My Review of Buffy The Vampire Slayer's 8x19: "Time Of Your Life Part 4"

Written by Joss Whedon
Artwork by Karl Moline

Dark Willow: “I hate history. Not the subject – I always loved it in school: the French-Indian war, the Medicis, 1066 and all that. History is all romantic stories until you live it. Until you live long enough to be part of it.”

Given how long since it was with the last issue I was almost beginning to think this one would never surface. After all, the dates did change a good few times and out of all the arc related stories we’ve had, this one has been significantly weaker than the rest of them.

Things look dire for Buffy when she’s tied to a chair and Dark Willow is seemingly lording it over her. Fray on the other hand, might not have had a problem with rendering Buffy unconscious but thankfully enough, she isn’t that eager on killing her either.

Funnily enough Dark Willow doesn’t seem to be advocating Buffy’s death but does make a point of telling Fray to at least keep Buffy contained so that when another temporal rift opens, Buffy can’t escape. Of course it’s Erin who challenges this only for Fray to be convinced that Buffy will end the world if she goes home.

To be honest apart from some cryptic dialogue in the previous two issues, we haven’t had an iota of evidence to suggest that this dystopian future is solely Buffy’s responsibility. It might be easy to blame Buffy for everything going to the crapper but it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s her fault.

Still I am interested in how easily convinced that Fray is that Buffy going back endangers her whole existence but then Buffy actually wakes up and her and Dark Willow have a bit of discussion. It’s nice that Buffy conveys some shock to see her friend going dark but how on Earth did Willow become immortal?

I was hoping for an explanation but Dark Willow’s too busy pointing out the obviousness of Kennedy no longer factoring in her life to give us one. It also doesn’t help that Buffy’s frustration of having no allies is marred with an appearance from Harth, who’s about as welcome as Andrew at a sci-fi convention.

It seems that Dark Willow is unsurprisingly enough playing each side off. Meleka’s got into her head that Buffy going home causes their world to cease to exist while Harth believes her arrival is a big advantage. He’s also stupid enough to convey his annoyance when Dark Willow is clearly trying to warn him to shut it.

At the end of the day however it seems that death is on Dark Willow’s mind, so the duping of both brother and sister was for her own benefit. Even now it would still seem that eradicating Buffy would be the agenda but when she talks about who kills a person rather than who died, thoughts tended to go elsewhere really.

Buffy herself at least has that goofy monkey creature trying to get her free but even in her frustration; it’s nice that Fray won’t kill another slayer. The other fun part is trying to guess who exactly Dark Willow is fobbing off. For someone who isn’t all powerful and could be killed by either Buffy, Fray or Harth, Dark Willow does very little to defend herself.

That being said I did enjoy watching her goad Harth. The guy’s pretty much an idiot and while it’s intriguing that Dark Willow has no desire to kill him. Fortunately a not remotely dead Gunther has no problem in doing his very best to kill Harth’s pathetic little gang.

Buffy uses the distraction to her advantage and she even gets to take some pleasure in punching Erin and electrocuting Fray. It’s just too bad she’s not prepared to listen to Dark Willow who obviously hasn’t completely told her why she teleported her 200 years in the future. At this rate, it’s beginning to look a lot less sinister than originally intended.

Back in the present day, Xander and Dawn are in league with a serious army of woodland creatures. This is good, seeing as Amy’s magical creatures are still in attack mode and the battle itself has a fair amount of decapitation and the like. Visually it looks really good in some places.

Even some of Xander’s fears don’t deter the scenario and having some of the remaining slayers lead by Leah at least gives him and Dawn a bigger advantage. Overall it’s far better than having Xander and Dawn sit around and do nothing, even if there’s a part of me that wishes they were actually aware of what was going on with Buffy and Willow but that’s a minor quibble.

Buffy herself meanwhile keeps on with the escape route and seems to have latched on to speeding a little better than before. Of course, there’s no way Fray’s gonna give up with a halfway decent fight and so having Buffy muse about Fray is a nice way to lead into another confrontation between the two of them.

It’s really good that during these scenes Fray doesn’t come across as an unhinged and instead is just foolishly desperate to maintain her own existence. She’s foolish because Buffy returning to her own time will not affect and even after Dark Willow was exposed as a liar, you’d think Fray would realise that.

Buffy tries to make her see sense and even gives a ‘fate of the world’ spiel but Fray seems more determined to keep Buffy here. Fight wise, it’s not the most impressive that we’ve had but it’s fun enough, even though I’m still siding more with Buffy than Fray. Now if this had been Buffy and Faith, I’d have been rooting for the latter but it isn’t so Buffy gets my vote here.

Dark Willow on the other hand just gawks at the whole smackdown like a voyeur but the best part is addressing the fight from Fray’s point of view. Fray’s assessment of Buffy will make some viewers laugh and a lot agree. She’s fighting a bit of slayer history but she’s fighting it for no reason and that’s saddening on her part. It also doesn’t help her that Buffy is quick thinking with a water tower.

Elsewhere in the land of actual villains, it’s oddly comforting to know that even a couple as gloriously demented as Amy and Warren are not above fighting over who’s the bigger idiot. I could solve this one very easily – Amy and Warren, you’re both supreme idiots but sadly no-one’s going to be asking for my advice.

The not so loved up couple are of course tearing strips of each other regarding the hit on slayer central and the forest fight. Amy’s critiquing the futility of Warren’s little bomb and Warren himself isn’t that impressed with his girlfriend’s magical army. Weirdly enough, there’s some actually delightful in this.

Warren’s such a hardcore misogynist that at some point, he’s got to say something that will truly piss Amy. Seeing as her magic is basically a skin substitute, Warren should probably hold his tongue and while Amy might have more of an advantage on him, she should definitely watch her back. After all, Warren’s got excellent form as a girlfriend killer but these two against each other could also be entertaining.

It’s also their bickering that puts Twilight in an amused mood and even reveals that his latest addition to the anti-magic cause is Riley. As someone who actually likes Riley, I’m a little disappointed that he’s seemingly coming back as a villain and even when he talks about Buffy in a mocking manner.

So from the little exchange we get, we know that Buffy and Riley have had some contact post “Chosen” and there’s even the speculation that Riley could either be divorced or widowed at this point. If it’s the latter, I could see how this might have lured him into helping Twilight’s cause but I’m actually hoping that he’s really double crossing the magic hater.

As for the real Willow, she does her best to bring Buffy back to the 21st Century and even blindfolds herself so she doesn’t look at the future. Fray might be unsuccessful in stopping Buffy from leaving but Dark Willow certainly has no problem with getting in her way one more time.

So Buffy has apparently failed something and like anyone else reading this issue, she’s bored of Dark Willow’s cryptic clues and wants some straight answers. While Willow doesn’t provide an answer, I’ve read enough interesting theories that Buffy being dragged her was some elaborate scheme so that Dark Willow could finally be set free by having Buffy kill her.

The death scene isn’t quite as emotional as it should be and as a resolution, it’s unsatisfying. The end however with Willow pulling Buffy out and the grateful slayer hugging her and crying is sweet. Heck, even Kennedy’s ‘I’m watching those hands’ doesn’t ruin the moment.

As for Fray and Erin, well both of them are alive so that really should be the end of things. As much as I had wanted to get into the Fray angle of things, I felt this arc overall was something of a missed opportunity for the character. Perhaps we’ll see her again in a more satisfying arc.

Also in “Time Of Your Life Part 4”

The cover for this issue is one of the best we’ve had – a black eyed Willow with Buffy reflected in one of her eyes for good measure.

Buffy: “Oh my God! You went dark again? You are so in huge trouble for going dark. How could you even – is Kennedy okay?”
Dark Willow: “It’s been two hundred years, Buffy. How do you think she is?”
Buffy: “Okay, fair enough. Let’s move on. Why am I shackled, why are you evil and why isn’t anyone on my side?”

The interesting question is will Buffy actually tell Willow that she goes dark again? I personally can’t see her doing it but I wouldn’t rule it out either.

Dark Willow (to Fray): “You see what I’ve seen, you come and go as I have … you realise the most important thing about death isn’t who dies … it’s who kills them.”

Harth: “Your fortune-telling’s tapped, witch.”
Dark Willow: “Harth, you should be careful when you choose your enemies.”
Harth: “Your power’s but gone. You can’t stop an army by yourself.”
Dark Willow: “Don’t plan to.”

Why did that monkey/spider creature decide to free Buffy? It didn’t seem like there was a purpose to it.

Buffy: “Erin! Listen to me! That’s for ‘Puffy’. I’m leaving. I don’t care about your world. I have to save mine.”

Xander: “You’re just into guys with no lower half now, is what.”
Dawn: “Don’t be gross.”
Xander: “You wanna nuzzle his root system.”
Dawn: “I hope you die first. With the most wounds.”
Xander: “Pretty much counting on it.”

Where did Xander get that awful helmet? It looked like a hollowed acorn and why wasn’t Dawn wearing any headwear?

Fray: “Can you swear my world won’t mist out if you leave?”
Buffy: “You know I can’t.”
Fray: “The big picture.”
Buffy: “It’s called the fate of the world, short view.”
Fray: “‘Fate of the world’ made sense … when there was only one.”

Fray (re Buffy): “She’s not some big head carved on Mount Walmore. She’s just a tiny, whiney, long dead slayer … in a damn unpractical frock.”

Riley’s sporting the big old Twilight symbol on his chest so I really hope him and Buffy don’t end up having sex if he wants to dupe her.

Warren: “You start with that self-actualising womyn-jargon, I’m gonna build a robot you with no mouth.”
Amy: “Well, maybe I’ll conjure a love slave who has skin.”
Twilight (to Riley): “Ah, young love … isn’t it depressing?”

Riley (to Twilight, re Buffy): “I tell her I’m her inside man, her ever faithful. She’s so stuck in the past, man … when we had our secret meeting in New York … she even got dressed up.”

A lot of the letters in this issue were about the “No Future For You” arc. I’ve read that Faith and Giles are back in Issue 24 so not too long to wait.

Buffy: “I’m cute and blonde and popular but I’m not stupid, Will. You dragged me here and then you told me exactly how to get out. Everything, every lie to get us here. Why? What happened? Why does it have to be me?”
Dark Willow: “It’s a long story.”

Kennedy (to Willow/Buffy): “I’m watching those hands, you two.”

The next issue, “After These Messages … We’ll Be Right Back” is out on December 17th.

Like I already said, although there are some enjoyable parts to “Time Of Your Life Part 4” I still can’t help but feel under whelmed by the way this ended. I’m hoping with the Riley/Twilight subplot things will advance a bit more now but overall this felt a little wasted for Fray.

