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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?
“I’ve Got You Under My Skin” is rarely mentioned on people’s “top episodes” list or even on many people’s “best of ‘Angel’ season one” list, which I feel is a travesty. It’s interesting, captivating, and a pretty decent attempt at a horror episode. Throw in the character development and emotional layering for Wesley and the callbacks to Doyle’s sacrifice earlier in the season and you have an episode that is truly memorable. The primary reason why this episode works so well outside of the character development for the members of Angel Investigations is because the episode is filled with twists and turns. You think it’s the father, but it’s not. Then you expect the priest to do the exorcism, but he’s dead. Then it turns out the boy is soulless and evil, not the Ethros demon. It leaves you on the edge of your seat for almost the entirety of the 42 minutes. As far as standalone episodes go, this is right up there with the best that “Angel” season one has to offer. In essence, what the episode does is throw the concept of Angel on its head. The lead character of the show is unique in that he’s a vampire with a soul. What this episode gives us is the opposite of that – a human boy without a soul.
The episode title of “I’ve Got You Under My Skin” is creative because it ties into the lyrics of the Frank Sinatra song, but also gives us a character that literally has a demon under his skin.
Angel: “She’s making brownies.”
Wesley: “Oh, is that what I smell? I thought I tracked something in.”
The episode opens on a fittingly humourous scene between our core three characters. Humourous, that is, until Angel accidentally calls Wesley “Doyle”. I love that moment for a multitude of reasons. Firstly, it means that Doyle is still on Angel’s mind. Due to Angel being such a mopey, broody git at this point, it’s usually pretty hard to figure out what he’s feeling or thinking. Angel’s slip-up means that Doyle’s death wasn’t just over and dealt with after “Parting Gifts”. A lot of shows, including “Buffy The Vampire Slayer” and “Angel” at times, gloss over important character deaths far too quickly. It’s not realistic for the remaining characters to deal with it and move on after a few short weeks. As most of you know, I lost my best friend a few weeks before my 18th birthday and it took me the better part of five years to get over his death. Angel should be missing Doyle. Cordelia should be missing Doyle. They were a family. Even though their family dynamic was short lived, Doyle helped Cordelia become a more selfless, caring person (not to mention giving her the visions) and he helped get Angel back on his path to redemption. His contributions to Angel and Cordelia’s characters shouldn’t be overlooked because of his short duration on the show. Angel calling Wesley “Doyle” also means that Cordelia and Angel can have a heart-to-heart about how Angel is feeling, which is always a great addition to an episode. They’re the only two characters that have survived the first fourteen episodes of the show and it’s a great moment to see them bonding over their fallen brethren, especially when you consider what is to come for these two characters. Angel feels like he let Doyle down, he feels like Doyle’s death was his fault, and that he should have been the one to die, not Doyle. Angel feeling this way will come into play later on in this episode in relation to Wesley.
In addition to how the slip-up made Cordelia and Angel react, it has equally important ramifications for Wesley. It makes Wesley question his role in Angel Investigations. He knows that he can never replace Doyle and may never be as close to Angel or Cordelia as Doyle was. So what does he have to offer? How can he prove himself a hero like Angel, Cordelia, and Doyle? Like Doyle in “Hero”, Wesley feels like he can never match up to Angel. Remember, in “Hero”, Doyle mentions that he’d never have the type of strength that Angel had to sacrifice his humanity and relationship with Buffy for the greater good. Without Angel’s leadership and example, would Doyle have found the strength to sacrifice himself and save everyone? Probably not. Now we have Doyle’s replacement in the team facing the same issue. He doesn’t feel good enough and in feeling that way, he’s willing to risk anything to gain Angel’s approval and justify his place on the team...even trying to perform an exorcism.
To distract us from all this Doyle drama, Cordelia has a vision of a family in danger. In going through the Anderson’s trash (eww!), Wesley discovers that one of the family is possessed by a demon...at least Cordelia hasn’t been impregnated for once, I suppose. Silver-lining, anyone? Angel saves Ryan Anderson from being hit by a car and pretends that his name is ‘Angel Jones’...way to be creative with your fake surname, Angel. I prefer Fred’s fake name for Angel in season three: “Geraldo Angel”. Much cooler.
