Review of Episode 14, Season 2 "Thin Dead Line" In 50’s terror fashion, in blazing Technicolor, holy horrors honey, it’s . . . The Attack of the Zombie Police! While Wesley, Cordelia and Gunn seem to be settling in nicely with their new situation, the lack of demons to vanquish is causing the gang to lament. What struck me as unique when Francine walked in the door with her daughter Stephanie and a third eye in back of head was that this subplot is never resolved within the episode. Cody states that they need to assist Gunn and that the ‘eye isn’t going anywhere.’ But where exactly did it go? Merl is leaving town, but not before observing that Angel has issues. "You don’t care about anyone but yourself," he says to Angel, causing our brood-boy to consider this. If a snitch lizard demon from the LA underbelly is so observant what kind of vibes is Angel giving off? And he’s not the only one who’s self absorption has been noticed. On several occasions, Gunn is addressed by both Anne and two of his brothers, Rondell and George, concerning his lack of appearance on the streets. Is he really moving up the ladder and leaving those he cares about behind to fend for themselves? I thought the main plot of social platitudes was a daring move with the Bad Cops theme but I was also thinking this is touchy territory we’re treading around here. Some scenes pushed the envelope where racial ties tend to be a bit frayed at the ends. With the culmination of Wesley getting shot we’re left on quite an emotional edge. Then there’s Angel checking in on the gang from the shadows, doing his part to help the situation from afar makes us wonder if he’s starting to reflect upon his recent actions. In his scenes with Kate, he seems almost trying to convince himself that he still doesn’t care. Kate: "This job is making me crazy." Angel: "I know the feeling." But the biggest resolve comes when Cordy busts Angel at the hospital checking up on Wesley. "We don’t need you," she says and Angel slowly walks away. A new introspective is occuring for both Angel and Gunn and it’s interesting to watch their transitions. Kudos to Scott McGinnis for some brilliant directing in the teen shelter attack scene. This is pure classic Hollywood with shots coming right from Night of the Living Dead! Any time Joss pulls from the classics it’s amazing and here it is pulled off to perfection! Fun Fact: Oppsie, Blooper time! Kate’s open cases include, "13 lawyers from W&H slaughtered in a wine cellar." Funny but Darla told Lindsey, "If I recall, I left a 15-body memo to that effect!" Gotcha!  I give it... Special Guest Reviewer ~ belmont " ‘Can't we all just get along?’ " echoed through my head as I watched and re-watched this episode to see what kind of impact it made on me. Aside from not being able to get past the badly written street talk (thugs don't speak that coherently), I noticed a trend in the show. Buffy the Vampire Slayer has gone the route of angst while growing up. Angel, on the other hand, pummels us with social commentary varying from the mutilation of female genitalia to ethnic cleansing. Now, we are given police brutality. The police are a fact of life on the street. From their knowledge of gang hand signs and rollin with some gang-bangers to their corruption of power, it's all happening in real life. It would only be natural that something like this would come up in the Angel-verse now that a reformed thug joined their ranks. "Anyone else feel that this episode was a bit over the top? Almost too strong of a topic for what the writers were trying to accomplish. As I re-watched, I kept hearing one line over and over again: ‘who would do something like this?’ From the mother and her three-eyed daughter to Kate standing on her father's grave, it's a line that runs throughout the core of the show. Who would do something like this? This led me to ask why would the writers write something like this? What is the purpose of having a zombified police force attempt to kill thugs, dealers and homeless kids? Is it because it happens in real life or is it more to show us something about the main characters? To me, it seems a little of both. "Cordy, Wesley and Gunn (or the Angel triumvirate as I like to call them) were magnificent. This episode highlighted their relationship to one another while providing more insight into Gunn's past. From allusions of thug life to his ‘moving on up to the west side to a deluxe apartment in the sky.’ This character is growing as much as Cordelia and Wesley albeit differently than the other two. His impulsiveness is a welcome change to the dull and planned technique of an ex-Watcher although his methods may be a bit too similar to Angel's rash decisions. It's intriguing to see Cordelia be something of a mother hen with Gunn and Wesley, nagging the former on the phone about his stupid plan and making sure the other checks in periodically. Her telling off of Angel at the end was in tune with this mentality. ‘For the better good of the group,’ I could have seen her say as she told Angel off. ‘We don't need you anymore,’ she would later add with venom and conviction. Don't they? Their dynamic is, in a way, truer to the concept of family than the Scooby gang but while this episode tried to tie Angel and the triumvirate together, it just seemed to have shown his storyline to be lacking something. Either that or his ‘frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn’ attitude is starting to get on my nerves. We know he doesn't want to be the goody-goody. We know he doesn't want to be a soulless killer. But his delivery of the vengeful vigilante is grating. I saw myself fast-forwarding through most of the Angel scenes to get to the rest of the gang's scenes. The triumvirate has truly gotten to be the saving grace of the show and are growing on their own but, as was so blatantly made obvious by this episode, are lacking a level of expertise that Angel fills. The triumvirate works well as a team, as we've seen in previous episodes and the start of this one, but they work better with Angel. They do need Angel no matter how Cordy or the gang may feel but they no longer could have existed as they did in the past. The writers seem to be pushing the team/group concept more than the leader/follower ideals the spin-off had when it began. "One thing continues to bother me, however: why the social commentary? Why show police as fighting a losing battle against the street? That may be it. Dealers and thugs rule the street. Even those that want out are forced into continuing their deals out of fear and sometimes greed. We are often masters of our own destinies, but we are also victims of circumstance. We may choose to live our life a certain way, but that doesn't mean we can. Once we choose a path, there's no way off of it. Maybe this too was something the writers were trying to tell us. Angel may be trying to get out of the good guy business but he chose a path with his introduction to Buffy and there's no way out of it. "Overall, this could have been a better episode than it was. Angel shoved his way into the storyline although he saved the day in the end. The family and their growth were the best parts of the episode. As I've said before, the writers should just stay away from Ebonics. Their attempts were better this time around, but they need to hire a thug to translate English to Thug."  I give it...

