And I want Illyria to tell it to him.

Oh, I like that. Someone should write it. Hint, Plei, hint.

Am I the only one who thinks Wesley wasn't actually planning to die? Or part of him wasn't, anyway; though part of him found it a relief.

Nope. I've agreed with everything you've said. Just picture me in a corner, nodding and smiling and going "what Micole said!"

Yes and no. I think in Power Play, when Angel explained to the MoG what the deal was, and asked them to sign on for this battle, the look on Wesley's face was the look of a man who is welcoming (if not actual death, or a chance at it, then) the opportunity to fight the battle of a lifetime, without little-to-no concerns for his mortality.

That said, if we're speaking purely within the context of Wesley's mindset in Not Fade Away, I completely agree with Micole. I don't think Wes intended to die. I just think he entered the battle living only to accomplish his mission.

RIP you prettiest man, you.

I want Wesley's father to hear the story of how he died.

And I want Illyria to tell it to him. (What? She can survive! Someone gets to tell the tale!)

I want to tell him! (I may have problems separating fact from fiction).

(jumping on the Micole's spicy braiiiins bandwagon)

Yesss, join us. It's a fun, fine place to be.

Love love Micole's comments on the Anne subplot. Well said!

Oh, hell yeah. Having Anne make one last appearence almost makes up for the zero Lilah this season (doesn't make up for Eve, but, eh). And she does tie the two shows together in a way that doesn't seem even remotely forced. In her Buffy appearences, she was in "searching for an identity, any identity" mode, which fits in with Buffy's journey to a degree, but on Angel, she was just fighting the good fight, and that's blatantly what this episode was all about.

I was always a bit upset that they didn't at least acknowledge that Angel and Chanterelle (and Buffy) had crossed paths just a little, but, in the end, I now like that she was just her own character on Angel.

In wartime, it seems there's a big difference between going on a mission that's "almost certain death" and going on a kamikaze mission.

I don't think Wes intended to die. I just think he entered the battle living only to accomplish his mission.

Yes. I can go with that.

I actually like the idea that he was beginning to get better because it makes it hurt worse that he died then.

Something else that occurred to me: Numero Cinco's tragedy was that he outlived his brothers. And Angel's doing his best to avoid that. The band of brothers(-plus-weird-asexual-immortal-sibling) facing the apocalypse together. And I loved the intercut fighting because of the way all the separate fights were woven into one fight.

I was always a bit upset that they didn't at least acknowledge that Angel and Chanterelle (and Buffy) had crossed paths just a little

I think that they did make a small allusion in the ep where we first saw her in Angel.

And I want Illyria to tell it to him.

Would this be before or after she decides to assume Fred's identity as a disguise, and continues to fight the good fight as Illyria?

Something else that occurred to me: Numero Cinco's tragedy was that he outlived his brothers. And Angel's doing his best to avoid that. The band of brothers(-plus-weird-asexual-immortal-sibling) facing the apocalypse together. And I loved the intercut fighting because of the way all the separate fights were woven into one fight.

Yes! All of this!

And it's a lovely bit of synchronicity both that "Anne" takes place in LA, and that Buffy in "Anne" was the most like the pre-Buffy Angel AtS eventually developed: hurt, withdrawn, self-hating, brooding -- and drawn out by the necessity for heroism, despite herself.

Aren't many of the shots in the opening credits from Anne?

It's possible Lorne did know without Angel having to tell him that he would kill Lindsay.

Smallville quoted from the Godfather far more closely, so maybe that's why I don't see it so much. Someone mentioned something above that actually put me in mind of Down By Law-- the film about a prison break that shows almost literally everything but the prison break. The actual fight itself, not as important anymore.