It’s at this point that the first big twist of the episode happens. Seth isn’t the one possessed, Ryan is. In hindsight, it’s pretty clear that Seth isn’t going to be the one possessed because it’s too obvious. However, the moment when Ryan eats the brownie and the terrible CGI reveals that he’s the demon, it’s a big moment for the episode. Suddenly, Seth’s behaviour towards Angel takes on a new meaning. Seth has been rude and suspicious towards Angel because he’s a man desperately trying to hold his family together. He’s at the cusp of reaching his breaking point and the last thing he needs is a stranger sniffing around asking questions about his son. This is a man that has been struggling to keep his family together for a long time and now Angel has offered him a way out. His behaviour towards Angel changes instantly after Angel reveals that he can help them. The parallels between Angel and Seth are apparent. Both of them are struggling fathers desperately clinging onto their broken families, trying to keep them together. In Angel’s case, his children are Cordelia and Wesley.
I’ve also got to mention two other fantastic things about this episode that make it standout as highly memorable. Firstly, the musical scores are eerie and different to anything else we’ve heard on the show thus far. Robert J. Kral goes out of his way to make this episode feel differently and more like a horror film. The results are terrific. Secondly, the quality of guest acting is some of the highest of the first season of “Angel”. Jesse James is absolutely flawless as Ryan Anderson. He went on to star in “The Butterfly Effect” and a load of other decent films. Will Kempe, Katy Boyer, Anthony Cistaro...all superb. In fact, Anthony Cistaro also played Trask (one of the main Scourge) in “Hero”. Patience Cleveland also does an amazing job with her role as the nun. It’s not the biggest role in the world, but she makes it memorable by talking in such a chilling way. Seriously, that scene used to scare the crap out of me when I was a child. R.I.P., Patience, you talented woman.
Wesley: “A father doesn’t have to be possessed to terrorise his children. He just has to...”
“I’ve Got You Under My Skin” is also significant for raising Wesley’s daddy issues for the first time. We don’t know a great deal about Wesley’s childhood or relationship with his father until his ‘father’ makes an appearance in “Angel” season five’s “Lineage”. What we do know thus far is that Wesley has a very turbulent relationship with his father, which gets mentioned by Wesley every now and then over the next five years. It appears as though Wesley has spent his entire life trying to gain his father’s praise and approval and no matter what he does, he can never and will never get that approval. Boy, can I relate to that! I’m sharing daddy issues with Wesley...Wesley’s daddy issues combined with his thirst to prove himself to Angel is a recipe for disaster. This leads to Wesley deciding to perform the exorcism...
Angel: “Wesley, you don’t even have sales resistance. How many thighmasters do you own?”
Wesley: “The second one was a free gift with my buns of steel!”
That’s not going to be the winning argument, Wes. Cordelia wondering if she should put down plastic due to potential exorcism vomiting is more hilarious than I can handle. Of course, after the exorcism starts, the Ethros demons starts playing on Wesley’s insecurities in order to throw him off balance...
Ethros Demon (Ryan): “All those hours locked up under the stairs and you still weren’t good enough. Not good enough for Daddy, not good enough for the Council.”
As mentioned before, Wesley’s biggest fear is that he’s not good enough. He wasn’t good enough for his father, he wasn’t good enough for the Watcher’s Council, and now he feels like he’s not good enough for Angel Investigations...it’s kinda heartbreaking to watch Wesley feeling so vulnerable and insecure. Also, what the Ethros demon says here raises an entirely new set of disturbing questions about Wesley’s childhood. Was Wesley locked under the stairs? Was Wesley physically and mentally abused by his father/parents? IS WESLEY HARRY POTTER?! They do look similar! Another interesting parallel to this scene is when Wesley interrogates Angelus about The Beast three years later. By that point, Wesley has grown so confident and secure in himself that Angelus’ comments don’t faze him. Such wonderful character development! Ultimately, this leads to Wesley being stabbed in the neck with a cross! I didn’t see that coming at all!
Wesley being stabbed in the neck (which I thought might have killed him!) makes Angel realise that there are too many similarities between Doyle’s situation in “Hero” and Wesley’s situation now. He doesn’t want Wesley to die trying to prove himself a hero like Doyle did. Angel steps in to perform the exorcism and the Ethros demon starts pretending he’s talking to Doyle! That’s sacred ground, Ethros demon! YOU DON’T MESS WITH DOYLE MEMORIES! The demon is exorcised, the box that was supposed to contain it breaks, the Ethros demon is free, and Ryan is a normal, healthy boy again and his family live happily ever after. If you believe that you must be new to Joss Whedon’s work. Then comes big twist number two...
Ethros demon: “Do you know what the most frightening thing in the world is? Nothing. That’s what I found in the boy. No conscience, no fear, no humanity...just a black void. I couldn’t control him, I couldn’t get out. I never even manifested until you brought me forth. I just sat there and watched as he destroyed everything around him. Not for a belief in evil, not for anything at all. That boy’s mind was the blackest Hell I’ve ever known.”
