Show Notes
Harmony is desperate to find out who framed her for the murder of a demon rights activist who was mediating an important truce between warring tribes on Angel's behalf.
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Episode Transcript
[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, Leia and Sarah.
[00:00:11] Speaker A: And if you love angel, this is the podcast for you.
Hey, guys. Welcome back to Investigating Angel. Today we're talking about season five, episode nine, Harvest.
I don't think Leia knew.
I didn't know if you knew I.
[00:00:48] Speaker B: Was starting or not.
[00:00:50] Speaker A: I, like, took a deep breath and then I was like, I don't know. Why? I don't know. I don't know.
[00:00:55] Speaker B: That's okay. I was just like, whoa, what happened?
[00:00:59] Speaker A: I was thinking about something as I was breathing in. Then I was like, oh, I need to, like, say something. And then I, like, overthought it. And then, who knows? Whatever. Every single episode, I feel like that we started this season has been just, like, weird. But yes, today we're talking about Harm's Way, written by Sarah Fane and Elizabeth Craft, which I was actually really, really pleasantly surprised that it was written by women.
[00:01:24] Speaker B: But also at the time, suspect, like, the worst offending episodes of season four they are.
[00:01:32] Speaker A: I was like, wow, it was written by women. But also there were aspect of this episode that I felt like a guy wouldn't be able to write it. Just like, it was very much from, like, a girl's pov, which I guess a guy could write it, but I don't know. It just felt very girly. Girly pop, as Harmony is, you know, directed by Vern Gillum, and the original air date was January 14, 2004. So we are now into the 2004s, which is crazy, crazy, crazy. It's always so sad once we get into the year that the show ends. I'm like, oh, watching, like, the date slowly tick up. But, yeah, Harm's Way. So I love this episode. I think this episode is so fun. It doesn't have much substance. It doesn't really add anything to the season, but it is entertaining as all get out. And for me, I'm to the point now in my podcast journey where I. I want to be entertained. Like, I'd love it to be. I'd love to be entertained and also have substance. But you know what? After season four, I will take entertainment over boredom.
[00:02:39] Speaker B: So, yeah, well, I think it does have some substance. I think it brings up a lot of really interesting conversations around vampires and, like, what it means to have a soul, what not to have a soul. And, like, how Harmony is really a very unique vampire. Yeah, I love this episode too. This was such a delight to watch. And I really appreciated how from Harmony's pov it was. Because I feel like sometimes they'll have character centric episodes. Like, we just had a Lauren centric episode not too long ago. But it didn't feel like it was totally from Lauren's perspective.
[00:03:16] Speaker A: Not at all.
[00:03:17] Speaker B: This literally felt like you were in Harmony's head.
All the other characters were side characters in her story, and I loved that so much. I agree. I thought Mercedes McNabb did such a great job. She has such a great range. And I didn't even realize it, like, realize how good of an actor she is. She just nailed, like, every single scene. And I just loved every second of it.
[00:03:42] Speaker A: Yeah. And she's was the youngest cast member, I think, for both Buffy and Angel. Like, I know for Buffy initially. Obviously, Michelle Trachtenberg took that on later on. But she is immensely talented for someone who is so young. And the fact that she carries this episode having simply been not even a secondary character, but just kind of a side character that's been on the show since Buffy aired. Insanity.
[00:04:13] Speaker B: Yeah, totally. She totally carried this episode. And that's why I was like, this is so impressive. This is completely centered on her. She is the main character of this episode, and she pulls it off so well. So kudos to her.
[00:04:27] Speaker A: Yeah. This episode reminded me a lot of the Zeppo over on Buffy, where it was very much told from Xander's point of view. And the A story was kind of relegated to the B. Or I guess the A plot was relegated to, like, back behind the scenes and the B plot was brought up to the forefront. And I really, really liked that.
[00:04:44] Speaker B: Yeah, that's so true. Even just the way that the episode plays out was so similar to this. But, like, Harmony's off doing her own little side quest, but it's not the big thing that's happening, it's the little thing. But then it ends up intertwining. Like, she ends up saving the day just the same way that Xander saved the day. I hadn't thought of that. And that's really cool, actually.
[00:05:04] Speaker A: And I really liked how this kind of gave us a little bit of a glimpse at what it would be like to live in the morally gray in a lot of ways. Because we've been talking about how this show really kind of is trying to straddle that line. Particularly now as they're in Wolfram and Hart, where they're working for the bad guys and they're having to ally with the bad guys. And then some of these people aren't Necessarily bad guys, but they're like, misguided or they're just trying to live or some of these people are genuinely bad guys, but they aren't doing bad things. So does that mean they need to die? So it was kind of interesting with everything that angel is feeling conflicted about, to have it from Harmony's perspective and her point of view, because it just adds more gray to an increasingly gray series, you know?
[00:05:54] Speaker B: So true.
[00:05:56] Speaker A: So this is the second episode named after Harmony. Again, hysterical. The first being disharmony. Now she's harms way, or now it's harm's way. She's the only character to have a second episode named after her, which is so.
[00:06:07] Speaker B: And also two great episodes. Disharmony is one of my favorite episodes of season two. It's so good.
[00:06:14] Speaker A: Yeah, I know. She. She reminds me a lot of how I feel about whenever Clem pops up over on Buffy in season six and seven, where it's just like a breath of fresh air. Every time she comes in, I'm just like, ah. She adds just like a levity and a lightness to the season that we're missing.
So this episode had the longest cold open in the whole series at so 6 minutes and 49 seconds. And the record was previously held by the cautionary tale numero cinco.
And I think why this episode is so focused on Harmony versus anybody else is I'm. I suspect that David Boreanas was either, like, about to go into knee surgery, because I think the next episode is heavily centered around him, like, lying down and like. Yeah. So I think his knee either was bothering him or they were prepping or he was about to go into knee surgery. So I suspected. Respect. That's a big reason why they decided to focus on a Harmony. My guess is Alexis Denisoff probably was out of town for like the first week of filming, probably on his honeymoon still. So they were like, okay, so we don't really have David. We don't really have like, Alexis. And then, hey, why don't we just add in an episode about Harmony? And you know what? After the testosterone filled episode of last.
[00:07:31] Speaker B: Week, I am all for this one, 100%. This was the perfect follow up. Just all the feminine energy, which is.
[00:07:41] Speaker A: So bizarre because this show has been anything but for like its 5 season run. I was like, this is the most female centered episode we've had and it's kind of weird.
[00:07:51] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:07:53] Speaker A: I do have to point out that episodes like this one with characters like Harmony remind me that she's kind of filling that Gap that the show originally tried to create with Cordelia back in season one and two. Like, she's still very Harmony, but she like the fact that she has such strong ties to Cordy, like being a part of the Cordettes, being her best friend, retaining a lot of that mean girl characteristics. It makes it very noticeable in this episode, in this season, whenever she pops in and kind of fills that role.
And kind of makes it even more obvious how much we were missing that role in season four and even aspects of season three, for sure.
And it makes me sad because if Cordelia had retained a lot of her Cordelian ness from the first season and parts of season two, it would have been really fun to see her maybe not necessarily exactly like this, but aspects of this in season five of Angel.
So. And then. Okay, question. What did you think about angel in this episode?
[00:08:58] Speaker B: Oh, my God.
I thought that he was rude and grumpy and just like a mean man. But considering that this is from Harmony's point of view, it makes complete sense that this is how she views him. She is terrified of him.
[00:09:15] Speaker A: Okay. I would be, too.
[00:09:16] Speaker B: That's why, like, if you look at this episode as looking at everybody through Harmony's eyes, it makes complete sense why everybody acts the way they act. Like, even Fred. I feel like Fred was uncharacteristically girly in this episode and very much like, we've never seen Fred have girls time like this. Her and Cordelia were never close like this. They never really hung out or, like, talked like this or whatever. But I feel like from Harmony's point of view, she views Fred as her girl friend. Yeah. And I don't view Fred that way, but it makes sense from Harmony's perspective. So I really enjoyed that as well. I was like, oh, look at this is. We're seeing new sides of Fred. And she, like, is really into it. And I love that because once again, we don't really have any female friendships on this show. Not like we don't. They do on Buffy, which makes sense because this is a very, like, male dominated show. And Fred and Cordelia were never close like this. So I really enjoyed it. I was into it.
[00:10:21] Speaker A: I thought it was interesting because, yeah, we see aspects of Fred that we hadn't really seen before, you know, going out for drinks and stuff. But I was reminded as I was watching the dynamic between Harmony and Fred and the contrast between their characters on how much Fred has grown in the seasons and how she carries herself. Like, I was thinking back to season three, when Fred and Cordelia went out to go get dresses and how, like, very naive and young Fred was very early season three and kind of just looking at Cordelia walk all over glasses. Yes. Let Cordelia walk all over her. Just very, very giggly and girly. And now, I mean, not that she's not girly, but now there's very much a. I'm in charge of my lab. I have my business. I have to, like, work with the boys. And there's less of a naivety. Like, the fact that she recognized. Hey. Like, she read the chart and then was like, no, Harmony. Like, we need to call Angel. We need to do this stuff.
[00:11:19] Speaker B: I feel, like, more confident Right.
[00:11:21] Speaker A: Early Fred would have been like, okay, we'll just. We'll. I'll. I'll bow over and do whatever you want me to do, you know? So.
[00:11:28] Speaker B: Yeah, for sure.
[00:11:29] Speaker A: Yeah. It was kind of fun.
[00:11:30] Speaker B: Especially with somebody as. With a personality as strong as Harmony.
[00:11:34] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:11:35] Speaker B: Because. Yeah. In the past, she has let somebody like Cordelia, for example, who's very similar to Harmony in some ways, walk all over her. And I love this version of Fred.
[00:11:48] Speaker A: For sure. Yep. I also really like when we think back to who Harmony was in high school, always being part of the in crowd and seeing her not be part of the in crowd anymore and kind of see how that's affected her and handled her or how she's handled it. And I.
I know there are so many people that can resonate with that.
And I thought it was interesting how Mercedes McNabb just did such a good job of making Harmony so likable and relatable and sympathetic while you're still like, yeah, she's still an evil vampire. Like, I just. I don't know how they did it, but they did a really good job with that.
[00:12:25] Speaker B: Yeah, for sure.
It also kind of shows you all the, like, the fact that a vampire is stagnant. Like, they don't grow. And I feel like Harmony perfectly embodies this in this episode where she feels. But at the same time, she is trying hard. And the fact that she cares so much about clearing her name means that she is different. You know, that, like, she has some type of purpose and she isn't just aimlessly going through vamp life, you know?
[00:13:02] Speaker A: Yeah. Which you could say that could be the influence of angel and Fred and Wes and Gun and Lauren. She's watching them and she's seeing how, oh, they've grown, they've changed, they're different. They're even moving up in life. And I don't want. I want to move up in life. And so maybe she wouldn't be pushed or she wouldn't be pushing herself as hard if she didn't have them as examples.
[00:13:23] Speaker B: Well, I think it's like, the circumstances, too, right? Like, she works at. She. There's enough positive that or no, I should say so. There's.
