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1) This review will almost definitely contain spoilers for episodes after this one.
1) This review will almost definitely contain spoilers for episodes after this one.
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With that being said, let’s get started, shall we?
“Expecting” is a mixed-bag of an episode, but there is more bad than good. I hate saying that because I adore “Angel” so much and absolutely love Cordelia as a character. However, this episode has very little going for it. “Expecting” explores the negative consequences of sex in your early life. It does this through Cordelia being impregnated by a demon for the first time. This is not the last time or even second last time that Cordelia is impregnated by a demon or supernatural being. She’s also impregnated against her will in season two’s “Epiphany”, she’s almost forced into mating with the Groosalugg in Pylea, and she’s yet again impregnated against her will by Jasmine in the fourth season. I think it’s time she started wearing a hazmat suit and a chastity belt. Part of the reason I can’t get into this episode is because I despise the over-used storyline of a human female being impregnated against her will by something supernatural. It seems to happen on every sci-fi or supernatural show and it’s almost never handled delicately or successfully. It’s so clichéd! In essence, a female character is being raped. Yes, she has sex with Wilson willingly, but she is unwillingly impregnated with a demon spawn, so I’m not calling it legitimate. FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, CAN SOMEBODY IN THE BUFFYVERSE HAVE SEX WITHOUT IT BEING A NEGATIVE THING?! GEEZ! Sex is healthy and normal so long as it’s wanted by both parties! Just like alcohol in the Buffyverse, sex never leads to anything positive or good. On top of that, the plot is cheesy, the villain is laughable, and the supernatural abortion isn’t handled tastefully. Let’s call this episode what it is: a supernatural abortion. While I appreciate the show tackling such a taboo issue, I don’t think it portrays abortion accurately. Cordelia is possessed after the demon baby takes control of her, but Cordelia seems to care of grieve very little after the demon baby is destroyed. Sure, the death causes Cordelia’s possession to be eliminated so she probably doesn’t care about it anymore, but why deal with pregnancy and abortion and then portray it inaccurately?
Well, that got deep, didn’t it? Now that I’ve aired my grievances with the episode, let’s focus on the biggest strength of the episode...the relationship between the core three characters. “Expecting” shows us just how close Angel, Wesley, and Cordelia are. The strength of the relationships between Angel, Cordelia, Doyle, Wesley, Gunn, Lorne, and Fred is a big part of the reason why I adore the first two and a half seasons of “Angel”. I love watching them support each other, I love watching them all interact, and I love watching them be a family.
The episode opens with the core three interacting. Wesley arrives at Angel Investigations headquarters, highly enthusiastic at the prospect of going out and fighting evil. After discovering that all is quiet on the evil front, he shows equal enthusiasm for playing ‘word puzzle 3D’ against Angel or Cordelia. I like to think that when Cordelia leaves for her date, Angel and Wesley spend a portion of the night playing word puzzle 3D in an intensity-filled battle with tensions flaring. Cordelia’s friends arrive to take her out for the night and it’s clear that Angel is genuinely offended that Cordelia didn’t tell him she is going out on a date. It is a little unusual that she didn’t tell him. Since Doyle died, Angel and Cordelia are all each other has. Perhaps she didn’t want Angel to act all big brotherly and scare off her date? I also get a great deal of joy in watching Wesley act like a complete doofus in front of Cordy’s friends and accidentally stick his axe through a wall. That is why you don’t play with weapons in the house, Wesley! Cordy’s friends think that Angel and Wesley are a gay couple. Suddenly I’m getting mental images of my ‘word puzzle 3D’ theory ending in the board being thrown across the room as Angel and Wesley lunge at each other passionately. You just know that Wesley gets turned on by word games...
Wesley: “Don’t move a muscle, demon spawn! Cowards! Don’t make me thrash it out of you! Where do you lay your eggs? In the cellar?”
Angel: “Wesley....”
Wesley: “In the bedroom?”
Angel: “Yeah, that’s right. Termites lay their eggs anywhere, such as next door...we fight termites, wherever they may roam.”
