Ep 16: Shells - discuss

[PokerKitten]

As it seems likely to be a two-parter, following right on from ep 15 and Fred's "setback" (understatement of the year Joss!), there won't be much in the way of info til late on.

No casting sides coz... well, they did the casting already, for 15!

But there'll be summaries sooner or later. *growls impatiently*

Unless of course they are trying to fool us again.... [

[PokerKitten]

Okay, tensai has a tidbit! And some specualtion:

ATS: Possible Info For 16

One of my sources has passed along a minor tidbit, which would seem to indicate at least some of the events of 16. The info itself, ties in with earlier reports of the location shoot as well.
Apparently, there is going to be a major battle in the offices of Wolfram and Hart. The scene that was filmed for the location shoot, was of someone being thrown out of one of the office windows (apparently Angel). The impression was that this wasn't going to just occur in one location, but pretty much go throughout much of the offices of Wolfram and Hart.
This ties in with other tidbits I've received, which included a possible battle in Fred's lab/office. It also makes sense that it would be Angel that would go out the window, because the location shoot occurred at night, and he's only one of two members of the cast who could survive such a fall. My guess is that Fred/Illyria goes to Wolfram and Hart at some point, and this is with whom the battle occurs.

Now I'm going to speculate just a little bit, and I want to stress that this is just speculation.

At this time, I have no info on what Spike is doing in episode 16 or 17, nor any idea as to his role past Episode 15. It is interesting that in 15, Spike is once again considering going to Europe to see Buffy, then half an episode later he's in England. Does he decide to take a side-trip to Italy while he is there?

Now it's entirely possible that he is there in 16 and 17, the info for both of these episodes are a bit limited. But if I had to step out on a very shaky limb, I can see this happening. They obviously had plans for Sarah to return, which means the 'Spike is alive' question was going to be addressed this season. It doesn't make sense that he's going to do this any other way but in person, so this would be a good opportunity to do so. Plus, and this also makes sense, he could bring back a Slayer to help in the final battles of the season. Which again, ties in with how I presume Buffy would have been used if she returned. Since as a show, the characters on 'Angel' always have a dark side or tragic past, who better to bring back than crazy slayer Dana. Which, judging on the final speech in 'Damage', doesn't seem that far out there.

I should reaffirm that everything I've said about Spike, is pure speculation on my part. For all I know, we're going to discover that he's getting tossed around the offices of Wolfram and Hart with everyone else.


www.spoilerslayer.com/archives/002711.php

This spec doesn't make any sense to me Sorry tensai, love ya, but... JM is going to appear in every ep. And would Spike really go traipsing roud Italy in the middle of a crisis, let alone a crisis involving the woman who believed in h... tried. The one he said he would never forget what she had done for him. And while there was a chance of a good fight?! I suppose he could buzz of for a short time to try to persuade Buffy to come and help but... nah!

[PokerKitten]

www.thefutoncritic.com/cgi/gofuton.cgi?action=newswire&id=6402

<snip>

Finally, on March 3, Angel reaches out to an old friend from Sunnydale in his desperate attempt to restore Fred to her body.

Who else could that allude to but Willow? How would Aly find the time to film a bit for AtS when she is so busy with other projects? And will she bring the ghastly Kennedy with her?

[PokerKitten]

"ANGEL" - (9:00-10:00 p.m. ET)
"Shells"
THE END OF FRED -- Angel (David Boreanaz) and Spike (James
Marsters) return from England defeated, knowing that the ancient
demon Illyria has completely taken over Fred's (Amy Acker) body
and soul. Upon learning that Knox (guest star Jonathan Woodward)
and Gunn (J. August Richards) have each contributed to her demise,
Wesley (Alexis Denisof) is bent on revenge and Angel tries
everything to restore Fred, including calling on an old friend
from Sunnydale. Meanwhile, Illyria tries to locate an ancient
temple where she believes she will find an army ready to help her
destroy mankind.
www.tvbarn.com/ticker/archives/018661.html#018661

[PokerKitten]

Oh lord, it's really hard to know which episode thread to post some spoilers to..... Tensai has some info now fleshing out some aspects of 16:

ATS: More Info On 16 and 17

I've gotten some new information on Angel Episodes 16 and 17. In addition to that, there is a report at the Angel's Soul Spoiler Board about a possible return of a familiar face. Are they connected? Read on to find out what I think. Let me start with the information provided by one of my sources (who, I should add, has yet to be wrong). I should however note that I'm interpreting minor details, like order of events and locations, so this may not exactly match the finished product.