A boy born without a soul. What a fantastic idea! No conscience, no remorse, no regret, no caring...all in a young boy! We’ve never seen anything like this before in the Buffyverse! Ryan nearly being hit by a car was the Ethros demon trying to kill itself and Ryan! The marbles were the Ethros demon trying to get help! An absolutely amazing twist to this episode that I never saw coming! Angel manages to save Stephanie from a fire that Ryan has started just in time. I always wondered what happened to Ryan after he was arrested? Surely he wouldn’t spend his entire life in jail for starting a fire? What happened to him after he left jail or a juvenile correction facility? Did the Initiative take him in? The Watcher’s Council? Did he become a serial killer and end up on one of Dexter’s plastic wrapped tables? So many unanswered questions!
Quote Of The Episode
Wesley: “That is not appropriate! It’s for killing extinct demons! Angel make her stop...”
Angel: “Cordelia...”
Wesley: “That blade is very old! Who knows what kind of corrosive effect her cooking may have on it.”
Cordelia: “Corrosive effect?”
Angel: “Cordelia, just put down the very sharp knife.”
Wesley: “Well they don’t smell right.”
Cordelia: “I think ‘Mr. Too-Much-Cologne’ is the pot calling the kettle stinky.”
FINAL SCORE: 8/10
With that being said, let’s get started, shall we?
“I’ve Got You Under My Skin” is rarely mentioned on people’s “top episodes” list or even on many people’s “best of ‘Angel’ season one” list, which I feel is a travesty. It’s interesting, captivating, and a pretty decent attempt at a horror episode. Throw in the character development and emotional layering for Wesley and the callbacks to Doyle’s sacrifice earlier in the season and you have an episode that is truly memorable. The primary reason why this episode works so well outside of the character development for the members of Angel Investigations is because the episode is filled with twists and turns. You think it’s the father, but it’s not. Then you expect the priest to do the exorcism, but he’s dead. Then it turns out the boy is soulless and evil, not the Ethros demon. It leaves you on the edge of your seat for almost the entirety of the 42 minutes. As far as standalone episodes go, this is right up there with the best that “Angel” season one has to offer. In essence, what the episode does is throw the concept of Angel on its head. The lead character of the show is unique in that he’s a vampire with a soul. What this episode gives us is the opposite of that – a human boy without a soul.
“I’ve got you under my skin.
I’ve got you deep in the heart of me.
So deep in my heart that you’re really a part of me.
I’ve got you under my skin.”
The episode title of “I’ve Got You Under My Skin” is creative because it ties into the lyrics of the Frank Sinatra song, but also gives us a character that literally has a demon under his skin.
Angel: “She’s making brownies.”
Wesley: “Oh, is that what I smell? I thought I tracked something in.”
The episode opens on a fittingly humourous scene between our core three characters. Humourous, that is, until Angel accidentally calls Wesley “Doyle”. I love that moment for a multitude of reasons. Firstly, it means that Doyle is still on Angel’s mind. Due to Angel being such a mopey, broody git at this point, it’s usually pretty hard to figure out what he’s feeling or thinking. Angel’s slip-up means that Doyle’s death wasn’t just over and dealt with after “Parting Gifts”. A lot of shows, including “Buffy The Vampire Slayer” and “Angel” at times, gloss over important character deaths far too quickly. It’s not realistic for the remaining characters to deal with it and move on after a few short weeks. As most of you know, I lost my best friend a few weeks before my 18th birthday and it took me the better part of five years to get over his death. Angel should be missing Doyle. Cordelia should be missing Doyle. They were a family. Even though their family dynamic was short lived, Doyle helped Cordelia become a more selfless, caring person (not to mention giving her the visions) and he helped get Angel back on his path to redemption. His contributions to Angel and Cordelia’s characters shouldn’t be overlooked because of his short duration on the show. Angel calling Wesley “Doyle” also means that Cordelia and Angel can have a heart-to-heart about how Angel is feeling, which is always a great addition to an episode. They’re the only two characters that have survived the first fourteen episodes of the show and it’s a great moment to see them bonding over their fallen brethren, especially when you consider what is to come for these two characters. Angel feels like he let Doyle down, he feels like Doyle’s death was his fault, and that he should have been the one to die, not Doyle. Angel feeling this way will come into play later on in this episode in relation to Wesley.