Rating: 7 out of 10.

My Review of Angel's 6x13: "After The Fall Part 13"

Written by Brian Lynch
Artwork by Stephen Mooney

Angel (to Cordelia): “Even when we went to hell, it was going to be okay. Wesley believed it. Gunn, far gone as he is, still believes it. And I did, deep down. I truly did. I was wrong.”

With thirteen issues reminding us that we are in fact in hell, there does seem to be a never ending sense of limbo with this ‘season’. Last issue I felt like this was really going up a notch and I’m fearing that I was overconfident because this issue just seemed … sort of pointless in a way.

First off all, it begins with Spike lying on his ass dithering about the loss of his harem (most annoying groupies ever) and his unsuccessful attempts of protecting Illyria again for the billionth time. Oh and to top it off, there’s some petty jealous about the dragon as well. Seriously, Spike needs to drop the ‘look at me’ stick and soon.

Still I do feel a tad sorry that he landed in garbage but compared to other people, he’s better off and least he’s complimentary about Connor. It also helps that his perceptiveness of Connor’s emotional state is bang on too. Connor is making the rookie move of allowing his emotions to dictate his actions. It also makes him perfectly human as well.

However on the non-human front, Spike goes into vamp face mode and decides to beat the ever holy crap out of a random vampire. It’s funny that Spike comments on no-one being around for his pithy one-liners as well as his determination to get back into the fighting fray on the roof.

Of course his fight with the burly vampire is a surprising joy, mainly due to the slayer mentions and Spike besting him with little effort involved. Unfortunately for Spike, his rescue of three slayers just means that he has more problems on his hands when they decide to end him.

Cordelia meanwhile (yes, thankfully she is in this issue) is curious to know what’s gotten Angel so eager to join her on the other side. Angel believes his death could stop Wolfram And Hart overall scheme and then goes on about how manipulative the law firm are with conjuring illusions and what not.

Gunn on the other hand isn’t impressed with Wesley effectively telling him that he’s ruined things. As far as Gunn is concerned, the army they faced in the alleyway of “Not Fade Away” was big but Wesley is quick to point out otherwise. I can’t wait for Gunn to realise that he’s been lead up the garden path given how rampantly annoying this season has made him.

Elsewhere the skies in hell have opened up even more with an array of dragons all heading for the roof when they’re not attacking the Cordelia dragon. More interesting is that despite his total anger towards Gwen, Connor is still willing to protect her from being slaughtered.

The boy’s heart is in the right place but against all those dragons, he really doesn’t stand a chance. Gwen is smart enough to realise that and when Connor refuses to listen to her, she bolts him away from the roof. Then Gwen also goes for the impressive jugular by using all of her electricity to kill every dragon going.

Sort of a big question playing on my mind – is Gwen dead and if so, does this count as a heroic death? I suppose next issue will determine for us but given that Gwen still believes in Gunn’s madness, I guess it would be a ‘no’ on the heroic death thing. Still, death seems to be the ongoing problem with this issue.

If millions of dragons and Gwen meeting their maker wasn’t enough, it seems that Spike getting dusted by three unnamed slayers is also a cause for frustration too. It’s not that I’m against the idea of Spike being killed but I would prefer if it was done in a way that seemed like the writer cared about the character.

As for Angel, he’s still going on about everything meaning nothing and to be honest, it’s this entire nihilistic attitude that irritating me to no end. Still the idea that Angel could be used to arise evil is intriguing but still cruel when you consider the fighting for good he’s been doing countless times over.

It’s also with that realisation that he’s eager for him and Cordelia to just leave. However in the best moment of this comic so far, there’s a brilliant face off between Connor and Gunn. Of course this comes after a pointless attempt from Wesley to try and stop Gunn getting near Angel’s body.

Surprisingly enough, Gunn isn’t too fazed by the idea of Gwen being a casualty but he doesn’t waste much time in throwing down with Connor either. The best part is Connor getting the upper hand and tossing the vampire out of the window. Now how can anyone not love Connor for that?

What’s also great about Connor’s contribution to this issue is that he’s determined not to give up on his father. While Wesley’s practically close to picking out a funeral plot for Angel, Connor’s determined to get his father out of Gunn’s lair and get him healed up as soon as a possible.

This could have come across as incredibly saccharine but given how relentlessly bleak things have become, I just love this scene. I also love that Connor’s faith in Angel is paramount to the latter not being ready to cross over. However, would it have killed for Angel to tell Cordelia that he loves her? Yes I am a shipper and I really, really wanted to see that.

Besides we got it with the Metacrisis Doctor and Rose in “Journey’s End”, so why on earth couldn’t we have gotten it with Angel and Cordy? Also we know that Angel is going to survive because Spike and his would be killers come striding up the elevator, so Gunn’s murder spree is further invalidated.

Speaking of Gunn, things seem to have gone from bad to worse with him when he meets Illyria. To give her credit, Illyria displays some curiosity towards Gunn instead of completely ripping him a new one. That being said as soon as she morphs into Fred, Gunn then shoots her and muses about being right.

Also in “After The Fall Part 13”

The cover I got with this was Connor cradling Angel’s body in the rain. I think it’s one of the best covers they’ve done.

Vampire (with severed hand): “You think this will stop me? I survived slayers.”
Spike: “I didn’t. Yet here we are. Heh, ‘I didn’t’. No-one’s ever around for the really pithy – hmmm?”

Five issues since its first appearance and we’re still getting snow, although it was during Spike’s little scenes.

Cordelia (re vision): “How do you know it was real?”
Angel: “How do I know you’re real?”

Connor: “Gwen …run.”
Gwen: “You have a sword.”
Connor: “And they have eyes. I can make this work. Just get out of here.”
Gwen: “Weren’t we just fighting?”

Please tell me that Cordelia the dragon actually survived this bloodbath issue. I know it’s probably unlikely but I’ve developed an attachment to the dragon.

Gwen: “I know you’re the leader and in no mood to listen to me –so I’m gonna make this simple – find your father, find Gunn, I don’t care. Just get off this roof.”
Connor: “No.”
Gwen: “Yes, sweetie. Go.”

Angel: “I tried so hard to help, Cordelia. But the best thing I could do for this world and everyone I love would be to leave. This is how it should be. Please. Let’s go.”

Even though we seem to be seeing the tentacle creatures in the last few issues, they have yet to actually make a threat on Angel and company.

Gunn: “Hey baby Angel. So Gwen failed.”
Connor: “Pretty sure Gwen’s dead.”

Gunn: “Admittedly I didn’t think of your feelings but in the grand scheme of things – who the hell are you anyways?”
Connor: “I’m Angel’s son. I’m Gwen’s boyfriend. I’m also the guy who just did that.”

Once again this comic fails to give us a date for the next issue. I can’t be the only one who finds that annoying each time, right?

Cordelia: “Oh, yeah, you’re running away from the light. Getting harder to stay. Question … you said one thing that made losing loved ones easier was the hope that all this was leading to something.”
Angel: “Yeah, well, I guess we can scratch that, considering.”
Cordelia: “But what was the other thing?”
Angel: “The fact that the loved ones I lost – usually come back to help me when I need it most.”
Cordelia: “See? Are those the words of the vampire destined to bring about the fall of civilisation? No way! Be good, big guy.”

Fred: “Cha … Charles-”
Gunn: “Thank you baby, thank you so much. Let’s get to work.”

No Nina or Lorne in this issue and what the hell has happened to Groo as well?

While it wasn’t as bad as I was expecting it too, it was naturally disappointing. “After The Fall Part 13” had some good moments – Angel/Cordy, Gunn/Connor but overall, I’m still finding this frustrating at times as a reader and fan of the series.

Rating: 7 out of 10.

My Review of Doctor Who's "Music Of The Spheres"

Written by Russell T. Davies
Directed by Euros Lyn

Graske: “Must speak to The Doctor.”
The Doctor: “I don’t care. You’re a Graske and a Graske is trouble – out!”

Continuing in a trend of mini-scenes for Doctor Who, the only difference with this little special is that it’s for the 2008 Doctor Who At The Proms concert and not for Children In Need. Of course that doesn’t matter when there’s fun to be had and for seven minutes, fun is the order of the day.

Following “Journey’s End” where The Doctor pretty much lost everyone, he decides to cope with his loss the only way he can – writing a symphony. Well he has coped in more destructive manners beforehand so this is a bit of relief for The Doctor’s mentality in my opinion.

Of course he doesn’t really get a chance to be properly alone because a Graske has materialised on to the TARDIS and The Doctor isn’t pleased to see him. So far, all we’ve seen from the Graske in “Attack Of The Graske” and The Sarah Jane Adventures serial “Whatever Happened To Sarah Jane” is that they are not the most trustworthy of creatures.

The Doctor himself wants the Graske out of his TARDIS and aside from a little of shouting, The Doctor isn’t entirely effective in doing this. That’s mainly because the Graske is successful in distracting The Doctor. Well, it’s not like The Doctor hasn’t has a lot to deal with in recent weeks, what the return/loss of several companions and Davros being on his destructive high with the Daleks.

The Graske gets The Doctor’s attention by asking about the beautiful music that he hears in the TARDIS. The latter gives an acceptable enough answer about planets revolving around suns, suns revolving around galaxies, galaxies revolving around each other. With that, you then take gravity patterns to feed them to the TARDIS’ harmonic filter and then presto, music.

To be honest it’s a nice way of getting The Doctor and the Graske to agree on something but at the same time a space portal also reveals to The Doctor, the London Royal Albert Hall. For those of you who were lucky to see Doctor Who At The Proms back in July 2008, then this scene is even more heightened all for it.

The Doctor’s on his shouty best and even waxes lyrical about the notions of orchestras before actually getting the orchestra to play his own material. While conductor isn’t entirely The Doctor’s strongest suit, there’s no denying the overall fun of this piece either.

More importantly, the Graske has swiped The Doctor’s water pistol and has gone into the audience to create havoc. Of course he doesn’t succeed much when The Doctor pulls him back into the TARDIS and sends him. I do wonder that specials aside, will we actually see this particular creature in a full episode of the series.
The last minute of the special is also uplifting. The Doctor does tend to go with the change in music trends quite a bit but his overall message of encouragement (your inner musician) isn’t necessarily something to be scoffed at. You got love this show’s bouts of optimism.