Harmony is getting enough things back in her favor. Like, she has a job, she's making money, dental plan, whatever. She's been swayed enough that she is willing to do this because she benefits her right now. Like, I think it's still, you know, selfishly motivated, but I think once she, like, believes in something or wants to do something, Harmony will, like, do it, you know, so. And I think a part of her does want to fit in, I guess.
[00:14:05] Speaker A: All right, so we start off with a Wolfram and Hart promo reel where they're. It's kind of like a recruitment video that they're playing on the monitor showing various current and historical shots of Los Angeles, Santa Monica Pier, Hollywood, Venice Beach. And then we have a narrator talking about how. Welcome to the Wolfburn. Welcome to the Los Angeles branch of Wolf and Hart. Can't talk today. Let me say that again. Welcome to the Los Angeles branch of Wolfram and Hart, the oldest and most powerful law firm in the city. Founded in 1791 on ground deconsecrated by the blood of mass murderer Matthias Pavane, Wolfman Hart has put roots down in this glamorous city that grow deep in branches that reach right into the heart of every major corporation, including Yo Yodyne Wayland Yutani and News Corp. Which is really funny because the whole, like, grows deep and branches sounds a lot like the first evil. And this idea of, like, power and everything being connected and then the whole, like, Waylon Yutani is a fictionist or fictitious firm in the Alien franchise, which we were talking about before how Joss wrote the script for alien resurrection in 1997. And then the other corporation, News Corporation Corp. That's listed as a. A partner of Wolverman Hart, the parent company of 20th Century Fox, the studio that produced the series is News Court. So they're.
[00:15:28] Speaker B: Oh, that's. That's cool.
[00:15:29] Speaker A: They're like themselves to Wolverine Hart, which is so funny.
[00:15:34] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:15:35] Speaker A: And so then they go on and talk about how, like, the. You know, the starlet, the fabulous movie queen, she owes us her firstborn. They're like, but times change at Wolfram and Hart. It's changing right along with them. Under our new CEO, angel, we're focusing less on power and More on using that power for good. We have a zero tolerance policy for killing. And that includes you vampires. And then we get, like, a little, like, shot of angel, who, like, looks super nervous. He's like, if you don't kill, we won't kill you.
Okay?
That's right. No more employee sacrifices at Wolfram and Hart. You're part of a family now. You can work your way up the ladder. And there will always be a hand to help you up it. Every life and unlife is as important to our new management as their own. So go ahead, relax and enjoy your new Wolfram and Hart family. Because at our firm, everyone matters.
[00:16:24] Speaker B: Oh, wow.
[00:16:25] Speaker A: Which is so Harmony. Except for Harmony. But I. I thought this was very interesting. And I kind of like how this maybe unintentionally or intentionally is kind of a callback to Cordelia filming Doyle in Hero with the our rats are low. And how Doyle's kind of, like, uncertain and awkward. And now we have angel being nervous. But it also kind of contrasts how far they've come. So I don't know. It was kind of an interesting little, like, mirror there.
So then we cut to Harmony's apartment and the alarm clock goes off. She gets up. We see her in the bathroom. Just everything's pink, everything's girly. She, like, looks into the reflectionless mirror and has, like, a little, like, message, be your best, like, written in lipstick or something over the top. She, like, brushes her teeth. And she brushes her human teeth and then her vamp teeth, of course. And then someone pointed out how interesting it was that she can't see her reflection in the mirror. So when she's brushing her teeth, she's kind of like her eyes are up, looking in every which direction, as if she doesn't actually see a reflection. Which is like a nice little. A little touch there.
She, you know, putting on her fabulous outfit for the day. At one point, she can't find her shoe. She, like, lifts up the dresser, the entire dresser with her strength. It's so funny. I love it.
[00:17:44] Speaker B: It's fun.
[00:17:44] Speaker A: Things like this, it's like, oh, like what you could do with the lore and just make it, like, true to life is just. It's a little.
[00:17:51] Speaker B: I would love to watch a Harmony, the vampire sitcom. Yeah, I just think it would be the funniest thing ever. Really entertaining sitcom ever. Like 3025 minute episodes of Just Harmony doing shenanigans with a set of characters. Amazing. Yeah.
[00:18:10] Speaker A: Yeah. So then we see her in the parking garage. She's, like, walking out dressed to the Nines sees an old woman walking her dog in her bathrobe. She's like, Morning, Mrs. Jacobi. And the lady, like, scowls and, like, ignores her. The dog growls at her. She walks in a Wolfram and Hart. She's got Angels, freshly cleaned and pressed shirts, which means she stopped off at the dry cleaners. She takes a mug and then goes to the break room. And inside, there's a bunch of, like, staff getting their morning stuff, talking to each other, like, grabbing stuff for their bosses. And then we have Tamika, who stands up just as Harmony enters. And Harmony ends up spilling Tamika's coffee all over her, which I like that they put this in there. And then you kind of just like, forget about her. And then, boom, she appears at the very end of the episode.
Tamika's played by Danielle Nicolette, who played Cecile Horton or Virtue on the Flash in On the cw, which I don't think you've seen the Flash, have you? No, I'm just assuming. Not at this point. Okay. All right. Well, if any. There's any Virtue fans out there, this is her.
So then Harmony goes to the secretary's table, and she sees these two girls, Brittany and Charlotte is what this. The transcript says. And they're, like, you know, talking about how their boss is making them do a bunch of stuff, and they're just, like, really angry and, like, frustrated them. And Harmony's like, hello, fellow. Grunts. And then they just, like, roll their eyes and then go back and pretend like she's not even there. And again, it's kind of fun to see things like this because Harmony was one of those girls.
[00:19:41] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:19:41] Speaker A: I was gonna say in high school.
[00:19:43] Speaker B: How the turntables Harmony.
[00:19:45] Speaker A: Yeah. Yeah.
[00:19:47] Speaker B: But it just. It also shows, like, how different of a person she is. Like, quite literally, she died and is now a vampire, and she's living this completely different life. And it's like she's clinging onto her past life, but she can't do that. And that goes into the whole, you know, staying stagnant as a vampire and not being able to grow, especially if you don't have a soul. Which really makes that final moment of her saying, I don't have a soul. I have twice as hard. Really, like, poignant, like, really powerful when she says that. And it's true, you know, And I love that they're, like, showing how Harmony used to be and who she's trying to be now.
[00:20:24] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:20:25] Speaker B: And without a soul, which is crazy.
[00:20:27] Speaker A: Yeah. And how by the end of the episode, she's not Actually successful. Like, she's right back to where she started at. She's just maybe a little more content with where she's at. And, like, that's about as good as you can get when you don't really have an.
[00:20:43] Speaker B: Harmony's still delusional because she's Harmony.
So, like.
[00:20:50] Speaker A: Like, you try to throw her bones, and Leia's like, no.
[00:20:54] Speaker B: Well, I mean, it's not a bad thing. We've talked about how, like, you have to have some level of delusion to be, like, happy, live your life happily. Yeah. Like, the most happy people are the most delusional people.
[00:21:06] Speaker A: It's true. It is so true.
[00:21:08] Speaker B: You know, And I feel like that's a great quality that Harmony has, and.
[00:21:13] Speaker A: That'S probably the best her life's gonna get, is to just be delusional, which I think is why Harmony is so successful as a vampire and as a vampire who isn't necessarily as evil as other vampires, because there's a part of her that just.
[00:21:29] Speaker B: She just goes along with it.
[00:21:30] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:21:30] Speaker B: She's like, okay, hell, yeah. You know what? Hell, yeah.
[00:21:35] Speaker A: Right? I'll live off of pig's blood as long as I get to hang out.
[00:21:39] Speaker B: With work in this office and have a nice paycheck and, you know, do something with my time. And that's what I mean. Like, that's why she joined a pyramid scheme, because they enticed her enough where she was like, oh, this sounds fun.
[00:21:53] Speaker A: Yeah. Right. She has no morals, but, you know, if you're gonna feed into her sadistic ways, then she will be on board. Yeah.
[00:22:00] Speaker B: But it's interesting, because she has no morals, but she see purpose still at the same time. And I'm like, that's delusional, but I love it.
[00:22:10] Speaker A: Yeah, right, Right. I know. If I were.
[00:22:12] Speaker B: If I were forever. What are you looking for? Like, yeah, just keep being delusional. But she's like, no. Like, I want to do stuff. Okay.
[00:22:22] Speaker A: You're like, but why? But why, girl? But she's like, but why not? And you're like, all right, I've at it.
[00:22:28] Speaker B: I'm like, okay, that's motivational. I love it.
[00:22:32] Speaker A: Which, again, is the point of this show, right? It's like, if nothing we do matters, then all that matters is what we do. So in a twisted way, she's kind of living out the show's premise.
[00:22:43] Speaker B: You know what Hell, yeah, Harmony is?
[00:22:47] Speaker A: We've cracked it.
We just found purpose for the show.
[00:22:51] Speaker B: This is actually the most important episode of the show.
[00:22:55] Speaker A: Bam. Yes, it is. Right?
[00:22:57] Speaker B: Here, Harmony is living necessary.
[00:23:00] Speaker A: The message of the show, guys. Yeah, so there you go. Like, not even in an ironic way. Like, she literally is.
That's so funny. Oh, my gosh.
[00:23:12] Speaker B: All right.
[00:23:13] Speaker A: So she gets ignored by the girls. She goes over to the fridge, grabs a thermos that's labeled Angels do not touch in, like, all caps. She fills the mug with blood and then goes to the microwave and sees that someone has something in there. She pulls it out and then puts her mug in and turns it on. Then Danny pops in and is like, hey, you can't just. Like, there are rules. And she's like, oh, I know. It's just so unfair. Just because my boss is your boss's boss. His needs come first and all. And I was like, yeah, stand on business. That is how it works. Then she grabs her mug, takes off, and just like, see ya. And I'm like, yeah, stand on business. So then she sets the blood, the blood, the mug of blood out for angel, and he says, number one boss, by the way. Yeah. And you know, she got that for him. He didn't buy that for himself. Yeah, yeah.
[00:24:00] Speaker B: This girl, like, imagine if angel did, though. That would be so funny. Like, Harmony, I only drink my blood in this mug.
[00:24:08] Speaker A: Yeah. She probably thinks he does, too. She's like, if angel doesn't get it in number one boss, he's gonna, like, chop my head off or something.
[00:24:14] Speaker B: Chop my head off.
[00:24:15] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:24:15] Speaker B: And angel kind of would. Like, he is kind of like, no.
[00:24:19] Speaker A: I really do get the vibe. By the end, you're like, he really would not blink, like, more than once in chopping Carmen. Harmony's head off. Like, he'd be like, bye.
[00:24:27] Speaker B: Yeah. Oh, he was so mean to her. Anyway.
[00:24:30] Speaker A: He was. Yeah.
[00:24:32] Speaker B: Anyway, we'll talk about that when we get there.
[00:24:34] Speaker A: Yeah. So then Harmony's like, you going through his itinerary, says you've got the Department heads at 11. You're 1:00. Oh, and I also took care of the catering for the big feuding Demon Clan confab. Unless you have any requests. Angel starts talking in, like, this weird, clicky language, and she's like, okay, could you spell that?
And then we see that he has, like, an earpiece that's in his ear, and he's apparently trying to learn this new language. And he's like, my clicks are all wrong. And then it asks her if she figured out the catering for tomorrow, which she literally just told him. And she's like, hello.
