Angel: Season One Overview

ANGEL-
Season Appearances- 22 (A101 +13,  A102 +7,  A103 +6,  A104 +2, A105 +6, A106 +8, A107 +4, A108 +25, A109 +5, A110 +5, A111 +11, A112 +8, A113 +11, A114 +8, A115 +6, A116 +9, A117 +9, A118 +10,  A119 +7,  A120 +8,  A121 +4,  A122 +6)
Season Score- +178 (Average: +8.09)
Overall Appearances- 65
Overall Score- +293 (Average: +4.50)

Angel had a blistering first season as the leader of Buffy’s sister show. While on Buffy, he stalked the shadows and kept his time alone or with Buffy during their tragic romance. He has always been an intriguing character but his place on Buffy never allowed for a huge exploration of his character. Now, as a leader of his own show, his character is now what moves the show forward, his fight to help the helpless and his path toward atonement the motivators. As a character, you wouldn’t immediately think he would make a good lead. Angel’s quiet, dark, broody and stoic. He shuts himself off from the world and doesn’t often open up. How are we to support a character if we can’t get to know his inner workings? But, this opposition to normal ideas of lead characters is what makes Angel intriguing. He is shut off, he is hard to figure and that’s why we watch. Also, because of these attributes, the times we do see Angel act strangely, like dancing or having to act as a normal human are all the more special and entertaining.

His points tally this season is fantastically high, mainly because he has so much screen time, especially since he has only 2 other characters to defer to. Angel virtually is the centre of every episode and his interesting style garners points. As you can see, he starts off well, opening with a huge 13 points, but he is consistently around the 6 point mark throughout the first 6 episodes with the only dip being in I Fall To Pieces. His mid-season is very strong, moving between solid 5’s and great 8’s but his big episode is I Will Remember You, in which we see Angel turn human for an episode. He then finishes just as strongly as before, with varied high scores. So many of his points came from two areas, his strong fighting or his humour, which is much more pronounced than it was on Buffy, mainly because he gets to react to Cordelia, a very funny character to place him with.

Storyline-wise, Angel has fairly basic but large-arcing plots which carry on throughout the entire series. Firstly, Angel’s fight for atonement. Angel has been on this battle since we first seen him. The sins he committed as Angelus are many and Angel, being soul-having feels the need to alleviate his guilt by helping in any way he can. The two major episodes for this idea are I Will Remember You, in which he gets to be human for a day and To Shanshu In L.A, where Angel finds out that he is prophecised to reach his atonement in the future, but this is far off and he still must earn atonement. Since he departed from Sunnydale, he must earn that atonement in Los Angeles, helping the helpless, which is the second major plotline. Angel, as a show, is more of a mystery themed show than Buffy. Angel acts as a investogator who defeats demons and vamps to the benefit of clients, who may or may not pay him. As he becomes more and more powerful in the seedy underground of L.A, the hotshots at Wolfram & Hart, evil’s best law firm, take notice which starts a rivalry that will last 5 seasons. Much of this first season deals with the struggles of attaining clients and his inability to provide a steady income for his business, even though he constantly is helping the helpless.

In a slightly more minor storyline, Angel has to deal with relationships, which is tough for his character. He walked away from Buffy, his true love, because he knew he couldn’t give her the life she deserved. This would leave him alone in a new city, something he was used to. But fate entwined him with Cordelia, the vain, popular girl from Sunnydale who had her fair share of demon experience thanks to her days with the Scoobies. Angel at first has trouble dealing with Cordy, she is his oppposite in everyway, but he values her friendship and manages to get along with her quite well toward the end of this season. His other friend to start off with was like a mentor to him, Doyle. Angel’s connection to the Powers That Be, Doyle was someone Angel could connect with because they both had similar stories and backgrounds…and they are both Irish. Losing Doyle in the ninth episode, Hero, was especially tough for Angel because not only did he lose a good friend, he died for Angel’s atonement, which Angel is always fighting for. Thankfully, Wesley comes along and intergrates himself into the group. Wesley, like Doyle, gets along well with Angel but they will have they’re up’s and down’s during the series.

CORDELIA-
Season Appearances- 22 (A101 +5,  A102 +4,  A103 +3,  A104 +4, A105 +8, A106 +4, A107 +4, A108 +5, A109 +8, A110 +12, A111 +10, A112 +8, A113 +1, A114 +5, A115 +3, A116 +7, A117 +11, A118 +1,  A119 +1,  A120 +2,  A121 /,  A122 +5)
Season Score- +111 (Average: +5.04)
Overall Appearances- 76
Overall Score- +235 (Average: +3.09)

Cordelia has an outstanding season, with a hefty points tally over 100. As a character of Buffy, Cordelia was fairly solid, providing a solid set of humourous lines and moments. Now, on Angel, she gets a chance to shine as a major character instead of a secondary. Cordelia lends herself to good point scoring, because of her humour. She is often the one making the funny quips and getting into humourous conversations with Angel, Doyle or Wesley. Her points tally is also very high because of the amount of screen time she gets in this season, which is very large due to the relatively small cast in this season.

On the whole, Cordelia is very consistent. Her early period in this season is always around the 5’s and 4’s which are solid scores as she establishes herself in the show with her standout episode early on being Rm W/A Vu, the first episode to focus on her.  She then hits a purple patch of episodes which are all brilliant. Hero, Parting Gifts, Somnambulist & Expecting are all around the 8 to 10 mark with her top score of 12 also being reached. Unfortunately, her latter part of the season is fairly lacklustre, with many 1’s dominating the late episodes. The Ring & Eternity offer up some good breaks in the low scores.

As a character, Cordeli doesn’t have incredibly large story arcs, especially in the latter part of the season. In saying that, she does have 2 fairly important plotlines. First, her relationship with Doyle. Cordelia needed a love interest I suppose and Doyle is the interesting choice. Cordelia resists him constantly for many episodes until eventually he starts to break down her walls built when Xander broke her heart. Unfortunately for them, Doyle sacrificed his life right when they decided to have dinner together. And while this shakes up Cordelia, Doyle’s death leaves a more physical impression on Cordelia, he gives her his visions. The visions make Cordelia more than just the vain, quipy foil. She is now a vital part of Angel’s fight for atonement and it also provides a slight change to her personality. Cordelia, much like Willow in Buffy, has become a very important person and will only become more and more important as she goes along in the series.

DOYLE-
Season Appearances- 9 (A101 +4,  A102 +4,  A103 +4,  A104 +4, A105 +3, A106 +3, A107 +5, A108 +2, A109 +15)
Season Score- +44 (Average: +4.88}
Overall Appearances- 9
Overall Score- +44 (Average: +4.88}

Doyle makes such a strong impression on what ends up as a very short stint on Angel. Doyle is such a pivotal character in his nine appearances, that it’s hard to gauge just how good he is. Doyle has such a strong amount of screen time which makes point-scoring a little easier, and his personality is also groomed to score points. Doyle manages to balance between being very funny with Cordelia and providing stability and emotion with Angel. A very balanced character. His short stint is incredibly consistent. He nearly always manages a solid 4 or an OK 3. He never really seems to stand out but is a solid influence on an episode. His big appearance is his last, Hero, where we see Doyle become the hero we never expected to see.

In a similar path to Cordelia, Doyle has two major plotlines: his visions and his relationship with Cordelia. His visions is what makes Doyle of vital importance to Angel. Angel is blind in his fight without him. The visions also provide the opening into Doyle’s background as a man on his own road of redemption. His relationship with Cordelia however is where all his hum our comes from. His an average dude after a stunner and you always root for the underdog. He’s always putting on his homely charms with her, which never succeed and it’s only his bravery which really gets her attention (similarly to relationship with Xander). He does eventually get close to having dinner with his crush but fate intervenes and he passes on his visions to her with his first and last kiss.

WESLEY-
Season Appearances- 13 (A110 +11, A111 +2, A112 +11, A113 +10, A114 +5, A115 /, A116 +8, A117 +6, A118 +2,  A119 +4,  A120 +1,  A121 +1,  A122 +4)
Season Score- +65 (Average: +5)
Overall Appearances- 22
Overall Score- +90 (Average: +4.09)

Wesley has a strong season, helped along by his large amount of screen time. For the most part, he’s up and down. His early episodes are brilliant, Parting Gifts, Expecting & She are all examples of his humour carrying a fairly average episode. It also shows that his goofiness in those early episodes sit real well with me. He settles down a bit in the latter part of the season and his points start to get lower with only The Ring and Eternity standing out from a bunch of varied lower scores. Personally, I like goofy Wes, and his settling down is a bit disappointing for me but he still shows some glimpses of the goof he was in the next season. Wesley doesn’t really have a large story arc, with his integration into Angel’s small group being the only storyline he really has. Apart from that it’s all establishing work about his Father, his relationship with Angel and his feeling of disappointment at his failure as a Watcher. These will all be explored further in later seasons.

LINDSEY-
Season Appearances- 5 (A101 +1, A118 +1,  A119 +2,  A121 +3,  A122 +1)
Season Score- +8 (Average: +1.6)
Overall Appearances- 5
Overall Score- +8 (Average: +1.6)

Lindsey’s opening season is an OK one. He doesn’t become a proper fixture in episodes until Five By Five where he manages to gather at least a point in his five appearances. As one of the 4 Wolfram & Hart lawyers we focus on, Lindsey is the one we focus on the most. He seems to have the only conscience between the lawyers which is why he has a fairly important episodes in Blind Date. A nice mixed villain character to have on Angel and he’ll have a much larger part in season 2.

KATE-
Season Appearances- 9 (A102 +3,  A104 +1, A105 /, A106 +7, A111 +5, A114 /, A115 +6, A119 +1,  A122 /)
Season Score- +23 (Average: +2.55)
Overall Appearances- 9
Overall Score- +23 (Average: +2.55)

Kate has a very solid first season. Points-wise, she is fairly sporadic, with major episodes like Sense & Sensitivity, Somnambulist & The Prodigal mixed in with nothing episodes. As a character, Kate is very interesting. Being a cop, we get to see the law involved in Angel and how that inevitably doesn’t mix with the demon world. Kate is the characterisation of that. She meets Angel in a bar, suspects him of being a murderer then finds out he is a PI, which leads to them working together for a little while, then, Kate eventually finds out what Angel really is and is opened up to a huge world of evil and darkness to which Kate has trouble handling. What I like is that Kate starts off as an ally and due to Angel’s vampirism, she changes to an enemy. I love that concept and it makes Angel’s condition even more strange to deal with. Kate’s main storyline is finding out about Angel’s vampiness but also, she loses her Father, with whom she didn’t have the strongest relationship with, to a pack of vamps, which obviously doesn’t help with the whole ‘demon’ world thing. Kate has another stint in Angel in season two.

OZ-
Season Appearances- 1 (A103 +5)
Season Score- +5 (Average: +5)
Overall Appearances- 32
Overall Score- +92 (Average: +2.87)

The one guest appearance for the Buffy regular. And as a guest, he does a pretty good job of getting a solid points tally. It’s nice to see him react with Angel and Cordelia again, like good ol’ times especially since his personality seems to go along with anyone elses.

SPIKE-
Season Appearances- 1 (A103 +8)
Season Score- +8 (Average: +8}
Overall Appearances- 14
Overall Score- +70 (Average: +5)

Spike makes the one guest appearance along with Oz and does an even better job of making his mark. True, a large chunk of his score comes from the one scene, but I love that scene quite a lot. Still, a strong showing.

PHANTOM DENNIS-
Season Appearances- 4 (A105 +1, A112 +2, A113 +1, A118 +1)
Season Score- +5 (Average: +5)
Overall Appearances- 4
Overall Score- +5 (Average: +5)

Cordelia’s friendly ghost, I like Phantom Dennis, even though he has no lines and you can’t see him. It’s all special effects and the like but he’s still a character that people interact with so he gets points. You really get the feeling that Dennis cares for Cordelia ad often shows that by giving her tissues and the like. It’s nice, supernatural and cool.

BUFFY-
Season Appearances- 2 (A108 +13, A119 +2)
Season Score- +15 (Average: +7.5)
Overall Appearances- 58
Overall Score- +307 (Average: +5.38}

Buffy makes 2 guest appearances on Angel, her only two for the series. Her first is much better than her second, which is mainly because she is happy compared to angry. Her showing in I Will Remember You is incredible for a guest star and it’s mainly because it’s fulfilling every ‘bangel’ shipper’s fantasy by finally having Angel and Buffy together, which is a big moment. It’s a little sad we don’t see Buffy on Angel again but she’s busy on Buffy so it’s ok.

DARLA-
Season Appearances- 3 (A115 +1, A118 +2,  A122 /)
Season Score- +3 (Average: +3)
Overall Appearances- 7
Overall Score- +1 (Average: +0.14)

Darla appears in a few flashbacks of Angel’s where we see her sire Angelus and later when he turns back into Angel. It’s nice to see Darla at these two very important moments in the life of Angel. But the most important thing for her character this season is her return as the thing in Wolfram & Hart’s box and she’ll be back for next season.

LILAH-
Season Appearances- 5 (A116 +1, A118 +2,  A119 +1,  A121 /,  A122 +1)
Season Score- +5 (Average: +1)
Overall Appearances- 5
Overall Score- +5 (Average: +1)

Lilah is Lindsey’s partner in crime. A very sassy, smart and tough lawyer who will play a much bigger role in next season. But this season she makes some small appearances and establishes herself for the audience. Her best episode is Five By Five where she hires Faith to take out Angel.

ANGELUS-
Season Appearances- 4 (A111 /, A115 +2, A117 +4, A118 /)
Season Score- +6 (Average: +1.5)
Overall Appearances- 14
Overall Score- +30 (Average: +2.14)

Angelus appears, for the most part, in flashbacks. He does get the one normal appearance in Eternity due to a drug, which was cool, but mostly it’s the history of Angelus that we see.

