Angel, "Dad" Review (3x10)

Brief Synopsis: “Angel discovers how hard it is being a new dad, especially when the demon underworld and an evil law firm are after his newborn son. Will Angel be able to keep his son safe from the hordes of demons or will his desire to keep his son safe cost him his friendships?”


"Lullaby" (3x09) quick link here                                                                                                                                 "Birthday" (3x11) quick link here

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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?



Before I dive into the review itself, there are a few quotes that I wish to include that didn’t naturally fit into the review...

Wesley: “Not to mention some bastard’s blown a gaping hole in the lift.”
Angel: “Sorry, my bastard.”
Wesley: “...Oh. Well, it’s not like we ever use it.”
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 Cordy: “Are you gonna circumcise?”
*Baby Connor starts to scream louder*
Gunn: “I think he heard you.”
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Angel: “The vampire-demon-biker posse, that’s the easy part. The part that scares me is all the questions. ‘Why is the sky blue?’, ‘why do people get sick?’, ‘why is there always pigs’ blood in the fridge?’...I don’t have all the answers. Well, I do to that last one.”

If you could define season three in one word, what would it be? For me, it’s “family”. Time and time again the show emphasises how close the members of Angel Investigations have grown. From them dressing up and going to the ballet, to Angel and Cordy’s romantic entanglements, to Wesley and Gunn’s bromance, to Angel and Lorne becoming parents to Connor, to Fred’s growing attachment to both Wesley and Gunn, everyone seems to be functioning as a unit...until “Sleep Tight” at least. When you think about all five seasons of the show, the first fifteen episodes of season three is the apex of the togetherness of the core characters. These characters have travelled to different dimensions together, they’ve fought together, survived hardships together, survived tragic deaths together (Doyle), and the result is that they’ve become a surrogate family. With all of this information taken into account, did the writers really believe that we’d accept Angel leaving his entire team to potentially die at the hands of a horde of demons and monsters? This aspect of “Dad” falls flat because it’s too hard to buy, even after the reveal that it was a setup. However, outside of that, “Dad” delivers on most fronts, resulting in a very good, albeit not great, episode.

Darla is gone forever. There will be no magical resurrection this time, no reprise. Darla’s last request to Angel was for him to protect their son, which is something that Angel has taken to heart in a big way. While some of Angel’s actions in this episode could be deemed irrational, I can certainly empathise with where he’s coming from. Angel’s sire, his former lover, and the mother of his child is gone. Losing Darla – especially after their bonding scenes in “Quickening” and “Lullaby” – would have been extremely hard for Angel to take in itself, but now he has to deal with becoming a single father as well. What makes this story work is that the show has spent a season and a half building up Angel and Darla’s deep, complex history. We’ve seen the best and worst of Angel and Darla. We’ve witnessed them soulless and terrorising Europe, we’ve seen them crying in each other’s arms and bonding over their son’s human heartbeat, and we’ve seen their final moments together. Angel is taking Darla’s final request very, very seriously. A little too seriously in fact. He won’t let anyone else touch his son, won’t let them nurture his son, won’t let them help in any way.

Lorne: “I’m sensing a serious mama bear vibe.”

To be honest, this behaviour fits Angel’s character perfectly. When he feels overwhelmed or pouty, he broods and over-corrects. Here, he over-corrects by taking Darla’s last request too literally and forbidding anyone to go near his son. However, can you blame him in this instance? Angel has had a lot to deal with in a matter of hours. His son was dying, then his sire died, and now he’s a single father with a horde of angry monsters trying to either kill or experiment on his child...or see how his bones affect their soup recipe. Also, let’s not forget that Angel’s a vampire. Conceiving a child with Darla was as likely as getting a sun tan or being blessed by a priest. This miracle child has entered his life and turned everything on its head. Angel’s priorities have all drastically shifted now and Connor’s needs are taking precedence, which they should. When you combine all of these factors, the over-corrections and his actions are not only acceptable, but they’re to be expected. Connor is a few hours old and already he has a list of enemies, a torn cheek, and a deceased mother. Angel is trying to be everything for Connor to protect him. When you look at things from this perspective, Angel abandoning his friends (A.K.A. the red herring) could be plausible if you were a casual fan of the show or this was the first episode you were watching. However, taking the last half of season two and the first half of season three into account, Angel would never leave his friends behind to die in this way...even if the merest mention of Darla’s name does seem to encourage Angel to act like a tool most of the time.

