Reconsidering Connor

Sunday afternoon I finished Season 4 of �Angel.� Hands down this is one of the all-time great television series. Hello, Faith�s comeback episodes were like orgasmic� Five by Five! And the Jasmine episodes should have garnered the show an Emmy nom at the least. It�s smart, funny, witty, full of angst, blood, and violence, what�s not to like?

Connor was what I didn�t like when I started watching randomly a couple years ago in preparation for the coming of Spike in Season 5. Connor always seemed like this whiney long-haired bitch-boy and I never understood his purpose or how he even came to be (because I didn�t see the three seasons before his birth � that�s all). All I knew was that he had tried to kill Angel and that he slept with Cordelia resulting in a Nubian hell-spawn. Back then, when Angel took over Wolfram & Hart, releasing his son to the common world to live with a real family it didn�t mean much� that was until I finally watched Seasons 1 through 4 in their entirety. This kid was pretty darn cool. He had incredible fighting skills (with him came the reinvention of the �Angel� fight sequence. More Matrix than hand to handy) and a good sense of wit about him. He grew up in a hell dimension after being kidnapped by a long-time nemesis of Angel (Holtz who�s whole family was murdered by Angel - so Holtz took the only family Angel ever knew, his son Connor) and was brought back to in part bring upon the Apocolypse� like you wouldn�t have teen issues? I realized that with Connor�s birth came great consequences and sadness. I guess the living offspring of two dead vampires could tend to mess with the universe�s stability� you�d be angsty too! His bitchy demeanor has been excused!

I guess I just finally understood the progression of Connor and why he was there to begin with. As an outsider a couple years ago it seemed that this show completely jumped the shark, derailed from the Buffyverse and set sail to off-track island, but now I know better. The focus and planning that must have gone into bringing this character to life (mythology-wise) can only be summed up as gynormous!

Not only was he wrapped up in the Darla/Angel storyline set in motion two seasons prior, but how he affected Angel/Cordelia, Angel/Wesley, Angel/Wolfram & Hart, Angel/Lorne� really set the tone for this kid to feel hopeless and alone. I actually felt bad for him by the time he was being manipulated by fat Cordelia, er� pregnant Cordelia. Her crazy ass just about ruined everything.

When Angel made the sacrifice to lose his son forever, subsequently erasing Connor from everyone�s mind and everyone from Connor�s it saddened me because how much can this vampire handle in the guilt and sadness department. He just gave away his kid to another family. He�ll have no memory of Angel, Inc. Damn, it�s having that one day in the sun with Buffy all over again. Only Angel will remember. Only Angel will know the sadness that comes with giving Connor what he always wanted � a family. Well, that is until Connor shows up in Season 5 and reveals he remembers everything and everyone. Amazing payoff now that I know why he was sent away to begin with.

Did I mention Cordelia needed to go? By the time she was done being the �vessel� and all evil, I was ready for her ass to be comatose until death the next season. Bring on Blondie Bear and Harm!