FAITH-
Season Appearances- 2 ( A118 +9,  A119 +4)
Season Score- +13 (Average: +6.5)
Overall Appearances- 15
Overall Score- +29 (Average: +1.93)

Faith makes two vital appearances which ends up being very memorable for this season. Her first ep is Five By Five where she is L.A to take down Angel. Then, Sanctuary is where Faith, with Angel’s mentoring, turns herself into the police. What’s memorable about this is that we see a vital character in Season three of Buffy continue a very important arc on Angel, which is nearly as important as her original appearance. Thankfully, this isn’t the last we see of Faith as she becomes important in both series later on.

GUNN-
Season Appearances- 3 (A120 +4,  A121 +3, A122 /)
Season Score- +7 (Average: +2.33)
Overall Appearances- 3
Overall Score- +7 (Average: +2.33)

Gunn’s first season isn’t really a season, it’s more like an audition for his upcoming role as regular on Angel for the next 4 seasons. As the street tough vampire hunter, he provides an edge and grit to the series and that’s a good. His best showing is in War Zone, where he first shows up and we get a real close look at how he lives. It’s a nice showing and his next is also but it’s all pretty basic stuff until next season where we’ll see more of Gunn.

DAVID NABBIT-
Season Appearances- 2 (A120 +2,  A122 /)
Season Score- +2 (Average: +1)
Overall Appearances- 2
Overall Score- +2 (Average: +1)

Nabbit is really not much of a character. He’s an ultra-rich computer geek who ends up needing Angel’s help. For some reason, I find him funny and he makes a few appearances so he gets points.

HOLLAND MANNERS-
Season Appearances- 2 (A121 +3,  A122 /)
Season Score- +3 (Average: +1.5)
Overall Appearances- 2
Overall Score- +3 (Average: +1.5)

The boss of Wolfram & Hart’s Special Projects Division and supervisor to Lindsey and Lilah. He makes a solid showing in his first episode where we see just how ruthless and merciless he can be. I like him, he plays a nice role and is what you’d expect from a lawyer, cool, calm, collected and prepared to rip your heart out.

EPISODE RANKING-
These rankings are based on total character points for each episode, this doesn’t reflect which episode is the best, although it gives you an indication.

1. A108  I Will Remember You +45
2. A117 Eternity +30
3. A112 Expecting +29
4. A109 Hero +28
5. A110 Parting Gifts +28
6. A118 Five By Five +28
7. A111 Somnambulist +28
8. A103 In The Dark +26
9. A116 The Ring +25
10. A101 City Of +23
11. A119 Sanctuary +22
12. A106 Sense & Sensitivity +22
13. A113 She +22
14. A102 Lonely Hearts +18
15. A114 I’ve Got You Under My Skin +18
16. A105 Rm W/A Vu +18
17. A115 The Prodigal +18
18. A122 To Shanshu In L.A +17
19. A120 War Zone +15
20. A121 Blind Date +14
21. A107  Bachelor Party +13
22. A104 I Fall To Pieces +11

EPISODE THOUGHT RECOUNT-
B301: 89
B302: 73
B303: 85.5
B304: 62
B305: 76
B306: 71
B307: 57
B308: 100
B309: 89
B310: 82.5
B311: 87
B312: 69
B313: 61
B314: 74.5
B315: 77
B316: 75.5
B317: 77
B318: 92
B319: 78.5
B320: 66
B321: 68
B322: 82.5

Season Score- 77 (Not an average)

SEASON THOUGHTS-

This is a strange season for me. It sort of tries to establish itself away from the Buffy model and ultimately ends up back as a sister show of Buffy, which I think is for the best. Many of the episodes are stand alone stories involving different demons and clients with Angel having to defeat them with the help of Cordy and Doyle/Wesley. It’s not a bad start and it feels very different at first. It’s all very mysterious and new compared to what we were used to on Buffy. But this ultimately hurts this season because there is no seasonal story arc, it just follows the lives of Angel and co. as they help the helpless and without the big demon to battle at the end  it all feels disjointed. In saying that, Wolfram & Hart is established which will virtually be the big bad for the whole series so that’s good. Character-wise, things are solid. Angel is brilliant and leads the show fantastically, Cordelia also is marvellous while Wesley and Doyle both are great. The sheer amount of screen time these guys had contributed to their large points tallies but I like the small cast, it lets you really dig into each character. Minor characters such as Gunn, Lindsey and Lilah are also introduced for the coming seasons. This season also has quite a few guest apperances. Oz, Spike, Buffy and Faith all make very important showings in their separate episodes. Episode-wise, the only classic episode is I Will Remember You, where Angel turns human and Buffy comes to visit, but there’s a bunch of strong episodes such as: City Of, Hero, Parting Gifts, Five By Five, Somnambulist & To Shanshu In L.A. Unfortuantely, there’s also a fair few pretty average episodes which evens the season out. In saying that though, I still love this season and enjoy watching it. Maybe, like Buffy Season two, it’s got a simplicity which I favour but as a whole, it’s a decent season for the series to build upon.

A122- To Shanshu In L.A

Written by: David Greenwalt.
Cast: David Boreanaz, Charisma Carpenter, Alexis Denisof, Julie Benz, Elisabeth Rohm, Lindsey McDonald, Lilah Morgan, Sam Anderson, David Herman & J. August Richards.

Wesley continues to try to decipher the text of The Prophecies of Aberjian (part of which is the Shanshu Prophecy). When he deciphers the crucial word “shanshu” as “death”, he surmises that means Angel will die. The lawyers at Wolfram & Hart call forth a warrior of the underworld named Vocah to perform a Raising. Cordelia has a vision that sends Angel on his way to help a homeless woman fighting a slime demon. Kate arrives on the scene after Angel has defeated it, and she is determined to rid the city of vampires.

Wesley and Cordelia discuss how Angel is cut off from life, and decide he needs a hobby. Then Vocah, after killing the oracle, follows Cordelia, and inundates her with hundreds upon hundreds of visions; she collapses to the ground in agony. Angel reads up on the scrolls while the cloaked figure makes his way into the apartment. Angel locks the scroll away, and then leaves after getting a call about Cordelia. At the hospital, Cordelia is suffering, and the doctors are unable to save her and Angel is horrified by what is happening to his friend. Wesley returns to the apartment just in time to see a bomb was left in place of the scroll. Angel approaches the office building just as it explodes into a fiery blaze. Angel searches through the wreckage and finds that Wesley is still alive but badly hurt. Kate confronts Angel, but with his friends in serious conditions, he’s not in the mood to take any of her hostile attitude toward him and after telling her that he’s more than happy to oblige if she wants to be enemies, goes with Wesley to the hospital.

Angel goes to see Cordelia, now in a catatonic state. He promises her that he’s going to help her, and then finds a symbol on Cordelia’s hand, and goes to the Oracles of Powers That Be for help. He finds them dead, but the spirit of the female Oracle gives him instruction. He needs the scrolls, specifically the words of Anatole that will save Cordelia and points him in the direction of Wolfram & Hart. Angel is now on a mission, but won’t make the mistake of leaving his friends unprotected again and asks Gunn to stand guard at the hospital while he goes to hunt down Vocah. Vocah reads from the scrolls while sacrificing five vampires that are chained to a large cage. Angel watches as the Wolfram & Hart lawyers leave to attend the Raising ritual.

Angel crashes the party and goes into a battle with Vocah. Lindsey picks up where Vocah left off and continues the ritual. His chanting kills the five vampires chained to the cage and then Holland orders the cage removed. In the end, Angel kills Vocah, and then faces Lindsey for the scroll. Lindsey tells Angel that the key to defeating the vampire with a soul is to cut off his connections to the Powers That Be and starts to burn the scroll. However rather than let Cordelia’s only hope burn, Angel cuts off Lindsey’s right hand and takes the scroll.

Wesley reads the word of Anatole and Cordelia is unbound from Vocah’s evil doings. After seeing so many visions, Cordelia realizes how many people out there need their help. At her apartment (and the temporary headquarters for Angel Investigations), Cordelia feeds Wesley and Angel, showing them her new, kinder side. Wesley discovers that the prophecy means that Angel will become human once he has fulfilled his duties. The lawyers go check on the cage, and Lilah looks inside, revealing a terrified Darla.

From: Wikipedia

ANGEL – (+6)

• +1/ Not exactly caring that the Shanshu prophecy tells of his death. Does this mean that Angel is not afraid of death, or that he just doesn’t have anything to care for anymore which really is the basis of this episode. Angel finds out that he does have things to live for, his friends.
• +1/ Telling off Kate after the attack made on him by Vocah-
  Kate: Never a dull moment with you around, is there.
  Angel: I have to go.
  Kate: Who the hell do you think you are?  You are a major witness to a major crime scene.  You are not going anywhere.
  Angel: You want to try and stop me, Kate?
  Kate: I’m glad we are not playing friends anymore.  And I’m real sick and tired of your attitude.  There is a thing called the law!
  Angel: This isn’t about the law, this is about a little thing – called life.  Now I’m sorry about your father.  But I didn’t kill your father.  And I’m sick and tired of you blaming me – for everything you can’t handle!  You want to be enemies?  Try me.
• +1/ Going to the hospital to see Cordy and declaring his need for her, it’s nice to see Angel show some emotion and show that he cares deeply for both Cordy and Wes.
• +1/ Defeating Vocah, fairly good fight too, especially since they use awesome looking sickles.
• +1/ Cutting off Lindsey’s hand to save the prophecy.
• +1/ Actually being happy that the prophecy actually predicts his turning into a human, a ray of light for Angel to aim for.

CORDELIA- (+5)

• +1/ Wanting Wesley to read her future with the Shanshu scroll-
  Wesley: This word is pivotal to what it prophesies about the vampire with a soul.
  Cordelia: Well, hurry up and figure out what it says about Angel, because – I wanna know what it says about me.  If there is torrid romance in my future – massive wealth?  If I have to I’ll settle for enviable fame.
  Wesley: This is an ancient sacred text, not a magic eight ball.
  Cordelia: Nobody gets my humor.
  Angel: I thought it was funny.
• +1/ Finding out about Angel’s death in the prophecy and taking the opportunity to ask for a raise (see Wesley point 2).
• +1/ Discussing Angel’s lack of desires and needs, this worries both Wes and her (see Wes point 3).
• +1/ Trying to get Angel to want things, you gotta love her for trying-
  Angel: Morning.
  Cordelia: Morning. – Want some coffee?
  Angel: No, thanks.
  Cordelia: How about a doughnut?  Chocolate…
  Angel: No.
  Cordelia: Creamy fillings?
  Angel: (laughs a little as he looks at her)  No.  I don’t want anything.  (Cordelia makes a sound and looks at Wesley)  Am I supposed to know what this is about?
  Wesley: We – were just discussing how – you don’t – want that many things.
  Cordelia: You’re cut off.  But don’t worry, I’m gonna help you with that.
  Angel: Oh.  Good.
  Cordelia: “We’ll start small.  Keep it simple.  -  How would you like a puppy?  (Angel just looks at her)  Right.  -  A Ficus?  They’re low maintenance.  -  Ant farm?
• +1/ The emergence of a new Cordy after her hospital visit due to the constant visions caused by Vocah. It has made her realize how many people are in need of help, thankfully, she hasn’t changed completely and still shows signs of her normal self-
  Cordelia: I know what’s out there now.  We have a lot of evil to fight, a lot of people to help.  -  I just hope skin and bones here and figure out what those lawyers raised *sometime* before the prophecy kicks in and – you croak.  -  That was the old me, wasn’t it?
  Angel: I like them both.

WESLEY- (+4)

• +1/ Trying to translate the Shanshu prophecy, only to have Cordelia disturb him with silly things (see Cordelia point 1).
• +1/ Finally translating the prophecy and being a little concerned about Angel’s lack of reaction to the news of his impending death-
  Wesley: Death.
  Cordelia: But you said it was all about the vampire with the soul.  (Wesley looks at her then they both look at Angel, who is reading his book as if he hadn’t even heard Wesley)  Angel is going to die?
  Angel: (glances up) Oh.  Anything else?
  Cordelia: He certainly took that well. – Is this that opportune time to talk about my raise?
  Wesley: It’s probably years off – ah, after the coming battles.
  Cordelia: My raise?
  Wesley: Apocalyptic prophecies aren’t exactly a science.  And-and I could be way off the mark, so – no reason to be concerned.
  Angel: (never looking up from his book)  Hmm.
  Wesley: So it’s good you’re not concerned.  -  Not – even remotely concerned.
• +1/ Telling Cordelia about Angel’s lack of desires-
  Wesley: The fact that his death is prophesied – which isn’t good news – doesn’t concern me nearly as much as the way he took that news.
  Cordelia: What?  He didn’t scream like a girl as some of us would have? Angel’s cool.
  Wesley: Angel’s cut off.  Death doesn’t bother him because – there is nothing in life he wants!  It’s our desires that make us human.
  Cordelia: (eating her doughnut)  Angel is kind of human. – He’s got a soul.
  Wesley: He’s got a soul – but he’s not a part of the world.  He-he can never be part of the world.
  Cordelia: Because he doesn’t want stuff? – That’s ridiculous.  (Wesley takes her doughnut away from her)  Hey!  I want that!
  Wesley: What connects us to life?
  Cordelia: Right now?  I’m going with doughnuts.
  Wesley: What connects us to life is the simple truth that we are part of it.  -  We live, we grow, we change.  -  But Angel…
  Cordelia: Can’t do any of those things.  -  Well, what are you saying – that Angel has nothing to look forward to?  That he going to go on forever, in the world, but always cut off from it?
  Wesley: Yes.
  Cordelia: Well, that sucks!  We’ve got to do something.  We’ve got to help him.
• +1/ Realizing his mistake with the Shanshu prophecy, a bit un-Wesley like but humourous nonetheless.

LILAH – (+1)

• +1/ Reminding Lindsey of what happens to failures at Wolfram & Hart, I like that they’re playful together.

LINDSEY – (+1)

• +1/ Finishing the ritual so that W & H get their ‘beast’.

