing but a metal plate for a face.
They hear a groan and realize that Fred isn’t with them. They both run to her hiding place and find her, barely conscious, and bleeding from a bullet-wound to the shoulder. Even as he presses a handkerchief to the injury, a look of shock and guilt spasms over Wesley’s face.
Later, at Wolfram & Hart, Angel is giving Wesley the dressing-down of his life. He is just below shouting as he tells Wesley that it was a stupid move to have Fred there, and insinuating that Wesley took her for less than professional reasons. He concludes that, in the future, Wesley has to clear it with him before using *any* of Angel’s people. Wesley is shocked and asks dangerously, “*Your* people?” Angel stands firm and Wesley relents, nodding and leaving.
Eve, who has witnessed this entire conversation, comes to Wesley’s defense, noting that Fred’s going to be fine, and Angel still beat Wesley up about it. He argues that Wesley can be careless. She adds that he focuses too much on the big picture and forgets about the people involved. She asks Angel if this is really about more than Fred, if this is about Wesley stealing Connor. She states that Angel doesn’t trust Wesley. Angel says that Wesley didn’t mean for Connor to fall into Holtz’s hands, and she comes back with the fact that it did all work out. Connor’s safe and happy, Angel’s happy . . . maybe Wesley knew what he was doing, after all. Even if he doesn’t remember any of it. Angel argues that he just wants to be kept informed. She doubts that, asking if Angel’s really worried about he next time Wesley betrays him trying to do the right thing.
In his office, Wesley is looking very guilty and haunted. Fred comes in, her arm in a sling, and states that the medics gave her the all-clear. She also goes into the fact that they’re dissecting the cyborg down in the lab, and he should really come take a look. Instead of continuing the discussion, Wesley immediately apologizes for what happened, stating that he should have protected her better. She looks affronted and he says that it came out wrong, but Fred is already demanding if he knows how patronizing that sounds. He rephrases, saying that she shouldn’t have been there, and she argues that it was her call to make. He states that, no, it wasn’t. It was his deal, and therefore his fault. She’s now very angry and states that he’s heaping the blame on himself, and generally acting like a self-pitying child. His eyes travel over her shoulder, and grow exceptionally wide. Faintly, he manages to say, “Hello, Father.”
She doesn’t get it and thinks he’s being sarcastic, continuing her lambasting until she suddenly realizes that there is, in fact, another person in the room. Fumblingly, she tries to salvage the situation, but it’s obvious the man in the doorway understood completely, stating that he sees that manners are still his son’s strong point. After her aborted attempts to help, she flees the scene.
Wesley’s father wastes no time in getting to the belittling part of his visit. Wes looks to be in shock. His father continues, ignoring his son’s discomfort, and states that they have business to discuss. Wesley springs into action, clearing books and scrolls from a couch in a manner that hearkens back to first-season Wesley far more than the man we now know. They sit down, Wesley consciously seeming to sit as far away from his father as possible, and the elder Wyndam-Pryce states that, since the Watcher’s Council blew up, the remaining members who were not killed are trying to reform it. That’s why he’s come to see Wesley. Wes seems shocked that they want him back, but his father says that it’s not definite. There’s quite a bit of division, and, in fact, many members consider Wesley’s tenure as Watcher to be the council’s most embarrassing failure. Wesley mockingly wonders that his job was more humiliating than everyone getting blown up. His father snaps that he should have a little respect. Wesley is quick to apologize.
His father informs him that he’s here to evaluate Wesley, something our boy looks very worried about. Still, Wesley tries to get out of it by simply telling his father that he’s not interested in going back to the council. His father tells him not to shame them any further, and seems ready to stay and see this through at any cost. Wesley decides to show his father around, but as they exit his office, Wesley not only manages to run into the door, but another employee, too. As he helps her pick up her papers, he glances up at his father with a look of utter humiliation on his face.
Things do not improve as Lorne enters the picture, admonishing Wesley for not telling him that he has a younger brother. Wesley introduces Lorne to his father, Roger Wyndam-Pryce. Lorne states that he doesn’t believe it, but then admits that he does. He gives Roger the once over and states that it’s like Winston Churchill and a young Richard Harris had a beautiful love-child. Wesley looks mortified and Roger merely glares. Wesley explains in strained tones that Lorne runs their entertainment division. Roger drawls that he can see where that would be very useful in the fight against evil.
