History Recap / AngelS05E14SmileTime

* VillainWithGoodPublicity: Mr. Frampton points out that an infamously unethical law firm trying to sue a highly popular children's show won't end well for the lawyers.

* MoodWhiplash: InUniverse thanks to Puppet!Angel having the "[[TheMindIsAPlaythingOfTheBody proportionate excitability of a puppet]]".

* DepravedKidsShowHost: The demonic puppet hosts of ''Smile Time'', though one of them [[BecomingTheMask Became the Mask]] and started to genuinely enjoy entertaining kids (didn't stop Gunn from beheading him).

* CleaningUpRomanticLooseEnds: Creator/TheWB had already announced that the series would not be renewed for another season, hence the rushed pair-up of Fred and Wesley.

* PowerWalk: Parodied when the double doors to Angel's office open and Wesley, Gunn, and Fred walk out in slow-mo...and then the camera pans downward, revealing a sword-wielding Angel puppet walking in front of them.

-->''(Angel has Polo on the ground and is choking him)''
-->'''Polo:''' So... you got a little demon in you.
-->'''Angel:''' I got a lot of demon in me.
-->''(Polo gets an OhCrap look as Angel vamps out)''
-->'''Angel:''' Now come on.
-->''(Picks up Polo and tosses him into the treehouse, impaling the demon puppet on the wreckage)''
%% * GettingCrapPastThe Radar: Due to overwhelming and persistent misuse, GCPTR is on-page examples only until 01 June 2021. If you are reading this in the future, please check the trope page to make sure your example fits the current definition.

-->'''Nina:''' Um... is there a reason why you won't look at me?
-->'''Angel:''' 'Cause I'm under my desk?
* MoodWhiplash: InUniverse thanks to PAngel having the "[[TheMindIsAPlaythingOfTheBody proportionate excitability of a puppet]]".

-->'''Polo:''' It's Smile Time!
-->'''Angel:''' No, it's not... (Polo turns to see a sword-wielding Angel on the set) ...it's time to kick your ass all the way back to Hell!
-->'''Polo:''' [[YouExclamation You!]]

* BreatherEpisode: A light comedy episode right before the downer that is "[[Recap/AngelS05E15AHoleInTheWorld A Hole in the World]]".

* {{Corpsing}}: Creator/JamesMarsters blew several takes because he was laughing too much during the scene where he fights Angel. Even in the used take, he's still laughing quite a bit.

* SickeninglySweet: Angel hears one of the songs played on ''Smile Time'', and begins quivering with rage at how sappy it is before demanding they go all Jihad on the show.

* TastesLikeDiabetes: InUniverse when Angel hears one of the songs played on ''Smile Time'', and begins quivering with rage at how sappy it is before demanding they go all Jihad on the show.

* ThisMeansWar: After hearing the [[TastesLikeDiabetes Self-Esteem Song]], Angel demands the Wolfram & Hart Spec Ops team [[DisproportionateRetribution take out Smile Time]].

* SomethingCompletelyDifferent: The basic formula is the same, except the main antagonists are puppets, and Angel himself becomes a puppet for the duration of the episode.

* {{Corpsing}}: Creator/JamesMarsters blew several takes because he was laughing too much during the scene where he fights Angel.

* AnimatedActors: In a DVD special on the making of the episode, Puppet!Angel talks of how he got the role due to his uncanny resemblance to Creator/DavidBoreanaz.
* BadassAdorable: The wee little Puppet!Angel, what with the little hands and [[SpikyHair the hair]]. And his nose comes off.

-->'''Puppet!Angel:''' [[DisproportionateRetribution You're fired.]]
* BattleDiscretionShot: Puppet!Angel fighting Spike in the elevator.

* BerserkerRage: Angel is ''not happy'' about being a puppet. When Spike addresses this, Angel flies into an absolute rage. The fact that [[PintsizedPowerhouse Puppet!Angel thrashes Spike]] (unlike his much larger normal self in "[[Recap/AngelS05E08Destiny Destiny]]") shows just how angry he is. Mind you, at the start Spike is too busy giggling to fight properly.

