tkts
Rogue Demon Hunter
[Mo0:0]
Posts: 439
|
Post by tkts on Jun 22, 2010 21:46:19 GMT -5
In the Pylea arc at the end of Season 2, did anyone else feel like they were watching an episode of Stargate SG-1?
The basic feeling of the arc was very similar. Tumble through a portal into another world, vaguely earthlike in some ways but very alien in others. Many of the worlds in SG-1 felt relatively primitive, much like Pylea. And some of the characters have obvious equivalent: Angel as Colonel O'Neill, the straight-up fighter; Wesley as Daniel Jackson, the intellectual; and most importantly in terms of their roles in driving the plot, Lorne as Teal'c, the expatriate serving as guide and returning to the place he'd rather forget.
(It was also the turning point for what had previously, with the exception of "Disharmony" and a few Darla moments, been a pretty lackluster season.)
|
|
The Night Lord
Wise-cracking Sidekick
The Long Kiss Goodnight
There can be no love. Only pain exists[Mo0:1]
Posts: 2,654
|
Post by The Night Lord on Jun 23, 2010 1:10:26 GMT -5
I don't know about Stargate (as I've never seen it), but maybe perhaps Xena?
|
|
Fredikins
Rogue Demon Hunter
Crazy Taco Lady
"Occasionally I am callous and strange," Willow.[Mo0:14]
Posts: 433
|
Post by Fredikins on Jun 23, 2010 1:13:32 GMT -5
i dont know about SG-1, but those episodes were some of my absolute favourites of the entire series. i thought it was fantastic how they merged earth-like and alien-like places into one world. i do understand what you mean by the portal thing though.
|
|
Hellbound Hyperion
Bad Ass Wicca
$20 per soul, no refunds[/B]
Dude, you just rescued a puppy![Mo0:18]
Posts: 2,268
|
Post by Hellbound Hyperion on Jun 23, 2010 2:19:11 GMT -5
I don't know about Stargate (as I've never seen it), but maybe perhaps Xena? Xena was always the feeling I got from the episodes as well.
|
|
N.D.U.O
Rogue Demon Hunter
The Bird Lady of Alcatraz
The Shape of Buffy's nose is weird...[Mo0:25]
Posts: 450
|
Post by N.D.U.O on Jun 23, 2010 7:25:01 GMT -5
It was a lot like Stargate in principle, but with more comic relief. Also, I like Season 2..
|
|
Ferg
Novice Witch
[Mo0:0]
Posts: 226
|
Post by Ferg on Jun 23, 2010 9:55:06 GMT -5
Agreed, far superior to the mediocre Season 1 - I felt the Pylea was actaully the weakest part of S2.
|
|
|
Post by Jsebold87 on Jun 24, 2010 0:00:54 GMT -5
I always enjoyed the Pylean arc, they were my first episodes of Angel. It does remind me of Stargate a bit, lol. I never really thought of it that way though.
|
|
|
Post by angeliclestat on Jun 24, 2010 10:57:38 GMT -5
(It was also the turning point for what had previously, with the exception of "Disharmony" and a few Darla moments, been a pretty lackluster season.) Are you mad lol - Season 2 was an amazing season! Are you now or have you ever been, Untouched, Dear Boy, Guise will be guise, Darla, The Trial, Reunion, Redefinition, Reprise and Epiphany are all 5 star episodes which turned Angel from a good but not great 'monster of the week' detective show into a huge, epic piece of great television. Which ironically almost lost me at the Pylea arc...but glad I stuck with it:)
|
|
tkts
Rogue Demon Hunter
[Mo0:0]
Posts: 439
|
Post by tkts on Jun 24, 2010 23:30:31 GMT -5
I think one reason I had trouble getting into the first few seasons of Angel had to do with the characters. In Season 1, there were only three stars, none of whom I'd been all that drawn to when they were on Buffy. In Season 2, four stars. By contrast, Buffy's Seasons 4 and 5, which aired at the same time, had between five and eight main characters to keep the audience interested. (Even if you didn't care about one or two of them, there was bound to be a scene with a character you liked better coming up in a few minutes.)
I started liking Angel a lot more as soon as Fred arrived and Lorne started showing up in nearly every episode.
|
|
|
Post by dragonweaver on Jun 25, 2010 10:39:33 GMT -5
Having never been a Stargate fan I hadn't noticed any connection from it to the Pylea arc, but now that you pointed out the similarities I can see where your coming from.
Personally I also loved the stories surrounding Pylea because it created an interesting world, lead to some great character moments, fleshed out Lorne's character more and gave us Fred. All good things in my book. With that said, Season 2 was hardly lack-luster for me. I thought it was amazing and the story arcs really helped to set Angel apart from Buffy and create it's own identity.
|
|
tkts
Rogue Demon Hunter
[Mo0:0]
Posts: 439
|
Post by tkts on Jun 26, 2010 1:23:31 GMT -5
I thought it was amazing and the story arcs really helped to set Angel apart from Buffy and create it's own identity. I admit that may be my problem, as my favorite parts of Angel are the ones with Buffy crossovers. The one scene with Alyson Hannigan in "Disharmony" was one of my favorites, and the moment at the end of "There's No Place Like Plrtz Glrb" where she doesn't even have a single line had more emotional resonance for me than any other moment in the season.
|
|
|
Post by lightandmagic on Jun 28, 2010 1:01:38 GMT -5
(I' m gonna preface this post with: I am super drunk so i am sorry if it does not make sense/rambles a helluva lot.)