SEASON OVERALL-

ANGEL- +178
CORDELIA- +111
WESLEY- +65
DOYLE- +44
KATE- +23
BUFFY- +15
FAITH- +13
SPIKE- +8
LINDSEY- +8
GUNN- +7
ANGELUS- +6
OZ- +5
PHANTOM DENNIS- +5
LILAH- +5
DARLA- +3
HOLLAND MANNERS- +3
DAVID NABBIT- +2

OVERALL COUNT-

BUFFY- +307
ANGEL- +293
CORDELIA- +235
OZ- +92
WESLEY- +90
SPIKE- +70
DOYLE- +44
ANGELUS- +30
FAITH- +29
KATE- +23
LINDSEY- +8
GUNN- +7
PHANTOM DENNIS- +5
LILAH- +5
HOLLAND MANNERS- +3
DAVID NABBIT- +2
DARLA- +1

EPISODE THOUGHTS-

A pretty strong season finale. There is nothing especially brilliant but everything is done really well and the episode is very entertaining all the way through. Angel is solid and Cordelia and Wesley are strong also, especially in their discussions about Angel’s lack of desires. Wolfram & Hart have their place in the episode and it’s good to see Lilah, Lindsey and Holland but they don’t have a big part to play. Interestingly, Vocah is a nice episodic villain, a big dark opposite to Angel. I liked the attack on Cordy and how that stimulates Angel’s attack on W & H. Good stuff.

82.5/100

A121- Blind Date

Written by: Jeannine Renshaw.
Cast: David Boreanaz, Charisma Carpenter, Alexis Denisof, Lindsey McDonald, Lilah Morgan, Sam Anderson & J. August Richards.

Angel encounters a blind woman, who throws him against a wall and easily fights off his punches before slipping off. When he returns to Angel Investigations, Cordelia looks up “blind woman murder” on the Internet and discovers a blind woman named Vanessa Brewer has been arrested for fleeing the scene of a homicide and assault, and is currently on trial for her suspected role in a homicide. Cordelia also discovers Wolfram & Hart is representing Vanessa pro bono, so she’s probably working for them in some capacity.

In court, Lindsey argues that Vanessa’s disability absolves her from suspicion. Angel enters and tosses Vanessa’s glasses at her, and when she immediately catches them, the courtroom reacts. Still, Vanessa is acquitted. Later, after Holland Manners congratulates Lindsey for doing well in court, he discusses the hardships Lindsey has faced over the past year, namely the poor decision to send Faith after Angel. Holland says Lindsey won’t be happy until he figures out his place in the world. The conversation turns back to Vanessa, whom Holland hints has been hired to assassinate several children.

At the office, Wesley explains Vanessa can see outside of the spectrum of normal human sight. Angel is upset that Vanessa was acquitted and he can’t do anything about it. He’s angry that Wolfram & Hart has made up their own rules. He tells Wesley he remembers living in a world like Wolfram & Hart’s, where there’s only power and no consequences. He misses the clarity involved and laments that nothing ever changes. Lindsey suddenly arrives and tells Angel that he needs his help: “I want out.” Lindsey explains he grew up in abject poverty, and decided he would become powerful to keep things being taken away from him – which was why he joined Wolfram & Hart. Angel is uninterested in Lindsey’s life story until Lindsey tells him that Vanessa has been hired to assassinate children. Angel tells him that he’ll need information that Lindsey will have to take from Wolfram & Hart. Lindsey doesn’t want to go back, since people there are under constant surveillance, but goes to prove to Angel that he really wants to change. Later, the group plans Angel and Lindsey’s break-in at Wolfram & Hart. Lindsey decides to use his own pass to get into the building, then leave the pass for Angel to use to get into a demon-guarded vault. Lindsey suddenly remembers the firm’s vampire alarms, which will go off as soon as Angel arrives at the building. That night, Angel meets with Gunn, who agrees to help him.

The next day at Wolfram & Hart, Lindsey runs into Lilah Morgan, who is surprised to see him heading towards a records room. Once she’s gone, he leaves his security pass under a fire extinguisher then heads back upstairs as Angel waits for the right time to move. Gunn steps into the lobby carrying a large bundle, and elsewhere Angel enters the building. As the vampire alarms go off, Gunn cuts the cord holding the bundle, revealing a vampire inside. Security guards chase the vampire and stake him, as Angel grabs Lindsey’s security pass and uses it to enter the vault. He takes CDs labeled “restricted access” and, on a whim, grabs a tube covered with symbols. This activates another alarm and drops a grate over the door to the vault. Angel is able to make it under the grate before he’s trapped inside. On his way back to the sewer, he calls Lindsey and tells him that he’s done and that Lindsey should get out. Lindsey tries to avert some security guards but soon realizes that they’re everywhere. Lilah tells him that there’s a sweep, and Lindsey sees Holland leading two mind-readers into an office.

A handful of lawyers are lined up for the mind-readers to read. Lindsey fears that he’s been caught, but Holland announces that Lee has been in secret meetings with clients and is shot in the head for his troubles. Holland dismisses the others, asking Lindsey to stay behind. Holland asks Lindsey if he’s scared; Lindsey admits that he is. Holland says that’s understandable, since he went to Angel for help, stole from the vault, tried to sabotage a case, and lied about everything. Lindsey says that he didn’t want to lie or betray the firm, he just wanted to leave. Holland says that few men make their own destinies, but those who do “have the courage of their convictions, and they know how to behave in a crisis.” He thinks that Lindsey has what it takes to be one of those men, but he still doesn’t know where he belongs. Holland decides not to have Lindsey killed, instead giving him a few days to figure out what he wants to do.

Angel returns to his office and is surprised that Lindsey isn’t already there. Cordelia asks if Angel is going to go back for him, but he says that there’s no reason to, since he already did his job. Wesley finds the tube in Angel’s briefcase and finds a roll of parchment inside. He asks why Angel took it and Angel admits that he’s not sure. Wesley says that he’ll translate the ancient Aramaic on the parchment, but Cordelia discovers that first they’ll have to translate the encrypted disks. Cordelia calls Willow for help decrypting the disks (Willow has also been decrypting all day). The decrypted information reveals Vanessa blinded herself when she was 21, then trained with a group of monks who believed that “enlightenment is seeing with the heart, not the mind.” Vanessa is supposed to kill three children – blind seers considered a powerful triumvirate. Angel instructs Cordelia and Wesley to intercept the mentor who’s supposed to meet with the children. Vanessa arrives at a safehouse, killing the man guarding the children with her cane. Angel tells Lindsey to get the kids out. Vanessa fights them both, but Angel eventually grabs her cane and drops her with it. During the fight, it is revealed that Vanessa is only able to see objects in motion, a weakness which Angel exploits in order to defeat her. Later, back at the office, Wesley tells Angel the parchment he stole from Wolfram & Hart contains the Prophecies of Aberjian (referred to later as the Shanshu Prophecy), which mentions a vampire with a soul. Wesley tells Angel that he may not know what his place is in the chaos, but he belongs somewhere in there.

Lindsey returns to Wolfram & Hart with the disks Angel stole and apologizes to Holland, saying he did what he needed to. Holland proclaims his rescue of the children “noble” and notes that Lindsey probably made copies of what was on the disks. Lindsey says that he wants his own life, but Holland tells him that “we’re all part of something larger.” He tells Lindsey that he handpicked him to join the firm because he saw potential in him. “It’s not about good or evil – it’s about who wields the most power,” Holland announces. Lindsey stood up to the firm and won, and Holland wants him to stay with them. In fact, he’s giving Lindsey his own job, since Holland is getting a promotion. He tells Lindsey that it’s his choice, then leaves. Lindsey stays put, looking out the window at the city lights as Angel does the same thing elsewhere.

From: Wikipedia

ANGEL- (+4)

• +1/ Upset that he cannot gain any ground on Wolfram & Hart-
  Angel: How am I supposed to fight evil if they won’t even put it behind bars?
  Cordelia: It’s not your fault.
  Angel: No, it’s not my fault.  -  I-I didn’t cause it, and I can’t fix it.  I can’t do anything about it.  -  Well, she’s guilty. – She’s guilty and- and they let her go.  She murdered a man right in front of me and I can’t even testify to that fact in a court of law.
  Cordelia: Well, maybe in night court you could…
  Angel: It’s their court room, not mine.
  Cordelia: Whose?
  Angel: Their rules, their game.
  Cordelia: Oh, you mean the Wolfram and Hart types.
  Angel: I have no place in their world at all.
  Wesley: Angel.
  Angel: How am I expected to do battle if I can’t even get into the ring?
  Wesley: You have a place, Angel.  Our battle will be fought elsewhere.
  Angel: It’s still their world, Wesley.  Structured for power – not truth.  -  It’s their system, and it’s one that works.  -  It works because – there is no guilt – there is no torment, no consequences.  -  It’s pure.  -  I remember what that was like.  -  Sometimes I miss that clarity.
• +1/ Defeating the Wolfram & Hart guard demon with Wesley’s powder, probably his easiest victory.
• +2/ Using a really cool technique, reminiscent of Buffy in Out Of Mind, Out Of Sight, to defeat Vanessa, the ultra dangerous blind lady. The stop start fighting added a strange dynamic to the battle and made it quite entertaining, also showed Angel’s ability to adapt.

WESLEY- (+1)

• +1/ Reminding Angel that he has a part to play in the world, it’s good to see Wes used as a stabiliser.

GUNN- (+3)

• +1/ Needing Angel’s mission to be extremely dangerous for him to be interested, now that’s a fun man to be around.
• +2/ his distraction in the W & H lobby, a very funny scene-
  “Whoo-whoo!  My god!  They told me it was true, but I didn’t believe them.  Damn, here it is!  Evil white folks really do have a Mecca. Now, now, girls, don’t get all riled up. OW!  Did you just step on my foot? (The nearest guard is still at least 8 feet away from him)  Is that my foot you just stepped on?  Are you assaulting me – up in this haven of justice? Somebody get me a lawyer – because my civil rights have seriously been violated.  -  Oh, I get it, I get it.  You all can cater to the demon, cater to the dead man, but what about the black man!”

LINDSEY- (+3)

• +1/ Being apprehensive about defending Vanessa. I like that Lindsey seems to have a conscience buried in him somewhere.
• +1/ Discussing his life story to an uninterested Angel, gives him a little depth.
• +1/ Deciding to help Angel stop Vanessa and W & H, he even gets into the fight with Vanessa.

HOLLAND MANNERS- (+3)

• +2/ Holland Manners is very interesting. He shows some brilliant brutality when he offs Lee Mercer for talking with an opposing firm but shows mercy to Lindsey who conspired with Angel. He has a very calm demeanor which makes him a little creepy and surprisingly powerful.
• +1/ Actually giving Lindsey a raise for pulling off a victory against him, what a strange villain.

SEASON OVERALL-

ANGEL- +172
CORDELIA- +106
WESLEY- +61
DOYLE- +44
KATE- +23
BUFFY- +15
FAITH- +13
SPIKE- +8
GUNN- +7
LINDSEY- +7
ANGELUS- +6
OZ- +5
PHANTOM DENNIS- +5
LILAH- +4
DARLA- +3
HOLLAND MANNERS- +3
DAVID NABBIT- +2

OVERALL COUNT-

BUFFY- +307
ANGEL- +287
CORDELIA- +230
OZ- +92
WESLEY- +86
SPIKE- +70
DOYLE- +44
ANGELUS- +30
FAITH- +29
KATE- +23
GUNN- +7
LINDSEY- +7
PHANTOM DENNIS- +5
LILAH- +4
HOLLAND MANNERS- +3
DAVID NABBIT- +2
DARLA- +1

EPISODE THOUGHTS-
Another pretty average episode. It’s all very basic stuff. Angel isn’t quite as good as he usually is, he lacks some of the humour and general good guy stuff were used to. Wes and Cordy do virtually nothing and Gunn and Lindsey are given some good stuff but nothing spectacular. We’re introduced to Manners who’s not a bad character so that’s an up. The plot is fairly basic again, the blind assassin is fairly interesting but she’s not really made too much of with most of the story focused on Lindsey and the heist which is pretty standard fair anyway.

68/100

A120- War Zone

Written by: Gary Campbell.
Cast: David Boreanaz, Charisma Carpenter, Alexis Denisof, David Herman & J. August Richards.

A girl named Alonna walks down the street, followed by a group of vampires. When the vampires turn around, Alonna’s brother Gunn and many others are there, armed and ready for a fight. Several are killed on both sides and in the end the vampires run off leaving the humans to deal with the wounded.

Cordelia, Wesley and Angel meet multi-billionaire and prospective client David Nabbit at a party, who explains he is being blackmailed by Lenny Edwards for going to a demonic specialty club called Madam Dorion’s. Angel tracks down Lenny Edwards, and makes him promise he will hand over the incriminating photos the following night. Gunn, after receiving news that a vampire is near by, witnesses Angel intimidating Edwards from afar, and plots to kill Angel. David pays Angel Investigations with a very large check, and promises more when the job is done.

The next night, Angel meets with Lenny, who brought the photos and a demon security guard. Angel kills the demon and gets away with the photos. However, he gets staked in the chest by a couple of the human gang members. He is chased and forced to run through a gauntlet of vampire killing weapons. When confronted by Gunn and the others, Angel tries to explain that he is fighting for good.

Cordelia dresses Angel’s wounds while they look at the graphic pictures that were being held for blackmail. Angel’s still in pain, but goes off to find the nest of vampires before the gang of kids find it. Gunn questions Angel and his motivations for supposedly helping them. The vampires throw smoke bombs into the humans’ hideaway, forcing them to escape to the surface. Covered in heavy clothes and wearing gas masks, the vampires capture several of the teen gang members, including Alonna.

Angel offers his assistance to Gunn and the others, but Gunn refuses and locks Angel in a meat locker. Angel tries to punch his way out of the locker, only to have Cordelia and Wesley open the door for him. Searching for the vampire’s lair, Gunn finds a newly undead Alonna, but at first can’t bring himself to kill what used to be his sister. When she offers to make her brother a vampire, he stakes her.

Angel kills the vampire gang leader and arranges a truce with the rest of the group: he’ll allow them to live if they leave town and never return. Cordelia considers getting involved with David for his money, but ends up talking herself out of it. Angel tells Gunn he may need his help in the future.

