Sometimes it’s hard to parse through all the thoughts I have with this show.  After a wild ride, we seem to have another standalone episode that manages to still tie things together.  This season was surprisingly crafted in a way that brought so much together in very unexpected ways.  

The big threat to the episode is a very thirsty, transparent slug.  It gets in through the mouth and then makes its victim super-thirsty.  Why not try putting the guy under a tap and just letting the water run to see if he ever fills up?  Yet somehow this threat is scary.  And when more than one show up at the hotel, it ramps up the tension.  And when Fred is one of the victims, I couldn’t figure out how they were going to resolve this story.  

And that’s when the writers realized they’d backed themselves into a corner.  There’s no way out and nothing is working.  It makes a really, really strong episode but with no good resolution what can they do?  Well, one would think when Gunn vanishes and gets Wesley, he’d come back, save the day, and be welcomed back into the group.  Instead, he manages to get a slug drunk to save Fred but is otherwise surplus to the story.  The real win comes from when Cordy catches one in the air and the demon inside decides to whiteout the whole building.  (I’d have a sunburn for 6 months!)  

Don’t get me wrong: this is a great episode and very entertaining, along the lines of that other base-under-siege story, The Thin Dead Line, but it has a very abrupt end.  Having said that, there’s a lot that gets packed in that has to do with the character development.

Cordy loves Groo but he’s a bit of a puppy dog and she’s not really in love with a dog.  Then Groo hears her say that Angel is her only priority, but she back peddles: he is her #1 work priority.  In truth, this is something I can understand, but I can see how a being from another dimension might not.  The fact is, however, that I do think Cordy is highly empathic and sees her friend in need so her focus is shifted from her current lover to her long time friend.  “I should have been there for you.”  Meanwhile Wesley says he held on to life to be back with his friends, so he’s had a real shock to learn they are all mad at him.  He never intended any of what happened, but as Fred (and I) pointed out last episode, he should have come to them to share his concern and come up with a plan together.  How can this possible be resolved?

I also need to praise the comedy, as usual.  This episode is an action packed episode but it still manages to add levity when Groo struggled with “purple” but was able to say “pomegranate”.  Who knew that would be his mom’s name?!  Also the special effects really blew me away when the first slug-victim fell face down on the ground and shattered like terra cotta.  Didn’t see that coming.  (Not sure how I feel about them scooping his corpse up with a dust pan!)  And then there was the line about The Destroyer.  

When another semi-transparent demon appears, I was excited.  I remember The Destroyer from Doctor Who’s Battlefield.  Man, that was a good looking demon creature.  But this destroyer is knocked away by some punk kid… oh, wait, I see what they did there!  Ok, ya got me!  Well done, Mr. Fury!  Well done indeed.  The Destroyer wasn’t the demon looking thing – it was the kid.  And that kid was none other than Connor, Angel’s son.  And the chill that went down my spine lingered for an hour…

Come on, give me a break?!  How am I expected to not binge the rest of the series?  It’s an herculean effort to not dive straight into the next one.  Damn it, I have other things to do!  But this season has really ramped things up and I can’t wait to see where we go from here.  If there’s one thing I think the season can do without, it’s the tedious Wolfram and Hart stuff, but I won’t complain too much.  Everything I’ve complained about all season long as been addressed.  I’m sure it’s just a matter of time…  ML