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Best of Gunn - Part 2!
Here are the most important Gunn-episodes in season 3! Enjoy the analysis! |
"Best of Gunn"
by angel-fan
Translated into English by Oceanic.
Here is part one!
Season 3
3x03 That Old Gang Of Mine
 When Cordelia asks Angel to apologize to Merl, a demon he used to beat up to get information, the only thing he can find is the pulpy carcass of Merl. Angel and Wesley try to solve the murder which is completely incomprehensible to Gunn who says that Merl’s just been a demon. Wesley however clearifies that there’s a cross between good and evil which means that not every demon is evil and that therefore demons mustn’t be killed randomly.
Visiting his old gang Gunn has to realize that a lot has changed. His old friend Rondell is the new leader and there are a lot of new youths at the gang. Among them is Gio who from the first moment on blames Gunn that he has betrayed his old friends and that he’s a lackey of a vampire. Rondell however manages to stop the quarrel.
After a peaceful demon is killed again in a horrible manner Gunn finds out that his old gang is behind these cruel murders. Talking to Rondell he realizes that the gang now kills everything in sight that looks like a demon. In order to think about this new policy of his old gang Gunn visits “Caritas”, when the gang storms into the bar to kill all the demons. As soon as Gio recognizes Gunn among the demons he tries to mortify Gunn in order to become more important to the gang. He describes Gunn as a betrayer flirting with demons. Taking hostages the gang wants Angel to come to “Caritas” so that Gunn can show his loyalty by staking Angel. Gunn refuses to do so and blames Rondell and Gio to be the true betrayers to their original aims. Fred however feints Gio while Cordelia manages to lift the anti-demon-violence spell on “Caritas”. When Gio’s killed in the following fight Gunn and Rondell agree upon going separate ways.
 „That Old Gang Of Mine“ deals once more intensively with the relation between Gunn and his old gang and shows the disunion established by his work at Angel Investigations and his old life as a street fighter. More than once it’s been made clear that Gunn has issues leaving behind his old gang and to fight the battle against evil in another way. Thereby only Angel was able to show him, that a demon doesn’t necessarily need to be evil and killed. Althouh there’s still Gunn’s inner onflict whether he can trust Angel and take his orders or not, it’s as well shown that Gunn’s smart enough to overlook this conflict on the background of both of them fighting against evil. Thereby his interests concerning this conflict become meaningless and a basis for tust and friendship is build.
Influenced by Gio Rondell and his gang lost Gunn’s reason why they should fight and lead a crusade against all demons without having a closer look on who they’re killing. In showing this Gio seems to play an important part as he can be seen as Gunn’s mirror image. He is what Gunn used to be, the intransigent demon fighter. Furthermore he represents what Gunn could have become, hadn’t he met Angel: A vicious killer who judges everyone by his appearance and thereby kills everything that looks evil. After his sister’s death Gunn was at the point where he had to choose how to go on with his life. Had he chosen the same way as Gio, who flew from his dark past in Miami, he would’ve tried to dull his pain caused by the loss of his sister by brutally killing (innocent) demons. Although Gunn got around this development his gang’s manner would’ve been the same as under Rondell’s and Gio’s guidance, hadn’t it been for Angel. Acknowledging the betrayal on his ideals, Gunn breaks up with his old gang. By choosing Angel’s side, no matter how big his inner conflict is, he made a final stroke to his past.
3x13 Waiting in the Wings
 Instead of buying tickets for a rock concert Gunn wanted to visit Angel gets tickets for the whole group for a ballett performance he’s visited 100 years ago. Back then he was very impressed by the performance. Although Gunn’s net very enthused everyone’s getting ready to go. In a conversation between Wesley and Cordelia it gets clear, that Wesley’s got strong feelings for Fred and that he hopes to come closer to Fred during the evening. After Cordelia has talked to Fred, who also became gushy, she advises Wesley to risk it. What Cordelia didn’t knowwas that Fred’s been talking about Gunn and not Wesley. In the theatre Wesley and Gunn attempt to come closer to Fred. When Angel notices, that it’s the very same performance he’s visited 100 years ago and that this could only be done by magic he and the bored Cordy go to investigate this case, whereat they’re drawn into a magical ban behind the wings where they relive the incidents from 100 years ago when the ballet dancer and her lover got very close … Gunn, Fred and Wesley also go behind the wings to look for Angel and Cordelia. Getting to know about the intruders the theatre chief sends his demons after the three. In the following battle Gunn gets wounded whereupon Fred rushes to him and both admitt their love. Wesley has to witness this and blazes up. By then the three are also drawn into the magical ban and learn that the theatre chief wanted the ballet dancer and that she had a lover. Therefore he enchanted her so that she would dance for him for the rest of eternity. Angel finds the theatre chief and destroys his amulett which lifts the curse.