Speaking of the horde of demons, I didn’t particularly enjoy their placement in the episode. I understand the need for them to be there, but they aren’t fleshed out well enough to be memorable. It makes sense than people would want to kill or experiment on a child of two vampires, but why should we care about them? Why should we see them as a threat? They barely get mentioned individually, and their motivations are stated, but not explored. They just screamed ‘cannon fodder’. This situation could have been avoided to a certain extent by giving the villains more screen time or by bringing back some people that we’ve seen before. I never once expected a character to be killed or seriously maimed by any villain in this episode, which hurts its impact. Even with these obvious and important flaws, I can overlook them because the demons, while posing no threat, do serve a purpose. They further strengthen the relationship between Angel and his team, while also starting to build the foundation for Angel and Connor’s relationship. There’s nothing like imminent death to bind people together. Outside of the members of Angel Investigations, everyone who knows about Connor’s existence seems to want him dead or dissected. Holtz wants Connor to dish out some poetic vengeance against Angel, Wolfram & Hart wants Connor to figure out why he’s alive...the episode does a good job of making Connor sympathetic, even though we have no emotional ties to him other than the fact he’s Angel’s son. Angel doesn’t want to keep Connor safe because he’s the centre of some prophecy, he wants him safe because he loves him. It’s these moments where the team are trying to keep Connor safe and are bonding through Connor where the episode is at its best. Two scenes here stand out above the rest...

 

 

 
Firstly, we have Angel trying to bond with his son in his bedroom. It’s instantly apparent that Angel has evolved and grown a significant amount since the events of Darth Angel in the last season. Angel no longer views his vampire side as a disgusting, horrific thing. He doesn’t need to hide part of his identity anymore. Notice how Angel shows Connor his vampire face. He doesn’t want to blind Connor to what or who he is. He doesn’t want Connor to be afraid of his vampire nature. Furthermore, becoming human is no longer Angel’s only motivation. Angel has a family. Both surrogate and biological. Whether human or vampire, Angel has ties to life. When Lorne tells Angel to really look at his son, Angel melts...metaphorically speaking. For years and years Angel has existed, but he’s had little to live for outside of that continued existence. Sure, he had Buffy for a few years, but what else has he had for the past 150 years? He didn’t have friends in Sunnydale, he didn’t have a surrogate family in Sunnydale, he just had Buffy, and deep down he knew that they were in no position to make their relationship work in the long-run at that time. Now, Angel has a future that goes beyond merely continuing to exist. This is a huge and game-changing part of Angel’s journey. Oh, also, Angel making baby noises and pulling funny faces while in vampire face is the greatest thing in the history of television or any form of media...or since Angel and Wesley danced in “She”. Imagine Angelus’ internal monologue during these moments. He must be incandescent with rage.

Cordelia: “We’re going outside, where your son is gonna wanna go play. Where you have to rush him to the hospital if he gets sick in the daytime. But I see your point. You can’t go outside during the day like other parents because you’re a vampire. And even if you weren’t, you can’t do everything for him.”

This is the second scene that really stands out and is easily my favourite scene of the episode. Simply, Angel is a vampire. Unless the Shanshu Prophecy takes effect, Angel will never be able to take his son outside. He’ll never be able to go out with him during the day or do a great deal of things that regular fathers are able to do with their children. More importantly, even if Angel was a human, he can’t do everything for Connor. He can’t tick every box and fill every need by himself. It’s simply not possible for any one person to do that. Angel, like Connor, needs his family to help him, or in this instance his surrogate family. If Connor had arrived on the show a year ago, this statement from Cordelia wouldn’t hold nearly as much weight as it does here. The team have been through so many trials and tribulations together since Darth Angel emerged and subsequently disappeared that the team really are a family. Not just close friends like the first two seasons, but a legitimate family unit. Cordelia isn’t just saying this to Angel because it’s true, she’s saying it because she loves Angel and his newborn son. She wants what’s best for both of them. Remember the Cordelia of Sunnydale High that used to care about nothing but herself? Such impressive, realistic character growth. It’s also worth remembering that Angel is used to acting alone. He was alone for a hundred years with nobody to rely on except himself. It’s second nature for Angel to assume that he needs to be everything for his son. He’s not used to having a family around him.

Sahjhan: “They’re choking! Do you know the Heimlich? I can’t do it in this dimension. My arms will go right through them.”

For the 3rd episode in a row, Holtz’s story very much mirrors Angel’s. One of the most fascinating things about this season is the dynamic between Angel and Holtz. Their journeys are so poetically paralleled that I can’t help but get caught up in it. In “Dad”, both of these characters are choosing to act alone and do things in their own way, rather than following the easiest path. Angel keeps his friends at a distance and doesn’t allow anyone to go near Connor because he feels that he knows best, whereas Holtz is poisoning his demon army in favour of human recruits who happen to have a vendetta against vampires. The most compelling part of this is that both of them are doing it for the same reason...their children. One is doing it to protect a child that has just been born, while the other is doing it for his children long dead. Holtz seeking out his own soldiers who’re dedicated to his cause and are willing to die for it is genius. It’s a brilliant strategy by the writing staff and by Holtz. He doesn’t just want an army bred to maim and kill, he wants people that have a stake (pun-believable!) in the outcome. What motivation do the demons have to stay loyal to Holtz if things get rough? Zero. I firmly believe that if Holtz killed Angel and survived, he’d continue to build his army and expand his horizons to destroying all vampires and demons. The first recruit that Holtz collects is Justine, whose twin sister was murdered by vampires. Justine copes with her sister’s death by getting drunk all the time and drifting through life...been there. Holtz is going to take Justine’s thirst for a fight and thirst for vengeance, and he’s going to channel it into something constructive. He’s going to train her, guide her, teach her, and then release her on the undead...are we seeing a parallel here? Holtz is Justine’s Watcher! Plus, he’s English like Giles and Wesley! Imagine if Faith had hooked up with Holtz right after waking from her coma. It would have been chaos. Another twisted parallel between Holtz and Angel is the way they use their surrogate family. Angel ends up leaning on his friends for support and guidance, whereas Holtz is using his surrogate family for his own selfish desire for revenge. He doesn’t care if they live or die as long as he gets what he wants. This gives Holtz an advantage when the two surrogate families go head-to-head later in the season. Angel cares about his, Holtz doesn’t. Angel is trying to keep everyone alive and undamaged, Holtz isn’t. This gives Holtz an extra weapon in his arsenal. 

