Wes's arc: I agree that it's not nothing. But Wes was such an incredibly compelling figure, and this does seem to be his last turn on the stage. Something that did more to encompass the the greatness of his story would have been good. But I don't know what that would have looked like, so I can't complain in any particular way. As a point of clarification: did Lynch ever do anything with the ambiguity of whether Wes was a free agent or manipulated by W&H? Angel wondered and then he seems to have stopped wondering.
Of course, maybe that's a pretty good way of summing up their very complicated relationship. They do have the same faults. And so it's not terrible that Wesley suffers. But notice how he takes on Angel's guilt. Angel just isn't innocent in his loss of Connor. Holtz is exacting revenge on him for crimes he committed. Connor wouldn't exist if Angel hadn't risked losing his soul, the world be damned. Connor is a good that comes to Angel out of one of Angel's worst acts. Wesley tries to achieve a good end, but inadvertently brings about a terrible end. And Angel freely and willfully dumps all of his own guilt onto Wesley. And Wesley essentially acquiesces. He feels guilty himself. And perhaps because of his relationship with his father is incapable of defending himself against Angel. I don't know. But oh how they are twisted together in an horrible beautiful way. But if Angel is incapable of taking responsibility for his own actions, it is because he has "friends" like Wesley who are willing to let him.
I don't have a problem with Connor's reaction to the mindwipe. It was all done because his father was trying to save him. And the post-home Connor was the beneficiary. (I like your read of him as choosing memories, but it just seems to me more natural to think his primary identity is post-home Connor so that the memories of this other Connor would have to seem to be at a remove.)
My problem with the mindwipe is that it just seems to me to be monstrous. He's changing the identities of his friends, ripping out important life experiences in order to pursue his own ends. It would have been kinder to rape them all, because a physical violation is less awful that this complete invasion of their basic identities. I don't know if ME thought it as being that monstrous. Tara does leave Willow over doing the same thing to her. But nobody is really outraged about the violation qua violation, the way that we are meant to be outraged by some of the evil acts of other characters. So it would make sense that if ME doesn't feel the weight of the sin, they aren't going to deal with it to my satisfaction. I assume that if Angel had raped his friends he would have had to deal with some direct repercussions of his act. Or maybe it's a representation of how completely woven into Angel's web they all are -- that they really don't murmur in protest when he literally plays God with their very personhoods.
Connor's forgiveness is a touch of grace. I'm not sure the world of Angel has anything to do with grace. But I can see why people would be anxious for the sins of the father to not be visited upon the son. And you're right that there's something nice about the son giving to the father that which the father could never give the son. But since I see the whole series as a huge Shakespearian tragedy, it seems to me that there should be nothing but dead bodies at the end. Maybe with a crippled Connor surviving to tell the tales to others. (How much courage does it take these days to do real, full, they all die in the end because of their tragic flaws tragedy? I can see why they blinked. Or maybe Whedon is telling us that the show really ended at NFA, and for people who don't get that or don't want that here's this other story. Angel lite as it were. Made safe for our oh-so-delicate sensibilities.)
Re: Continued...Connor
Of course, maybe that's a pretty good way of summing up their very complicated relationship. They do have the same faults. And so it's not terrible that Wesley suffers. But notice how he takes on Angel's guilt. Angel just isn't innocent in his loss of Connor. Holtz is exacting revenge on him for crimes he committed. Connor wouldn't exist if Angel hadn't risked losing his soul, the world be damned. Connor is a good that comes to Angel out of one of Angel's worst acts. Wesley tries to achieve a good end, but inadvertently brings about a terrible end. And Angel freely and willfully dumps all of his own guilt onto Wesley. And Wesley essentially acquiesces. He feels guilty himself. And perhaps because of his relationship with his father is incapable of defending himself against Angel. I don't know. But oh how they are twisted together in an horrible beautiful way. But if Angel is incapable of taking responsibility for his own actions, it is because he has "friends" like Wesley who are willing to let him.
I don't have a problem with Connor's reaction to the mindwipe. It was all done because his father was trying to save him. And the post-home Connor was the beneficiary. (I like your read of him as choosing memories, but it just seems to me more natural to think his primary identity is post-home Connor so that the memories of this other Connor would have to seem to be at a remove.)
My problem with the mindwipe is that it just seems to me to be monstrous. He's changing the identities of his friends, ripping out important life experiences in order to pursue his own ends. It would have been kinder to rape them all, because a physical violation is less awful that this complete invasion of their basic identities. I don't know if ME thought it as being that monstrous. Tara does leave Willow over doing the same thing to her. But nobody is really outraged about the violation qua violation, the way that we are meant to be outraged by some of the evil acts of other characters. So it would make sense that if ME doesn't feel the weight of the sin, they aren't going to deal with it to my satisfaction. I assume that if Angel had raped his friends he would have had to deal with some direct repercussions of his act. Or maybe it's a representation of how completely woven into Angel's web they all are -- that they really don't murmur in protest when he literally plays God with their very personhoods.
Connor's forgiveness is a touch of grace. I'm not sure the world of Angel has anything to do with grace. But I can see why people would be anxious for the sins of the father to not be visited upon the son. And you're right that there's something nice about the son giving to the father that which the father could never give the son. But since I see the whole series as a huge Shakespearian tragedy, it seems to me that there should be nothing but dead bodies at the end. Maybe with a crippled Connor surviving to tell the tales to others. (How much courage does it take these days to do real, full, they all die in the end because of their tragic flaws tragedy? I can see why they blinked. Or maybe Whedon is telling us that the show really ended at NFA, and for people who don't get that or don't want that here's this other story. Angel lite as it were. Made safe for our oh-so-delicate sensibilities.)