(no subject)

[cactuswatcher]

About my only comments on last night's Angel ep won't need a cut. Glad to see someone at ME really knows what a room looks like where serious research is going on. Both AD and AA put in some fine acting last night.

Comments

[masqthephlsphr.livejournal.com]

I'm doing this Star Trek marathon right now, and there's this season 7 episode of Next Generation where the whole crew de-evolves into lower life forms. The first symptoms are behavioral. You start acting like spider or a chimp or a lemur or whatever before your body starts to take on the physical characteristics.

That's what research!Wes reminded me of. All hyper-alert and frazzled and nervous like some species of critter used to getting preyed on a lot. The contrast to him outside of his overbooked office was very disconcerting.

It seemed to me that

[cactuswatcher.livejournal.com]

there was a subtle, but important change in Wes' behavior this week. I guess I noticed because of all the mess in his office. Before we could tell Wes was fixated on Old Blue, but it was tough to read exactly what he was thinking. As soon as I saw the office scene I could tell Wes was looking for something he wanted to know not needed to know. When I need to know something I'm more likely search those sources that I trust most and forget the rest. When I want to know something I'm more likely to look at everything at once and make my own value judgments. Which is why I liked AD's acting this time. I could see that desire in his face this time, instead of that strange brooding attraction we've been seeing. I wasn't entirely surprised when it turned out he wanted not to kill Illyria, but make her part of the world he could understand. He lied to Angel, but it was all good.

Re: It seemed to me that

[masqthephlsphr.livejournal.com]

Yeah, but still, what do you think the nervousness was about. 'Cause there was more going on in that scene than just books, books, books. He was his broody self outside his office, but in his office, he was hyper.

[cactuswatcher.livejournal.com]

It looked to me exactly like "I'm on the brink of figuring this out. God, please don't interrupt me!" And then when he's away from it, it doesn't seem all that important. I've been there. It's the reason I don't weigh twenty pounds more than I do. I'm all energy when I go into research mode. What's left of my hair goes every which way from nervously running my hands through it while I read. I look a lot worse than Wes did when I'm on to something. But, I get called away and I don't go crazy itching to get back into it. Wes' behavior looked very normal to me. And I'm not at all surprised you found the change disturbing. ;o)

[masqthephlsphr.livejournal.com]

I found the change disturbing because I thought the nervousness was post-traumatic stress from the memory flood last week. So when he seemed totally fine outside his office, I thought, "WTF? That makes no sense."

Well, I usually have to watch these things a couple dozen times and discuss them with others before they do make sense.

[ann1962]

Now this has me wondering about his office. What makes him different there. I am wondering if he has the remains of the shards of the broken Orlon window in his office. What effect is it having on him? More speculation!

Or is it something about his returned memories that doesn't jive with his experience of his other memories. Is there something there in the memories that is causing this breakdown of "Wes" not unlike Illyria's breakdown? Hmmm

[masqthephlsphr.livejournal.com]

I'm rewatching the ep tonight taking my ep analysis notes. I'll let you know what I think, but rewatching the office scene, I think he's still hyped up because of his returned memory. He's wanting to do something about/for Illyria at the same time, but his general mood is "adjusting... adjusting to myself."

[masqthephlsphr.livejournal.com]

Lorne on Office!Wes vs. Not-office!Wes: "It's like he's two different people. One is almost catatonic, he's the guy you see doing the in-patient shuffle around the hallways, and the other is just cooped up in there all day jittering like a bug on a hot plate obsessing over every single tidbit he can find on Illyria."

Two different people. Two different sets of memories.