Angel (TV Series) Deep Down (2002) User Reviews

The beginning of my favourite season

[Joxerlives · 7/10 · 13 March 2012]

DEEP DOWN

The Good; Wonderful to see Fred and Gunn as Connor's surrogate parents during the summer, would love to see that in the comics sometime. Love Fred's attempts to speak 'street' especially Gunn's little look when she says 'Word'.

The Bad; The vamp Fred and Gunn confront gives them the info they want then tries to attack them anyway, please!

Best line: Gunn; "2 coats of polish"

Jeez, how did they get away with that? Fred is pretty vicious with the old taser! Also Linwood get's 'headhunted' WR&H style

Apocalypses: 5

Angel Clichés In disguise; 8

DB get's his shirt off; 12

Cordy's tatt; 10

Cheap Angel; Fang Gang in bondage: Connor tied to the chair Cordy: 5 Angel: 12 Wes: 6 Gunn; 4 Lorne; 3 Fred; 2 Connor; 1

Fang gang knocked out: Connor and Fred Cordy: 12 Angel: 15 Wes: 5 Doyle; 1 Gunn; 1 Lorne; 3 Groo; 1 Fred; 1 Connor; 1

Kills: 2 vamps for Fred, 1 for Gunn and 2 for Connor Cordy: 5 vamps, 3 demons Angel; 41 vamps, 57 and 1/2 demons, 7 humans Doyle; 1 vamp Wes; 12 demons+3 vamps, 2 humans Kate; 3 vamps Faith; 16 vamps, 6 demons, 3 humans. Gunn; 11 vamps+ 11 demons. Groo; 1 demon Fred; 3 vamps Connor; 4 vamps and 1 demon

Fang Gang go evil: Cordy: 2 Angel: 2 Gunn; 1 Wes; 1

Alternate Fang Gang: Cordy: 2 Angel: 8 Fred; 1

Characters killed: 46

Recurring characters killed; 8;

Total number of Angel Investigations:3 Gunn, Angel and Fred

Angel Investigations shot: Angel: 11 Wes; 1

Packing heat; Wes; 6 Doyle; 1 Angel; 2 Gunn; 1

Notches on Fang Gang bedpost: Lilah and Wes Cordy: 4 ?+Wilson/Hacksaw Beast+Phantom Dennis+Groo Angel: 5; Buffy, Darla and The Transcending Furies Wes; 3; Virginia, the bleached blonde and Lilah plus possibly Justine? Gunn; 1 Fred Fred; 1 Gunn Groo; 1Cordy

Kinky dinky: Lilah appears to wear no bra. Wes keeps Justine as a slave girl, do they have sex? Lorne says give fluffy enough love, Fred wonders does he mean Gunn or some part of her?

Captain Subtext; Fred flatters Gunn that he's the Alpha male of AI. Despite being his slave Wes won't make Justine feed Angel from herself, he knows that would cross the line after losing her sister. When Angel get's back Gunn tells Connor to stand by for his spanking. Connor warns the gang that Angel will turn on them which he will. Goodbye to Justine who will change her identity, move to San Francisco and embrace her inner lesbian.

Know the face, different character; 4

Parking garages; 5,

Buffy characters on Angel; 16 Wetherby, Collins and Smith. Angel, Cordy, Oz, Spike, Buffy, Wes, Faith, Darla, Dru, The Master, Anne, Willow and Harmony

What the fanficcers thought; Read a pretty good one once where Justine discovers she's pregnant with Wes' twins and goes off to rebuild her life.

Questions and observations; Hell of a long teaser, if you hadn't been following the series you'd be utterly lost. Note that whilst Wes is back at the AI dinner table there's no Groo? AI are almost broke, either Angel must subsidise the agency with his private income or they must spend all their time looking for Angel and CC. Vamps can exist indefinitely without blood but they go mad with hunger. Lilah mentions Mr Subarto, did she actually meet a senior partner? Do Buffy and co know about Angel's disappearance? Oddly this summer is probably the best time Connor ever has, he has 2 loving parents and a fairly normal life (as normal as it can be working for AI)

Marks out of 10; 7/10

Kicking Off with a Bang!

[Samuel-Shovel · 9/10 · 9 October 2018]

The fourth season of Angel kicks off with "Deep Down". We pick up 3 months after the disappearances of Angel & Cordy. Gunn and Fred are holding down the fort back at headquarters while they train young Connor. They are unaware of his involvement in the disappearance of Angel. Lorne is off in Vegas making a new start to his life. Angel is still stuck in a metal box in the bottom of the ocean and Cordy has floated on into a new plane of existence.

Wesley and Lilah now are involved romantically. What Lilah doesn't know is that Wes is keeping Justine prisoner in his apartment and forcing her to go out with him at night on a boat and search for Angel's watery tomb. After months of searching, the two of them finally discover Angel and bring him aboard. Wes begins to nurse him back to health and releases Justine back to freedom. Wes brings Angel back to the hotel where he has a stern talking to to Connor. He kicks him out of the hotel and begins to recover from 3 months of no blood.