Mainly, the information provided deals with the aftermath of Fred's death.

Illyria rises, and although Fred seems to have died, some part of her lives on. Wesley and Illyria go to Wolfram and Hart, where Knox is eagerly awaiting the return of the 'goddess'. His joy is short-lived, as Wesley shoots and kills him (revenge for killing Fred). He also injures, but does not kill, Gunn. This is what I expect to be the big battle at the offices, and Illyria does throw Angel out of one of the office windows. Essentially, nobody is a match for her.

However, she is not as strong as she could be, and needs to return to her base of power in another dimension. She opens up a wormhole, and goes through with Wesley right behind her. At her temple, she discovers all of her followers have been destroyed. She and Wesley return to Los Angeles.

Meanwhile, back at Wolfram and Hart, Angel and Spike are the only two left to address the issue (Lorne's there, but he's not really a fighter). They need an edge against the Senior Partners, someone with inside information. Which means that they have to find Lindsey. They manage to track him down, the Senior Partners have imprisoned him in an alternate dimension/reality. He is being guarded by spirits, who are taking on the role of the perfect wife and son.

Unfortunately, they can't just take Lindsey out of there without alerting the Senior Partners. A guilt-ridden Gunn volunteers to remain behind, and impersonate Lindsey, if it will help Fred. This explains the necklace that he was wearing in the repeat of the Lindsey scene from earlier in the episode.
I'm beginning to see the pieces being tied together. It makes sense that Illyria will retain Fred's memories. The 'Old Ones' were responsible for creating vampires, who effectively use the human as a host vessel, and have all the memories of their previous lives as well. This also could explain why Wesley is still assisting her, but there may be other factors causing this as well. There are strong echoes between this story arc and Glory's story arc (host body, from another dimension, nearly invunerable, etc.).

I'm also getting the feeling that this may all be part of one episode, 'Shells'. While it's a lot to put into one episode, there is room to do it. Plus, the info for 'Hole In The World' was originally attributed to Episode 16. However, it may not fit the shooting schedule. But since these two roles are for limited scenes (only the alternate reality), these could be filmed last in the schedule.

www.spoilerslayer.com/archives/002751.php

[PokerKitten]

They really are messing with our heads for eps 15 - 17! here is the cast list etc for ep 16:

ADDITIONAL CAST
Harmony MERCEDES MCNAB
Knox JONATHAN WOODWARD
Doctor Sparrow MARC VANN
Trish JENNIFER GRIFFIN

PRODUCTION CREDITS
Written and Directed by STEVEN S. DEKNIGHT

[PokerKitten]

Episode summary from Mythical Boards


Mourning Fred’s death, Angel and his friends vow to find a way to bring her back, which leads to a confrontation with the ancient god Illyria, who now occupies Fred’s body.