Over their shoulders, a voice rings that he wouldn’t believe how many bad movies they’ve stopped. Gunn enters, enthusiastically greeting Roger and stating that if he’s anything like his son, they very well may put him to work there, too. Gunn’s come to tell Wes that the lab needs Wes to take a look at the cyborg. Wes agrees, then, after a moment, asks his father if he wants to come along. His father readily accompanies him.
In the lab, Fred is stating that the cyborg was probably once human, but that entire organ systems have been replaced with machines (sort of like the Borg, when you think about it). Spike wonders if they’re dealing with a situation in which a human boffed a robot. At everyone’s aghast looks, he tells them that it’s not nearly as rare as people think. The others take a moment to try and *not* think about that, and then state that, if they can break the cyborg’s central processor, they can figure out its purpose. Spike, who’s been toying with a large graduated cylinder, manages to knock it off the shelf and break it. He turns and looks quite pleased. No one else is, and he apologizes.
Enter Wesley and his father. Angel looks annoyed that he wasn’t informed of this visit, Spike’s amazed that Wesley *has* a father, stating that he had assumed Wesley was grown in some sort of greenhouse for dandies. Roger, for once, is not eager to publicly insult his son, but more interested in Spike. He states that they’ve met, and that his group found Spike slaughtering an orphanage in ’63. Spike killed two of Roger’s men before he escaped. Spike, seemingly a little taken aback, thinks, and then asks how Roger’s been.
Angel steps in, offering his hand, which Roger disdainfully declines to shake. Angel admits that he’s not too comfortable with hugging before he catches on to Roger’s obvious enmity. He removes his hand and says that he knows this all must be sort of a horror-show for Roger, but they really are doing good work. Roger says that he’s been told that incessantly. Wesley winces and looks apologetically at Angel. Fred, thankfully, draws Roger away, and Angel makes his exit.
Wesley takes a look at the body as Fred and Knox flirt. There’s an inscription on an object in the cyborg’s gut, but they haven’t touched it for fear that the object’s a bomb. Wes takes a look and Fred tells Roger that Wesley does this sort of thing all the time. He’s a genius when it comes to languages. Roger states that the Academy didn’t make him head boy for nothing, though adds quickly that the pickings were rather slim that year.
Determined to impress his father, Wesley states that the inscription is Hellenic in origin, and is a battle prayer of some sort. That, or a binding spell. He can’t tell because part of the inscription is obscured. As he grasps at an edge to get a better view, something in the object clicks on. Roger demands to know what Wesley’s done, and Wesley admits that, unless he’s very much mistaken, he’s just activated the bomb.
It’s a rush to evacuate the building as Wes tries desperately to figure out how to shut the bomb down. He grabs Fred and pulls her to the door, telling her to go. He’ll stay with the bomb and see if he can—
The bomb stops humming, and they turn to see Roger standing with a plug in his hand. He tells Wesley that the inscription was actually Dutrovic in origin, and that it was instructions on how to handle the cyborg, and how to shut down the bomb in case someone should trigger it. Very simple. Wesley looks, once again, humiliated.
In Angel’s office, the vampire demands answers. Spike provide the fact of Wesley being once called Head boy, something the vampire ghost takes great delight in, and is considerably disappointed that Angel already knew that fact. Wesley explains for more lucidly that he accidentally set of the bomb, but his father was there to correct his mistake. Angel wonders where Roger is, and Fred admits that Lorne’s keeping him entertained.
Cut to Lorne with one of the most outrageous punch-lines in the world and Roger looking exceptionally bored.
Fred realizes what a mistake that might have been and takes off to rescue Roger from the anagogic demon. Angel orders Spike out, too. When he and Fred have left, Wesley immediately says that it was a stupid mistake he made. Angel says that he’s just shaken up because his father’s there. Wesley admits that he can’t quite think clearly when his father’s around. Angel has a report he wants Wesley to see, could have been their cyborgs. Wesley looks over it, and realizes that the cyborgs have been targeting evil. They’re good. The only problem is that they view Wolfram & Hart as evil. Angel figures Wes should research it. If they are good, then someone should tell them before they go after the Fang Gang again.