Meanwhile, Lilah makes a power play on Linwood back at Wolfram & Hart. She goes above his head to a senior partner to get what she wants. Linwood is subsequently killed. Gavin no longer looks like the teacher's pet over Lilah who is now in charge.

Wow, what a stellar season opener! I can't say enough about the plot development of these middle Angel seasons. While BtVS flounders a bit during this time period, Angel is really bringing it constantly on an episode-to-episode basis. Vincent Kartheiser is so good as a conniving little twerp (see his work on Mad Men for more evidence of this). His strained relationships with Angel, Fred, and Gunn make for real good television. I also love this new Wes. He's walked through the fire and has slowly become a complete wildcard. I'm not even sure if he can be trusted anymore. Is he going the way of Season 6 Willow?

I know Lilah is supposed to be a villain but there's something magnetizing about her character. Just when it looks like she's lost out, she counterattacks with a well set-up plan you weren't expecting. She's a formidable foe for the gang.

No real overarching villain or theme was setup in this episode but I'm assuming one will develop in time. This was all about re-acclimating ourselves into the world. My one complaint is Gunn's awful, awful facial hair.

Great start to season 4

[miclhole · 8/10 · 24 June 2006]

Great start to one of the best Angel seasons. As usual, you never quite know where the plot is going, you can never be sure about what will come through the door,wall or Cordellia. The only thing for sure will be the quality of the writing,acting and the production values. The problem with Angel, and Buffy is the viewer continuity, I mean to get the best out of the show, you need to get used to the traits of the characters, (there's no joke, like an in-joke). Sure you can enjoy the program without watching it every week, but it is addictive, and here it's rewarding to be an addict. This episode almost has the inevitable Angel resurrection.Wesley is almost back in the fold, until Angel, mistaking him for connor, tries to strangle him again. More Tazar action again, this time Fred on Connor, which is Great. The best is near the end, with Angel's final speech to Connor,(Stunning)

Possibly the best season opener

[katierose295 · 10/10 · 2 March 2007]

Season four isn't my favorite season. Mostly, because I watched it straight through the first time on DVD with no spoilers. I had no idea what was going on. And by about mid-season I was so, SO angry at Cordelia & Conner that I wanted to just reach through the screen and strangle them both. By the end of the season I was enjoying things more, although I'm still not exactly sure what's happening a lot of the time. Anyway, there are some good parts of the season and "Deep Down" is possibly the greatest season opener of the series. I love Wes and he just rules this episode. I highly recommend that you see it as it helps resolve season three and set up the season to come.

This episode revolves around the search for Angel. After Conner sunk him into the ocean, the kid went back to the Hyperion and has been acting like he has no idea where Angel could be. Fred and Gunn have been searching for him. And for Cordy, who also disappeared when she was made a Higher Power. Conner is trying to throw them off Angel's trail, but he doesn't know that Wes is also searching for Angel. Weslsy is still sleeping with Lilah, and they actually developing a strange sort of affection for each other. She's not aware that Wes is keeping Justine chained up in his closet as a hostage. Every night, he drags her out on a boat, searching for where she and Conner dumped Angel. Pretty soon he finds his vampire ex-boss, who's hallucinating from lack of food. Weslesy's cuts open his own arm so Angel can eat, lets Justine go, and then drives Angel back to the Hyperion.

Meanwhile, Fred and Gunn have heard about Conner dumping his own father in the sea. They taser Conner and tie him to a chair. Angel comes home, and Fred and Gunn try to get Wes to help them take care of him, but Wes is still bitter. They snap at him and he leaves. Conner tries to escape, but Angel struggles to his feet and knocks the kid into a wall. He tells Conner that he didn't kill Holtz. Conner sort of cowers there and Angel says that what happens next depends on what happened to Cordy. Conner swears that he didn't touch Cordelia and Angel believes him. He tells Conner, "I love you... Now get out of my house." Then he, Fred and Gunn focus on finding Cordy. Up in Floaty magic land, Cordelia is bored with her Higher Power life and wants to come home.

There are some great parts to this episode. I love Wesley finding Angel and bringing him home. He even gives Angel his own blood to help heal him. Wes and Angel have their problems, but they love each other. I feel so bad when Angel, hallucinating that Wes is Conner, says "I should have killed you." I hurts Wesley's feelings. Still, he takes him back to the Hyperion and leaves him with Fred and Gunn. And, I like Angel wailing on Conner when he gets home. I hate Conner and I'm glad that Angel reamed him. I wish they'd let Fred taser him some more. Also, I like that Angel's major concern once he was free was finding Cordy. He needs her so much. Finally, I think it's cool that --even with all the bad blood between them (no pun intended)-- Wes called Fred & Gunn and told them that Conner had sunk Angel... And they believed him. It really shows where their real loyalty lies. Gunn and Fred might've been looking after Conner, but when Wes comes back into the picture and says that the kid hurt Angel, they end up tying Conner to a chair. When push came to shove, they trusted Wes and stayed loyal to Angel, so Conner didn't stand a chance.

