Right, mind out, I'm going to quote Kipling.

I keep six honest serving-men
(They taught me all I knew);
Their names are What and Why and When
And How and Where and Who.

OK, that's plenty for one day. But this idea, of questioning everything, came to me as I was watching 'Power Play'. It's the first time in a long while I've gone into an arc-y episode where plot is the main issue completely unspoiled, and I enjoyed it a lot for that. Who would have expected Lindsey or Drogyn to suddenly turn up? Not me, in any case.

5.21- 'Power Play'

Zipping towards the end of the Season, and here we start off with a conceit reminiscent of 'Trash' if more of a shock tactic and less humourous, (if naked Nathan Fillion isn't shocking, which is debatable). We see the climax of the story in the teaser, and then we go back 19 hours and see how Angel got into that quirky position. Except that it's not that simple. The nineteen hours doesn't do the expected thing of building up Angel's complex motivation for his uncharacteristic act. It instead attempts to get the audience into as much of a state about Angel's motivations as possible. Several interpretations are possible for a casual viewer: that Angel is Angelus after all; that he really has got obsessed by power; or that he's become the high achiever in some kind of macabre High Flyer employment metaphor. The Office Job analogy is landed on quite insistently here, and handled with a certain aplomb. But I think it should be obvious to rabid and fanatical viewers that the whole malarkee prefixes a reveal of Angel's motivation. Given this, I think David Fury does an excellent job on not boring the fans who know the game he's playing. For instance, the end of the third act, where we see the repetition of the teaser, is not wasted time, since the teaser could well have been a 'Shroud of Rahmon' type mislead, whereas the second time round we see the much more final-looking murder.

30 reasons to rewatch 'Power Play':

1) Current affairs. Watch the teaser again. Compare to the images from Abu Grahib. It's obviously not a direct parallel, since it was filmed before the tapes, and frankly, had it been, it would have been an insensitive scene to film in my opinion. I found the degradation of the man with the bag on his head almost unbearable when we know how many similar incidents have occured and been recorded out in Iraq.

2) Optimism. In an episode which goes almost as dark as 'Reprise', (but Minear keeps the medal), we start off the first act, (although already in incoherence land considering the teaser), with Angel seeming as happy as he's done in a long old while. His relationship with Nina appears actually to be working. This is used expertly later in the old Job/Marriage dichotomy.

3) Honesty. Angel tells Nina 'I don't like what I am'. This is a hint very early on that the whole conceit is a mislead. If Angel is so aware of the possibility of corruption, of the Lear King sitting on his throne and half-ignoring his advisors, then he wouldn't be on the verge of self-hatred and able to be so open about it.

4) Spike/Illyria bonding. This works delightfully well, and Fury, always a dab hand at Spike, lets Spike's own self-awareness of his own personas (personae?), play into Illyria's insincerity. Even the high and mighty one is irritated by Wesley's cold shoulder.

5) To shout at Fury. OK, it's an acquired taste as a pleasure- but Fury's become a writer I love to be mildly irritated with. He just won't leave the insistent crude jokes alone, even at this stage of the Season. Mind you, he's gone a long way towards redeeming himself this Season, so I cut him a little slack.

6) Awareness of continuity: 1. Wesley's repudiation by Angel, just like in 'Origin', comes with the argument that Angel does not have time to worry about the small stuff. In the end, it shows the flaw in his plan, just as 'Epiphany' did all those shows ago. Because if Angel goes out in some grand, sweeping gesture, regardless of how much it is of his own choosing, he's not still there to deal with 'sweating the small stuff'. Lunasea often mentions a missed 'if' in the phrase, 'If there is no bigger meaning, then the smallest act of kindness, is the greatest thing in the world'. I'm not sure about this. Angel's universe is about distrusting prophecies and working at tiny aspects of Good. I'm tempted to replace the 'If' with a 'Since' in the Whedonverse. All this, regardless of how uplifting the final Act is, (and we'll see later that I think it's extremely so), is still legwork for 'Not Fade Away' to transcend.

7) Illyria as a Blue Meanie.

