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beer_good_foamySo, "After the Fall" #5. Don't really have time for a proper review right now, so just some quick thoughts.
On a whole, I thought it was an issue with some great characterization but which focussed far too much one single event that, in and of itself, was pretty dull. Let's see, spoilers ahead:
The big news, of course, is that JAY AND SILENT BOB ARE IN HELL A! Suddenly I almost like Urru. Someone needs to write the fic, pronto.
Anyway, cameos aside. Wesley's line about taking care of the rubble is great, and for the most part he's excellent here – though I'm a bit puzzled by W&H's treatment of him.
"We could replace you."
"No you couldn't."
"Oh. Right. Sorry. Back you go."
Does anyone else get the feeling they haven't really thought this through?
So Lorne believes Fred is in heaven after all? What about all that her-soul-was-consumed crap...? And "Heaven without your loved ones isn't heaven" is a pretty killer line. As in serial killer. But hey, it worked for Nick Cave in "A Box For Black Paul", so who am I to complain.
So we get confirmation that in the comic!verse, vampires' hair and beards don't grow. I wonder how Lynch would explain things like Spike's roots in "Lessons" and Angel's mustache in "Amends"...
"Well, they're ready. And more appropriately attired." Wow, and I was beginning to think that women's clothes simply weren't available in hell. Seems they shop from the same store Buffy's army does. I wonder what happened to Spider and her girls between that scene and the big fight? I like the conversation between Spike and Illyria, though I wonder where they were supposed to be retreating to, but... oh well. Spike's redefinition of "retreat" is a hoot. You can tell that Lynch is a Spike fan; both his and Angel's voices really are spot on.
Gunn continues to be sad and confused. Doesn't really get much to do here, but I like how he keeps trying to tell himself that he's a good guy.
I'm sure Angel's speech on making amends impresses everyone who just finds out that this is the guy responsible for them being in hell in the first place. OK, the idea of human Angel holding his own for even 5 seconds against Female!Skip, a shadowwhateverthehellthatis, a living fire whatsit and a T Rex is... unlikely, to say the least. But I can't help feeling that the improbability of that is offset by the predictability of everyone jumping in at the last second to help Angel fight. Though I like Lorne's explanation. And the T Rex's line to Angel. :-)
And Spike almost tells Angel something.
SPIKE: Anyway, he was right and I'm a champion and I – I – besides, now you owe me.
I think some people are going to be very happy with that. Or, well, I suppose they'll have to be happy with it.
And I sort of like Groo going all fanboy on the idea of seeing the dragon fight the T Rex... and of course, we don't actually get to see that. The fourth wall shakes and splinters but barely holds up.
And then Illyria's reaction to Wesley. Which is nice that we got one, I guess, though where it's going is anyone's guess right now.
Anyway, I thought it was all a bit so-so. Some good bits – some very good bits, in fact – but most of it is just one big and pretty predictable fight scene. An issue written to get us to a cliffhanger. We'll see in a few months how it holds up, I guess.
On a whole, I thought it was an issue with some great characterization but which focussed far too much one single event that, in and of itself, was pretty dull. Let's see, spoilers ahead:
The big news, of course, is that JAY AND SILENT BOB ARE IN HELL A! Suddenly I almost like Urru. Someone needs to write the fic, pronto.
Anyway, cameos aside. Wesley's line about taking care of the rubble is great, and for the most part he's excellent here – though I'm a bit puzzled by W&H's treatment of him.
"We could replace you."
"No you couldn't."
"Oh. Right. Sorry. Back you go."
Does anyone else get the feeling they haven't really thought this through?
So Lorne believes Fred is in heaven after all? What about all that her-soul-was-consumed crap...? And "Heaven without your loved ones isn't heaven" is a pretty killer line. As in serial killer. But hey, it worked for Nick Cave in "A Box For Black Paul", so who am I to complain.
So we get confirmation that in the comic!verse, vampires' hair and beards don't grow. I wonder how Lynch would explain things like Spike's roots in "Lessons" and Angel's mustache in "Amends"...
"Well, they're ready. And more appropriately attired." Wow, and I was beginning to think that women's clothes simply weren't available in hell. Seems they shop from the same store Buffy's army does. I wonder what happened to Spider and her girls between that scene and the big fight? I like the conversation between Spike and Illyria, though I wonder where they were supposed to be retreating to, but... oh well. Spike's redefinition of "retreat" is a hoot. You can tell that Lynch is a Spike fan; both his and Angel's voices really are spot on.
Gunn continues to be sad and confused. Doesn't really get much to do here, but I like how he keeps trying to tell himself that he's a good guy.
I'm sure Angel's speech on making amends impresses everyone who just finds out that this is the guy responsible for them being in hell in the first place. OK, the idea of human Angel holding his own for even 5 seconds against Female!Skip, a shadowwhateverthehellthatis, a living fire whatsit and a T Rex is... unlikely, to say the least. But I can't help feeling that the improbability of that is offset by the predictability of everyone jumping in at the last second to help Angel fight. Though I like Lorne's explanation. And the T Rex's line to Angel. :-)
And Spike almost tells Angel something.
SPIKE: Anyway, he was right and I'm a champion and I – I – besides, now you owe me.
I think some people are going to be very happy with that. Or, well, I suppose they'll have to be happy with it.
And I sort of like Groo going all fanboy on the idea of seeing the dragon fight the T Rex... and of course, we don't actually get to see that. The fourth wall shakes and splinters but barely holds up.
And then Illyria's reaction to Wesley. Which is nice that we got one, I guess, though where it's going is anyone's guess right now.
Anyway, I thought it was all a bit so-so. Some good bits – some very good bits, in fact – but most of it is just one big and pretty predictable fight scene. An issue written to get us to a cliffhanger. We'll see in a few months how it holds up, I guess.
