#also lindsey's appearance is a big PITA to gunn because he's a reminder that to anyone looking from the outside | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

genericaces · 2 months

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more rambling about a s5 au: lindsey comes back for a redemption arc to act as legal counsel for angel's team. this ostensibly gives gunn a reason to opt out of the lawyer operation, but he does it anyway because he doesn't trust lindsey not to fuck them over.

lindsey acts as a moral foil to gunn, who comes to believe his necessary contribution to the team (since he's no longer their only lawyer) is being the defender of the group's principles while working at w&h. they frequently butt heads while working on a case, but eventually develop a begrudging respect of each other's respective strengths.

this hostile-to-friendly-rivalry arc is tested when it comes out that w&h was responsible for some demon problem that's been plaguing gunn's home community. gunn has, unbeknownst to himself, been somehow contributing to it while working at w&h; lindsey knowingly contributed to it when he was last working there as a lawyer. lindsey is forced to confront who he was, while gunn is forced to confront who he’s becoming.

since he was involved in the project, lindsey uses his insider knowledge to help come up with a plan to fix the problem. they execute it, something goes wrong, and lindsey risks his life to ensure the plan goes off successfully. he expects congratulations and a pat on the back from gunn, but gunn isn't interested in absolving lindsey's sins (or his own), and their warming relationship freezes over.

at some point, gunn lets himself get taken by the senior partners in an effort to deal with his guilt over various lapses in judgment/perceived moral failures. during their rescue mission to the holding dimension, lindsey stays behind in gunn's place so he can escape, assuring gunn that he's the lawyer the team needs right now. their mutual arcs culminate in lindsey rejecting the idea that redemption is done for recognition, and gunn rejecting the idea that guilt/self-punishment is inherently redemptive.

eventually after being busted out by illyria, lindsey is there to empathize with gunn about losing parts of yourself (body, mind, and/or soul) to w&h, relationships to power when you've grown up without it, and what it means to live with the consequences of your actions. both of them reflect on the nature of redemption/forgiveness/intent as they grapple with how to own up to an appropriate share of the blame.

#imagine i'm explaining this to you like the charlie day pepe sylvia scene #now let's talk about two characters who have barely interacted can we talk about two characters who have barely interacted #angel the series #ats #charles gunn #lindsey mcdonald #i think it's about two people who have grown up with a front row seat to how people with power will use it to step on others #the difference being that gunn thinks 'i need to be strong so i don't let people in power fuck over me or my own'#while lindsey thinks 'i need to BE those people in power'#also lindsey's appearance is a big PITA to gunn because he's a reminder that to anyone looking from the outside #gunn now looks a lot like the same evil guys in suits that he once fought against #which also reflects some of the themes in s5 more broadly! can they do good while working within evil inc or will they be corrupted etc #plus there's a lot of parallels to what's going on with spike and angel #art

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