[00:25:07] Speaker B: I just listened to her.
[00:25:09] Speaker A: I know. And honestly, I love that she kind of, like, pushes back on him a little bit. I like that she doesn't completely capitulate because he needs someone like that.
So Gun shows up, is like, all right, ready to do this thing? Harmony's, like, eager to please. She's like, hey, so about the catering. I really went above and beyond. She's like, talking at their backs as they walk into the office, and then they just slam the door in her face. And she's like, you're welcome. And I was like, girl, I know you're evil, but you're also doing your best. And so I can't help but just.
[00:25:37] Speaker B: Like, yeah, for you, I always forget that she's evil.
[00:25:41] Speaker A: What woman hasn't been there? Like, I get it.
So then Rudy shows up, and he's basically the office, like, drug tester the one. Yeah, you know, hey, you have to go, like, pee in the sample today or whatever. And he, like, pricks people's fingers. And then, like, specifically vampires, I think, to see if they've drank human blood that day or within the past 24 hours or whatever. And she's like, come on, Rudy. You know, I've been off the human blood for months. And then he pricks it anyway. And then, of course, she hasn't been on human blood. And then he takes off. And then Harmony's like, oh, hi. Eli is like, this guy, this demon approaches, and he. You could tell, like, he doesn't remember her name at all. And he's like, hey, you basically finger guns her. Is like, I just called up for a meeting with your boss man. And she's like, oh, are you sure? He's like, yeah. He's like, I think that they're starting to recognize my work in accounting. And she's like, good for you. She, like, cheers for him as the door opens and guns, like, come on in.
[00:26:42] Speaker B: His personality is the personality of a loser.
[00:26:46] Speaker A: Yeah, yeah.
[00:26:47] Speaker B: But you know what?
[00:26:48] Speaker A: She's being encouraging. She's giving him a thumbs up and all that. Fun fact. But the actor, his name is Brendan Hines. He actually played Superion in the Tick. And then Eli Loker in Lie to Me. He's married to Tatiana Maslaney. Maslini. Um, she played she Hulk in the newest iteration for Marvel and stuff. So it's all one big superhero conflagration over here.
So then Harmony recognizes that angel forgot to take his mug of blood. So then she picks it up, heads to his office, opens the door, just as she see Angel's sword whip through the air and slice Eli's head clean Off. And he's like, get that cleaned up, would you?
[00:27:30] Speaker B: I was, like, so rude.
[00:27:32] Speaker A: Oh, my God.
You all know we love Angel. We love angel so much. But I did not like angel in this episode. Yeah, he's a jerk.
[00:27:45] Speaker B: Yeah. Because that's how Harmony sees him.
[00:27:48] Speaker A: No, she kicked me in.
I was like, there's no excuse for this. I know. I know. Part of. Is how Harmony sees him. And there's a. There is a. There is a conversation to be had of, like, do you have to be nice to soulless vampires? You know, I mean, that's a spike in season six of Buffy. And if I'm gonna be consistent. But also, like, Harmony's not going around, you know, assaulting people and. Well, I mean, maybe in this episode, but for good reason. Right?
[00:28:19] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:28:19] Speaker A: Yeah. You know, I think.
[00:28:21] Speaker B: I think that's the thing. And I try to remind myself of this, because Angel's not completely wrong. The last time he saw Harmony, she was literally. She sold them out to a pyramid scheme.
[00:28:32] Speaker A: Right.
[00:28:32] Speaker B: That was trying to kill them all. You know, so. And as far as angel is concerned, I think he has a very hard line with, like, soul versus unsold.
[00:28:42] Speaker A: Totally.
[00:28:43] Speaker B: Which is, like, the most, like, morally black and white thing that angel is about, I feel like. But that's because of his personal experience.
So I. I get why he's so dry and, like, mean with Harmony, but at the same time, she's so endearing. And you just want him to be nice to her.
[00:29:05] Speaker A: She's crying so hard.
[00:29:06] Speaker B: That's the big thing. And I think it's also worth mentioning that, like, I think they mentioned in this episode that she has been off of human blood for eight months, which she got hired there. I think Spike said it was three months since he died. So that would be three months minus 19 days. So like, two months and a half since she was hired.
So she's been off of human blood by herself for eight months. Not within, like, the Wolf Woman heart confines or whatever.
[00:29:34] Speaker A: I'm sure that's a good point.
[00:29:35] Speaker B: So, yeah, she is really trying, you.
[00:29:39] Speaker A: Know, that is fair.
[00:29:40] Speaker B: Maybe.
[00:29:41] Speaker A: Maybe the pyramid scheme was good for her after all, you know?
[00:29:44] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:29:46] Speaker A: Gave her purpose. And then she went on from there and was like, all right. I don't know.
All Things Philosophical has an interesting, like, just take on, or I guess, quote. It's not anything massive. I don't know. Let's take that out. All Things Philosophical has an interesting quote on this whole, like, sold and unsold and how, like, both shows deal with it. They said, consider this. If a demon is evil and kills people, angel and company kill it flat out. However, if a demon is good and doesn't kill people, it's spared. That's all well and good. However, except in cases of self defense, the characters still refrain from killing humans, good or evil. Granted, some more murky killings do occur. But we're still generally expected to see killing evil humans as wrong. This leaves us with a conundrum. If demons can explore the full moral spectrum just like humans, why are evil demons subject to death but evil humans aren't? Neither the writers nor the characters have ever dealt with this issue. In the past, vampires were killed simply for being vampires. They were staked as they rose from the grave by human warriors whose very job title seemed to imply it was their duty to kill vampires and demons. Now, soulless vampires and demons can work right alongside humans at Wolfram and Hart. As long as there is no evidence that they are following their unnatural, predatory. Unnatural, but also natural predatory instincts. And those instincts rather put them at a disadvantage. In addition, they don't have souls to guide them toward human moral standards. So the chief mission of the Slayer is not to kill demons. It's to protect the public. Sometimes slaying a demon would not support the mission of protecting the public. Buffy doesn't kill Whistler or Clem. And she didn't kill werewolf Oz. But she also didn't let Oz run wild either. Spike had a chip. Harmony has daily tests. From the Slayer's perspective, it's still on the soulless vampire to justify the value of their continued existence. Given what is still known about their biological drives, some of them can do so. So it's just been interesting to see how, like, this show has. Both shows have kind of evolved over time in their understanding of, oh, hey, this is a demon. But they're not harming anyone. So live and let live. And especially if they're restrained, we're going to give them even more leeway. And now we have. Hey, they're being offered jobs. But I think there's an interesting mirror here to what is happening with Wolfram and Hart. Where I don't know that Angel's necessarily in as much of a place to judge. When he's actively working for an evil corporation and he's a good person. So, like, just kind of flip it and reverse it. And now you have an evil person who's working for you. A good person or a good vampire. And they're not necessarily doing anything evil. It's kind of an inverse of what he's already doing with Wolfram and Hart. And so there's like this interesting, like, I don't know, like, everyone's trying to figure out where the line is, you know, and it. I don't know, it makes for a really complex topic.
[00:32:47] Speaker B: For sure. For sure.
I've seen a lot of people online, obviously, because that's where a lot of discourse that I see comes from. Unfortunately, you're not sitting with your friends.
[00:33:00] Speaker A: For brunch, being like, hey, vampires and their mythology.
[00:33:04] Speaker B: In the Buffy verse, I've seen people say that, like, the Watchers Council is the one that's pushing this, like, all vampires are evil propaganda. Which I. I don't hate the idea, but I don't think it's really supported in the text. And I don't think that that would make sense considering what the show is about. Like, that would put Buffy's entire existence and like, Slayers and everyone who fights the forces of evil's existence into question and their purpose and their morality into question. And it's like, that's huge. And I feel like if that was the intention or that was something that were true, it would be addressed in both shows. I think it's just what was once very morally clear has become morally ambiguous.
[00:33:53] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:33:53] Speaker B: But it. It still follows the same rules. At the end of the day, like, your job is to, like, protect the world from danger and, like, evil and people dying and stuff. So I think it's just. As the shows have progressed, the characters have had to try to figure out what exactly fits within that parameter. But it's still a parameter. It's not like, you know, why are you killing brand new vampires? Well, because they're evil. Like, we have, you know, so well.
[00:34:22] Speaker A: And I feel like vampires are the easy one because we know they don't have souls. But a lot of these demons, like Lauren. I would say Lauren has a soul. But the show doesn't really go into whether or not demon. All demons don't have souls, or if it's only vampires that don't. Yeah, you know, I. I don't know.
[00:34:40] Speaker B: So I just think the whole idea of it being a big conspiracy theory by the. Or a big conspiracy. Sorry, by the Watchers Council just doesn't really hold any weight because then it would put into question the entire morality of the show and, like, the purpose of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. And I don't think that that's.
[00:34:59] Speaker A: That you could say that the Watchers Council doesn't necessarily believe it, but that they.
They put out that propaganda and They've made people believe that that's the case in order to take make or in order to make the Slayers role more black and white. Because at the end of the day, really hierarchical, patriarch, often patriarchal, like toxically patriarchal societies and organizations and systems thrive off of rigid rules of you do this, you don't do that. Because that's how they maintain control. So I wouldn't be surprised if the Watchers Council, maybe they didn't. They. They didn't care to research in their mind. It was like we. We mainly hunt vampires. So they're evil, they're bad. All demons are evil and bad. And we're just going to kill them. No like discussion needed. So, yeah, I feel like really, like toxic, ignorant people tend to have that kind of mindset and they end up being ignorant and willfully ignorant, you know, so who knows? All right, so we have Harmony watching Angel and Gun Card away Eli's body. And she's like, I don't get it. Why'd you kill Eli? Angel's like, didn't much like what he was doing in his off hours. And she says, well, that's not right. What Eli does in his own time. And then Gun's like, like, well, he dismembered virgins. And she's like, oh, well, a person's religious beliefs are no cause for in Guns. Like he did it for his own amusement. She's like, oh, well, still, couldn't you have given him a stern warning or something first? And Angel's like, nope, we said zero tolerance policy. Not a maybe this once policy. Nobody in this office gets away with murder. Not anymore. And immediately we're all like, oh, no, what's gonna happen?
So then Spike appears and Lauren does as well. And Gun's like, yeah, the hardest part of the job is terminating an employee. And Spike was kind of mocking. He's like, oh, once again, keeping corporate America safe from evil. And Fred Gun. And everybody's like, what are you doing here, Spike? Like, where have you been? He's like, I've been enjoying freedom. And you know, I'm actually going to be leaving, guys. I've got somebody waiting for me. As he pointedly looks over at Angel.
[00:37:12] Speaker B: Stay away from her, Spike.
[00:37:14] Speaker A: And I'm like, do you, Spike? Does she even know you're waiting? You're alive.
She smiled after you died.
[00:37:21] Speaker B: I mean, I don't think she was happy that.
[00:37:24] Speaker A: Oh yeah, that was the first thought.
[00:37:25] Speaker B: In her mind was being said. I'm waiting for. Oh my God. I think that was your thought. Sarah, I just don't think that Buffy's, like, sitting there waiting for Spike, and this is just another one of Spike's delusions. Like, oh, my God, she's waiting for me. Girl, she doesn't even know you're alive. She's in Europe living her best life. Leave her alone.
