"And The Exorcist took "we are legion" from The Bible account in which Jesus heals a possessed man. He first asks the name, and the demons reply, "Legion, for we are many.""

Indeed. I totally overlooked that.

I struck me on re-watch, and some pondering this morning as I tried to drag my carcass out of bed, just how coldly Angel used and discarded Lindsey. It would have been one thing if Lindsey had come to Angel to get involved, but Angel went out of his way to get Lindsey in on the fight.

What if Lindsey had refused? Would Angel have taken him out right then and there? Later?

Also, was there anything Lindsey could have said or done differently that would have saved him from getting put down like a dog? Was Lorne supposed to pull the trigger if Lindsey survived under any circumstances?

I know he's basically shat on every kindness and second chance that Angel's extended him before, but still. It's Angel going out of his way to get Lindsey involved that really stuck with me.

This isn't a complaint, just an observation. If nothing else, Angel's treatment of Lindsey made more sense than whatever Lindsey was supposed to be up to this season.

Lindsey was part of the problem. To put it another way, Angel gave him what he wanted - to be regarded one of the Circle.

Frank, that's funny, because I actually felt a little better about it, upon rewatch.

Towards the end of Angel's conversation with Lindsey, he has his back turned toward Lindsey, and he asks Lindsey why he's willing to join the fight (this is the whole bit, that includes the "big, brass testes" line). I thought Angel seemed to really be listening for something, some cue, by which he could gauge how sincere Lindsey was. Angel's face grew more and more pained throughout Lindsey's spiel.

eta...

Without watching and noting right now, I seem to recall from last night, that when Lindsey said the thing about it being a circus, I noticed what seemed like an expression of decision on Angel's face.

Towards the end of Angel's conversation with Lindsey, he has his back turned toward Lindsey, and he asks Lindsey why he's willing to join the fight (this is the whole bit, that includes the "big, brass testes" line). I thought Angel seemed to really be listening for something, some cue, by which he could gauge how sincere Lindsey was. Angel's face grew more and more pained throughout Lindsey's spiel.

I'll have to re-watch again (I was only half paying attention last night - it was the sequence of events that caught my interest more than the details), but that would tie into Angel's comment about "You haven't heard a word I've said...for years!" Lindsey was getting involved for all the wrong reasons as far as Angel was concerned.

I'm still curious what Angel would have done if Lindsey had just refused to get involved.

So I'm struck by the liklihood of this being the last time I dig my way up through hundreds of posts to reach the top of the thread. I feel two ways about it. It's pretty hard work, but from an archeological viewpoint, there's gold in them thar holes. That's quite possibly a mixed metaphor, but the fact remains that the days of me spending days thinking about a TV show are gone now, and not likely to come back soon, I'm thinking. On the other hand, it was a damn fine end.

So that's where I'll start my last ramble. Shroedingers Ending caught me by surprise. I couldn't tally what I'd seen and come up with an hour. Confused the hell out of me. Most of what I think about the last scene has been covered, as usual. Alleyway thoughts. The outcome not being shown becsause it's not the important bit. The ep cutting off almost in mid line because the series was jerked up short too. The only thing I can really think to add is that if there'd been any hint of an army of slayers I'd've thrown rocks at my TV. Which would've led to a reckoning, since it's actually my roommate's TV. Which is not to say they're all dead and that's that. When I say Shroedinger's Ending, I mean just that.

Angel and Spike, Gunn and The Fred Thing are all in a box somewhere. At some point, ME will land that nebulous TV movie deal, or won't. At that point the box opens, and we see if they're alive or not. Until then, they exist in both states, fighting and escaping, fighting and dying. For my part I'm fine with that. I'm just thinking if there's going to be any Machina action, I'd prefer Deus Ex Illyria to Deus Ex Buffy et al.

If they all die, I'm perfectly fine with that. It's a good ending. On the other hand, should the opportunity come for more story, all they have to do to is have the collapsing office building break the tachyon mojo vacuum that has Big Blue's juice in it, thereby reversing the polarity.

In the middle of the fight, she clutches her gut and goes down, all the baddies cheer, and press forward. Then a portal appears in front of Gunn as he staggers into one last charge, and he lands in the ER of a not too local hospital, Baddies go flying every which way, and Time Stop. While Time Stop is going on, Angel and Spike and The Thing That is Suddenly Very, Very Powerful Again go on an utter rampage, then She either reins herself in before she explodes, walling off the greater part of her power and leaving a much more doable fight, or she grabs a vamp in each hand and heaves them as far as she can manage (which, for all we know, could be Reno) before going critical and leaving a whole lot barbecued evil and a couple of razed buildings in her wake. They could even use the time bomb factor to save Wes, though I don't think they should, much as it pains me to say. There's my own personal 'If they live...' fanwank.

OOh, hey. People posting while I'm typing a ramble. Cool.

I'd really prefer it if Lindsey's death had been pretty much left to Lorne's discretion, but I don't think that was the case. The man said it himself. 'This was Angel's plan.'

Aw, Allyson got a shout-out from Strega in the last recap:

Angel is lurking in a coffee shop, no doubt supporting Allyson in email.

Angel is lurking in a coffee shop, no doubt supporting Allyson in email.

BWah!

... Does kind of make it look like Strega lurks here, doesn't it? Although the Lurkers Support Me in Email thing is all over the net, anyway.

I liked Are You Now... because it was proof that Angel can have good hair -- in the era of Brylcreem. It's the best hair he ever had.

Also, because despite the tendency toward anvils, it was a pretty good story, with a dark twist, and I liked all the secondary characters as they spiraled into the looniness. -- I mean, I thought the lines were snappy and well-delivered, not that I actually liked the characters. So, more of a respect for the group dynamics.

Also, I can forgive rather a lot of anvillery for beautiful scenery, and that episode was beautiful.

I think the tendency in polls of "best episodes" is toward later seasons and not-controversial episodes. Why? Because it always takes a while for a fandom to get started, and people who leave a fandom aren't the ones taking polls -- how many of us started watching in S3 or S4? Of those, how many have a sentimental attachment to episodes in those seasons we acknowledge are lesser?

Also, the non-controversy thing is just -- avoidance of controversy. I always thought XF's Never Again was brilliant, but enough people hated it vocally that I'd just rather not listen to them bitch and try to find some choice that won't cause screaming. Group dynamics, again.