8) Continuing angel Gunn, devil Hamilton. Gunn continues to act as Angel's conscience, a metaphor which has done stirling service in the latter part of the Season, and really pays off here. When we later see Marcus' Schwarzeneggerian brutality with Angel, we're made to consider the moral ambiguity not just of what he appears to be doing, but the thin line he actually is treading.

9) Racketball and ritual sacrifice. Another aspect of the Corporate Machine theme to this episode. Two colleagues prattling about the details of their jobs. And Angel seems to be giving more away to unknown extras than the main characters. The isolationing continues.

10)Instinctive thinking vs conceptual experience. We are so often asked to believe in logic, in experience, in prior experiments in television, that it's magical to see it go the other way for once. As Illyria and Spike discuss the embattled leader, it is Illyria who sees Angel as a concept, and little brother who sees him as a person. And Spike is not blinded by affection, but judges correctly. Angel is, after all, not seduced by the power that Illyria mentions.

11) Slash gift of purchase.

12) Crash Bandicoot. The sheer sight of Drogyn and Illyria playing it together was delightful, but it always occured to me when watching my brother play that the furry little creature was a bit incongruous. He always seems drawn as a frivolous, rather clownish character, when in reality his skills demonstrate concentration, determination and and an unquenchable desire to complete what's right in his position. Crash is Angel powering on towards his hoped-for Overthrow.

13) Shadowkatian perspective games. We're as unequivocally out of Angel's perspective in this episode as we are in 'Harm's Way'. The extra layer of complexity is that we're not just with Harmony. We're with Gunn, Wesley, Spike, Drogyn and Nina. What we don't understand, they don't understand. Why doesn't he take his girlfriend and calm down for a week or two. Has he actually killed Fred? Whither his conscience? The ministers of grace become the audeince: puzzled and a little thrown by Angel's sudden beigeness.

14) Lorne's Celebrity Power Wisdom. The old green one gets a few good moments this week. After the Young Guns shout out, we get Angel selecting Lorne as his 'poster boy'. Lorne, remember was the chap inside the limousine in 'Home'- the man who took one look at Wolfram and Hart's list of clients and was straight in to the deal. He's Angel's self-reflection, and therefore morally flimsy and adjustible. What's good for Angel will satisfy him- he's a status quo fan, (and not the Dad Rock band).

15) The genius of Contner. I think I'm right in saying that over Buffy and Angel, he has directed the most episodes, even more than Joss himself. You can see why here. Firstly, there's a shot framed precisely as in 'Soul Purpose', where the inversion is in the head of the perceptive viewer. You remember Boreanaz' beautiful direction on the line 'Try looking within'. Now watch the second act confrontation between Wesley and the gang. Here again we see Angel in the foreground, with the rest framed in the background over his shoulder. But this time we are the irrelevant minor players trying to work out this massive Hero in the foreground, and getting no-where. We still however, (and this is the beauty of the shot), understand that Angel is in the forefront of the situation, and there's nothing us lackeys can do to stop him, if he's decided on path. Great direction.

16) No nonsense Angel. 'That's not an answer' 'Then I guess you don't get one'. This is the Angel of 'Enemies'. Enjoying the role so much that you start to be wary of his revelling in his own Act. 'Enemies' was, for me, a little too nasty to Buffy- more than was necessary. Likewise here, Angel's curtness with Wesley is heart-rending. How much of Liam's sadist lurks within Angel?

17) More Contnerian goodness. We see the pull back on Wesley at the beginning of the third act. He's framed in the mirror, recovering from Angel's cruelty. Who is this man in the mirror? Still Wesley. But not the Wesley we see in the flesh. He's the man 'doubled over with pain' in his dark as night Joke in 'Underneath'. Plus it's just aesthetically interesting. Which is a bonus.

18) The irrepressible Mr Macdonald. Lindsey comes in to our ladder climbing employment theme of the week as the drop-out. The rising star who eventually just couldn't be Venus. The man frustrated from the Fraternity. Where Angel was in Season Two, and where he thinks he's advanced from. Lindsey as Angel's 'better alternate' may well be back in the finale, methinks.