Season 2, aside from season 5 is definitely my favourite season of Angel. I think it's because personally for me, unlike you tkts, that I was absolutely in love with the friendship that Angel, Cordelia and Wesley had. They started off barely knowing each other and only relying on one another because they had no one else to turn to and then they legitimately ended up becoming (by the end of season 2) best friends. I love Angel the Series, but the writers definitely screwed up the whole Cordelia, Wesley and Angel friendship. It was one of my favourite friend groups in television ever.
On topic: I loved the Pylea arc. It intro'd Fred who is my second favourite character in the Whedonverse, and was just so different from the usual Angel proceedings. Great change of pace for the series.
|
|
The Girl In Question
Ensouled Vampire
Lumpy Space Princess
"It eats you starting with your bottom."[Mo0:33]
Posts: 1,674
|
Post by The Girl In Question on Jun 28, 2010 11:53:07 GMT -5
^^To add to that, I was particularly fond of the friendship Gunn/Wesley formed.
|
|
|
Post by PJ on Aug 5, 2010 19:51:07 GMT -5
i really loved this arc. i liked that we finally got to learn more about Lorne, and also i love the fact that it introduced Fred!! and i agree, i definatly got more of a Xena feel from it. They even made a reference to Xena in on of the episodes if i do recall. also on an off topic side note...Fredikins...i LOVE your banner/icon set!!
|
|
|
Post by VampSlayer on Aug 5, 2010 20:19:21 GMT -5
Hey, it introduced Fredikins and Groo! What's not to like about the arc? Plus, Cordy got turned into a queen; Epic.
|
|
dravenuk
Common Vampire
"This is not gonna' be pretty. We're talkin' violence, strong language, adult content." [Mo0:0]
Posts: 60
|
Post by dravenuk on Aug 6, 2010 14:17:50 GMT -5
On the whole I love season 2. It's my fave season of Angel - for one major reason. Darla. I adore that whole story line and go weak at the knees everytime Julie Benz is on screen. But I'm really not a fan of the whole Pylea thing. I'm glad it gave us Fred but I could have done without that entire overly silly storyline. I tend to skip it whenever I rewatch season 2.
|
|
|
Post by orangejuicepony on Aug 11, 2010 21:56:55 GMT -5
I think that I would have enjoyed the Pylea arc alot more if it hadn't been the last three episodes of the season. Usually I expect an epic conclusion to everything that had gone on in the past season, and I thought it was weird placement that they start this three episode arc at the end of the season. This might also be because I really found myself enjoying the Angel goes dark and then has to work it out with everyone else storyline. It didn't really feel like a season finale to me. I'm trying to think of other places where the Pylea arc could have fit, and none of them seem right either. Maybe it's just because of how different it was from most other Angel episodes, with the taking place in a whole new world, and the time away from Angel investigations. I don't know, that was really my only criticism of that arc. Some of my favorite parts from Angel come from that arc. Like Groo, before they know what/who Groo is, Angels new vampiric reaction to Pylea, the introduction of Fred. Yay Fred, she was my favorite Angel character in season 3 and 4. But who can forget meeting Lornes family. That was my favorite part, especially with Numfar and his amazing dancing.
|
|
|
Post by midwesternwatcher on Oct 7, 2010 21:12:52 GMT -5
I thought Season 2 of Angel was good overall, and had a few wonderful episodes.
But the Pylea arc was just horrible. I'm watching the whole Buffy-Angel series in broadcast order, but I had to skip those three episodes, I can't watch them. They are trite and predictable, right out of Edgar Rice Burroughs, right up to the "ride off into the sunset" ending. I don't have words for how much I hate those three episodes.
The only good moment was when Wesley figured out that Wolfram & Hart had a presence in Pylea as well.
I'm having a vision of Cordelia in that revolting harem girl outfit. I'd better close out this post and get off this thread. Ugh!
|
|
Josh
Novice Witch
[Mo0:0]
Posts: 265
|
Post by Josh on Oct 12, 2010 18:25:44 GMT -5
On the whole I love season 2. It's my fave season of Angel - for one major reason. Darla. I adore that whole story line and go weak at the knees everytime Julie Benz is on screen. But I'm really not a fan of the whole Pylea thing. I'm glad it gave us Fred but I could have done without that entire overly silly storyline. I tend to skip it whenever I rewatch season 2. This is pretty much how I feel. AtS made me LOVE Darla. Her episodes in Season 2 and 3 I just adore. I'm not crazy about the Pylea story either, but, as you said, it gave us Fred which I think was an extremely great move for the series.
|
|
|
Post by TannerSaysStuff on Oct 14, 2010 2:32:47 GMT -5
I didn't particularly like the Pylea arch the first few times I saw it, but after I started watching Stargate it seemed a lot better. It's basically an episode of Stargate SG-1 with the wrong cast.
|
|