Do you have anything to do with anything?
“Slouching Toward Bethlehem” (best title ever!) is a bit of a mixed bag. The episode earns itself a lot of slack in Fred’s acknowledgement that Cordy’s amnesia is a bit contrived but, interesting as some of the ideas are, there still aren’t any significant stakes at play. Watching the gang try to rebuild their friendship from scratch certainly had some potential, but its mostly played for comedy (albeit good comedy) and there’s never any sense that things might go wrong here. The vulnerability inherent in Cordy’s memory loss isn’t exploited in any meaningful way and the final outcome feels a bit anti-climactic.
I’ll circle back to the AI team shortly, but I want to start off by talking about Wes and Lilah. Delightful as its been to watch them wallow in each other its even better when there’s some emotional weight to the proceedings. Wes may be the one to call what they’re doing a relationship, but it’s Lilah’s reaction that confirms it. Her delight in his vulnerability confirms her own, a fact that she realizes and tries to backpedal (props to Stephanie Romanov’s performance). The fact that both Lilah and Wesley choose to exploit their newfound connection does not make any less genuine. The feelings are real, they’re merely secondary to their respective agendas, a fact that aligns the two of them in ways that neither are happy about.
The themes of trust and deception are dealt with more directly in the main plot as the gang tries to connect with the amnesiac Cordy without letting her in on the unnatural nature of their work. “Honesty is the best policy” is a gross oversimplification of the gang’s mistake here as the lies don’t just prevent Cordelia from trusting them, they keep her from discovering who she is. It’s somewhat baffling that the they wouldn’t see all the supernatural craziness as an essential part of her as even she’s able to touch on this as she goes through her old things.
The problem here, as with Wes/Lilah, is that everyone’s focused on their agenda rather than on communicating. It makes for some good Three’s Company style gags but it leaves the episode without any real tension. The threat from Wolfram and Hart is pretty disconnected from the proceedings, so much so that there’s a need to introduce the ancillary baddie in Lorne’s flesh eating client. Lilah’s own deception is well played, but its not enough to tie the climactic fight properly into the main plot and Cordy’s decision to stay with Connor doesn’t have the resonance it needed. Not that there isn’t some logic to the decision but, with so little momentum leading into it, the development just feels like the story shifting into neutral.
Final Thoughts
For those who don’t get the reference: http://www.potw.org/archive/potw351.html
“Not a sidekick” Oh Gunn, how we wish that were the case. You’ll only have to wait one more season.
I thought it was great that the Sunnydale Yearbook made an appearance amongst Cordy’s keepsakes. It’s a nice reminder that who she is extends beyond the Angel-character we commonly think of.
“Who’s the real champion?” Isn’t as absurd a question as it initially seems. Not that Cordy staying with Connor doesn’t feel just a bit contrived, but the challenge to Angel’s status is nothing new. Connor certainly doesn’t put forth the image of a hero, but he’s still out there trying to help people despite considerable personal baggage and that’s something right up Angel’s alley.
Critical Viewing 