4x08 "Habeas Corpses"
Reviewed by Matthew Bon | Rating: 8/10

THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY - When Angel (David Boreanaz) realizes that there may be some connection between Connor (Vincent Kartheiser) and the Beast (guest star Vladimir Kulich), he learns that Connor is trapped within Wolfram & Hart where the building is under lock-down and the Beast is on a brutal killing spree. Angel, Wesley (Alexis Denisof), Gunn (J. August Richards) and Fred (Amy Acker) must figure out how to spring Connor before he is killed as well. Charisma Carpenter and Andy Hallett also star. Skip Schoolnik directed this episode written by Jeffrey Bell.

Overview:

Just a little bit disappointed with this episode, but it did serve its purpose and did so with some of the best one-liners we have come across. As explained later on, this is an episode that served mainly for the US bringing new and old viewers into the loop of things.

The episode had plenty of exciting action, brimming with interesting angst, a few genuine surprises and one of the best images of 2003 - Lilah with a gun! The massacre scenes at Wolfram & Hart were actually quite creepy, and really made Angel & Co's fight with The Beast last episode much more special considering they got out alive.

Thank god for more Lorne hilarity and I must admit I was pissing myself laughing when The Beast confronted Gavin and all he managed to say was

Gavin: Uh...hi

It was absolutely hilarious, and had me in hysterics for long after. Pity now that Gavin is dead, along with just about everyone else from the law firm. The amount of good lines in this episode means that lots got left out in the 'Top 5 Quotes' section, so this episode was definitely not short of them.

Angel:

I like Angel so much better when he's angry, it just makes for a much more interesting show as you'd expect. But, I feel wrong to LOVE to see him angry. Didn't we all just love watching Cordy's reactions as he told her she had to stay at the hotel and to get out at the end of the episode? And one can't go past the whole misinterpreted conversation between the two of them early on in the episode as Angel was talking about them having sex, while Cordy was talking about the connected between Connor and The Beast.

You could really see the strain on Angel's face as he contemplated telling that he had seen Cordy and Connor together and the end of the episode he just couldn't put up with her acting all everything-is-normal attitude anymore. Now Cordy just has to convince him that it was one time thing and that she didn't really want it to happen and with this being Angel (and a TV show), we all know she'll be working on it for a long time.

Cordelia & Connor:

So yay, I was kinda right of my analysis of Cordelia from the last episode. I'm very glad they treated the sexual relations between her and Connor like that, she was disappointed in herself and he thought it meant the beginning of a relationship. I may have gone a little far by using the word 'slut' somewhere in the "Apocalypse, Nowish" review, but it was essentially that Cordy had given up on the world and times were too tough to deal with. One review of this episode (from the To Shanshu in L.A. website) wrote this:

"Cordy meant "it didn't matter anymore" in the sense of that the world would probably end tomorrow. Connor thought she meant "it didn't matter anymore" that he's Angel's son. That's what we call miscommunication."

I think that's an excellent viewpoint of the subject and yet another reason to feel sorry for the tragedy that is Connor. As much as he is fitting into the group more and more, he doesn't really have a good relationship with any of them. My one desire for this episode has come true (for the sex to be explained well) and all I need to know now is that Cordelia does not become pregnant from this little fling.

It was interesting to see Connor going full-on after The Beast at Wolfram & Hart, it was almost like he thought that killing it would secure Cordy's love for him. Poor guy, he really doesn't have a clue.

There was a bit of a haze at the end of the episode as Connor calls out 'Dad...' to Angel for no apparent reason and he didn't stop to listen anyway. My feeling for that is that Connor was about to thank Angel for saving him and getting him out of Wolfram & Hart and I wonder what that would've done to the conversation between him and Cordelia at the end of the episode.

Do you know what's funny too, it's been almost a full season since Connor entered the series and we still don't know why he's here and it's been 5 episodes since Cordy has returned and we don't know why she's back either. It hasn't bothered me that much because I always thought it would be resolved eventually but if they both have a connection to The Beast, I can't wait to find out what it is.

But one my thought with Cordy's situation is that, if she got her memory back and she said she remembered everything from on up high like seeing what Angel had done in his past then wouldn't she remember being sent back to Earth? And more importantly, why?

Gunn:

Gunn, watching this episode tonight, you gave me the absolute SHITS! Apart from your absolute pathetic attempt at sounding caring at the beginning of the episode to Fred with this line:

Gunn: I know baby, it was like the end of the world out there and all I wanted was you.

