| DorothyFan1 | 01-30-2006 06:17 PM |
I wanted to post this after reading the long thread discussion about the "missing" dialogue for Episode 26 which suggests very strongly that AS did a script change for the end of the series. My opinion about that AS switch is this: I'm glad they overruled the creators original intention for that ending...the one we have is better because it IS more ambiguous plus it didn't piss people off to find out that in the "original" version Angel becomes Roger Smith's assistant "completely". What the heck was the author thinking when he came up with that idea? That would have been a horrible twist to see at the end of Act 26 had the original ending aired that way. I know I wouldn't have approved it one bit. It would have thrown out all our emotional investments in the character of Dorothy right out the window...and that would have been unacceptable.
Now...having said all that I'd like to turn to the once again debatable photo from Act 26...the one showing Angel and Dorothy side by side at the end. Sharp eyed observers noted Dorothy was wearing her Smith mansion attire...meaning she still has some relation to Roger Smith in some fashion. Now the controversy about the shot is whether or not Dorothy has suddenly grown taller than Angel. I've been looking at the photo of this scene carefully and I've come to some interesting conclusions which may hold a shocking clue as to what they're trying to say about Angel.
First of all I know people have been knocking the perspective of that scene because some people claim it couldn't possibly be true for Dorothy to be taller than Angel because the building in the back is far away. I looked at the building in relation to Angel and Dorothy and my conclusion is this: there is no way for this perspective arrangement to be taken seriously because of the location of the building in the back. The building in the back is out of FOCUS...NOT far away. It's done to keep from feeling distracted by too much detail. But the building in the back is clearly very close to Angel and Dorothy. So it's impossible for me to take perspective seriously here. This brings us to the controversial observation that Dorothy has suddenly "grown" taller.
Unfortunately...we don't see their feet in relation to the shot here because this would prove conclusively one way or another to say whether or not Dorothy has suddenly grown a foot taller and now Angel is shorter. But there is something else in this scene that looks odd. And I'm wondering if people have picked up on this. Look carefully at Angel...especially the face. Something is very different about her in this scene. I can't prove this but if you look at Angel's face at this scene...it's different...and I think it was done deliberately...Angel's face is now very round. I cannot believe the animators did this to make us think it's a trick of perspective. I say this because Dorothy's face looks LONGER. This also throws a monkey wrench to the perspective theory giving the impression that short little Dorothy is now taller than Angel. Angel's face is suddenly much rounder while Dorothy's face is longer. Why? Obviously there's no way to know for sure...but then there is the issue of Angel "blinking" her eyes.
Nothing out the ordinary here...or is there? Why the blinking of the eyes for? As soon as I saw this...I was thinking the paradoxical idea that maybe Angel has become an android?! Her eye blinking was so irregular and distracting I couldn't understand this significance...except it was supposed to show that Dorothy was still an android because she never blinks. But now after seeing this scene...it made me wonder...did Roger Smith EVER blink his eyes during the entire series? Add to my suspicions...I think Angel incarnated herself into an android body to "compete" on a more level footing with Dorothy for Roger Smith's affections. We never did see why it was so important for Roger Smith to mention in that dialogue just before the reset why Angel had to live her life as a human being?! I found that a very odd thing to say...of course Angel was human...unless this was yet another clue that Angel WASN'T.
In any case, my conclusions about that scene suggests several facts: Angel has apparently decided to "live" her life in Paradigm City...but in android form while Dorothy was allowed to "grow" more mature...but still retain her android nature. But the blinking of the eyes by Angel seems to suggest that Roger Smith may not be human after all...but an android as well.
Now...having said all that I'd like to turn to the once again debatable photo from Act 26...the one showing Angel and Dorothy side by side at the end. Sharp eyed observers noted Dorothy was wearing her Smith mansion attire...meaning she still has some relation to Roger Smith in some fashion. Now the controversy about the shot is whether or not Dorothy has suddenly grown taller than Angel. I've been looking at the photo of this scene carefully and I've come to some interesting conclusions which may hold a shocking clue as to what they're trying to say about Angel.
First of all I know people have been knocking the perspective of that scene because some people claim it couldn't possibly be true for Dorothy to be taller than Angel because the building in the back is far away. I looked at the building in relation to Angel and Dorothy and my conclusion is this: there is no way for this perspective arrangement to be taken seriously because of the location of the building in the back. The building in the back is out of FOCUS...NOT far away. It's done to keep from feeling distracted by too much detail. But the building in the back is clearly very close to Angel and Dorothy. So it's impossible for me to take perspective seriously here. This brings us to the controversial observation that Dorothy has suddenly "grown" taller.
Unfortunately...we don't see their feet in relation to the shot here because this would prove conclusively one way or another to say whether or not Dorothy has suddenly grown a foot taller and now Angel is shorter. But there is something else in this scene that looks odd. And I'm wondering if people have picked up on this. Look carefully at Angel...especially the face. Something is very different about her in this scene. I can't prove this but if you look at Angel's face at this scene...it's different...and I think it was done deliberately...Angel's face is now very round. I cannot believe the animators did this to make us think it's a trick of perspective. I say this because Dorothy's face looks LONGER. This also throws a monkey wrench to the perspective theory giving the impression that short little Dorothy is now taller than Angel. Angel's face is suddenly much rounder while Dorothy's face is longer. Why? Obviously there's no way to know for sure...but then there is the issue of Angel "blinking" her eyes.
Nothing out the ordinary here...or is there? Why the blinking of the eyes for? As soon as I saw this...I was thinking the paradoxical idea that maybe Angel has become an android?! Her eye blinking was so irregular and distracting I couldn't understand this significance...except it was supposed to show that Dorothy was still an android because she never blinks. But now after seeing this scene...it made me wonder...did Roger Smith EVER blink his eyes during the entire series? Add to my suspicions...I think Angel incarnated herself into an android body to "compete" on a more level footing with Dorothy for Roger Smith's affections. We never did see why it was so important for Roger Smith to mention in that dialogue just before the reset why Angel had to live her life as a human being?! I found that a very odd thing to say...of course Angel was human...unless this was yet another clue that Angel WASN'T.
In any case, my conclusions about that scene suggests several facts: Angel has apparently decided to "live" her life in Paradigm City...but in android form while Dorothy was allowed to "grow" more mature...but still retain her android nature. But the blinking of the eyes by Angel seems to suggest that Roger Smith may not be human after all...but an android as well.