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Angel
Episode 3.19 "The Price"
Written by David Fury
Directed by Marita Grabiak
After the filler that was last week's "Double or Nothing", we're back on the high speed train that is the season ending arc of Angel. And not considering The WB's very pathetic advertising attempts for these recent episodes of Angel, "The Price" was a very good episode.
The gang is cleaning up Connor's room and god help me, I still find Groo funny. He goes on and on about how he and Angel are warriors who have fought side by side many times. And that after all this time his advice must mean something. Angel deadpannly agrees and Groo proceeds to give him advice on paint colors. It's cheap, stupid humor and it totally works. In no small part thanks to David Boreanaz's deadpan responses. Then after cleaning up some trash Angel picks up a snow globe and asks why did he buy it, "It doesn't ever snow in southern California." Cordelia tells him "It did once." That was an awesome nod to the Buffy episode "Amends", a time when Buffy was a great show and a sign that Angel knows what used to make Buffy great like that: subtlety.
Angel is also lamenting the fact that they haven't had a case in a week. It's about now that this week's case walks in. A man comes looking for Angel Investigations to help find his dog, instead he gets a big translucent bug to crawl in his mouth. Bug boy hightails it and Angel is again left with nothing to do. Cordy calls him on this and they actually start talking about Wesley with Angel seeming sorta sane. He even hints at the possibility he went pillow killer on Wesley because he was still hopped up on Connor's blood. There's hope people, there's hope. Meanwhile bug boy saw The Faculty and realized that little bugger inside him wants water and lots of it.
We also get plenty of Lilah and Gavin this week. They're like Itchy and Scratchy. They fight. They bite. They fight and bite and fight. It's the Lilah and Gavin show. The problem is it's not very entertaining. Their barbs at each other are fairly tame and Gavin's attempts to trick Lilah into doing things he wants is so transparent my fish could see through it. Although I did like Lilah having to make the magic spider walk across the keyboard to put in the right password. That was cool.
So back to the more interesting story we find bug boy is still drinking lot's of water. And Cordy has a vision of Angel thrown across the room just as Lorne comes in and tells the gang about how bug boy is downing supersizes without paying. The Avengers get him back to the office as bug boy collapses into dust after telling Angel it's all his fault. The Faculty bug skitters away. They even look like the bugs from The Faculty. The hotel gets locked tight as the gang goes a bug huntin' for the rest of the episode. Groo even sneaks in another good joke about the size of his weapon with Angel as his deadpan foil. I'm as shocked as you are. But there might be a little jealousy between Groo and Angel. He thinks Angel is Cordy's priority.
Watching everyone hunt these bugs is really cool. And as soon as Angel realizes the bugs glow in the dark and they shut off all the lights, uber-creepy. On top of it, Fred gets one in the mouth and she starts craving the big water too. Fred gets pretty creepy too. Hearing her when she's possessed telling Angel that The Destroyer is coming for him. Thanks to The WB's crappy ads does anyone not know what The Destroyer is? Anyone?
Wesley also gets his five minutes in the sun and shows one more time he deserves more. His wound is healing and he can now talk with a raspy growl. Gunn goes to him for help and their standoff is just too cool. Of course it ends with Wesley telling Gunn to go to hell, but giving him the key to helping Fred.
In the end, Cordelia's demon side comes through and zaps The Faculty bugs with a bright white light. You know, the same bright light that's been in the Angel ads for the last few weeks. Angel and Gunn also come to an understanding about Wesley. Maybe.
But as a surprise to no one, the episode ends with Connor portaling back into the hotel, pointing a stake gun at Angel and saying "Hi Dad." I really liked this episode. It was creepy, suspenseful and chock full of the subtle touches that Angel has excelled at this year. I just wish The WB hadn't shown me so much of it in the ads.
Episode Rating: 8 out of 10
John the Slacker has watched The Faculty at least ten times.
