💞Kahou333💞

Obviously, Mimzy skirting around the word 'friend' was always kind of interesting to me, and now having more context from Mr. There-Are-No-Friends-In-Hell, it makes a little more sense. Seems like Alastor is rather reluctant to use that word, in general - whether that reluctance started before or after Vox remains to be seen, though.

But then I couldn't help but think that it was kind of curious that Angel very specifically called out the word friends. He could have just asked something like "So, you know Alastor pretty well, then?" or "So you to are close?" But instead, he very specifically asked what they were to each other, and even at the time, I thought that was kind of strange. I remember when I first watched the episode wondering why that was this approach. And then after Mimzy answers, Angel even goes onto say he "didn't know he had any of those."

So, in the wake of episode 4, I recalled this exchange, and my thoughts went basically like this: 'Wow, it's almost like Vox specifically asked Angel to ask that. But obviously that wouldn't happen! I mean, Vox even asked about using Angel as a spy, and Valentino said he wouldn't do it. I wonder if he ever tried to get information from him, though. Tried to get Angel to tell him what Alastor was doing, and somewhere along the line Vox made the offhanded comment of 'Alastor doesn't have friends', which prompted Angel's curiosity. But I don't see Vox just chatting with Angel, and if he tried to get information from him, surely Angel would've said something about it. Of course Vox could have hypnotized him to tell him stuff... but I feel like that's reaching. It'd be a decent plan on Vox's part, but we have no reason to think that actually happened, especially when the Vees already dismissed the idea of using him as a spy.' And then I dismissed the thought like an idiot!

I mean, I did think it was weird how after the Sir Pentious's plan fell through, Vox just gave up. I just thought that was one of those hand-wave things because of the show's time constraints. But no, of course the guy who always has a plan didn't give up! Because it's not just this season he's been hypnotizing Angel, it's been going on since probably shortly after Pentious failed.

Wait, sudden thought - when Angel confronted Pentious, this happened...

Obviously, this is Pentious's little snake-charmer defense mechanism and is entirely different, but maybe this was meant to be foreshadowing. It looks similar to Vox's hypnotism, and in a way, Angel being hypnotized was a direct result of him catching Pentious - if he hadn't, Vox wouldn't have needed a new spy, after all (well, on that I have my doubts, but you see the vision). This could have been a subtle nod to what was about to happen to him. It doesn't really matter; I just thought it was a neat touch.

Back to what I was saying, we actually know for a fact that Angel was under Vox's hypnotism for at least part of last season. In the little montage we got at the end of the last episode, we saw this text exchange between Angel and Vox:

And this isn't from this season. This shows them fortifying the hotel before the extermination - specifically, I believe, the rest of the hotel preparing while Charlie and Alastor are in Cannibal Town and Vaggie is talking to Carmilla.

And then there's this -

That's the same robe Angel was wearing during Poison, and what happened at the end of Poison?

This weird little exchange that none of us could figure out what it meant!

And when Angel gets back to the hotel, he's rubbing his head like he has a headache - the same thing we see him complaining about in episode 5 of this season. Not weird on its own, all things considered, but coupled with everything else, Angel absolutely just underwent some hypnosis here. Don't know if it was the first time or not, but I think it's safe to say that Angel was a sleeper agent at least since episode 4 of season 1.

cracks knuckles here we go

Adding onto your Sir Pentious episode timeline theory, I also had a feeling that Vox giving up instantly in ep2 s1 was odd. After all of THAT he gives up after one try?? This fact was pushed to the back of my mind as I watched the rest of the season and then I never really thought about it again.

However, after ep6 s2, I couldn't help but re-watch the first season to find foreshadowing hints, and I wholeheartedly believe that Pentious hypnotising Angel was not lost on Vox thanks to the so-well-hidden camera in the bookshelf. Knowing Vox, he probably witnessed everything while sipping his coffee and that's when he got the idea for his next big move, especially with how similar their spiral hypnosis looks.

I would not be surprised if this was true because we've seen how much Vox depends on people's ideas to come out on top, again and again. Heck even songs weren't safe from his grubby little claws! During his rage-baiting streak, Alastor kindly pointed out that every plan Vox came up with was all thanks to someone else!

I wouldn't put it past him to take a mental note on Pentious' little trick before disregarding him in front of everyone to eliminate suspicion.

Now, whether Pentious activated the camera or not is unclear, for the sake of this theory I believe that Vox can access any electronic device, activated or not. Maybe it's an automatically activated camera, who knows. Because why would they make a show of Pentious putting it in the bookshelf to then have it just, sit in the background? Besides showing that he was a spy.

Think about it. When Vox asked Val if Angel would be down to spy for them in ep2, I think he meant Angel doing it out of his own will (or fear of Val), that he might've not even considered hypnotising him (I doubt it tho, Vox is a little schemer). There's a chance he simply eliminated the idea because he knew that it would sour Val's mood and the last thing he needed was to put out yet another fire.

So as he patiently monitored Pentious' miserable fight, he caught that slippery moment where Angel got hypnotised, and of course the spider shook it off instantly, but the seed was already planted. Vox didn't need Pentious, he had his next plan right in front of him!

This possibility can be further backed up by the end of the episode where we have Alastor mocking Vox, telling him "You'll have to try harder than that next time, old pal!" sending Vox into a frenzy. That must've been the last straw for Vox to enact his Angel plan, to hell with Val's future temper tantrums, he would not fail. He had to make it work. And that's exactly what he did. He tried the same plan, but made sure it hurt.

Vox: points cannon at him

Alastor: hold on now

watching atla for the first time

watching atla for the first time

crazzyyyyy... im actually going nuts with this hhhh bill you broke my hand