Episode Reviews   

"Habeas Corpses," Wednesday, January 15, 2003

by Anne

Episode Summary

Picking up where the previous episode left off, from a nearby rooftop Angel watches Connor and Cordy in bed together before furiously departing. The others return to the Hyperion, where Fred has been anxiously waiting. As they discuss what they should do, Angel returns looking very defeated. Fred asks if anyone's checked on Cordy and Connor; Angel replies simply that they're fine as he dejectedly climbs the stairs. The next day, the sun is shining as Cordy wakes up with a what-have-I-done expression on her face. Connor wakes up also, and she tells him that the previous night happened due to unusual circumstances and it cannot happen again. He gets defensive at her mention of one of the circumstances - the beast's appearance at the spot where he was born - and storms out. At Wesley's apartment, Lilah shows up, relieved that Wesley's okay, but he's cool to her before telling her that it's over between them. At Wolfram & Hart, Connor arrives at Lilah's office, announcing that he has questions about what he is. Moments later, the power goes off and Connor tells the others that The Beast is there. Lilah sends Gavin to check it out. Connor heads into the corridor to try to find TB as Lilah arms herself with a semi-automatic weapon. Elsewhere, TB makes his way through the building killing everyone in his path, including Gavin. Connor hears gunshots and rushes to a conference room where TB tortures Lilah for a few seconds before turning his attention to another victim. Connor rushes to save the other man, but his knife breaks harmlessly upon impact with TB. Lilah manages to escape as TB calls Connor by name before sending him flying into a nearby wall. As Lilah makes her way through the hall, Wesley appears at her side. The building locks down, but Lilah knows of a way out. She and Wesley escape; as they part, Lilah tells him that Connor's still trapped inside. Wes returns to tell the others; Angel, Wes, Fred and Gunn go to W&H to save Connor. As Angel finds his son, the team learns that the vast number of now deceased lawyers are up and moving about as zombies. Hoping for a way out, the gang makes it to the White Room. However TB is also there, draining a smoky black energy from the White Room Girl. TB walks toward them, and they prepare to fight, but the White Room Girl uses the last(?) of her power to send them back to the Hyperion. Angel looks thankful, almost happy as he realizes that she sent them home, but his face falls when he sees Cordy. As she goes to hug Connor, Angel retreats to his office. Cordy joins him, saying that she's glad everyone's safe and together again. Angel agrees. Then he continues, telling her "Now take your new boyfriend and get out." He leaves as the realization of what he said sinks in and Cordy's eyes widen in a look of panic.

Episode Review

This episode had it all. Sex. Mystery. Drama. Action. Zombies. (I really liked the zombies: they were funny.) It even had a clever title that played on the phrase habeas corpus.

First of all - literally - there was sex, and poor Angel had to witness it. At first he was angry, which is a typical reaction, yes? But by the time he returned to the hotel, he was depressed like they had never seen him be. That makes sense: Angel had never been in that uniquely painful type of situation. Sure he'd loved before and realized in time that he had to be apart from her. However, Cordelia was spirited away to another plane before they could even share their feelings with each other. Then - in the previous episode - Cordy told Angel she loved him, then went on to announce that she couldn't be with him because of his past. Perhaps he was accepting that, or trying to anyway, but then - surprise! The one he has feelings for, the one who rejected him, is suddenly in the arms of another guy who just happens to be his own son. Yeah, I'd say that would cause a person to experience a whole new level of misery.

The next morning, when Cordy was giving Connor the "it can't happen again" speech she said that the previous night was something they both needed. I both hate that line with a passion and *totally* don't understand how that could be true. Did she "need" to be with the son of a man she couldn't be with? Did he "need" a one-night-only fling with the woman his dad loved?

This episode left us with plenty of other questions. What made the lawyers rise as zombies? What did the White Room Girl mean when she answered the question "is there another way out" by saying "the answer is among you"? TB is super-powerful already, so what does he plan to do with the White Room Girl's power? Wesley advised Lilah to leave town and change her name, but how does Wesley know that TB won't stop until everyone at W&H are dead?

Perhaps the biggest mystery is the apparent connection between TB and Connor. It knows his name: that cannot be good for a guy that already feels he's somehow linked to the thing. Besides the fact that they entered the world in the same spot (a fact that Cordelia seems to think is significant, since she keeps bringing it up), Connor knew instantly that it was the cause of the power loss/disturbance at W&H. He seemed drawn to it; Lilah realized that as she walked with Connor, they were heading right for TB. Yet it took gunfire to actually lead him to it. When Lilah asked what it wanted, Connor answered, "Everybody dead." Did he know that from what Cordy said when she spoke of her visions? Or does he share a bond with it that gives him insight into the monster?

Another question: would Angel have put his feelings aside if Cordelia had been the one in danger, instead of Connor? I believe he would have, but he seemed more angry with her despite the fact that she was reaching out to him and trying to rejoin their little family. Maybe since he's known her longer and since she had just professed her love for him, it made her act a greater betrayal than Connor's. As the team was about to break into W&H, Angel snapped at Wes and Gunn to put away whatever problem they had with each other. They had no idea how much he was doing that himself, going to save the one that he apparently believes Cordy prefers.

When Wesley initially went in for Lilah, his plan was similar to Angel‘s: get in, get who you came for, run if you see TB, and get out. However, when the team did finally see TB, they didn't run. They stood, prepared to fight. True, maybe it was because they didn't know how to get out, but they weren't even looking around for a way to escape as TB approached. That's pretty commendable, since Wesley later states that it will take a force "far smarter and stronger" than they are to stop it.

Miscellaneous Thoughts

* Angel has a photographic memory? Has that *ever* been mentioned before?

* Connor thinks that Angel is "dim-witted"? Connor's not exactly a MENSA candidate.

* When did Gavin become Lilah's lackey? Maybe he was trying to make up for giving Angel information in the previous episode.

* Why not seal off the floors in case of an internal attack at W&H?

* Lilah has guns - that's a Wesley battle tactic. Or maybe he got it from her?

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