Carpe Noctum

Angel Episode Review

In which Angel gets possessed and Fred should probably have stayed in her room.

What Happened

Angel gets body-snatched by an old man, who causes problems during the investigation of a series of murders.

The Good

• "I heard he, like, died." "He, like, did." Angel acts like an actual investigator and comes up with good cover story.
• Angel and Lilah: ick, but interesting in theory. Poor Fred. Her sobbing in the elevator scene was well done.
• At least, Wes and the others figured out what was going on quick enough.
• "I'll tell you why you have a weak heart, Marcus, you never use it." I'm a sucker for the last word.

The Bad

• Go away Gavin. "He might rip your throat out." We wish.
• The first of way too many scenes where old-man-Angel tries to sneak out of the nursing home.
• Cute lines from Cordi and Angel as they discuss who's going to do the investigating at the escort service. Pity Wes and Gunn had to act like such idiots to set up the punch line.
• Wouldn't the staff at the nursing home know if this guy had a son or not? They're not just going to let "Angel" wander in and out like that.

The Cliche

• The Bonehead Stunt: Angel just should not stand there and let someone recite a spell to him. Hello?
• "Talk to Fred." Ah, gender confusion based on someone's name. I saw it coming. You saw it coming. I still laughed.

What Did I Think?

It's nice to see Angel smile and have a fun. David Boreanaz always seems to enjoy wearing the black leather pants in the family. The bit about friends and family is heavy-handed, but season-wise, they need reaffirmation after the conflict of "This Old Gang of Mine." As far as the switch itself goes, while it's important to see Angel try to make contact with his friends, they spend just a little too much time in the nursing home watching him shuffle back and forth.