As Wesley exits, he finds his father telling Fred a story about when a seven-year-old Wesley tried to save a bird who had run into his window pane with a resurrection spell. Even in this seemingly innocent settting, Roger manages to make it a subtle insult, something which Wesley catches, but Fred doesn’t and giggles along merrily (this is definitely her season for oblivious). It’s interesting, because this is really the first tale from Wesley’s past we’ve ever heard. It definitely depicts Wesley as we might have expected him. He sounds like a very sweet little boy who tried to save a bird, albeit with slightly unorthodox methods. It also subtly paints Roger as somewhat cruel. I can only imagine what he did when he found his seven year old son trying to save a bird.
Wesley redirects the conversation, asking for his father’s help with some research. Roger demands to know if Wesley is going to try to blow him up again. Wesley tries to brush it off by stating that he hopes not.
In the room first seen in “Home”, which contains the template books, Roger tries to ask Wesley about Fred, and if Wesley’s told her what he thinks of her. Wesley states that they aren’t going to go into that, and Roger says that he just thinks Wesley should tell the girl. Wesley tells his father that he had to chop the lat woman he was with into tiny pieces after a higher being stabbed her in the neck. Roger tells him not to be so defensive. It’s embarrassing. Wesley tries to get on with his research, calling up the “Setama Codex”. Roger is shocked that Wesley has sock powerful books just sitting out. Wesley tries to explain that they’re perfectly safe. The security of the building is very good. Roger isn’t convinced.
Just about then, a troop of our cybernetic friends land on the roof.
Eve gets in an elevator, and is almost immediately joined by Spike. He states that he doesn’t want to sound self absorbed, but she can’t seem to keep her eyes off him. She asks sarcastically why that would make him sound self-absorbed. Spike goes on to state and she’s been watching him very closely, and he’s wondering if she’s trying to keep track of his progress, to make sure he can’t get away.
He’s not sure why, though. After all, Wolfram & Hart gave Angel the amulet, and Spike can only assume that they intended him to use it, so why won’t they just let Spike go? Eve asks him how he’s so sure they wanted Angel.
Spike looks perplexed, but their conversation is interrupted by the elevator stopping and the lights going out. Spike recognizes this scenario, and shouts that Pavayne won’t take him to hell. The lights come back on, and Eve is staring at Spike, who looks embarrassed, admitting that it’s just something he says when it gets dark.
Angel leaves his office, demanding to know what happening. Gunn hurries up as Angel demands if someone can turn off the alarm. It promptly shuts off, pleasing Angel and worrying Gunn, who mentions that this could be because security’s now gone. Angle wants to know if this is a false alarm, but then the cyborgs drop in, and his question is answered.
Wesley and his father are assaulted, too, and Wesley narrowly manages to knock them both out of the way before grabbing a sword off the wall and engaging the cyborg. He’s knocked flat, however, and tosses his father the sword. The elder Wyndam-Pryce does quite well for a man of his age, and Wesley gets up, grabbing the cyborg and flinging it into a chair. Roger protests that he had attack priority, to which Wesley responds that this isn’t fencing. Roger starts to say that they still obey the basic rules, but Wesley is to busy grabbing the sword out of his father’s hand and skewering the cyborg. Wesley wants to go help the others, but Roger reminds him that the cyborg went straight for the template books. They should put them in the vault before they do anything else. Wesley opens the vault behind his bookcase, and they take them into a huge metal room filled with cabinets.
As Wesley puts the books in one of the cubbies, his father admits that Wesley handled the cyborg quite readily. Wesley pauses in his motions, obviously shocked that his father would praise him. He is even more shocked as Roger asks him what they should do next. Looking like he’s trying to play it cool and not betray how truly happy he is, Wesley says that they should find the others and try to help them.
Roger hands him another book, and while Wesley’s back is turned, pulls a statue from his coat and proceeds to slam it over Wesley’s head, dropping his son in his tracks. Calmly, he takes Wesley’s keys and goes to another cabinet, opening it and taking the short staff in it. He seems to have some sort of communication device on his cuff, which he raises and states that phase one is complete. He advises the person on the other end to be ready for phase two.
Back to the crazy fight scene with Angel and Gunn. Gunn looks to be in a great deal of trouble as he’s caught around the throat by one of the cyborgs, but Spike suns up, telling Gunn not to speak. Spike has to concentrate. He stares off into space as Gunn gets throttled, then, finally, lashes out, slamming his fist into the cyborg’s face. The things falls away, and the two boys nearly have a bonding moment before remembering their macho exteriors and walking off.