From: Wikipedia

ANGEL- (+8}

• +1/ Remarking upon the fact that Cordelia has a knack for smelling out cash, it’s nice to see that Angel has some fun sometimes-
  Cordelia: Oh, I miss that smell!
  Wesley: Camembert, I believe.
  Cordelia: What?  No – money – I like the smell of a little money once in a while.
  Angel: She’s not just saying that.  Hide some in the office sometime to watch her.  It’s uncanny.
• +1/ His intimidation of the guy blackmailing Nabbit-
  Lenny: What do you want?
  Angel: Big question.  What do I want?  (Thinks)  Love – family – a place on this planet I can call my own – but you know what?
  Lenny: What?
  Angel: I’m never going to have any of those things.  -  And unless these next few minutes go exactly the way I want them to, neither are you.  -  Where are the pictures of David Nabbit?
  Lenny: Never heard of him.
  Angel: Oh-ho, you only get one lie.  I probably should have mentioned that first.
• +1/ Angel defeating Lenny’s hired demon, you can’t just strong-arm the Dark Avenger.
• +2/ Surviving Gunn’s traps and then saving Alonna from a crossbow bolt with his awesome reflexes, that’s the second time he’s done that in like three episodes.
• +1/ Continuing his tirade on mobile phones-
  Cordelia: They locked you in, huh?
  Angel: No.  I just love old meat lockers.
  Wesley: You should’ve tried to call us on your cell phone.  -  You probably forgot you had it.
  Angel takes his cell phone out and looks at it.
  Angel: These things hardly ever work.  Besides it was a lot easier and quicker to just (mimes punching a hole and grimaces, shaking his hand) – Look, I’m the boss here, I say when we use the cell phones and people are gonna die and – I have to go.
• +1/ Stopping the war between Gunn and the local vamps by using intimidation and, surprisingly, his name. Telling someone your Angelus does have quite an effect.
• +1/ His last conversation with Gunn, where Angel makes himself an ally-
  Gunn: What are you doing here?
  Angel: Skulking – professionally.
  Gunn: Look, I’m glad for what you did, okay?  But I don’t need no Guardian Angel, and I don’t need no talking to.  It’s not gonna change the way things are down here, man.  They’re gonna keep coming, and we’re gonna keep fighting.
  Angel: I know.
  Gunn: That’s it?  You ain’t gonna talk *at* me, – be all daddy-figure?
  Angel: What am I gonna tell you – that you haven’t already learned?
  Gunn: I killed her.
  Angel: You didn’t.
  Gunn: Near enough.  -  She was the reason, man.  -  How come you do it?  How come you’re out here?
  Angel: What else are we gonna do?  -  I’ll be around.
  Gunn: I don’t need no help.
  Angel: I might.

CORDELIA- (+2)

• +1/ Discussing with Wesley her ability to see what she wants to see out of life (see Wesley point 1).
• +1/ Thinking she should prostitute herself to the billionaire David Nabbit, a very Cordelia-esque idea, thankfully, she decides not to-
  Wesley: Well, it certainly gives one a sense of perspective, doesn’t it?
  Cordelia: Yes, it does.  -  And I think, prespectively speaking, I might want to – prostitute myself to billionaire David Nabbit.
  Wesley: (chokes) Cordelia.
  Cordelia: What I mean is – he’s a nice guy who wants companionship.  I could use some security.  So when I say ‘prostitute’ what I mean is..
  Wesley: Prostitute.
  Cordelia: For instance.
  Wesley: Do you think you really could?
  Cordelia: I don’t know.  -  I could probably learn to love him.  Looks aren’t everything – or chemistry – personality, that’s important.  And except for a lot of other – It’s not what’s on the outside that – Yeah.  Never mind. – I’m *fine* here. – Poor – alone.

WESLEY- (+1)

• +1/ Using Cordelia’s ability to see what she wants to see to get her to do work, clever Wes-
  Cordelia: You know – there is nothing like riding in a convertible – with the top down to make you see the sun and the sand (Wesley stops the car and scans the area through a pair of binoculars) Mmm – smell that salt air!
  Wesley: That’s not salt.
  Cordelia: I don’t think it’s *air* either, – but reality is a choice, Wesley.  You see what you wanna see and I see what I wanna see.
  Wesley: A man exiting an alley pushing a shopping cart.
  Cordelia: (leaning back with her eyes closed)  No – I see a very tan life-guard type with large…
  Wesley: No, over there. (Cordy looks)  These kids must have got electricity into their building.  They might have tapped into one of the power lines and run it illegally.  If I could spot the tap, that would tell us where their hide-out is.  You go ask this gentleman if he’s seen anyone that fits the description of our young vampire killers, while I check the power line for any taps.
  Cordelia: Uh, why don’t you ask him and I check for taps?
  Wesley: Because – you can imagine him as a scantily clad, buff, young stud, while I am stuck with the naked truth.

GUNN- (+4)

• +1/ His introduction is really pretty cool. I like the introduction of a normal human who’s a street smart fighter that adds a little strength to the group. He also acts as a sort of counter to Angel, a rougher, grittier balance to Angel’s dark broody side.
• +2/ Having to stake his own sister, what a tough moment for Gunn and  his performance makes you really feel for him. That one scene also adds some meat onto the skeleton of Gunn’s character and gives us some things bring into the group dynamic.
• +1/ Talking with Angel about their fight (see Angel point 7).

DAVID NABBIT- (+2)

• +2/ I have a strange habit of laughing at David Nabbit, maybe it’s because he’s so pathetic-
  Cordelia: Oh my god, is that Welling Harding?
  Nabbit: I – I – I have no idea.  I don’t know most of – these people.  I – I don’t even talk to them.  They come to the party.  I – I think they have fun. (Offers them some appetizers) These are crab.
  Angel: If this is a bad time we…
  Nabbit: Oh, uhm, Miss Chase said that you could – only meet at night.
  Angel: Yeah, it’s more convenient…
  Nabbit: And – and that we’d be less conspicuous during the party. I mean, I think it’s good!  We probably won’t be interrupted. – Well, I-I’ve always said that I would make a billion dollars in the Software market and, uh, learn to talk to girls.  -  Still working on step two.

SEASON OVERALL-

ANGEL- +168
CORDELIA- +106
WESLEY- +60
DOYLE- +44
KATE- +23
BUFFY- +15
FAITH- +13
SPIKE- +8
ANGELUS- +6
OZ- +5
PHANTOM DENNIS- +5
GUNN- +4
LILAH- +4
LINDSEY- +4
DARLA- +3
DAVID NABBIT- +2

OVERALL COUNT-

BUFFY- +307
ANGEL- +283
CORDELIA- +230
OZ- +92
WESLEY- +85
SPIKE- +70
DOYLE- +44
ANGELUS- +30
FAITH- +29
KATE- +23
PHANTOM DENNIS- +5
LILAH- +4
LINDSEY- +4
GUNN- +4
DAVID NABBIT- +2
DARLA- +1

EPISODE THOUGHTS-
A pretty average episode. The plot is fairly interesting but is let down by slow pacing and lack of a dangerous villain. Gunn has some cool moments but his first episode is allright at best, he gets better as he goes. The Alonna moment where Gunn has to stake her is pretty powerful and is probably the best part of the episode. David Nabbit is funny and adds some humour to the pretty serious plot. Angel is fairly strong while Cordy and Wes have some OK moments.

66/100

A119- Sanctuary

Written by: Tim Minear & Joss Whedon.
Cast: David Boreanaz, Charisma Carpenter, Alexis Denisof, Elisabeth Rohm, Christian Kane, Stephanie Romanov, Eliza Dushku & Sarah Michelle Gellar.

Picking up where “Five by Five” left off, Angel takes Faith to his apartment. In a brief, violent vision, Faith charges at Angel with a knife and cuts up his face. When Angel comes up for food to feed Faith, Wesley argues about giving Faith another chance, and Cordelia gets Angel to sign several checks to fund her vacation, so she can be gone for as long as Faith is around.

Downstairs, Faith confesses to Angel that she is haunted by visions of her violent past in Sunnydale. Angel talks to Faith about redemption, saying she has to make amends for her crimes, no matter how hard it is. Meanwhile, Wesley plays darts at a bar, and encounters Weatherby, a member of the Watchers’ Council’s Special Operations team on the hunt for Faith. The council members give Wesley an opportunity to come back to the Council if he’s willing to turn in Faith. They give him a syringe that, if injected, will sedate Faith and let them take her back to England. Wesley agrees on the condition that Angel is left unharmed, to which the team reluctantly agrees.

The lawyers at Wolfram & Hart, upset that Faith has teamed up with Angel, hire a demon to have her killed. The demon sneaks into Angel’s apartment and attacks. Faith kills it with a knife, and then is frightened by the sight of the demon’s blood on her hands. Without warning, Buffy arrives at Angel’s place and is shocked to find Angel hugging Faith.

Buffy is determined to turn Faith in to the police, but Angel objects and the two come to blows. Wesley arrives with the news that the Council is looking for Faith. The two Slayers escape to the roof, where they argue about everything that has happened. Buffy is unwilling to forgive Faith, even though Faith is genuinely sorry. One of the Council members attacks Buffy and Faith as another hovers above the roof in a helicopter. Inside the apartment, Wesley stabs Weatherby with the syringe while Angel runs upstairs and as the two Slayers seek cover against their attackers, Angel bursts through the roof skylight and gets inside the helicopter.

Detective Kate Lockley – guided by Lindsey MacDonald’s information – arrests Angel for harboring the fugitive Faith. When Angel and Kate, with Wesley and Buffy in tow, arrive at the police station, they are surprised to see Faith is voluntarily confessing to her crimes. Later, Buffy admits to Angel how hard it was for her to see Faith with him. Angel counters by saying it was not about Buffy, it was about saving Faith’s soul. Buffy lashes out by telling Angel she has someone else in her life, and unlike her relationship with Angel, she can trust her new boyfriend. Angel tells her it’s good she can move on because he can’t; he has no one to share his pain. Angel then tells her that she doesn’t know him anymore and to leave L.A. Meanwhile, Faith manages to find peace in her jail cell.

From: Wikipedia

ANGEL- (+7)

• +1/ Having to explain his decision to try to help Faith to Wes, who doesn’t exactly agree with his decision (see Wesley point 1).
• +1/ Not giving up on Faith, instead mentoring her and leading her onto the path of atonement, which he knows a little about-
  Angel: You’re in no condition to leave here.  You walk out that door now and you’ll be running for the rest of your life – and my bet is – it’ll be a pretty short run.
  Faith: (walks past him)  You know what?  It doesn’t matter.
  Angel: (steps between her and the door) It does matter.  It matters to me.
  Faith: Why are you doing this?  Why are you being nice to me?  Just – stop it.  -  You’re gonna step aside or do we throw down?  I mean, am I your prisoner here?
  Angel: No.  You’re not my prisoner.
  Faith: So I’m free.
  Angel: I don’t know about that (slides the door behind him open) but the door is open.
  Faith walks past him.
  Angel: Where are you gonna go?  Back out in that darkness?  I once told you that you didn’t have to go out in that darkness.  (Faith slowly comes to a stop her back to Angel)  Remember?  That it was your choice.  Well, you chose.  -  You thought that you could just touch it. That you’d be okay.  -  5×5, right, Faith? – But it swallowed you whole. – So tell me -(comes to stand behind her) – how did you like it?
• +1/ Discussing pain with Faith-
  Faith: So, how does this – work?
  Angel: There is no real simple answer to that. – I won’t lie to you and tell you that it’ll be easy – because it won’t be.  -  Just because you’ve decided to change doesn’t mean that the world is ready for you to.  -  The truth is – no matter how much you suffer, no matter how many good deeds you do to try to make up for the past – you may never balance out the cosmic scale.  -  The only thing I can promise you is that you’ll probably be haunted – and may be for the rest of your life.
  Faith: (points at the microwave) So how does *this* work?
  Angel: Uh – power level, time, start.  -  Sure that popcorn is gonna be enough for you?
  Faith: Yeah.  I can – live off the stuff.  -  Tell Cordelia I’ll pay her back.
  Angel: Actually I think it belonged to Wesley.
  Faith: Oh, maybe we – just don’t mention it then.
• +1/ Feeling pretty upset about the revelation that Buffy has a new boyfriend, he gets real cut up inside.
• +1/ Having to discuss their fight over Faith, I can see where both sides are coming from, Angel wants to help Faith while Buffy wants revenge (see Buffy point 1).
• +2/ Going off at Buffy, and I think rightly so, she is very cold and mean to him and Angel can’t take it so he tells her what is what, he does regret it which leads into the Buffy episode The Yoko Factor-
  Buffy: You should have told me what was going on.
  Angel: I didn’t – I didn’t think it was your business.
  Buffy: Not my business?
  Angel: I needed more time with Faith.  I’m not sure..
  Buffy: You needed – Do you have any – idea what it was like for me to see you with her?  That you went behind my back…
  Angel: Buffy, this wasn’t about you!  This was about saving somebody’s soul.  That’s what I do here, and you’re not a part of it.  -  That was your idea, remember?  We stay away from each other.
  Buffy: I came here because you were in danger.
  Angel: I’m in danger every day.  You came because of Faith.  You were looking for vengeance.
  Buffy: I have a right to it.
  Angel: Not in my city.
  Buffy: I have someone in my life now. That I love.  (Angel swallows hard)  It’s not what you and I had.  -  It’s very new. You know what makes it new?  -  I trust him.  -  I know him.
  Angel: That’s great.  -  It’s nice – you moved on.  -  I can’t.  You found someone new.  -  I’m not allowed to, remember?  I see you again it cuts me up inside and the person I share that with is me!  You don’t know me anymore.  So don’t come down here with your great new life and *expect* me to do things your way.  -  Go home!
  Buffy looks at him for a moment then goes to pick up her jacket, while Angel walks over to the wall and braces his hands against it.
  Buffy: See?  -  Faith wins again.
  Angel: Go.
  Buffy goes.  After a moment Angel slams his hands against the wall and sighs.
  Wesley: You all right?
  Angel: For a taciturn, shadowy guy – I’ve got a big mouth.
  Wesley: Did you want to go after her?
  Angel: Yes.