On the down side, I'm not sure Wes is right about vampires being able to survive indefinitely without food. In BTVS season four's "Pangs" Spike says that when vampires starve for too long, they turn into skeletons.

My favorite part of the episode: Angel's dream about Thanksgiving dinner with his family. Conner, Cordy, Fred, Gunn and Lorne are all there and happy. And Wesley is sitting at the other end of the table, smiling. It's just a beautiful scene and nice glimpse into Angel's mind. No matter what's happened, he loves them all so much.

My other favorite part of the episode: Wes threatening Justine with "I'll take your bucket away." And she backs down. It cracks me up every time I see it.

Wesley: I'll take away your bucket.

[bombersflyup · 10/10 · 13 May 2018]

Deep Down is about Angel hallucinating at the bottom of the ocean, Wesley kidnapping Justine to try and find him and Fred & Gunn keeping things afloat.

An excellent start to the season, containing some amazing moments, just dawdles a bit. Wesley stars here, until Angel regains consciousness and has a sit down with Connor. Wes really connects with Justine, even though she almost killed him. She respects and takes in what he says and he has sympathy and understanding for her. They have good chemistry together and certainly showcase some of it here. Connor gets significant screen-time this episode and a lot through season four, a big reason for its success as he's a wonderfully layered character.

Gunn's a little annoying and totally out of line. Gunn's careless, Connor saves Fred's life and all he gets is talked down to and told what to do, when he's a super being and could easily respond with violence and owes Gunn nothing.

Connor: Even if... you still deserved it. Angel: What I deserve is open to debate. But understand, there's a difference between wishing vengeance on someone, and taking it. So now the question becomes, what do you deserve?

No matter how hard I try, everything I touch turns to ashes

[SleepTight666 · 10/10 · 12 January 2007]

No matter how hard I try, everything I touch turns to ashes - Certainly my favorite season opener, Angel season 4 is my favorite season I have on DVD and is begins with a serious bang. Season 3 left the fans brooding for months, luckily it does have a happy ending, sorta. 'Angel' is still stuck in the ocean hallucinating a whole bunch, and i'm a huge fan of dreams/hallucinations. His first one was having a dinner with the entire fang gang, everyone's happy until 'Angel' realizes it's just a nightmare, the second one is with 'Cordy', how it could have been if they had met up that night but that one ends with 'Angel' eating 'Cordy' and the last one is with 'Connor' getting his neck twisted by 'Angel'. The other characters all have plenty of moments, but of course i'm mostly talking about 'Wesley' who is now screwing 'Lilah' and keeping slave girl in his closet. I love his scenes with 'Justine', shame this had to be her last episode but at least she had a great exit, 'Wesley' made her make a choice between being a slave for the rest of her life or actually making something of it, of course we all know she changed her name to 'Tina', painted her hair blonde and became a lesbian. 'Wes' sex scene with Lilah was also very steamy, you could almost smell it. I loved 'Lilah' getting rid of the worst ANGEL character 'Lindwood Murrow' by decapitating him, go girl!. 'Vincent Kartheiser' was added to the credits in this episode, i'm still not entirely sure why I love his character so much, but he does the 'tortured'-thing so well. 'Angel's speech at the end was excellent, especially the way he ends it - I love you Connor, now get out of my house. The only main character that bugged me was 'Fred', first she protected 'Connor' and then she goes around electrocuting him?. Also what she said to Wes 'You really don't care anymore, do you?' after bringing back 'Angel' and taking care of him, really hits my wrong nerve, that little unthankful troll, they should have left her in pylea. Anyway, I really love this episode despite 'Cordy's absence but at least her 'God, i'm so bored' moment at the end was just perfect. ANGEL: What you did to me was unbelievable, Connor. But then I got stuck in a hell dimension by my girlfriend one time for a hundred years, so three months under the ocean actually gave me perspective. Kind of a M. C. Esher perspective, but I did get time to think. About us, about the world. Nothing in the world is the way it ought to be. It's harsh, and cruel. But that's why there's us. Champions. It doesn't matter where we come from, what we've done or suffered, or even if we make a difference. We live as though the world was what it should be, to show it what it can be. You're not a part of that yet. I hope you will be (10 out of 10)

The One Where No One Knows Where Angel Is...

[taylorkingston · 6/10 · 26 September 2014]

So, at the last episode of Season 3 we saw Conner, the little jerk, lock up Angel in a box, and put that box in the ocean. And we saw Cordelia, becoming a Higher Power. Three months later, no one knows where Angel or Cordelia are. Wesley is still the outsider, since kidnapping Conner, when he was a baby, three months earlier, but he's trying desperately to find Angel. He eventually does and Fred and Gunn get so freaking mad at Conner, rightfully, they should. They banish him, but still don't know where Cordelia is.

Overall, not the best season premiere, not the worst, I give this episode a 6 out of 10.