Review of Episode 21, Season 4 "Peace Out" As hinted at so often this year, the climax of this season's arc came down to the issue of freewill. Or more pointedly - just how important is freewill and to what cost will one go to retain it? In Peace Out, Angel left no doubt in proving that to preserve the gift of freewill, he would go to any length or sacrifice to keep it - even at the expense of world peace. How's that for one heck of a dichotomy? As written by David Fury, Peace Out offers up a delicious spin on the expected climax in which the good guys defeat the bad guys in the predictable black and white way. Instead, the plot gets turned on its head when the prodigal son, Connor, who has made a season long mission of making poor decisions, ends up saving the day while Angel, the hero, ends up ruining humanities chance for peace. It made for a deeply satisfying resolution to Angel's most ambitious storyline to date interweaving action, horror, and thought-provoking moral dilemmas with heartbreaking emotion. Jasmine made her final stand this episode and she more than lived up to her "Big Bad" status. Gina Torres did a particularly masterful job exuding evil beneath her beautiful façade but she was just as menacing when her world literally fell apart around her. As she and Angel faced off for the last time on the chaos-strewn streets of Los Angeles, Fury also managed to achieve what I thought was impossible - pity and understanding for Connor. The pain and anguish Connor has suffered in his young and undeniably messed up life, finally became achingly real as he confessed his sins in an abandoned church to a comatose Cordelia. Connor's incessant quest to belong and be loved by anyone other than his father finally clicked as he explained the hurt of living a life built on lies. The most stunning of those lies being the revelation that his devotion to Jasmine was anything but blind but instead what he considered the best lie to believe amongst the poor offerings. Vincent Kartheiser did his best work ever in this episode effectively transitioning Connor from an annoyance to a tragic figure worthy of understanding. As if completing the Jasmine arc wasn't enough, we were also treated to the shocking reappearance of Lilah (Stephanie Romanov) in the last moments of the episode. Considering she is dead, her return can only mean some amazing and unsettling things are yet to come in the season finale. Fun Fact: Did you catch the inside shout out to David Greenwalt's now cancelled show Miracles? The message "God is Nowhere, Jasmine is the Way" appeared on a church bulletin board. The "God is Nowhere" phrase was key to the plot arc of Miracles. Gone but not forgotten! Fun Fact 2: Okay, so this may not be a Fun Fact for Angel, but it's certainly worth mentioning. Did anyone think the axe that Buffy discovers in this week's Buffy episode looked familiar? Well, if you're a comic fan (especially of Joss Whedon's slayer epic "Fray"), then you'll notice it's the same axe Fray uses on the current seventh issue! I give it... Review by CoA Staff member, Phoenix

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

Angel: You, you’re…? High Priest: High Priest, Guardian of the Word, caretaker of her most blessed temple. Angel: Well, blessed temple’s kind of empty, padre. Where’s the other true believers, or are you it? High Priest: (laughs) Centuries of awaiting her return have caused most to doubt. Angel: But not you, her faithful P.R. flak. High Priest: She is the light. She is the way. Angel: (mocking) She is not coming back. High Priest: She will when she is through with your world. Gunn: (incredulous) Wait. People? She eats people? Fred: Oh no. Gunn: “To Serve Man”. It’s “To Serve Man” all over again. Angel: Give me her name! High Priest: (choking) Keeper. Angel: That’s it? Caper? High Priest: Her true name is known only by the Keeper of the Name. Angel: Right. That’s you! High Priest: (whining) No, I am the Guardian of the Word. Angel: (through gritted teeth) You said the word is the name. High Priest: Yes, and I guard the Keeper of it. Angel: So you are the Keeper’s keeper? High Priest: (exasperated) I am the Guardian of the Word. Angel: Okay, Bugsy, you want to tell me what I’m fighting for? High Priest: Him. Angel: Him? High Priest: The boy. The woman you’ve already lost. The boy is what you’re fighting for. Connor: I can smell her on you. So tell me and I’ll crush your windpipe. Jeremy: (stammering) You mean “or” right? Or you’ll crush my windpipe? Connor: Where’s Cordy? High Priest: So much effort, always struggling, trying to make things right for the boy, for Connor, but it’s never enough. Why do you bother? Angel: I can see you never had kids. High Priest: The boy should not even exist. He was only a device to bring forth the blessed She-a means to an end. Angel: Yeah, well, people get born for all sorts of reasons. High Priest: He will never love you. Angel: It doesn’t matter. High Priest: Foolish dead thing. Lorne: (re: Gunn’s kicking the cage door) You can stop that any time now. Gunn: I will…just as soon as somebody comes up with a better plan…to get us out of here. Lorne: And then what, Kato? The anti-Jasmine crowd’s about to become a staggering minority on this planet. Gunn: Yeah, well, first things first. We’ll worry about that when the time comes. Lorne: Bell’s rung, babe. It’s come. Lorne: (re: Connor leaving) More than likely, Her Godliness summoned him for a little tender-lovin’… Wesley: (thinking aloud) Blood. Fred: Is that some kind of ritual she has him doing? Cause, ew. Connor: (talking to Cordelia about the world) And it is better. Not harsh and cruel, the way that Angel likes it so he has a reason to fight. Cause, you know, that’s what he’s about. Him and the others. Finding reasons to fight. Like that’s what gives their lives any meaning. The only damn thing! I’m not like them. I just, I want to stop. I want to stop fighting. I just want to rest. God, I want to rest. But I can’t. (long pause as anger turns to resignation) It’s not working, Cordy. I tried. I tried to believe. I wanted it. I went along with the flow. Jasmine, she’s (pauses) she’s bringing peace to everyone, purging all of their hate and anger. But not me. (laughs) Not me! I know she’s a lie. Jasmine. My whole life’s been built on them. I just, I guess I thought this one was better than the others. Male Reporter: What can we do to show our love for you? Jasmine: You don’t have to do anything except love one another. (pauses) Although a temple would be nice. Something massive and awe-inspiring, yet warm and nurturing, celebrating the gentle pleasures of a peaceful, precious coexistence. Angel: Jasmine. It’s over. You’ve lost. Jasmine: I’ve lost? Do you have any idea what you’ve done? Angel: What I had to do. Jasmine: No. No, Angel. There are no absolutes. No right and wrong. Haven’t you learned anything working for the Powers? There are only choices. I offered paradise. And you chose this. Angel: Because I could. Because that’s what you took away from us. Choice. Jasmine: And look where free will has gotten you. Angel: Hey, I didn’t say we were smart. I said it’s our right. It’s what makes us human. Jasmine: But you’re not human! Angel: Working on it. Jasmine: Why do you hate me so much? Angel: Let’s run down the list, huh? Rain of fire, blotting out the sun, enslaving mankind, and yeah, oh yeah, you eat people! Jasmine: Like you never have. Angel: Go to hell. Jasmine: You first, baby. Quotes by CoA Council member, Seeker