No, I think he loved Connor. That's not what I meant. I meant that his love was overshadowed by his own guilt and aspirations, not that it didn't exist. I don't mean to paint it as cut and dry as I do.
And you bring up several valid points, which ironically I think I actually argued on the ATPO board at the time the episode actually aired. My thinking on Angel has admittedly done a 180 turn since the series ended (cough*buffycomics*cough (which I've decided are the root of all fandom evilness) and the ensuing debates surrounding them).
My memory of Home admittedly isn't much better than yours - I last saw it maybe two years ago? I forget. What I remember vividly from it - is that Lilah stated they could rewrite Connor's history, that no one would remember him, except Angel, that no one would remember Connor as Angel's son...etc. And this deal is echoed in Orion's Window (I think that's the name of the episode) - where Wes discovers the deal Angel made and breaks the glass, shattering the construct, so that now everyone remembers Connor, including Connor.
Where we disagree is his motivation for keeping up said deal. You see it as Angel taking the easy way and being selfish, I see it as Angel taking one of two hard ways
Sort of. It's more complicated than that...I think. I may be wrong. It's admittedly something I've struggled with, because I do agree Angel was up against a rock and a hard place - he really had very few options. But I still think he picked the easier path the quick solution. You are right "easy" isn't exactly right. Fastest is better and most likely to succeed from his pov. Which was I guess the message in Epithany...that Angel doesn't quite understand - that you can't keep having someone wave a magic wand to fix your problems - there are consequences. Willow has a similar issue - she keeps trying to take the short-cut, but as Tara states there are no short-cuts.
(Caveat: I like Connor and am amongst the few fans who actually loved Connor in S3-S4. VK sold Connor to me. But I also like VK as an actor.) I think if the boy that was doing those killings had been anyone else, like a stranger? Angel would have killed him. Angel sacrificed all this for a murderer who was his son. Granted the boy had been irreparably damaged. But...Angel's choice always bugged me - my guess is it was supposed to.
That said, I do agree it's not as cut and dry as I made it sound above. Angel's choice in Home actually is more morally grey than his choice in IWARY and better written. Home's an episode that plays with your brain long after it is over.
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branchandroot
no subject
Date: 2012-03-21 10:24 pm (UTC)I don't mean to paint it as cut and dry as I do.
And you bring up several valid points, which ironically I think I actually argued on the ATPO board at the time the episode actually aired. My thinking on Angel has admittedly done a 180 turn since the series ended (cough*buffycomics*cough (which I've decided are the root of all fandom evilness) and the ensuing debates surrounding them).
My memory of Home admittedly isn't much better than yours - I last saw it maybe two years ago? I forget. What I remember vividly from it - is that Lilah stated they could rewrite Connor's history, that no one would remember him, except Angel, that no one would remember Connor as Angel's son...etc. And this deal is echoed in Orion's Window (I think that's the name of the episode) - where Wes discovers the deal Angel made and breaks the glass, shattering the construct, so that now everyone remembers Connor, including Connor.
Where we disagree is his motivation for keeping up said deal. You see it as Angel taking the easy way and being selfish, I see it as Angel taking one of two hard ways
Sort of. It's more complicated than that...I think. I may be wrong.
It's admittedly something I've struggled with, because I do agree Angel was up against a rock and a hard place - he really had very few options. But I still think he picked
the easier paththe quick solution. You are right "easy" isn't exactly right. Fastest is better and most likely to succeed from his pov. Which was I guess the message in Epithany...that Angel doesn't quite understand - that you can't keep having someone wave a magic wand to fix your problems - there are consequences. Willow has a similar issue - she keeps trying to take the short-cut, but as Tara states there are no short-cuts.(Caveat: I like Connor and am amongst the few fans who actually loved Connor in S3-S4. VK sold Connor to me. But I also like VK as an actor.) I think if the boy that was doing those killings had been anyone else, like a stranger? Angel would have killed him. Angel sacrificed all this for a murderer who was his son. Granted the boy had been irreparably damaged. But...Angel's choice always bugged me - my guess is it was supposed to.
That said, I do agree it's not as cut and dry as I made it sound above. Angel's choice in Home actually is more morally grey than his choice in IWARY and better written. Home's an episode that plays with your brain long after it is over.