Smile Time
There’s just not enough instant classics in the world. I was beginning to despair of Angel‘s ability to make them. But no, thankfully, we have ‘Smile Time’. A truly great episode, and surely one of the all time best Buffy / Angel comedy shows ever. Of course, everyone’s just going to call it ‘The Puppet Episode’.
It’s possibly one of the happiest Angel stories ever as well. Two men have women chasing after them, without noticing — both end up with the girl. No one gets decapitated, or turned, or possessed by a higher power. Although there is some disturbing stuff going on with Charles Gunn, Attourney at Law. The match-up of Fred and Wesley has been some time in coming, and while Fred’s change of heart did feel a little sudden — a peculiar look two episodes ago, and then suddenly this — the two of them are just too sweet to care. In fact, Fred’s really gorgeous these days, too thin or not. I’ll try not to let it get in the way of my reviewing.
It looks like Angel is ready to pursue a normal relationship too — albeit with a werewolf. Nina (or ‘Busty Nina’, as Entertainment Geekly took to calling her for no reason I can think of) is a welcome addition to Angel’s life, at least from my point of view. It’s nice to see the poor bastard loosening up and moving on a little. Even if one of the loves of his life did die tragically a few weeks back.
But I’m dodging the main issue here, which is the puppetness. Funny, yet also the most horribly creepy idea that I’ve seen on TV for a while. The grinning kids in their pyjamas. The puppet with his hand in the back of the human, torturing him. Good stuff. And on a more subtle level, I was highly disturbed by the standard ‘cute kid’ kind of puppet swearing, drinking, and having a cigarette stashed behind his felt ear.
The best puppet of the episode of course was Angel himself. Physically spot on, but even more clever was the minor adjustments to his character to make him more puppet like. This Angel goes off the deep end quickly, is far more insecure, and more affectionate. That last touch being something that he really needs with Nina.
Oh, waffle, waffle, waffle. I’ve no desire to quote all the funny bits. And frankly, once Angel gets transformed, there’s precious few not funny bits. Just watch this one if you get the chance.
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Shannon
May 29th, 2004 at 10:46 pm
I must have missed something. Its vaguely humourous I suppose but its not like it made me laugh out louad or anything. Its just stupid. David hurt his knee oh dear what do we do.. here, quick fix, we’ll turn him into a puppet and go for cheap laugh points rather than any intergrity of plot or purpose. And as for Fred instantly changing her mind about Wesley, I get how that doesn’t bother you, Wesley’s number one fan, but did it bug me. I mean, dont get me wrong I’m happy they’re together and all, but I smell a plot device. Looks to me like they got them together in a real big hurry for something else that may be about to happen. I’m worried. It’s the Angel ‘these characters never remain happy for long’ curse. Anyway I’m glad this came out after you published your top ten cos I have a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach that Smile Time would have got an honourable mention or something. And then I would have had to disown you. And that would be sad.
Tom
May 29th, 2004 at 10:58 pm
The person who hasn’t got ‘Becoming’ in her top ten Buffies would drown me for putting in an episode that only she in the whole world claims not to find funny?
Rich.
Tom
May 29th, 2004 at 10:59 pm
Er, disown, not drown. Tom can’t read.
Shannon
May 30th, 2004 at 7:07 am
And you know I am rewriting my Buffy thing with Becoming at the top, you have insider info to embarass me, thats not fair! Speaking of, could you please take down that SO VERY WRONG article until I fix it?
Tom
May 30th, 2004 at 10:44 pm
Nope, nope nope nope.
Shannon
May 31st, 2004 at 5:15 am
Um, pretty please?
Andy
June 3rd, 2004 at 6:41 am
Shannon would drown you? Don’t claim a misspelling. Sounds like a Fruedian slip to me.That was a really funny episode Shannon. Even though it was blurry and on a computer
Tom
June 3rd, 2004 at 7:12 am
Not a misspelling but a misreading.
Still no. We all have to be accountable Shannon. If I open this door I’ll never close it again, we’ll be all constantly editing every dud sentence in every review. Besides, I want to amass reviews, not lose them.
Shannon
June 3rd, 2004 at 8:31 am
But I will give it back, I just want to fix it. It’ll still be as long I promise, just content slightly altered. Drastically.
And I saw that ep first as a high definition avi on my computer and then in widescreen when it was broadcast on my plasma screen tv. there is nothing that picture quality could do to improve something that mediocre.
Tom
June 3rd, 2004 at 6:24 pm
Even when your new one is up, the old one will still be available (albeit renamed – Shannon’s Old/Silly/Wacky Top Ten). So ner.
Continuously bagging one of my favourite episodes isn’t going to help your case anyhow…
Tom
June 3rd, 2004 at 6:24 pm
And I might point out that Jackson claims that you said ‘That ep wasn’t funny’ and so he and you watched it again together and you laughed your way through the whole thing…
Shannon
June 3rd, 2004 at 8:31 pm
Leave that old one up and I will never write a review for you ever again. I am writing a top 25 movies and some more Alias reviews but you know what, if you’re going to be mean I dont think I’ll be playing this game anymore.
It has its moments. Im not saying that Smile Time was the very worst episode ever but I’m saying any laughs were really cheap laughs and I dont think I would watch that one again – I think I’ve expended about all I’m going to get out of the episode. Some Angel eps you can watch again and again and get heaps out of, this is just, what is is and thats all. A few cheap laughs and a snog with Wes and Fred.
Tom
June 4th, 2004 at 8:54 pm
My goodness, who’s playing hardball now?
Alright, when the new one comes it shall overwrite the old. I give up. Honestly. It’s like you’re ashamed of your past.
‘Smile Time’ is best watched in a group I think, as a lot of comedies are.
Shannon
June 5th, 2004 at 8:33 pm
Well its a fairly simple request I would have thought.
And yes, of course I amashed of my past – wouldnt you be ashamed of that?!? I dont know what I was on when I wrote that… I think I did it mostly to annoy people except in hindsight I have annoyed myself the most.
Tom
June 5th, 2004 at 8:44 pm
I’m a hoarder. Do you see me selling my stuff on eBay? No, coz it’s just impossible. Same with reviews. I nag people A LOT to get them, it takes a bit of persuading to let go.
Anyhow, yes, I look forward to your slightly sensible top ten soon. Though really, there’s only 2 or 3 real weird ones in the current one. Replacing ‘Normal Again’ with ‘Becoming’ would make it all seem pretty reasonable.
Shannon
June 5th, 2004 at 8:52 pm
That is the plan.
Hehe. Amashed.