That Old Gang of Mine
Angel Episode Review
In which Gunn needs new friends.
What Happened
Angel's attempt at rebuilding bridges with Merl ends badly when Merl refuses his apology. So when Merl turns up dead the next day, slaughtered in his lair, Angel investigates. Gunn objects that dead demons are not really their business, but Angel is feeling guilty about how he left things.
Gunn has issues of his own about how he's been neglecting his old friends in order to go dimension-hopping with Angel. Gio, new blood in his old gang, is in his face over Gunn's association with a vampire. Even Gunn's old friend Rondell has noticed that Gunn withdrew after his sister's death.
On the whole "getting to know you" theme, Angel asks Cordelia to spend a little time with Fred, who still hasn't made it outside the hotel. She cajoles the girl into agreeing to a trip to Caritas for some fun.
Funny coincidence. That's where Gio and Rondell and their pals are heading. Gunn, who has decided to tell Wesley he suspects his old friends in the killings, arrives just before they do. Caritas has a spell to prevent demon violence, but that doesn't stop the humans with the machine guns.
After the shooting stops, Rondell is stunned to find Gunn there. Exclaiming that he will see where Gunn's loyalties truly lie, Rondell sends Cordelia to get Angel and bring him back to the club. When Angel arrives, Gunn tells everyone that Angel's not his friend, but he does enough good in the world that Gunn won't kill him.
That's about when Cordelia manages to convince the Furies to lift their protection spell on the club. It's enough for Angel and Gunn to take control after one of the other demons in the room takes Gio's head off.
What We Learned
- Real friends don't need notes.
- They've ruled out suicide.
- This is a situation Gunn might want to rethink.
- You would think the vamps would want to hang in less sunny climes.
- There are shades of grey, and shades of green and sometimes a sickly pink with a tinge of orange.
- Fred's sweet and adorable and seems to be laughing at something that shrub just said.
- There's whole lot of monsters in this room to choose from.
- When the Furies say they want someone "equipped" to pay this debt, they aren't referring to Angel's credit rating.
What Did I Think?
Intense, but a little bit draggy towards the end. And the racism is bad memo? We got it.