Wesley wakes up, clearly shocked. Then, he checks the books and hurries out. The cyborg is still alive, and to get information he employs the same torture techniques he used in “Release”, wrenching the sword in the thing’s gut after confirming that it does feel pain. When that doesn’t work, he activates the bomb, demanding to know what his father is planning on. The cyborg protests that the bomb will kill Wesley, too. Wes agrees, asserting that it will actually destroy the entire building, killing everyone, his father included, which would definitely be one way to stop him.
Wesley looks dead serious. The cyborg starts talking.
Roger, meanwhile, is wandering through the halls and runs into Fred. She says that he has to get out of the building, but he tells her that Wesley discovered a spatial disturbance on the roof, which he’s investigating. He sent Roger to get Angel, but Roger got lost. Fred decides to help him.
Angel is in bad shape, but Roger clocks the attacking cyborg over the head with a wall sconce, and helps Angel up. Fred fills him in on the “situation”. Angel tells Gunn to round up security, Fred to check on the injured, and he’ll go help Wesley. Roger insists on coming, stating that Wesley is his son.
Spike, meanwhile, mentions that Eve’s still trapped in the elevator. When it’s apparent that no one’s about to help, he realizes that he really doesn’t care, either, and wanders off.
Angel and Roger arrive on the roof, and Angel’s confused at the lack of Wesley. It’s about then that Roger knocks him flat, tells him that he’s sorry about the slight deception, but this was never about Wesley, and activates his staff. It begins to draw some sort of white mist off Angel, and Roger adds that it’s a pleasure to meet Angel, too.
Things are looking very bad as Roger completes his mist sucking, and tells Angel not to fight it. He calls on his button-communicator for evacuation. However, the staff is suddenly grabbed from his hand. He pulls a handgun but Wesley also got one, and there is a stand off, as both father and son point guns in each other’s faces.
Roger insists that Wesley doesn’t know what he’s trying to do, but as Wesley explains that Roger is using the staff to steal Angel’s free will, thus making him the Council’s slave, it’s quite apparent that he does know perfectly well. They argue heatedly, Roger contesting that Angel is far too dangerous to be left to his own devices, that he’s a puppet, and always will be for something. Why shouldn’t it be the Council? Wesley furiously asks him if, instead of this entire coupe, Roger had ever considered asking his son for help.
Roger responds with a simple no. Wesley’s disappointed him enough for one lifetime. As their argument gets more heated and more personal, Roger sneers that this is L. A. They’re supposed to talk about their feelings, and then maybe hug. Wesley thinks that’s very unlikely, and Roger demands that Wesley give him the staff. Wesley walks to the edge of the roof and dangles it over the edge. Roger warns Wesley that he will kill him for the staff. Wesley knows that perfectly well, but if Roger shoots Wesley, the staff will drop, the crystal will shatter, and the spell over Angel will still be broken. Either way, Roger’s plan has failed.
Roger sees this, even as Fred has arrived and is kneeling at Angel’s side, trying to tend to the vampire. Roger says that maybe Wesley will change his mind if it’s someone he cares about in danger. He seizes Fred, and puts the gun to her head.
Wesley fires. He empties the entire clip into his father, who tumbles to the ground, lifeless. Wesley looks glazed as drops both gun and staff, stumbles away, and throws up. As he looks up, agony playing across his face, he hears a fizzle. His father’s form fades, leaving nothing but the cyborg left. He stares in disbelief.
Later, in Angel’s office, Wesley asks the vampire how he is. Angel admits that the worst part of losing your free will isn’t the loss of control so much as getting really nauseous. He realizes that they’ve crossed some powerful forces by taking over Wolfram & Hart, and the perception is that they’re weak. Wesley corrects him by saying that the perception is that Wes is weak. It’s why they targeted him. Angel pauses, and then tells Wesley that they’re wrong. Wes does what he has to do to protect the people he cares about. Wesley’s the man who makes the hard decisions, no matter the cost, and even if he has to make them alone. Angel didn’t understand that until now.
Wesley says that, at the moment, all he feels like is the man who murdered his own father. Angel protests that it wasn’t his father, just a cyborg with a fancy glamour. Wesley knows that it doesn’t matter, though. The intent and purpose were there. In his mind, he committed patricide, and nothing will ever change that.