- David Tennant is the only one credited for this scene. This is his first proper solo Doctor Who adventure and I’ve read that the 2009 specials may have a similar trend.
- The Doctor called his piece “Ode To Universe”. He was also wearing another one of his blue suits.
- Reverse the polarity of the neutron flow – that’s a nice shout out to Jon Pertwee’s Doctor.
- Is it strange that this didn’t entirely bridge gaps between “Journey’s End” and “The Next Doctor”?
- Despite this only airing in July and widely available on YouTube, this little scene won’t be available on the Season Four DVD. This was the last thing to be filmed in relation to the fourth season also.
- Ending this scene with the 1963 theme tune of the scene was a clever move.

Quote, Unquote

The Doctor: “I love the Proms. I was at the first Prom, 1895. I played the tuba, I was brilliant.”

After a series of dramatic and stirring episodes, the overall light hearted antics of “Music Of The Spheres” are welcomed. It may not have you reminiscing about days gone by in the series (except for the two obvious references) but it’s still a worthy addition to the series overall continuity.

Rating: 8 out of 10.

My Review of Doctor Who's "Music And Monsters"

Narrated by Anthony Stewart Head
Directed by Rhoudri Huw

David Tennant: “It’s like being a pop star at the moment. When I came on stage, I felt like Robbie Williams.”

Doctor Who and Children In Need continue to go hand in hand and compliment each other. In 2005, audiences got their first taste of David Tennant as The Doctor in the “Pudsey Cutaway” scene and now the lovely man is hosting a concert dedicated to the music from the series.

In fairness, you’re not five minutes into watching this concert that it’s told to us by David Tennant, Julie Gardner and Murray Gold that the concert had been on the card for a good part of a year. While they also might have pointed out the time and effort it takes into preparing such an event, it’s unsurprising that they come up trump.

David Tennant himself makes for a good host as he calmly plays audience participation (not that it took much to get the audience going) and relayed the history of the new series as well as bits from the old series during takes. When he wasn’t on hosting duties, he was being asked about several things such as “The Runaway Bride”, Season Three and the show’s theme.

Musically if you owe the soundtrack from Seasons One and Two, then you’re good to go really. All the familiar stuff is drummed out during the hour long concert with music dedicated to the Daleks, Cybermen, Sycorax, Clockwork Droids, Rose’s theme, the music from episodes such as “The Girl In The Fireplace” and “Doomsday” to name a few and of course, the theme tune itself.

There’s a good few minutes dedicated to the discussion of Delia Derbyshire’s theme tune with David Tennant, Russell T. Davies, Murray Gold and Ben Foster all offering their own thoughts in the matter. Overall this show has one of the most enduring themes going with some versions obviously sounding better than others. I’m particularly fond of the Jon Pertwee era of it.

Probably the best part of this entire concert is the fact that we get a behind the scenes look of “The Runaway Bride”. While it’s hard not to notice the blinding sun during the making of this episode (it was after all filmed in July), as a viewer who watched this on Christmas Day, it was a nice way of psyching myself up for the episode so to speak.

It was also the first time that not only did we have to think about Rose being gone but it was also around this time that Donna was being introduced. Catherine Tate herself looked in fine form as she described Donna to be an untraditional companion for The Doctor. Plus we got some music for the episode itself.

More importantly what really spirited this concert was the use of Daleks, Cybermen, Clockwork Droids, Sycorax and the occasional possessed group of people. With the audiences (especially the youngsters) clearly lapping it up, it’s clear that Doctor Who’s ongoing partnership with Children In Need is safe for many a year to come.

- The concert opened with a showing of clips of the Ninth Doctor, Tenth Doctor, Rose, Martha, Donna, Jackie, Mickey, a Dalek and a Cybermen. Shame about the lack of Jack or Sarah Jane.
- I spotted Freema Agyeman in the audience. The cameras even showed her off at one point.
- Noel Clarke and Camille Coduri really are great. You can tell like every cast member that they totally enjoyed working on Doctor Who.
- This concert aired on Christmas Day, six hours before “The Runaway Bride” and is available on the Season Three DVD.
- Anthony Stewart Head narrated this and has pretty much been narrating Doctor Who Confidential since then.
- David Tennant does have the most flamboyant of dress senses for a straight man. That’s all I’m saying on the matter.

Quote, Unquote

Murray Gold: “This show in a very un English way is very passionate. It came back in a big way and has a voice.”

“Music And Monsters” was definitely an appropriate title and it succeeded in it’s delivery for both Children In Need and just for being essential entertainment. As well as the brilliant scripts and acting, the music also brings Doctor Who to life and this wonderful concert is a nice reminder of that.

Rating: 9 out of 10.

My Review of Buffy The Vampire Slayer's 8x18: "Time Of Your Life Part 3"

Written by Joss Whedon
Artwork by Karl Moline

Fray (re Buffy): “’Big picture …’ that spin’s for govvers, not slayers. Something’s skew with that girl.”
Dark Willow: “Anger won’t help. You have to understand Buffy. If you hate her she’ll be harder to kill.”

Three quarters of the way into this arc, it doesn’t feel like too much is advancing, does it? So far we know Buffy’s been thrust into a future where only one slayer now survives but she’s still clueless on how all the others perished within the space of 200 years.

Leafing through some books in Fray’s house doesn’t really help Buffy. When the clues aren’t being cryptic or ridiculous, then it’s sad for Buffy to discover that none of the race of slayers herself and Willow created have even made it into the history books.

Naturally enough this distresses Buffy and being stuck in a rather dystopian future also does little to boost her self esteem. Fray on the other hand is more concerned with a lead from Gunther on a current vampire hit so Buffy doesn’t get too much time to brood, which is good because self-pitying Buffy can be exhausting at times.

Still Fray’s appalling English is also a good thing for Buffy to concentrate. Three issues into this arc and even I feel like shaking Fray and asking her to speak properly but despite her terrible vocabulary, at least Buffy is smart enough to realise that a part of Fray’s plan involves actual slaying.

As for Willow, she’s still smarting over being duped by Saga Vasuki and decides to take a more assertive stance in order to save Buffy. Kennedy’s function in this issue is to serve as a means of support and she does this by getting Willow to try and contact the snake demon for help.

The flipside is the method that Willow has to take in order to do this. Okay while she doesn’t have to go and slaughter another deer, the idea of her and Kennedy frakking doesn’t exactly fill me with excitement under the circumstances. Maybe Saga Vasuki should consider opening up an email account instead.

Xander and Dawn are also not having a very good time of it either. With the castle going up in flames and demons after them, these two could really use some luck as well. Xander also badly times falling off Dawn’s back as well but at least it didn’t take either one of them long enough to figure out that Warren and Amy were behind this little scheme.

The one thing that slightly peeves me is that we’re not getting to see either Warren or Amy. Blowing up the castle was a good move on their part but shouldn’t we be seeing them put the rest of their plans into action. Shouldn’t Twilight and General Voll also be factoring at this point as well?

Then there’s the attack of the tree people as well. As if things weren’t bad enough for Xander and Dawn but now they have another adversaries to contend with to boot. Funnily enough this problem is taken care of far easier by Xander and Dawn simply dressing them down. Apparently tree demons (or whatever they) are the least frightening thing to find in a forest.

In the future however, the likes of Gunther has a lot worse shit to deal with when Harth makes a house call. Harth is unsurprisingly annoyed that Gunther has been helping his little sister with the big monsters and decides to take care of the Mer creature once and for all.

I quite like Gunther as a character so I’m a little sad to see him meet such a grisly death as a group of Harth’s vampires decide to feast on him. However although not a lot is seen, it does make for a nice little gory moment in the issue. Then again, there is the good possibility that Gunther might actually survive into the next issue.

As for Buffy, she might be a slayer but it still turns out that she’s a lousy driver with even Fray scared for her life. There’s a nice moment where Buffy’s notoriously bad motor skills are noted by the other slayer but for the most part, Fray’s priorities lie solely in getting the baddies.

Buffy however is more curious about the origins and that is where her and Fray openly conflicted. Buffy’s ‘big picture’ speech isn’t much to stop Fray from just attacking vampires and Buffy herself is a little too occupied with her bad driving skills to do anything to stop the volatile slayer.

One of the more interesting moments of the issue is when Fray takes a look at a victim and then faces off against Dark Willow. Just a few seconds to that, Fray was openly questioning Buffy’s ‘big picture’ speech so it only seems ripe that Dark Willow would use it as a conversation starter.

Our Willow on the other hand is having mind blowing sex. Now my definition of that would be with a hot, funny guy and not a sinister looking snake demon but as communications go, at least one of these parties is getting sated. Willow on the other hand is still annoyed for being deceived.

Saga Vasuki doesn’t seem all that bothered about Willow’s annoyance. She’s too busy with the flirty banter and seems genuinely surprised when Willow admits that she genuinely cannot get Buffy back herself. However it does seem that Saga was deceived herself so it’s not entirely her fault that Buffy is stuck in the future.

Still she does decide to help Willow out on the promise that once the rift is opened that Willow doesn’t look into it. I’m pretty sure there’s a terrific reason as to why Saga would demand such a promise but given how sketchy she comes across, I’d still want to know the real reason rather than just accepting her word at face value.

After that promise is hastily made, Willow disappears back into her own bedroom with Kennedy where it appears that the two of them also had sex around the same time. I’m sure a lot of people would envy Willow for being able to screw two women in different times/places but it does make relationship with Kennedy look questionable.

Given that Willow and Kennedy are not a massively shipped coupling, you do wonder if this is the beginning of the end for them. I’m not sure how I feel about that. The realist in me thinks we’ll never get Tara back but I’ve never hated Kennedy and I don’t like the idea of Willow having to whore herself even if it is allegedly for the greater good so to speak.

Dark Willow on the other hand is also equally hard to figure out. It’s clear that she wants to create a divide between Buffy and Fray but at the same time, her attitude towards Fray is rather friendly. She even patiently reminds Fray that she’s not a vampire and credits her with already knowing that.

However the discussion of her not being human could just be a commentary on the dark path she has revisited or a possibility that this Dark Willow might have some demonic properties about her. Another noteworthy part about this conversation is the fact that Willow notes the similarities between Fray and Buffy.

That being Dark Willow also quickly establishes that her and Harth have different ideas. Harth seemingly wants dominion whereas Dark Willow could simply be looking for revenge on Buffy. It also doesn’t help Dark Willow that she’s not running the big magic juice but she’s able to use something to convince Fray against Buffy.

Buffy meanwhile has managed to survive her lousy driving skills and even wonders about a certain van being parked but soon enough she encounters Fray’s older sister Erin. This was the girl who didn’t recognise last issue and also the one who felt like a dweeb for not knowing.

Erin’s a police officer but right now, she’s more worried about Fray’s whereabouts that in her frazzled mind she pulled a gun on Buffy. Buffy at least does the right thing by informing Erin that Fray took off during the middle of a lurk central before putting her foot in her mouth about Harth.