As Illyria (the ancient god now occupying Fred’s body) turns to leave Fred’s apartment, Wesley swings a battle-axe at it. The axe just bounces off, so Wes plays on the god’s obvious hatred of humans, saying humans now control the world. Illyria says that means there’s a lot of work to do, and she leaves. Meanwhile Angel and Spike fly back to the U.S., mourning their failure to save Fred’s life. While Spike drowns his sorrows, Angel decides that even if the rules say Fred can’t be brought back, he’ll break the rules. Back at Wolfram and Hart, Gunn and Harmony prepare to torture Knox, but then Wesley enters and tells them Fred is dead. Knox is thrilled to hear that his idol Illyria has been restored, and assures them that he chose Fred as its host because he loved Fred so much. Wesley aims a gun at Knox, but then Angel enters and declares his intent to get Fred back. A bit later Angel asks his friends to help, but Lorne excuses himself, still feeling guilty at his failure to read the evil in Knox’s aura. Angel insists Illyria’s return was pre-ordained, but Gunn reveals the sarcophagus was stuck in customs until someone (he doesn’t say who) got it out. Wes and Fred are skeptical that they can bring Fred back, but Spike and Angel say there must be a way, and Angel suggests contacting Willow for help. Meanwhile, as Harmony guards Knox, contemplating torture, Illyria smashes in through the wall, slaps Harmony away, and drags Knox off to the laboratory.

In the lab Knox wheels out Illyria’s sarcophagus and introduces himself as the god’s priest and servant. Meanwhile Angel learns Willow is away on another astral plane, and Harmony admits that Illyria and Knox got away from her. At the lab Illyria chants an incantation, and slams a hand down on the gem on the sarcophagus’ cover. An inky red flows up over her hand and sheaths her body in a red and black body suit. Then Angel, Wes, Gunn, and Spike barge in. Angel demands that Illyria return Fred’s body, but Illyria declines and tosses Angel through a window. Wes and the others attack, but Illyria raises a hand, altering the flow of time, and they’re stuck in slow motion while she grabs Knox and flees. A few minutes later Angel returns to the lab, where the others, now freed from their near-frozen moment, have no idea where Illyria has gone. After they figure out how Illyria got away, Gunn goes off to do some research while Angel and Spike return to Angel’s office. Wes and Harmony stay in the lab, where Wes tries to pry open the sarcophagus with a crowbar. His anger erupts and he beats the container furiously. It doesn’t open, but Wes calms down and rotates the big gem, which pops off in his hand. Meanwhile Harmony finds Knox’s cell phone, which shows three calls in the last few hours from the same person. Gunn visits Dr. Sparrow, and demands to know all that Sparrow knows about the importation of Illyria’s sarcophagus. As they discuss Gunn’s role in that process, Wes enters, and after overhearing enough to learn what Gunn did, Wes levels a gun at him.

Gunn admits he signed the customs document for Dr. Sparrow, and that he regrets it now. Wes says he can forgive the initial action, but not Gunn’s silence while Fred was dying. Then he grabs a long surgical blade and stabs Gunn in the gut. A bit later, however, Angel scolds Wes for his loss of control, and admits that he chose to let Fred die when he learned that saving her would kill thousands of others. Then, as Angel asks Wes to bury his anger and help them stop Illyria, Spike returns from torturing Dr. Sparrow, with a name that might help them. Wesley goes through his ancient texts and figures out Illyria’s old temple was at the current site of Wolfram and Hart, and that her army was entombed there, waiting for her return. Angel says he’s never seen the tomb, but Wes says it’s in another time frame, and only Illyria can open the gateway. Meanwhile Illyria and Knox go to the Wolfram and Hart lobby, where Illyria produces an eerie wall of sound, and the building shakes, but nothing else happens. Knox says the Wolfram and Hart senior partners probably put a mystical lock on the temple, and produces a “skeleton key” (a set of bones), which might help. A few minutes later, while Harmony brings Gunn — in a hospital bed now — some papers to sign, there’s a loud unlocking sound, and in the lobby, Knox’s bones fade away. Just then, however, Angel and Spike arrive. Illyria is surprised to see how far they’d go to save one of their own. She asks if they'd even fight for Knox's life, and Angel says he would if it were a choice between Knox and her. Then Wes pulls out a gun and shoots Knox.

