S5. Ep5. Life of The Party

[00:00:01] Speaker A: Welcome to Investigating angel, an angel rewatch. [00:00:04] Speaker B: Podcast where we analyze each episode of angel the series with no spoilers. We are your hosts, Leah and Sarah. [00:00:11] Speaker A: And if you love angel, this is the podcast for you foreign. Hey, guys. Welcome back to Investigating Angel. Today we're Talking about Season 5, Episode 5, Life of the Party, written by Ben Edlund, directed by Bill L. Norton and aired October 29, 2003. So they think this is the official Halloween episode. And I think it's Angel's only Halloween episode ever. [00:00:56] Speaker B: That's cool that it actually aired around Halloween too. Yeah, I didn't know that. [00:01:00] Speaker A: Yeah. And it's kind of fun because IMDb was talking about how normally Spike, he's been a part of a couple of Buffy's Halloween episodes. And so this would have been then typically how Buffy did it was like every other year was only on the even season year. So it's 2, 4 and 6 and it didn't do 1, 7. So this would have slid right into when Buffy's. Right. [00:01:26] Speaker B: Right. [00:01:26] Speaker A: Halloween episode would have aired. Yeah. [00:01:28] Speaker B: He always says the same thing. [00:01:30] Speaker A: He does. And yet he does the exact opposite. Rules for me, not for thee, basically. Or use Ruth. [00:01:37] Speaker B: He was dragged into some shenanigans on Halloween. [00:01:40] Speaker A: Yeah, exactly. But yeah, this. What do you think of this episode? [00:01:46] Speaker B: So fun. This was such a great episode. I love that it's Lauren centric. I thought it was just like, really fast paced. It was really. Everyone was like, really fun. We haven't had a fun episode like this in a really long time. So I thoroughly enjoyed it. I thought everyone was bringing their comedy game. And, yeah, it tells us something about Lauren, which I think we haven't really heard about Lauren in a really long time. He's been kind of in the background, so that was really nice. We got Harmony again. She was lovely and just like she was the life of the party, actually. [00:02:21] Speaker A: Oh, Harmony was so funny. The only one dancing on the dance floors. Like, she would get out there. She's the life of the party. She's the only one helping Lauren. She's his only true friend. Come on, guys, help him out. [00:02:34] Speaker B: Oh. So, yeah, I don't know. I really enjoyed it. What did you think? [00:02:37] Speaker A: Yeah, same. Which I think is gonna shock people because there really isn't much of substance for this episode. Like, it's technically Lauren centric, but other than the fact that he feels pressured to bring everybody together, there's not really a lot to say. But it was really fun and enjoyable and it was silly, but it wasn't stupid. Like Provider was. Or dad or whatever. That one episode with the tree that was catfishing people. The love spell one. [00:03:07] Speaker B: Oh, my God. Couplet. [00:03:08] Speaker A: Yeah, couplet. [00:03:09] Speaker B: And then there was the one with the talking hamburger. I think that was a more serious episode. [00:03:14] Speaker A: That was a serious episode. [00:03:15] Speaker B: All I remember from that episode is there was a drive through with a talking hamburger. [00:03:19] Speaker A: Yeah. That Wesley had to go talk to about prophecies. [00:03:22] Speaker B: Yeah. But it was like the most serious conversation he was just having with the talking hamburger. Drive through. So stupid, right? [00:03:29] Speaker A: So, like, this episode was silly and funny and yeah, there are aspects of it that were stupid, but it wasn't. There was something about it that was endearing. And I think it's because, like, everybody was acting. Everyone was under kind of a spell. So it wasn't like people were acting out of character for no reason to service the plot. It was just like there was a spell and they were acting goofy. [00:03:49] Speaker B: It was just shenanigans. [00:03:51] Speaker A: Yeah. Yeah. [00:03:52] Speaker B: And I just feel like this type of episode, especially the fact that it released on October 29, right before Halloween, I just can imagine, like, back in the day preparing for Halloween. You're, like, so excited for the 31st. And then this episode comes on and it's just, like, fun. It's just good fun. It gets you in the mood for spooky season and you get to see all of your favorite characters just. Just be in shenanigans. And I love it. [00:04:16] Speaker A: Especially after the previous episode, which was really intense and really dark. And then the season has been pretty heavy. Some big themes. I don't know. I just really enjoyed it. And I have come to appreciate. Guys, this is growth. I have come to appreciate in my five years of podcasting the episodes that are lighter and don't take themselves as seriously. Because early on I was like, there's just nothing of substance, therefore, this episode is meaningless. And I didn't know how to just sit and enjoy an episode episode for the entertainment that it was. But realizing that, like, as long as the episode is entertaining, it's doing its job and appreciating it for that. So, guys, it's growth, character development for me. [00:04:56] Speaker B: I think that's the key, though. Like, there has to be some type of balance, I feel like, you know, so, yeah, it just depends on how it's done, I think. And obviously everybody's gonna have their personal preferences and stuff. There may be somebody who doesn't like this episode and thinks that it's, like, out of place and stupid, but critically touched. [00:05:13] Speaker A: Hates this episode. I didn't write down, oh, my God. [00:05:15] Speaker B: Do they hate Lauren. [00:05:16] Speaker A: They said it is worst episode of the season, possibly the worst of the series. [00:05:21] Speaker B: I'm gonna write them a letter. An angry letter. [00:05:26] Speaker A: Where have they been? [00:05:27] Speaker B: Crazy. [00:05:28] Speaker A: Yeah, but, you know, it's different preferences some people. [00:05:30] Speaker B: But, like, why? Why did they not like it? [00:05:33] Speaker A: They just said there was no point to it. Versus, like, what I will give them with Provider is it actually is somewhat advancing the storylines of that season. Their storylines we don't like, which might be a big reason why we don't like Provider versus this one. There's. There's not really much of any. I think there's maybe one thing that they're kind of advancing one or two things, but. Yeah, I mean, to each his own, but I was shocked. I was like, this is not the worst of the season by far. [00:05:59] Speaker B: No, absolutely not. [00:06:01] Speaker A: Yeah. So interesting. Anyways, originally, the air date for this episode, well, it was always supposed to be close to Halloween, but the original television promotion was called Halloween Colon Lauren Style. So I don't know if that was going to be the original episode title, but that's how they promoted this episode. Cute. In the beginning. It's. They said in on IMDb. Lauren is pitching a Grapes of Wrath in space and the struggle of intergalactic poverty. On the surface, this recalls the setting for Firefly. He's on the phone to someone called Jerry who refers to as the Big B, and then someone he refers to as JC before ending the call and saying directors. Presumably this alludes to Jerry Bruckheimer and James Cameron, which is really funny. And yes, this is the first Lauren centric episode in the entire series. And correct me if I'm wrong, it's the only Lauren centric episode of the entire series. Or is there one more? [00:06:55] Speaker B: I would say the House Always Wins is pretty Lauren centric. [00:06:58] Speaker A: Yeah, I guess so. And we don't really learn much about him, but he is kind of front and center. [00:07:05] Speaker B: Yeah, he's like. He's the one that they're saving and he's, like, trying to get out of the situation. So I would say the House Always Wins is definitely a Lauren centric episode. [00:07:14] Speaker A: Okay. Maybe Pilea a little bit more. [00:07:18] Speaker B: It kind of like catches us up with him, too. [00:07:21] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:07:22] Speaker B: Like, you know, he leaves for Las Vegas and he's been, like, sending signals to them, but they didn't know. So then they go and they find him and he's been, like, stuck and stuff. And I think it's pretty. [00:07:33] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:07:33] Speaker B: Lauren centric. [00:07:35] Speaker A: Yeah, I mean, unfortunately, I. I Don't think there's a true Lauren centric episode in the series that really goes, okay, Lauren starts here and learns a lesson and goes to the very end. I mean, I think he kind of learns a lesson in this one, but we don't get to see his response and reaction to everything because he's unconscious at the very end. [00:07:51] Speaker B: Yeah, but he's taken a nap. [00:07:53] Speaker A: A much needed nap. This poor, poor man. And I think that this episode is believable to me because, like, you and I have been talking about the strain that Lauren has been having for past couple of seasons where he's been holding everything together. And we even talked about how angel has been really tough on Lauren in particular. And even. I think it was like, it back in season three where he was, like, blaming him for everything, even though Lauren was doing just what angel was asking him to do in regards to getting things of him. Yeah. And helping Cordelia. I think it was. Oh, it was the episode that Cordelia was really hurt. And then he was, like, asking Lauren to get things for him and blaming him when it was going wrong, which. Poor Lauren. I'm surprised Lauren has not snapped before now. I feel like he has been kind of brought to the brink several. Several times. And we've talked about how the reason he chose to work for Wolfram and Hart is because he just wants to bring people together. He wants to help them. He wants to live in peace. And I think he's become very disillusioned with the mission, or at least the mission, the way that angel has been doing it. And I think this episode kind of shows us how everyone's feeling very fragmented and fractured. And a lot of that's because of the work of Wolverine, Hart that is separating them and how Lauren is desperate to kind of keep everybody together. And so the spells that are put onto the gang are not necessarily accurate references and reflections of the individuals, but more just showing how Lauren wishes to change their behavior because he thinks that that will help them all come closer together. And I think once you look at that and aren't looking for, like, a deeper meaning to it all, you just. You enjoy it. [00:09:31] Speaker B: I think just on a base level, it's, like, super relatable in, like, adult friendships. Yeah, Everybody's busy with their lives. Everyone's busy with work. You, like, don't have time to just hang out with your friends sometimes. And, you know, you have to make plans a month in advance because people have commitments and work and things to do. And, like, you know, there's always that One friend that's always trying to get everyone together. Um, but I. I just feel like it's so real. That's kind of the stage I'm at in my life where everyone just has stuff going on and you can't just be in each other's lives all the time. Like, you have other stuff to do. Um, but that doesn't mean that you're not still friends. It's just life happens, right? [00:10:12] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:10:13] Speaker B: And this show is very much the journey of, like, being an adult, so it makes sense. [00:10:17] Speaker A: Yeah, yeah, it's very true because, like, up until out of college, we're all basically in the same stage of life. We've been moved in our age groups all the way through. And then you get out of college, then things change drastically. Some people get married, some people have kids, some people don't get married and don't have kids. And it just. Some people, career people and. [00:10:36] Speaker B: Yeah, hobbies, family stuff. You never know. Like, everybody has something going on. [00:10:41] Speaker A: Yep, that is very true. So, yeah, that's all I got. Not much to say. But we're gonna have fun because this is a funny episode and I was dying laughing several parts. So I'm excited to talk about it. All right, so we start off in the lobby. We have Lawrence feet as he's walking down booging to Thelma Houston's Don't Leave Me this Way. He's wearing a silver alligator, silver alligator boots and a blue suit. To his right is another man, his assistant, holding a cell phone. He looked snazzy. [00:11:12] Speaker B: He looked so good in. The music in this episode was also so good. [00:11:17] Speaker A: It was very fun. And he. I was cracking up. I don't know if you noticed, but Gun and Angel basically are wearing the exact same shirt, just like slightly different shades when they go to the party later on. And I don't know if