[00:37:50] Speaker A: Well, also, given the thing that happens at the very end, like him appearing in.
[00:37:54] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:37:55] Speaker A: Like, next to Harmony in the bar, I don't think he believes that either. And I think there's some insecurity there, you know?
[00:37:59] Speaker B: For sure. For sure.
[00:38:00] Speaker A: Yeah.
So then Angel's like, I don't think that's wise. Or, sorry, not Angel. Wesley's like, I don't think that's wise. He's like, the Shonshu prophecy still unresolved. Spike's like, that's your problem. You're welcome to the heroics.
I've got better things to do than wait around for the four bloody Horsemen. I like that both Spike and Angel are still nicked up from their fight.
[00:38:20] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:38:20] Speaker A: This episode, that's a nice little reminder.
[00:38:22] Speaker B: It's been a few days since that fight because Fred said it's been a few days.
[00:38:27] Speaker A: Yeah. And Angel's like, oh, just, like, let him go. And then Spike's like, actually, I could use some bus money.
[00:38:36] Speaker B: Asks him for money.
[00:38:37] Speaker A: Angel's like, how about no? And Spike's like, oh, you're cheap. Sod. Right. Then I'll settle for some wheels. Angel's like, fine, as long as you don't take the Viper. Spike's like, viper it is. Then Angel's just, like, gives up. He's like, I do not even care.
[00:38:51] Speaker B: Spike is in his teenage era now. In the first few episodes of the season, he was in his child era. His tantrum throwing, meltdown having, child era. And now these are the teenage years, which I fear will be much scarier.
[00:39:08] Speaker A: Yeah.
Yes. The. The guy was stuck as a vampire for forever and stuck in childhood. And now this is him growing up.
[00:39:18] Speaker B: And developing adolescence, puberty, Free will.
[00:39:22] Speaker A: Yes. Yes. Yes. And of course, just to, like, rub a little extra salt in that. Like, he. No, he already rubbed salt in the wound. Now he's getting lemon juice and he's just squirting it. He says, any message for Buffy? And I literally wrote my notes. God, just leave. Just leave.
[00:39:37] Speaker B: Just tell her that you're a Spike.
[00:39:40] Speaker A: And Lauren, like, of course. Always being kind. Shakespike's hand. Bon voyage. Spikester. And then Spikester. I know. He always has a cute pet name for everybody. And then you know, Spike gets, like, really, like, soft and sweet with Fred. He's like, you know all that work you put in? He's like, I won't forget about it. You believed in me. She says, you're welcome. She takes off. And then he starts to head towards the elevator. And meanwhile, Harmony has been sitting at her desk watching the entire thing.
[00:40:08] Speaker B: He completely ignores her.
[00:40:10] Speaker A: Oh, my gosh. And she's, like, in tears. And she's like, I don't get a goodbye just because I went crazy and tried to rip your throat out while we were having sex.
Poor Harmony. And he goes, keep it simple, Harm. It suits you.
[00:40:26] Speaker B: What does that even mean?
[00:40:27] Speaker A: It means that she's stupid. It's simple.
[00:40:30] Speaker B: Oh, my God.
[00:40:31] Speaker A: Like, keep it simple.
[00:40:32] Speaker B: Like, you're the only stupid one here.
[00:40:34] Speaker A: He just, like, saunters off, and she's, like, in tears. Oh, my gosh.
[00:40:40] Speaker B: Respect yourself.
[00:40:41] Speaker A: Yeah, I know. Why are you crying? But also, like, I. I kind of get it. I kind of get it.
[00:40:47] Speaker B: Don't cry over this. Crusty, musty, dusty as he's literally leaving to gangster Buffy. Yeah, seriously, forget him.
[00:40:57] Speaker A: Yes, please. Can we. Can we. Is this the last episode?
[00:41:00] Speaker B: He's.
[00:41:00] Speaker A: No, he comes back at the end. All right. In the conference room, angel and Gun are briefing Lauren, Fred and Wesley on the upcoming mediation. Harmony's sitting off to the side with a notepad. And just like, this is war. We've got the two demon clans, the Vin, Vinny, Vinnie, G's. I don't know. I didn't write that down. The pronunciation. The Sarvin. They've been battling out for five generations. Guns, like, you know, basically, they used to get along, and then somebody brought the wrong fork to a ceremony, and then the other person took offense. They've been slaughtering each other ever since. And then they're talking about how, like, they are really big on manners. And so angel pulls out a whole big folder and is like, everybody, we need to, like, be reading through this.
And they decided to have a negotiation for a truce that's going to happen the next day in the office. And they have a demons rights activist by the name of Tobias Dupree that got involved. He's liaison. Liaison to both clans, and he's the only guy in all the world that they trust. And we're just like, I see where this is going. He called us for help.
And so basically, they need to let these guys work it out. They can't let them wipe each other out, because it's gonna do really, like, it's gonna do good. Things for their street cred, basically. It's gonna let a lot of people in the demon world know that, like, they are willing to help people.
And so Angel's like, all right, everybody study up. We have to know their manners and their customs. We need to memorize this. Like, there's just a lot of really, really bad things. So anyway, as they're talking, Lauren looks up and, like, excitedly waves to Danny, who's kind of standing in the doorway. And then he is introducing him to everybody. And basically, this is the guy that he's kind of training to be his right hand man, to maybe, like, take over for him one day and everything. And Danny has, like, the seating chart. And Lauren is just, like, going on and on about how Danny was all up all night and he's, you know, doing all these big things. And while this is happening, we pan over to Harmony, who is noting how freaking Danny, who, you know, yelled at her in the morning about having his soup taken out of the microwave, is getting all of this credit. And it's really beloved by his boss for all the hard work that he's doing. And she's not getting any recognition or even credit. And you can see that she decides to speak up in a second because of this. And so as they're talking about all, like, the customs and stuff that the demons, like, appreciate and etiquette and stuff, Harmony jumps in, is like, well, hey, I've been doing a bunch of research on these guys because, you know, she has to plan everything for the big dinner. And she's like, did you know that they think that poodles are wicked bad luck? And there's like, this, like, silence. And then Wesley's like, oh, Harmony, I'm so glad you're here. And she's like, really? He's like, we'll be needing lunch.
[00:43:45] Speaker B: That's so mean. Listen to her.
[00:43:49] Speaker A: These guys are such jerks.
[00:43:52] Speaker B: I know.
[00:43:52] Speaker A: And God's like, oh, yeah, good idea. And Fred's like, oh, not Ty again. And then Harmony's just like, they don't see me as anything more than an errand girl.
[00:44:00] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:44:00] Speaker A: So then we go to the break room. She's sipping her drink, listening to the other people gossip. And they're talking about, of course, how Fred is in basically a love triangle. And they're talking about Fred and Wesley and Fred and Knox. And of course, Danny comes in, and they talk about how Lauren is grooming Danny for big things. And Danny's doing super great. And Harmony's like, angel grooms me too. And then the two girls just, like, talk about her while she's right there. And they're like. Explains the haircut. And she's like, you know, trying to justify herself. Angel calls, yells at her on the phone. Everybody hears her yell. Being yelled at on the phone as she tries to, like, cover it and be like, okay, boss, sure. She leaves, everybody snickers at her. I just am feeling worse and worse for her as this episode is going on.
[00:44:47] Speaker B: Honestly, second half was, I feel like angel from, like, season one.
[00:44:52] Speaker A: I don't think he would have done this.
[00:44:53] Speaker B: Never speak to anybody like this. Who is this man?
[00:44:57] Speaker A: I know. That's what I'm saying.
[00:44:59] Speaker B: Ugh.
[00:45:00] Speaker A: But again, it's from corporate, from Wolfram.
[00:45:02] Speaker B: Harmony's point of view.
So it's fine.
[00:45:06] Speaker A: But yeah, yeah.
All right. So Harmony gets called into Angel's office. Well, no, sorry, not the office. In the atrium. And there's a giant camel. He's angry because she has this giant camel in the middle of his lobby. And she was like, no, I told the caterers it was supposed to come tomorrow. And then Fred comes in and Angel's like, harmony got us a camel. And she's like, I did a lot of research. Camel meets a delicacy. So I thought it'd be a great way to kick off the summit. Comfort food, all this stuff. And basically, Angel's supposed to slice off its hump in an honorary ceremony, stick a hot poker through its heart. Angel's not happy. He yells at her, leaves, and he tells her, you are supposed to answer the phone, make appointments and anticipate my needs, which does not include a petting zoo in my lobby.
[00:45:55] Speaker B: I was like, she did anticipate your needs. She looked into it and it's like, okay. Like, a camel is so much.
She's like, you have to cut up its hump and then stab it in the fucking heart with a hot poker or something. I'm like, well, like, maybe, like, we don't need to be doing all that. But that's where her lack of humanity comes in. Because she, like, she doesn't have that self awareness of, oh, like, you can't do this. But at the same time, they're meeting with demon clans. And if they want to impress them, then they should listen to Harmony and they should cut off the camera because.
[00:46:34] Speaker A: She also is a demon. Like, here's the thing. Like, yeah, she doesn't have a soul. But there is probably an element where she would understand some of these more animalistic rituals maybe in a way that some of the other Ones wouldn't, you know, like.
[00:46:46] Speaker B: Well, well, I think that's what. That's what I'm saying is that in her mind, she researched and found out that this is what they eat. And, like, it's traditional and a delicacy. And in her mind, she said, this is a great idea. This will look good to these clients that are coming in. But to somebody who, like, does have a soul and has, you know, stab.
[00:47:07] Speaker A: A camel in the heart.
[00:47:09] Speaker B: Exactly. Like, angel doesn't want to stab a camel in the heart. Nobody else that's going to be there from the humans is going to want to see that or eat just fresh camel meat. Watch them, you know. So for Harmony, it makes complete sense. And in her mind, she is being completely helpful.
[00:47:23] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:47:24] Speaker B: And in different circumstances, this is a great idea. But in this particular circumstance, she just, like, doesn't get the moral, I guess, side of it where you can't just kill a camel and then devour it.
[00:47:40] Speaker A: Or maybe you can, but maybe angel doesn't want to.
[00:47:43] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:47:44] Speaker A: You know? Yeah.
So then angels, like, get it out of here. He leaves. Fred's like, maybe you can go with a nice cheese platter. Harmony just, like, breaks down and she's like, I did everything right. This is what they eat. And then she's like, angel hates me. I don't think she's wrong. Fred's like, no, he'll get over it. Harmony says, everybody hates me. Fred's like, I don't hate you. It's just, I don't know you that well. And then Harmony's like, what are you doing after work? And then, you know, you could see Fred just completely, like, regretting that she said anything. But also, this is what I really like about Harmony, is she constantly just puts herself out there.
[00:48:19] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:48:20] Speaker A: And that's a skill that a lot of people need to sharpen, frankly, because there's a lot of people that are stuck in things that they don't like, and yet they don't have the courage to put themselves out there and actually get themselves out of a situation that they're not happy in, you know, for sure. So then now we're at a nightclub, and Fred and Harmony are sitting across the table from each other having margaritas. Harmony's talking about how she can't even quit because she tried being on her own, but she's just not good at being independent and evil. Fred's like, that's actually a good thing. Harmony is like, yeah, but, you know, I'm useless. And Fred's like, you can't take everything personally. Angel has a lot on his mind. Harmony says that she wishes she was more like Fred. Except for, you know, the part about being all into science and not having a lot up front.
