Angel in this scene is literally me.

This really is a season that can only be watched once, or watched back when it was airing during its original scheduled air dates. I don’t see how people say being knowledgeable about the twist helps—it convinces me that Charisma Carpenter had to attempt to convince us for much longer that the Pseudo-religious priestess act and her love for Angel was indicative of Cordelia’s growth before and after becoming an ascended being. 

So for a large chunk of the show, she is padding and dressing and a plot device and the character is simply going through the motions, through Jasmine?

It feels more so optically humiliating (given the circumstance) and the performance doesn’t even help convince repeat watching. It’s a step below Dark Willow **but because it’s something that is portrayed too close to the character rather than feeling a tad forced like DW**, and a few leaps behind Glorificus, which was more gratifying and fun on a rewatch.

It also banks on Connor being continually groomed and manipulated without question, which is so tedious. It actually makes me like Connor a lot more in hindsight against the storytelling. >! I loved Connor contending with Ghost Darla about good or evil, but it made me wish that Jasmine directly manipulated Connor against the visage of his own dead mother through Quor’toth rather than through Cordelia and some whack oedipus story. Quor’toth does not get its due, and the severity of the dimension would probably come across as something more volatile. Like if Pylea was literally a walk in the park in comparison !<

“This was planned for years, you all made the choices for it to happen” also feels kind of insulting to show that is still written from season to season. Doyle’s role was very important in helping to flesh out and tether Cordelia to the story and the world past what she represented on Buffy. And yes, The Powers were always involved but it feels like a cop-out for what they wrote to facilitate the twist for viewership.

What do you think?

I liked season 4 the first time, now I hate it