Angel tries to comfort him by telling him that he murdered his father. It was one of the first things he did when he got turned. Wesley, looking aghast, says that he doesn’t think it’s the same thing. Angel admits that he really didn’t think that comment through. Not really knowing what else to do at this juncture, Angel gruffly says good-night, obviously less adept at handling Wesley’s grief and pain than he is at handling Fred’s. Wes urges him to do the same, and leaves. Spike, in the hall, says the he hears what happened, too. He tells Wesley that he killed his mother. Well, he adds, actually, he already killed her, then she tried to shag him, and he had to—
Looking even more horrified than he did at Angel’s tale, Wesley thanks Spike quickly, assures him that he feels very comforted, and hurries off.
In his office, Fred comes to Wesley, and he forestalls any mention of her killing her parents. She’s confused, but says that they’re fine. She’s also here to try to comfort him about what happened, however. She says that it isn’t like he killed his dad, either. She claims that part of him knew that it wasn’t his father. He meets her gaze, and tells her that he was utterly convinced that it was his father. She looks stunned, and he walks over to her. She tries to put a positive spin on it by saying that he did what he did because his friends were in danger. He corrects her by saying that he shot his father because he pointed a gun at *her*.
She gets it. After God knows how long, she finally gets how deeply he cares for her. He would kill his own father to protect her. She is in some deep shock.
Then, Knox arrives, saying that he came to drive Fred home after everything that happens. She starts to say that she and Wesley are in the middle of something, but, unexpectedly, Wes tells her to go. She stares at him, and he meets her gaze very steadily, repeating himself. Slowly, she goes with Knox, leaving Wesley on the edge of tears, but obviously convinced that what he did was the right move.
Then, he goes to the desk, picks up the phone, and calls his father. He can’t get two words in edgewise as the man lambastes him about the time he’s calling. Finally, at his father’s demand, Wesley admits that nothing’s wrong. He just wanted to see how his father was.
Fade to black without any resolution, but with enough angst to drown in.
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Quotable Wesley: (and a few others):
Fred: We’re taking the cyborg apart in the lab right now. You should see how intricate it is. It’s like an M. C. Escher picture, but with wires and flesh instead of geese.
Wesley: I’m sorry about what happened, Fred.
Fred: Are you kidding me? All I had to do was hide, and I couldn’t even do that right.
Wesley: I should have done a better job protecting you.
Fred: (affronted) What?
Wesley: That didn’t come out—
Fred: Do you have any idea how patronizing that sounds? *Protecting* me?
Wesley: I just mean that you shouldn’t have been there in the first place.
Fred: That’s not for you to decide!
Wesley: Yes. It is, actually. I made the call. I screwed up.
Fred: Listen to you! You’re blaming yourself because poor Fred got hurt! Stop trying to be all valiant! You’re coming off like a self-pitying child!
Wesley: (eyes fixed to a point above her shoulder. He looks like he either wants to run or pass out) Hello, Father.
Angel: What happened?
Spike: I can explain! Apparently when Percy was younger, he used to be known as *Head* Boy!
Angel: I knew that.
Spike: Oh . . . I have nothing further to report.
Lorne: So there I am, covered in cherries, the cops are just pounding down the door, and Judi Dench starts screaming, ‘Oh that’s way too much to pay for a pair of pants!’
Fred: He was *how* old?
Roger: Six or seven. He must have taken the scroll from my library. (Sees Wesley coming upon them) Wesley! I was just telling Winifred about the time I caught you with a resurrection spell.
Wesley: (looking pained) Oh, right.
Roger: Now, I couldn’t remember, why were you doing that?
Wesley: A bird had flown into my windowpane. I think I was trying to bring it back to life.
Fred: I can’t believe you could even *read* a resurrection spell at age seven!
Roger: Well, his mother thought he was quite a prodigy. Luckily, I caught him, or we would have had zombie-birds pecking out his little eyeballs.
(Re: the lights going out in the elevator)
Spike: I know what this is. (Shouts) YOU’LL NEVER TAKE ME TO HELL, PAVAYNE! (The lights come back on. Eve is staring at Spike, who looks rather embarrassed.) Oh. Well, that’s just something I say . . . when it gets dark.
Wesley: You went through a lot of trouble to get this staff. You had us attacked. You smuggled in a weapon. You got an entire army so you could escape. I don’t know why you’re doing all this, but did you ever once consider that there might be another way? Did you even consider talking to me about it?
