The Inside 12
Jul. 8th, 2007 11:31 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
catalyst2Gem is just that - another gem in this great series. As always, I missed who the perpetrator was - twice over, in fact but the twists and turns continued to impress me.
This must have been a mini-reunion here - David Fury and Jane Espenson co-wrote the episode and one of the actors is Keith Szarabajka, who was Holtz, of course on Angel. Any way, to the episode.
In a genuinely creepy episode that cuts across snuff movies, incest and pedophilia, this episode had me guessing wrong all the way. As soon as I thought I had it worked out, it twisted around again. That this show can do this me time and again is wonderful - most shows "get me" only occasionally but this one was so well written. The sharpness of the writing is to be expected - given that it is two of my favourite BtVS writers at work here.
I liked that the murder that they started to investigate wasn't one at all - with SFX (from a "fictitious" company called Almost Human "run" by Rob Hall - which is the real SFX company run by the real Rob Hall!) covering up an abduction. That the abduction wasn't what I though it was good - and even when I then thought I understood, I still didn't.
Acting was again excellent with Peter Coyote positively exuding menace near the end when they confront Arlen Dallas who, up until this point looked like another victim but is the original perpetrator.
A dark epsiode, yes and a bleak message because, even though Angelica Sandoval survives, she is clearly very severely damaged, both by this incident but also by the years of previous abuse. That this episode doesn't go for the standard "all is well" type ending is to its credit.
This must have been a mini-reunion here - David Fury and Jane Espenson co-wrote the episode and one of the actors is Keith Szarabajka, who was Holtz, of course on Angel. Any way, to the episode.
In a genuinely creepy episode that cuts across snuff movies, incest and pedophilia, this episode had me guessing wrong all the way. As soon as I thought I had it worked out, it twisted around again. That this show can do this me time and again is wonderful - most shows "get me" only occasionally but this one was so well written. The sharpness of the writing is to be expected - given that it is two of my favourite BtVS writers at work here.
I liked that the murder that they started to investigate wasn't one at all - with SFX (from a "fictitious" company called Almost Human "run" by Rob Hall - which is the real SFX company run by the real Rob Hall!) covering up an abduction. That the abduction wasn't what I though it was good - and even when I then thought I understood, I still didn't.
Acting was again excellent with Peter Coyote positively exuding menace near the end when they confront Arlen Dallas who, up until this point looked like another victim but is the original perpetrator.
A dark epsiode, yes and a bleak message because, even though Angelica Sandoval survives, she is clearly very severely damaged, both by this incident but also by the years of previous abuse. That this episode doesn't go for the standard "all is well" type ending is to its credit.
