Angel

5x21 - Power Play ... "Apprehension, Actuality"

‘Assembled, and Displayed/Devote’

Wow.

There is... I have... after watching - where do I even begin to collect myself? Assembled, and displayed, assembled and displayed. Venturing off with another allegory, these pieces, though disproportioned and mismatched are finally laying out the final picture. I understand that now. Joss, you had my mind going at the last part of this season, I must confess. With “The Girl in Question” raising more questions than the girl that was supposedly in question, but now I understand. Joss, you made me disbelieve every belief I had, and doubted every turn you took, but now, I understand. I understand where this will all go.

At long last, I see the big picture.

“We can’t bring down the Senior Partners, but for one bright shiny moment we can show them that they don’t own us.”

‘Apprehension, Actuality’

“He’s preparing to make his move”

The window shade that long curtained the actuality of Angel’s motives has been discarded. At the beginning of “Power Play”, I felt a bit uneasy, nervous, to where all of this was going. By the end it - all - made - sense.

The answer was always there, we just didn’t see it, didn’t even question it.

We had long forgotten about Doyle’s kiss that gave Cordelia his visions. How Doyle’s true, pure love for Cordelia transferred his visions, we never thought to rationalize that that would happen between Cordelia and Angel.

But it does resolve one thing. The ‘Girl in Question’ wasn’t Buffy, it was Cordelia.

I had come to the realization that there had to be a motive to Angel’s sudden love to appease the powerful, and to our satisfaction it was presented as “The Circle of the Black Thorne.”

The almighty, the all-powerful, the Evil; Evil itself.

“The powerful control everything, except the will to choose.”

As hard, as tough as it was to let Fred go, Angel realized that sacrifice was inevitable. That the Big Picture, setting Evil in its place, would come with a price, but that the sacrifices would not be shallow, or forgotten.

We have only gotten to this point because Angel pulled one heck of a ‘power play’ to persuade Evil to believe that his intentions were for the benefit of becoming a member of the elite ‘Circle.’ Right after his initiation, his marking, the look on his face summed it all up. You could see the torture, the relief, the contentment of success, by doing such horrible, intolerable acts for the greater cause. Angel had not let Drogan, Fred die in vain.

“To make her death, matter.”

And then everyone else understood.

Gunn, Lorne, Spike, Wesley, all apprehend what Angel had done, and what a powerful reasoning he had in isolating himself with the Bad, turning his back on his comrades, ignoring the helpless, and dealing with the Big, Powerful, Bads. They all now understand that if Angel hadn’t done all of that, that everything leading up to this point would have been a complete waste.

“I’m in.”

‘It’s about Power’

Last we saw of Illyria, Hamilton had taken to thrashing her about, and just nearly killed the once all-poweful, all-dominating God; which leaves me to question how much we’ve underestimated Marcus Hamilton, who was much more powerful than Illyria.

To kill Fred once was enough, to kill Fred twice is unforgivable.

I am waiting in anxious disbelief to see Illyria slaughter Hamilton, and send Baldwin, like Firefly, to his grave.

The last we see, is Hamilton coming to his own actualization that what he is watching is a fraud. We’re in trouble; neck deep and with a foot six feet in.

‘Quotes of the Night’

“Oh that’s not a stake.” - She-Wolf (Nina)

.....I don’t like Nina, but that this is one of the last comical moments we will have.

“You should make love on the beach all by yourself.” - Nina

.....Again, one of the last pleasant, comedy parts we will see, sadly by the Kennedy of Angel, Nina.

“He and I are no longer having intercourse.” - Illyria

“Whaa, whaa, what?!” - Spike

“He and I aren’t communicating.” - Illyria

.....Great exchange, had me going with the chuckle.

“We can’t save everybody, and we can’t sweat the small stuff.” - Angel to Wesley about the case file

.....At the time, I had even believed that Angel could be the possible Big Bad, but by the end, it became clear.

“I’ve seen this before with many rulers, the leader’s been corrupted. He turns a blind eye on the battles that do not give him gain ... “ - Illyria on Angel

“Illyria’s resurrection was planned ... by Angel.” - Drogan

“Feel free to play a little Crash Bandicoot ... to pass the time.” - Spike

“Crash Bandicoot?” - Illyria

.....Another great exchange between one of my favorite duos.

“Until I have real power, global power, I have nothing.” - Angel

.....The subtext within tells the truth to the entire episode.

“I can’t worry about that ... the small stuff.” - Angel

“That’s not an answer.” - Wesley

“Then I guess you don’t get one.” - Angel

— slams door in Wesley’s face-

“He has never had any to care about, has he? Not real power.” - Lorne

“Not even as Angelus, then just like that he has it.”

“Hey boys, looks like you could use a hug.” - Lindsey

.....We will miss you Lindsey.

“I play this game, it’s pointless, and noisy, yet I’m compelled to play on.” - Illyria

“To make her death, matter.” - Angel

“I’ve seen the faces of evil, the real power ...” - Angel

“We are weak.” - Angel

“The powerful control everything, except the will to choose.” - Angel

“Killing every single member of the Black Thorne.” - Angel

“We don’t walk away from that.” - Angel

“10 to 1 we are gone when the smoke clears.” - Angel

“We can’t bring down the Senior Partners, but for one bright shiny moment we can show that they don’t own us.” - Angel

‘Disbelief’

One more.

One final awakening, enlightenment, sunshine of hope for many of us, including myself. It hasn’t sunk in yet, not yet, the feelings are there, but it truly has not sunken into the innards of my mind, spirit yet. When the time comes, I will need to take some time off. To re-evaluate, everything, to seek council and comfort, to find out where we truly go from there.

I apologize, I know this commentary should be about “Power Play” and all of its glory, but I need to prepare. I need to do us all a service and prepare us all for the, the end, or a new beginning. A life without the Buffyverse, is that even possible?

We are the last of our kind, the last ones to understand the connection. Sure there will be others, I hope, who will find their ways to the ‘Verse, and will connect and love, but not like us.

Never again.

They weren’t there. They weren’t there for the talks, and discussions, for the mourning and the triumph we experienced over despair, for when Angel said his farewell, only to seek his own voyage “Helping the Helpless.”

They weren’t there, and they never will be.

I will miss this part of my life, and will not forget it. There may be times where it sits secondary to activity, but it will always, truly, be there.

For days when the rain is trickling down your window, and you’re sitting cozy in front of a fireplace, feeling down, like something is missing, it will be there. Locked in with the fine China, to be brought out for those occasions where you may need to remember what solicitude felt like, what it felt like to be involved and excited. It will be there, as long as you remember it.

As long as you remember.

Next week, the rain will come, and emotions will pour. I’ll see you there.

— Chase Murata—

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