Roger: No. You failed me enough for one lifetime.
(Enter Fred)
Fred: Wesley!
Wesley: (worried) Fred? Get out of here!
Fred: What the hell is going on? (Kneels down next to Angel)
Roger: Do you know what that vampire is and what he’s done? And you follow him, anyway?
Wesley: Maybe I know what I’m doing. Why can’t you that?
Roger: You disgrace yourself with the Council, you join forces with him, and have the nerve to ask me why I can’t trust you?!
Wesley: I’ve done everything you’ve ever asked, and I’ve done it well.
Roger: I asked for this? I wanted to be humiliated?
Wesley: No, I don’t suppose I did know what you really wanted. You never had any use for me as a child, and you can’t bear the thought of me as an adult. Tell me, Father, what is it that galls you so? That I was never as good at the job as you, or that I just might be better?
Roger: Oh, yes, this is Los Angeles. We have to talk about our feelings. Then maybe we’ll *hug*.
Wesley: It’s doubtful.
Roger: Hand me that staff.
Wesley: No.
Roger: Now, don’t make me shoot you.
Wesley: (dangling the staff over the edge of the roof) Go ahead.
Roger: Do you know how powerful that thing is?
Wesley: I don’t care.
Roger: I *will* kill you for it. Please believe me.
Wesley: Oh, I believe you. I was raised by you, after all. But I drop this, the crystal shatters, and Angel is restored. So, I reckon, whether I live or die, your plan has failed.
Roger: I see. Well then, (grabs Fred) maybe if it’s someone you care about—
(Wes pulls the trigger, shooting his father repeatedly until the man drops to the ground, dead.)
Fred: It isn’t like you killed your dad, either.
Wesley: Right.
Fred: Part of you knew, even if you won’t admit it to yourself. Part of you knew it wasn’t really him.
Wesley: No. I was sure it was him.
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Continuity:
Spike’s mention of boffing a robot is most likely a sly reference to his own liaison with the Buffybot during his time on Buffy.
Wes’ two handguns were definitely an homage to not only the episode “Apocalypse, Nowish”, but also to “The Matrix”
Wesley’s father was first mentioned in “I’ve got You Under My Skin”, in which Wesley mentions that “a father doesn’t need to be possessed to terrorize his children”.
The phone conversation at the end of the episode mirrors Wesley’s other phone call to his father in “Belonging”
The Academy mentioned in this episode is the Watcher’s Academy, expounded upon more in the episode “Spin the Bottle”. This was also the episode when it was revealed that Wesley was Head Boy his year.
Spike once more refers to Wesley as Percy, something which he did in “Conviction”
A point of clarification about the memory wipes: Wesley does remember Lilah, and refers to her murderer as “a higher being”.
Spike mentions Pavayne, who was the spirit in “Hellbound” who tried to drag Spike into Hell.
Spike also mentions killing his mother, which was shown in the episode “Never Leave Me” of Buffy. Angel’s father’s death was shown in “The Prodigal”.
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The 3 W’s:
Weapons:
Though it was not used, I will mention the TS-113 sniper rifle that was shown in the beginning. Apparently, they’ve modified the scope with amplified thermal sensors (possible to detect things that would normally go undetected, say . . . vampires?). This leads me to the main weapons focus of this episode (and believe me, this episode was chock full of weapons):
Guns, guns, and more guns, though what else can we expect from a Wes centered episode but his weapon of choice? He once again shows his penchant for going in with a gun in each hand, as well as his die-hard determination to shoot everyone in the chest. It’s called head-shots, my boy. Quick and easy. Still, the censors probably have something to do with that. (Note: anything that involves showing a shot to the head automatically gets a viewer discretion advisory with the TV ratings board, and how would you do all that action without showing any of it?)
There was also a sword first used to take down one of the cyborgs, then used by Wes to torture the cyborg into telling him what his father did. The cyborgs seemed to use chain-link grappling hooks as their main weapon. The found-weapon of the week was the statue Roger Wyndam-Pryce used to clock his son.
Still and all, it was the guns that played the pivotal roles in this episode, from the beginning with Fred getting shot, to that breath-taking climactic scene where Wesley shoots his own father. Um, damn. Nice way of showing just how brutal Wes is willing to be if it’s necessary, and that that idea is reflected in his choice of weapon.
