Origin was an episode about not only facing the truth, but as Wesley puts it, enduring the truth. The episode succeeds by confounding our expectations, sometimes for better…and sometimes, for worse.
The “better” part is clearly Angel’s unexpected reunion with his son, Conor (once again wonderfully portrayed by Vincent Kartheiser). Conor was once a psychotic, raging creature, but thanks to Angel’s deal with Wolfram & Heart, reality was changed and memories erased…giving Conor a new, stable, happy life with a loving family.
David Boreanez is brilliant playing a man torn between staying away from the son he gave up, yet wanting desperately to re-connect. His reactions range from sheer terror and anger, to swelling pride as he realizes that Conor has achieved the college-attending future that he and Cordelia once dreamed about. What we have here is a touching re-aquaintance between two characters who, last year, could best be described as tortured. It’s quite beautiful…and shocking, considering that Conor was barely above feral when he was a regular. The happy, well-adjusted Conor is a sight to behold.
Other truths open up bigger cans of worms. Some are painful worms…just ask Gunn, who refuses Hamilton’s offer of leaving hell and sticking with the endless torture. Not only is this true to his character, but it’s also true to the theme of atonement that began with the previous episode. It’s a single scene, but it’s gruesome and heart-wrenching.
Wesley, on the other hand, is a whole different (and darker) can of worms. His inner turmoil is making him see things that aren’t there, and his investigations lead him up the garden path of his own paranoia. When he comes to the conclusion that Angel’s deal for Conor was paid for with Fred’s life — and threatening to smash the cube that holds Conor’s true memories (as well as their own timeline) — the audience is suddenly as desperate as Angel to see that he doesn’t go through with his threat.
Unfortunately, this is Angel: a series that never takes the easy road. Wes smashes the cube, the true reality from season four is restored (thanks to a great flashback montage)…and something interesting happens…
It’s Wesley who suffers…and only Wesley. He regains his memories of betraying Angel, stealing Conor & handing the kid over to Angel’s greatest enemy. Everything that went wrong with Conor began with Wesley…and now he remembers it all! It’s the mirror image of his actions at the end of the third season, and the reasons for his depression in season four. It’s an ingenious stroke of reflected continuity…one of several this year, and all done well.
As for Conor…it seems he doesn’t remember a thing. That is, until the final moments of the episode, where it is revealed that he DOES remember everything. But what we now realize is that Angel’s sacrifice at the end of season four fulfilled Conor’s defiant dare to his father at the very end of the season four finale:
ANGEL: “I love you Conor.”
CONOR: “Prove it!”
Angel did. He changed reality…literally changed the world…so his son could be happy. He did it out of love, and that love stayed, even with the restoration of reality. It was a profound, shining moment of light in a series that usually wallows in the darkest corners of the human psyche. It left me with quite a lump in my throat.
And a final nod to the silly but funny scenes between Spike and Illyria. Between Spike’s obsession with touching his clipboard, and Illyria asking Angel if she can make Spike her pet, it was all bawdylicious, gratuitous nonsense…but a lot of fun. :)