The best part is that both Buffy and Erin find some unsurprising common ground with each other. Both of them are able to chatter about being the law in their own ways and the both of them can relate to the annoyance of younger sisters. Mine is only six minutes younger than me (we’re twins) so it’s an amusing exchange between the two of them.

Perhaps it makes sense that Buffy would have an easier time relating to Erin that Fray. I even find Erin more sympathetic and interesting than Fray. Unfortunately for Buffy she ended up getting knocked out by Fray, who now thinks that turning on the blonde slayer will help her save the world.

It’s kind of sad that Erin had a role to play in this overall but I could see it coming upon repeat readings. The cliff hanger isn’t quite up there with Warren being revealed to be alive, Gigi about to get axe happy on Faith or poor Renee being murdered by Toru but it’s interesting enough.

Also in “Time Of Your Life Part 3”

The cover I got was with a Centaur Dawn who did seem to be drawn quite saucily or was that just me?

Buffy (to herself): “I created a race of slayers. To tip the scales, to beat back the darkness. To make the world better. But they’re not in the books. Not a mention. Nothing and the better world … turns out like this. Wow. Spoiler alert.”

Has Joss Whedon been watching Doctor Who’s “Silence In The Library”/“Forest Of The Dead”? I only say it because of a line from Dark Willow last issue and the spoiler comment.

Buffy: “Does any part of that sentence involve me beating something up?”
Fray: “Think so.”
Buffy: “Include me in.”

Willow: “Ken-Doll, do you trust me and know that I love you and I’m not a crazy person and what we do is for the greater good, cross your heart no backsies?”
Kennedy: “Duh. What we gotta do?”
Willow: “Frak.”

Given how much of an avowed Battlestar Galactica fan Joss Whedon has admitted to being, I’m surprised it’s taken him this long to reference it. It’s even more effective that it’s Willow who did as well.

Xander: “Bomb. Plus magic. Equals.”
Dawn: “Warren and Amy.”
Xander: “The Laurel and Hardy of being a dick.”
Dawn: “Man, I’d love to get those two under my hooves.”
Xander: “Amen.”

Gunther: “I was born in the gutter, boy. Not near, in. I have worked and killed and dodged or bought the laws till I control half of Haddyn and I have done it without even breathing air. Don’t think to out beast me.”
Harth: “You have it spun, Gunther. We’re of a kind. After all … lurks don’t breathe either.”

What exactly happened to Dark Willow to make her lose her magic? Did Twilight actually succeed in his aim to rid the world of magic?

Fray: “Summers, you drive like a Spaz!”
Buffy: “And that phrase stood the test of time?”

Willow: “I seem to be going.”
Saga Vasuki: “So brief a stay.”
Willow: “I’ll see you soon.”
Saga Vasuki: “Yes … do come again.”

This comic had some interesting ads in it, including one for Dragon Con 2008 which featured James Marsters.

Fray: “You wanna keep that hand?”
Dark Willow: “This is about as much magic as I can muster so don’t fret. I just need to show you something.”

Erin (re Buffy): “She just seems … Mel, what are we doing here?”
Fray: “What we do. Saving the world.”

The next issue is out on October 1st and then afterwards we’re back to a standalone one.

As this arc seems to move on, “Time Of Your Life Part 3” doesn’t offer a whole of progression. With one more issue left, we’ll need what exactly happened that turned the future into the bleak world we’ve become accustomed to.

Rating: 7 out of 10.

My Review of Angel's 6x12: "After The Fall Part 12"

Written by Brian Lynch
Artwork by Stephen Mooney And Nick Runge

Cordelia: “But to be fair, you’re not standing, either.”
Angel: “Oh, right. That.”
Cordelia: “Yes, that. I’m not a fan of the dramatic -”
Angel: “Ha.”
Cordelia: “- Shush, but your reaction to your own death could be a bit bigger. Like maybe a gasp? A sigh? Subtle cock of an eyebrow?”

After the crappy previous issue where yet another betrayal was revealed and Angel was inches away from death, it is amazing just how much I ended up loving this issue. Sure it’s because of a certain person but does that matter? This comic needed a boot up the backside and the best returnee brought that in style.

However before I get on with them, there’s the issue of Gwen. The end of Issue 11 looked ambiguous but the first page makes everything clear – Gunn got to her before the LA Scoobies could and ever since she’s been doing her own part to help Gunn without them knowing.

Of course Gwen hasn’t necessarily turned evil, she’s just under the belief that Gunn is out to save them all and seeing as Gunn easily believes that himself, it’s easy to see why Gwen would be so keen to buy into it as well. I’m relieved that she’s not being deliberately evil but she is being stupid.

Spike naturally enough isn’t particularly sympathetic to Gwen’s plight. Then again Spike has always been a hypocrite. Lindsay used him brilliantly so the fact that Spike doesn’t entertain the idea that Gwen might be being duped by Gunn is annoying. These comics have succeeded in making Spike more annoying than when he was in Season Five of the series.

Connor on the other hand is naturally hurt. That guy’s history with women just keeps getting more and more tragic. His anger even stems into wondering whether or not Gwen was using the ‘no-touching’ as part of her act. I did believe Gwen when she told Connor that she fell in love with him as easily as I believed that she thinks Gunn is trying to do the right.

I could ask if believing in all of this suddenly makes me stupid but I’m dreading the response to that question. It’s also believable that Gwen would help Gunn out if it meant that she could touch people without electrocuting them. On the plus side she shoots a few volts of electricity in Spike’s direction, which in my opinion one of the best things she could’ve done.

Even if she does love Connor, it’s clear that betrayal has taken its toll on him and he threatens. Physically they could both hold their own against each other, unless Gwen used her powers against Connor. Scarier however is the fact that Connor threatens to make dragon food out of Gwen.

Elsewhere in what blatantly looks like a dream sequence or out of body experience of some sort Angel is chatting away to a mystery guest. Mainly Angel focuses on the moment he became human and how imagining this person kept his sanity intact. The best news ever is that the person in question is Cordelia.

Just like the televised Season Five, the comic book Season Six has sorely been lacking without Cordelia and her reappearance is the most welcomed thing this whole season has done full stop. Apart from looking radiant, this is the same witty and wonderful Cordy we got back in “You’re Welcome”.

I just loved the way she muses about Angel’s antics since their last encounter but while it’s utterly brilliant to see Cordy again, Angel’s right to assume the worst. However he is a gent in asking about her personal well being and Cordy can’t help but be a little amused by his flustered state to seeing her. Believe me he wasn’t the only who felt a little flustered in seeing the woman again.

Cordy doesn’t say much at first but does seem to try and point out that she isn’t pulling a parlour trick. More importantly she takes an interest in Angel’s seemingly nonplussed reaction to being killed. Angel however focuses his energies on Gunn’s mental imbalance and the effect he has on people.

Like any hero that takes on human allies, there are always potential casualties. Doyle, Wesley, Gunn, Fred and Cordy have all died in the space of five seasons and four of them aren’t completely back right either. Fred’s still the annoying Illyria, Wesley’s a ghost and largely powerless, Gunn’s one angry vampire and Cordy isn’t totally herself either but could actually be more useful than everyone else right now.

The shocking part is that Angel assumes (as did I) that Cordy is here to give him strength. Unfortunately she’s actually here to take him and here I was thinking that Grim Reapers weren’t supposed to look this gorgeous. However seeing as the Powers That Be can’t operate in LA right now, Angel’s mind goes back to wondering what has brought Cordy here.

Cordelia herself mentions the three possibilities – hallucination, actual Cordy or Wolfram And Hart manifestation to stick the knife. To be honest I think it’s the first, hope it’s second one but fear it could be the third one. Either way Cordy points out the irrelevance of whatever option it might be by getting Angel to concentrate on the fact that he’s only got one fate left.

To pull us away from the brilliance of Cordy’s comeback, Fred morphs back into Illyria when she has difficulty handling Gunn reappearing and Wesley disappearing all at once. Unfortunately it’s Nina who has to bear the brunt of Illyria’s anger when the loopy hell God explodes.

Illyria’s as tedious as Spike in this issue but fortunately we don’t have to tolerate her too much either. Although Nina isn’t quite as fascinating as other characters, I did feel sorry for her here. Her attempts to empathise with Illyria’s feelings of distress just have her thrown around the place like a rag doll.

While Illyria bores me senseless where her regal talk, at least she has the courtesy of leaving without breaking Nina in half. I think in the last two issues alone we’ve had enough deaths and maiming to last us for a bit. Illyria doesn’t need to add to the body count, unless it’s to kill Gunn’s motley crew.

Meanwhile another reunion takes place when Wesley and Gunn finally face off. It’s been hard trying to keep track of characters returning and those who haven’t interacted with certain people. Wesley of course chooses to arrive as Gunn comes to the realisation that Angel might have died prematurely.

That being said I do love Wesley and Gunn’s mutual sympathy to the dire states they’ve both ended up. Although they sound sarcastic in dialogue, it has to be sincere. Being a ghost has made Wesley powerless and being a vampire for Gunn has brought out the worst in him.

Needless to say Wesley’s also pretty pissed off that Gunn killed Angel as well. I felt for Wesley as it took him a while to realise that he was unable to save him. Even Cordy’s light hearted comment about the return to stuff suits couldn’t mask the sadness of Wesley’s rage. Wesley even explodes in anger before receiving a little message from Wolfram And Hart.

For a second Gunn believed that Wesley was going to be made corporal and so did I but this is Wolfram And Hart and Wesley’s no good to them as a human. However at least the evil law firm do give Wesley some much needed information on what exactly Gunn’s real role in the scheme of things really is.

Gunn deluded himself into thinking that he was going to save LA but all along Wolfram And Hart have been using him. In fact their main focus is still on the Shanshu prophecy and less about Gunn’s ‘heroism’. Not that Gunn particularly reacts well to such news.

In fact he tries to convince Wesley that he’s being tricked yet again but its Wesley who has to remind him that the Powers That Be can’t access the hell that LA is currently residing in. Angel on the other hand just kept assuming that his prophecy was destined for Spike all along. Does this mean that Spike isn’t special enough for said prophecy because I can live with that?

Still with Gunn making a foolish attempt to physically fight Wesley, Gwen tries her damn best not to become dragon food. It also doesn’t help her case that Connor is joining in on the attack but this segues into Wesley explaining that all along Wolfram And Hart just used everyone so they could get to Angel.

Wolfram And Hart have been doing that for five televised season so it’s hardly a shock but Angel’s intrigue matched by Cordy trying to get more answers makes me wonder what else is cooked up for him.

