Sense and Sensitivity
Angel Episode Review
In which Angel gets in touch with his inner moppet.
What Happened
Kate recruits Angel to find a missing mobster, but her brilliant plan hits something of a snag when he succeeds: Angel decides that putting on a loud Hawaiian shirt and pretending to be a lost tourist will distract Little Tony from leaving on his getaway. After that doesn't work, Angel beats him up until the police arrive. In the aftermath, Kate is ordered into sensitivity training, sponsored this week by Wolfram and Hart.
That evening, Kate invites Angel to accompany her to her father's retirement party. She's been asked to say a few words; Dad's not too thrilled, because that would mean, you know, expressing an emotion or something. The entire precinct having gotten in touch with their Inner Moppets, the party becomes a group therapy session when Kate breaks down over her father's closed nature.
Suspicious, Angel investigates, but gets hit with "the whammy" as well. He reluctantly accompanies Cordelia and Doyle as they break into the police station to find Kate. Little Tony escapes in the confusion and decides to kill Kate on the way out, but Angel overcomes his new distaste for physical violence and saves her.
What We Learned
- Kate has trouble expressing herself verbally.
- Supervisor Macaffery shot himself, wrapped himself in plastic and locked himself in the back of his car.
- He'd been depressed.
- A "please" and "thank you" is generally good form when requesting a dismemberment.
- Angel uses his whole depressed creature of the night thing as an excuse to be rude.
- Everybody should have a lawyer like one from Wolfram and Hart.
- Angel always has pensive face.
- Lower level LA mob employees all take a spinning class together, but they have not negotiated a thug group rate.
- I sincerely doubt that "picture your audience in their underwear" advice has helped anyone, ever.
- Doyle and Cordelia withdraw when Angel goes vamp. He feels they judge him.
- Guns really come off as hostile.
Best Lines
Allen: "What were your parents like?"
Angel: "My parents were great. Tasted a lot like chicken."
What Did I Think?
Angel's lost control before, like when Angelus comes out to play, but here we get to see his inner-Nice Guy. Since we so rarely get to see him in a good mood, it makes for a pleasant change.
As far as Kate goes, she's a good goad / source-of-information for Angel. The set-up of her prickly relationship with her father gets a follow-up in season two. What isn't followed-up on is the possibility of her becoming a love interest... but if it were, it's established here without being shoved down the audience's throat, making her a much better character since she is allowed to exist independent of her presumed romance.