Damn, I'm confused about Awakening...

[The Ferg]

What the hell happened?!?!?!?!?!? I just don't get it. I was like, "Angel, you dumbass, why are you screwing Cordy?" But then... he wasn't... Someone just please explain...

[Blondie Bear]

The entire episode, from the point where the shaman started chanting until Angel became Angelus, was a dream/vision. It was what Angel needed in order for his brain to justify the losing of his soul. I think he talks about it in a later episode.

[Tranquillity]

The entire episode, from the point where the shaman started chanting until Angel became Angelus, was a dream/vision. It was what Angel needed in order for his brain to justify the losing of his soul. I think he talks about it in a later episode.


Exactly. It was in essence his (fantasy) perfect day.

[The Ferg]

Okay, so it was kind of like getting Angel to believe that he had a moment of true happiness, right?

[Cangel]

What the hell happened?!?!?!?!?!? I just don't get it. I was like, "Angel, you dumbass, why are you screwing Cordy?" But then... he wasn't... Someone just please explain...

Lol, it's funny, I was thinking "Yes, finally Angel is coming to his senses and getting it on with Cordy", lol. This is one of my favourite episodes!
Like the others have already said, that's the process of losing his soul. Instead of giving him real perfect happiness, he just sort of dreams he gets it. I was kind of devastated when he woke up as Angelus.

[Mulder22]

Yeah, as the episode progresses you can tell that everything is going Angel's way. Wes apologizing to him, Cordy choosing him over Connor, Connor coming back to help his dad, and finally Angel getting it on with Cordy. I remember when I saw this for the first time thinking that this must be like "Angel's Wet Dream" or something! I guess it was!

[The Ferg]

Wow, I thought the whole thing was real... :s Hmm... I guess I don't know much about Angel.. :/

[Bluebird]

Interesting to see how much more it takes to make angel believe hes happy since buffy s2.

[Lyri]

Didn't anyone notice that when Angel reaches that 'perfect moment' the name he whispers is not Cordelia...it's Buffy. But you have to listen REALLY close.

I'm not a Bangel shipper, but I thought it was cool the way they kept that 'epic love' going even in Angel's fantasy of Cordy.

[Cangel]

Didn't anyone notice that when Angel reaches that 'perfect moment' the name he whispers is not Cordelia...it's Buffy. But you have to listen REALLY close.

I'm not a Bangel shipper, but I thought it was cool the way they kept that 'epic love' going even in Angel's fantasy of Cordy.


I don't think it meant THAT. Obviously, Cordy gives him happies now (and that somehow came out dirtier than I expected - sorry) and he is so in love with her. The reason he said 'Buffy' is because he suddenly remembered last time he lost his soul. Well that's how I see it. Remember when he slept with Darla? He didn't say 'Buffy' then so I think it's more curse- than sex-related.
Or, he might feel guilty towards Buffy because of how happy Cordy makes him. Which in my book means he really loves Cordy and is only a little worried about how Buffy, the girl he still cares about a bit (but doesn't love as much as Cordy!), will take it.

Well, that's how me and my Cangelness see it : superhap

[Lindsey McDonald]

I've just watched this episode (and that's as far as I've got yet with Angel), and I loved the twist at the end. I did get the feeling throughout that the sword was a bit Deus Ex Machina, but I was enjoying the Cangel so I didn't mind...until everybody made up at the end...that was weird. I was almost shouting at the two though when they started...you know.... Angelus really is smarter than Angel if he would just ignore the curse like that!

About Buffy, I think if he still loved Buffy more than Cordelia he would have needed to be with Buffy to achieve perfect happiness. In his fantasy world, this would be entirely possible, so I think the Buffy line was because he was remembering the last time this happened.


One more thing....why not just use the Prozac? That worked for a temporary change before, why not now? Seems simpler to me...

[Cangel]

One more thing....why not just use the Prozac? That worked for a temporary change before, why not now? Seems simpler to me...

Well but Prozac wasn't permanently so things could have gotten even more messed up, he could have tricked the gang easier, then really get rid of his soul and just disappear or something.
And on top of that, I'm not too sure Prozac really turnes him into Angelus, it just loosens him up a little. So that's why Angel says to Wesley something like "You've never met Angelus" or something, if the Prozac thing worked though, he would have.

[InsaneMystic]

I don't think it meant THAT. Obviously, Cordy gives him happies now (and that somehow came out dirtier than I expected - sorry) and he is so in love with her. The reason he said 'Buffy' is because he suddenly remembered last time he lost his soul. Well that's how I see it. Remember when he slept with Darla? He didn't say 'Buffy' then so I think it's more curse- than sex-related.
Or, he might feel guilty towards Buffy because of how happy Cordy makes him. Which in my book means he really loves Cordy and is only a little worried about how Buffy, the girl he still cares about a bit (but doesn't love as much as Cordy!), will take it.

Well, that's how me and my Cangelness see it : superhap
I'm far less of a Cangel than you are (I'm simply anti-Bangel, lol) but I reckoned it the same way as you do in your first theory. To me, that "Buffy" for me was just the spoken last word of an unspoken sentence:

"Oh crap, I can feel my soul fleeting away, I'm going to mess it all up with Cordelia just as I did with Buffy!"


Well but Prozac wasn't permanently so things could have gotten even more messed up, he could have tricked the gang easier, then really get rid of his soul and just disappear or something.
And on top of that, I'm not too sure Prozac really turnes him into Angelus, it just loosens him up a little. So that's why Angel says to Wesley something like "You've never met Angelus" or something, if the Prozac thing worked though, he would have.
Oh that stuff was Prozac? Cool... I only vaguely remember that ep, I've got significant gaps in my viewing record of the early Angel seasons (and have none of Angel on tape).
Well I guess that nixes my comment in another thread here that "Angel should try Prozac against the broodiness, hey it worked for me." It seems to work for him too, all too well...
Guess it's one of the times the quality of my fandom proves to be challengable. :sigh:

[HyenaDemon]

Maybe what happened was, Angel wanted Buffy to burst in on them while they were having sex, and then Cordelia would beat her up. That's why he said "Buffy".

Thank you, TWoP