that was an intentional decision, especially because Guns like, peeing in. [00:11:34] Speaker B: Oh, my God, everywhere. Well, I feel like Lauren sort of, when he goes to talk to Gun, he's just like, you have to step up now. Like, kind of be the leader in this party. Be a big boy. And I feel like that's Angel's role. He goes to Gun when he, like, can't go to angel when angel shuts him down. So maybe that's. That was like a subtle, like, little comparison between the two. [00:11:57] Speaker A: Well, the show's been comparing them for forever and so I. Yeah, I wouldn't be surprised. [00:12:02] Speaker B: But yeah, or they both just look good in a button down maroon shirt. Like, I don't know. [00:12:08] Speaker A: Matches their similar skin tones. [00:12:10] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:12:12] Speaker A: Both their complexions. [00:12:15] Speaker B: I met their muscles. I met their sexy bodies. That's what I meant. Just hangs nice on their stomach. [00:12:23] Speaker A: Just twinsies over there. [00:12:24] Speaker B: And then Angel's is like, buttoned down to his belly button. And Guns is like, you know, respectable, because he's a lawyer. [00:12:31] Speaker A: His respectable. [00:12:32] Speaker B: And Angel's a slut in this episode. [00:12:35] Speaker A: Yeah. The leather couch cushion in front of the goods. [00:12:38] Speaker B: Oh, my God. Oh, that's so funny. [00:12:40] Speaker A: Can't wait to do that. [00:12:41] Speaker B: So naked all the time. [00:12:42] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:12:43] Speaker B: Just naked and wet. We're back to Faith, Hope, and Trick. When he falls out of the sky. [00:12:47] Speaker A: I'm just like, how much of an input to David Boreanas have into this episode? Because you have him watching hockey, you have him naked. I was like, he was in his element. I wonder if he gave some suggestions. And they were like, eh, sure. Or they were like, they know David Boreana so well that they're like, he'll love it. [00:13:03] Speaker B: He'll love this. He's like, yeah, great day of work today. [00:13:07] Speaker A: Can I be naked and watch hockey? [00:13:09] Speaker B: Oh, my God. It's like he's at home. [00:13:16] Speaker A: He's like, I'll be in my trailer. [00:13:18] Speaker B: Also, shout out David Boreanas. The Eagles won the Super Bowl. [00:13:22] Speaker A: Yeah, we know that. You're probably having a buzz buzzing right now. [00:13:26] Speaker B: He's like. [00:13:26] Speaker A: He's vibrating. [00:13:27] Speaker B: When is this gonna episode come out? Like, in weeks. And he's still gonna be buzzing. [00:13:31] Speaker A: He'll still be vibrating. [00:13:32] Speaker B: Go, Birds. Even though I'm Canadian, I don't. [00:13:38] Speaker A: I actually have a lot of friends that are Philadelphia fans, so. You know what? [00:13:42] Speaker B: And my dad are a lot of Philadelphia fans. [00:13:46] Speaker A: Yeah, there are a lot there. Well, for so, so long. I remember my. My youth pastor when I was in junior and high in high school was from Philadelphia. Huge Philadelphia Eagles fan. But it was during that streak of when they never won, they were just known as, like, the worst team in the NFL. So he's like, on cloud nine. [00:14:05] Speaker B: Lions. [00:14:06] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:14:07] Speaker B: Are apparently terrible. [00:14:09] Speaker A: Yeah. Yeah. I know nothing about football. That's not true. I do know some, but I don't really know that. I have heard that. I've heard some of these things. I know some of these words. Anyway. Okay, wow. We've barely started. All right, so Lawrence on the phone, and he's got two different phones that he swaps back and forth talking to different directors. Walks up to Harmony's desk. Harmony's dress is the same one that Anya wore in Crush while she was dancing. At the bronze. It's that iconic one where she's. You see her dancing like this. [00:14:44] Speaker B: Oh, my God, that's so cute. So they're both dancing in it? [00:14:47] Speaker A: Yeah. Isn't that cute? [00:14:49] Speaker B: That's so cute. [00:14:50] Speaker A: The transcript says Harmony is incredibly overdressed for a receptionist. She's wearing a pink sequin, sleeveless dress. Her hair is done professionally. [00:14:58] Speaker B: No, she looks great. Yeah, whoever wrote this doesn't ever say that about her. She looks perfectly dressed for her job. [00:15:07] Speaker A: McNabb is just so pretty. [00:15:10] Speaker B: She's so pretty. [00:15:10] Speaker A: She's Barbie. [00:15:12] Speaker B: Yeah, she's Barbie Vampire. [00:15:14] Speaker A: Good in these, like, pastel colors that are just so bright. She just is gorgeous. And then, of course, Lauren's like, oh, the eyes, the hair, the dress. You can tell these two are BFFs. He's like, it's no wonder the fourth floor has a crush on you. [00:15:27] Speaker B: Harmonica. [00:15:28] Speaker A: Harmonica. She's like, looney Tunes. I like. Or Lordy Tunes. That's right. [00:15:33] Speaker B: Yeah. It's so cute. [00:15:35] Speaker A: She's the only person that gives him a nickname back. He's been nicknaming people for forever and no one's ever done it back. I'm so glad. [00:15:42] Speaker B: I just know they, like, take their lunch break together and they go for cocktails and, like, appetizers somewhere and they just, like, gossip about the office girlies, and I just love it so much. [00:15:53] Speaker A: And Harmony probably tries to set him up with some good looking demon dudes. He tries to set her up. They have sleepovers. They do each other's nails. Like. [00:16:03] Speaker B: Yeah, I feel like they have a lot of cocktails. [00:16:08] Speaker A: Okay, they just have cocktails. That's what it is. [00:16:10] Speaker B: A lot of cocktails. [00:16:11] Speaker A: Actually, no sleepovers because Lauren doesn't sleep. We know this. [00:16:13] Speaker B: Yeah, he took away his sleep. Anyway, they're just their best friends. And if I worked at Wolfman Hart, I would want to hang out with them on lunch hour. [00:16:22] Speaker A: Percent 100. [00:16:23] Speaker B: Yep. [00:16:25] Speaker A: So then he's like, where do I find Angel? And Harmony's like, hey, he's on his way back from field mission. But hey, he sounds like he's in a mood. Lauren's like, oh, don't worry. I've pulled the big boy out of many a brood fest. It shouldn't be that. And then we look over and angel is walking through the lobby covered in slime, looking completely just disgruntled and done with the day. Valid. [00:16:46] Speaker B: Really blame him, honestly. So valid. That looks nasty. Whatever. He's. [00:16:50] Speaker A: I hate anything sticky. I hate it in my hair. Oh, my God, my Fingers. Anyway, all right, so angel or Wesley walks up to angel and is like, hey, how did the new neural incept intercept grenade work? Angel's like, it didn't. Hands it to Wes. Wes is like, all right, I'll take it to Fred and have her look at it. Lauren's like, hey, angel heart. And then he says, hey, Wes, if you see Fred, can you have her pencil me in for later? And I need to talk to her about Henry Fonda's great big comeback. And Wes is like, okay. So then Lauren follows Angel towards his office. And he's like, hey, we need to talk. It's very important. He's like, it's about the party. He's like, there's some people that are not wanting to come to the party. And Angel's like, hey, I just don't want to talk about this. I'm beat up, I'm exhausted. I'm covered head to toe in thraxis blood, which actually kind of burns. This is all going to have to wait until I take a shower. Shuts down, which. Very reasonable, very valid. But you can tell Lauren's very stressed out about this. And it's kind of like panicking because he can't see seem to get any time to see angel at all. It's then Lauren's like, hang on, you killed the Thraxis. And Angel's like, shower. And then leaves. And then Lauren's like, oh, craps. Then he goes to his assistant, is like, hey, we need to take the Thraxis off the invite list. And then I'm like, all this poor man. Constantly running interference. So then he grabs a piece of paper from his assistant and then heads over to his own office slash personal rooms. Grabs a sticky note out of, like, a bajillion sticky notes that are on the front of his door. This poor man. And then I just know. [00:18:22] Speaker B: Lauren is, like, so overstimulated. Like, I just know. Oh, my God. [00:18:26] Speaker A: Yeah, the party music playing is so funny because I wonder if that's, like, what Lauren hears all the time in his head, just never stopping. The ADHD brain. [00:18:35] Speaker B: Oh, my God, that sounds like a nightmare. [00:18:37] Speaker A: As soon as he gets into his room. This is me when I get back from a long day and take off my bra. [00:18:44] Speaker B: Oh, my God. [00:18:44] Speaker A: He gets inside his room and everything just kind of goes still. And he. That's when he kind of unmasks. And I love that because there are so many people. Whether you're introverted, I know a lot of people who are autistic. Really struggle with burnout. This is very real. And he's kind of in his room just like, oh, okay, I'm tired of breathing. And then he goes. And he sits down at his vanity and is rubbing his forehead when his reflection starts talking to him. And he's. And Lauren just tries to ignore it. And the reflection says, you can't ignore me forever. Looks like you're going to have to slap a band aid on that melon draw grin on that bewitching green mug and go right back out there on the count of nine, sunshine. And then starts to count. And Lauren just glares at his reflection. Lauren. And then Lauren reflection's like, they're waiting for you. They're counting on you. They're going to eat you up with a spoon because you're so scrumptious. Like, all this stuff. And then finally, Lauren just, like, loses it, screams, shut up, and just smashes the mirror. [00:19:44] Speaker B: So do you think that this is an ability that Lauren has, or do you think this is because of the sleep removal spell? [00:19:51] Speaker A: It's hard to say because we haven't really seen very much of Lauren. Right. [00:19:55] Speaker B: True, true. [00:19:56] Speaker A: So, like, I want to believe that it's because of his sleep and stuff and, like, all the pressure of everything, but then it's like, I wonder if he still would have filled this way even without his sleep being taken. I mean, the immense amount of pressure he's on. Like, that's the sad thing is when he wakes up, he's still going to be under that amount of pressure. Yeah, this episode didn't really do anything. [00:20:19] Speaker B: To him, but maybe it's the mindset. Maybe that's the message of the episode. Like, you have to, like, pick your battles. You have to. You can't do everything, and you have to be okay with that. You have to delegate tasks to other people, and then you have to let things go that you don't have control over. [00:20:34] Speaker A: Yeah. Yeah. You know, this moment, like, really hit me hard because, like, that internal pressure sometimes that we put on ourselves to perform, to be there for others, often is at the expense of our own health. And I. I mean, we've seen angel blaming Lauren for many, many things. And so Lauren's feeling that pressure of, like, not only do I have to keep everybody together, but I also want to help angel, and this is my way of helping because I'm not a fighter. So he's feeling that. And I wish we had explored that a little bit more in this episode, for sure. But reading angel talks about how this is an obvious metaphor for taking substances to enhance the abilities of an overworked entertainment executive. In the real world, this often results in the symptoms of a bipolar personality. Extreme highs alternating with depressed or angry periods. In the magical world, Lauren gets split into two entities. And. Yeah, I think you can see that. So then Lawrence reflection appears again, begins to sing the song don't leave me this way, I can't exist. And then he just keeps singing and singing in a very stressed. Lauren walks out the door, and the music starts back up again. And he's back on, baby for his next performance as the host. Crazy. [00:21:46] Speaker B: Exhausting. [00:21:47] Speaker A: Yeah, right? [00:21:49] Speaker B: Exhausting. [00:21:50] Speaker A: Yeah. So then we have the credits, and then we see Lauren, like, you know, oh, no, now we're now in Angel's apartment and I forgot about this part. [00:22:02] Speaker B: How scary. [00:22:03] Speaker A: Running. And then we see Angel. [00:22:06] Speaker B: What's happening in there? [00:22:08] Speaker A: Strategic. Yeah. Strategically placed counters and towels. And then Eve walks in and just kind of watches him. And she's like, lower this camera. The door was open. Well, unlocked. And then she's like, well, I had a key. Go away. [00:22:26] Speaker B: How rude. You can't walk into somebody's house like this. She didn't let yourself in. [00:22:31] Speaker A: Girlfriend literally let herself full on let herself