Then there’s also Gunn getting a bit eager for decapitation and Angel receiving one almighty vision from Wesley that inspires him to let Cordy help him to pass on. Where the hell is this going to go next? What did Angel see that ended up making him change his mind about passing over?

Also in “After The Fall Part 12”

The cover for this issue I got was Connor, Cordy (or was it Gwen/Nina?) and Spike over Angel’s grave.

Connor: “I don’t understand, Gwen.”
Spike: “It’s called being betrayed by the one you love. Welcome brother, the club meets Tuesdays and Thursdays.”

The dragon got the name of Cordelia which last issue confused Betta George and this issue Gwen.

Gwen: “I love you, Connor. Wasn’t part of the original plan but there it is. He can make it back to how it was. He’ll make it so I’ll be able to touch again but I can’t let you near him.”
Connor: “You’ve said.”

Angel (re dragon): “He thinks his name … is your name. Is that weird?”
Cordelia: “Completely. But understandably I’d be disappointed if I came back and you had a boring story for me. ‘Hey Cordelia, guess what I’ve been up to. Lots and lots of Sudoku’. ‘Hey Cordelia, guess who started a movie review blog’.”

If you look at the way Cordelia is drawn it’s consistent to the way Charisma Carpenter looked during the 2004-2005 TV season on Charmed.

Cordelia (to Angel): “I can’t usually come …here. I don’t do LA and I certainly don’t do this sliver of LA. I tried, believe me, the glimpses I’ve seen of you have broken my heart – but whatever Wolfram And Hart did, its keeping the good out. But I can come now because you’re close. I’m here – and honey, I am so sorry – to make your passing easier.”

Angel: “Stop what?”
Cordelia: “Ignoring what I just told you. Death comes for you weekly, Big Guy, but this time it’s sticking.”

Cordelia seems to be wearing a fairly similar outfit to the one she wore in “You’re Welcome”. The hair of course is noticeably longer.

Illyria: “Everyone comes back just to leave! Gunn, Angel, Wesley again! Stop testing me. It’s annoying. I don’t approve.”
Nina: “I understand and I’m right there with you.”
Illyria: “I know you are but I don’t care if you’re here. I want the ones I know. Now.”
Nina: “No, I mean. You missed him and then he comes back … and now he’s gone again.”

Gunn: “Vampire.”
Wesley: “Ghost.”
Gunn: “Sucks -”
Wesley “- Truly.”

There’s a street sign named Doyle above an image of a samurai nun. Doyle also appears on a cover with Angel and Cordy for this issue. Maybe he’s coming back as well.

Cordelia: “Poor Wesley.”
Angel: “I know. He feels useless.”
Cordelia: “I was talking more about the return to the men’s warehouse wardrobe but yeah, the useless thing, totally almost or a little more than worse.”

Wesley: “This wasn’t about you. None of it was.”
Gunn: “Goddamn liar.”
Wesley: “We were all pawns. Moved accordingly … and sacrificed when needed. All so they could have Angel.”

In the series of flashbacks who was the guy that was roughing up Connor? Could it have been Hamilton?

Cordelia: “Shush I’m trying to listen.”
Angel: “‘You’re trying to listen?’ You didn’t know about this?”
Cordelia: “White hats don’t have a plant in the black hat office. If we were that sneaky, we’d be, you know, grey hats.”

Wesley (to Angel): “Speaking of visions. The senior partners been kind enough to force me to deliver one last vision. For Angel’s eyes only. Your part in the apocalypse. The Shanshu prophecy carried out, right before your eyes. It is written. It has been witnessed. It is inevitable. I’m sorry, my friend.”

I just found out that from Issue 17 onwards this series is getting the name “Aftermath”. I know Buffy Season Eight have 40 issues but how many will Angel Season Six have for definite?

Cordelia: “What did you see?”
Angel: “Cordelia? I’m ready to go.”

Once again IDW fail to tell us when the next issue is out, though wikipedia have said the end of October.

After the worst issue last week, it’s incredible that the best issue came this time with “After The Fall Part 12”. Cordelia’s return was a bloody triumphant and one can only hope that things are finally going to get back to the series I fell in love with. However how is Angel going to get out of surrendering to death?

Rating: 10 out of 10.

My Review of Angel's 6x11: "After The Fall Part 11"

Written by Brian Lynch
Artwork by Nick Runge

Fred: “Charles! Oh Angel, isn’t it wonderful? It’s beginning to feel more and more like home every day! I mean, more recent home, not “demons run/humans are cows”. Although it’s kind of like that too.”

And this comic is kind of like everything else we’ve seen in Angel’s sixth season so far. One minute you’re getting amazing stuff and the next you’re being saddled with a less than satisfactory story.

This issue unsurprisingly enough reunites Angel and Gunn after the two of them being apart for so long. Their face to face is a good set up but this is one issue I could’ve done without reading in a way.

Angel opens the issue by trying to remind himself that he’s in hell. Something like that should be easy to remember seeing as we’re now into the eleventh issue of the comic. Of course from an emotional perspective, Angel is just trying to remind himself of this fact because he’s had to deal with a lot.

Between friends dying, losing battles and becoming human, Angel discovering that Gunn has become a member of the undead couldn’t have come at a worst time. It also doesn’t help that Gunn’s minions seem determined to make their presence both known and felt at the same time.

Gunn’s sudden reappearance also inspires Illyria to morph back into Fred. At this point I just Fred back full time so I try not to get invested when this shell just coos about the gang being reunited. I suppose there could be an element of truth but this is too twisted and not the gang that I fell in love during the series hey days.

At least some action comes in Gunn’s henchmen trying to attack Angel. Instead of keeping his allies around, Angel forces both Nina and Fred/Illyria to get on the dragon and leave. On the plus side, the dragon at least scorches Gunn’s men. It would’ve been if the dragon hadn’t done that, right?

Of course just because the vampires get scorched, it doesn’t mean they’re dead and Angel has to put his fighting skills into use to do in the rest. Gunn in a show of kindness saves Angel by dusting one of the vampires himself. I would’ve loved for this to have been a hint that Gunn didn’t hate Angel but alas no.

Instead Angel discovers that Gunn has become a vampire and he’s pretty horrified by the reveal. It’s already documented that Gunn has been transformed into the very thing he hates but it doesn’t stop Angel from raising the point yet again. It’s also similarly transparent that Angel would second guess Gunn’s emotional state.

Is it really a shock that Gunn is trying to downplay his anger regarding his current predicament? Probably not but it’s definitely the most insincere form of downplay I’ve seen as well. Still some of the jokes he tries on, particularly ones about bald heads are alright enough.

In all of his guess work, Angel figures that Wolfram And Hart have had a hand in Gunn becoming a vampire. Gunn doesn’t alleviate the blame from them but he doesn’t focus too hard on it either. Still Angel does an incredibly stupid thing in following despite knowing full well that Gunn’s emotional state is erratic at best.

The Hyperion on the other hand just sees Spike trying to find out why Connor is irritated by his father. When reading that bit, it’s hard to determine whether Spike is genuinely concerned for Connor’s wellbeing or is just trying to stir thing. We already know that Angel has issues about the two of them being partners in crime.

Connor to his credit doesn’t give Spike any soot and decides to go back and save his father from impending doom. Gwen unfortunately tries to stick her oar in by concentrating on Connor’s trademark pouting. He can pout all he likes given that this isn’t Season 4 and that here; he’s easily one of the strongest characters going.

It’s also rather funny that Connor is playful in defending himself. Instead of getting stroppy, he gently reminds Gwen of her own whining abilities while giving us a brief rundown into the first time they met. The issue of sex raises its head too with both Connor and Gwen determined to find a way to be physically intimate with each other.

However this is all fine until Nina returns with dragon and Fred in tow. Nina explains about the vamps and then tells everyone that Gunn is their leader. This generates a reasonable reaction except for Spike being unconvinced that Gunn is a big bad of sorts. Although he raises a point about hell playing tricks on people, he just comes across as being a bit of a twat here.

Wesley also pops in to drop an opinion piece. It seems he’s also blissfully unaware of Gunn’s recent changes and wants to disbelief the theory that one of his closest friends is on the side of evil now. Connor thankfully interrupts all of this just by focusing on saving his father.

He does however assume too quickly that Gwen is going to try and talk him out of going on his hero mission. Fortunately for him, Gwen simply wants to back him up and let’s face it, having a mutant girlfriend is pretty beneficial during a mega battle as well as a big old dragon.

Fred meanwhile is too distracted with the idea of everyone coming. Apart from the obvious fact that we have yet to see Cordelia, Wesley’s right – nobody has come back right. So far we’ve Ghost Wesley, Vampire Gunn, Human Angel and the split personalities of Illyria and Fred. This comic is reuniting the gang, just not in a way that make you feel good as a reader.

Gunn meanwhile now seems to have taken Angel’s mantle for the old second guessing routine. Angel doesn’t have a chance to speak as Gunn yammers about what must be going through his former friend’s mind at the present. It’s not that Gunn isn’t making a valid point but it’s also not like we’re getting anything new either.

Angel tries to keep his cool. For the time Gunn doesn’t seem to realise that he’s human and suddenly Angel has to deal with a horrifying smell as well wondering what way his altercation with Gunn is going to go. The fact that Angel is preparing himself for the worst is good. The fact that he’s defenceless on the other hand isn’t.

Being a vampire in some ways does suit with Gunn’s sense of directness though. He immediately tells Angel when his transformation took place and does a better job of not sounding bitter when Angel was otherwise engaged. Turns out that while trading up for the dragon was also the same Gunn got to become immortal and develop a dependency for blood.

Introducing the rest of Gunn’s gang is less interesting. Apart from that brutish vampire who spent a few issues beating the crap out of Betta George, the rest of them are just generic and dull. There is however another uncomfortable moment when Angel sees a photo of the gang, which is a further reminder of the dystopian world our heroes have been shoved into.

Gunn seems to have a lot to say in this issue and while it might be insightful, he’s not imparting anything that you couldn’t already have guessed. There’s no secret in the fact that Gunn’s gang hates him more than their former leader and it’s also no secret that Gunn doesn’t entirely hold Angel responsible for the way things have gone down.

The interesting part however is the mention of the visions. Gunn seems to believe that Angel speeded up the process for him to become a vampire and seeing a disgusting creature nailed to the wall. The creature is question saw that Gunn was fated to become a vampire and Gunn decided to use this to take down his former leader.

However comparing some of his actions to Angel’s seems a touch unfair. That being said the dead creature at least left Gunn some gifts to ponder over but between filling Angel in about Betta George and captive slayers; the one thing Gunn really wants is his old friend’s help.