CORDELIA- (+1)

• +1/ Being very clever and deciding to take a paid vacation why Angel tries to help Faith-
  Angel: Wait.  Those were all made out to you.
  Cordelia: Yeah.
  Angel: (checks the paperwork) Paid vacation.
  Cordelia: Like I’m gonna stick around while psycho case is roaming lose downstairs with three tons of medieval weaponry?  -  Not!  -  Oh – and I’m thinking – sugar high?  Maybe not a great idea.

WESLEY- (+4)

• +1/ Being a little upset that Angel is keeping Faith in his apartment, which is understandable considering he was tortured by her for ages-
  Wesley: Developed a sweet fang, have you?
  Angel: You got jelly?
  Cordelia: Whole selection.
  Wesley: Won’t she find it difficult – enjoying delicious, jelly-filled doughnuts, if she is – one assumes – bound and gagged?
  Angel: Wesley, – we went through all this last night.
  Wesley: Yes, you were right.  The police would be ill equipped to hold a Slayer against her will.  I understand why you chose not to turn her over to them. – I do not, however, understand why the woman who brutally tortured me last night – this morning – gets pastries!
  Angel: I don’t really have anything else downstairs.  -  What do you want to do, Wesley?  Let her starve?
  Wesley: Certainly not.  There are far more humane ways to deal with a rabid animal.
  Angel: She is not an animal.
  Wesley: No?
  Angel: She’s a person.  In case you’ve forgotten – we’re not in the business of giving up on people.
  Wesley: Don’t you dare take the moral high ground with me after what she did.  I believe in helping people.  I do *not* believe in coddling murderers!
  Angel: It wasn’t too long ago that you were the one making the case for her rehabilitation.
  Wesley: It wasn’t too long ago I had full feeling in my right arm!
• +1/ Discussing Angel and Faith with the Council boys, Wes stays loyal to Angel however and doesn’t immediately side with them.
• +1/ Eventually agreeing to help the Council with Faith, but wanting Angel protected, he is a very loyal man.
• +1/ Wes is a very clever man, using the Council information so that Angel has a heads up on them, he also shows some brilliant accuracy with a syringe when he dart throws it at Weatherby.

KATE- (+1)

• +1/ Her X-Files talk with a fellow cop-
  Kendrick: Right.  You’ve heard the rumors, haven’t you?
  Kate: What rumors?
  Kendrick: You know what I’m talking about.  This girl supposedly has some kind of supernatural powers?
  Kate: Really.
  Kendrick: Come on, Kate.  Everybody knows you’ve gone all Scully. – Anytime one of these weird cases crosses anyone’s desk – you’re always there.  What’s going on with you?
  Kate: Scully is the skeptic.
  Kendrick: Huh?
  Kate: Mulder is the believer.  Scully is the skeptic.
  Kendrick: Scully is the chick, right?
  Kate: Yes. – But she’s not the one that wants to believe.
  Kendrick: And you wanna believe.
  Kate: Oh, I already believe. – That’s the problem.
• +1/ Having a nice little interaction with Lindsey, whom she obviously has no respect for, but they talk on a common goal.
• -1/ Willing to give Angel a jail cell that would almost certainly kill him due to sun exposure, she definitely has changed.

LINDSEY- (+2)

• +1/ Upset that Faith has been subdued by Angel and is his house guest, things just don’t seem to work for Lindsey when it comes to Angel.
• +1/ Using some of his lawyer smarts and confronting Kate about Angel and Faith, which nearly gets Angel into some big trouble.

LILAH- (+1)

• +1/ Like Lindsey, she’s upset about Faith’s failure.

FAITH- (+4)

• +1/ Wanting to know how a microwave works, Angel manages to turn it into a talk about pain (see Angel point 3).
• +1/ Defeating the blue demon assassin, which nearly makes her go crazy again.
• +2/ Giving herself up to the police, setting her on the path of atonement.

BUFFY- (+2)

• +1/ Discussing the little spat she and Angel had over Faith-
  Angel: She’s not gonna run, Buffy.
  Buffy: Well, why would she?  When she has her brave knight to protect her?  -  Got you. – Does she cry? – Pouty lips – heaving bosom?  -  I thought you needed help.
  Angel: You think I wanted this to happen?
  Buffy: You hit me.
  Angel: Not to go all schoolyard on you, but you hit me first.  In case you’ve forgotten – you’re a little bit stronger than I am.
  Buffy: You did it for *her*.
  Angel: You were about three seconds – from making her run – you know that.  She’s at a crucial stage.
  Buffy: She’s playing you.  She tried to kill you!
  Angel: That was just – that was just a cry for help.
  Buffy: A cry for help is when you say ‘help’ in a loud voice.
  Angel: I know Faith did some bad things to you.
  Buffy: You can’t possibly know.
  Angel: And you can’t possibly know what she’s going through.
  Buffy: And of course, you do? – I’m sorry.  I can’t be in your club.  I never murdered anybody.
• +1/ Having another spat with Angel before she leaves, I give her a point because while she is pretty harsh, she has a few points (see Angel point 6).

SEASON OVERALL-

ANGEL- +160
CORDELIA- +104
WESLEY- +59
DOYLE- +44
KATE- +23
BUFFY- +15
FAITH- +13
SPIKE- +8
ANGELUS- +6
OZ- +5
PHANTOM DENNIS- +5
LILAH- +4
LINDSEY- +4
DARLA- +3

OVERALL COUNT-

BUFFY- +307
ANGEL- +275
CORDELIA- +228
OZ- +92
WESLEY- +84
SPIKE- +70
DOYLE- +44
ANGELUS- +30
FAITH- +29
KATE- +23
PHANTOM DENNIS- +5
LILAH- +4
LINDSEY- +4
DARLA- +1

EPISODE THOUGHTS-
A pretty strong follow-up to the previous episode but not quite as good. The Angel and Faith relationship is explored fully and I really like it, they both have so many similarities which make the dynamic interesting. Wes provides some nice back-up and we also get to see some more Lilah and Lindsey. But Buffy’s appearance gives the episode some spice. She fights with Angel and tries to get to Faith. It’s all very cool stuff. The pacing of the episode is frantic also, the only slow part we have is the start where Angel is mentoring Faith. The rest is all fights and arguments. It all works well and fits together, if anything it just lacks the punch of the really great episodes. It’s a solid episode overall though.

78.5/100

A118- Five By Five

Written by: Jim Kouf.
Cast: David Boreanaz, Charisma Carpenter, Alexis Denisof, Julie Benz, Christian Kane, Stephanie Romanov & Eliza Dushku.

Faith arrives in Los Angeles after fleeing Sunnydale following the events of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer episode “Who Are You”. She goes to a nightclub, where she wildly dances to the pounding music until a girl objects to Faith dancing with her boyfriend; Faith nonchalantly elbows her in the face. The boyfriend flips instantly from lust to fury and takes a swing at Faith, who slams him into a group of people across the room, sparking an instant melee. Faith continues to dance while chaos rages around her, choreographing kicks and punches without missing a beat. Meanwhile, Angel rescues a gangbanger from the demons who have killed the other members of his gang. He attempts to persuade the obstinate gangbanger, a key witness whom Angel has tracked down to testify in court against a shady Wolfram & Hart client, to do his civic duty.

In a flashback to Romania in 1898, Darla leads a blindfolded Angelus to his birthday present: a young Gypsy woman lying bound and gagged on the parlor floor. As Darla watches, Angelus vamps and bites the terrified girl high on the inner thigh. The next night, Darla returns to find that her darling boy, Angelus, is no longer the demon she created. Cursed with a soul by the Gypsy girl’s people, he is nearly mad with the grief and horror of 140 years of rampant vampirism, every detail of which he remembers with excruciating clarity. Darla, disgusted, furious, and a little afraid, drives Angel out into the night.

In court the next day, Wolfram & Hart moves for dismissal, but Angel shows up in the nick of time with a now-docile gangbanger, the prosecution’s key witness. As Lindsey McDonald takes heat for Angel’s interference, lawyers Lilah Morgan and Lee Mercer contact Faith about a contract on Angel’s life, which she accepts. Cordelia, Wesley and Angel are on their way to a lunchtime meeting, when a stealthy Faith attempts to shoot Angel in the back with a crossbow. Angel, as stunned as Wes and Cordy to see Faith up and about, catches the bolt in mid-air from point-blank range. Faith issues her challenge and disappears back onto the streets. After phoning Giles in Sunnydale to learn that Faith has been out of her coma for a week, Angel instructs Wesley and Cordelia to help him track the rogue Slayer down and then make themselves scarce. Discerning that anger and fear for Buffy might incline his friend to kill Faith for revenge, Wesley shouts, “She’s not a demon, Angel. She’s a sick, sick girl.” During this, Wesley attempts to convince Angel that there may still be a chance that Faith could be helped, and Angel interrupts by reminding Wesley had ruined Angel’s one chance at rehabilitating Faith the year before, something that Wesley is obviously not proud of. Later, Angel finds Faith in his outer office, where she stands protected from immediate attack by sunlight streaming through the raised blinds. She tosses Angel a gun, should he choose to shoot her, and he hesitates not a microsecond, aiming for her leg. The bullet is a blank, however, and he tosses the gun back. After mocking him for only trying to wound her, Faith explains her plan to destroy him, shoots him in the shoulder with a real bullet, then escapes by crashing through the sunny window.

Angel, wearing a suit and spouting convincing corporate-speak, poses as a lawyer to sneak into Lindsey’s plush Wolfram & Hart office to try to discover Faith’s whereabouts. Seeming completely unsurprised, Lindsey interrupts Angel in mid-snoop. The young lawyer refuses to acknowledge ever hearing about Faith and informs Angel that the firm employs both mystical and high-tech security systems—Angel’s every move has been documented in digital hi-def since he crossed the building’s threshold. After disabling the first security guard on scene, and with a parting promise to Lindsey, Angel chooses discretion and leaves. In the meantime, Cordelia tries to get into her apartment, but her ghost Phantom Dennis makes it difficult. Cordy thinks Dennis is jealous of Wesley until they discover that Faith has broken in. Faith knocks Cordelia and Wesley out, and takes Wesley back to her apartment, where she ties him to a chair and tortures him. Faith has correctly calculated that Angel, indifferent to being targeted himself, will be unable to ignore threats to his friends. Finding Wesley still defiant, Faith recites the list of the “five basic torture groups,” blunt, sharp, hot, cold and loud, and decides to move from blunt to sharp. She breaks the glass in a picture frame and picks up a large shard. Meanwhile, Angel and Cordelia feverishly work to locate Faith before she kills her bait. Faith sits disconsolately in an open window, waiting for Angel. Sighing, she drops the now-bloody glass shard to smash on the pavement below. Turning back into the room, she continues to torment her former Watcher. Apparently ready to switch to “hot,” she goes to the kitchen for a flame wand and a can of non-stick spray. Before she does more than demonstrate a few scary bursts of flame, Angel smashes down the door and charges into the apartment. Faith drops her impromptu torch and swiftly moves to hold a knife at Wesley’s throat, stopping Angel in his tracks.

In 1898, a newly-ensouled and distressed Angel begs for help on the streets of Borşa. He encounters a group of well-dressed people but rejects the coin they toss into the mud, telling the men that he wants the one woman in their company. Outraged, the men rush Angel and force him into a dark alley as he shouts, “I’m a monster!” Soon the men come sailing back out to the street, followed by Angel, staggering but still upright. He grabs the shrieking, struggling young woman, drags her deeper into the alley, backs her up against the wall and bites her, then mutters, “I can’t, oh God, I can’t.” As he stumbles away down the muddy street, the girl he wanted to eat staggers out after him, disheveled and bitten, but alive.

Almost forgotten, Wesley sits perfectly still under Faith’s knife as vampire and Slayer focus exclusively on each other. In a brief exchange of verbal thrusts, one of Angel’s barbs makes Faith drop her guard for a split second, and Wesley flings himself and his chair backward out of her grasp. Angel immediately knocks Faith down with a tremendous kick and they commence a spectacular fight, a mortal contest that’s been a long, long time coming. As the battle rages, Faith seems to have the upper hand and she shouts, “Come on, Angel. I thought you were bad!” Angel doesn’t reply. They continue to batter the furnishings and each other, then crash out a window together, only to resume combat in the alley three stories below. Rain begins to pour down and it becomes increasingly clear that Angel no longer intends to kill Faith, if he ever did. His strategy has been to engage and distract the Slayer, not best her. As Faith wearies, her fury fades, and Angel’s own moves slow to become purely defensive. Finally breaking his long silence, he tells her, “Nice try, Faith. I know what you want, and I won’t do it. I won’t make it easy for you.” Meanwhile, Wesley cuts himself loose and staggers downstairs, armed with a kitchen carving knife.

Faith, more and more distraught, tries wildly to force Angel to continue the offensive, to finish this fight. As a wrathful Wesley watches, Faith breaks down completely, confessing her self-loathing and begging Angel to punish her. Over and over, Faith sobs, “I’m bad, I’m bad. Please Angel, do it. Just kill me.” An anguished Angel stands motionless in the pouring rain, as Faith keeps hold of his jacket like a drowning person. Face filled with an unbearable compassion, Angel finally takes Faith in his arms and goes to his knees with her, holding her close as she collapses in the dark downpour. Unheeded behind them, Wesley stands agape as his knife falls from nerveless fingers.