In addition to how the slip-up made Cordelia and Angel react, it has equally important ramifications for Wesley. It makes Wesley question his role in Angel Investigations. He knows that he can never replace Doyle and may never be as close to Angel or Cordelia as Doyle was. So what does he have to offer? How can he prove himself a hero like Angel, Cordelia, and Doyle? Like Doyle in “Hero”, Wesley feels like he can never match up to Angel. Remember, in “Hero”, Doyle mentions that he’d never have the type of strength that Angel had to sacrifice his humanity and relationship with Buffy for the greater good. Without Angel’s leadership and example, would Doyle have found the strength to sacrifice himself and save everyone? Probably not. Now we have Doyle’s replacement in the team facing the same issue. He doesn’t feel good enough and in feeling that way, he’s willing to risk anything to gain Angel’s approval and justify his place on the team...even trying to perform an exorcism.
To distract us from all this Doyle drama, Cordelia has a vision of a family in danger. In going through the Anderson’s trash (eww!), Wesley discovers that one of the family is possessed by a demon...at least Cordelia hasn’t been impregnated for once, I suppose. Silver-lining, anyone? Angel saves Ryan Anderson from being hit by a car and pretends that his name is ‘Angel Jones’...way to be creative with your fake surname, Angel. I prefer Fred’s fake name for Angel in season three: “Geraldo Angel”. Much cooler.
It’s at this point that the first big twist of the episode happens. Seth isn’t the one possessed, Ryan is. In hindsight, it’s pretty clear that Seth isn’t going to be the one possessed because it’s too obvious. However, the moment when Ryan eats the brownie and the terrible CGI reveals that he’s the demon, it’s a big moment for the episode. Suddenly, Seth’s behaviour towards Angel takes on a new meaning. Seth has been rude and suspicious towards Angel because he’s a man desperately trying to hold his family together. He’s at the cusp of reaching his breaking point and the last thing he needs is a stranger sniffing around asking questions about his son. This is a man that has been struggling to keep his family together for a long time and now Angel has offered him a way out. His behaviour towards Angel changes instantly after Angel reveals that he can help them. The parallels between Angel and Seth are apparent. Both of them are struggling fathers desperately clinging onto their broken families, trying to keep them together. In Angel’s case, his children are Cordelia and Wesley.
I’ve also got to mention two other fantastic things about this episode that make it standout as highly memorable. Firstly, the musical scores are eerie and different to anything else we’ve heard on the show thus far. Robert J. Kral goes out of his way to make this episode feel differently and more like a horror film. The results are terrific. Secondly, the quality of guest acting is some of the highest of the first season of “Angel”. Jesse James is absolutely flawless as Ryan Anderson. He went on to star in “The Butterfly Effect” and a load of other decent films. Will Kempe, Katy Boyer, Anthony Cistaro...all superb. In fact, Anthony Cistaro also played Trask (one of the main Scourge) in “Hero”. Patience Cleveland also does an amazing job with her role as the nun. It’s not the biggest role in the world, but she makes it memorable by talking in such a chilling way. Seriously, that scene used to scare the crap out of me when I was a child. R.I.P., Patience, you talented woman.
Wesley: “A father doesn’t have to be possessed to terrorise his children. He just has to...”
“I’ve Got You Under My Skin” is also significant for raising Wesley’s daddy issues for the first time. We don’t know a great deal about Wesley’s childhood or relationship with his father until his ‘father’ makes an appearance in “Angel” season five’s “Lineage”. What we do know thus far is that Wesley has a very turbulent relationship with his father, which gets mentioned by Wesley every now and then over the next five years. It appears as though Wesley has spent his entire life trying to gain his father’s praise and approval and no matter what he does, he can never and will never get that approval. Boy, can I relate to that! I’m sharing daddy issues with Wesley...Wesley’s daddy issues combined with his thirst to prove himself to Angel is a recipe for disaster. This leads to Wesley deciding to perform the exorcism...
Angel: “Wesley, you don’t even have sales resistance. How many thighmasters do you own?”
Wesley: “The second one was a free gift with my buns of steel!”
That’s not going to be the winning argument, Wes. Cordelia wondering if she should put down plastic due to potential exorcism vomiting is more hilarious than I can handle. Of course, after the exorcism starts, the Ethros demons starts playing on Wesley’s insecurities in order to throw him off balance...
Ethros Demon (Ryan): “All those hours locked up under the stairs and you still weren’t good enough. Not good enough for Daddy, not good enough for the Council.”