Gunn has a desire to save Los Angeles and while he doesn’t get a chance to explicitly explain what the genius plan might be, Angel tries to talk him out of it. Proving that Angel’s initial fears towards Gunn were justified, the recently made vampire just loses it and Angel gets the savage beating he should’ve seen coming.

However while Angel is a dab hand at defending himself and slaying more of Gunn’s uninteresting gang, there’s a nasty taste left when Gunn stabs after stripping him of his glamour. So Gunn knew all along about Angel being human and worse is the pleasure he seems to take from seeing his former friend in agony.

The most confusing part of this issue though is Gwen. Gunn bragged about finding a “her” first and by the end of this issue it does look like Gwen has turned traitor when she apologises to Connor. Then again it could be a mislead. Perhaps there’s another “her” that Gunn is referring to, one that would have more of an emotional impact on Angel than just Gwen.

Also in “After The Fall Part 11”

There are five different covers for this issue but the one I scored was a sword wielding Angel with a fire breathing dragon.

Betta George: “Wait a minute. That guy’s from your head, Gunn. He’s got Spike in his head! And why the heck is the dragon names that?!”

Since I’ve last reviewed this series, two issues of Spike: After The Fall have been released. I won’t be reviewing them.

Angel: “I, um – Was it … was it Wolfram And Hart?”
Gunn: “Nah, I mean, yeah, sure, in the sense that Wolfram And Hart was partially responsible for the big bang that the vamps in question used as a distraction, but no, not directly.”

Connor: “Can we figure out a way to, please? Because -”
Gwen: “I know, I made a list. It’s long and sordid.”

The cover for Issue 12 seems to have Connor and Spike but I’m not sure if the woman is Fred or Gwen or even Nina. The artwork is still inconsistent with this range.

Nina: “How do I put this … it was Gunn. Angel saw Gunn.”
Gwen: “We did too.”

Fred: “Isn’t this exciting? Everyone’s coming back.”
Wesley: “It would appear so, only the problem is … nobody’s coming back right.”

This comic showed an ad for the Doctor Who arc “The Forgotten”. Given that said arc isn’t being imported for UK/Irish fans, I’m a bitter man over that. Still maybe I’m not missing out.

Gunn: “Man, see, that’s why you wore the Captain’s stripes for so long, you ask the good questions. “When” is easy, it was while you were trading up for the dragon.”
Angel: “Pardon?”
Gunn: “Wasn’t a riddle, Angel. In the alleyway. You were otherwise engaged.”

Gunn (re dead demon): “Many gifts actually. Then he passed on. I keep him up there for tribute.”
Angel: “Maybe you could bury him.”
Gunn: “It’s an idea or maybe just a drape over him.”

The visions we saw were of the sphere, Betta George, Wesley, Fred/Illyria and that demon Gunn had slain earlier on in the series.

Gunn: “Can’t believe I’m about to say this … Angel. Help me.”
Angel: “I will, Gunn. I -”
Gunn: “Help me to carry out what the visions want. Help me to save Los Angeles.”

Gunn (to Angel): “One of these things is not like the other. Should I turn you or feed on you? Bet you wish you could tell me what to do now, huh, old man? I kinda do, too. You know what? Gonna let you die. But you should shuffle off knowing one thing. I found her first.”

Issue 12 was released on September 4th along with Buffy’s “Time Of Your Life Part 3”. Reviews for both of them will come soon.

As issues went, this one annoyed me. The ending for “After The Fall Part 11” should have me on the edge of my seat but it didn’t. I can’t imagine that Joss Whedon or Brian Lynch would dare kill off Angel.

Rating: 5 out of 10.

My Review of Buffy The Vampire Slayer's 8x17: "Time Of Your Life Part 2"

Written by Joss Whedon
Artwork by Karl Moline

Dark Willow (re Buffy): “Tonight. The princess leaves her kingdom for the forest of the now.”
Harth: “I haven’t asked you why you want her here. Or why you want my sister to find her.”
Dark Willow: “But you want to.”
Harth: “Aren’t they more of a threat to us combined?”

Ahh, the future really is going to turn out to be a world where flying cars are all the range and strangely enough this comic doesn’t pick up exactly where the last one left off. In fact instead of Fray and Buffy knocking seven bells into one another, Fray and a pal are trying to stop a vampire nest.

The girl looked like she could be another slayer and even dresses in a military suit that seems more appropriate than Fray’s more casual attire as the two of them give chase to a flying van filled with vampires. Remember the days when vampires use to pick less glamorous places to keep away from slayers?

Fray’s already been depicted as something of an impulsive girl so there’s no real surprise when she’s too impatient to wait for her friend and decides to do some slaying. She already used her scythe to tear a big hole in the side of the van, so what’s a little slay action going to do?

Fray grabs the first vampire she’s able to snare and the two of them descend to battle. Her mate on the other hand wonders why she’s always got to be so impulsive. Seeing as I’m still getting to know Fray myself I have little to no idea as to what she actually thinks but I do like what I’m seeing so far.

The first topic of interest is Fray trying to find someone named Harth and as the two of them battle in the air, it’s clear that Harth is definitely a bad guy as such. He’s apparently promised the vampires Fray’s world but it also turns out that Harth isn’t the only main problem that Fray will have to contend with.

Nope, it seems that a centuries old mad woman who speaks ever so strangely is a far lethal threat to Fray that Harth could ever be. The woman is eerily described that immediately you think it has to be no-one else but Drusilla and seeing as we haven’t seen Drusilla (except for the flashbacks in Angel’s “Destiny” and “The Girl In Question”), it would be an interesting development if it was her.

However Fray’s big mistake is not actually keeping the vampire alive long enough to learn the woman’s name so because of that misstep she has to resort to book research to try and get some answers. There’s a really nice rapport with Fray and her friend but essentially I wouldn’t be surprised if Fray has the same character trait Buffy has when isolating individuals.

Meanwhile we actually get to see Harth is in his full scheming mode with the mystery madwoman. The fact that he remembers fighting her in a dream could mean that their alliance isn’t a solid one. Perhaps she’s coercing him into co-operation or maybe he’s using her as a means to an end. The fact that we’re not seeing her face could also mean that it’s not Drusilla.

If it really was, then wouldn’t Joss just reveal it, there and then? More interestingly is why is this woman so keen for Buffy and Fray to meet up with each other. Harth had a point when he said that the two of them combined could cause more trouble than actual good but it seems that this madwoman has an answer for everything.

The first being the fact that she admires Harth’s schemes regarding his vampire minions abducting women. I’m guessing 200 years in the future there are still going to be vampires out there doing their best to eradicate the slayer line once and for all. Nice to see some consistency, even if it’s on the evil front.

More interestingly is the fact that the madwoman herself point out that two slayers cannot draw power/strength from each other like vampires. So if Buffy and Fray happen to both be wiped out in the future (and that does seem to be the intent here), will that finally do in the slayer time line?

The madwoman makes a good argument about this kind of thing creating ripples. With no slayers in the future, then the future is going to be a lot darker than the parallel world we saw in “The Wish”. A thing like that would make a lot of demons and other evils quite happy.

Elsewhere in the present day Willow is feeling the angst of Buffy being in danger. Much as I like Kennedy, she is kind of annoying in this comic for some reason. She pouts about Willow not being able to save her, even though Willow is beating herself up over it anyway.

So Willow got duped and maybe she should’ve seen it coming but instead of pointing the finger and moping about things, it’d be more in Willow’s interest to just go and find Buffy and send the beastie that replaced back to it’s own time. At least Willow knows that Buffy’s in the future and short of growing her own TARDIS, she should be working on some spell to get Buffy back.

Meanwhile it seems that Amy and Warren’s missile was more than just a simple explosion. No instead it turned the remains of the castle in a green fiery effigy and Rowena also gets some development. Xander has to rely on her to find out how many people actually survived but it’s also him that has to point out to Rowena that they were hit by something supernatural.

You got to hand it to Warren. He did brag about his little missile being the business and it wasn’t actually an empty threat. The Scoobies castle is as good as decimated and to add further annoyance a few demons have also come out to kill off anyone else who survived.

It’s also interesting that Xander is almost forced to admit that he doesn’t have a pun for this situation. This should be unusual seeing as he’s been in worse situations and has managed to pun something but short of Dawn stomping in to save his life, Xander could’ve also been killed here as well.

Now for the icky part – implied Xander/Dawn shipping. Last issue he made a cringing comment about Dawn’s Centaur status and this issue Dawn is forced to tell Xander to ride her, which he naturally misinterprets. Joss, I know you love to take risks and I know that Dawn is an adult but really, do not go there with her and Xander. For one thing, we don’t need to see anymore tension with Buffy and Dawn.

However with Xander and Dawn heading for the forest, a series of other events keep on occurring. First off all there’s Fray trying to find out more about the centuries old madwoman. If the woman isn’t Drusilla, then who else could/would have that power to go through 200 years to cause chaos in Fray’s world?

Willow on the other hand realises that someone else is out to get Buffy and decides to put a plan in action to get her back. Again Willow touches on the fact that she was duped by her sources and Violet tries to find some humour in it. She still however doesn’t realise what’s really going on in the future.

Halfway through this issue we actually get back to the big Buffy and Fray smackdown and visually it looks great. We’ve got both slayers jumping off and on various flying cars but importantly we’ve also got Buffy trying to persuade Fray that she’s a slayer and not a demon.

For the sake of this arc, Fray begins to accept that Buffy is telling the truth but is confused with the time travel. The only thing that confuses me is Fray’s dialogue and there’s a painfully funny one-liner where Buffy holds herself responsible for the devolution of the English language. In fact, Fray’s general banter might be the only thing I have against her for now.

It’s also interesting to learn that while there may be over 2000 slayers in 2005, there’s only just the one in 200 years time. Buffy is suitably shocked by this reveal and there’s a great moment when Fray reveals that Harth is her brother. Okay so Harth revealed the biological link earlier but it’s more impacting when Fray admits it.

Less seriously though is Fray’s watcher who seems to be a little on the letchy side. Okay so he’s a demon too but Buffy seems more fixated on the pervy element when he has a look under her dress. That being said he supposed to have some useful information behind Buffy’s time travel so he’s not entirely bad.

As for the identity of the madwoman – it’s Willow. Yep, she has gone back to her dark side and apparently has taken fashion tips from Drusilla of all people. Once again she mentioned that Buffy has failed and is feeling the weight of it. She does sound sad when saying it, so her motives for teaming up with Harth seem less clear than at the start of the novel. The other question is does he know who she is because none of his minions seem to have an iota.

