Pylea SHOULD be the dumbest plot ever, but it's not. Really it's one of "Angel"'s best story lines. If you haven't seen it yet, be prepared to read this review and roll you eyes. It really sounds like this is an idiotic and silly way to end the season. The next four episodes are basically a mix of "The Wizard of Oz" and "Army of Darkness," with a little bit of "Alice in Wonderland" and "Return of the King" tossed into the mix. All in all, Pylea SHOULD be ridiculous and incredibly skip-able. Instead, it somehow becomes one of the most entertaining, creative, important stories of the whole show. It has all the characters learning about themselves and confronting their pasts. It introduces Fred and Gru, who will play larger roles later on. And it's just a heck of a lot of fun. The last four episodes of the season play like one long movie, with one episode leading directly into the other. If you think of the Pylea saga like the "Wizard of Oz," then "Belonging" is the black and white "Kansas" part of the story. It sets up the characters for the next episodes. I really recommend that you watch the whole Pylea adventure and see for yourself what a great plot line it turns out to be.
"Belonging" revolves around a demon attacking Karitos. A portal just opens up and it appears right in the middle of Lorne's Stevie Wonder set. The demon is a draken, an wild beast-y thing from Lorne's home dimension of Pylea and Lorne panics about having it in LA. He goes to Angel for help killing it. The gang at Angel Inc. has problems of their own. Cordy's been cast in a commercial, but she's embarrassed by the sleazy director insulting her and teeny swim suit she has to wear. Angel is furious that Cordy is being treated badly. Wes is dealing with a phone call to his creep of a father and worried that Angel is trying to reclaim his position as group leader. And Gunn is upset as one of his old friends dies in a vampire attack. Still, they agree to help Lorne find the draken.
A vision leads them to the library, where they learn that a woman named Fred disappeared five years before under mysterious, portal-related circumstances. As they look around, another portal opens and Lorne's cousin falls through. He's a brave warrior from Pylea, but Lorne isn't exactly thrilled to see him in LA. Lorne's the black sheep of the family and he wants nothing to do with his relatives back home. Still, he allows his cousin to come on the draken hunt through the city. They track down and kill the draken, but Lorne's cousin is injured. He needs to get back to Pylea to be cured. They find a book that opens portals and read the proper passage in Karitos. Lorne's cousin is swept back to Pylea... Unfortunately, so is Cordelia.
There are some great parts to this episode. I just love the beginning of "Belonging" with Angel, Cordy, Gunn and Wes at some fancy restaurant. Angel is grumbling over the prices. ("I'm not cheap. I'm just old.") Wes and Gunn are debating the pros and cons of flame throwers. Cordy has to drag Angel away from some woman who Angel accuses of wearing a witch's shroud woven from the skins of dead children. It's really a thousand dollar designer shawl. "My friend just likes beautiful things," Cordy explains. "He's French." Angel looks at the lady and says in a French accent, "Pardon." It just cracks me up. And I like the scene where Angel threatens to beat Cordy's slimy director to death. Angel's really cute when he's protective. And you just have to laugh when he angrily tells Gunn and Wes about the bikini Cordy was wearing in the commerical. "It barely covers anything!" Then all three of them sort of stare off into space for a second, imagining Cordy in it. "Terrible." Gunn finally gets out. Wes and Angel sort of nod. Also, I think Lorne is just great in this episode. When I first saw "Belonging, I was so relieved that he finally had a name so I could stop calling him "that green host guy." He's been hesitant to tell anyone that he goes by Lorne because of the whole green thing. "Lorne Green!" Angel cries in delight "Bonanza!" Everyone just looks at him like he's crazy. Angel sighs, "Alright, NOW I feel old." Lorne also gives us a lot of the "Wizard of Oz" references this episode. (From calling children "Munchkins" to praising Elton John's "Yellow Brick Road.") And I just love his dread of his family. It's hilarious as he mutters nasty things about his mother and insists that he's never going back to Pylea. Poor Lorne had a rough time of it growing up. Who can blame him for being bitter?