And you know what? Fred takes all of this in stride. There's a lot of, like, underhanded compliments that Harmony makes. But you could tell Harmony's not meaning it in a mean way. Yeah. And you can tell Fred understands that. And so it worked really well for them.
Then, of course, we talk about the love triangle. Don't want to talk about that anymore. We know where this is going. Whatever. So they talk about, you know, how hot they are, all that stuff. And then Fred says, harmony, do you not have many friends at work? And then Harmony's like, I used to be really popular in high school, but ever since I got vamped at my graduation, I've had trouble connecting with people. Fred's like, you should put yourself out there more. You should mingle. And then Harmony says, they're all straight. And then Fred looks at her weird. She's like, non vamps. I gravitate more towards the undead variety, which I love. The subtext in this show that has been pretty consistent in hinting at Harmony being gay. Or at least, like, the subtext of it. Even though she goes towards guys, but it's just harmonizing. A little nod. Yeah. Her trying to bite Cordelia and Cordelia thinking it's about her being gay.
So then Fred and Harmony see this guy at the bar. Fred gives her the courage to go up. So Harmony goes up to talk to the guy. Fred takes off and leaves before she can see anything else that happens. And it's Tobias, as we come to find out, the guy, the one guy in all the world that could be the demon negotiator.
[00:50:32] Speaker B: Convenient.
[00:50:33] Speaker A: How convenient. And he buys her a drink. And you can tell, like, Harmony starting to relax. Then we immediately cut to the apartment, and the alarm goes off again. Harmony is waking up. She rolls over, only Tobias is laying next to her. She tries to wake him up dead. She can't remember his name.
[00:50:51] Speaker B: And he's Tony, Tom, Trevor, George.
[00:50:54] Speaker A: She calls him George. I was like, where'd that come from?
And you could tell she's just like, oh, no, not again.
And then she rolls him over. There's got, like, the two vampire puncture marks on his neck. And then she's like, oops. She doesn't even question it. She's like, yeah, I would do something like that.
So then we have, like, this hilarious, like, run of events where she's rushing down the hall with her coffee, and she's got Tobias's corpse wrapped in a sheet or a laundry basket or bag over her shoulder.
[00:51:24] Speaker B: Huge laundry bag.
[00:51:26] Speaker A: It that. Yeah, it really is kind of huge. Or he's a very small man. We didn't see him standing up, so maybe he's really small.
[00:51:31] Speaker B: Oh, a short king rip.
[00:51:34] Speaker A: Short king. So then she goes to the stairway, but then hears the dog coming. She, like, turns. You can hear Tobias's head, like, whacking against the door. She tries to shove Tobias down the garbage chute, but his body's, like, jamming in the opening. And so then she, like, steps in front of it as Mrs. Jacoby and her dog, like, just walk by. And she just, like, grunts. And then Harmony's, like, standing there smiling. And then she turns around and, like, starts shoving the body back into the garbage. Shoot. It goes down, and then she heads out the door. And then it goes down.
[00:52:04] Speaker B: You forgot to say, it's literally falls in the parking lot and it shoots.
[00:52:09] Speaker A: Right over the trash can. And just, like, Harmony, like, runs out and she's like, oh, crap, Ola.
Oh, my gosh. Probably woke up everybody inside of the building. It's like, all the way down. She, like, picks up the body, is like. Like, trying to heave it into the dumpster. Of course, Mrs. Jacoby comes out with her dog again. She's like, have a nice day, Mrs. Jacoby. Just not even paying any attention. So Harmony gets it into the. The garbage and then, like, dumps a bunch of trash on top of it. And it's like, ah, good enough. I was like, girl, at least put it in a dumpster, not next to your building. Anyway, so then it Wolfram and Heart. Harmony's like, peering cautiously around the corner, and she's like, okay, just act normal.
[00:52:56] Speaker B: So suspicious.
[00:52:57] Speaker A: She's like, hi. How's it hanging? Love in pocket square. Guy's like, okay, calm down, woman.
She sees Rudy across the room, and she's, like, squatting down in her chair. Angel walks by, and it's like, blood. Snap, snap. Where's my blood? And Harmony's, like, where? She, like, pats herself down and then realizes that he wants his blood. He's like, harmony, I've got the demon summit today, and you're late. And I was just like, go away, Angel.
[00:53:22] Speaker B: And he's like, why were Angel's assistant, I would literally spit in his blood after that.
[00:53:30] Speaker A: Well, you be careful. It might turn him into Angelus.
What?
I don't know. I mean, human Saliva is still a part. It comes from inside a human. Maybe not how that works.
[00:53:46] Speaker B: My blood is going to give a moment of perfect happiness.
[00:53:51] Speaker A: My boss. If angel is my boss, I'm not, like, giving him any part of my DNA. I'd be so scared he'd turn into Angelus and bite me.
[00:54:00] Speaker B: Okay, Sarah, that's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard in my life.
[00:54:05] Speaker A: I don't know. I don't know.
What?
It still comes from inside of you.
[00:54:15] Speaker B: That doesn't make sense.
[00:54:17] Speaker A: He's a. I don't know. Hey, I'm not taking any chances.
[00:54:21] Speaker B: Never been in danger because of, like, bodily fluids.
[00:54:25] Speaker A: That's true. Actually, now that I think about it, imagine him kissing Buffy. Just like.
Okay, never mind. That was stupid. My bad. I just was thinking, blood, human saliva, same thing. Because it's, like, coming from.
[00:54:37] Speaker B: Not really.
[00:54:38] Speaker A: No, you're right. It's not stupid. Stupid, now that I think about it.
Anyway, moving past that.
[00:54:52] Speaker B: I mean, sure, I'll give Angel a moment of perfect happiness with my sister.
[00:54:57] Speaker A: I'm just saying. I don't know. I would. I would definitely be erring on the side of caution if angel were my boss.
[00:55:02] Speaker B: That makes no damn sense.
[00:55:04] Speaker A: Okay, well, fear doesn't make sense either.
Anyway, he sees her slumped in her chair. He's like, what are you doing? She's like, desk crunches. Get fit while you sit. You should see my abs. You want to. And he's just like, who are you? So she's like, Gets up to go get his blood. And then he's like, harmony, I can't afford to have anything go wrong today. And she's like, what could go wrong? So then we're in the break room. She's trying to get more blood for Angel. Pulls the bowl of soup or whatever out of the microwave. She's heating it up, and she's like, okay. Trying to figure out, like, what did I say? What did he say? What happened? She's like, I don't remember, like, anything. And then she's like, like, fred. Fred made me talk to him. She's responsible for this. And then Danny shows up and he's like, you did it again. You took my stuff out. And so then Harmony opens the fridge and then takes out her thermos covered with glittery unicorn stickers and just, like, drinks a bunch and is, like, so stressed. Everybody watches her. And then she's like, guys, come on. Like, sue me. I'm stress eating. And then angel calls. Was like, where's my blood again? At this point, Girl, is it even worth it to live, like, to work here? She's like, there was a line at the microwave. She heads back to her desk. And as she hangs up, you know, from the catering, she's like, okay, I'm just gonna get through the day, and then I'm gonna be fine. And then a woman passes by. Human and harmony can hear, like, the woman's heartbeat. And you could tell, like, she's kind of going through withdrawals.
So then she gets a phone call from a detective, buzzes him into Angel's office. And then, like, is kind of listening in while he's talking. And she listens in long enough to hear that they found a body. It was a vampire attack. And so she now knows that Wolfram and Hart. Angel has been alerted to what's happened with the body and everything. So she ends up thinking, all right, what do I do now? Sees Wesley and gun heading towards Angel's office. Is like, oh, no, this is not good. And then angel appears in the doorway and says that they found it, this body at the city dump wrapped in a laundry basket or a laundry bag. And this part was funny. Wesley was like. And the police called you because an. Angel's like, well, apparently we own them. And guns, like, Right. That makes sense. Wesley's like, police? Yeah, they own the police.
[00:57:30] Speaker B: I believe it.
[00:57:31] Speaker A: I. I love how they're just like, yeah, we're evil. Of course we own the police. So then they also found Angel's card on the victim. Bam. He was the liaison between the feuding clans and guns. Toby Dupree and Harmony's yells right there. She's like, toby. That was his. Oh, really? You don't hear unusual names? Toby. Toby's unusual.
Angel's like, oh, gosh, we're gonna have to do some serious damage control. They're like, this is not good. He's a demon rights activist. And he got munched on our watch and Harmony.
[00:58:03] Speaker B: Does that even mean a demon rights activist? That's the craziest thing. Yeah. Who is.
[00:58:11] Speaker A: Yeah. Who is saying, well, it's like a.
[00:58:13] Speaker B: Demon social worker or something.
[00:58:15] Speaker A: Yeah. I mean, do demons have. Right.
Yeah. How would this person get work? Now that I'm really thinking about it, who's hiring him other than Wolfram and Hart? But then Wolverman Hart wouldn't really care, would they? Yeah, I guess. Other demons. But how does a human get to be a Demons Rights Act? Demon rights actress?
[00:58:34] Speaker B: Maybe he went to the same school as Eve. And he was like, I like this part of the law. Or this field.
[00:58:44] Speaker A: Okay, I guess so. Yeah. I don't know. Maybe he was.
[00:58:48] Speaker B: Maybe he is a demon. Maybe he was born into a family of demons.
[00:58:53] Speaker A: Because then how would Harmony fight him? Or the other. The other vampire ended by fighting him. Tamika.
[00:59:00] Speaker B: Maybe he's half human.
I don't know.
[00:59:04] Speaker A: Make it make sense, Leia. Okay, but Harmony is like, he told me he was an astronaut. Oh, he lied to me. How dare he? But also, who would believe that?
[00:59:16] Speaker B: Harmony, Seriously.
[00:59:18] Speaker A: So then Wesley's like, well, no telling how the clans are going to take this. They're superstitious. They might see this as an omen. And then Harmony's like, hey, so just this. My friend wants to know. This cop, he doesn't have any actual real info, right? Wesley ignores her, and he's like, it's possible that someone's trying to send a message, Derail the summit. She's like, yes, that must be it. And then they're like, girl, why are you butting your nose into this business? So then in Angel's office now, we have angel talking to the two clans. They're angry, they're yelling at him. And Harmony's trying to take notes on her pad. And angel ends up trying to speak to them and completely just botching it. I love how Gun tries to do damage control. And he's like, oh, no, no, no. He's like, the whore man is a novice in your tongue and makes foolish errors. We make fun of him. Yes.
[01:00:08] Speaker B: The whore man.
It's because of his shirt that isn't buttoned up all the way and hasn't been for the last nine episodes that. Yeah, we've been in the season.
[01:00:17] Speaker A: They can sense that over the phone with their. Using their echolocation, with their clicks. They're like.
And then. Oh, man.
[01:00:26] Speaker B: They can tell he's wearing a slutty shirt.
[01:00:29] Speaker A: He has been every episode. I'm waiting for, like, another button to get unbuttoned, and it's just gonna go all the way down. Yeah, he's gonna show up to the office with, like, his shirt half hanging open.
