Kate is forced to enroll in sensitivity awareness training with her fellow police officers. When she uncharacteristically breaks down and makes a scene at her father’s retirement party, Angel begins to suspect that something unusual is happening. Kate and the rest of the force seem to be completely unable to control their emotions and focus on their jobs, and this distraction may turn deadly. Meanwhile, Cordelia is annoyed at Angel’s lack of niceties around the office and frustrated about the unsociable hours that she now has to keep.
| Airdate: | 9 November 1999 |
| Writer: | Tim Minear |
| Director: | James A.Contner |
Cordelia: It's like you don't have a pulse.
Angel: I don't.
Behind the Scenes Trivia
Robert Papazian, Jr
A second assistant director on Angel named Robert Papazian Jr was probably the influence for the name of the character Little Tony Papazian in Sense and Sensitivity.
Cast and Crew Trivia
Alex Skuby
Alex Skuby, who played the vampire and El Eliminati member Vincent in Bad Girls, also appeared as Harlan in the Angel episode ‘Sense and Sensitivity’. he has also been in Strip Mall and The King of Queens.
John Mahon
John Mahon played Kate’s father, Trevor Lockley, in Angel’s season one. He has also appeared in Enterprise, Bull, Just Shoot Me!, Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, The X Files, Frasier, L.A. Confidential, Roswell, Knots Landing, Hill Street Blues, Knight Rider, The Rockford Files and The Exorcist.
Michael Beardsley
Michael Beardsley played an uncredited college student in Beer Bad. He appeared in the Angel episode ‘Sense and Sensitivity’ as an accident onlooker. He had other uncredited roles in Men in Black II, Crazy Beautiful, Dude, Where’s My Car? and The Adventures of Rocky & Bullwinkle.
Character Trivia
Trevor Lockley
Trevor Lockley was Kate’s father - a police officer like his daughter. He raised Kate by himself after her mother died, but had trouble showing emotion or even approval toward his daughter. After his retirement, Trevor became involved in some shady dealings for extra money, which eventually led to him being murdered by vampires.
Continuity
Angel’s outfit
In Sense and Sensitiviy, Angel tries to stall Tony from getting on a boat, by dressing in touristy gear - where did he get the clothes from? Does he have a stash of undercover outfits in his car, ready for times like this?
Nancy Boy
The phrase “Nancy Boy” is used three times in Buffy and Angel - In Tabula Rasa, Spike says, “He’s got his crust all stiff and upper with that nancy
boy accent” and in School Hard he says, “A lot faster than nancy-boy there.” In Sense and Sensitivity, Tony says to Angel, “”Seems that sensitivity training I paid for really took, huh, nancy boy?”
Music Trivia
Mythology Trivia
References
Dr. Laura
In Sense and Sensitivity, Kate says, “Suddenly I’m Dr. Laura. Next thing you know I’ll be talking about processing and my inner child. I’m sure I’ll be back to my usual level of cynicism in no time.” Laura Schlessinger is the host of the US call-in radio show Dr. Laura. She is known for her outspoken views on such issues as premarital sex, homosexuality, and abortion. The show was cancelled in 2001 due to it’s negative publicity.
Gentle Ben
In Blood Ties, Glory calls Ben “Gentle Ben”. This is a reference to a TV show of the same name made in the 1960s about a kid who has a tame bear called Ben. It starred Ron Howard’s brother, Clint Howard. In Pangs, the Chumash spirit Hus turned into a bear, which Xander called “Gentle Ben”. In Sense and Sensitivity, the Wolfram and Hart lawyer, Mercer says, “… look like Gentle Ben.”
Jane Austen
The title of the Angel episode Sense and Sensitivity is a reference to Jane Austen’s novel Sense and Sensibility, first published in 1811.
O. J. Simpson
Buffy says, “You just went O.J. on your girlfriend” in I Only Have Eyes For You. This is a reference to former American Football superstar O.J. Simpson, who was tried for killing his wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her ‘friend’, Ron Goldman, in June 1994. He was controversially found not guilty in October 1995.
In the Angel episode I Fall To Pieces, Cordelia says, “I don’t get it, this guy has a lot to lose. What is it about Melissa that’s got him going all O.J. here?” In the same episode, Kate says “they’re the law firm that Johnny Cochran is too ethical to join.” Johnny Cochran was the lawyer who defended OJ Simpson.
In Sense and Sensitivity, the Wolfram and Hart lawyer, Mercer says, “…that will make Mark Fuhrman look like Gentle Ben.” Mark Fuhrman was a detective in the Los Angeles Police Department who found the bloody glove that linked O.J. Simpson to the murder of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson. During the 1995 murder trial of O.J. Simpson, the defense accused Fuhrman of being a racist and planting evidence.
Goofs
Seen at 00.36 minutes:
When Kate catches up with Spivey in Sense and Sensitivity, he throws a bag on top of his car. In the next shot it has gone, but then appears again in another shot.
Quotes
Doyle: Not a lot of enchanted swordsmen open on Sunday.
Cordelia: Okay, am I wrong in thinking that a please and thank you is generally good form when requesting a dismemberment?
Doyle: He appreciates us in his own unappreciative way.
Cordelia: Does giant tentacle spew come out with dry cleaning?
Cordelia: It's like you don't have a pulse.
Angel: I don't.
Kate: So you decided to dress like a road flare and put my ass and yours on the line?
Kate: If I had know how bad you needed exercise I might have let you run a little longer.
Cordelia: All right I'm here. What's the big emergency? This in-the-middle-of-the-night hours are really eating into my potential social life.
Cordelia: I'm so glad we came down to watch late night with creepy cop lady.
Cordy gets up: "Wait you've got pensive face."
Angel: "I've always got pensive face."
Cordy: "Well, pensive-r face."
Angel: My parents were great. Tasted like chicken.
Angel: Okay I think someone needs a hug!
Angel: Hey, I'm feeling some seriously negative energy in here.
Spivey: I heard it was suicide.
Kate: Supervisor Caffrey shot himself?
Spivey: It happens.
Kate: In the back of the head. Wrapped himself in plastic and locked himself in the trunk of his car?
Spivey: He'd been depressed.
Doyle: "Don't look at me like that. I'm not the one that needs to brush up on their finger pantomime."
Cop: "Why not? Haven't we done enough? It's always 'find this, rescue that' with you people. Well, see how you like it!"