Wear:
Not much in the way of excitement this week, though there was one item of note:
Fred’s first scene outfit: hello, Commando Fred! Wow! I have been a staunch advocate of the fact that Fred will forever be shopping in the junior’s department of stores, but I find myself standing corrected. This is a glimpse of what Fred could be like if the writers permitted he to move past the “sweet little girl” phase. This is definitely the most androgynous we’ve ever seen Fred, and personally, I like it on her. This costume includes a severe ponytail, meant for functionality and clear vision, a high-collared button-down tan jacket, ending at the top of the pants. The shirt under that seems to be nothing but a simple, practical gray shirt, and her pants are black slacks. It’s a surprisingly tough look on our usually flouncy girl, and one I don’t object to at all.
Wesley:
Oh. My. Jesus. Being that this is a Wesley-centered episode, I’ll have plenty to say. First off, this entire show is about how far Wesley is willing to go to do what’s right, and to achieve his ends. It’s paradoxically both why Angel can trust him more than anyone, and why he won’t let himself trust Wesley. Wesley is far more dangerous than Angel because, in the end, Wesley is completely unwilling to compromise on the issues that really matter to him.
This episode is intriguing because it both shows us Wesley and his father, and it doesn’t. It wasn’t his father, which is important on his father’s end, but *not* on Wesley’s. He was completely convinced that this was his father. It tripped him up, it turned him into nearly as bad of a klutz as he was in season one, but without the humor. It was painful to watch him, when we knew that he was better than that.
But the key, really, is that, in the end, he killed his own father for what he believed in, and for the people (or person) that he cares about. And, no matter what anyone else tells him, it *doesn’t* matter that it wasn’t his real father. The intent was there, and so was the follow-through. Wesley murdered the one man he’s spent his entire life trying to impress. He committed patricide, and it’s not something that he’ll be cruising past any time soon.
Also addressed is the issue of what Wesley’s willing to give. He tends to heap all the blame on himself, and it’s obvious that his self-loathing is as deep as it’s ever been, and possibly deeper. Still, in the end, he sends Fred away, letting her go with Knox. He sacrifices everything he desired to ensure that she has a relationship with a gentle man who couldn’t kill anyone. He isn’t going to bring her into his inner darkness, and I truly think that is his greatest accomplishment of this episode.
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So, is the episode ficcable?:
And how! What do you want to address? Angel’s reticence to trust Wesley? His complete lack of ability to just let his guard down and comfort the guy? Gunn’s thoughts on this whole debacle? Fred’s thoughts now that she’s *finally* gotten the fact that he would die for her and kill for her he cares so much? Shippers, this is an equal opportunity episode! Those who don’t feel like shipping, guess what, you’ve *still* got ammo! What the hell does Wesley think of himself, now that he knows what he’s capable of? What does this do to him? Drown yourself in angst, my friends, there’s plenty to go around!
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Episode rating:
(“That’s an Angel? It looks like a lobster with some sort of . . . growth.)
5 lobsters out of 5
With this being a Wes-centered episode, how could I *not* give it five lobsters? Still, it earned them. It ranks in suspense right up with “Hellbound”, has plenty of action, lots of emotion, dripping angst, and a climactic scene that will leave you reeling.
And, let’s face it, we’ve been both looking forward to and dreading this episode. We like the not knowing about Wes and his father because it’s so much more painful than if they just showed it, so this episode gave us an elegant solution. It both showed us their dynamic, but really, in the end, answered *none* of our questions, and I, personally, like that. It’s a tossup for me whether I like this not-solution for Wesley’s parental issues, or whether I wanted closure in the form of patricide, leaving some spectacular angst on the part of Wesley, which is always a glory to behold.
So, in the end, I was uplifted, I was chilled, and I was no closer to understanding the man known as Wesley Wyndam-Pryce than I was when I went into this episode. He is both the most noble, and the darkest member of the team, and I don’t really know his limits yet. Hell, this episode proved that even he didn’t know his limits. Still doesn’t, to my knowledge.
And I like it that way.
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Wesley Wyndam-Pryce, ANGEL, etc are property of Joss Whedon (Mutant Enemy), David Greenwalt (Lazy Dave), FOX, and UPN respectively. Any and all crossover characters belong to their respective creators. No profit is made from this site. All fics are property of their individual authors. Archival at this site should not be taken to constitute automatic archive rights elsewhere, and authors should be contacted individually to arrange further archiving.
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