[01:00:41] Speaker B: Hey.
[01:00:42] Speaker A: And then yell at Harmony, the boss.
[01:00:47] Speaker B: Poor Harm.
[01:00:50] Speaker A: She's like, why do I even try to dry clean your clothes if you're not even gonna wear them properly?
So then harmonies like, you know, forgive and forget. I say. It's the golden rule. And then they're like, you know, these guys are not going to forgive, and they're definitely not going to forget until we figure out who killed Dupree. Angel's like, hey, so the body is here in our lab. We need to, you know, be figuring things out. Like, we should call Fred and find out what's going on. Harmony's like, our lab. And then she just, like, bolts out the door. And I love that. Like, the camera, like, tracks her through the hallway, all the way down as Angel's. Like, it shouldn't take long to track down this vampire who did this. She, like, throws her notepad on her desk and then just runs down the lobby. So in the lab, Fred's examining Dupree's body, dictating notes into a recorder. And Harmony comes in and she. Well, Fred initially thinks that angel sent her. And again, this is another reason why I think that the way that Harmony perceives Angel isn't necessarily inaccurate, simply because even Fred keeps saying things like, he's antsy. He's not normally like this. Like. And that, coupled with the fact that the gang has been kind of on end, like, on edge, and then angel has not treated them very nicely the past couple of episodes. I think that, like, angel is starting to get harsher and harsher as time is going on. Yeah.
So then Fred's like, the body's only been here for 20 minutes. And, you know, Harmony starts to like, hey, do you think that maybe whoever did it could have blacked out? Doesn't really remember what they. They don't remember doing it, so maybe it's not their fault. Fred's like, that's really specific.
[01:02:30] Speaker B: But, yeah, Harmony's the first liar ever.
[01:02:34] Speaker A: She really is. But also, Fred really should have put two and two together. And then Fred's like, you know, last night was really fun. Harmony's like, oh, yeah, yeah, me too. Sure. Have you figured out if this guy's like, you know, who killed him or whatever? So then Fred puts in some information into her recorder. And Harmony's like, well, that doesn't sound much to go on. And then Fred continues and goes. The size and depth of the wound indicates a female vamp there. Harmony's like, oh, crap. That means you're gonna narrow it down, like, very specifically.
[01:03:04] Speaker B: Yeah.
[01:03:05] Speaker A: Fred, that offers, hey, let's hang out. Let's, you know, go see the Dixie Chicks and grab some wine. And immediately, Harmony, you know, in a contrast to the night before, is like, well, my schedule is super packed now. And then Fred, sensing something is amiss, you know, now she senses something is amiss, is like, hey, is there something you want to tell me? And Harmony's like, what? She's like, that guy at the bar. I want to hear all about It Harmony's like, well, he's a loser. He told me he was an astronaut. And Fred's like, like, anyone would believe that. And Harmony's like, I know, right?
Who would believe that?
So then she takes off. Fred's like, this is weird. And then we see her walking down the hallway and she's like talking to herself. She's like, I gotta get out of here. Gotta leave the country to change my name to Harmonita, go to Mexico. And then she realizes that Fred said that the vamp or the guy was bitten on the right. And she goes, I'm not a right biter. And she gets really excited, jumps up and down, grabs the nearest guy and kisses him. But it happens to be Rudy who grabs her hand and zaps her. And then all of a sudden his device beeps and she has drank blood.
I love that she just like she cares at him. He looks at me, I look at him. And then boom. Supply closet.
I love this guy.
[01:04:29] Speaker B: That's her first. Like her automatic reaction is just to knock him out and throw him in a closet. I love that. It's very like Sunnydale High of her.
[01:04:39] Speaker A: Well, this is the part of the, the episode where you can tell, like she's not doing it mean spirited because she's just, it's self preservation, panicking. But at the same time, a normal person wouldn't do this. So this is the part where the evil vampire kills for sure.
[01:04:55] Speaker B: And also just a lot of the way that Harmony is reacting. Like we have to remember that she was turned into a vampire when she was maybe 17 or 18.
So she's still kind of in that mentality. She's very immature, doesn't know how to deal with situations. Right. And that's another part of the whole Arrested Development thing where she doesn't know what she's going to do with her life. It's like Harmony went off to college, but she never left high school. Like, she peaked in high school and she's still there. And you can like really tell in this episode, but it's just so entertaining.
[01:05:27] Speaker A: It's incredibly entertaining. The gag of putting everybody in the supply closet.
[01:05:30] Speaker B: Oh my gosh. She's like, I'm so sorry, guys. I promise I'll. I owe you dinner.
[01:05:34] Speaker A: Well, the sad thing is, is the three people she knocks out and puts in the closet are the three people that actually know and remember her name. And like, are the closest people to her in the office. Like, true.
[01:05:46] Speaker B: Oh my God.
[01:05:47] Speaker A: So like she's almost self sabotaging the entire time. You Know?
[01:05:50] Speaker B: Yeah.
[01:05:51] Speaker A: Oh, anyway, all right. So then she's walking down the hall and bumps into Lauren. And he's like, have you seen Danny? She's like, no. He hears boning from the closet. He's like, did you hear that? She's like, hear what? Cut to her dragging now an unconscious Lauren into the supply closet. And then she goes back into the lab because now she realized, oh, my gosh, the test results from the lab are going to be heading down here any minute. Goes in there. Fred is looking over the test results and is super nervous. It's like, you don't have to explain anything. I just have to get something. As she heads towards the phone. And Harmony's like, it's not what you think. And then Fred's like, you know, you slipped. You know, maybe it was consensual. And Harmony's like, no, there was nothing. I think somebody must have drugged me. I was at the bar and then I woke up and he was there. And Fred's like, wait, he? And Harmony's like, yeah. And I was like, does Harmony think or does Fred think that it was a girl? Or, like, why was she confused?
And then Harmony points to the corpses, like, the guy you made me talk to.
[01:06:58] Speaker B: And then I love how understanding Fred is, though.
[01:07:01] Speaker A: She's trying. She really is trying. But I do also completely understand, like, this moment where, you know, Harmony tries to convince her, like, hey, I'm a right biter, not a left biter, so it couldn't have been me. And Fred's like, well, let's just talk to Angel. It'll be okay. I understand Harmony being terrified for sure.
[01:07:19] Speaker B: Scared, like, yeah, I agree.
[01:07:21] Speaker A: Understandable.
So then now we have Fred being.
[01:07:26] Speaker B: Put into the supply closet, tape over their mouth.
[01:07:31] Speaker A: And she's like, I'm totally sorry I have to do this. And you guys are being so super understanding. It's just like, clear my name. I so owe you guys dinner.
[01:07:41] Speaker B: I love Harmony.
[01:07:43] Speaker A: And they're just, like, left to sit there. It's Lauren. It's. It's Fred. And then it's this random character we've never seen before. Rudy just in there as well.
[01:07:53] Speaker B: They're probably like, ah, whatever. Like, it's all good. We'll just stay in the closet.
[01:07:57] Speaker A: You know what? And Lauren's probably, like, who? I can actually take a nap now and catch up on some much needed sleep from the past.
[01:08:03] Speaker B: Seriously, I would just close my eyes and just lay in the closet until it was over.
[01:08:07] Speaker A: Accept my fate, right?
So Harmony's walking through the halls again. She's like, okay, okay. So I'm being set up. Somebody put blood in my thermos. And she's like, fingerprints. Okay, gotta get my thermos. This guy, like, walks by her while she's, like, talking to herself. He's like, what is up with her? So then she rounds the corner into the atrium, finds angel and gun mediating between the two clans. The. I think it's the Vingi leader. He's like, screeching and popping in their bizarre language. Angel is still very confused. The leaders are like, you know, the gathering is cursed. They want to call the whole thing off. And they said, if you cannot offer the blood of the killer, one of your own must die. I was dying when the Vingi leaders just kept screaming. They're just like.
I was like, this is me trying to negotiate with my children. And they just keep screaming.
[01:08:53] Speaker B: They're talking. That's a. That's their language.
[01:08:57] Speaker A: It's so funny. I was like, if anyone's ever had a toddler, this is like. Especially a little girl. This is basically what it's like trying to wrangle constantly.
[01:09:06] Speaker B: Just screeches.
[01:09:07] Speaker A: Yeah, the screeches. Literally. They're just like.
My favorite part was when they screeched over the cell or the phone and they just, like, hung up with this enraged howl. It was so funny.
[01:09:18] Speaker B: I can relate for sure.
[01:09:20] Speaker A: So then they're like, we're willing to accept a substitute if you can't find the actual bad guy. Angel's like, they want a blood sacrifice. Harmony. And she's like, a person just makes one little mistake. He's like, fine, Fred. I want to know what she got off the body. And she's like, all right, I'm on it. So takes off. And then she goes into the break room to find Danny removing her thermos from the refrigerator. I know. This poor guy just completely caught in.
[01:09:44] Speaker B: A crossfire, trying first of all, to heat up his soup in his bowl.
[01:09:49] Speaker A: Yeah. All because his soup happened inside the microwave. And every time. This guy pulled an all nighter too.
[01:09:56] Speaker B: So he's so tired, he's just trying to eat. And she keeps taking his bowl out of the microwave. And now she's. He's choking him on the fridge, and.
[01:10:05] Speaker A: His boss is missing. He doesn't know what he's supposed to.
[01:10:08] Speaker B: Do justice for Danny.
[01:10:10] Speaker A: Honestly, the true victim of the episode. I mean, he's. He's a got a soul, right? So.
[01:10:15] Speaker B: Well, maybe, yeah.
[01:10:17] Speaker A: Well, maybe, yeah. He looks human. We don't actually know if he is or not.
[01:10:20] Speaker B: Yeah, for sure.
[01:10:21] Speaker A: So Harmony's like, aha, trying to get rid of the evidence. And he's like, what evidence? I was just trying to get Lauren's protein snack. She's like, you expect me to believe that? Go on, admit it. That you stole my thermos, filled it with human blood. She shoves him up against the wall, and she's like, it's so totally obvious you hate me. You've probably been watching me sweat all day, laughing. And Danny's like, hey, you. I don't care enough about you today.
[01:10:46] Speaker B: Oh, no, that was the wrong thing to say.
[01:10:49] Speaker A: And then Britney steps in, is like, hey, leave him alone. And she grabs Harmony by the shoulder. And then Harmony just vamps out and is like, mind your own business.
[01:10:58] Speaker B: I love it. This was actually such a sick fight scene that's coming up.
[01:11:02] Speaker A: Yeah, it was really, really fun. And it was just also, like. It was the perfect balance of camp and cheesy, but then also, like, really entertaining and.
[01:11:11] Speaker B: Yeah, and Harmony has some moves.
[01:11:14] Speaker A: She does. And that's the thing. We've been watching her this entire episode. We know she's a vampire. But then we see more of the.
[01:11:22] Speaker B: The last time we saw her fight was her. Her fight with Xander.
[01:11:26] Speaker A: That's true.
[01:11:26] Speaker B: We all remember.
[01:11:28] Speaker A: That's so true. She's. She's improved. Maybe she's taken lessons with the pyramid scheme people, and they've taught her how to actually fight as a vampire. They're like, girl, Harmony, this is really embarrassing. We need to teach you how to fight.
