Freddy! She looked so sad. :(

Ugh. Years of the Wes & Fred thing building up only to have this happen to them..

Christopher | February 20, 07:37 CET

Joss Whedon is like Angela Lansbury on MURDER, SHE WROTE.
Every time he comes into town, someone dies.

Chirp | February 20, 07:42 CET

Did anyone else think the sight of Angel and Spike holding hands was cute .... or is it just me. :)

Also funny to see vampires in the sunlight and not turn to dust corporate jet must have that special glass as well. I know not meant to be funny but I'm taking the humor anywhere I can find it now that there is only 8 episodes left.

RavenU | February 20, 08:04 CET

Spike and Angel holding hands.. when!?

Christopher | February 20, 08:08 CET

Nevermind, I caught that.

Aww.. Fred!! Ugh. They'd better not screw us over. I don't CARE if this is the end of Angel, (which I really doubt) it's Fred! She looks so helpless. :(

Christopher | February 20, 08:10 CET

aww so sad poor fred and wes (tear)

AngelicSlayer | February 20, 08:49 CET

"Fred is sick and the only one that can save her is... Paul Atreides!"

Xkot | February 20, 09:01 CET

Ok is it just me .... again .... but in the one shot of Wes and Fred (don't leave me scene) it looked like she was having a baby and Wes was delivering - I swear if I didn't know better I would have thought wow Wes that was fast work - if you don't think so watch it without the sound- I wonder who choose those camera angles. :)

RavenU | February 20, 09:02 CET

RavenU, it isn't just you! I thought the same thing about Fred's having a baby and Wesley delivering. Very odd. Creepy, too, considering the circumstances.

You know another thing that creeped me out? The sounds that devil puppet was making in Smile Time when he was sucking life from the kids through the tv. It sounded for all the world like that horrid little puppet was experiencing sexual pleasure. Was that just me? Am I crazy?

phlebotinin | February 20, 09:10 CET

phlebotinin - nope not just you - and yes your completely certifiable but then aren't we all. :)

Yes I noticed that to - kinda like a Sallyesque (as in When Harry Met) response not only in verbal expression but visual as well. The look on the puppets face was also way to creepy for words and those dang puppet makers are way to good at there jobs if they can do that with felt. :)

RavenU | February 20, 09:19 CET

Oh, and I love the suggestion that Angel and Spike have to really work together on this one, hand holding and all. Can't wait.

Maybe the series finale will involve Angel and Spike going off together under the light of the moon to fight the good fight, a la the end of Casablanca: "Spike, this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship."

phlebotinin | February 20, 09:19 CET

Yes, RavenU, the faces of those puppets were doing the creepy stuff as well! I watched the ep again today and couldn't believe what I was seeing/hearing. Between all the puppet creepiness and crazy fabulous gut-splitting dialogue -- "my sweet prince!" -- if I wasn't certifiable before I sure am now.

phlebotinin | February 20, 09:23 CET

Off-topic kinda but my mind just warped in a disturbing direction :)

Like an all puppet Angel porn movie .... LOL .... sorry but the images are there now. :)

Now back to regular family programming.......... I'm sick, I tell ya ... and the bad part is I know it. :)

RavenU | February 20, 09:23 CET

You just had to put that out there, didn't you?! That's too damn funny, RavenU. To quote Giles, "yes, that's exactly the most appalling thing you could have said." Now images of Angel porno-puppets are stuck in my brain, too. Eek!

phlebotinin | February 20, 09:29 CET

You know another thing that creeped me out? The sounds that devil puppet was making in Smile Time when he was sucking life from the kids through the tv. It sounded for all the world like that horrid little puppet was experiencing sexual pleasure. Was that just me? Am I crazy?

It wasn't just you, phlebotinin. I immediately thought that was a thinly veiled metaphor for child molestation and it creeped me out. What a way to introduce the episode!

And this trailer! Oh god, my ship finally took off and now this! I knew immediately after the end credits rolled that this was not a good sign. Especially that next week is a Joss episode. Eek! I sure hope it's a mislead. Maybe since they know we know that it spells tragedy when a couple finally finds happiness and since we expect them to kill Fred, Joss will come along, put her in danger, make it look like she's going to die, only to turn the tables on us and save her in the end. Then he'll run away laughing and probably add another plot twist-something we really don't expect.

I hope no one dies!

Dumb old fairy tales and their happily ever afters.

[ edited by electricspacegirl on 2004-02-20 07:34 ]

electricspacegirl | February 20, 09:32 CET

Electricspace - yep - the whole puppet telling the boy to "Now get over here and touch it. That's it Tommy, come on. Touch it. Oh, oh, ah. That's it. Oh yeah. Good boy Tommy. Oh. Ah." in the beginning of the episode - I don't think it was that thinly vieled. Had you not been watching the show and just listening - you would have thought you were on the playboy channel or something.

RavenU | February 20, 10:05 CET

"Electricspace - yep - the whole puppet telling the boy to "Now get over here and touch it. That's it Tommy, come on. Touch it. Oh, oh, ah. That's it. Oh yeah. Good boy Tommy. Oh. Ah." in the beginning of the episode - I don't think it was that thinly vieled. Had you not been watching the show and just listening - you would have thought you were on the playboy channel or something."
LOL.
that whole scene creeped me out. The way the boy was laying and his face..

xander fan | February 20, 10:22 CET

Oh yeah the sexual extacy the demon puppet had. How twisted was that!?