Also in “Time Of Your Life”

The cover for this issue was with Buffy, Fray and the latter’s Mer-creature watcher. The clothing was different to inside the comic.

Vampire: “This can’t hap! He promised us your world!”
Fray: “Spled for you. Where?”
Vampire: “He said the madwoman would save us!”

Fray’s pal looks incredibly much like Buffy. I did actually think it was her at one point.

Dark Willow: “Your schemes are ingenious. Keeping your force mobile, spreading the beloved infection throughout Noram … you gnaw at the root of your own world. But there is nothing a slayer cannot overcome.”
Harth: “Then why call for another?”
Dark Willow: “Vampires gain strength from each other. Slayers ultimately don’t. What happens in your time will cause your time to come, don’t you see?”

Kennedy: “I thought this temporal event thingie was supposed to help us.”
Willow: “So did I. Which means … this is my fault.”

Perhaps a possibility but maybe a reason why Willow might have gone dark again was that Kennedy might have been killed.

Xander: “Soldiers die, Rowena. They do it all the time. This is fried. We’re not calling for help. Whatever hit us was mystical, okay? Flames are not bright green.”

Dawn: “You’re gonna have to ride me.”
Xander: “What? Ah ride you!”
Dawn: “Hennh.”
Xander: “Aagh.”

The synopsis for this issue seems to be a general summary of the main events of the season. Like the way they emphasise Dawn’s part though.

Dawn: “You’re pulling my hair.”
Xander: “I’m holding your mane.”
Dawn: “My hair is my mane.”

Buffy: “We both have scythes. We both have awesome kung fu moves. Turn offs include smokers, insensitive men and vampires. You with me?”
Fray: “It’s not poss.”

I’m still confused about how Fray considers herself only half a slayer. Unless there’s something else that Harth has on her.

Buffy: “Vampires are lurks. A spin is a lie. Toy is bad but spled is good. Boy, the English language is just losing it. I should have treated it better.”
Fray: “Gunther! I can hear you down there! Turn off the rutting lights!”

Dark Willow: “Why do you need to destroy your sister?”
Harth: “She’s the last thing I ever loved. We’re connected. Her pain is my joy, my true. And what in the world is stronger than love?”
Dark Willow: “Time. Only time.”

The next issue in this saga is out on the 4th of September, a week after “After The Fall Part 11”.

Okay this was a strange issue for me. “Time Of Your Life Part 2” had some good quotes and showed a rather dystopian future but I’m not so sure I like the whole idea of Willow going dark again. Plus the less of Fray’s street slang the better in my book.

Rating: 7 out of 10.

Lost – Season 3 Review

US Airdate: October 4^th 2006- May 23^rd 2007 on ABC.

It’s the third season and for the gang it finally means knowing more about The Others as they have Jack, Kate and Sawyer in their clutches. With the remaining survivors manning a rescue and more deaths along the way, things continue to get very interesting for the islanders.

Friend And /Or Foe? – Like many shows out there, Lost suffered the difficult second album syndrome with an incredibly disjointed and all over the place second season. Although Season Three would come to the show’s strongest season yet, it’s not entirely impervious to faults.

In fact opening episode, “A Tale Of Two Cities” continued the tradition of just downright boring Jack centric episodes. In flashbacks Jack’s divorcing his wife Sarah and behaving like a jerk to his irritating father. On the island he’s been sweet talked by a female Other named Juliet. You don’t have to be blind to see that immediately Juliet is attracted to Jack and is even a bit hurt when Jack makes a piss poor effort to use her to escape. Also when we’re not learning that Henry Gale is actually Benjamin Linus, Sawyer’s getting the shit kicked out of him by everyone and Kate is put to work. The first six episodes of the season are built around this. However there are some breaks in the story. For instance we get to see a more duplicitous side to Sun via flashback in the excellent “The Glass Ballerina”. Sun even manages to kill an Other in Colleen, something which Colleen’s husband makes Sawyer pay for repeatedly in “Every Man For Himself” and “I Do”. “Further Instructions” on the other hand is one of two genuinely boring episodes, even though this one is a Locke centric episode. There’s a nice return of Boone but with the introduction of two of the most pointless characters in Nikki and Paolo, it’s hard to get completely invested in the episode.

The other woeful episode of the season is “Stranger In A Strange Land”. It’s another Jack episode (which unfairly gets four episodes this season) but it’s so bland, I just wished they hadn’t bothered with it. Also because this season cannot go a few episodes without the death of a major character, it’s Mr Eko who becomes smoke monster fodder in the disappointing “The Cost Of Living”. Given how much time the writers had spent building up Mr Eko as a strong player, his death in this episode is both lazy and cartoonish to say the least. However despite some sluggish stuff at the start, there is a lot to recommend. Locke trying to involve some of the characters in rescuing Jack, Kate and Sawyer is a good move, Desmond quickly becomes one of the best characters on the series and the cat and mouse antics with Ben and Jack are actually quite compelling. The writers also manage to make Sawyer and Kate more sympathetic as characters when you take into account the treatment they have to endure. Their episodes “Every Man For Himself”, “I Do” and “Left Behind” are brilliant in giving more of both character’s inner working and I’m sure they were plenty of people happy to see Kate and Sawyer engage in some naughty cage sex.

Juliet is also another joy in the season. Elizabeth Mitchell is a great find as the character and it’s brilliant that throughout the season, you’re constantly guessing which side she’s genuinely on. When she’s not trying to emotionally engage with Jack, she makes an attempt to coerce him into killing Ben and it’s something that nearly costs her as well. In “Not In Portland” and “One Of Us”, we learned more about how and why Juliet was reeled into joining the Others and while Ben does seem to harbour feelings for her, it’s blatantly obvious that she’s repelled by him. We also learned that she’s quite the brilliant fertility doctor, what with her successful attempts of getting her sister pregnant but even Juliet’s skills can’t save the mothers on the island from dying and by the end of the season, it’s Juliet who has no problems in betraying Ben and giving Sun a warning about her pregnancy in “DOC”.

Ben is definitely the man of the hour throughout the third season. Like many classic foes, Ben doesn’t consider any of his actions to be immoral whatsoever. It doesn’t matter that he stole Danielle’s daughter Alex and raised her as his own. Nor does it matter that he tries to brainwave Alex’s boyfriend Karl or makes with psychological threats to Sawyer’s well being or during the final moments of “The Man Behind The Curtain” shoot Locke and dump him in the same pit as the corpses of the Dharma Initiative. In a lot of ways, Ben is dangerous, smart, scary but also kind of stupid given how easily in the finale that Jack and company were able to grab him in “Through The Looking Glass Parts 1 and 2”.

Getting to the most compelling character this season, it really is Desmond when all is said and done. His episodes “Flashes Before Your Eyes” and “Catch 22” might have succeeded in getting viewers to care about his relationship with Penny and the desperation he has to get back to her in the real world but his abilities to see into the future also strikes a note, particularly as the increasingly annoying Charlie is dragged into this plot.

With Nikki and Paolo making no impact and quickly dispatched in the so-so “Expose” (an episode which also attempted to give their character’s history during crucial events in the first two seasons), Charlie was the next marked character in the series. With him and Claire slowly getting back on track, it probably couldn’t have come at a worse time for Charlie but at least the writers thought his demise out. Bringing in Naomi in the last seven episodes with the hope that her people could get everyone else of the island led Charlie to making a sacrifice in the finale. As someone who grew increasingly bored of the character, I have to admit to finding his death sad. It also didn’t help that the episode before the finale, “Greatest Hits” did a far greater job in making me care for Charlie than any of his other flashbacks. In fact a lot of the characters that I care about got hit and miss flashbacks. Hurley had daddy issues in “Tricia Tanaka Is Dead”; Sayid had to deal with the wrath of a woman he tortured in “Enter 77” while Claire more or less confirmed that Jack was her half brother in “Par Avian”. Although Locke was quite detestable this season, his remaining episodes “The Man From Tallahassee” and “The Brig” were absolute stonkers, especially given that Anthony Cooper was responsible for crippling Locke and setting Sawyer on his con man path. Anthony’s death at the hands of Sawyer were traumatic but deserving. With 23 episodes in and confirmation around this point that the show was to end in 2010 after it’s sixth season, the sudden move to introduce flash forwards was inspired. In fact, the more I think about it, the more it occurs to me that this season was often too good at times. After all only two episodes out of twenty three were genuinely not worth watching. The rest were gems.

EXTRAS: Well every season the commentaries seem to lessen and here we only got commentaries on the episodes “A Tale Of Two Cities”, “Expose” and “The Man Behind The Curtain”. Thankfully while commentaries might not be this show’s strong point, the rest of the extras on offer are just superb. “The World Of The Others” gives a great look into the main villains of Season Three while “Lost Flashbacks” and “Lost On Location” are successful in filling in the blanks. “The Lost Book Club” gives us a look into the numerous literary references throughout the series and the “Crew Tribute With Evangeline Lilly” is rather cute. Elsewhere other good extras includes “Lost In A Day”, “The Next Level – Inside The Video Game” as well as the “Cast In Clay” and usual array of entertaining bloopers and slightly revealing deleted scenes. Overall an incredibly satisfying package here.

EPISODE RATING FROM 1 TO 10:

3x01: A Tale Of Two Cities = 7/10, 3x02: The Glass Ballerina =9/10,
3x03: Further Instructions = 5/10, 3x04: Every Man For Himself = 8/10,
3x05: The Cost Of Living = 6/10, 3x06: I Do = 9/10,
3x07: Not In Portland = 8/10, 3x08: Flashes Before Your Eyes = 10/10,
3x09: Stranger In A Strange Land = 4/10, 3x10: Tricia Tanaka Is Dead = 7/10,
3x11: Enter 77 = 7/10, 3x12: Par Avian = 8/10,
3x13: The Man From Tallahassee = 9/10, 3x14: Expose = 7/10,
3x15: Left Behind = 9/10, 3x16: One Of Us = 10/10,
3x17: Catch 22 = 7/10, 3x18: DOC = 9/10,
3x19: The Brig = 10/10, 3x20: The Man Behind The Curtain = 9/10,
3x21: Greatest Hits = 8/10, 3x22: Through The Looking Glass Part 1 =9/10,
3x23: Through The Looking Glass Part 2 =9/10.

Season Three is currently available on DVD.

My Review of Brothers And Sisters: "State Of The Parties"

Written by Molly Newman And Jon Robin Baitz
Directed by Ken Olin

Kevin (to Nora, regarding William): “Well if you ever want to miss him with someone else in the room, just call me.”