in. [00:22:35] Speaker B: That's crazy. [00:22:37] Speaker A: And then angel, like, holds out his hand, she gives him the key, and she's like, wow, you take a long shower for a guy. And then she's like, were we having some gentleman's time? [00:22:44] Speaker B: Did you Wait? Just make sure people know he's butt naked right now. [00:22:48] Speaker A: Go ahead. [00:22:49] Speaker B: Standing there. Yeah, he's. [00:22:50] Speaker A: He's naked. [00:22:50] Speaker B: He's wet. He's also wet and bleaching. [00:22:53] Speaker A: Yeah. We've had a lot more naked angel this season than we've had for the past three seasons combined. [00:22:59] Speaker B: God bless. [00:23:00] Speaker A: God bless. The dog days are over, guys. War is over. Oh, but I remember us having a similar conversation about whether or not we think that angel would masturbate in she. With prophecy Girls. [00:23:15] Speaker B: Do you remember God? Of course we did. [00:23:20] Speaker A: And you were like, I think you said that he would, but he would feel so terrible about it after. Have a faint memory of this. [00:23:29] Speaker B: I think he does, and I don't think he feels bad about it anymore. [00:23:32] Speaker A: Yeah, I think. I think times have changed. [00:23:35] Speaker B: No. Yeah, I don't think he'd feel. He feels bad about it. Like, good for him. Honestly. What is this man supposed to do? [00:23:42] Speaker A: Clearly he's not getting some anyway, so. [00:23:44] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:23:45] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:23:45] Speaker B: This episode was, like, heavy with the innuendo. With innuendos. Sorry. With Stephen, angel and I'm like. Like, we get it. Like, okay, I get it. They're gonna do it behind a couch. Like, you don't have to beat me over the head with this. [00:24:00] Speaker A: The most chemistry I saw between them was after she smacked his butt. And they both were trying not to laugh. That was the only time I saw. [00:24:07] Speaker B: Hey, listen, that kiss in the, like, the first kiss, I was like, okay. [00:24:11] Speaker A: That was pretty hard. [00:24:11] Speaker B: Kind of nice. That is kind of good. I was like, okay, I see the vision, Lauren. [00:24:16] Speaker A: Vision. [00:24:17] Speaker B: I think we're to the vision. [00:24:18] Speaker A: We're just a little in a. In a drought. I think we need some. Some chemistry and sexual tension. [00:24:25] Speaker B: True. [00:24:26] Speaker A: But it was a good kiss. You're right. It was. [00:24:28] Speaker B: It was. It's kind of steamy, but I was like, okay, okay, okay. [00:24:32] Speaker A: Yeah. It was mostly because of David Boreanas, but yeah. [00:24:36] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:24:37] Speaker A: And because she's actually kissing him. [00:24:39] Speaker B: Oh, my God. Okay. Anyway, back, you know. [00:24:43] Speaker A: You know. Sorry. Okay. Anyway. [00:24:48] Speaker B: Not turning her head away. [00:24:50] Speaker A: Yeah. Not opening her mouth, like, for him. [00:24:53] Speaker B: To Mac on her cheek. Oh, no. [00:24:57] Speaker A: Okay. Oh, my gosh. [00:25:01] Speaker B: I'm keeping all this in. [00:25:03] Speaker A: I literally was gonna be like. Anyway, all right, so Eve's like, you know, I'm sure you could use a release. Angel's like, no releasing, just bathing. What do you want? And she says that we had a 7:30 meeting. He's like, all right, I'll get my pants. Then we cut to the elevator, and fully clothed. Angel and Eve. I know, unfortunately, he does have to be clothed when he goes to the rest of the office. [00:25:28] Speaker B: Hardly. With his shirt wide open like that. You slut. [00:25:33] Speaker A: We say that in the most loving feminist way possible. [00:25:37] Speaker B: No, I'm objecting him fully. [00:25:40] Speaker A: Angel. Ho. [00:25:42] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:25:43] Speaker A: And I love. I love this moment because Eve is watching angel, and you could tell she. She knows that he's stretched thin. He's unraveling. He's not doing super great. And she's like, so how's it going, Angel? Oh, her smug little face. I just want to. [00:25:55] Speaker B: And I think this episode really. Like at the end of the episode when she turns away and, like, her face drops, like, looks so kind of hinting that something. Eva's up to something. We got to keep our eye on her. [00:26:07] Speaker A: Yeah. Like, she seems to want him to be stretched thin. And this idea of, like, oh, you need a release. Like, she, like, I think she's trying to edge him. I think she wants him to feel on edge and to make stupid decisions. And it was really. It was here because I know, like, we had several People ask us at the end of season four, oh, do you think them taking Wolfram and Hart's deal, do you think that's going to be a good thing or a bad thing? And both of us were kind of like, hey, let's see how this plays out. I think this is the first time that I was like, oh, shoot, I see what Wolfram and Hart is doing. They're dividing them and making them so distracted and busy to the point where they're not actually able to focus on what is important and they're not able to come together together, which is when they're the most. [00:26:50] Speaker B: Which is what makes them powerful. Yeah, for sure. [00:26:53] Speaker A: And I, like, I saw it, and I saw it on Eve's face, and I was like, oh, my gosh. They're playing right into their hands. [00:26:58] Speaker B: You sneaky little rat. Eve. [00:27:01] Speaker A: Yeah. Hope she gets hers anyway. And I don't mean behind a couch. No, not that. I mean, dang it, it's not fair. [00:27:12] Speaker B: You handed that one to me. [00:27:14] Speaker A: To think I did. I really did. As soon as I said it, I was like, girl, man. To think. But here's the thing, Leah. Not to, like, bomb everybody else out, but, like, this could have been Lila. [00:27:24] Speaker B: Yeah. You know, but like, Lila and Wesley, though, like, I feel like that would have still been a thing. [00:27:31] Speaker A: Do you? Because I feel like they always had Presley in mind. Like, they're pushing it really hard. Yeah. [00:27:40] Speaker B: Like, so fucking hard. But who knows? If Lila was still around, like, that would have been. [00:27:44] Speaker A: That's true. [00:27:46] Speaker B: A little conflict. [00:27:47] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:27:47] Speaker B: They have to work through, which would have been insufferable as hell. But, you know Lila. [00:27:53] Speaker A: Yeah, Lila. Then we've gotten great scenes of Harmony crying in the bathroom because, you know, Lila was amazing to her. Or, like, not me. And. And then finally, we would have had a moment where Harmony, like, stands up to her. It would have been so great. Anyway, whatever. Making us sad. All right, so Angel's like, I don't know how to answer that question. Good, bad, I don't know. He says, look, I spent years doing everything I could to bring this company down. Now I'm the CEO, and I have to question every move I make because any one of them could be exactly what the senior partners want. So, no, I have no idea how it's going. I'm like, bruh, don't say that to Eve, who's clearly not on your side. Like, play it cool. Pretend like everything's great. Like, don't let her see he doesn't. [00:28:31] Speaker B: Have his guard up enough around Eve, I feel like. [00:28:34] Speaker A: No, not at all. [00:28:35] Speaker B: He's, like, letting her, like, not letting her in. But Eva's the type of, like, evil. I feel like that. [00:28:43] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:28:43] Speaker B: Like, she can see through him. And she uses that against him. Because that's. That's what evil people do. [00:28:51] Speaker A: They like evil. [00:28:52] Speaker B: They, like, have this weird. It's like, the mayor or like, who else? Yeah. I'm gonna use the mayor as an example. He, like, knew what buttons to push to get Faith to do his bidding for him. [00:29:07] Speaker A: It's very manipulative. [00:29:07] Speaker B: And I feel like Wolfram and Hart is very much like that. [00:29:10] Speaker A: Yeah. Y. [00:29:12] Speaker B: And Eve being an extension of Wolverman heart. [00:29:14] Speaker A: Dr. Walsh with Riley. Yeah. Those kinds of people. Yep. They know how to twist a knife. Yeah. Then Eve's like, not everyone bottles all this stuff up. Like, you. Angel says, I don't bottle. She says, you bottle. He says, I don't bottle. I think this is supposed to be, like a tension filled moment. It's not. So then in the lobby, there is, like a huge skull there. And then the door opens and the angel turns around and punches it, thinking, oh, it's a bad guy, but it's just a guy holding the foam skull for a decoration. [00:29:42] Speaker B: I would have done the same thing, to be honest. That was scary. That was spooky. [00:29:46] Speaker A: And Angel's like, hang on. Why are we having a party in here? Lauren shows up and is like, because maybe we're having a party in here. And he's like, it's the Halloween bash. Ring a bell? Angel's like, we're having it in here. Lauren's like, he turns to Eve. He's like, see what I'm up against? And then Eve's like, that's what our meeting was about. We were supposed to talk about your party. And then the Lord's like, hey, actually, it's going to be a snafu. Nobody's coming. Some people are coming, but it's not the right people. I. I need your help, basically. And Angel's like, good. I don't want this thing to be too crazy. And he's like, I, you know, we have evil clients, and I don't really want to be celebrating evil clients. Poor Lauren is stressed out of his mind. He's, like, rubbing his head and. And he kind of snaps. He's like, okay, okay, you're killing me. Can't you just feel up the big picture, Mr. Magoo? It's not about good and evil. It's about a party. Party, Capital P. And then he starts just Full on yelling. He's, like, about to have a stroke because you're killing me. And then he's, like, calming himself down. He's like, listen, I can see that you're in a state. And he, like, grabs a silk flower and he's like, you know, how about once you've calmed down, we talk about this? Angel's like, yeah, sure, I am calm. Like, what is wrong with you? And this is giving. When you get into an argument with someone like your partner, and then halfway through, you realize that you are the problem and you're overreacting, but you don't want to admit it, so you blame them, and then you leave and you make them come find you and apologize later. [00:31:05] Speaker B: Okay, but I feel like Lauren handled this really well. I would not have handled it as well. I would have just continued to snap over and over and over and over. [00:31:13] Speaker A: Not the gaslighting, but yes, I've been like, stop talking. [00:31:16] Speaker B: Stop fucking talking. [00:31:19] Speaker A: Angel's like, I'm not. I'm not talking. I'm just sitting here. [00:31:26] Speaker B: Like, when you reach that point, you just like, I just. You can't help yourself. [00:31:30] Speaker A: No, you can't. You're like, I just need five minutes. Yeah. Oh, so funny. And so relate. Lauren has never been more. I mean, he's always been relatable, but he's so relatable in this episode. I was like, this is me. This is me constantly over. Over stimulated all the time. So then we come to the science lab, and then Wesley's lecturing Fred on the grenade that blew up on angel. And he's like, we sent him out there with a defective piece of weaponry. Fred is annoyed and she's like, which we are we talking about? This is a loaded question. You're getting the idea that there's tension there because he likes hers, not sure if she likes him. And Knox is coming in between and all this stuff. And so they're fighting about their different departments. Knox comes rolling in and doesn't help any at all. And then him and him and Fred have that little moment where they're both just like. Like, you know, giggling and stuff. And of course, Wesley's just not having a good time. Lauren comes in and is like, yay, guys, come on to the party tonight. And Fred and Wesley are unenthusiastic. And they're like, we just. We're not planning on going. We're gonna stay and we're gonna work some more. And for. And Lauren's like, no, no, no, you guys are coming. And Fred's like, well, I need to work on this thing. And Wesley's like, I need to stay and help. And of course, Wesley's thinking, hey, this will be great. We can work on it together. And Knox goes, oh, no, you should go, and I'll stay and I'll work on it. Which I really love that they circle back around at the very end. Because I thought this was weird when I first thought. [00:33:01] Speaker B: Well, no, I was kind of shocked when they circled back on it in the end, because I feel like the way that this fell worked is that Lauren had to say it out loud. So did the effect on knock Knox just happen without words? Like, I don't. [00:33:18] Speaker A: He said something. Fred, you're coming. Look at yourselves. You're wound