CoA Stakes Rating Guide = Disappointing, stake it, bury it! = Not too bad, Lacking a few graves. = Typical Dark Avenger saves the day Saga. = Better still, Quality Headstones. = Outstanding! Reward it with mortality!

Cordelia: Maybe we could buy one of those star maps. Find out where Steven Segal lives. (Gunn and Wesley look at her.) You telling me he got to be a movie star without a little demonic assistance? Gunn: We can't even agree on a new name. Unless you guys have come around to... Wesley: I don't think so. Gunn: Give it up, already! Mrs. Sharp: Virginia said you specialize in strange phenomena. Cordelia: The stranger the better as far as we're concerned. Please, have a seat. Tell us what the problem is. Trust me, we specialize in strange. There's nothing we haven't.... see....eennn. There's an eye in the back of her head! Angel: Hey, Merle. Merle: Jeez! Can't you, you know... knock? Angel: You don't make that funny expression when I knock, or if you do, I don't see it. Merle: How is old Wesley, huh? Or the other two ya fired. They doin all right? Oh, gee, let me guess, you never even bothered to check! Kenny: Last night me and Les were hanging down on 39th. Anne: Panhandling? Kenny: No. Washin my Mercedes. Gunn: Annie! Wassup girl? I ain't seen you in a minute, come here! So what brings you to this neck of the woods? Anne: Oh, I just thought I'd see how the other half lives. (Looks around) And strangely enough, it's not that different. Cordelia: Ah yes, Angel Investigations. Home of the wicked high creep factor. Anne: Angel? Gunn: Yeah, our company, it's named after our former boss. We were thinking about renaming it the Gunn Agency Wesley and Cordelia: No, we're not. Gunn: As soon as these two narcissists come to their senses. Anne: But, Angel, this isn't the guy in the long black trenchcoat is it? Gunn: You know him? Anne: Yeah, he tried to help me out a few weeks ago. (Cordelia and Wesley get out of their chairs) Cordelia: He did? Wesley: Really? Anne: (looks at them all) But it turned it was just a scam to crew this lawfirm. Cordelia: Well he hasn't changed a bit. (Wesley and Cordy sit back down. They are all disappointed.) Rondell: This got something to do with the police crackin skulls? Gunn: What, You know about that? George: Who doesn't? Gunn: I didn't, till today! Somebody could have filled me in. Rondell: You ain't been around to tell nothing too. George: You been movin on up, Dog. Playing 'demon detective' with your new family. Rondell: Deluxe apartment in the sky. George: When I got the call, I figured it was christmas or something! Gunn: Maybe I shouldn't of called at all. In fact, you know what? Ya'll are free to go. George: We already made the trip. Might as well go all the way. Gunn: Don't do me no favors. George: I'm not. The favors for these kids. Anne: How do you know [the cops] will [confront us]? Gunn: Cause we'll be the ones walking while black. Kate: Guess you didn't catch up with your vampire friends on time. Angel: I did track 'em down and set them on fire later. Cordelia: Nothing says "Ah ha, I'm on to you" like being on the receiving end of a vicous police beating. Cordelia: Hey, Gunn graduated with a major in 'dumb planning' from Angel University. He sat at the feet of the master and learned well how to plan dumbly. Wesley: Right, let's get down there and save him from himself. Cordelia: It's not like that third eye's really going anywhere. Cordelia: Where do you want me to start? Anne: How are your laundry folding skills? (Hands her a heap of laundry.) Cordelia: I'm an actress, I can fake it. Cordelia: (Turns and sees a teen wearing her shirt.) Hey, that's my–! I have a shirt just like that. (Turns to Anne) The girl at the store said it was a one of a kind. Big fibber. Gunn: Damn. Somebody have an apocalypse and forget to invite us? Jackson: (looks at Wesley's gunshot wound.) Oh, damn. Now that looks nasty! Wesley: Where are we going? Gunn: To the hospital. Wesley: That sounds sensible to me. Wesley: Is this morphine? (Gunn nods.) Well, it's bloody lovely. (Wesley giggles) Cordelia: What are you doing here? Angel: I heard about Wesley. Cordelia: Well, that's great. To bad it takes a gunshot wound to make you to give a crap! Wesley doesn't need you right now. We don't need you. You walked away. Do us a favor and just stay away. (Cordelia leaves.) Quotes by Council member Sasha.