[01:11:41] Speaker B: We can't be associated with you if you don't know how to fight your.
[01:11:44] Speaker A: Embarrassment to vampires everywhere.
[01:11:46] Speaker B: Oh, no.
[01:11:47] Speaker A: So then Danny's, like, sweating and, like, sobbing and, like, please don't kill me, please.
[01:11:51] Speaker B: It wasn't me.
[01:11:52] Speaker A: Please. I know. He's like, I did what? He's like, you want me to confess? I. I didn't do anything. A coffee pot shatters on his head. He drops to the floor, unconscious. This man has had a day. And then it's Tamika. And she says that she did that to make it look like Harmony did. And then Harmony puts, you know, everything together and is like, hey, it was you. Who are you? And I love. I love the. The twist. Or not necessarily the twist, but just, like, the symmetry of how you don't, like, Harmony doesn't remember Tamika, who's a person that. That's probably technically underneath her. And just, like, all these other people don't necessarily remember Harmony. And so there's this kind of, like, idea of it's not necessarily anything personal, but it's just kind of a product, how things work, how everything is.
[01:12:38] Speaker B: Yeah, corporate America.
[01:12:40] Speaker A: Exactly. Yeah.
So Tamika's like, you know, you were only, you know, there for five weeks at this. This, you know, training school. I think it's for, like, being a stenographer. And she. She was like, I've been there for five years. You were there for only four and a half weeks. I type 80 words a minute. I have an exceptionally pleasant phone voice. But you're the one who sits the best desk in the building. You're one. The one in the in crowd. And Harmony's like, you think I'm in the in crowd. And Tamika's like, you're in all the important meetings. You're on the fast track. That's all about to change. I have witnesses who saw you attack Danny. And when Mr. Angel. I just love that they call him Mr. Angel.
Me up. We've literally seen this man at his lowest and was supposed to take it seriously when they call him Mr. Angel.
[01:13:29] Speaker B: Mr. Angel.
[01:13:31] Speaker A: So she keeps kicks the break room table across the room right at Harmony. Harmony leaps, like, 10ft straight into the air. The table passes through or, like, beneath her, and then she lands on her feet and like, vamps out and goes, you're forgetting one thing. I kind of have the advantage. Then Tamika turns into a vamp. Is, like, kind of not. And then we get just, like, this very cool, fun, fun fight, as they're just like, I should have smelled you. You would have if you wore less of that tacky perfume. Chanel is not tacky.
[01:14:05] Speaker B: Okay. Low key, though. Chanel is. Some of Chanel's perfumes are kind of tacky. Like, I don't think. Do you think, like, Harmony's wearing, like, Chanel number five? Because I really don't like Chanel number five.
[01:14:17] Speaker A: I would have no idea. I've never smelled it.
[01:14:19] Speaker B: It smells like old lady. Honestly.
[01:14:21] Speaker A: But to be honest, I. I don't disbelieve Tamika. I could see Harmony wearing a tacky perfume.
[01:14:30] Speaker B: I feel like Harmony would be wearing, like, a Bath and Body Works or, like, a Victoria's Secret body.
[01:14:35] Speaker A: Yes, she would. You're right.
[01:14:37] Speaker B: You know, like a cotton candy flavored.
[01:14:40] Speaker A: She would. Yeah, well, she'd be wearing, like, Ariana Grande's, like, New Cloud perfume. I feel like she goes more for the aesthetic than the smell, and so she would easily get drawn into something that is a little bit more tacky.
[01:14:56] Speaker B: You know, Looks cute.
[01:14:57] Speaker A: Exactly.
[01:14:58] Speaker B: But, I mean, she did say she wears Chanel So we've got to put some respect on our girl's name.
[01:15:04] Speaker A: Yeah. So maybe it just.
[01:15:06] Speaker B: I'm just saying it depends which Chanel. Like, it's possible that her perfume is tacky.
[01:15:11] Speaker A: Yeah. No idea.
[01:15:12] Speaker B: Not all Chanel perfumes are made equal.
[01:15:14] Speaker A: When I come to Canada, we'll go smell a bunch of Chanel perfumes and figure out which one it is that Harmony would have been wearing for sure.
Be like, here it is.
[01:15:22] Speaker B: Found it, mademoiselle. Maybe that one's pretty nice.
[01:15:25] Speaker A: No idea. I have. I know nothing chance Chanel.
[01:15:28] Speaker B: That one's nice. That range is nice.
[01:15:30] Speaker A: I feel like I'm just saying words right now.
[01:15:32] Speaker B: Young, fresh.
[01:15:33] Speaker A: This is how you feel.
[01:15:34] Speaker B: That's Harmony.
[01:15:35] Speaker A: When I'm talking about TV shows and.
[01:15:37] Speaker B: Movies, when I talk about perfumes, no clue.
[01:15:42] Speaker A: Absolutely none.
[01:15:44] Speaker B: That's okay.
[01:15:45] Speaker A: You're just saying words at this point.
[01:15:47] Speaker B: I remember at one point, I think in our discord, we were trying to figure out what perfume or cologne each character would wear. And that was really fun.
[01:15:55] Speaker A: That was really fun, you guys. I know nothing about it, but every single one that you gave, I was like, yeah, I could see it.
[01:16:01] Speaker B: Sure.
[01:16:02] Speaker A: Totally see this. Yeah. Do we think that Harmony would be more of a fruity or a floral?
[01:16:09] Speaker B: Would be like a gourmand type of person. Like, very sweet. What does that mean, very rich? Like a very sweet, rich fragrance. Like so.
[01:16:18] Speaker A: Like a woods vanilla. Like, okay.
[01:16:22] Speaker B: Like cotton candy. Like that type of.
[01:16:24] Speaker A: Okay.
[01:16:25] Speaker B: Not even. Some of it's more, like, luxurious. Like, notes of caramel and, like, just very heavy.
[01:16:32] Speaker A: Like, I can't. So I'm gonna smell like.
[01:16:34] Speaker B: It's exactly. Exactly.
[01:16:37] Speaker A: Like.
[01:16:37] Speaker B: She would definitely be on the soul de Janeiro body bomb trend and the body mist that everybody loves right now. She would definitely be a soul girly.
[01:16:50] Speaker A: All right, I'll believe you. I'll take your word for it.
Someone out there is, like, no clue.
[01:16:56] Speaker B: Yeah. Like, what the hell are they talking about?
[01:16:59] Speaker A: What even is this? Don't worry, guys. We'll send pictures.
[01:17:01] Speaker B: Girls who know no and the girls who don't just go on. Go on the Internet and figure it out.
[01:17:09] Speaker A: Google it. Like, how do you spell this again? Don't you?
All right. But in contrast to the perfume, we have this epic roundhouse kick to the chest that Tamika gives Harmony. Harmony gets launched across the room, slammed into a wall, and launches herself at Tamika. Seizes her by the throat. They're, like, choking each other. Tamika, you know, gives her entire master plan. I saw you at the bar. I slipped a roo. Your drink. I said to myself, this is it, Tamika. This is your chance. That I followed you back to your place with that guy. I waited till you passed out. Which maybe, like, I'm surprised that Harmony didn't smell Tamika in her place when she woke up. Maybe she was just, like, too scared with everything that was going on. But you would think a vampire would smell another vampire for sure.
So then Harmony's like, oh, I'm. I'm so gonna kick your ass. And then Tamika grabs up a set of chopsticks and raises them like a dagger and is like. Like, dust. Can't kick. So then they both end up getting on the floor. At one point, Harmony grabs her own set of chopsticks. Then she, like, cracks them apart and, like, brandishes them.
It was like some sort of like, like, black and white dubbed over Asian film where it's like, in poorly subtitles. Like, that's why.
[01:18:27] Speaker B: Because chopsticks.
[01:18:29] Speaker A: I have no idea.
[01:18:30] Speaker B: That's kind of.
[01:18:31] Speaker A: Yeah, a little racist maybe.
So funny. It's just. It was absolutely, absolutely ridiculous. You know, they were like, how can we top the melodramatic? Well, not even melodramatic. The absolutely cartoonish slap fight that Xander and Harmony had. A chopstick fight. This is perfect.
That my favorite part was Harmony saying, you're going to tell angel the truth. And Tamika goes, you want to know the first thing I'm going to do when I get your death desk? Smash all those stupid, ugly. That'll do it. Unicorns.
[01:19:05] Speaker B: And that'll do it.
[01:19:06] Speaker A: A white hot blaze of fury erupts in Harmony's eyes. We next see her striding down the corridor, heading towards Angel's office, dragging Tamika out in the hall by her neck. And she's like. And then you're going to tell angel how you stole my thermos and filled it with human blood and how you tricked me. Tamika stomps on Harmony's foot, breaks the headlock, and she says, my little lip sealed the key. Lost it. And she kicks Harmony's gut, sending her down the hall towards the conference room. In the conference room, angel and gun are at the head of the table. We have the two clan leaders just screaming at each other. Angel's just sitting there in absolute defeat. And they're like, we demand a sacrifice. Suddenly, the glass wall just shatters and Tamika and Harmony tumble through. I kind of wanted to be like, see how you like it when someone brings your window. Angel.
[01:19:54] Speaker B: Angel.
[01:19:55] Speaker A: And this is so epic. Tamika and Harmony tumbled right onto the conference table. Harmony hurls Tamika on there. Drop, like, grabs her chopstick and then just drives it straight through Tamika's heart. Dusts her right in the middle of the clan leaders.
Disintegrates with the scream. And everyone just stares at her. And she's like, I didn't mean to do that yet. And the leaders look at each other and they're like, works for me. I'm good enough. People sit down quietly, turn to angel with a smile. And I don't understand why Angel's upset as he's pointedly looking at Harmony like, she just saved everything.
[01:20:31] Speaker B: She saved the entire day.
Anyway, say, thank you, Angel.
[01:20:37] Speaker A: No, man. Man.
[01:20:38] Speaker B: But never's not happy.
[01:20:39] Speaker A: He's miserable. He's not gonna be happy until he figures out what's going on, what's stuck in him.
Like, my little nod to next episode.
It's like, so later on.
[01:20:57] Speaker B: Stuck up his butt.
[01:20:58] Speaker A: Yeah, let's stuck up his butt. Exactly. Spike, at this point, it's a giant Spike.
[01:21:06] Speaker B: Well, there was that one time.
[01:21:08] Speaker A: There was that one time. Yeah. Does that make him some sort of a deviant? I don't know.
[01:21:13] Speaker B: Oh, my God.
[01:21:13] Speaker A: Now we know why Spike really got his name.
Oh, no.
[01:21:23] Speaker B: Are they in love?
[01:21:26] Speaker A: Spike's like, yeah, I'm gonna get a new name. Spike remembers it fondly.
[01:21:30] Speaker B: Oh, no.
[01:21:31] Speaker A: Oh, my gosh. It's butt plugs all.
He's like, yeah, for the railroad spikes. That's definitely where I got that from.
[01:21:46] Speaker B: I like this version better, I think.
[01:21:49] Speaker A: Me too. Oh, my gosh. So stupid.
[01:21:53] Speaker B: This feels like an episode. This feels like an episode of season three with all the sexual innuendo where we're just like, stop.