tighter. So there must have been some subconscious thing that Lauren had where he really wanted Knox to do that. And maybe he was like, that. He didn't say anything to Knox, but maybe he was thinking it. [00:33:34] Speaker B: It was, like, implied. Yeah. [00:33:36] Speaker A: Yeah. It could be. I don't know. [00:33:38] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:33:39] Speaker A: But anyway, Knox volunteers. Everyone's shocked. Lauren's like, great. I'll see you guys in angel's office in 15 minutes. Cut to Gun's office. Lauren walks in. He's like, gathering the troops. And I feel like we haven't seen Gun in forever. Like, he hasn't been around much in the past couple of episodes. Keep waiting for them to, like, do something with all his lawyer knowledge. Lauren's like, hey, let's go over some strategy. And he's like, you're my big gun. Gun. Ace in the hole, ball in the pocket. You're the key in my kite screen. Kite string. And Gun's like, okay. And he's like, you got to turn Angel's party around. I feel like in the past, Gun would have been the party person. He would have been the person dancing. And, yeah, he's not. [00:34:19] Speaker B: But I feel like he wasn't that, like, compared to the others, he wasn't that unenthusiastic. [00:34:25] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:34:25] Speaker B: Like, he was still like, yeah. Like, I'll help. [00:34:29] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:34:30] Speaker B: And then he went there, and he was like, yeah. He was just. It just looked like he was, like, busy. And he was like, yeah, yeah, no. No worries. But I feel like everyone else was, like, pushing hard. But I think that's supposed to show that, like, Gun is already more integrated into Wolfram and Hart because of whatever they did to his head. Like, he's already kind of drank the Kool Aid more so than the other people. [00:34:50] Speaker A: Oh, yeah. So he's more like, I totally in the culture we saw that at the end of season four. He was the first one that was like, I'm doing this. And he was very, very much into it. Yeah, because of what Wolfram Hart could offer to him. So then Lauren's like, I want you to stake out your territory and I want you to keep it staked in guns. Like, stake territory. Sure. Okay. I'm busy. I will get around to that at some point. Lauren's like, awesome. He's like, see? In Angel's office, 10 minutes. So in Angel's office, everyone's gathered there except for Lauren. Angel's sitting at his desk. Guns sitting on Angel's desk. And I like how he's like starting to stake his territory. Eve is sitting on the chair. And then Fred and Spike are there. And Spike's like, in my day, no self respecting creature of the night went out on All Hollows Eve. Shut up, Spike. You literally did that on the first ever Halloween episode we ever saw. You were walking around going, this is neat. [00:35:45] Speaker B: And then he was seeing children in costumes. [00:35:48] Speaker A: And then he went. Saw his opportunity and went after Buffy. Like, you are not one to talk. Okay? [00:35:54] Speaker B: It's so true. He always gets up to some on Halloween. Like, just give it up. [00:35:59] Speaker A: Yes, exactly. So Lauren walks in, he's like, yeah, yeah, you're all there. And Angel's just like, not happy. He was like, we've been waiting. And then Lauren's like, hey, this meeting is. Or this party is really important. And Gun's like, yeah, he's right. We got to show all the big bads that this new regime is here to stay. We don't want to lose face. And Lawrence like. And believe me, Milk Dud is speaking as the head of your PR department. We need all the face we can get. Angel's like, Milk Dud. Lawrence like, said with affection. [00:36:31] Speaker B: What is that even supposed to mean? [00:36:33] Speaker A: Well, Milk Dud means you're basically a floppy piece of white bread. Like you just. You. You're kind of a stick in the mud. But you're a white stick in the mud. [00:36:44] Speaker B: Oh, no. I thought it was like the Milk Duds. [00:36:50] Speaker A: Yeah, but like, Dud is just someone who, like, it doesn't work. Kind of just sits there. I think it's the. I love how my secret calling Riley, like, what loaf or something? [00:37:02] Speaker B: A loaf of bread? Yeah, well, my. My mind immediately goes to like, milk. Dude, that's the candy. Like the chocolate covered caramels. [00:37:10] Speaker A: I mean, it could. There could be a double entendre there totally could. I'm not gonna Put anything past Lauren. Yeah, he's constantly semi flirting with Angel. Anyway. So then Andrew is like. Or Andrew, Andrew, angel and Andrew. My subconscious is speaking. Don't tell my husband. I kidding. He knows. All right, so angel is like, hang on. Like, everybody who's coming to this party is just straight up evil. So why do we need to keep up appearances? And Lauren's like, angel, a good host just doesn't make these sort of judgments. Which is hilarious, because angel circles back around later on is like, apparently Lauren is actually making these judgments because he's out there killing people. Or is this whole Hulk form is out there killing people. True. So Lauren tries to convince him and is like, hey, we just need everyone to play nice out there. Eve says, this is exactly the kind of ethical tightrope you've got to walk now, Angel. Which brings up another point. Your employees. And then Harmony comes in, and she's like, here's your blood, bossy. And he glares at her, and she's like, boss. And then Eve's like, everyone here is terrified of you. They're afraid that you're going to kill them. Your morale stinks. Harmony kind of, like, sides with her, is like, yep. She's like, everyone thinks you're. You suck. And they also think that you're just gonna ax them, literally and figuratively. And then Lauren reminds him that he has done that to several clients in the past. [00:38:41] Speaker B: I love how Angel's Loki. Kind of like, his feelings are hurt about this. He's just like, really? [00:38:48] Speaker A: Yeah. And Eve's like, it's you, babe. You're the Milk Dud. [00:38:51] Speaker B: Angels call him Babe. Ugh. That's not your problem. They're gonna be sleeping together, so get away from him. [00:38:59] Speaker A: Hey, that means we got to see naked angel twice. Leia. Because. Yeah. [00:39:03] Speaker B: Yeah. We didn't even get to see Booty. [00:39:08] Speaker A: We haven't gotten to see Booty since season three of Angel. Okay. [00:39:12] Speaker B: I know. [00:39:12] Speaker A: Or season three of Buffy. [00:39:13] Speaker B: Season three of Buffy. [00:39:14] Speaker A: Season three of Buffy. And that was gonna say, what did I get? [00:39:17] Speaker B: Was I really? That checked out in season three? [00:39:20] Speaker A: Yeah. You did not miss that whole scene. It was the full thing. It was the full moon. It was great. [00:39:26] Speaker B: Whoa. [00:39:27] Speaker A: Yeah. If only that would have made that. That would have notched that season up about it. Put a. Bumped it past season four, I think. [00:39:33] Speaker B: Yeah. 1,000%. [00:39:36] Speaker A: So then angels, like, come on. What do they think, I'm throwing this thing so I can slaughter them? And I'm like, angel, do you not remember that time that Wolfram and Hart had a company party, and you left all the employees in the room to be slaughtered. [00:39:48] Speaker B: Oh, yeah, I forgot about that. [00:39:51] Speaker A: There is. Oh, my word. Yeah. First the booty, now this. Leia, let's go, girl. [00:39:59] Speaker B: That's so true. Feels like never going to another party with angel ever again. [00:40:03] Speaker A: No, no. They've. They've heard through the grapevine no one wants to be doing this. So everyone kind of just, like, looks at him, and he's like, fine, I surrender. Go ahead, Lauren. I won't. I won't get in the way. And then Lauren's like, okay, but I need you to get out there and actually make things happen. And then we cut to the limousine. It's angel and Lauren, and they're going to visit Archduke Sebastus, who's basically, like, nobility from hell, commands over 40 legions, and he's demonic royalty. And he's like, we need him to come because it's a part of our business. And angel senses that this really matters to Lauren, brings it up, and Lauren's like, yes. He's like, you know, Angel, I don't have superhuman strength, and I'm not a fighter. Quantum physics makes me nauseous, and I barely made a passing grade at mystical studies. But I'm on your team. This is something I can do. I believe it has purpose that can help you, even if you don't. I love that. [00:40:59] Speaker B: I just love that so much of. [00:41:01] Speaker A: The episode, literally, like, he's just. [00:41:03] Speaker B: He's. He is just trying to be helpful. And I think it makes the episode a little bit more deep because we've seen what everybody has kind of had doubts about. What? We haven't had a chance to see Lauren's side of it and, like, his role, because it's just like, oh, like, Lauren loves entertainment. Of course he would take this job. He just wants to, like, entertain people and stuff like that. But I love that he's, like, thinking about how he can contribute the group and how he can make Angel's life easier in, like, subtle ways. Like, this party, like, is gonna help angel because he needs to teeter that line, that ethical line of not sucking up to the clients, but, like, making nice with the clients but also keeping that boundary of your evil. Were not right. So I love that Lauren took it upon himself to be like, you know what? I'm gonna. I'm gonna do this, and it's gonna. [00:41:52] Speaker A: Help and don't hate me. But I kind of want to compare this a little bit to early season three, when, again, they were having that episode with it where Cordelia's visions they thought were causing her pain. And Cordelia is like, no, I don't. Like, I have to help. I want to help. And just the comparisons to that, but also the contrasts, because Cordelia's arc up until that point is just very selfish. Right. And so there was a lot of like, does she want to keep the visions because she does want to help, or does she want to keep the visions because she feels like she's not going to have a purpose in a place and she won't be important without them? And how, like, we felt like, okay, I think it's kind of a little bit of both. But it's interesting with Lauren, even though they don't explicitly say why he wants it, we have seen enough of Lauren over the past four seasons that he's been on the show that he truly cares deeply about people, and he cares deeply about helping and he cares about the mission. And so when he says this kind of thing, it doesn't like, at least the way I read it, it doesn't seem like it's a, I need this because this is the only purpose of my life. It's a, I want to be helpful, I want to help you, and I want to help the greater good. And it's just interesting to kind of see how both characters were not uber fleshed out. And I wish they would have, like, delved into that a little bit more. But there's still some, like, comparisons there between the two of them. [00:43:20] Speaker B: Well, I think one part I will disagree about slightly is, I guess, Lauren's investment in the mission, per se, because I don't think that Lauren is a very, like, mission driven character. Like, he doesn't have anything that he thinks he should be atoning for, you know, And I agree he cares about people and he wants to do good. But I think the biggest thing for Lauren is finding a place to belong. And I think that he's found that place with this group. And I think that once Lauren has become loyal to you, he will, like, do anything to help you. And that's the type of vibe I get from Lauren. So it's not so much the vibe that I get, at least it's not so much his commitment to the mission, and he wants to make that easier. It's that he's found this group of people that he feels like he belongs with and that, like, you know, there's a relationship there and he wants to do his part to, like, maintain that. And I feel like he needs. He feels he needs to like, contribute in order to remain a part of this community that he's built. Because Lauren left Pilea because he didn't belong there. And he came to Los Angeles and he had his bar and that's where he belonged for a while. But that got taken away from him and then he started, you know, hanging out with this group and this is now where he belongs. So it'll be interesting to see like moving forward what happens with Lauren, because I feel like this is going to be a rocky road and this is going to test all of them in their relationships with each other. And I think that's a big part of why Lauren stays here. So, yeah, that's kind of like how I read it because I don't know, I've just never. I feel like all of them except Lauren have a reason to be committed to the mission. Like, you know, Angels for Atonement. Cordelia was committed to the mission because it gave her purpose. Gun because, you know, he was trying to avenge his sister's