Wesley and Angel breaking into wrong house is hilarious. It’s a good call-back to Angel jumping into the wrong car in the pilot episode, “City Of”. Just because they’re heroic demon fighters/rogue demon hunters, it doesn’t mean they don’t make comical mistakes. Angel and Wesley make an oddly great team and seeing them interact together in “Parting Gifts” and this episode makes me appreciate their friendship. It’s interesting to see just how close they’ve become in such a short space of time. Just two episodes ago, Wesley arrived in Los Angeles and Angel thought he was a moron. Now, here they are acting like best friends! It’s unexpected that Angel and Wesley would grow so close so soon, but I definitely enjoy watching them interact with each other. I bet they bond over their mutual annoyance of Americans and reminisce about their glory days in England and Ireland.
Way before we learn that Wilson was using Cordelia for a demonic pregnancy, I thought he was a douche. He was sleazy, manipulative, boring, and was the type of guy that you instantly hate without knowing why you hate them. Even Dennis seems to pick up on the fact that Wilson is bad news because he changes the music and makes the lights flicker to warn Cordelia that Wilson isn’t the nice guy he seems to be...that or he was jealous. Cordelia and Dennis do share special loofah time together, after all. Dennis repeats this pattern of trying to warn Cordelia later in the season when he tries to stop Cordelia entering the apartment because Faith is waiting inside. Have I mentioned how much I adore Dennis? I wish I had a friendly ghost living in my house that would pass me things...
After Cordelia wakes up pregnant, we truly get to see the strength of the relationship between Angel, Cordy, and Wesley. Angel and Wesley are both supporting a crying Cordelia like two older brothers would. Wesley is the brains of the group. He instantly goes into research mode and starts to investigate what is growing inside Cordy. Angel, on the other hand, is a man of action. His first move is to track down Wilson and beat the information out of him.
Bartender: “So, you’re the boyfriend?”
Angel: “No, I’m family.”
FEELS. FEELS EVERYWHERE. A FEELS EXPLOSION HAS OCCURRED.
One of the few highlights of this episode is the ultrasound scene between the doctor, Cordelia, and Wesley. It’s played as incredibly creepy and the musical score is superb. When the doctor revealed that there were seven heartbeats, my heart started racing. When the fluid they extracted from Cordelia burns through the damn floor, I felt like this episode could be salvaged...then Cordelia is possessed by the babies, drinks the blood in Angel’s fridge (ewww! To quote Angel, “I don’t think I’ve ever realised just how disgusting that was”), and we’re subjected to the ridiculous Haxil demon causing all this mess.
All hope is not lost, though. Let’s take a moment to appreciate how underratedly funny Alexis Denisof is. More than any other Buffyverse character, Wesley has me in stitches. Everyone talks about how funny Spike is. How funny Xander is. How funny Andrew, Anya, and Giles can be...but, for me, Wesley trumps all of those characters. Alexis is the undisputed king of physical comedy. Alexis Denisof single-handedly saves the fight scene of this episode from being a failure. Some highlights include...
Angel: “Wesley, can you shoot straight?”
Wesley: “Beg your pardon?”
----------------------------------------
Wesley: “Wesley Wyndam-Pryce: Rogue Demon Hunter. And I’m here to fight you sir, to the death...preferably yours.”
----------------------------------------
Wesley: “I like to get to know my opponents before I engage them in mortal combat. Do you have any hobbies?”
I give you the comedic genius of Alexis Denisof and Wesley Wyndam-Pryce!
Cordelia destroys the Haxil demon by smashing its frozen-self to pieces, which worked visually and I imagine was rather therapeutic for Cordy.
Good Lord, look at the ridiculously old computer monitor that Angel Investigations have! Hello 21st century! Welcome, have a cookie! Things have improved since your day. No longer do we have monitors that are as thick as they are tall and wide.
Cordelia: “I learnt that I have two people that I trust absolutely with my life.”