Buying the first season of Brothers And Sisters on DVD, I was a little disappointed that we didn’t get a few deleted scenes. Instead the producers compensated us with this episode, appropriately titled “State Of The Parties” for our trouble.

Originally it was supposed to be the second episode but instead we were given the still good “An Act Of Will”. At least by having this episode available to watch on DVD we could see what could’ve been with certain plots.

One of the strongest things about this episode is the focus on William’s death itself. For some reason it did bother me that “An Act Of Will” barely touched on William’s funeral so it’s nice that this episode addressed that problem head on with some much needed emphasis on the man’s passing.

Kitty herself opens up the episode by getting ready for her father’s funeral and tries to be strong. Although I still don’t generally like Jonathan, it is nice that in the first half of the episode he attempts to be supportive and doesn’t push Kitty for an answer on the engagement question.

Sarah is also a bit stressed too. She goes around the house looking for her mobile phone and also goes out of her way to avoid answering Tommy’s questions. When you have all of your father’s personal files lying around the place, I guess it’s only natural that someone would ask questions.

Kevin on the other hand is sent to collect Justin. Justin is also barely coping and Fawn does a decent thing by sorting out his cuff link dilemma without too much fuss. Nora however is more preoccupied with picking out appropriate music for William’s funeral but Kevin manages to get her out of the house.

The funeral scene itself is around the same length as it was in “An Act Of Will” but with all the moments before the actual ceremony it feels a little more whole. Holly is also skulking in the background and is visibly insulted when Saul asks why she’s there. I remember early in Season One I was a little sympathetic towards Holly. I hate to admit it but I did feel a little bad for her here as well.

It was Justin who originally caught on to the fact that Holly and William were sleeping together and it’s Justin here again that confronts his father’s mistress on that as well. Instead of confronting her while she’s gardening, he goes up to her door and she lets him in.

Now later episodes have shown us that Holly has a penchant for lying but here I almost wondered if her fibbing was out of guilty or a need to protect Justin’s feelings. You don’t have to be the most intuitive of people to see that he’s something of a loose cannon and Holly basically tells Justin that her and William’s affair wasn’t of the 20 year variety. Justin actually buys it and even considers getting Holly back that letter open she so desperately wants.

I’m not sure if Holly requesting a simple letter opener that she presumably gave to William is a way of underpinning that she loved William for who he was rather than what was in his bank balance but it would come back to haunt her later on when Justin effectively told her to disappear.

Justin’s sudden turn from being sympathetic to Holly to spitting vitriol at her actually did make me feel bad for her. Justin didn’t do it to be a total asshole. It’s just when Nora started going on about great William was; Justin was reminded of how much his father betrayed him. In fairness considering the wrath of Sarah, Holly probably got off easily with that one.

Funnily enough she actually called Saul as well and told him what Justin said to her. I never really understood why the writers paired Holly and Saul together during Season One. Was it just a way to constantly keep her in the Walkers orbit or was it just biding time for the writers to explore Saul’s sexuality. It’s been alluded to plenty of times that Saul and Holly didn’t actually get up to much sexually either.

Saul’s another big point of this episode. At first in the series, he was the main suspect of Ojai’s pension fund going missing and originally it was Saul and Tommy versus Sarah. Funnily enough with this episode it’s actually Tommy and Sarah versus Saul. Given how much I hate Tommy for fighting with Sarah over Ojai, I enjoyed this dynamic more.

Another surprise is that Sarah is less critical of Saul’s actions. That’s mainly because she knows that William is responsible for the mess created at Ojai and while Saul doesn’t make a great effort to defend himself, Sarah realises that he isn’t responsible for what’s happening with the family business.

Tommy however doesn’t particularly feel that way and has no problem laying into Saul twice about Ojai’s misfortune. Saul did himself no favours by calling Tommy’s business skills into question (though he might have had a point) but even if I blocked out “Patriarchy”, I think I would’ve believed him.

Another strong point about the business side of things is that Sarah went to Kevin about it. She tried the hypothetical friend angle first but Kevin’s smart enough to realise she was referring to Ojai itself. Kevin has more of an emotional reaction here than he did in “An Act Of Will” and once again he offers Sarah some pretty sensible advice while reminding her about the threat of prison.

Not only that but Kevin also warns Tommy to control his hostility towards Saul. Tommy is unable to do that but Kevin manages to keep Nora from becoming privy to Ojai’s mess by giving some of his own money to fund Nora’s latest project. In a sense it’s a nice thing for him to do but it might have been better for Tommy and Sarah to have told Nora about it.

Nora isn’t quite as vocalised in this episode as I thought she would be but at the same time, it doesn’t feel like she’s being ignored either. We get a nice scene where her and Kevin connect rather well and while it’s not great to wake her son up at 2am, it’s also good to see want to do something good in William’s name.

Nora spent a bit of the episode talking about William’s legacy. She was adamant that the kids took as much of his stuff as possible and she also waxed lyrical about his greatness to Justin. The fact that Justin sat there and didn’t scoff or confess about Holly was surprising for him.

Nora also had a great final scene with Kitty as well. One of the main things of this episode was the two women being cordial to one another and when they were in William’s car, Nora asked Kitty to move in with her. Nora’s timing couldn’t have been any better.

At the beginning of this episode Kitty was going on about several things to Jonathan about her father’s last wishes. One of those wishes was to reconnect with Nora and this episode showed that promise. I’ve always enjoyed any scene with Nora and Kitty and it’s pretty obvious that Calista Flockhart and Sally Field equally feel the same about working together.

Kitty had a lot to do in this episode. Her first day at Red White And Blue had the usual work related hiccups you’d expect. First she had to deal with the transition from radio to television and then she had an image consultant telling her to glam herself up. To be honest, I’m with the consultant. While I don’t exactly expect Kitty to dress like someone posing for FHM, if Warren has to be all pretty, then so should Kitty.

Besides while the image consultant is an annoying bore, Lilah is a pretty fun make up artist to have. Kitty’s bright but she’s also attractive (though Sarah is obviously hotter) and both Lilah and Warren have no problem in mentioning both of those qualities during good and bad moments for Kitty.

Kitty and Warren have also had more convincing chemistry than Kitty and Jonathan. Warren might goad her but he did genuinely care when she explained about her father and while he might have ambushed her during her show, if he hadn’t, then Kitty really wouldn’t have the fire in her belly to deliver some good arguments. Warren was right to point out that Kitty wasn’t bringing her A-Game.

Besides he was also a lot more supportive than Jonathan. Jonathan clearly has some mild control issues and he never wanted Kitty to take on the Red, White And Blue gig in the first place. Instead of being supportive, he revelled in the fact that her first show wasn’t great.

Thankfully though Kitty managed to realise that Red, White And Blue is a far better bedfellow than an unsupportive would be fiancé and she did herself and the rest of the audience a massive favour by ditching Jonathan. Given that none of the Walkers, especially Nora are all that fond of Jonathan it was cute to see them slightly revel in him leaving after Kitty turned him down.


Also in “State Of The Parties”

The start of this episode has an introduction from co-writer Jon Robin Baitz. Apart from some obvious plot differences, I wished this had been episode two.

Kitty: “No, please don’t hurt me. If you do, I’ll get all wobbly and I won’t be able to make it through this day.”
Jonathan: “I don’t have to go to New York. I think I should just and be magisterially supportive of you.”

This episode revealed that Kitty sometimes suffers from low blood sugar attacks. She suffered one prior to William’s funeral.

Nora (re song): “I think he would want this played at the funeral. Something with charm. Can we do that?”
Kevin: “I think it might be too late.”
Nora: “I guess it is. Okay, let’s go.”

Saul: “You shouldn’t have come, Holly.”
Holly: “Did you really think I wouldn’t come to the man’s funeral?”

There are at least two scenes where some of the dialogue is exactly like that of “An Act Of Will”. The scene where Justin tells Holly he knows her and the scene where Nora suggests moving in with Kevin.

Tommy: “Come on, Dad told you it was Saul.”
Sarah: “Dad lied to me. Don’t you understand? He looked me in the eye and he lied.”

Holly (re William): “He thought the world of you. Your courage. Your heart. He was incredibly proud.”
Justin: “Okay, okay. I should go before I die of the weirdness of all this.”

Justin really does believe that William didn’t think very much of him. In a certain episode he conveyed that in the manner of a spoiled brat but here I pitied him.

Saul: “I’ve been working day and night Thomas to try and shield you from the truth about this whole disgusting mess which is single-handedly your father’s doing.”
Tommy: “He would never.”
Saul: “But I would?”

Warren (to Kitty): “Hey they know what they’re doing. I used to look like an escaped Berkeley lesbian. Now look at me, I’m sort of gorgeous.”

Kitty got a bunch of bibs in the American flags. Warren’s comments about the tinfoil in her hair disrupting his phone reception were neat.

Sarah: “You will not be domesticated will you? What’s wrong with two boys shopping?”
Kevin: “Nothing. Depends on the boys.”
Sarah: “You know there’s a fine line between high standards and bizarrely neurotic.”

Kevin: “Who’s responsible? Was it Saul or was it Dad?”
Sarah: “I’m not sure. Dad knew about it. That’s clear.”

We learned that Kevin had an ex-boyfriend called Hank, who he dumped due to commitment issues. I assume Kevin commitments issues rather than Hank’s.

Warren: “Kitty this is television. All’s fair in love and TV.”
Kitty: “No, don’t make nice. Now I know who you are and what you are.”

Holly: “It’s not that easy. Promises were made.”
Justin: “I’ll make it that easy. Whatever arrangement you had died with my father. It’s over. You don’t exist so get on with you life and disappear for good.”

Three significant things: This episode didn’t debut Scotty, we got nothing on William’s will and Justin didn’t wind up in jail.

Sarah: “The company will pay you back as soon as.”
Kevin: “Tell the company to take it’s time.”

Kitty: “Thanks for being nice, not calling me calling a fascist.”
Nora: “The night’s still young.”

Standout music: I’m going to give some praise to Blake Neely the series’ composer seeing as I fail to on occasion.

Nora: “Why not? Our ceasefire seems to be holding. As long as we don’t talk about Justin or the war. Or gay marriage or the death penalty. Or stem cell research. As long as we talk about the weather, we’ll be just fine and I could do with the company.”
Kitty: “Me too.”

Chronology: At least two days since the end of “Patriarchy”.

“State Of The Parties” surprised me. I wasn’t expecting this episode to be awful but I was taken aback with how brilliant it ended up being as well. If this had actually aired (with some tweaking), I could see this one being in my Top10 episodes from the first season.

Rating: 9 out of 10.