19) Spring Fling-y Nina break-up. One of the most painful romantic relationship moments in a while. Well written, and well acted. Angel is acting in the greater good, but what does he look like to us, or our surrogate Nina? The man who has never got close to anyone fails to get close again. The relationship breaks down as he sends them out of the country. It's the sad story of Angel's continuing dilemma- he still, as Hero, as Warrior who wants one final fight, feels it necessary to keep emotional distance so that he doesn't hurt anyone. Hurt them the way he hurt Buffy.

20) Hamilton as 'The Terminator'. I'm not usually in with the fight scenes, but in this case, awesome choreography of the precisely machine, efficient, mindless, brutal work that Marcus does. Adam Baldwin has been a joy, and is another good reason to look forward to 'Serenity'.

21) The 'Home' bookend game. Several hints in this episode that we're going to get the bookend to 'Home' I wanted in 'Origin' and didn't receive. This seems like the first half of dealing with the question, and hopefully 'Not Fade Away' will provide the second. One particular echo here: Lindsey's reference to Angel's Kingdom as 'the chocolate factory' directly echoes Lilah. And makes you wonder whether this is more than co-incidence, and was a company in-joke back before Angel's chieftan.

22) The Inner Circle. An effortlessly powerful and excellent image of those shadowy figures with the real power, (Oil Barrens, Corrupt Accountants, Aristocratic American Families), it was intelligent writing to use Vail, Sebassis and the Fell Brethren, people we've seen before and not thought much of, rather than a new horde. Because it's not about people you never see. It's about people you do see, but don't recognise the importance of. Mutters under breath: do see, but of which you don't see the importance? That's even uglier

23) Connor reference. 'Your son kills quite well'. The small talk here is painfully difficult for Angel to stand, but he makes a good job of it. The scary thing in all of these most worrying of cults is how human they can be. In our rush to demonise them, (here most are demons), we forget they have taste, desire and animal instincts. This, for me, was why the fantastic Branagh 'Conspiracy', where Heydrich talks about a Schubert quartet which will 'tear your heart up', was so wonderfully true and deeply saddening. How can they feel that and let such atrocities happen, recommend them even?

24) The Reveal. It's a goodun, and it's the best excuse for a lengthy exposition scene in a long old while. 'Right, I have six minutes to fit in these pages of dialogue. I know- Angel tells the gang he only has six minutes to fit in these reams of dialogue. Problem solved.'

25) Joss/Executives metaphor. There has to be a bit of a metaphor of Joss/Angel, Writers/Wesley etc Network Executives/Circle going on here. Joss appears to have abandoned all he stood for, (intelligent arcy plotting), when he goes for standalones and brings in Spike as a populist stunt. But it turns out he's hating the executives as much as ever, and doing all the same things with his writers in private.

26) Samson reference. A brilliant one, for who hasn't seen Spike in 'Chosen' as Samson, the blind Judge, bringing down the temple and crushing himself with the Ubervamps. This was such an apposite reference that it got my spine tingling in the same way Giles' desperately sad 'Tilting at Windmills' did.

27) Cordelia was benevolent. Nah nah ne nah nah. Told you. Humm, I mean, this completes the tidy legacy that Cordelia has left to Angel during Season Five, and I was happy in a Well Told Story way only, and not in a petty rightness way.

28) The thorn itself. An excellent and striking visual prompt.

29) The Vote. Yes, Angel refers the honourable gentlemen to democracy. And then, for a change, takes their choice at face value, rather than making their minds up for them. This was unutterably moving to me- when we've learnt and finally moved on, closing the loop of moral ambiguity we left behind.

30)The last shot. The use of the glass screen through Angel's office has been constant this Season, (I'd love someone to tie them together thematically, if anyone's interested). This one was beautiful as we end on the puzzle of 'What is Hamilton really seeing?' Has Angel really fooled everyone?

Good stuff, with a point deducted for my worries about the moral of the story being the opposite of 'Epiphany', which I fully and whole-heartedly agreed with.

-Thanks to aliera as always.
-I apologise for bombarding the messageboard at the moment, but in my defence, most of my posts would usually have got archived by now. It's much quieter than it used to be.
-Which just leaves 'Not Fade Away'. See you soon...

TCH