That is the saving grace of this episode. As far as bonding episodes go for Angel Investigations, this one ranks amongst the highest. Wesley crying at Cordelia’s declaration is the perfect ending to an episode that is all about Angel, Cordy, and Wesley being a family. If the closing scene in “Parting Gifts” (them sat around eating breakfast) was the beginning of the new Angel Investigations, then the closing scene in this episode is the cementing of the new team. Wesley is now a part of the family in every sense of the word and Angel and Cordelia are closer than ever before.
Quote Of The Episode
Wesley: “You don’t think sticking the axe in the wall put them off?”
Angel: “That was charming...”
Wesley: “What about the fact that they thought we were gay?”
Angel: “Adds mystery.”
FINAL SCORE: 4/10
With that being said, let’s get started, shall we?
“Expecting” is a mixed-bag of an episode, but there is more bad than good. I hate saying that because I adore “Angel” so much and absolutely love Cordelia as a character. However, this episode has very little going for it. “Expecting” explores the negative consequences of sex in your early life. It does this through Cordelia being impregnated by a demon for the first time. This is not the last time or even second last time that Cordelia is impregnated by a demon or supernatural being. She’s also impregnated against her will in season two’s “Epiphany”, she’s almost forced into mating with the Groosalugg in Pylea, and she’s yet again impregnated against her will by Jasmine in the fourth season. I think it’s time she started wearing a hazmat suit and a chastity belt. Part of the reason I can’t get into this episode is because I despise the over-used storyline of a human female being impregnated against her will by something supernatural. It seems to happen on every sci-fi or supernatural show and it’s almost never handled delicately or successfully. It’s so clichéd! In essence, a female character is being raped. Yes, she has sex with Wilson willingly, but she is unwillingly impregnated with a demon spawn, so I’m not calling it legitimate. FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, CAN SOMEBODY IN THE BUFFYVERSE HAVE SEX WITHOUT IT BEING A NEGATIVE THING?! GEEZ! Sex is healthy and normal so long as it’s wanted by both parties! Just like alcohol in the Buffyverse, sex never leads to anything positive or good. On top of that, the plot is cheesy, the villain is laughable, and the supernatural abortion isn’t handled tastefully. Let’s call this episode what it is: a supernatural abortion. While I appreciate the show tackling such a taboo issue, I don’t think it portrays abortion accurately. Cordelia is possessed after the demon baby takes control of her, but Cordelia seems to care of grieve very little after the demon baby is destroyed. Sure, the death causes Cordelia’s possession to be eliminated so she probably doesn’t care about it anymore, but why deal with pregnancy and abortion and then portray it inaccurately?
Well, that got deep, didn’t it? Now that I’ve aired my grievances with the episode, let’s focus on the biggest strength of the episode...the relationship between the core three characters. “Expecting” shows us just how close Angel, Wesley, and Cordelia are. The strength of the relationships between Angel, Cordelia, Doyle, Wesley, Gunn, Lorne, and Fred is a big part of the reason why I adore the first two and a half seasons of “Angel”. I love watching them support each other, I love watching them all interact, and I love watching them be a family.
The episode opens with the core three interacting. Wesley arrives at Angel Investigations headquarters, highly enthusiastic at the prospect of going out and fighting evil. After discovering that all is quiet on the evil front, he shows equal enthusiasm for playing ‘word puzzle 3D’ against Angel or Cordelia. I like to think that when Cordelia leaves for her date, Angel and Wesley spend a portion of the night playing word puzzle 3D in an intensity-filled battle with tensions flaring. Cordelia’s friends arrive to take her out for the night and it’s clear that Angel is genuinely offended that Cordelia didn’t tell him she is going out on a date. It is a little unusual that she didn’t tell him. Since Doyle died, Angel and Cordelia are all each other has. Perhaps she didn’t want Angel to act all big brotherly and scare off her date? I also get a great deal of joy in watching Wesley act like a complete doofus in front of Cordy’s friends and accidentally stick his axe through a wall. That is why you don’t play with weapons in the house, Wesley! Cordy’s friends think that Angel and Wesley are a gay couple. Suddenly I’m getting mental images of my ‘word puzzle 3D’ theory ending in the board being thrown across the room as Angel and Wesley lunge at each other passionately. You just know that Wesley gets turned on by word games...
