User Reviews

I love body switch episodes. They're always fun and make for some really great scenes. Faith and Buffy's body switch over on season four of BTVS is all about exploring your own identity through some else's life. Faith confronts some deeper truths about herself by living as Buffy for a day. It's psychologically driven, with a hint of comedy. In "Carpe Noctem" things are a little lighter. It's about a guy named Marcus exploring Angel's life and doing all the things that Angel would never do. It's mostly comedic, although it does have a deeper psychological message about Angel's self control. He could do all the stuff that Marcus is planning, but Angel's too good a guy. Marcus is willing to hold on to youth at all costs and Angel is spending eternity trying to redeem himself. It's cool. Anyway, "Carpe Noctem" is a great episode and I really recommend that you see it.

This episode revolves around a old sleazy guy named Marcus who used to be in the magic business. Marcus has a little orb that lets him switch bodies with younger men, allowing him to take over their lives. Unfortunately, the bodies quickly wear out from the spell and turn into rubbery puddles of skin. Team Angel starts investigating the deaths. Angel soon finds himself at Marcus's retirement him and Marcus switches bodies with him. He knocks Angel (as Marcus) out and escapes. Inside Angel's body, Marcus assumes his identity. Meanwhile, Angel (as Marcus) tries to escape the retirement home.

Cordy is worried that Fred is developing a crush on Angel. She tells Marcus (as Angel) to talk to Fred about it. Marcus (as Angel) assumes that Fred is a guy and tries convince Wes that they can't see each other anymore. Marcus (as Angel) is pretty relieved to learn that Wesley isn't Fred and that she's really a girl. Instead of letting her down gently, he asks Fred out. Fred is very happy, but by the time she's ready to go, Marcus (as Angel) is already making out with Lilah. Fred is heartbroken. When Marcus (as Angel) tries to bite Lilah, he realizes that he must be a vampire. Thrilled that he'll never have to die, he heads for the retirement home to kill Angel (as Marcus) who is his last link to his old life. Meanwhile, Team Angel is beginning to piece together that "Angel" isn't Angel, after all. They arrive at the retirement home in time to save Angel (as Marcus) and the they switch the men back. The episode ends with Fred finally accepting that Angel can't be with her and Willow calling for Sunnydale to say they Buffy is alive.

There are some great parts to this episode. I especially love watching Marcus (as Angel.) He's just so funny and Un-Angel-like. His strutting walk, his leering smile, his outdated slang... It's all just great. He flirts with every woman he sees ("Have I ever told you that you're a BEE-UU-ti-ful woman?") and says some really hilarious stuff. His lecture to Wes and Gunn, designed to impress Cordy, is hilarious. "Women are more than just meat, ya know. Sorry that's just the way I feel." Everyone looks at him like he's crazy. And it's all even funnier because Lilah actually falls for his dubious charms. The two of them wind up making out on Wes's desk (and Wes's reaction to the mess is just priceless.) I also love Marcus' (as Angel) trip to the night club. He's not sure how hard to hit people, so all his movements are exaggerated and awkward. When the one guy goes flying, Marcus (as Angel) just looks down at his fist and chirps "ALLL-Riiiightt!" Then he hurries off to lecture Angel (as Marcus) about what a lousy vampire he'd been. "Vampires don't help people you, Moron. They eat them!" It all just really works.

On the down side, I wish that Angel had switched places with Spike instead of Marcus. Granted that's not "Carpe Noctem"'s fault, but every time I see this episode, I imagine how fun it would be to see Angel trying to be Spike and Spike trying to be Angel. Just a thought. Also, I'm not sure how Marcus switched bodies with all those other guys. He's not allowed to leave the retirement home, so did he somehow lure them up to his room? Or can he switch bodies from a distance?

My favorite part of the episode: Marcus (as Angel) trying to break up with Wes. Wesley looks so confused that it just cracks me up.

