Body switch episodes can be hit or miss but I like "Carpe Noctem", a third season episode of Angel, despite the fact that its body switching isn't exploited as well as it might have been. I like it more for how cosy it is with the show's normal set-up at this point.
Angel gets his body swapped with an old man called Marcus. Marcus has done this multiple times--switching bodies with younger, or apparently younger, men to live a brief, wildly hedonistic life outside his retirement home. He parties so hard, and uses such dangerous magic, the young men are turned into empty puddles of skin.
The two actors don't make any effort to imitate each other, probably for lack of time. Rance Howard, the Marcus body, has slower speech than David Boreanaz regardless of which spirit inhabits him. Boreanaz plays Marcus as a quick witted, sleazy guy. Little time is spent with Angel in Marcus' body, which seems a shame because it might have been interesting to see Angel deal more with the realities of human aging.
But I love Marcus wreaking havoc in Angel's life. His shallowness is amusingly horrible as he has an awkward conversation with Wesley, whom he thinks is attracted to him, before shamelessly exploiting Fred's crush on Angel. At the same time, all of this provides a way for the show to reintroduce us to the familiar characters and establish a sense of the routine in the hotel. Which I really love.
Amy Acker as Fred really shines in this episode, first with her adorable crush on Angel and then when she's absolutely devastated after witnessing him boning Lilah on Wesley's desk.
Angel is available on Hulu and Amazon Prime in the U.S. and Disney+ in other countries.
No comments:
Post a Comment