Wesley: “Don’t move a muscle, demon spawn! Cowards! Don’t make me thrash it out of you! Where do you lay your eggs? In the cellar?”
Angel: “Wesley....”
Wesley: “In the bedroom?”
Angel: “Yeah, that’s right. Termites lay their eggs anywhere, such as next door...we fight termites, wherever they may roam.”
Wesley and Angel breaking into wrong house is hilarious. It’s a good call-back to Angel jumping into the wrong car in the pilot episode, “City Of”. Just because they’re heroic demon fighters/rogue demon hunters, it doesn’t mean they don’t make comical mistakes. Angel and Wesley make an oddly great team and seeing them interact together in “Parting Gifts” and this episode makes me appreciate their friendship. It’s interesting to see just how close they’ve become in such a short space of time. Just two episodes ago, Wesley arrived in Los Angeles and Angel thought he was a moron. Now, here they are acting like best friends! It’s unexpected that Angel and Wesley would grow so close so soon, but I definitely enjoy watching them interact with each other. I bet they bond over their mutual annoyance of Americans and reminisce about their glory days in England and Ireland.
Way before we learn that Wilson was using Cordelia for a demonic pregnancy, I thought he was a douche. He was sleazy, manipulative, boring, and was the type of guy that you instantly hate without knowing why you hate them. Even Dennis seems to pick up on the fact that Wilson is bad news because he changes the music and makes the lights flicker to warn Cordelia that Wilson isn’t the nice guy he seems to be...that or he was jealous. Cordelia and Dennis do share special loofah time together, after all. Dennis repeats this pattern of trying to warn Cordelia later in the season when he tries to stop Cordelia entering the apartment because Faith is waiting inside. Have I mentioned how much I adore Dennis? I wish I had a friendly ghost living in my house that would pass me things...
After Cordelia wakes up pregnant, we truly get to see the strength of the relationship between Angel, Cordy, and Wesley. Angel and Wesley are both supporting a crying Cordelia like two older brothers would. Wesley is the brains of the group. He instantly goes into research mode and starts to investigate what is growing inside Cordy. Angel, on the other hand, is a man of action. His first move is to track down Wilson and beat the information out of him.
Bartender: “So, you’re the boyfriend?”
Angel: “No, I’m family.”
FEELS. FEELS EVERYWHERE. A FEELS EXPLOSION HAS OCCURRED.
One of the few highlights of this episode is the ultrasound scene between the doctor, Cordelia, and Wesley. It’s played as incredibly creepy and the musical score is superb. When the doctor revealed that there were seven heartbeats, my heart started racing. When the fluid they extracted from Cordelia burns through the damn floor, I felt like this episode could be salvaged...then Cordelia is possessed by the babies, drinks the blood in Angel’s fridge (ewww! To quote Angel, “I don’t think I’ve ever realised just how disgusting that was”), and we’re subjected to the ridiculous Haxil demon causing all this mess.
All hope is not lost, though. Let’s take a moment to appreciate how underratedly funny Alexis Denisof is. More than any other Buffyverse character, Wesley has me in stitches. Everyone talks about how funny Spike is. How funny Xander is. How funny Andrew, Anya, and Giles can be...but, for me, Wesley trumps all of those characters. Alexis is the undisputed king of physical comedy. Alexis Denisof single-handedly saves the fight scene of this episode from being a failure. Some highlights include...
Angel: “Wesley, can you shoot straight?”
Wesley: “Beg your pardon?”
----------------------------------------
Wesley: “Wesley Wyndam-Pryce: Rogue Demon Hunter. And I’m here to fight you sir, to the death...preferably yours.”
----------------------------------------
Wesley: “I like to get to know my opponents before I engage them in mortal combat. Do you have any hobbies?”