You were the world's worst vampire. Vampires don't help people you moron, they kill 'em - One of the most funniest episodes of the series, 'Angel' switched bodies with an old guy 'Marcus' who is a heartless bastard that sleeps with any woman he can. It was funny how he tried to win them over by saying - Have I ever told you you are a very beautiful woman?, I liked how differently they all reacted, 'Cordy' thought he was joking, 'Fred' felt flattered and 'Lilah' apparently got turned on, David Boreanaz making out with Stephanie Romanov on a desk is not easy to forget. The funniest moment of the episode has got to be when 'Marcus' thought that he was gay (you know what I mean) and thought that 'Wesley' was his lover, Alexis' face was priceless throughout that scene - two men working side by side. But, you know, none of that funny stuff. Watching this episode also makes me realize how much I loved 'Fred' at first, poor thing had a crush on 'Angel' but he just completely ignored her. I really dig this episode, it's funny and completely different from what this show had done before, plus the entire cast looks great. At the end of the episode 'Willow' calls to say that 'Buffy' is alive again. ANGEL: She's just enthusiastic. Don't read too much into it. CORDELIA: She's got the big puppy love. I mean, who wouldn't? You're handsome, and brave, and heroic,... emotionally stunted, erratic, prone to turning evil and, lets face it, a eunuch. ANGEL: Hey, how can you... I'm not a eunuch! (9.0 out of 10)

I love this episode. It's so good.

In the beginning of this episode, we see a man, having a threesome, getting ready for round three or four, and then he exploding out of his skin. I just have to say, gross, yuck, disgusting, barf, ew. Anyway, we Angel discovers that it's an old man, switching bodies with young men to do all the things young men do and that old men can't, at least not with out help of medication. The old man actually switches bodies with Angel, and when Angel is the old man, no one believes him. They think he's delusional. Eventually, Angel's friends find him when he's the old man, and stop the old man from doing anymore damage. But for some reason, they don't get him arrested, they just leave him there, with his magic body switching device smashed.

Overall, I give this episode an 8 out of 10.

Carpe Noctem is about an old man switching bodies with Angel, while he's looking into some mysterious deaths.

The comedy's at an all-time high. When Boreanaz gets to play different points of view of his character as his alter self or someone else, it's a special treat. Every scene works, starting from the opening scene of the skin falling to the floor, to Angel's supposed talk with Fred. Cordy's splendid, everything she says and does is on point. Fred's also a joy, with her goo goo eyes crush. Rance Howard's solid as well, as Marcus.

Best moments would be Cordy telling Angel to have the talk with Fred, then consequentially getting her to start up a case file, or Marcus as Angel coming out of the retirement home chatting with Cordy, or Marcus as Angel seeing Fred's enthusiasm to be with him. So many to choose from. :)

In "Carpe Noctem", an old, dying man uses a spell to switch bodies with Angel. Not knowing his new body is that of a vampire's, the old man begins carousing around town while Angel is stuck in a retirement home. Angel must switch back before the old man kills the elderly body and takes over Angel's body for good.

The ole body switching gag. This gimmick has been done countless times but whenever a vampire is involved, there's a bit of a twist to the normal cliches. This episode is actually pretty funny. The confusion between Angel & Wesley over "the talk" is a good gag, so is the "checking into the hotel" bit and all of Angel's quirky behavior the gang notices. It has a chance to affect future episodes since Lilah never learned the truth about Angel this episode, nor does Angel realize the favor that she does for him.

The season is young but this has definitely been the highlight so far. Fred and Angel's romantic entanglement seems to be nipped in the bud before it begins. As the episode ends, Angel learns of Buffy's revival and leaves Fred's side, both literally and figuratively.

The Good; Some nice humour, especially over the whole 'Fred' thing and some nice stuff with Lilah

The Bad; Surely Marcus notices that in his new body the heart isn't beating and he doesn't breathe?

Best line: Cordy; "You're a eunuch" Angel; "Hey!" CC; "Figure of speech" Angel; "Find another one!"