As mentioned before, Wesley’s biggest fear is that he’s not good enough. He wasn’t good enough for his father, he wasn’t good enough for the Watcher’s Council, and now he feels like he’s not good enough for Angel Investigations...it’s kinda heartbreaking to watch Wesley feeling so vulnerable and insecure. Also, what the Ethros demon says here raises an entirely new set of disturbing questions about Wesley’s childhood. Was Wesley locked under the stairs? Was Wesley physically and mentally abused by his father/parents? IS WESLEY HARRY POTTER?! They do look similar! Another interesting parallel to this scene is when Wesley interrogates Angelus about The Beast three years later. By that point, Wesley has grown so confident and secure in himself that Angelus’ comments don’t faze him. Such wonderful character development! Ultimately, this leads to Wesley being stabbed in the neck with a cross! I didn’t see that coming at all!
Wesley being stabbed in the neck (which I thought might have killed him!) makes Angel realise that there are too many similarities between Doyle’s situation in “Hero” and Wesley’s situation now. He doesn’t want Wesley to die trying to prove himself a hero like Doyle did. Angel steps in to perform the exorcism and the Ethros demon starts pretending he’s talking to Doyle! That’s sacred ground, Ethros demon! YOU DON’T MESS WITH DOYLE MEMORIES! The demon is exorcised, the box that was supposed to contain it breaks, the Ethros demon is free, and Ryan is a normal, healthy boy again and his family live happily ever after. If you believe that you must be new to Joss Whedon’s work. Then comes big twist number two...
Ethros demon: “Do you know what the most frightening thing in the world is? Nothing. That’s what I found in the boy. No conscience, no fear, no humanity...just a black void. I couldn’t control him, I couldn’t get out. I never even manifested until you brought me forth. I just sat there and watched as he destroyed everything around him. Not for a belief in evil, not for anything at all. That boy’s mind was the blackest Hell I’ve ever known.”
A boy born without a soul. What a fantastic idea! No conscience, no remorse, no regret, no caring...all in a young boy! We’ve never seen anything like this before in the Buffyverse! Ryan nearly being hit by a car was the Ethros demon trying to kill itself and Ryan! The marbles were the Ethros demon trying to get help! An absolutely amazing twist to this episode that I never saw coming! Angel manages to save Stephanie from a fire that Ryan has started just in time. I always wondered what happened to Ryan after he was arrested? Surely he wouldn’t spend his entire life in jail for starting a fire? What happened to him after he left jail or a juvenile correction facility? Did the Initiative take him in? The Watcher’s Council? Did he become a serial killer and end up on one of Dexter’s plastic wrapped tables? So many unanswered questions!
Quote Of The Episode
Wesley: “That is not appropriate! It’s for killing extinct demons! Angel make her stop...”
Angel: “Cordelia...”
Wesley: “That blade is very old! Who knows what kind of corrosive effect her cooking may have on it.”
Cordelia: “Corrosive effect?”
Angel: “Cordelia, just put down the very sharp knife.”
Wesley: “Well they don’t smell right.”
Cordelia: “I think ‘Mr. Too-Much-Cologne’ is the pot calling the kettle stinky.”
FINAL SCORE: 8/10
What are your thoughts on "I've Got You Under My Skin"? Did you enjoy this episode? Dislike it? Let me know all your thoughts in the comments section below!
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Another great review! Also one of my favorites from season one. I'm also glad they are still missing Doyle, makes their friendship feel more real, stronger. Just wish they did more of this after Your welcome episode (looking forward to your review on that ep) keep up the good work :) Christina
ReplyDeleteThank you very much, Christina! ^_^. Thank you for reading and commenting! I love seeing other people's view points and opinions.
DeleteYeah, it's great that Doyle was mentioned in this episode. Plus, let's not forget, Doyle gets mentioned a lot in season five because Lindsey is working under the alias of 'Doyle' for a while.
I cannot WAIT to get to "You're Welcome"! It's one of my very favourite "Angel" episodes. It's almost TV perfection :)
- Shangel
This is definitely my second favourite episode of season 1 (I will Remember You is my favourite!). Was good to see that Angel and Cordelia are still missing Doyle; he was their friend and as you stated earlier Shangel sometimes the characters in the Buffyverse move on to quick from other characters deaths.
ReplyDeleteRyan was definitely the most evil character throughout the Angel series: Yeah most demons and vampires are evil due gi their nature or they have a cause okay that is cool. But, Ryan was a human boy WITH NO SOUL! He committed evil acts because he felt nothing for anything or anybody... That is truly scary.
Overall this episode gets 9/10 from me.
Love your reviews Shangel :D