[01:22:02] Speaker A: I know, right? Every weapon. They actually did that. But there was a cut scene that they had in First Date, which I just covered in season seven with Tabby and Leah, where after Spike interrupts Wood and Buffy's date, they were supposed to, like, go to Wood's office and pick out, like, weaponry. And we had another one of those where Spike wants the bigger knife than Principal Wood. And I was like, oh, my gosh, not again. Like, it's not funny. Guys, we get it.
[01:22:32] Speaker B: Also, we know Spike has a micropene.
[01:22:35] Speaker A: So. Yeah. I mean, his name is Wood, so.
[01:22:45] Speaker B: Yeah, guys, it's obvious he has the.
[01:22:50] Speaker A: Bigger sword about, like, perfume and stuff. And I'm over here. Like, butt plugs would.
Oh, my gosh.
[01:23:02] Speaker B: I just feel sorry for anybody listening.
[01:23:04] Speaker A: I'm so sorry. Listen, I'm so tired When I'm tired, my filter goes away, and we don't know what's going to come out. All right, my children are going to listen to this one day and be like, oh, my mom died. It's time for me to pull out the old podcasts and hear, hear my mother's voice again.
And they're going to be horrified. So sorry to my children if you're listening to this.
[01:23:28] Speaker B: Sorry, Gwen. Sorry.
[01:23:29] Speaker A: Sorry, Gwen. Sorry, Sawyer. Love you guys. Mommy loves you.
[01:23:32] Speaker B: Love you. Love you guys.
[01:23:35] Speaker A: Anyway, all right, we're in Angel's office. That was quite a tangent. Harmony standing before Angel's desk. Wesley's looking on. Lauren, Rudy and Fred have, like, ice packs on their heads. Angel's like, you should have just come to me. And Fred says, gee, I wish I would have thought of telling her that. Harney says, I'm really, really sorry, you guys. I totally wouldn't have hit you over the head and put you in the closet if I didn't have a really good reason. It's just, I was scared. And. And then she looks at Angel. I know you never wanted me as your assistant. And, okay, I made some bad choices. I mean, it's not like I have a soul. I have to try a lot harder. And the way she delivers this makes me just want to give her a hug, like, oh, me, too.
[01:24:12] Speaker B: She's so sad about it. She's so disappointed in herself, and she's.
[01:24:16] Speaker A: Trying, and I just.
[01:24:17] Speaker B: She is.
[01:24:18] Speaker A: I know for angel because he wrestles with having his soul all the time and stuff. I think there is a level of, like, he can't give himself an inch. So he tends to have that same standard for other people. So I get that aspect of it. But I do think that there would be a part of him that would be a little more understanding of what it means to fight really hard against your own natural tendencies. And so I wish we had seen a little bit more of that compassion and understanding from him in this moment.
[01:24:46] Speaker B: Some encouraging words, even. I didn't like how this scene ends because I felt like I was waiting for more from angel or somebody else, and we just didn't get it. And then I kind of, like. It was, like, mad that the scene ended on Harmony and Spike because I feel like their relationship was really just not that great on Buffy. So to have that scene at the end with her and Spike just didn't feel right. I don't know. I just. I was just expecting more from the end, but that it just didn't really deliver. But, I mean, it's fine.
[01:25:19] Speaker A: Honestly, if the show wants to prove to me that Spike is kind of on the path of redemption and like, he is on the path of actually being remorseful for the things that he's done, having him change his behavior with Harmony and maybe even apologizing would go a long way, I think, in making a difference. So.
[01:25:43] Speaker B: Yeah, I think he also just views her as a soulless vampire now because he has a soul and he thinks he's better, so.
[01:25:51] Speaker A: Didn't stop Buffy from feeling bad for what she did, but maybe that's just because she's a woman.
All right, so then you know both gun and. Well, not gun, but Fred is trying to advocate a little bit. She's like, harmony could have handled it better, but she didn't kill anyone.
Rudy says, you'll be clean in two days, but I'll be watching you. And then Harmony says, I know he won't have to be watching because I'll just pack up my desk. Harmony says, harmony, just bring. Or angel says, harmony just bring us some coffee. And she brightens for a minute, but then she's kind of like, some things just never change. Like, you're still treating me the same. So then we cut back to the nightclub lounge. She's sitting at the bar talking with the bartender. And then he just, like, seems uninterested. And then Spike appears and says. Sits next to her. And he says, yeah, life's an ever loving, isn't it? And she says, what are you doing here? He says, at the moment, hearing a bit of your story of, whoa. She says, what. What happened to Europe? Aren't you supposed to be slayer chasing or something? And he says, I was on my way. Had a boat ticket and all. And I was like, oh, no motorcycle across the ocean this time. Like, decided to take. Take a boat. All right. Wow. I'm surprised you're not already in Europe, dude. Like, gosh, it took you, what, seven hours to get to Africa from la? Yay.
[01:27:05] Speaker B: Just seven hours. Just seven.
[01:27:07] Speaker A: Yeah. Probably less, honestly.
[01:27:10] Speaker B: He actually flew there with his wings and his motorcycle. Actually, he grew wings. Because Spike can do anything.
[01:27:17] Speaker A: Yeah, Spike can do anything.
So he's like, yeah, I was on my way. Then I put a little thinking into it. A man can't go out in a bloody blaze of glory saving the world and then show up three months later tumbling off a cruise ship in the south of France. I mean, I'd love to, don't get me wrong, but it's hard to top an exit like. Like that. All right. So what do we think is the real, real thing here? Do we think that this is a hint of him being like, hey, like, I'll show up, and she'll be like, and what. What are you doing with your life? Yeah.
[01:27:44] Speaker B: I think Spike. I think this is really telling of the final scene between them where he says, no, you don't, but thanks for saying it. And I tend to view that what he says as Spike finally acknowledging that Buffy doesn't love him, but that that's okay.
And I think the final look that they share is them finally having kind of an understanding between the two of them of, like, what they feel for each other. Like, she cares about him, but it's not love. And he knows that it's not love, but he also cares about her. And I think in this moment, Spike is almost in his head. He's built this up as, like, I'll go find Buffy and she's waiting for me, and we'll be together and it'll be beautiful. But I feel like deep down he knows that that's not going to happen. And I think. Think I'd like to think at least that deep down Spike knows that he's not somebody that Buffy should be with or, like, wants to be with, and that he still has a lot of work to do and he doesn't want to burden her. I. At least that's what I'd like to think, that underneath it all is what he's feeling.
But if I were to think about it of just, like, a surface level thing, I think it was just. He's afraid to find out if the I love you was real or not, because I think deep down he knows it's not real. And I think it is part of it being that he went out with. You know, he did this big heroic act and he went out in a blaze of glory, and then to come back would be.
Spike is all about the show. Right? He's all about the posturing and, like, you know, acting like he's the best at every. You know. So I think that also plays a part of it. But, yeah, I don't know. It could be different things. And I hope that we find out more about. About his reasoning behind that, because I think it's interesting that he doesn't go, you know.
[01:29:33] Speaker A: Yeah, I agree. What do you think? Yeah, I mean, I feel like. I feel like there's, like, what the show is trying to hint at that, like, maybe he's realizing I don't really have purpose in my life, and maybe I need to find purpose before I go find Buffy. Like, that's what I would hope. I feel like that's what the show might be hinting at.
I just don't see that yet. And I, again, I see him kind of deflecting from the actual reason, which is just what he's always done. And to me, I just. It. It just kind of reeks of insecurity. Of, like, this.
[01:30:05] Speaker B: Yeah.
[01:30:06] Speaker A: I think he's afraid of rejection. I think he's afraid, like you said, of going over there and her being like, okay, well, my life moved on while you were gone.
[01:30:13] Speaker B: Yeah.
[01:30:14] Speaker A: And again, the insecurity and, like, the fact that he's always lived in angel shadow. I think there is this sense of, like. Like I'm a vampire with soul. With a soul, just like Angel. But I don't really have anything else to show for it. I mean, the constant talk about how, like, I don't have the money I need to take Angel's Viper. Like him co opting Angel's identity. I think there's this real insecurity there that he doesn't have his own. And so that's factoring into, I'm gonna go hang out with Buffy. But I still don't measure up, you know, so for sure, I think him staying is one of the best choices he possibly could have made. So there's hope for him yet, you know?
So. Yeah, he says, I just. It's just. I gave up my life for her. For the world. And I show it. And if I show up now, flesh and bone, my grand finale won't hold much weight. All of it. It won't matter. Harmony says, yeah, not mattering. I know that feeling. Well, Spike says, oh, come on, Harm. You matter to someone. She says, I do. And he's like, yeah, a girl tried to frame you, didn't she? You must have mattered to her. Everyone's talking about it. She's like, you're right. That girl. Girl hated me. She wanted me dead. I matter. Spike nods, raises his glass, and then she goes right back.
[01:31:24] Speaker B: Honestly, good for same.
[01:31:26] Speaker A: Oh, she matters. She found her meaning and purpose in her life. And you know what?
[01:31:31] Speaker B: Pissing people off, being a target of hate crimes.
[01:31:34] Speaker A: She's gonna become even more insufferable in the break room from now on. She's gonna strut in there and be like, I dusted Tamika. Take your soup out of the microwave, Danny. And, like, in fact, buy me my own personal microwave, thank you very much.
[01:31:48] Speaker B: Much, period.
I love that for Harmony. Good for her.
[01:31:52] Speaker A: Honestly, what an entertaining episode and what a random character to bring.
[01:31:56] Speaker B: I feel like an episode like this, you can't do it justice talking about it.
[01:32:00] Speaker A: You really have to watch it.
[01:32:02] Speaker B: Yeah, you have to watch it and laugh and just have fun, you know?
[01:32:05] Speaker A: Yeah, it was really. It was really, really fun to watch that episode this week after especially everything with Destiny from last week and just how heavy it was. And I don't know, I know that, like a lot of people, either you love season five or you hate season five, but I've just been really enjoying the lighter episodes that the show has been bringing more and more. So it's just entertaining to me.
[01:32:31] Speaker B: Yeah, I like it.
[01:32:33] Speaker A: So. All right, guys, let us know your thoughts in the episode. Is this an episode that you love? Is it an episode that you're kind of like. It's a skip for me. What do you guys think about Harmony and her character development over the past couple of seasons? Even from Buffy? Like, it's crazy to me that she is the longest running character aside from angel in the Buffy verse.
[01:32:53] Speaker B: Well, Harmony, as well as Harmony and Angel are the only two characters that are in the first episode of Buffy and the last episode of Angel.
[01:33:03] Speaker A: I know. Isn't that crazy?
[01:33:05] Speaker B: Crazy, yeah.
[01:33:06] Speaker A: I love that. I love it. But yeah, I. I know. Not everybody loves Harmony. And I think, like we've talked about before, I think the greatest sin that an episode can have is not be entertaining. And for me, this episode is just highly entertaining. So I'll take it. But as always, thanks so much for listening, you guys, and we will talk to you next time. Thanks so much for listening to Investigating Angel. If you enjoyed this podcast, feel free to follow, follow, subscribe, and review us on all platforms. You can also find us on Instagram @ InvestigatingAngel podcast and you can email us@ InvestigatingAngelpodcastmail.com.