The final villainous group in this episode is our favourite recurring law firm, Wolfram & Hart, who are nothing of a threat this season whatsoever. Seriously, with Holland dead, Lindsey gone, and Lilah working under Linwood, they’re a shell of their former self. Linwood lacks Holland’s conviction and drive, he lacks Lindsey’s unrelenting hatred for Angel, and he lacks Lilah’s cunning. Between Linwood and Gavin, I’m surprised the Senior Partners haven’t sacrificed the entire branch already. Due to Linwood’s fear of, well, everything, Angel successfully threatens Linwood at the end of the episode and tells Linwood that whatever happens to Connor will happen to Linwood. It’s just a shame that Angel doesn’t follow through on this promise and throw Linwood into the portal heading to Quor’toth. Most of “Dad” is spent with Lilah in the files and records room, which is entertaining. The room is humongous and after hours of searching, Lilah discovers that the receptionist in files and records knows everything in every file because she’s a robot. That’s a very sophisticated robot. She should have taught Adam a few of her techniques.

After leaving his friends to die (not), Angel drives away into the night with baby Connor and baby Connor’s favourite teddy bear. I do appreciate Angel’s dialogue to Connor during the chase scene because it enforces that Angel is totally unprepared to be a father, which everyone is in the beginning. He feels as though he has no answers for Connor’s questions and that he’ll be a bad father because of his vampire nature and the fact that if he receives ‘perfect happiness’ he might try and eat his son...but these are insignificant problems, right? After the demon hordes surround Angel and baby Connor, Angel throws his son into the air and allows the demon hordes to have him, which is rather out of character for Angel. Angel quickly escapes the quarry as the camera pans down to reveal that baby Connor is in fact Connor’s teddy bear with a bomb inside. Poor Teddy. He made the ultimate sacrifice in this episode. Why does everyone praise Buffy for her sacrifice in “The Gift”, but Teddy barely gets mentioned for his equally noble sacrifice? Bloody double standards. Does anyone else find it disturbingly foreshadowing that Angel used Connor’s teddy bear as a bomb? Remember, Connor’s original life is snuffed out by Angel slashing his throat with a knife after Connor strapped bombs to a group of people in a department store. Hauntingly poetic.

Even though the idea of Angel walking out on his friends at this juncture was ludicrous, I do like the way the fake plan was trapped, with Lorne casually mentioning the janitor’s closet and handing Angel a note on screen, which almost nobody watching seemed to notice until the reveal. Very smartly done.

Doctor: “We don’t seem to have his...what’s his name?”
Angel: “Connor. His name is Connor.”

It’s nice to see Liam sticking to his Irish roots with that name choice. By the conclusion of “Dad”, Angel has started to accept and grow into his role as a father to Connor. The process isn’t going to be an easy one, but with his friends around him to support him, Angel knows that he can be a good father, and he’ll do anything to protect his son. Aww! All is well that ends well...this is Joss, people. It’s never going to last more than a few episodes. After a hundred years of moping, loneliness, isolation, and trying to find a purpose, Angel has one. Not a Shanshu Prophecy or a quest, but a genuine purpose in this world. Angel sacrificed his body and mind to protect Darla in “The Trial” and give her another chance at life, only to be told it was impossible to give her one because she was already living her second chance. This is the second chance that Angel earned. This is his reward. The togetherness and stability of the group is at an all-time high and for once in his afterlife Angel is happy. Sure, it won’t last. Sure, it’ll fall apart, but let’s appreciate these moments of joy while they’re here.

Quote Of The Episode

Wesley: “Angel we could use your help when you’re finished changing the baby...who’s being changed on my desk.”

Angel: “Sorry, I needed the space.”

Wesley: “Of course. And seeing as you once nearly had sex on my desk, I shouldn’t be surprised that now there’s a baby on it.”

Angel: “Hey! First of all, that wasn’t me, that was some guy who switched bodies with me. And second of all, can we keep the S-E-X talk away from the baby?”

Wesley: “Do you need help?”

Angel: “Uhh, no, Wes. I know how to change a diaper...a normal one with pins. It’s these newfangled fasteners.”

Wesley: “Did you know that diapers are lined with a space-age material originally designed for NASA astronauts? Hmm, interesting...though now I’m picturing grown men in nappies and am rather disturbed.”



FINAL SCORE: 7/10

What are your thoughts on "Dad"? Did you enjoy this episode? Dislike it? Let me know all your thoughts in the comments section below!

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