From: Wikipedia

ANGEL- (+10)

• +1/ Being all intimidating to their new client due to his lack of co-operation.
• +1/ Showing some nice reflexes when he catches Faith’s crossbow bolt, I mean, he wasn’t even looking.
• +1/ Getting pretty upset about Faith waking up from her coma, haven’t seen him that upset for a while.
• +1/ His first meeting with Faith since her wake up. He doesn’t fall for any of her tricks, for example, her blanks in her gun, but a fight is declared and you know it’s gonna get ugly.
• +1/ Acting like a Wolfram & Hart lawyer, he looks sharp in a suit, and has a nice conversation with a very obnoxious lawyer-
  Lawyer: (points at him)  You!
  Angel turns to look at him.
  Lawyer: We’re in the Gruber meeting.
  Angel: Right.
  Lawyer: What the hell is going on with those people?
  Angel: I know, it’s…
  Lawyer: I mean is this a negotiation or a cotillion?
  Angel: That’s exactly what I was trying to tell Frank.
  Lawyer: Who’s Frank?
  Angel: Works with Louise in contracts.
  Lawyer: Contracts – the problem is not contracts!
  Angel: That’s what I was trying to tell…
  Lawyer’s cell phone rings and he waves Angel quiet while he answers it.
  Lawyer: (to phone)  Go.  Yes. – Yes. – No, no. Thursday!  (Hangs up)  We have to close Gruber now, before the soft offer becomes hard and the stock goes…
  Angel: Through the ceiling!
  Lawyer: In the toilet!
  Angel: Right.
  Lawyer: Keep me in the loop, will you?  I want to know the instant that they fold.  -  They are folding?  (Angel makes a face and the lawyer checks his watch)  Look, I’ve got to jump.  E-mail me.  Good to see you.
  Angel: You too.
• +1/ Confronting Lindsey in his office, strangely, not really intimidating him, which I think is good, Angel takes it well too (see Lindsey point 1).
• +1/ In a flashback, Angel decides to not eat the young lady way back when he was still struggling with the new ‘having a soul’ thing.
• +3/ His awesome fight with Faith. Not only is it quite well choreographed, but Angel manages to resist the temptation to defeat her and stays stoic, letting her breakdown herself. Very powerful.

CORDELIA- (+1)

• +1/ Discussing Faith after her surprise re-introduction into their lives-
  Wesley: That’s not good enough!  She’s not a demon, Angel.  She is a sick, sick girl.  If there is even a chance she can be reasoned with…
  Angel: There was.  Last year I had a shot at saving her.  I was pulling her back from the brink when some British guy kidnapped her and made damn sure she’d never trust a living soul.
  Cordelia: Angel, it’s not Wesley’s fault that *some* British guy ruined your… – oh. Wait (to Wesley) that was you. (To Angel)  Go on.

WESLEY- (+2)

• +1/ Punching Faith for hitting Cordy, showing some authority.
• +1/ Not giving in to Faith’s torture.

FAITH- (+9)

• +1/ She’s in L.A now, since her fun with Buffy in Sunnydale, and she’s looking for some fun. She starts by beating up the first guy she sees.
• +1/ Continuing to dance while a huge bar fight rages around her which she started, a sign of the destruction she brings.
• +1/ Meeting Lilah, who she shows no respect for and intimidates the crap out of.
• +1/ Beating the crap out of Lee, she isn’t very subtle.
• +1/ Wanting Angel to be involved in their ‘game’, she even shoots him.
• +1/ Torturing Wesley-
  Faith: All these little cuts and bruises – just bring out the mother in me.  (She takes his face between her hands and slaps his cheek)  Come on.  Now, now, don’t poop out on me, damn it!  Otherwise this all just going to be over too fast, and you’ll be dead and I’ll be – bored.  -  Come on, Wesley!  Where is that stiff upper lip?   Now, we’ve only done one of the five basic torture groups.  We’ve done blunt – but that still leaves sharp, cold, hot and loud.  Have a preference?  (Wesley looks at her and nods.   Faith pulls the gag out of his mouth) Well, that great!  It’s always better with audience participation.  -  May I take your order please?
  Wesley spits on the floor to one side of her.
  Wesley: I was your Watcher, Faith. – I know the real you – and eve if you kill me, there is just one thing I want you to remember.
  Faith: What’s that, love?
  Wesley: You – are a piece of sh..
  Faith: (interrupts him, stuffing the gag back into his mouth)  You should talk, huh?  I guess I’ll just have to try a little harder.
• +3/ Her awesome fight with Angel which eventually leads to her breaking down after succumbing to all the guilt and pain she has to endure-
  Angel: I’m not gonna make it easy for you.
  Faith: (throws herself at him screaming) I’m evil!  I’m bad!  I’m evil!  Do you hear me?  I’m bad!  Angel, I’m bad!  (She begins to sob, grabbing a hold of Angel’s shirt and shaking him)  I’m ba-ad.  Do you hear me?  I’m bad!  I’m bad!  I’m bad.  Please.  Angel, please, just do it. Angel please, just do it.  Just do it.  Just kill me.  Just kill me.

DARLA- (+2)

• +1/ Giving Angel the Gypsy girl as a present, giving Angel his soul, therefore, changing everything.
• +1/ Getting very upset about Angel’s soul, it’s like they’re breaking up.

LILAH- (+2)

• +1/  Stealing Lee’s contract at work, she’s sassy this one, and very powerful.
• +1/ Meeting with Faith, who nearly gets violent, she does manage to keep his cool.

LINDSEY- (+1)

• +1/ Staying strong under Angel’s intimidation, Lindsey ain’t your average lawyer-
  Lindsey: Don’t you have any respect for the law?
  Angel: Nice office.  Good view. Where is Faith?
  Lindsey: Should I know what you’re talking about?
  Angel: Your new employee.
  Lindsey: It’s a big firm.  Tell you what I can do.  I can give you the number for Personnel, though.  I’m sure they’d be glad to handle your problem.
  Angel: You’d remember this one.  Pretty, dark hair, kills things?
  Lindsey: I assure you that we have strict hiring practices.
  Angel: So how does it work for a guy like you? – Successful lawyer in a big law firm, – company car, – nice office, bonus: – can hire a killing when ever you want.  Kind of got it made, right?
  Lindsey: Well, we’ll just add slander to breaking and entering.  While we’re on the subject, I remember you throwing one of my clients through a window.  Killed him if I’m not mistaken.
  Angel: Yes.  I seem to remember.  (Turns to point at the window) The window was just about that size.  Hmm.  Too bad the body burned up before it hit the ground.  I might have needed a good lawyer.
  Lindsey: I’m sorry, we only handle a certain class of clientele.
  Angel: Oh, I’m sure that I’ve killed enough people to qualify.  Where is she?
  Lindsey: You know a vampire can’t walk in here without us knowing it.  We have a highly sophisticated security system, spent a fortune on mystical barriers and such.  Nice to know our investment paid off.
  Angel grabs the security guard coming at him with his gun drawn and slams him down on the table, knocking him out.
  Angel: I think it was a waste of money myself.
  Lindsey: Well, one down.  More on the way.  And the police have been called.  And this whole encounter has been visually recorded on hi-def.  So, – despite the fact that I’m sure it would make an entertaining evening watching you fight for your life, – not to mention the fortune I could make off the video – I do have a dinner.
  Angel: Good to see you again, Lindsey.  -  We’ll do this real soon.
  Lindsey: You know, just when I think I got you figured out, you show up in a suit.

PHANTOM DENNIS- (+1)

• +1/ Trying to warn Wes and Cordy about Faith’s presence in Cordelia’s apartment.

SEASON OVERALL-

ANGEL- +153
CORDELIA- +103
WESLEY- +55
DOYLE- +44
KATE- +22
BUFFY- +13
FAITH- +9
SPIKE- +8
ANGELUS- +6
OZ- +5
PHANTOM DENNIS- +5
LILAH- +3
DARLA- +3
LINDSEY- +2

OVERALL COUNT-

BUFFY- +305
ANGEL- +268
CORDELIA- +227
OZ- +92
WESLEY- +80
SPIKE- +70
DOYLE- +44
ANGELUS- +30
FAITH- +25
KATE- +22
PHANTOM DENNIS- +5
LILAH- +3
LINDSEY- +2
DARLA- +1

EPISODE THOUGHTS-
This is one of my favourite episodes from this season. Faith is such a rich character to focus on, and it seemed right to put her on Angel for a while, because of the similarities between her and Angel. She has a really good show too, which makes the whole episode better. Angel is great, Cordy and Wes don’t do much but it’s such a jam packed episode, so there wasn’t a heck of a lot of time. We get a few more Darla-Angelus/Angel flashbacks, which I always find interesting and we also get to see Lilah and Lindsey, two of the more intriguing pure Angel characters. If anything, the episode lacks some sharp wit but it’s a plot-driven episode so you can’t ask for too much. Strong pacing, good action, nice emotional ending. Great stuff.

92/100

A117- Eternity

Written by: Tracey Stern.
Cast: David Boreanaz, Charisma Carpenter & Alexis Denisof.

While attending a play with Cordelia as one of the stars, Angel and Wesley – trapped in the audience – are subjected to Cordelia’s minimal acting talent. While leaving the play, they spot a famous actress, Rebecca Lowell, crossing the street. Angel rushes to save her from a car that purposely tries to run her over. Oliver, a producer that represents Rebecca, offers to pay Angel, but he doesn’t want a reward.

The papers report on the rescue, but Angel pretends not to care when he is not mentioned. Rebecca shows up at the office the next day, and asks for his help with a stalker fan. Her career is on the rocks, and she’d feel safer if Angel would take care of this case. Cordelia is upset that Angel refused to take the case, and begs Angel to give it a chance so that she can have a jump-start into the life of fame. After a party, Rebecca’s stalker shows up on her property, but Angel breaks through a window — apparently without being invited — and fights the masked stalker.

Rebecca looks at a mirror and realizes Angel doesn’t have a reflection; correctly guessing he is a vampire, she is intrigued rather than scared. That night, Angel attends a premiere with Rebecca, standing as her bodyguard. As they leave, an attacker pulls a gun on them, and Angel fights him off. Rebecca recognizes the attacker as a stunt man and realizes that Oliver set up the stalker for publicity, as her career is in danger as she grows older. She realizes that she won’t be able to stay young forever, but Angel’s immortality suddenly gives her another option.

After discovering the bullets were blanks, Wesley and Angel conclude that it wasn’t a real attack. Rebecca and Cordelia go shopping together, and Cordelia helps Rebecca pick out a bottle of champagne for Angel. That night, while sipping champagne, Rebecca accidentally spills some on Angel and he has to go change his shirt. She slips a drug, later revealed to be “doximal”, a euphoric, into his drink and they toast and drink when he returns.

Cordelia confesses to Wesley that she told Rebecca all about Angel and how one could become a vampire by him. As the drug takes effect, Rebecca tries to convince Angel to make her a vampire. Angel says she doesn’t realize what she’s asking of him, and in a sudden burst of rage, he sprays blood into her mouth so she can taste what she’s getting into. She confesses that she slipped a happy pill into his drink and it has given him the feeling of “perfect happiness.” No longer Angel, Angelus attacks Rebecca, but she escapes through the elevator while Angelus goes outside to cut the power and phones.

In the office, Angelus confronts Rebecca and his two employees. He mocks Wesley for being inadequate, then tells Cordelia how bad she was in the play. She threatens him with water, trying to convince him that it’s holy water. The water temporarily stuns him when it hits him, allowing Wesley to knock him down into the elevator shaft. Angel wakes up, chained to his bed, feeling horrible about the things he said. Cordelia reluctantly forgives him, but leaves Angel chained to the bed.

From: Wikipedia

ANGEL- (+9)

• +1/ Having a horrible time at Cordy’s play. So horrible in fact that he and Wes try to plan their way out of the theater (see Wesley point 1).
• +1/ Trying to dodge critiquing Cordelia’s performance for fear of hurting her-
  Cordelia: So?  What did you think?
  Angel and Wesley exchange a look.
  Wesley: Well, your – projection was excellent.
  Angel: Yeah.  I could hear every word and we were way in the back.
  Cordelia: Okay, so I was loud.  But was I any good?
  Wesley: You – took the role and made it your own.
  Cordelia: Really?  Thanks.  Angel, was I good?
  Angel: I wouldn’t say it if I didn’t think so.
  Cordelia: Thanks.  – You didn’t say it.
  Angel: I didn’t?
• +1/ Saving Rebecca from a speeding car, Angel’s getting quite good at that.
• +1/ Being slightly upset that he wasn’t mentioned in the paper for saving Rebecca, strange for a mysterious, dark, brooder.
• +1/ Rebecca: Do you know how long it’s been since I’ve had to read for anything?  Season and a half off the air, and suddenly – I’m nobody again.
  Angel: (picks up some tabloids)  Not according to these.
  Rebecca: According to those, I’ve slept with Ernest Borgnine, and I’m bulimic.
  Angel: I hear Borgnine is a very skilled lover.
• +1/ Saving Rebecca again from an apparent attempt on her life.
• +1/ Being a little droozy from the drugs Rebecca has slipped him-
  Angel: (woozy) I used to be, uh, a long time ago.  I hurt a lot of people.
  Rebecca: I don’t believe that.
  Angel: No, it’s true.  I was bad.  Which is why I have to help people now.  I’m trying to atone.
  Rebecca: Cordelia says you’ve saved the world.
  Angel: Couple times I helped. (sighs) But I almost had it sucked into hell once, too.
• +1/ Refusing to turn Rebecca, even in his drugged up state.
• +1/ Having to apologise to Cordy and Wes, while chained to his bed.