Even though Knox was Illyria’s priest, she doesn’t seem upset at his death. Angel agrees that Knox wasn’t the real problem, and then he and his friends attack. Illyria dodges blades and bolts, knocking off each attacker as he comes. Finally Angel and Spike strike at her together, but she catches both their blades and spins them off. Then she slows time again, and while the others are mired in slow motion, she opens the door to her temple. Just as she’s about to enter, however, Angel appears next to her, holding the jewel from her sarcophagus, which defeats her time warp. Again, however, Illyria shakes him off and enters the temple, and Wes dives in after her just as the door slams shut. Inside the temple, Illyria is prepared for a triumphant return to her army… but finds they have turned to dust in the millennia she’s been gone. She sinks to her knees in grief and Wes prepares to shoot her, but then the door opens again and Illyria disappears. Later Angel orders the temple door permanently sealed, and Wes heads back to the lab. Spike tells Angel that he’s decided not to leave Wolfram and Hart, saying he wants to stick around for the big fight that’s brewing. Finally, a bit later, as Wes packs up things in Fred’s old office, Illyria appears. Curious about Wes’ feelings of loss, she tells him that fragments of Fred — including some memories — do remain in her body. Wes orders Illyria to leave, but the god says she has nowhere to go, and must now learn to live in this world. She asks for Wes’ help, and because she still looks like Fred, he agrees, on the condition that she not kill anymore. Finally, as each of Angel’s friends mourn Fred in their own way, Wes finishes packing up Fred’s things and finds the doll she loved as a child, which we last saw her packing when she left her parents’ house for the big city eight years earlier.

Wes and Fred are skeptical that they can bring Fred back

A wee mistake there I think. Excellent sounding ep!

[PokerKitten]

Whoa! Check out the pic of "Illyria" at mediasharx!

/angel/shells1.jpg" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.mediasharx.net/images/previews//angel/shells1.jpg

[nightnurse]

whoa...is that dear sweet Fred?....shades of vamped out Willow there!

[slaybelle74]

that pic of fred just goes to prove that she is the willow in the angelverse

[Cyrus]

Trailer for episode
Vid by Cyrus... not to be posted elsewhere...

5-16 - Shells

[PokerKitten]

Spine-tingly music on the trailer, and plenty of duster swirling from Spike... only time the duster earns its keep is when he is fighting, I reckon.

[PokerKitten]

Ah. The Wb have put up a slightly different trailer to the promo they aired after AHitW.

Take a gander here - www.thewb.com/Popups/Trailers/0,8204,160448,00.html

[PokerKitten]

Lots of funky pics here - www.comicscontinuum.com/stories/0402/27/index.htm

[PokerKitten]

Angel 5.16 FAQ
What’s it called?
“Shells.”

Who’s responsible?
Episode was written and directed by Steven S. DeKnight (“Inside Out,” “Hellbound”).

What does Guide say?
“The gang reels from the loss of Fred, whose body is now occupied by a resurrected Old One who's trying to return to her mystical kingdom and rally her troops to destroy the human race. But no one is prepared for Wes's extreme reaction to his discovery of Gunn's role in the tragedy. Knox: Jonathan M. Woodward. Harmony: Mercedes McNab.”

The big news?
The big news cries out for the invisotext! It looks like Illyria may not be the season’s big bad after all. In fact, all signs suggest she’ll be joining Team Angel. At this point it looks like the big bad is actually (wait for it … ) the senior partners at Wolfram & Hart.

What else is Guide not telling us?
Efforts to recruit the services of champion resurrectioness Willow Rosenberg prove fruitless. “Himalayas? I thought she was in South america,” Angel tells Rupert Giles. “Alright, look, what do you mean she's not on this plane? You just said-- astral projection? Well, is there any way to get her astral over to L.A.? Giles, this is an emergency. Yeah, I'm still at Wolfram & Hart. What does that have to do with anything? Yeah. I understand.”

Knox survived his encounter with the Gunn-wielded cryo-cylinder last week??
Looks like Gunn actually went for the geek’s mouth.

How does Spike feel about Angel’s decision to sacrifice Fred to save a few thousand strangers?
He was on board with it. “Thousands would have died if we saved her,” he says, consoling even as he recaps.