 “Waiting in the wings” solves several problems that have been going on for a while. On the one hand the slow approach between Angel and Cordelia as a consequence of the attraction both feel for each other begins, on the other hand the most important point for a character analasis of Gunn is shown, the problem of the relation between him, Fred and Wesley. For quite some time it’s been clear that both Gunn and Wesley were in love with Fred. However none of them has attempted to come closer to her. As until now the viewer always saw the emphasis on the realtion between Wesley and Fred, while Gunn’s feelings were more or less a minor matter, it was to assume that they Wesley would become Fred’s partner. That would also have occurred more reasonable, as Fred and Wesley have a lot in common while it’s hard to connect Fred and Gunn by their interests. Therefore it’s interesting that the viewer never got to know who Fred was in love with. In this episode it’s finally revealed that Fred’s been totally in love with Gunn while she had no feelings of love for Wesley. Although this is a real shock for Wesley he deals with it with british self discipline.
The actual surprise of this episode is that not Fred and Wesley become a couple as everybody would’ve thought but that a relationship between Gunn and Fred starts. It would’ve been too predicatble, if Fred and Wesley had become the new couple. Instead Fred chooses Gunn, a man of deeds. Here should also be mentioned the aspect of the races. While everybody expected that Wesley and Fred would’ve been the better couple Joss Whedon thwarts these plans and enters upon a topic which is for American standards rather awkward like the homosexual relationship between Willow and Tara on “BtVS”. The relationship between a “black” man and a “white” girl is today not as scandalous as it wouldÄve been in the past but it still makes some people wonder, whereby Joss Whedon achieved once again to enter upon a taboo topic on one of his shows.
3x18 Double or Nothing
 After Connor’s been kidnapped Wesley is excluded of Angel Investigations for the rest of his life and at Hotel Hyperion reigns a depressed mood when Cordelia and Groo return from their holiday and learn about the terrible incidents.
Later a harmless demon family asks Angel Investigations for help as a Skench demon occupies their flat, whereupon Gunn goes to eliminate the demon. After he’s done a lackey of the demon casino owner Jenoff appears and claims an old debt from Gunn. In a flashback it’s revealed that Gunn traded his soul for „a beauty“ seven years ago. Now that Gunn’s about to give his soul to Fred Jenoff claims the keeping of the contract during the next 24 hours. Should the contract be broken he’d take both Gunn’s and Fred’s soul. When he meets Fred Gunn decides to spend one beautiful afternoon with her. However Fred notices that something’s wrong and in order to save her Gunn simulates to have a fit and breaks up with her. Afterwards he goes to the casino. Fred reports the incidents to Angel and Cordy and says that Gunn has to be in great danger. Groo gives the others a business card of the demon, which he got earlier when the demon asked for Gunn, and the group’s going to the casino. Just as Jenoff wants to take Gunn’s soul Angel intervenes and offers a deal: Double or nothing. He and Jenoff gamble for Gunn’s and Angel’s soul. When Angel loses the game he simply decapitates Jenoff, who grows another head. All the visitors of the casino attack Jenoff and the gang has enough time to escape. Fred and Gunn reconcile and Gunn admitts that he sold his soul for his truck.
”Double Or Nothing” isn’t necessarily an episode in which Gunn developes much but still it’s an episode which deals intensively with Gunn without his old gang playing a central role. The viewer’s given an interesting insight to Gunn’s past and learns how he got his truck. The emphasis of this episode lies on the relationship between Gunn and Fred. Although everyone’s in a bad mood because Connor’s been kidnapped, Fred and Gunn are happy together until this harmony is destroyed. The seriousness of their reltaionship is shown in Jenoff’s lackey’s statement, that Gunn’s giving his soul to a girl. Fred’s so important to him, that he wants to be rather killed than bringing her into jeopardy. It get’s also clear that Gunn’s ready to take responsibility for his past actions and that he doesn’t shy to do big sacrifices, the love to Fred and his own life. At the end nothing bad happens and Fred and Gunn reconcile.
Part 3 with seasons 4 and 5 will come soon.
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