On the downside, I really think Lorne should have been wearing red shoes in this episode. It would have tied in with the whole "Wizard of Oz" motif, plus they would have matched his outfit. Also, doesn't Cordy know better than to read from magical books? It always leads to badness.
My favorite part of the episode: Lorne telling Angel that Pylea is a nightmare. With no shades of gray or people discussing their feelings. Just champions roaming the country side, fighting evil. "Can you imagine living in a world like that?" Lorne asks, in genuine horror. Angel gets this longing sort of look on his face and mummers, "No." It just cracks me up.
"Belonging" revolves around a demon attacking Karitos. A portal just opens up and it appears right in the middle of Lorne's Stevie Wonder set. The demon is a draken, an wild beast-y thing from Lorne's home dimension of Pylea and Lorne panics about having it in LA. He goes to Angel for help killing it. The gang at Angel Inc. has problems of their own. Cordy's been cast in a commercial, but she's embarrassed by the sleazy director insulting her and teeny swim suit she has to wear. Angel is furious that Cordy is being treated badly. Wes is dealing with a phone call to his creep of a father and worried that Angel is trying to reclaim his position as group leader. And Gunn is upset as one of his old friends dies in a vampire attack. Still, they agree to help Lorne find the draken.
A vision leads them to the library, where they learn that a woman named Fred disappeared five years before under mysterious, portal-related circumstances. As they look around, another portal opens and Lorne's cousin falls through. He's a brave warrior from Pylea, but Lorne isn't exactly thrilled to see him in LA. Lorne's the black sheep of the family and he wants nothing to do with his relatives back home. Still, he allows his cousin to come on the draken hunt through the city. They track down and kill the draken, but Lorne's cousin is injured. He needs to get back to Pylea to be cured. They find a book that opens portals and read the proper passage in Karitos. Lorne's cousin is swept back to Pylea... Unfortunately, so is Cordelia.
There are some great parts to this episode. I just love the beginning of "Belonging" with Angel, Cordy, Gunn and Wes at some fancy restaurant. Angel is grumbling over the prices. ("I'm not cheap. I'm just old.") Wes and Gunn are debating the pros and cons of flame throwers. Cordy has to drag Angel away from some woman who Angel accuses of wearing a witch's shroud woven from the skins of dead children. It's really a thousand dollar designer shawl. "My friend just likes beautiful things," Cordy explains. "He's French." Angel looks at the lady and says in a French accent, "Pardon." It just cracks me up. And I like the scene where Angel threatens to beat Cordy's slimy director to death. Angel's really cute when he's protective. And you just have to laugh when he angrily tells Gunn and Wes about the bikini Cordy was wearing in the commerical. "It barely covers anything!" Then all three of them sort of stare off into space for a second, imagining Cordy in it. "Terrible." Gunn finally gets out. Wes and Angel sort of nod. Also, I think Lorne is just great in this episode. When I first saw "Belonging, I was so relieved that he finally had a name so I could stop calling him "that green host guy." He's been hesitant to tell anyone that he goes by Lorne because of the whole green thing. "Lorne Green!" Angel cries in delight "Bonanza!" Everyone just looks at him like he's crazy. Angel sighs, "Alright, NOW I feel old." Lorne also gives us a lot of the "Wizard of Oz" references this episode. (From calling children "Munchkins" to praising Elton John's "Yellow Brick Road.") And I just love his dread of his family. It's hilarious as he mutters nasty things about his mother and insists that he's never going back to Pylea. Poor Lorne had a rough time of it growing up. Who can blame him for being bitter?
On the downside, I really think Lorne should have been wearing red shoes in this episode. It would have tied in with the whole "Wizard of Oz" motif, plus they would have matched his outfit. Also, doesn't Cordy know better than to read from magical books? It always leads to badness.
My favorite part of the episode: Lorne telling Angel that Pylea is a nightmare. With no shades of gray or people discussing their feelings. Just champions roaming the country side, fighting evil. "Can you imagine living in a world like that?" Lorne asks, in genuine horror. Angel gets this longing sort of look on his face and mummers, "No." It just cracks me up.