CORDELIA- (+11)

• +1/ Her fantastically terrible acting during her play, thank god she gives it up.
• +2/ Being completely star-struck by Rebecca-
  Cordelia: Oh my god!  What was she like?
  Rebecca: (to Angel)  Excuse me – are you alright?
  Cordelia: Oh, he’s fine.  It was such an honor to save your life, Ms. Lowell.
  Rebecca: Thank you. (To Angel)  I’m sorry, I didn’t get your name.
  Cordelia: Cordelia Chase.  I’m so glad you weren’t – oh.  (motions towards Angel) He doesn’t eve know who you are.
• +1/ Eavesdropping on Angel’s conversation with Rebecca, she even screams “Are you insane?” through his windows.
• +2/ Getting very angry at Angel for turning down Rebecca, and as always she thinks of herself before anyone else-
  Cordelia: My first big connection to Hollywood and you practically throw her out of the office.  Haven’t you ever heard of networking?
  Wesley: Cordelia.
  Cordelia: No!  He can fight off Donkey-Demons, who rip peoples – guts out, but he can’t help one defenseless actress from a psycho?  (To Angel)  What is your thing?
  Wesley: He likes her.  He’s afraid of getting close.
  Cordelia: (to Wesley) Cause of his curse? (To Angel)  You’d have to get awfully close to her for that to kick in.  And in the mean time you could be helping me.
  Wesley: The person who needs help here – is Ms Lowell.
  Cordelia: Right.  He could be helping us both!  (To Angel)  Think of the Karma!
  Wesley: This may not be the right case for you.  Maybe we can find somebody else to help her.
  Cordelia: (faking a vision) Oh no!  Not now!  God!  What’s this I see in my vision?  Oh.  It’s a figure – a woman.  It’s Rebecca.  She’s in danger.  Teeerrible danger. (The guys are not impressed and Cordy gives up her act)  Great!  Just – great.  Because Mr. Distance has intimacy issues, I lose my brush with fame!
• +1/ Bringing a cross and coffee to see Angel at Rebecca’s place, you have to cover both eventualites.
• +1/ Going on a shopping spree with Rebecca, she squels at least twice during due to her happiness.
• +1/ Getting very angry at Rebecca for trying to get Angel to turn bad for her benefit, she even calls her a slut.
• +1/ Managing to stall Angelus with her acting skills so Wes can subdue him. A big victory for Cordelia and a great moment for her .
• +1/ Being a little upset that Angel couldn’t tell her the truth about her acting performance while Angelus could-
  Angel: But I really didn’t mean…
  Cordelia: Oh, yes, you did.  And I’d appreciate it if you didn’t try to weasel out of it.  Angelus may not be the most relaxing company, but at least he’s honest.  Shouldn’t I expect the same from the not-evil version of my friends?
  Angel: So we’re okay then?
  Cordelia: I’m too big of a person to let something so petty get in the way of our friendship.
  Angel: I appreciate that.  -  You’re not going to untie me, are you?
  Cordelia: Pfft!
  Cordelia walks out.
  Angel: Wesley?  – Cordelia?  -  Guys?

WESLEY- (+6)

• +1/ Trying to plan an escape from the play involving Cordelia-
  Angel: Maybe we can make a break for it.
  Wesley: Impossible.
  Angel: Front exit?
  Wesley: We’d be spotted instantly.
  Angel: Back door?
  Wesley: Blocked.
  Angel: That’s it then – we’re trapped.
  Wesley: We might try shouting ‘fire.’ (Camera pulls back to reveal that they are sitting in an almost empty theater) Not technically a crowed theater.
  Cordelia: One day, I might, yes, many years from now – when I’ve lost my looks a little.  Do not laugh.
  Wesley: Only another hour.
  Cordelia: I mean, of course a time will come when Torvald is not – is not – (turns to back of stage) Line!
  Prompter: is not as devoted to me
  Wesley: Perhaps two.
• +1/ Managing to avoid hurting Cordy’s feelings in regards to her performance (see Angel point 2).
• +1/ Showing some insight by picking up that Angel has an attraction to Rebecca (see Cordelia point 4).
• +1/ Being a little more calm about Angel’s curse than Cordelia-
  Cordelia: Hey, you weren’t around the last time Angel went mental.  I, on the other hand, was on the first wave of the clean-up crew.  -  He knows perfect happiness, he goes evil.  So don’t tell me not to worry.
  Wesley: Angel’s moment of true happiness occurred because he was with Buffy.  You realize how rare that is – true happiness?  -  And what are the odds he’s find that with an actress.
  Cordelia: What’s that supposed to mean?
  Wesley: I was – I meant TV-actress.
• +1/ Wes manages to knock Angelus down the office elevator shaft, saving them with Cordy’s help.
• +1/ Not being to upset about Angel’s small turn to the bad, he knows it wasn’t his fault.

ANGELUS- (+4)

• +1/ He’s back! It’s nice to see Angelus, even if it’s only for a few moments. He is so perfectly evil and menacing-
  Rebecca: You, you’re..
  Angelus: Free! You freed me.  Mmm. (Sticks a finger in the glass and licks the last of it off his finger) Oh, God.  I love this stuff!  Wow! Remind me to get the name of your dealer – before I kill you.
  Rebecca: Kill me?
  Angelus: In all my years, I’ve never killed a famous person before.  But with no witnesses – who’s gonna believe me?  Maybe we can take a picture. – I know!  We do it like we did back in the day.  I’ll keep your head on a stick – as proof.
  Rebecca: My head on a stick.
  Angelus: Well – okay, pike.
• +1/ His little ‘I’m a vampire’ dance, pure greatness.
• +2/ Taunting both Wes and Cordelia. He is brillaint at it-
  Wesley: I don’t wish to resort to drastic measures, but unless you listen, I warn you..
  Angelus: You warning me?  What happened, Wes?  -  Did you suddenly grow a pair?  Well, that’s it, isn’t it?  I mean, that’s the whole root of your inferiority complex.  Well, good news, Wes, old boy!  You don’t really have an inferiority complex.  You’re just simply – inferior.
  Angelus picks Wesley up and tosses him into a corner, knocking him out.
  Cordelia: Wesley, no!  (Swallows, turns to Angel)  Well, oh, why don’t you juss-ss..
  Angelus: (mimics)  Juss-s?  Line?  ‘Of course a time will come when Torvald is not as devoted to me’. – You were really, let me tell you, bad.
  Cordelia: Stop it.
  Angelus: Why?  You didn’t.  I mean, I’ve been to hell but *that* was so much worse!  (To Rebecca) You had to be there.  I mean, there wasn’t a dry eye in the house, everybody was just laughing so hard.  (To Cordy)  Here’s a thought.  Maybe you can get Raven here to coach you, then you’d actually suck!

SEASON OVERALL-

ANGEL- +143
CORDELIA- +102
WESLEY- +53
DOYLE- +44
KATE- +22
BUFFY- +13
SPIKE- +8
ANGELUS- +6
OZ- +5
PHANTOM DENNIS- +4
LILAH- +1
DARLA- +1
LINDSEY- +1

OVERALL COUNT-

BUFFY- +305
ANGEL- +258
CORDELIA- +226
OZ- +92
WESLEY- +78
SPIKE- +70
DOYLE- +44
ANGELUS- +30
KATE- +22
PHANTOM DENNIS- +4
LILAH- +1
LINDSEY- +1
DARLA- -1

EPISODE THOUGHTS-

One of the stronger stand-alone episodes of the season. Angel has an intriguing plotline for this episode and Wesley and Cordelia provide some fantastic humour and support, especially Cordelia. We also get to see Angelus again, for a little while, and that in itself is enough to prop up the score. The plot involving Rebecca is fairly solid, not big on the whole publicist trying to cause publicity via a stalker but whatever. I like that she finds Angel appealing because of his affliction, it’s different and even more gratifying when Angelus turns up. In saying that, the early parts of the episode are a little slow, only really ramping up when Angelus comes.

77/100

A116- The Ring

Written by: Howard Gordon.
Cast: David Boreanaz, Charisma Carpenter, Alexis Denisof & Stephanie Romanov.

As Cordelia and Wesley bicker while using a new demon database, Darin MacNamara stumbles into the Angel Investigations office, saying his brother Jack was kidnapped the previous night by a group that was not “exactly people”. Darin tells Angel he and his brother were not close, since Jack wasn’t as successful as Darin. Jack had a gambling problem and, though Darin had paid off bookies for him in the past, had recently refused to help him again. He felt guilty afterwards and went to Jack’s place in time to see the non-people taking him away. Angel goes to find Ernie, the bookie Darin wouldn’t pay off, and interrupts his poker game to try to get information. He promises that Darin will pay off Jack’s debts, but Ernie says it’s no longer about money, but about making an example out of Jack. Angel offers him some money and learns that Jack may be somewhere under Beechwood Canyon. Cordelia and Wesley search the demon database with the information Darin gave them about the demon who took Jack. Wesley argues that by the time Cordelia finds the demon on the computer he could find it in his book, but Cordelia proves him wrong, producing a Howler demon.

Angel heads into a sewer under Beechwood Canyon and is attacked by Howler demons. He asks one of them where Jack is and is told that he was sold. A number of people in fancy clothes gather in a run-down neighborhood and head into a building. Angel sneaks in through the basement and looks at a women’s ticket. In another room, two demons are fighting each other in a pit. One of the demons is knocked down and the crowd chants, “Killing blow!” A man nearby tosses a knife to the other demon, who slits the other’s throat. The crowd cheers and the demon, Tom Cribb, is pronounced the winner. The next demon up, Val Trepkos, is announced as Angel spots Jack being led through the crowd. He follows them down a corridor, where they meet up with Darin. Darin warns Jack to be wary of Angel, since he managed to defeat the Howler demons. Angel realizes that he was set up and tries to fight off the guys, who are attempting to check him over, until cattle prods render him unconscious. Jack announces that Angel will be “a crowd-pleaser.” Angel awakens later to find himself in a cage, surrounded by other demons in cages. He has a silver bracelet on his wrist that reads “XXI”, which he learns keeps him imprisoned. He tries to converse with his fellow captives but they don’t appear to speak English. Jack tells the “slaves” that the only rule is that they stay inside the red area marked off around the cages. They can only get out of the red area when their bracelets are removed, and that only happens after their 21st kill. Angel refuses to kill anyone and Jack replies that in that case, he’ll be the one killed.

The next day, Wesley calls Kate and is disappointed to learn that she doesn’t know where Angel is. Cordelia is also worried that they can’t reach Darin. Angel’s fellow slaves are served food as they all engage in a little macho prison-guy talk. One of the demons, Mellish, warns Angel not to disturb things or he’ll get himself killed. One of the demons tries to escape, but when he crosses the red line, he disintegrates, leaving only his bracelet behind. Angel is chosen as his replacement for a fight. Wesley interrupts Ernie while he’s beating someone up, but Ernie won’t give him any information without being paid. Ernie draws a gun but Wesley shoots the gun out of his hand with a crossbow bolt, intimidating Ernie’s goons into dropping their own guns and allowing Wesley to ask Ernie where Angel is. While the fights are starting up that night, the woman whose ticket Angel looked at the night before talks to Darin about Angel. She mentions that he has a soul and wonders if this will give him an advantage in the ring. One of the demons tries to give Angel pointers for his fight, but Angel says that he’s not going to kill him. The other demon tells him that he doesn’t have a choice. Angel and his opponent enter the ring, and Cribb, the demon who fought the previous night, notes that Angel isn’t even fighting. Cordelia and Wesley arrive at the arena, dressed up in fancy clothes. They realize too late that they’ve forgotten their fake police badge, but Cordelia approaches a couple anyway, introducing herself as Detective Andrews and Wesley as Detective Yelsew (Wesley backwards). Wesley flashes his wallet instead of a badge and Cordelia tells him to take down the couple’s license plate number. She checks the couple’s tickets and tells them that they’re for an unlicensed event. Wesley warns that a raid is going to happen there tonight, so the couple decides to leave, leaving Cordelia and Wesley their tickets.

Inside, Baker beats on Angel, who still won’t fight back. Cordelia and Wesley enter, spotting Darin, who’s holding a bracelet. Wesley notes that these demon matches have been revived from the Roman Empire and that the bracelets kill people if they’re wearing them when they cross the red line. Darin puts the bracelet down and gestures for a guard to drop a knife into the pit. Baker picks the knife up, cutting Angel’s arm with it. Angel morphs into vamp face and the crowd chants, “Killing blow!” Angel defends himself from a few more hits, then stabs Baker in the chest with the knife. Once Baker is dead, the announcer says that Angel has made his first career kill. Angel heads back to join the other demons as Jack announces that it’s time for a match between Trepkos and (expected loser) Mellish. Angel tells Trepkos that if he and Mellish don’t fight, neither of them will die. Cribb tells Angel that he’s not an expert just because he’s made one kill; Angel replies that that wasn’t his first kill. Angel tells Trepkos that they can fight their captors if they stop killing each other. Trepkos instead says that he’ll kill Mellish quickly, a decision which pleases Jack. Once they’re in the ring, Trepkos fulfills his promise. Outside the building, Cordelia tells Wesley that they need to call the police, but he thinks that Darin will destroy the evidence before anything can happen. Cordelia realizes that he would kill the demons and says that they need to get Angel out, which entails getting his bracelet off. Wesley thinks that, if he can get a bracelet, he’ll be able to figure out how to forge a magical key to release other bracelets. Cordelia reveals that she swiped a bracelet when he wasn’t looking.

When Jack congratulates Angel on his victory, calling him “a demon like the others”, Angel grabs Jack and pulls him close to the red line. He asks Jack how to remove the bracelet and asks the demons to check Jack’s pockets for a key; they won’t help him. Darin enters with his guards and Angel agrees to let Jack go when he and the other demons are released. Darin pulls out a gun and calmly shoots Jack, and the guards again knock out Angel with cattle prods. He wakes up in the office of Lilah Morgan, the woman he and Darin both talked to earlier. She introduces herself as a lawyer working for Wolfram & Hart, and explains that she persuaded Darin to sell his contract to “the partners”. She tells him that he’s free to go, provided he pretend the fighting never happened; after all, Lilah points out, there are a lot of people for him to help in L.A. Angel refuses to compromise, and willingly returns to the arena, where the other demons call him crazy for returning. Darin snaps Angel’s bracelet back on and tells him that he’s fighting Trepkos next; if Trepkos wins, Angel will be his 21st kill. Wesley messes around with the bracelet, trying to find something that will conduct electricity. Cordelia provides Wesley with a horsehair bracelet (“from Keanu, my palomino, before the IRS took him away”) which does exactly what he needs it to do to the silver bracelet. Back at the arena, Lilah places a $10,000 bet on Trepkos.

