The Ring

Angel Episode Review

In which there is a fight.

What Happened

Angel tries to find someone's missing brother, only to be kidnapped himself and forced to fight in underground death matches, until he pulls a Spartacus and stages a revolt.

So What?

Angel is such an action hero; it was only a matter of time before he got mistaken for Gladiator. It's a good old "We don't have to fight each other, but it's okay for us to beat the snot out of the bad guys" story, capped with the cute little moment as Cordelia, Wesley and Angel congratulate themselves on shutting down the ring and freeing all the fighters - all the mean, bloodthirsty demons...

When Wesley first showed up on Buffy he was pretty much worse than useless: simpering, whining, passed out at the first sign of danger. His arrival on Angel, all "rogue demon hunter," wasn't promising. Over time, however, Wes started to develop some confidence and he got the chance to display his intelligence in a way that he never had in Sunnydale. Here, we get to see him acting on his own, independent of Angel, and surprise, surprise - he's actually capable of getting the job done.

We also get the obligatory reminder that Cordelia is Growing as a Person because she's no longer a Poor Little Rich Girl. I appreciate that.