death and like to keep his community safe. Wesley, because he felt that he had to make up for his failed to tenor as watcher. Like they all had really like self identity reasons to be committed to the mission. But again, I feel like with Lauren it always comes back to like belonging. Like he found a place that he could belong in and that accepted him for like who he is. They didn't turn their backs on him because he's saying and they didn't. They don't care that he looks like a demon. They love him for who he is. So I think that's kind of what drives Lauren, in my opinion. [00:45:40] Speaker A: Yeah, that's. No, you convinced me. And it actually made something kind of click in my brain because like the whole, the whole thing with Lauren is he exists in the gray, right? He's a demon that wants peace and doesn't want to have to fight. And who taught Angel a lot about what it looks like to live in the morally gray. And that's why he left Pilea. You know, he wanted to come somewhere where he belonged and he existed. And so I think that might be also what he's kind of trying to do in Wolfram and Hart, where he's telling angel, hey, like some of these people, some of these employees, like, maybe they're not necessarily bad bad. Maybe we can do some good here. Maybe we can help out with that. And he actually straddles that line very well. But he's feeling. He's feeling stretched thin because he's probably one of the Biggest buffers right now that they have being a demon himself and being kind of a pacifist. So. Yeah, no, that's. That's very true. That's very, very true. So we're in Sebastian's throne room. I love how it's just, like, silent. We just hear the clock ticking the entire time. It's, like, echoey. Angel and Lauren are seated in chairs, facing pale demon with horns on his high throne. He's got another demon at his side. And Sebastus is like, oh, this is the mighty Angel. I've heard many things about you. Making lots of waves in your little swamp. Calls him a little frog. And then Angel's like, yeah, well, I'm just trying to keep the fly. I'm not. Little Sebastian's like, pats on the head. There, there. And then Sebastus is like, oh, but I prefer Angelus. And Angel's like, well, I guess we all mellow in our old age. And then Sebastian's, like, sips blue liquid, and then it's, like, running out. And so then he has, like, this tiny, like, pet demon slave that comes next to him and, like, corks his arm. Yeah. Uncorks his arm and there's, like, more blue liquid that just, like, comes out. Disgusting. It's like Angel's just, like, staring in horror. And then Lauren. [00:47:35] Speaker B: Lauren has a cup. [00:47:36] Speaker A: Yeah, Lauren's drinking it too. He's like, you taste delicious. So Lauren's like, hey, we came because we're deeply grieved that you're not coming. Kind of, like, smacks angel and gets him out of his, like, stupor. And Angel's like, oh, yes, well, you should come. And Sebastus is like, well, all right. [00:47:58] Speaker B: Maybe, if you want. [00:47:59] Speaker A: Yeah. Yeah. Hey, I just met you, and this is crazy, but he's my number. [00:48:07] Speaker B: Imagine if, like, angel had to, like, do a performance, like, a number for him. [00:48:12] Speaker A: Sing it like a hostage situation. Hey, I just met you. This is crazy. Sing it like Mandy with deer in the headlights. Super intense. [00:48:23] Speaker B: Sorry. [00:48:23] Speaker A: Make everybody very uncomfortable. [00:48:30] Speaker B: We need to see that on screen again, please. [00:48:32] Speaker A: Actually, yes. I miss those bandy days. But Sebastus is convinced. He's like, all right, fine. Due to this amusing chat, my long standing acquaintance with you, Lauren, I will come to the gala. Lauren's relieved. Lauren's so happy, they leave. And then Artaud, who is the guy that's right next to Sebastis, is like, I think. Think it's a trap. Sebastian is like, maybe, but I in the mood for intrigue. We'll go to their celebration. We'll just make sure we're properly dressed then. Hidden panel opens, and ta da. All the weaponry. [00:49:03] Speaker B: And I was like, angel has the same exact weapons. [00:49:06] Speaker A: Well, that's what I thought. I was about to say. It looks like they took it straight from the hotel. [00:49:10] Speaker B: Seriously. [00:49:12] Speaker A: I was like, oh, is that the hotel's armory? [00:49:14] Speaker B: These weapons are child's play. [00:49:16] Speaker A: Yes. I've seen bigger axes, bigger swords, for sure. So then back at the lobby at night, the party has started. Disco music playing. Everyone's just kind of standing around except Harmony, who is the only person dancing. She would be the only person dancing. [00:49:30] Speaker B: Oh, my God. And you know what this reminds me of? This reminds me of the episode Disharmony, when she goes up on that stage in Caritas and she's singing her cute little heart out and she's putting on a performance. She sounds terrible, but she's just, like, having fun. And this goes back to, like, the delusion of Harmony. She's so delusional in, like, everything that, like, she just is living her best life. And it's like, the very epitome of ignorance is bliss. And I love that for her. [00:50:01] Speaker A: We talked about how maybe you need to be a little bit delusional to be happy in life. [00:50:04] Speaker B: Yeah, 1,000%. Everybody else is having a terrible time, and Harmony's just, like, in the middle of the dance by herself having, like. Like, a ball. And I'm like, good for you. Good for you. Because everyone else is, like, in their head too much, like, oh. Like, no one's dancing, and I don't want to be in the middle by myself. And, like, how embarrassing. And Harmony's just, like, I don't give a. Like, I just want to go and I want to dance, so I'm gonna dance. [00:50:27] Speaker A: This is giving. Don't kill me. This is giving Taylor Swift at the Grammys when no one else is dancing and she's over there. [00:50:35] Speaker B: I know I'm not a Swiftie, and that's something. When I watched the Grammys this year, I was like, this is really endearing. [00:50:42] Speaker A: It's refreshing. Yeah. [00:50:44] Speaker B: And, like, again, I'm not a swiftie. I don't listen to her music or follow along with her career or anything, but I just thought that was a cute little gesture, and she does that at every award show. And I'm like, good person. [00:50:54] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:50:55] Speaker B: Why not? Have fun? [00:50:56] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:50:57] Speaker B: You're in a room filled with the most talented people in music, and they're putting on performances, and it's a fun night. Why not have the best time. [00:51:05] Speaker A: Yeah. Yeah. [00:51:06] Speaker B: You know, I think we should all be more like that. [00:51:08] Speaker A: I agree. It's so funny, because I definitely would have been the person growing up. Up to have judged someone like Harmony, but, like, she looks so stupid. And as I've gotten older, I actually realized that the people like Harmony are the happiest and are having the most fun and are actually the most confident because they don't care what other people think. And I want to be more like that. So go. Go, Harmony. [00:51:31] Speaker B: Go, Harm. [00:51:32] Speaker A: I love the lawyers, of course. Yeah, go, Harmonica. The lawyers, of course. Standing around like, this is lame. I mean, where's the ritual sacrifice? [00:51:40] Speaker B: Well, you could make it not lame. [00:51:42] Speaker A: You can start ritual sacrifice on your own. [00:51:44] Speaker B: Don't. Ritual sacrifice. Don't dial 5 on the phone. [00:51:49] Speaker A: Yeah. I was like, are you condoning ritual sacrifices? I don't think so. I don't think Lord would want to go that far to make the party great. [00:51:56] Speaker B: You know what? Hell yeah. You know what? Let's just do it. [00:52:00] Speaker A: We'll start with you, lawyer number one. [00:52:03] Speaker B: Yeah, Hodgins. [00:52:05] Speaker A: Hodgins. Yeah, Bones, exactly. So then Lauren walks up. He's like, hey, party poopers, you're representing our glorious firm here. Let's go. The lawyer's like, dude, it's our night off. And Lauren's like, this is your night on. Now mingle. Mango. Mango. I was like, he hasn't been like this since Lila was at the hotel, and I love it. So then a demon, like, waves Lauren down, and Lauren's like, oh, Devlin, what are you supposed to be? He's, like, wearing his Halloween costume, and he's like, I'm a human being. That was. Is brilliant. I human being. So funny. It was a demon's interpretation. Oh, my word. [00:52:43] Speaker B: He needs to win the costume contest. [00:52:45] Speaker A: Oh, he does. I demand only costume person. [00:52:48] Speaker B: Does it die? [00:52:49] Speaker A: He does. He's the one that's on the snack table later on. Oh, no. The human being died. I love how he's like, look, I do. Human being. I proud. My honor roll student. I human. [00:53:04] Speaker B: I human. So, wait, did he actually rip off the face of a human? And he, like. [00:53:09] Speaker A: Well, that's heavily implied because Lauren asks him, and the guy just like, hehe. All right, then. [00:53:19] Speaker B: I love it. He took the spirit of Halloween and, like, went full throttle with it. [00:53:23] Speaker A: He. Yeah, he. He knew the assignment. You know, dress up like the humans do. He took dress up like human. [00:53:30] Speaker B: I human being. [00:53:32] Speaker A: So cute. Oh, my gosh. Even though he just murdered someone. But, you know, it's okay. [00:53:36] Speaker B: It's fine. [00:53:37] Speaker A: So then Fred and Wesley are standing together, and they're just like, man, like, I'm the type of person that just, like, wants to sit next to the hors d'oeuvres, and I hate parties, and I'm the wallflower. Okay, so question time for you, Leia, and for all other listeners. Who would you be at this party? Are you Harmony dancing alone? Are you Fred and Wes by the snack table? Are you Fred and Wes drunk? Are you Lauren, the host? Gun. Maybe not peeing on everything, but vandalizing, pranking people? Are you sneaking off to have sex? Are you judging people, being a party pooper? Like Spike? [00:54:13] Speaker B: I feel like in my heart, I want to be like Harmony. Like, you're not Harmony, though. In the deepest depths of my heart, I want to be like Harmony. But, like, in real life, I feel like I would be angel hiding alone. [00:54:27] Speaker A: In the office, watching sports team or having sex in the office. [00:54:30] Speaker B: All three of those things. [00:54:34] Speaker A: You're like, I don't have the balls to go and dance on the floor, but I will go have sex at. [00:54:40] Speaker B: The party if it's in a private place. Like, I'm just saying, I don't like crowds. Again, I wish I was Harmony, but I feel like, realistically, I would probably be Angel. Yeah, what would you be? [00:54:58] Speaker A: So I would probably be Lauren, the host, stressed out of my mind, sleep deprived, trying to keep everybody together. Or I would be by the snack table. Or I have been Spike, who's, like, just judging people, being a party pooper. So it really. It depends upon, like, what's going on at the party. [00:55:17] Speaker B: Yeah, I mean, you can. We can be multiple things at once. I feel like I also do identify with, like. Like, standing by the snack table. Yeah, sure. I think everybody cocktail in hand, and you just graze the table all night. 