Apocalypses: 5

Angel Clichés Inverting the Hollywood cliché; Much like the handicapped in Blind Date in the Buffyverse old people are EVIL! We don't expect Marcus' spell to affect Angel but it does.

In disguise; 8

DB get's his shirt off; 12

Cordy's tattoo; yes, her two piece purple outfit shows it off to great effect. 9,

Cheap Angel; 7

Fang Gang in bondage: yep, Angel Cordy: 5 Angel: 11 Wes: 6 Gunn; 3 Lorne; 2

Fang gang knocked out: Angel as Marcus Cordy: 11 Angel: 14 Wes: 5 Doyle; 1 Gunn; 1 Lorne; 2

Kills: Cordy: 5 vamps, 3 demons Angel; 28 vamps, 40 and 1/2 demons, 3 humans Doyle; 1 vamp Wes; 7 demons+1 vamp Kate; 3 vamps Faith; 16 vamps, 6 demons, 3 humans.

Gunn; 8 vamps+ 6 demons.

Fang Gang go evil: Cordy: 2 Angel: 2

Alternate Fang Gang: Angel/Marcus Cordy: 2 Angel: 7

Characters killed: the three poor guys Marcus hijacks 43

Recurring characters killed; 7;

Total number of Angel Investigations: 5, Angel, Cordy, Wes, Gunn and Fred Angel

Investigations shot: Angel: 11 Wes; 1

Packing heat; Wes; 3 Doyle; 1 Angel; 1 Gunn; 1

Notches on Fang Gang bedpost: Cordy: 3 ?+Wilson/Hacksaw Beast+Phantom Dennis Angel: 5; Buffy, Darla and The Transcending Furies Wes; 2; Virginia and the bleached blonde

Kinky dinky: Threesomes with beautiful hookers. Well we've all been there. CC refers to Angel as a eunuch, remember she doesn't know about Darla. CC salivates over the bodybuilders but still thinks 'All men are dogs'. Gunn and Wes argue over who gets to visit the 'First Class Escorts' but CC decides she should go instead. She refers to them as 'Pretty skanky women' (does she mean 'Women who are pretty skanky' or 'Women who are skanky and pretty'? To judge by the extremely attractive girls in the opening scene they certainly live up to their companies' billing). That's a bit rich considering she wanted to prostitute herself to Rusell Winters and David Nabbit, has twice been knocked up by demons, twice sold as a slave and is currently having a high old time with her ghost and his loofah.

The simmering sexual tension between Lilah and 'Angel' finally comes to a head, much like Kate in 'The Shroud of Rahmon'. She gets what she always wanted, thrown over the desk and ravished by him. Is this ever mentioned again because Lilah is actually the only one who knows about it and she has no idea it's not really Angel? And what do AI make of Lilah's forgeries plonked on Wes' desk?

Captain Subtext; Marcus thinks Angel is gay (just look at his outfit) and Wes is 'Fred', his boyfriend.

Know the face, different character; 3

Parking garages; 5,

Buffy characters on Angel; 16 Wetherby, Collins and Smith. Angel, Cordy, Oz, Spike, Buffy, Wes, Faith, Darla, Dru, The Master, Anne, Willow and Harmony

Questions and observations; Amy Acker's remarks about skinny models are weird as she's the thinest girl in the Buffyverse by quite some way, even more so that season 5 Buffy. Angel likes 70s Charlton Heston films, a leftover from the Manilow era? (The Omega Man has vampiric theme, plenty of blood and contains the wonderful line 'Honky paradise brother?'). The 'Nightstalker' is referred to but probably the LA serial killer rather than Kolchak. Marcus/Angel drinks martinis with Lilah, thought she was a whiskey girl? Read a good fanfic once where Angel doesn't get his body back in the end but his soul gradually retakes control, Marcus' magic temporary and unstable. Good performance from Rance Howard as Marcus (Ron Howard's dad) Marks out of 10; 7/10, always thought I disliked this ep but the humour makes up for a pretty weak story in many ways, actually found myself enjoying the rewatch more than I thought I would.