That line was just delivered flat as.

Your attitude towards Wesley made me want to jump through that screen, pick up that newly remade axe that you love so much and chop your head off. I have so many profanities running through my head at the moment that I want to say about Gunn that it's impossible to mention them all. I absolutely hated him this episode and I can't understand how his hatred has gotten this bad so quick. Sure, he's angry at Wesley for the Connor saga and for his actions in helping Fred with Professor Seidel, but seriously...get over it! No I didn't really mean "get over it", Gunn just needs to TALK to Fred about the issue instead of just resorting to vulgar comments directed at someone that plays only a minor part in his diminishing relationship (and also, Wesley hasn't even seemed to make an attempt to steal Fred away from him). Hundreds of insults dotted all through the episode at Wesley in the middle of a crisis is not what I wanted to be hearing through my speakers. At least the full effect of the hate for Wesley is imprinted on my mind and I'm not likely to forget any of it soon (as well as his love for Fred, but that in a lesser effect).

If Gunn continues with this present course in his life, spiralling down towards an obsessive pit of being the jealous boyfriend who doesn't even seem to realise the harm he is causing he will not be a boyfriend for much longer and I can't then see him with a place in the series (cos we all know that Fred is so much better). If he's bumped off in the next few episodes I wouldn't at all be disappointed. Well I would be, but the way he has been acting I would get over it real quick because better gone then having to put up with it for much longer.

Lilah:

Lilah at her best once again, spitting out a lot of good lines as well as showing how deep her feelings for Wesley go as he leaves her. It amazes me how the makers of this show and Stephanie are able to take such a cold bitch like Lilah and make her seem so warm and heartbroken. It's really amazing how strongly I feel for Lilah to get out of a situation alive even though she'll still continue working on ending the world and killing Angel once she's safe.

I hope The Beast doesn't catch up with her anytime soon, because Lilah just keeps getting better and better.

Top 5 Quotes:

Wes: (Looking at Fred) No one likes to lose, whatever the circumstances

Wes: "There is a line, Lilah. Black and white, good and evil."
Lilah: "Funny thing about black and white... You mix it together and you get grey. And it doesn't matter how much white you try and put back in. You're never going to get anything but grey. And I don't see your Texas gal pal wearing that colour. Come to think of it--- she prefers black."

Lilah: Gavin, ask yourself this question. What are you more afraid of, a giant murderous demon, or me?
Gavin: Be right back

Connor: "What's a zombie?"
Angel: "An undead thing."
Connor: "Like you?"
Angel: "No! Zombies are slow-moving, dim-witted things that crave human flesh."
Connor: "Like you."
Angel: "No! Trust me, it's different."

Cordelia: "I'm just glad that we're all safe and together again."
Angel: "Me, too. Now take your new boyfriend, and get the hell outta here."

In Closing:

This episode makes a lot more sense to US viewers as it was the first episode after a long hiatus so it serves as a bridge to the rest of the episodes, bringing people back into the Angel rhythm as well as advancing the storyline along a bit. It reminded me very much of the Buffy episode "Spiral" from season 5. A non-brainer action flick, with not a lot happening in terms of plot advancement, but this had much more angst than "Spiral" did. But still, the episode did not contain enough character development for my liking. I know that there are episode there are instances where not ALL the characters can be developed as the time restraints do not allow for it - but blame Elizabeth Craft and Sarah Fain! Their brilliance in "Supersymmetry" has made me expect the same level all the time.

We now have the knowledge that the answer is among them, who holds this information is unclear but I'm sure it will be the most unlikely person, so I'm counting Connor out of being the actual connection to The Beast.

I had this nagging feeling that everyone wasn't putting in a 100% in this episode, or maybe everyone was supposed to be all downer-like and unenergetic due to the sadness that the apocalypse is causing and all the tension between all the characters, but it bugged me all the same through the entire episode (apart from those last 2 lines of dialogue, man they rocked).

Oh, and I almost forgot to mention the single shot that made me laugh. There's a shot of The Beast walking through Wolfram & Hart really slowly, and the lights are dimmed all around him, and all you can really make out is the outline. It was the worst shot of all time, as the lack of light makes him look like the marshmallow dude from 'Ghostbusters' - it was very cringe worthy.

I'll give this episode a

8/10

and am expecting much more in the coming episodes.


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