* ChairReveal: Puppet!Angel showing the Fang Gang what he's turned into.

* TheComicallySerious: For most of the episode, Angel is a dour, brooding, serious ''fuzzy puppet'' while everyone else was intensely amused.
-->'''Puppet!Angel:''' I do not have puppet cancer! Come on guys, this is a serious situation!

* {{Corpsing}}: Creator/JamesMarsters blew several takes because he was laughing too much during the scene where he fights Puppet!Angel.

* DeathGlare: Puppet!Angel gives out a few, emphasized by his BigOlEyebrows. Unfortunately those on the receiving end [[TheComicallySerious find it difficult to take them seriously]].

* {{Facepalm}}: Having little felt hands doesn't impede Puppet!Angel's ability to do this.

-->''(Puppet!Angel has Polo on the ground and is choking him)''

-->'''Puppet!Angel:''' I got a lot of demon in me.
-->''(Polo gets an OhCrap look as Puppet!Angel vamps out)''
-->'''Puppet!Angel:''' Now come on.

* GibberingGenius: The morning after being transformed, Puppet!Angel calls Fred on the internal phone.

* TheGlomp: Puppet!Angel rushes up to Fred and hugs her when she says taking out the Nest Egg will cure him. "I love you guys!"
* GoryDiscretionShot: Puppet!Angel being shredded by Nina.

* IsThereADoctorInTheHouse: Spoofed when Lorne comes across Puppet!Angel after Werewolf!Nina shreds him. "Is there a [[Literature/TheAdventuresOfPinocchio Geppetto]] in the house?"

* MathematiciansAnswer: Puppet!Angel dives under his desk in a panic when Nina knocks on the door and refuses to come out -- naturally Nina thinks he's avoiding her for other reasons.

-->'''Puppet!Angel:''' 'Cause I'm under my desk?
* MoodWhiplash: InUniverse thanks to Puppet!Angel having the "[[TheMindIsAPlaythingOfTheBody proportionate excitability of a puppet]]".

* NoOntologicalInertia: Destroying the Nest Egg makes all the children recover and will cause Angel's spell to wear off (in a few days, long enough to give us a charming scene where Puppet!Angel walks off [[HoldingHands hand-in-hand]] with Nina to have breakfast).

* PowerWalk: Parodied when the double doors to Angel's office open and Wesley, Gunn, and Fred walk out in slow-mo...and then the camera pans downward, revealing a sword-wielding Puppet!Angel walking in front of them.

* SittingOnTheRoof: Puppet!Angel does his WalkInChimeIn from the roof of Groofus' doghouse, presumably a ContinuityNod to Angel's RoofHopping.

-->'''Angel:''' No, it's not... (Polo turns to see a sword-wielding Puppet!Angel on the set) ...it's time to kick your ass all the way back to Hell!

* BreatherEpisode: The moment previews revealed Angel would become a puppet, the reviewers of Website/TelevisionWithoutPity gave it an A. For the next thirty minutes after it happened they treated it as [[SugarWiki/FunnyMoments the funniest thing in the series,]] then give it an A+ when Puppet!Angel vamped out.

* BerserkerRage: Angel is ''not happy'' about being a puppet. When Spike addresses this, Angel flies into an absolute rage.
** The fact that [[PintsizedPowerhouse Puppet!Angel thrashes Spike]] (unlike his much larger normal self in "[[Recap/AngelS05E08Destiny Destiny]]") shows just how angry he is. Mind you, at the start Spike is too busy giggling to fight properly.

* BreatherEpisode: The second previews reveal Angel will become a puppet the reviewers of Website/TelevisionWithoutPity gave it an A. For the next thirty minutes after it happens they treated it as [[SugarWiki/FunnyMoments the funniest thing in the series,]] then give it an A+ when Puppet!Angel vamps out.

* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything: The scene where Polo convinces the little boy to come up and touch the screen has some very...child-predator-y undertones. He guilts/manipulates the boy ("you don't want to be a ''bad apple'', do you?") and when the boy touches the screen, Polo's groans sound very sexual.

* FamousLastWords[=/=]BondOneLiner
-->'''Groofus:''' Hey, man! You're ruinin' the show!
-->''(Gunn [[OffWithHisHead lops off his head]] with an axe)''
-->'''Gunn:''' We're workin' on it.

* FacePalm: Having little felt hands doesn't impede Puppet!Angel's ability to do this.

* GettingCrapPastTheRadar:
** Nina wakes up naked with white Angel-stuffing in her mouth and cries, "I ate him!"
** Polo makes orgasmic noises while absorbing a child's energy. After encouraging the reluctant kid to "Come over here and touch it."

* AndIMustScream: The human creator of Smile Time is being controlled as a PeoplePuppet by Polo.

* BrokenRecord

* ChekhovsGunman: Nina from "Unleashed", and Dr. Sparrow from "Conviction".
* CheshireCatGrin: The victims of Smile Time. Lampshaded when Knox quips that ComicBook/TheJoker might be responsible.

* TheComicallySerious

* ContinuityNod: Wes says "the girls in transcription" have all noticed that Nina is dressing up to make herself attractive to Angel. This fits with "Harm's Way" where we saw the lower ranks of Wolfram and Hart gossiping over the private lives of Team Angel.

* DepravedKidsShowHost: Polo in particular
* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything: The scene where Polo convinces the little boy to come up and touch the screen has some very... child-predator-y undertones. He guilts/manipulates the boy ("you don't want to be a ''bad apple'', do you?") and when the boy touches the screen, Polo's groans sound very sexual.

* FlowersForAlgernonSyndrome: Dr Sparrow diagnoses Gunn's degrading brain upgrade as 'acute "Flowers for Algernon" Syndrome.'
* GameFace[=/=]CuteLittleFangs: Generally agreed to be a SugarWiki/{{Funny|Moments}} ''and'' a SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome!

* GoshDangItToHeck

* TheGuardsMustBeCrazy: Justified as all the humans working at Smile Time have been turned into mindless automatons by a curse, so none of them do anything about Angel prowling around after hours.

* HumiliationConga
* HypocriticalHumor

* LifeEnergy

* {{Muppet}}s

* NobodyTouchesTheHair: Puppet!Angel fires Fred for ruffling his SpikyHair.

* PowerWalk: Parodied when the double doors to Angel's office open and Wesley, Gunn, and Fred walk out in slow-mo... and then the camera pans downward, revealing a sword-wielding Puppet!Angel walking in front of them.

* {{Pun}}

* PuppetPermutation: Angel is turned into a puppet, driving the plot of the episode.

* SelfStitching: PlayedForLaughs when Puppet!Angel tries to stitch himself up after being mauled by Nina, but can't due to his puppet hands.
* SchmuckBait: Angel sees a sign on a door that says only "DON'T". Needless to say he enters... and gets turned into a puppet by the Nest Egg inside.
-->'''Polo:''' Stupid jackass! Might as well walk into a nuclear reactor and lick the core! I mean, anything could've happened to him! To us, to... (pounds his fist on the desk) ''You just don't mess around with the Nest Egg!''

* SoHappyTogether: Fred and Wesley finally get together. Angel finally gets a date. On a Creator/JossWhedon show. Long-time fans immediately place wagers on how bad it's gonna get.
* SubvertedKidsShow
* TakeThat: Nina says that it's cliché for an art student to be attracted to a vampire.

* TransformationRay

* VerbalBackspace

-->'''Framkin:''' We have a song here at Smile Time that reminds me of your courage and pluck. It's called, uh, "[[ShapedLikeItself Courage and Pluck]]."
* YourSoulIsMine