100. [00:55:30] Speaker A: Right. I think that's the most relatable one. [00:55:32] Speaker B: I feel like I could see myself being a host, but that's just, like, too stressful. Like, I just. [00:55:37] Speaker A: Yeah, it is. [00:55:38] Speaker B: You know, it wouldn't be very fun, and I don't want to be in that position. I want to be having fun or. And. Or eating. [00:55:45] Speaker A: I've had to mitigate several parties where everybody hates each other or is very unhappy with each other. And, yeah, that's. That's been me. But, you know, I. I relate with Lauren in all the things in this episode. [00:55:59] Speaker B: I love it. [00:56:00] Speaker A: But typically, it would be me probably being by the snack table. Honestly, it's a great way to, like, talk to people and Then if you don't feel like talking, you can shove food in your mouth, and then you don't have to do the conversation. [00:56:09] Speaker B: So 1,000%. [00:56:11] Speaker A: Yeah. So Lauren pulls up. He's like, hey, there, wallflowers. I need you guys to help. I need you to, like, go on the dance floor, look at Harmony. And he like, hey, you keep pushing that envelope, baby. And she, like, waves to him and just keeps dancing. It's so cute. [00:56:24] Speaker B: So cute. [00:56:25] Speaker A: Wesley's like, this is in our element. Lauren's like, oh, my gosh. No, you guys. You're. You guys are sober. That's the problem. You need to be getting into the spirit of things. Three sheets to the wind. And then he walks off, goes into Angel's office, finds angel watching hockey at his desk. [00:56:43] Speaker B: He's, like, graveyard out there. [00:56:49] Speaker A: I wonder if, like, he was supposed to be just sitting in the office in the dark, and David Borean is like, hey, my hockey team is playing. Can I just, like, yeah, have it. [00:56:56] Speaker B: On while we're 1,000%. That's what happened. That's what Flyers were playing. [00:57:01] Speaker A: Yeah, exactly. I like how you know his team name. I don't even know. [00:57:06] Speaker B: How could you not know? If you follow him on social media, that's all he ever posts about the Flyers and go. Birds, to be honest. Birds in all of his sentences. [00:57:15] Speaker A: That's true. Oh, so they're both birds? [00:57:17] Speaker B: I think so. [00:57:18] Speaker A: I don't know. [00:57:20] Speaker B: No, I think the Flyers is, like, this big, orange, like, person. What is it? What's the Flyers mascot? [00:57:28] Speaker A: I. I'll Honestly. [00:57:29] Speaker B: Gritty. Gritty? Have you never seen Gritty? [00:57:32] Speaker A: No, I've seen Flyers mascot talking a different language. [00:57:35] Speaker B: He's like, a famous mascot for the Flyers, right? That's his name. Gritty the mascot. [00:57:40] Speaker A: Dude, I don't know. Who are you talking to right now? [00:57:42] Speaker B: Google it. [00:57:43] Speaker A: I don't want hockey. Google it. I'm running a podcast right now. I'm Lauren. I'm hosting the party. You Google it. [00:57:51] Speaker B: Google it. After. Here, I'll show you. I'm just kidding. [00:57:57] Speaker A: Well, okay. Every time I see David Boreanis now on my feet. On. Yeah, my feet. I just roll my eyes and scroll real fast because he says it's just birds. [00:58:06] Speaker B: Birds. [00:58:07] Speaker A: Birds in his stupid fedora and his crystals, and then him and Jaden hanging out his wardrobe. It's just like, dress your age, man. This is embarrassing. [00:58:18] Speaker B: You leave that man alone, all right. [00:58:20] Speaker A: I will, I will. I do. I do. I leave him so alone. I don't even know, like, what his hockey Team is. But apparently, you know so well. [00:58:29] Speaker B: Yeah. If you follow him again, it's like everywhere. He puts a bird in every sentence that he. [00:58:34] Speaker A: I thought he was always just talking about Philly. [00:58:36] Speaker B: America. [00:58:37] Speaker A: He was talking about America. EAGLE screeches Ah, America. Yes. [00:58:44] Speaker B: I feel like in our discord, there's been a debate where people are like, is it for America or is it for the flyer or the eagles? [00:58:52] Speaker A: DB Is. Could be either way at this point. That fedora could mean many things. [00:58:56] Speaker B: I feel like it's for the Eagles. 1000%. The Eagle Screech. [00:59:03] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:59:04] Speaker B: Oh, no. [00:59:05] Speaker A: Anyway, moving on. [00:59:07] Speaker B: Wait, I think what I just did was a seagull. [00:59:10] Speaker A: You did? Kaka is not an eagle screech. Eagle screech is more like something like that. [00:59:17] Speaker B: Oh, God. What the. [00:59:26] Speaker A: I just remembered. We're recording. You could take that out. I apologize. No people's earbuds. Someone's gonna be like, good God, what is that horrible noise? [00:59:41] Speaker B: Guys. [00:59:42] Speaker A: Oh, man. [00:59:44] Speaker B: Okay. Anyway, what happened next, Sarah? Tell us. [00:59:47] Speaker A: I don't even know where I am. Eagles. Birds. Oh, yeah. Okay. Office who? Hang on. [00:59:55] Speaker B: We were talking about hockey, and I'm busy. I'm brooding. [00:59:59] Speaker A: Yeah, okay. I think that's right. So Lauren's like, get off your keister and get out there. And then, I mean, like, come on, Angel. Stop being a crap friend. Let's go. So then Lauren's again, like, rubbing his temples in pain. And Angel's like, are you okay? But Lauren snaps out of it. Is like, all right, let's go. So we cut to the lobby, and angel and Lauren are walking out. And Lauren's like, okay, so here we have some guests over there. We have elder of the th Brotherhood. Like, let's go say hi. Harmony's still on the dance floor. There's other people starting to kind of dance too. She sees Spike just kind of standing around, and she's like, come on, Spiky. Come dance with me. [01:00:33] Speaker B: He's just standing like a column. Like a what? [01:00:35] Speaker A: A wet blanket. Like, it's just, like, somewhere else. Good. Leave. [01:00:41] Speaker B: It's like he wants to be there and he wants to be included, but he also, like, doesn't want to admit that he wants to be there and he wants to be included. [01:00:48] Speaker A: Stupid person who's over there, like, this is so gross. This is so stupid. But me, why are you here longingly at the dance? Dance floor. Oh, my God. Too cool. And, like, he's miserable. Yeah, exactly. He's like, you can gyrate all you want. I'll go to hell. Before these ghost shoes touch that dance floor. And she goes, oh, wow. Where is your Halloween spirit? He says, dearly departed for a bit of dusty old druid nonsense. The whole lot of. You can get hung, if you ask me. And then she's like, respect yourself here then. And then she goes back to the dance floor as, like, yeah, as you should. [01:01:21] Speaker B: Bye. Leave him. Don't talk to him, Harmony. He's not worth your time. [01:01:24] Speaker A: Am I doing here? This is giving. At the end of Once More with Feeling, when he's like. Starts to sing. And then he's like, hang on. Why am I following the crowd? I'm a re. I'm a rebel. I don't go out at Halloween. [01:01:35] Speaker B: Even though he does give in and have some fun. [01:01:37] Speaker A: Biggest hater of them all. [01:01:38] Speaker B: Hater. [01:01:39] Speaker A: Yeah, hater. Boo. Throws popcorn. Eagle screech. The birds will attack back. Anyway, all right. Lauren's like, oh, Spike's doing. He's. Or Angel's doing great. He's already not killed, like, a hundred guests. And Spike's like, he doesn't have to. Party's already dead. And Lauren's like, oh, Spike, would it kill you to be a little more positive? And then Sebastus comes in. People are gathered around, kneeling and kissing his hands and feet. And Lauren's like, okay, you need to go and, like, be nice to him just this once, please. Meanwhile, Sebastian is like, yes, fine. Sycophants, worms. Don't writhe all at once. It's sickening. And I'm like, I'm quoting that next time I walk into a room. That's crazy. Yeah. So then angel goes over and is, like, so glad you're here. Really, really thrilled you're here. Just, like, super, like, happy and everything. And then Lauren says hi to Artoad, and I can't tell, is angel, like, under his spell now or is he just, like, trying? [01:02:37] Speaker B: I don't know. He just assaulted that demon, though. He, like, grabbed him so hard, his whole body shook. And I was like, oh, my God. [01:02:43] Speaker A: He is a very T, though. [01:02:45] Speaker B: So, yeah, I think he's just trying really hard. [01:02:49] Speaker A: Good. We'll. We'll believe the best, right? [01:02:51] Speaker B: Yeah. [01:02:52] Speaker A: And then Arto talks about how his coat is made from the skinned Pilean demon. It's green. He's like, anybody you know, Lawrence? [01:03:00] Speaker B: Like, mortified. [01:03:02] Speaker A: Yeah. And so then Angel's like, wow, so happy you're here. And, like, is being overly enthusiastic. And Lauren's like, okay, let's go away. And he, like, pulls him away, and. And then we see Fred and Wesley walking by, and they're acting like they're drunk. And they're talking about, like, past Halloweens when Fred dressed up. And then Wesley's like, well, we never did celebrate Halloween in England. Fred's like, that's sad. And then Harmony is like, hey, guys, watch your step. Somebody peed over there. And Brett's like, well, that's just. That's a bit wrong. Wesley's like, revolting. Lauren continues to just, like, talk to people. Then we see Gun, who is talking to another person and says, hey, Lauren. Like, the party's getting better. It's looking nicer and nicer. And then he's like, man, I wish I had all the energy. You did. You do. And Lauren's like, hey, I'm going to tell you a secret. I had my sleep removed. And he's like, I haven't slept in a wink. A wink in, like a month. And guys like, wait, that's amazing. Like, maybe I should do that. And like, Lauren's like, yeah, 20 minutes in and out, no scarring. You know? Know it'll go nicely with that legal upgrade. I'm like, how is nobody saying how insane this is? Seriously. [01:04:13] Speaker B: And I just, like, really wonder. Like, so they remove your sleep. So you basically just don't sleep, but everything else stays the same. Like, do you get tired? [01:04:20] Speaker A: Horrible idea. [01:04:21] Speaker B: But you just can't sleep. I would literally spiral and lose my mind. Oh, I was tired and I couldn't sleep. No, that can't be healthy. Unless you never get tired and you just keep going forever and you're just fueled by magic. Magic. But I just can't. That's. I don't think that's what happens here. [01:04:36] Speaker A: I don't. I have no clue. Maybe it's different for Lauren because he's a demon and he won't, like, die from sleep deprivation. And because he's an empath, it affects him different. I don't know. I'm not really sure. [01:04:48] Speaker B: Yeah. [01:04:49] Speaker A: So then Sebastis talks to our Toad and is like, the vampire setting his trap. Our anti detection spells works nicely. They won't expect us to be armed. And if they try something, we'll kill them all. And so then Arto's like, all right, I need to go. And so he walks away. Meanwhile, the slave's like, pee, pee. It was so weird. So creepy. Yeah, weird. So then Eve approaches Angel and is like, I'm impressed. I saw you with Sebastian. Didn't think you had it in you. Angel's like, yeah, well, it was all an act, I think. And then Eve's like, yeah, I picked up that from 100 yards away. You were banging it out to the cheek. Cheap seats, Angels. Like, funny. I was gonna say the same thing about that dress. Wow. Hey, normally I'd be like, burn. But that dress was actually gorgeous, and it looked great on her. And I hate saying that because I don't like Eve, but it really did look very nice on her. [01:05:43] Speaker B: Meh. [01:05:45] Speaker A: I've seen better. [01:05:46] Speaker B: I've seen better. [01:05:48] Speaker A: So then, of course, Lauren walks up and is like, oh, my gosh. The sexual tension. I was like, what sex? [01:05:52] Speaker B: Where is the sexual attention room? With us. Us? [01:05:55] Speaker A: After. [01:05:55] Speaker B: Is it in the room with us? [01:05:57] Speaker A: After Buffy? I just can't. You guys like, how. [01:06:00] Speaker B: After Darla? [01:06:03] Speaker A: Yeah, after Darla. Literally, this show. We have seen sexual tension on here before. [01:06:07] Speaker B: This is not. [01:06:08] Speaker A: This is not it. Yeah. But we do cut to them making. [01:06:13] Speaker B: Out a pretty sexy kiss. I will say, sexual tension proved us wrong. [01:06:17] Speaker A: Yeah. [01:06:18] Speaker B: Made us eat our. Eat our words. [01:06:19] Speaker A: Yeah. Not three seconds. We completely flipped the script. Angels, like, this seems a little sudden. Eve's like, huh? And he's like, I mean, do you even have last name? And she's like, do you? [01:06:30] Speaker B: Yes. It's Angel. [01:06:31] Speaker A: His Last name was Mr. Angel. [01:06:33] Speaker B: Mr. Angel. [01:06:35] Speaker A: Then Arto gets killed in the bathroom. [01:06:38] Speaker B: And which, like, he's. He literally went in there to, like, take a poop. It seems like he's just, like, sitting. [01:06:43] Speaker A: He was sitting on the toilet, so I'm going to assume he's pooping. [01:06:46] Speaker B: That's crazy. [01:06:48] Speaker A: What a way to go out at a party. Yeah, it mid poo. Humiliating. [01:06:55] Speaker B: Literally. [01:06:57] Speaker A: Then back in the lobby, everybody's dancing, having a good time. We see the lawyers, like, Congo line. And then Sebastian's is like, find Artoad. And then Fred and Wesley are even drunker. And then angel or Wesley's like, wait, were we even. Like, what were you drinking? And she's like, nothing. He's like, you can't hold that. And she's like, well, how much have you had? He holds up his beer bottle and he's like, including this, I've had about one third of half this beer. She's like, that's weird, right? He's like, yes, I do think that's weird. So they go to ask Gun and ask him if he's weird, but he's currently peeing. [01:07:37] Speaker B: Oh, God. [01:07:38] Speaker A: And then he turns around and just pees all over Wesley's shoes. [01:07:42] Speaker B: And they're like, imagine, like, not being able to control your bowels. Like, no. [01:07:46] Speaker A: Oh, my gosh. Yeah. [01:07:47] Speaker B: How mortifying. [01:07:49] Speaker A: Absolutely mortifying. And then Spike comes up. This was hilarious. He's like, hey, is this a great party or what, Mr. Positivity? And Fred's like, no, no, no. Okay, this means