Anyway about next week's episode....well I think this may be a record. From happy couple to misery faster even than any of the previous ones. Usually there was some modicum of happy time passing before the relationship got 'Jossed'. Poor Wes and Fred. What is going to happen? She's not gonna die, right? I think we'd know about that right? Right?

Well always good to see Angel and Spike forced to work together. They are of course in fact a brilliant team when they put their minds to it.

Oh yeah that reminds me! Is Spike still fighting the good fight even after 'Doyle' turned out to be fake? I mean in the puppet episode he comes for a new car because he drove the last one into the harbour apparently (sounds like in the course of 'duty') and Angel finds it completely normal to give him another one. Sounds like Spike is still active as a hero or I'd think Angel would tell him to sod off.

Next week they're doing it for Fred and Spike genuinely likes her and feels he owes her too probably so that's no mystery, but is he still fighting vamps in alleys now? Anyone any thoughts on that?

EdDantes | February 20, 10:23 CET

Ed you have to go and read the spoilers if you really want an answer to that question.

I think after his run in with Dana, he is definitly on the side of the good fight - although I think him and Angel are still headed for a tussle eventually but maybe not during this arc. Maybe that's how Joss will finish the series bring Angel and Spike closer together then end the series with an epic battle between the two and end the show before ending the battle - in a very Lady or the Tigerish way - thus keeping the series alive for the fans long after it leaves the air.

RavenU | February 20, 10:41 CET

Ack! I thought I was the only one who thought the whole puppet in ecstasy thing was a bit overt. I just didn't want to mention it because, umm...eww. Now puppet orgies? Glad to say my mind never went there because, umm…eww, again.

Karen | February 20, 10:44 CET

I should have used a sarcasm font for the "thinly veiled" comment. No, it was obvious. It was very squicky but got over it once Angel turned into Puppet!Angel. Then I was laughing the whole way through...until the end when Fred kissed Wesley and I started squeeling like a little school girl. Aww Fresley...sigh.

electricspacegirl | February 20, 14:43 CET

Ok, I got chills from watching that trailer. The music and those words blazing across the screen, "written and directed by". Wow.

Nea | February 20, 15:56 CET

To echo everyone else, I totally thought the puppets were orgasming, too. x_x Jeebus. Why didn't the other puppets get off on it, though? Did they never get to go have TV-cyber with the little nibblets?
And the puppet p0rn idea...reminds me of Meet the Feebles. *laughs*

On a completely different note, awgh, I don't want Fred to die... Joss really does enjoy tormenting his characters. T_T

chikaze | February 20, 18:45 CET

This is why Joss Whedon is both my master and my tormentor. No one can rip my heart out like Joss. And that's why I love him.

ktbear7476 | February 20, 18:45 CET

Yeah no one can break his audience's hearts quite like Joss. It's one of the reasons Spike and Angel are pretty much safe and immortal: they're generally unhappy!

As for the puppets orgasmic feelings, it was brilliant because that managed to make the 'cute puppet' episode genuinely creepy. Just like the 'Joker victim' kids.

And I hope there won't be a big fight between Spike and Angel at the end mainly because then Angel will win ('Ah it was to be Angel all along! But then it IS his show!'). Not that I mind that, but because it's a bit of a cliche. Joss usually manages to avoid the cliches though.

EdDantes | February 20, 20:48 CET

Hehehe puppet angel porn... has anyone else seen Meet The Feebles? Maybe Peter Jackson can direct the sequel to Smile Time?

Mort | February 20, 21:38 CET

RavenU-good call on Fred looking like she's having a baby and Wes is delivering.
Its just like Joss to break my heart after making me very happy with the Fred/Wes kiss that I'd been waiting for FOREVER. Looks like a very dramatic episode, and a good one. And Spike and Angel holding hands?-very cute :) Can't wait to see it.

buffyfanatic18 | February 20, 21:43 CET

Ed - Joss blew-up Sunnydale when he ended Buffy - who didn't see that coming from the beginning of that season - let alone the series - he used 2 of the biggest cliches in the book when it came towards the end of Buffy's run on each network. First the epic sacrifice of the main character and hero and then destroying the whole city in order to save the world. So you think Joss would be just as cliched with Angel's end now that he has a few episodes to plan it out. Anyway the fight scene would fall under the epic ending cliche with a twist - don't show the end - thus creating renewed passion from the fanbase as they debate who would really win - cause you know that would spark all kinds of debating that would last a long time. What's the old saying ...."Always leave them wanting more."

Oh and I so in no way think Angel could trounce Spike easily .... I think the fight would be fairly evenly matched. However, I wouldn't mind Buffy's idea of throwing the two of them in a room ... oooo and there can be some type of oil involved.

:)

[ edited by RavenU on 2004-02-20 22:12 ]

RavenU | February 21, 00:11 CET

You know what was really creepy about the Angel puppet? How much he looked like the real life Matt Dillon...

[ edited by Hollowman on 2004-02-20 22:29 ]

Hollowman | February 21, 00:27 CET

It's a little inaccurate to say Joss avoids cliches. In fact, Joss embraces cliche, he just likes to twist it, and make it his own.

ringworm | February 21, 01:01 CET

How odd, this wasn't the trailer I watched on Friday.

Simon | February 22, 20:15 CET