Variations on the same theme

Yep, this rant will be completely devoted to the blue eyes of Lindsey McDonald - er, I mean to the whole of Lindsey McDonald (if you wish, I may include a part about his blue eyes. And his hands. And his v. lickable chest. And the general hotness that is him. Say pretty please.).

I have always been the hugest fan of this character. Granted, I guess it started with Christian Kane being an ultimate hottie, and an arrogant bad guy of a hottie always makes for a happy Fan'. But not only was he a hot bad guy, he was also a hot bad guy who had a depth to him, as proved Blind Date at the end of season 1 of Angel. And I don't think anyone will ever condemn Angel enough for his treatment of Lindsey - he had just helped Faith when she was not exactly asking for it, and can anyone remind that vampire that it's not up to him to decide whose soul is worth saving? Not saying that it's Angel's fault Lindsey went back to W&H. Just saying Angel didn't help, and his conduct is unforgivable in my eyes.

Now, yes, *Lindsey* decided to go back to W&H. And boy, was I glad after all, when I saw the arc it gave him in S2. So, hmm, you got something for vamps? (Yes, there's a bit of a L/A shipper in me. So sue me. It's not my fault, the writers knew it and played on that subtext just as they used to play on the lesbian subtext between Faith and B. To quote Darla: "It's not me you want to screw.") And we saw Lindsey focusing all of his rage (and boy, does the kid have some rage in him or what?) on Angel, and blaming the vampire for every single thing that had gone wrong in his life. That's the kind of obsession that I found made Lindsey a very interesting character.

And then, of course, Dead End. The last good episode of S2, if I might say so myself, but what a hell of a
finish! Lindsey was magnificent. He didn't leave W&H because of moral qualms, he didn't see the light - he simply decided he had more than enough of all that crap. And he left. (And Angel was a moron again with the "cops suck" sign.)

All of this was more than enough for me to love Lindsey with a fiery passion. There are few characters that I can say I know as well as Lindsey. For some reason, he gets under my skin and writing him comes naturally. At least, that's how writing My Little Tequila felt. Natural. I know every one of his neuroses, I know where he comes from, and just like him I don't have a clue where he's going.

But I know one thing for sure: wherever he's going, it's not back to W&H. Not of his own free will, in any case. Not (necessarily) because he sees the evil of the place, no, but because he *hates them.* He really does. And the Lindsey that I know would never willingly go back to them. Now, check out my fiction, I'm not saying he doesn't miss it. He specifically states that he does in My Little Tequila, and that he's bored out of his mind being a DA in Dullsville, Oklahoma. And in The Small Print (coming soon, really), he's actually been keeping track of everybody ever since he left. Of course Lindsey misses it.

But, and mark my words, I do not believe in a thousand years he would come back intent on destroying Angel because *he* wants to be CEO of Wolfram & Hart. What I believe he would do is probably yell at Angel a whole hell of a lot, because he did idealise Angel into the ultimate righteous hero (doesn't mean he admired him for it, but he did view Angel as the saviour of lost souls and helper of the helpless), or less likely watch him squirm as he points out a few truths Angel really doesn't want to face. Or he'd go in for the kill, *directly,* no need for a bloody big masterplan, and certainly *not* because he wants to take Angel's place.

'Cause let's think for a minute, here. Let's say he did it, he killed Angel. How on earth would that make him CEO?

Nothing about it makes sense. I haven't seen any further than Smile Time, so there might be hope for sense to be made yet, but... I'm sorry, I just can't believe it. When Eve walked into her flat and then into bed with him - well let me just say, first of all, that they look way too old-couplish for me. Neither of their characters I would expect to see in such a kind of relationship. Where's the passion? Even in Soul Purpose, there was *supposed* to be passion, and I really didn't believe it. Which is a shame, 'cause sparkage between Eve and Lindsey would have been *very* interesting to see. *grin that short of a leer*

(Especially when Linds heard about the Life of the Party incident... yet another one Angel got to. That would have put him in a right rage. Well, the Lindsey *I* knew, in any case.)

But back to the point - there was Lindsey, covered in mystical tats. All right, I was uber-sceptical, and not just slightly pissed that we'd get a Big Warlock Guy of a Lindsey without an explanation - but exactly! Explanations, anyone? That's all I wanted. I wanted some background. I'm convinced you *could* take Lindsey where they took him in all consistency of character (except for the big 'I kill him and I get to be CEO how...?' problem), but I just want to see them taking him there. I want some bloody background! I want to be able to believe it, I don't wanna have the feeling that they took a character I loved and turned him into the one we saw in S5 simply because it was convenient.

It could have been so good. They hadn't lost all of it from sight - as shows Eve's line about how Angel is still the centre of Lindsey's world - which makes it almost worse, 'cause... it *could* have been good. And that about sums up S5 for me. It *could* have been good. They brought Spike in, but they didn't start tackling the issues that mattered until Destiny, and that was it. They brought Lindsey in, and... And...? I'm still waiting to know what for. They brought Cordelia back and thank *Joss* she watched that video of Doyle (RIP, Glenn), but she mentioned Connor twice and then that was over and done with!

So, what if I still haven't got over the end of Angel's S4? He killed his son, for hell's sake!

I guess that's when I stop ranting, 'cause otherwise I'll get far too worked up. I'm just - that show has so much potential, and I can't say I'm sad it's getting cancelled. It's our last link to the Buffyverse (except if, one day, Joss remembers about Ripper? Please, Joss, please!) and I'm not sad it's gonna be over too. What does that tell you?

It could have been so good.

And it was, for one episode, really. Damage. To me, that is one hell of a good episode. Andrew, man, I love you. Biiiig time.

But overall, Angel this season leaves me with the bitter aftertaste of wasted potential. They're trying, but something's not clicking. I wanted to have faith in Joss, and so I did have faith that it would be good at the beginning of the season... and then when they brought Lindsey in... and then for You're Welcome. And hey, I still have faith in Joss. I don't believe in a perfect god, I believe in the genius of that guy. The best of geniuses have down times. Get us a Firefly movie already!

*takes a deep, steadying breath* So, no more ranting, I was saying? Right. Just one last thing - if you're frustrated about Angel as well, go check out the *best* spin-off virtual series, WaTchers (http://thewatcherscouncil.net/). It really is amazing. The quality of the writing is... wow. Just go check it out already!

That being said, end rant for now.

Fan'

PS: Alright, so I *can* rant about Lindsey without ranting about the hotness that is Christian Kane, but what I cannot rant about Lindsey without ranting about is Kane. As in, Chris's band. If you haven't bought the CD yet, go alreday! It's amazing. A mix between rock and country - if you fell in love with his breathtaking voice in Dead End, know that this is even better. It's perfect for party time, the lyrics are amazing, and well... it's Chris's voice, really. And My Little Tequila wouldn't even exist without Kane. So, really? Thanks ever so much for the music, guys.