something. [01:07:58] Speaker B: This is weird. [01:07:59] Speaker A: Spike is actually this. Something's wrong. And Spike's like, this must be the greatest song ever written. You guys can't see, but I'm making the face he did, and it's so funny. He's never been funnier. He, like. [01:08:13] Speaker B: He, like, sucks in his cheekbones, and. [01:08:14] Speaker A: He'S just like, yeah, his face, his lips. It is so funny. [01:08:21] Speaker B: And that's the thing I love. I feel like Spike for, like, literally for two seasons straight, couldn't be fun anymore because it was just so dark and, like, so fucking oppressive his presence was on Buffy. [01:08:35] Speaker A: Yep. [01:08:36] Speaker B: And I just love that he can be fun again on this show. James Marster's looks like he is having a ball. He looks like he's having more fun than he has in the longest time. And I love that because he's just, like, a really great actor. He's great at comedy. He's great at drama. He's great at everything. And, like, I just felt the last two seasons of Buffy, he was just not. I don't know, like, his heart wasn't in it. Like, it didn't look like he was having fun. And, like, obviously, the content matter was very dark and especially for Spike. But, yeah, I just wanted to say, like, this season, he's just. Just him and David Boreanas just look like they're having so much fun, and it's, like, so contagious when you're watching it. It just, like, makes you love seeing them on screen. And I loved seeing Spike on screen this episode because he was just so funny. [01:09:25] Speaker A: My favorite Spike is the Spike that doesn't take himself too seriously and has a comedic element to him. Like, early season two, Spike was really, really funny, even while he was evil. And then season four, Spike is hilarious. Hilarious. He works well for me with smaller doses. I don't think the character works great as a primary character. It just gets too bogged down because we already have angel who takes himself very seriously. We need. We kind of need a foil to that. So anytime Spike is just being stupid and having fun, I think that that's my favorite iteration of Spike. And I think that's most people's favorite. [01:10:01] Speaker B: Iteration of spike, too, 1,000%. And I think it brings out the fun. And angel as well. Again, I just go back to the act characters just look like they're having so much fun doing their job, and you can tell through the screen. And that's what I love so much about it. They just bring out those qualities. Like, they bring out the pettiness, the comedy. There's an episode at the end of the season that everybody hates, but I Will Die on the Hill. That. That's such a funny episode. And I personally really enjoy it. We'll talk about it when we get there, but. And that's going to be, like, a controversial opinion, I feel like. But whatever. I just think that's, like. That episode is, like, the epitome of, like, David Boreanas and James Mersters just being, like, absolute clowns. [01:10:43] Speaker A: Fools. Yeah. [01:10:45] Speaker B: Just fools. And it's so good. It's just so endearing, and it's so good to watch. [01:10:50] Speaker A: Yeah, I agree. I think that also makes a huge difference in our enjoy. Ability. Enjoyableness. Our enjoyment. That's the word. I was like, where's. Where's that adjective, verb, whatever. Where's that word? Leia's like, choking. Are you okay? [01:11:07] Speaker B: Yes, I'm alive. Sorry, what were you saying? [01:11:11] Speaker A: I don't remember now. Oh, yeah. That adds to my enjoyment and I think most people's enjoyment of the episode when we can tell the characters the. Or the actors are having a good time and it was hard. You could tell in some of the season three and four episodes, it didn't feel like the actors were having a good time, but this, like, it feels like they're having fun. So, yeah, that helps my enjoyment of the episode as well. Then Spike's like, how long have you been like this? He's like, it's great, isn't it? I don't know. Happened a bit after I talked with angel and Lauren. Yeah, Lauren told me to think positively. And then Wesley's like, oh, it's Lauren. And then Lauren shows up and is like, hey, guys, that dance floor is smoking. And then everyone just kind of like, stares at him. And then they take him into Angel's office. And so now we have Wesley, Fred, Gunn and Spike going into the office. And Lauren's like, hey, guys, I told you I didn't do anything. And then Fred's like, angel, are you in here? And all of a sudden, angel pops his head up from the floor behind the couch. [01:12:08] Speaker B: He gasps. Everyone's like. [01:12:11] Speaker A: He pops up next to him, and Spike's like, hey, Angel's getting some good on you, mate. And you're like, that's when you know this is a spell because if Spike's excited for Angel. Yeah, yeah. In no world ever. [01:12:25] Speaker B: And she, like, pops up in front of him. And I'm like, oh, you guys are really going at it. [01:12:31] Speaker A: And then Gun's like, what? Or Angel's like, what's wrong with you? And then Gun's like, what's wrong with. What are you doing with that? And he's like, hey, watch it, pal. Wesley's like, he must be under the effect of Lauren and Eve to presume, presumably. And then Thread starts snorting. She's like, presumably. Wesley's like, lauren's doing something to all of us. And Lauren's like, I am not. Wesley's like, everything he's told us to do, we're doing spikes, thinking positive. Gun is peeing all over the office. Fred's like, and we're a little bit drunk. And Wesley's like, yeah. And then Angel's like, lauren told you to pee all over the office. And Gun's like, lord, I hope so. And Lord's like, this is crazy. I'm not doing this. Spike's like, you know, I really love your dad desk, Angel. And he's just, like, going through all of Angel's things. And I, like, I. I wrote in my notes, I was like, this is Leah, my sister. Whenever I'm trying to talk about something important, she's over there, like, fiddling with everything and, like, not listening at all her adhd. But then Eve's like, I don't understand. I thought that Lauren was an empath demon. And then Gun figures it out, remembers that Lauren told him to stake his territory. And then Wesley puts two and two together and was like, oh, he told you to take it a little too literally. And then. Or you took it too literally. And then Fred's like, hey, keep it in your pants, because angel and Eve have started making out again. And then Gun's like, you had your sleep removed. He hasn't slept in a month. And Wesley's like, oh, if an empath demon hasn't slept that long, they're like, that's got to do something. And then Lauren's like, I had to do something, didn't I? Because Angel's like, why would you let them do that to you? You. He says, I mean, you don't know what I've had to deal with. I'm the center of gravity in a town that's full of borderline disorders, celebrities in power brokers, all the hand holding and ego stroking in the 4am Jacuzzi strategy sessions. I was like, lauren is Every overstimulated. [01:14:21] Speaker B: Mom honestly sounds so exhausting. [01:14:24] Speaker A: No, I could not. Wesley catches gun peeing in the corner is, like, going over to try and stop him. Angel's like, why didn't you tell me? Why didn't you tell us? I would have. And then even just slaps his butt. [01:14:37] Speaker B: And David. Briana's breaks character. He's. [01:14:39] Speaker A: They had to cut. They had to cut. And then, like, do another shot it. Because I'm fairly certain they just completely cracked up right after that, 1,000%. And you could tell they're just, like, trying to keep it together. David Borgis has this giant cushion in front of him. And then Angel's like, I would have helped you, which is what I'm gonna do now. Then he's like, oh. And he, like, stands, grabs the couch cushion, and he's like, are right, Wes, Fred, go find Lauren's sleep. Figure out a way to put it back in his head. And then Wesley picks up Fred and just takes off with her. [01:15:10] Speaker B: And then he. Angels, like, picking her up around the waist, like, lifting her. [01:15:15] Speaker A: She's, like, done. [01:15:15] Speaker B: And like his little, like a doll. [01:15:17] Speaker A: Like, yeah, sidekick, let's go. And just like, Lauren, you just stay tight and try not to, you know, talk. Lauren's like, angel, we've got the party going. Someone has to make sure there's ice in the drinks. Angel's like, okay. And so I like, oh, oh, pick me. I'm your people person. I was like, said to wet. Angels just ignores him. [01:15:36] Speaker B: He can't touch things. How is he supposed to refill the ice? But I appreciate the enthusiasm. [01:15:43] Speaker A: Yeah. [01:15:43] Speaker B: Oh, true, true. [01:15:44] Speaker A: Yeah. He was picking up angel stuff on his desk. [01:15:46] Speaker B: I feel like right now he definitely wants it really bad. [01:15:50] Speaker A: Exactly. So angel tells gun to go on the floor, see if anyone else is under the lorn effect. And he's like. And stop. And guns, like, doing my best. And then Angel's like, and Eve, you stay here with me and we'll have more sex. And she's like, I'm on it. And then Spike goes, brilliant plan, Excellent plan. And then he just stays in their. [01:16:08] Speaker B: Room while they have Lord are just sitting there. [01:16:12] Speaker A: Lord. [01:16:13] Speaker B: We cut back to the room, and Lord is just sitting on the couch, and Spike is just, like, fiddling with objects in the room. And then angel and Eva to still be like, what is happening? [01:16:26] Speaker A: They. They do. They are under a spell, but it doesn't mean that they can't remember or they can't hear. Like, yeah. [01:16:33] Speaker B: Anyway, there's probably, like, a smell too. [01:16:38] Speaker A: Yeah, it makes that leather couch. Ew. Well, it also smells like pee pee in there now, too, because. [01:16:46] Speaker B: Oh, God, how mortifying. [01:16:53] Speaker A: All right, so Sebastian and his toddler are looking at the mess he made in this doll. [01:16:57] Speaker B: Just kidding. That's what it looked like. It's a twink. [01:17:01] Speaker A: Sebastus and Timothee Chalamet. Timothy Chalame. [01:17:09] Speaker B: Leave Timothy alone. Oh, my God. [01:17:21] Speaker A: Anyway, they find our toad. Dead. All right, and then we have toilet scene. Yeah, dead. Well, pieces of him are on the toilet and in the toilet. So then we are downstairs in this room. Label legales labeled. Oh, my God. Gosh. Psych Component Storage Facility. Yeah, I'm not even drunk. And they're looking for Lauren. Sleep. This scene was just too long. Too long. We get it. Like, there's just more of them dancing around the situation. You can tell. Like, Wesley wants to be closer friends with Fred, and Fred's like, we should be close friends. And Wes is like, oh, my gosh, we totally should. I've been wanting this for a while. She's like, great. And then they, like, hug, and, like, you think that she's gonna, like, tell him something. And then she asks what he thinks of Knox. And then Wes is just like, I don't want to talk about him. And we're just like, oh, my gosh. I am so sick of Wesley and Fred being involved in some sort of love triangle. Like, just either get them together or just never talk about this ever. [01:18:16] Speaker B: Yeah, Literally. I just, like, deeply don't care about this at this point. [01:18:20] Speaker A: I really don't. Really, really don't. So then, back in Angel's office, Sebastus and his gang burst through the doors carrying their weapons. And then Angel's still on the floor behind the couch with Eve. Spike and Lauren are still just hanging out at Angel's desk. Spike's, like, round of applause. What a fantastic entrance. And Sebastian is like, the nerve, the raw nerve to lay a hand on one of mine. Angels like, what is this? Sebastus is like, these are poison darts. We're powerful enough to put you in a coma for a week. Enough to kill all of your people. You murdered our toad. I imagine we were to be next. He says, dress yourself. You have a public execution to attend. Angel starts putting on his clothes and is like, big mistake. We hear a woman screaming from the lobby. Oh. Everybody rushes out to the lobby, and the human being is dead, lying on the buffet table. [01:19:07] Speaker B: What was his name, do you think? [01:19:08] Speaker A: Sad. Devlin. [01:19:11] Speaker B: Oh, my God, Devlin, we'll miss you. Your costume was Great. And you win in our hearts. [01:19:17] Speaker A: And you know what? You were participating in the party. [01:19:20] Speaker B: And, yeah, for that, we are good sport. [01:19:23] Speaker A: A very good sport. So then Angel's like, hey. Sebastian's. I don't know what's going on here. We're not behind it. Lauren's like, all right, like, trying to do damage control. And then we go back down to Wes and Fred. They find Lauren's sleep. They also find out that empaths, if they don't sleep for long enough that they, instead of reading people's destinies, they start writing people's