Angel

Angel Episode Review

In which the brow is back.

What Happened

Angel is playing the Wolfram & Hart game pretty well lately, including the part where he helps a demon/Senator use magic to smear her opponent. He's even having racket-ball dates with demons.

Illyria's of the opinion that Angel has been corrupted. Drogyn, the Keeper of the Well where Illyria was imprisoned, thinks she's right, but then Angel sent someone to assassinate him, so he may be biased. Supposedly, Angel was afraid that Drogyn would discover Angel had a hand in Illyria's resurrection.

The assassin said that Angel deliberately sacrificed Fred to get in good with the Black Thorn, a super-secret society that does all the Senior Partners' dirty work. When he's confronted, Angel doesn't go out of his way to deny it.

Hamilton beats Illyria down and takes Drogyn to the Black Thorn. It's Angel's initiation, and to pass he kills Drogyn without hesitation. While that's going on, Wesley suddenly finds his faith in Angel and announces that they are just going to have to save him from himself.

His friends are on Angel when he gets back to W&H. The fight scene is brief, until Angel gets Lorne in a choke-hold. He sets up a glamor and starts explaining that he's been setting this all up along. Cordelia gave him a vision of the Thorn, so he used Fred's death to get in.

The plan: kill them all.

What We Learned

• Now the brow is back.
• Angel should make love on the beach, all by himself.
• Spike should not be suggesting field trips for Illyria.
• Wesley and Illyria are no longer having intercourse.
• Wes senses that suicidal celebrities are beneath Angel's concern.
• Let's put a kibosh on that sentence before it turns into a ass kicking.
• If Angel was Angelus, half of them would already be dead - just for the fun of it.
• Can Lorne not be the poster child for Angel's nervous breakdown?
• Power does traditionally corrupt.
• Typical. Sleep with a guy and he sends your entire family out of the country. No wait. It's not typical at all.
• The game is pointless and annoys Illyria.
• Lindsey doesn't need a reason to lie.

Best Lines

Hamilton: "So, I hear you're living in a tree now."
Drogan: "The tree is the entrance to the Deeper Well. I live in a cave. It's actually quite nice."

What Did I Think?

Fun set-up. Wonder what the real deal was with Drogyn?

In which Fred has Family Issues.

What Happened

Fred's parents come to the hotel looking for her. When she spots them, however, she packs a bag and bolts. Angel and the others are suspicious of Ma and Pa Burkle, but take them along when they go looking for her. Angel goes off on his own to search the sewers, where he attracts the attention of a bug creature.

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.

In which Lilah picks on Cordelia and Darla is still pregnant.

What Happened

Everyone's been worried about Cordelia and the toll that her visions from the Powers That Be are taking on her. Despite downplaying the pain, Cordi is being hit harder and harder each time, and her body is starting to manifest a physical reaction in the form of slashes and scars.