How does Wes react to his discovery of Gunn's role in the tragedy?
He smites young Charles with a furious anger (and a deadly weapon).

Does Amy Acker still look like Fred in the title credits?
You know, I nipped off to the bathroom! I’m guessing yes.

Is Illyria in any way Jasmine-like?
She’s hotter and, ironically perhaps, a lot less seductive.

Did they really kill off all of “Angel’s” female regulars within such a short span? Or is Fred back to her old self by episode’s end?
Fred’s dead, baby. And it looks like Fred’s exit is a permanent one. “Miss Burkle's soul was consumed by the fires of resurrection,” Upgrade Guy tells Charles Gunn. “Everything she was is gone. Forever. For better or worse, you made a deal, mr. Gunn. I suggest you learn to live with it.”

“Looks like?” So there’s hope.
There’s kind of a “Search For Spock” thing at play here. Illyria got Winifred’s good looks and, we learn late in the episode, something more.

Does Illyria find the spiffy new red-leather catsuit at Nordstroms or on Melrose?
Neither. Amy Acker abruptly strips naked and places her hand on the sarcophagus. Red gooey clothing-matter oozes from it and cleaves helpfully to her slender, willing body.

Does Krevlornswath retain that badass gene?
Doesn’t look like. He excuses himself from the episode early on, and I don’t recall a re-emergence.

Does Spike high-tail it to Italy at episode’s end?
He does not. “This is what she would have wanted. It's what I want. I don't really like you. Suppose I never will. But this is important, what's happening here. Fred gave her life for it. The least I can do is give what's left of mine.”

Is Angel still made of felt?
No.

What’s good?
The ending, which swelled my tearducts yet again. Knox generally and “Is that an issue?” in particular. The fleeting reference to Barry, Jay and Wally. Plus? “Angel” just got a lot more fun to watch with the sound off: Amy Acker has never looked more worship-worthy (which, admittedly, is saying something).

What’s not so good?
The set-up, frankly, was a lot more fun than the resolution.

How does it end, spoiler-boy?
Fred climbes into the station wagon and begins her long journey to California.

Herc’s rating for “Angel” 5.16?
***1/2
aintitcoolnews.com/display.cgi?id=17117

Oh, and the wildfeed is up at www.angelsacolyte.com/

[Cyrus]

Not read any wildfeeds, but have seen the first 2 parts of the ep...

Amy Acker is amazing. She gets to play a whole different character.

Wes is still gun-happy.

Angel and Spike on the plane coming back to Cali... Spike and his bitty JD bottles is funny... especially when he says something about maybe if you pretend they're far away and so that's why they're so little and this look he has on his face... ;D His concern for Fred and willingness to work with Angel is so I mean is so .

Harmony wanting to torture Holden Knox is pretty funny. "Cuz it's not like I have blood lust or anything... well I guess I do but..."

More to come later...

Later...

Herc said

Does Amy Acker still look like Fred in the title credits?
You know, I nipped off to the bathroom! I’m guessing yes.

Amy is still Fred in the credits; same as they've been all season.

heh, I don't remember going to the Angel set to bind up Knox, so someone else who is Duct Tape happy must have done it.

"I played a round of piñata with lab boy while you were gone." - Gunn... LMAO!

Buffy was mentioned when talking about things dying and bringing them back. Willow was mentioned about doing the bringing back. Angel called Giles on the phone, and Giles refused to help him when he found out Angel was still with Wolfram & Hart.

When it came to searching Knox's stuff, Harmony said she has a " degree in destruction " .

"I don't remember seeing 'Stab Gunn' on the agenda list this morning." - Angel to Wes after Wes stabbed Gunn

Angel was having his big "we save humanity" speech with Spike and Wes standing behind him, while Illyria was trying to open her gate and Knox was beside her. She asked Angel if he'd save Knox's life because he's human, even with what he did, and Angel says if it came down to her and Knox, yes he'd save Knox because that's what he does. *bullet shot sound* *hole in Knox* Angel turns to Wes and his seemingly permanant attachment the gun and says "Were you even listening?"