destiny. So basically controlling their behavior and controlling what they're going to do. And then that's the first part. The second phase two, I guess, is if you sever the empath from a subconscious for too long, the subconscious can manifest. And then we jump back to lobby and we see the manifestation, which is Hulk Lauren. [01:20:11] Speaker B: Amazing. [01:20:13] Speaker A: I was like, you know, honestly, me. Me without sleep is Hulk Lauren 100. [01:20:18] Speaker B: Yeah. [01:20:19] Speaker A: Lauren's like, very relatable people. So then Hulk Lauren just like, you know, Hulk smashes. And of course, Spike's, you know, positive. He's like, that's one bitching big suit. And then Hulk Lauren smashes one of Sebastian's demons. And Angel's like, lauren, what is this? Lauren's like, stop. Stop killing. Listen to me. It's me. He's like. And then Hulk Lauren hits real. Lauren knocks him down. He goes, wow, I must really hate myself. So, so sad. That made me real sad. Anyway, Fred and Wesley, meanwhile, have Lauren's sleep and the means to transfer it into him. And they're standing in front of the elevator, and Wesley's like, come on, come on, come on, come on. Fred's like, did you press? And he goes, oh. He presses the button. And they sit there and say, okay, but come on, come on, come on, come on. [01:21:05] Speaker B: I've literally done this, but, like, sober. [01:21:08] Speaker A: Oh, wow. How embarrassing for you. I was channeling my inner Spike, just waiting. [01:21:19] Speaker B: Just waiting. [01:21:20] Speaker A: Oh, I've totally died. Press totally done. [01:21:23] Speaker B: Or, like, you get into the elevator, and you think you press the button for the floor you want to go to, but you didn't. And you're just waiting in there in a shut elevator. [01:21:30] Speaker A: Huh? So then angel starts to protect Sebastus, and he's trying to fight the Hulk Lauren demon. Lauren's, like, apologizing for every time that he. He's. His alter ego is striking Angel. And then Wesley and Fred come in, and they're like, angel, we've got it. And then gun's like, shoot Fred. Now Fred's, like, trying to shoot at the big, massive, hulking demon, just as he, like, goes for the killing blow on Angel. And then she turns and then shoots real Lauren point blank, right? [01:22:01] Speaker B: Fred is always doing crazy shit. Like, this really is switching up at the last minute. [01:22:06] Speaker A: And Harmony. Harmony has no clue what's going on. She's like, oh, my God, they shot. [01:22:14] Speaker B: I love. She's like, they. Like, who is they? [01:22:17] Speaker A: They? She's like, everybody go against them. Our bosses hate us. See, they're trying to kill us. [01:22:24] Speaker B: Union guys. [01:22:26] Speaker A: Yeah. [01:22:26] Speaker B: Harmony wants a union. [01:22:29] Speaker A: And you know what? She'd probably get one. [01:22:31] Speaker B: Good for her, honestly. [01:22:33] Speaker A: So then Lauren's like, I'm just gonna rest my eyes for a little bit. So then he lays down hulking Lauren. Just, like, disappears in a puff of smoke. And then now we cut to the day. Someone's sweeping up as we have several people still passed out on the floor. The lawyers are like, wow, this was better than last year. And then Knox, like, comes in and is like, what happened? He sees Fred kind of collecting glasses, and he's like, I fixed our baby. And he's like, the stun grenade. I figured it out. And he's like, what I can't figure out is why I said I'd do it tonight. So then Fred explains what happened. And she's like, I kind of wished you were here. And Knox is like, well, the night's still young. Want to go out for her? Well, early. Do you want to come out for a cup of coffee? And she's like, actually, I could use a drink. And so they, like, sit there. And then an Angel's office. Wesley and angel tuck Lauren under the blanket. It Spike's still sitting on Angel's desk, and Eve's talking on the phone. And Wesley says, I think it was a manifestation of Lauren's subconscious. It peeled away from his mind, using Lauren's supernatural powers to punch its way into our world. Angel says, punch is the right word. Why was it trying to kill everyone? Wesley says, I don't think it was. It may have just been processing the conflicts that Lauren normally deals with in his sleep, acting out on the emotional responses he has to the people around him. And angel goes, I guess Lauren makes some judgments after all. [01:23:54] Speaker B: Yeah, seriously. [01:23:56] Speaker A: Then he runs after Eve leaving, and he's like, hey, we should talk. And he's like, about what happened. And she goes, angel, it's not like this is the first time I've had sex under mystical influence. I went to UC Santa Cruz. Then she turns to walk out, and you see her face, and she looks pissed. [01:24:14] Speaker B: She looks, like, conniving. I don't. I wouldn't even say pissed. She just looks like. Like she's got something planned. Like she's just plotting something. [01:24:24] Speaker A: Yeah, I. I don't trust her. I mean, I never have, but. Yeah. That's the first time that we've actually seen, like, something that I feel like we weren't supposed to. [01:24:32] Speaker B: Something suspicious. Yeah, 1,000%. But what I don't get is why is angel so butthurt about that? [01:24:39] Speaker A: That she's pissed or that she doesn't. [01:24:41] Speaker B: That she, like, brushed him off? Yeah, he, like. Like, it's like his feelings got hurt that he was brushed off. Well, afterwards, he turns around, and then Wesley's like, are you okay? [01:24:51] Speaker A: Or what did he. [01:24:52] Speaker B: What does Wesley say next? [01:24:53] Speaker A: He says, how you doing? And angel says, I don't know. [01:24:57] Speaker B: Like, are we supposed to think that angel was, like, affected? Moved by his experience with Eve? Please. As if. [01:25:05] Speaker A: See, I didn't take it that way. I took it mostly as, like, when Wesley was asking how he's doing. It's more like. Like, not necessarily about that situation, but just, like, everything in general. Like, how are you doing with, like, everything in general? And, like, obviously you were repressed enough for Lauren to have to, like, say, hey, you guys need to go have sex. And so, like, what, like, basically, what's going on in deep inside of you? [01:25:27] Speaker B: Because, like, the way that I read it, because, like, angel was, like, looking all disappointed as Eve walked out. And then Wesley turned around and, like, saw him, and he was like, how are you doing? Like, about. And I'm like, angel, why do you care this much? Like, that's weird. [01:25:41] Speaker A: Why do you not know? Like, yeah, because he's never cared about her before. Again, it's this manufactured tension that they're trying to. [01:25:48] Speaker B: Yeah. [01:25:49] Speaker A: Do. And it just. [01:25:50] Speaker B: As if angel hasn't had casual sex before. [01:25:53] Speaker A: And you know what? I actually think your read is right. Because then you have Wesley looking out into the lobby and seeing Fred having a drink with Knox. So it's like this implied, like, oh, here we are again. The girls that we, like, are, you know, rejecting. It's like it's couplet all over again. So then Wesley walks past them again. Sad Wesley, I'm so over this. Like, come on, man. Move on. Find somebody else. [01:26:15] Speaker B: He really does need to move on. He's been on this since season three. Like, we need to move on from this, Wesley. [01:26:22] Speaker A: We need you to. We. [01:26:24] Speaker B: We need you to move on my guy, please. [01:26:28] Speaker A: So then Gun comes in and says, hey, I spoke with Sebastus's people. They're actually surprisingly, like, okay with everything. They enjoyed a little blood sport at the social function. And angel says, we are not okay. We've been so focused on the dangers outside that we didn't see the ones within. This place is trying to change us. Gun. We can't ever forget that. Gun says, pretty good party, though. I'll see you tomorrow. Well, today, but later. Oh, and don't sit in your chair. I already called janitorial. I was like, oh, not Gun. Trying to mark his territory in an angel seat. And then Spike's like, you pissed in the big man's chair? That's fantastic. And Gun like, spike, could you please turn it off? Spike's like, what? The Lauren thing that wore off. I just think that's bloody fantastic. And then Angel's like, all right, guys, let's let Lauren get some sleep. Tell Spike to get out. And then you hear Lauren mumble in his sleep, I'm sorry. Angel says, hey, it's okay, Lauren. Just try and get some rest. And Lauren says, it's hard. It's hard being the host of the party. And angel says, stop trying to be. I was, like, waiting for him. A kiss on the forehead. Me, too. Like, that situation, like, called for it. [01:27:35] Speaker B: He needed to, like, he just needed to give him a little peck between his horns. [01:27:39] Speaker A: Yes. And then we kept a closeup on Lauren as we hear dance music playing faintly. And he's, like, smiling as he's resting. I just love him. He's so cute. [01:27:49] Speaker B: He's literally just like sunshine on the show. [01:27:53] Speaker A: Yeah. I'm glad he has a dance party in his head all the time to combat all the mass chaos. Chaos that's happening out here. It makes sense why he's happy all the time. [01:28:03] Speaker B: I. I feel like if Lauren was in the year 2025, his Spotify Wrapped, like, Listening Time would be, like, the highest of anybody in the world. [01:28:11] Speaker A: Ooh, yeah. I wonder what he would be. Oh, he would be listening to Abracadabra by Lady Gaga. [01:28:18] Speaker B: Oh, for sure he would be a Gaga, Stan. [01:28:20] Speaker A: Yeah, he'd be Gaga's manager. He'd be in her music videos. He'd find some way to meet Gaga 1000%. [01:28:27] Speaker B: Was Gaga even, like, active on the scene back in 2004? [01:28:30] Speaker A: No, not in 2004. She popped up around, like, I think, like, 2010, 11, 12. I feel like, maybe slightly earlier, but, like, the Late, early aughts. [01:28:42] Speaker B: Wow. [01:28:43] Speaker A: I don't know. [01:28:43] Speaker B: Who do you think? Who else do you think Lauren would be a big fan of? I feel like he would Chapel. Oh, 100. Oh, my God. He would have seen her performance at the Grammys and he would have like, literally fell over because it was so good. [01:29:00] Speaker A: Yeah. He'd be dancing next to Taylor swift. Like. [01:29:03] Speaker B: Yeah, 100. [01:29:05] Speaker A: Yeah. [01:29:05] Speaker B: Sabrina Carpenter. He would eat. [01:29:07] Speaker A: Oh, he would die for Sabrina Carpenter. [01:29:10] Speaker B: Oh, my God. [01:29:11] Speaker A: Yeah. [01:29:13] Speaker B: Lauren, we love you. [01:29:15] Speaker A: I know. I feel like we should make a playlist that we think, think and people, you guys, listeners, should suggest what you think Lauren would have on his playlist when. [01:29:24] Speaker B: Yeah, from like today's music. [01:29:25] Speaker A: Yeah, from today's music. What you think Lauren would absolutely love and listen to that. [01:29:29] Speaker B: Be. [01:29:30] Speaker A: We can create like a Spotify playlist and be like Lauren's top hits or something. [01:29:34] Speaker B: Oh, my God, I love it. [01:29:35] Speaker A: Actually, I would listen to that when I need like a pick me up. [01:29:38] Speaker B: Same. Yeah, let's do it. [01:29:43] Speaker A: Yeah, I'm gonna. I'm gonna go and listen to Abracadabra now because it's been that. That's been stuck in my head and not like us, so. [01:29:50] Speaker B: Oh, yeah. [01:29:52] Speaker A: Stuck in my head constantly. [01:29:55] Speaker B: That's like Spike's, like track. [01:29:58] Speaker A: That's true. I don't know that Lauren would listen to it. He'd be supportive. But yeah, that's definitely Spike. [01:30:02] Speaker B: Spike would literally listen to that on repeat. [01:30:07] Speaker A: All right, guys, well, let us know what you think of the episode. Let us know what you think Lauren be listening to. Let us know your thoughts on, I don't know, Twink. Timothy Chalamet. Eagle screeches Naked Angel. For sure. Eve and Angel. What do you guys think Eve is up to? Do you think that angel has feelings for Eve? Like, what was that? [01:30:30] Speaker B: That's. [01:30:30] Speaker A: I don't know. Are you over Wes and Fred? I don't know. Let us know your thoughts. Random episode, but so much fun. Do you guys like this episode? I feel like. I feel like it's very mixed. People either like meh about it or they absolutely adore it. So let us know your guys's thoughts. But yeah, as always, thanks so much for listening and we'll see you guys next time. Thanks so much for listening to Investigating Angel. If you enjoyed this podcast, feel free to follow, subscribe, and review us on all platforms. You can also find us on Instagram at Investigating angel podcast and you can email [email protected].

S5. Ep5. Life of The Party

Show Notes

Episode Transcript

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