Ground State

Angel Episode Review

In which Angel meets a cat thief and they pant at each other.

What Happened

A hint from Wesley leads Angel to a mystical "Axis" that can tell him where Cordelia is. Unfortunately, it's been stolen by a beautiful cat thief with the ability to generate electrical shocks from her hands.

The Good

• "Banished to the ocean's depths by your ungrateful snot of a son." Fred's not so perky these days.
• "So, I want you to know we're okay." You might be okay, Angel, but I think Wesley may be still a bit upset about things.
• Dinza was especially cool. All creepy-crawly cool.
• Wes and Lilah are interesting. That particular scene may have included a little too much information, but their twisted relationship is fun to watch.
• "I can smell you and Wesley all over each other." Aw. Angel stole her bombshell. His scene with Lilah, warning her to stay away from Connor, was strong.

The Bad

• Fine. Gwen can't touch people without shocking them. Of course, if they'd given her gloves, she wouldn't have had to take off her mittens to take the little boy's gift.
• It's a good thing I know Gunn'll only be dead for a commercial break, or I'd be upset.
• Angel's sudden heartbeat and his apparently connected need to stick his tongue down Gwen's throat. That was especially pointless.
• Gawd, Cordelia, show up and shut up these mopey bores. "Cordi's in a better place now?" Puh-leeze.

The Cliche

• Gwen's low-cut cat-thief outfit and her determination to have the perfect lipstick on for the heist.

What Did I Think?

I'm ambivalent about Gwen and her cat-thief cat walk. She was pretty much a stock character, though she did a nice, understated, job in the last scene, as she realized that Angel was far more interested in finding Cordi than hanging out with her. It was, however, yet another example of other people saying, "You must love her," while Angel sounded less-than-convinced when he agrees with them.