| Review
of Episode 8, Season 3
"Quickening"
As far as I’m concerned, “November Sweeps” has been going on—and going strong—since the 3rd season of “Angel” debuted in late September. The writing, the acting, the character development (especially Charisma Carpenter’s Cordelia and Alexis Denisoff’s Wesley, in particular), the pacing, and the wide-screen format have been phenomenal, proving that “Angel” is more than capable of standing on its own two feet. Jeffrey Bell penned a top-flight script, giving the show an X-Files-esque slant (appropriately so, since Bell and co-executive producer Tim Minear are X-Files alumni) in regards to Darla’s pregnancy, which is supposed to be impossible since vampires cannot reproduce.
The mystery surrounding Angel (David Boreanaz) and Darla’s (Julie Benz) unborn child—which is destined to fulfill some prophecy of apocalyptic proportions—has been building to a crescendo since the season premiere. Bell cranked the suspense up another notch upon revealing the baby must be born, despite Darla’s—the mother’s—attempts to kill it.
Further, this baby has attracted the attention of many opposing factions, including Wolfram & Hart, who have their own sinister agenda for the baby, placing the members of Angel Investigations in danger. To make matters worse, the vampire-hunter Daniel Holtz (Keith Szarabajka) appearing in the 21st century adds another unstable element to an already-volatile situation. Holtz has turned out to be a pivotal character in the “Angel” mythos, having appeared in numerous flashbacks hunting Angelus and Darla, who brazenly murdered his family. To have him in the present has not only raised the ante, but thrown the audience for a loop with this clever twist.
The little things, too, contributed to making this episode great: Lilah (Stephanie Romanov) signing a legal document in blood and sending it to “demon resources,” Cordelia punching Darla in the nose (that was priceless), the cult of vampires mauling the swordsman, Fred informing the vampires that the baby can’t be harmed when holding them at bay by threatening it, and, of course, the witty one-liners we’ve all come to expect. Truly, the creators have found a delicate balance between the Tim Burton dark elements and the quirky, tongue-in-cheek humor.
If there was anything I didn’t like about the “Quickening” is that this quality hour of television ended all too soon, torturing us for another week before we learn the fate of the baby and witness Angel’s battle with Holtz. It’ll definitely be a long week.
I give it
Review by CoA Staff member, Ned Flanders
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