I give you the comedic genius of Alexis Denisof and Wesley Wyndam-Pryce!
Cordelia destroys the Haxil demon by smashing its frozen-self to pieces, which worked visually and I imagine was rather therapeutic for Cordy.
Good Lord, look at the ridiculously old computer monitor that Angel Investigations have! Hello 21st century! Welcome, have a cookie! Things have improved since your day. No longer do we have monitors that are as thick as they are tall and wide.
Cordelia: “I learnt that I have two people that I trust absolutely with my life.”
That is the saving grace of this episode. As far as bonding episodes go for Angel Investigations, this one ranks amongst the highest. Wesley crying at Cordelia’s declaration is the perfect ending to an episode that is all about Angel, Cordy, and Wesley being a family. If the closing scene in “Parting Gifts” (them sat around eating breakfast) was the beginning of the new Angel Investigations, then the closing scene in this episode is the cementing of the new team. Wesley is now a part of the family in every sense of the word and Angel and Cordelia are closer than ever before.
Quote Of The Episode
Wesley: “You don’t think sticking the axe in the wall put them off?”
Angel: “That was charming...”
Wesley: “What about the fact that they thought we were gay?”
Angel: “Adds mystery.”
FINAL SCORE: 4/10
What are your thoughts on "Expecting"? Did you enjoy this episode? Dislike it? Let me know all your thoughts in the comments section below!
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WOW! Your review was intense! You really know how to put yourself out there, not unlike Wesley Wyndam Price. I was not too impressed with this particular episode but I totally would not have missed your review. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteThis is one of those episodes that, when I haven't seen it for a while, I think of it and think 'ugh, not that one..' because I just remember 'mystical pregnancy' and automatically think 'shitty episode'. But then I watch it and remember that it's actually pretty decent. As you've pointed out, what saves it is the sensitive portrayal of Angel and Wesley's reactions and the way it establishes the three of them as kind of a family unit.
ReplyDeleteInterestingly, I read somewhere (or maybe it was in the DVD commentary?) that when this episode was first written, the scene where Wes and Angel find Cordy in her bedroom was written as a comedy scene, with the whole pregnancy thing played for laughs. And then Joss got his hands on it and insisted that it be changed and played as a serious scene instead. Imagine how different things might have been if they'd gone with the comedy angle? The episode would almost certainly have been super-shitty, but more importantly I think it would take away some really important development for Cordy, and for the three of them as a group. So, well done Joss I guess!
Random side note: I would absolutely play "Word Puzzle 3D" with Wesley. Yay for board games.
ReplyDeleteEven though the storyline is a little yucky, I do like to re-watch this episode. Angel and Wesley are at their adorable best in relation to Cordelia, and you can really see the dynamic of the core characters starting to click.
Mystical pregnancies are just part of working the whole magic and demons things....and sometimes there is good sex, (Xander and Anya) even life saving sex. But, yeah - sex is opening a very scary door....but it kinda fits with all the other scary doors. It's just exaggerated in impact. I don't know if anyone here has ever had a relationship that went way too fast or totally blew up and sex was bad because all the rest was bad, Sexuality has so much power to hurt in real life. So the mystical pregnancy doesn't bother me as a vehicle for the plot. I mean everything can blow up in your face in the Whedonverse, so why not sex?
ReplyDeleteYes, Wesley is making baby steps toward becoming...more mature and less self conscious Wesley. This is a good thing. It also shows how much this relationship with Cordy and Angel is really important. I really like the interplay with Wes and Angel because clueless Angel is so fun!
To be honest, I've never noticed this "sex = bad" thing in the Buffyverse before reading your blog, and I'm not sure it's a conscience effort on their part, so much as just a portraying of the negative, and skipping over the positive... For instance, Xander and Anya's sex life is almost never mentioned, but could be considered a positive/healthy thing. Willow's sex life sound healthy too, even though she had to break things up with Oz because of an affair. As for Giles, we can only speculate, but he hasn't been pregnant with any demon spawn so far.
ReplyDelete