Illyria finds out that her kingdom has been destroyed. This makes her waaay less confident. She then decides to ask Wes if he will help her learn to walk in this world. He says he will. She says, "Because I look like her." Wes says yes.

The end is kind of Tabula-Rasa-like. Female singer singing while each character is shown moping alone. Wes is packing up Fred's stuff. Spike is sitting on some stairs with his legs spread open [damn coat!]. Lorne is drinking. Gunn is in his hospital bed. Harmony is at her desk. Angel is in his office.

No promo for next week, as it's that bloody Smallville thing.

[slaybelle74]

i liked this episode....but what is the reason for illyaria?to give more range to amy acker?cause illyaria isn't all evil...she'd kinda pathetic at the end.and spike made a comment that something is coming-something worse than illyaria-that they both can feel it.so,what the hell is going on??one of the best parts of last night's ep was harmony...she continues to crack me up!!and just to let everyone know,i'm not happy with smg right now,but i'm still a huge spuffy fan!!!and i hope she comes back,chooses spike,and puts angel in his place once and for all!!!

[PokerKitten]

And I really deeply hope she doesn't bother! They both deserve better!

Maybe it is the Senior Partners bringing on their own brand of apocalypse this time... Wolf, Ram and Hart....

[PokerKitten]

Oh I don't know... Maybe my bad mood is affecting everything, but I was kinda disappointed in this episode overall. There were some well written and performed moments/scenes, but some of the posturing and dialogue left me cold or suppressing snickers (and I don't mean the chocolate bar).

However, it seems now that any scenes between Angel and Spike are the most convincing. And isn't it a relief that the volume on their relationship has been turned down?! I couldn't have borne much more shouting and snarking. I hope it doesn't rear its ugly head again, although the occasional quiet goad or snipe is fine. I found Gunn's pleading with the nasty doc, and his trying to explain things to Wes believable and touching. And Illyria and Wes's last scene together was very affecting.

I also really enjoyed the revelation of Knox having a Rick Springfield screensaver on his cellphone (his Lady Phone as Harmony called it, a lol moment!). Of course, I am of such an age that I remember Rick's early pop career - hey, I was very young at the time! But when we were in Vegas, we saw his show at the MGM, all based around special effects, magical mystery and.... time, I think (I better go look out my programme!). I like to think Knox saw the show too!

As for the characters themselves, I am very worried for Lorne and Gunn; they both have such huge self doubt and crashingly low self esteem right now. If I wasn't so spoiled I would be putting them on suicide watch. Harmony is just a waste of time, I'm sorry. She gets some cool lines sometimes, but it's not enough to justify her being there, for me. I think the show did need another strong female presence in the absence of Cordy, and neither she nor Eve have been "it". So I don't give a damn how she fits in to all this, or how she is feeling.

As to Wes, I found him wooden and yet out of control... somehow that is possible! He has been a lost boy for a long time, to me, so perversely maybe Illyria may give him something to work with. And it would be nice if he could open his mouth properly now and again. He caught this tight-lipped mumbling from Angel, I think, and the pair of them have been driving me nuts!

Illyria's displacement, the sense of being out of time, was quite touching. It is confused, lost, wondering... afterall, things were a lot simpler back in the day.... but it seems keen to learn and make a place for itself in the strange world it finds itself in so maybe there is hope for it.

Although shaken, both Angel and Spike seem to be the only ones up for the fight, the real fight, and thereby keeping their own sense of purpose. Ironic, huh?!

The closing montage was okay but by then I didn't need to be hit over the head with what they were all feeling. But without it, I guess we couldn't have had the inspired closing scene of happy hopeful Fred leaving home and heading to LA. All the amazing and terrible things that have happened to her since.... oh my.

[slaybelle74]

i never really liked harmony,but she's growing on me this season....at least they should keep her around to torture ppl like eve and knox ;D