The Trial

Angel Episode Review

In which Angel tries to help Darla.

Like that'll turn out well.

What Happened

When Angel finds Darla trying to get someone to turn her back into a vampire, she tells him that she's dying. He pounds down Lindsey's door, and the lawyer affirms that Darla doesn't have long to live.

Angel finds a single chance to save Darla by undergoing a demonic trial. He bests a demon in single combat, makes his way down a sunlit hallway lined with crosses and willingly offers to trade his life for Darla's. In the end, however, they are told that Darla has already had her second chance when Wolfram & Hart brought her back from the dead.

As Angel tells Darla that he won't leave her side, Lindsey shows up with a group of W&H flunkies. They hold Angel down while Drusilla enters and drains Darla - turning her back into a vampire.

What Did I Think?

It's all a big build-up so that we've got even farther to fall when Dru shows up again. They dangle the lure of Darla becoming not only human, but also a good person out there in order to make the audience invest in the character.

Even if you don't care about Darla, Angel has a stake in this beyond just his ex. Darla's chance at being human and happy represents the redemption that is probably not going to happen for him anytime soon. It's like the events of "Judgment:" he gets one more reminder of how unlikely it is that he is going to ever be free of his past. That it is Drusilla, someone else Angel wronged and destroyed, that turns Darla is just adding insult to injury.