Angel and Trepkos enter the ring, where Angel tells Trepkos that even if he kills 21 demons, he will always be a slave. Trepkos says that he’ll kill him quickly and Angel replies that he won’t let him. The fight begins and, again, Angel defends himself. Cordelia distracts a guard so that Wesley can get to the slaves’ quarters. He asks Cribb where Angel is and is told that he’ll be dead soon. Wesley announces that he has a key to open all of the demon’s bracelets and Cribb grabs it from him. A guard drops wooden staffs into the pit and Trepkos charges Angel with one of them. Wesley returns to Cordelia and tells her that someone took his key. The fighting continues and Angel gets part of Trepkos’ staff, holding it to his throat. Cribb unlocks his bracelet, watching as Angel starts to walk away from the fight, then get overtaken by Trepkos. The crowd encourages Trepkos to kill Angel, but Trepkos decides not to. Darin sends guards after both of them, but Wesley pulls out a gun and tells Darin to stop the guards. Cribb and the other demons storm the arena and Wesley and Darin start fighting over the gun. The demons and guards face off and Cribb unlocks Angel’s bracelet, calling him a loser. The spectators all leave the arena. Darin is about to shoot Wesley when Cordelia pushes him into the pit. Darin points the gun at Trepkos and blasts him for not killing Angel when it would have set him free. Cribb puts a bracelet on Darin’s wrist. Darin is thrown out of the red circle and disintegrates. Cribb unlocks Trepkos’ bracelet and Angel and Trepkos congratulate each other on a good fight. “I could have taken you,” Angel claims. Cordelia and Wesley help Angel out of the building and he thanks them for finding him before it was too late. Cordelia says that Wesley was the one who figured out how to make the key, and Wesley says that she was the one who figured out that horsehair would work. Angel says that they did good work, even though, as Cordelia points out, they released a bunch of demons.

From: Wikipedia

ANGEL- (+9)

• +1/ Speaking an assortment of different languages to a quiet demon in their prison cell, I like when Angel show’s some humour.
• +1/ Helping the small demon get his food back from Crib, it’s nice to see Angel help the helpless in extreme circumstances.
• +1/ Winning his first bout, I do like that Angel did at least try to not kill his opponent.
• +1/ Managing to capture Jack, one of his captors. It was a fairly strong plan until we find out that Jack’s brother isn’t much on the brotherly love.
• +2/ His first proper meeting with Lilah, they have a strange connection and have a nice interaction with one another. She offers him a chance to work with Wolfram & Hart, thankfully, Angel declines and voluntarily goes back into the arena.
• +3/ His big fight with Trepkos, which Angel virtually wins if not for the mercy of our hero. It’s a pretty strong fight too.

CORDELIA- (+7)

• +2/ Discussing her social life with Wes, and by discussing, I mean fighting-
  Cordelia: There are some ugly critters in here.  Someone ought to create an intra-demon dating base.  You know, like archfiend.org, where the lonely and the slimy connect.  (Wesley looks at her)  I was just joking Mr. Grouchy Pants.  When was the last time you had a dating base?
  Wesley: For your information – I lead a rich and varied social life.
  Cordelia: Oh, I know.  Every night it’s Jeopardy, followed by Wheel of Fortune and a cup of hot cocoa.  Look out girls, this one can’t be tamed!
  Wesley: I’ll admit it may not be as intoxicating as a life erected on high fashion pumps and a push-up bra.
  Cordelia: Hey, if anyone is wearing a push-up bra around here it’s (Sees Angel coming in) – Angel.
  Angel: Did you two need to see a counselor?
  Cordelia: No, I’m way too single entendre – to benefit from therapy!
  Wesley: I don’t know why you take everything so personally.
  Cordelia: Me?  Oh this is rich coming from Mr. ‘Don’t talk to me until I’ve had my *flagon* of oat-bran’ in the morning.
• +1/ Complaining about slime and the like which seem to appear on the demons they have to research-
  Wesley: (reads)  Bald – ultra white skin – slime.
  Cordelia: There is always slime.  This is why I don’t gamble.  You make a small wager one day, a bigger one the next, and before you know it – Beetlejuicy albino comes a knocking!  Claws or hands?
  Wesley: He wrote claw-like hands.
  Cordelia: Could be a mixed breed.  Smell?
  Wesley: Sulfuric.
  Cordelia: Add a Porsche and hair-plugs and I’ve dated this guy – a lot.  Other distinguishing characteristics?
  Wesley: An eerie high-pitched howl or wail.  I’m assuming that’s when it’s preparing to fight or mate.
  Cordelia: Okay, first I say ‘yuck’ and then I hit search.
• +2/ Impersonating police officers so they can infiltrate the arena fights, Cordelia shows some talent acting-wise so maybe those auditions were not all useless-
  Cordelia: Sir, madam, I’m detective Andrews and this is detective Yelsew. – Show them your badge.  (Wesley takes a wallet out of his inside pocket and waves it through the air without letting them get a look at it) and write down their license plate number four three niner, Peter, Charley, Edward.
  Winslow: What are you doing?  Why are you writing down…
  Cordelia: Sir, if you could just calm down and give us your name?
  Winslow: My name is Mathew Winslow, as in Winslow Multimedia?  And I happen to be a personal friend of your boss – Chief Tyler?
  Cordelia: We’ll give him your best.  Could I see your tickets please?
  Winslow: You’ll be hearing from my lawyer tonight.
  Cordelia: Are you aware that you’ve purchased tickets to an unlicensed sporting event?
  Wesley: Answer the detective.
  Winslow: Well, if it’s illegal, what are all these people doing here?
  Cordelia: We’re trying to do you a favor, Mr. Winslow.
  Wesley: Something is going down tonight.  Something with the man.
  Cordy kicks him.
  Winslow: A raid?
  Cordelia: We’re not at liberty to say.
  Winslow: But we could just – go on home?
  Cordelia: I think that would be a wise thing to do, Sir.
  Cordy elbows Wesley as they walk off.
  Wesley: What?
  Cordelia: You almost blew it!
  Wesley: I saved it!
  Cordelia: Urgh!  Something is going down with the man?  You idiot!
• +1/ Showing some smarts when it comes to helping Wes with cracking the slave bracelets, Cordy is not only a pretty face then.
• +1/ Helping Angel and Wes overcome Darin and his arena slave trade.

WESLEY- (+8}

• +1/ Fighting with Cordelia about eachother’s social life (see Cordelia point 1).
• +1/ Wes is slowly losing his goofiness, which as you know I’m fond of, but it’s not completley gone as he fails to pull out a weapon from the weapon’s draw, instead he pulls out all of them.
• +2/ Showing some awesome skill in intimidating the bookie. The first sign that Wesley is actually a very dangerous adversary and signs of the Dark Wes to come.
• +2/ Impersonating cops with Cordelia, he doesn’t act quite as solidly as Cordelia but is funny nonetheless (see Cordelia point 3).
• +1/ Cracking the slave bracelets, with the help of Cordelia
• +1/ Helping to subdue Darin, an essential part in their victory.

LILAH- (+1)

• +1/ The first appearance of the sultry, Miss Lilah Morgan. She offers Angel a truce which he declines, she is still very likable.

SEASON OVERALL-

ANGEL- +134
CORDELIA- +91
WESLEY- +47
DOYLE- +44
KATE- +22
BUFFY- +13
SPIKE- +8
OZ- +5
PHANTOM DENNIS- +4
ANGELUS- +2
LILAH- +1
DARLA- +1
LINDSEY- +1

OVERALL COUNT-

BUFFY- +305
ANGEL- +249
CORDELIA- +215
OZ- +92
WESLEY- +72
SPIKE- +70
DOYLE- +44
ANGELUS- +26
KATE- +22
PHANTOM DENNIS- +4
LILAH- +1
LINDSEY- +1
DARLA- -1

EPISODE THOUGHTS-
I always seem to find this episode entertaining. Angel is very strong during it and his fights are great. Cordelia and Wesley are fantastic together and really give the episode a humourous side. We are also introduced to Lilah, another memorable thing for this episode. I also like Darin, the older brother who runs the demon fights. He’s suprisingly evil and a very strong single episode villian. The actual plot of demon battles gladiator-style is a fairly common theme so nothing incredibly original but the demons involved are intriguing enough. Overall, a solid episode.

75.5/100

A115- The Prodigal

Written by: Tim Minear.
Cast: David Boreanaz, Charisma Carpenter, Alexis Denisof, Elisabeth Rohm & Julie Benz.

In a flashback to Galway, Ireland, 1753, Angel – at that point, still known as “Liam” – is fighting with his father. Enraged by his son’s chronic recklessness and current mocking demeanor, Liam’s father slaps his son in the face, shouting that he’ll always be a layabout and a scoundrel. In the present, Angel is fighting a demon that is dressed like a homeless person on the train tracks in a L.A. subway tunnel. As Detective Kate Lockley arrives on the scene, the demon clutches its chest, sinks to the ground and expires. Forced again to deal with L.A.’s dark side and Angel’s place in it, Kate ironically wonders whether she should call the coroner or Hazardous Materials, while Angel tries to convince her not to report the supernatural aspects of this case. Later, as an officer interviews the Blue Circle courier who pulled the emergency cord after allegedly being attacked by “your average Joe-stink homeless guy,” Angel’s instincts are immediately aroused when he spots Kate’s dad, retired police detective Trevor Lockley, take a package from the crime scene.

At Angel Investigations, Angel identifies the demon in one of Wesley’s reference books as a Kwaini demon, an inherently non-violent race. Angel visits Kate at the precinct, but as he explains that something must have set off the Kwaini demon in the subway, Kate interrupts, preferring that he say “evil thing” instead of “demon.” He is unable to convince Kate that the demon she saw dead in the subway is not an evil evil thing. Kate is reluctant to admit that his news means that this case is not as routine as they initially believed. The AI team splits up to pursue their two leads. Angel follows the Blue Circle courier to an apartment building, where Trevor Lockley opens the door to the courier’s knock and shoves a brown-wrapped package into the man’s hands. Once the courier leaves, Angel confronts Trevor about the exchange, theorizing Trevor was returning the parcel he removed from the crime scene that morning. Intending to discover who Trevor is working for, Angel gives Kate’s father a chance to come clean so they can take care of the problem without further police involvement. Taking umbrage at Angel’s angry implication that he cares nothing for his daughter, Trevor tells Angel that he can’t possibly interpret a father’s actions, and slams the door in his face. After locating the Kwaini’s body in the subway tunnel, Wesley performs an autopsy which reveals the demon was on drugs, and attacked the train because someone on board had more of the drug.

In Galway, Liam tearfully bids goodbye to his mother and younger sister, and exchanges more harsh words with his father. Making his way back to the pub, Liam spends the remainder of the day carousing wildly. An elegantly dressed Darla watches in fascination as a very drunk Liam brawls with beautiful abandon, besting several men in quick succession. That night, luring the vulnerable young man into a dark alley with promises of exotic experiences and places, Darla sires Liam, first biting him, then drawing her own blood for him to drink in turn. That night, Angel rises from his grave and is greeted by Darla. She watches as he morphs and kills his first human, after which he visits his home and kills his family.

Two men in suits visit Trevor Lockley to make sure he hasn’t said anything to his daughter. Angel arrives to warn Trevor of the danger in which he’s involved, but before he can convince Mr. Lockley to invite him inside, the men in suits reveal themselves as vampires and kill Trevor. Kate arrives and finds her father dead. She trails the vampires to the demon drug lord’s base, then stakes the vampire who killed her father. Angel shows up and helps her fight and kill the remaining vampires and finally chops off the head of the lead demon. Kate walks away, saying that Angel doesn’t know anything about losing a human father. Back in Angel’s past, Darla finds that Angel has killed all of his family. She reminds him that even though his father is dead, his memory will always haunt him. Kate visits her father’s grave while Angel watches from the safety of the shadows.

From: Wikipedia

ANGEL- (+6)

• +1/ Meeting Kate after defeating a demon. She’s still a bit unsure about the whole demon thing since the events of Somnambulist but they at least manage to stay friendly to each other-
  Kate: “It’s uhm – it’s not a person, is it?”
  Angel: “No.  Demon.”
  Kate: “Is it…”
  Angel: “Dead?  Yeah, Kate, it-it’s dead.”
  Kate: “So they – so they die then.”
  Angel: “Yeah.”
  Kate: “Sorry, I guess I’m still having a little trouble with this otherworldly stuff.”
  Angel: “Right.  -  Although demons aren’t technically otherworldly.  I mean, in fact they were here (Kate looks at him and walks back towards the station) – first.”
• +1/ Having to once again talk to Kate, who requests that he doesn’t use the word demon, which leads to a fairly humourous scene-
  Angel: Hi.  Can we talk?
  Kate: What’s up?
  Angel: It’s about that demon from this morning.
  Kate: Look if you insist on… (Hurries over to shut the door) talking about this stuff, could you please don’t say that word?  It makes me, it makes me, I don’t know, just – uncomfortable.  Just say – ‘evil thing’, okay?”
  Angel: Sure.  Yeah.  I understand.
  Kate: Thanks.  Anyway, I thought you were going to take care of it.
  Angel: It’s being taken care of.  It’s just that the ah, evil thing – turns out it wasn’t an *evil* thing.
  Kate: The evil thing wasn’t an evil thing?
  Angel: Well, it was an evil thing in terms of that word.  It just wasn’t an evil evil thing.
  Kate: There are not evil evil things?
  Angel: Well – yeah.
• +1/ His last nice conversation with Kate, she declares him good, too bad things are not meant to be and they end up enemies.
• +1/ Trying to save Kate’s Dad, I’ve never seen Angel look so helpless.
• +2/ Helping Kate get her revenge.

CORDELIA- (+3)

• +1/ Installing a security system in the office and requiring that Angel remember the code, for specific reasons-
  Cordelia: Pay attention!  All we have to do is decide what the code will be.
  Angel: Code.
  Cordelia: For the security system we just had installed.  Hello?  What have we been talking about anyway?
  Angel: I don’t…
  Cordelia: Come on.  The installation guy said it should be something easy to remember, like – my birthday.
  Angel: I don’t know your birthday.
  Cordelia: Yeah, tell me something that you don’t know that I *don’t* know.  But after 11 and ½ months of punching it into this, you won’t have any excuses.
• +1/ Not being phased by having to dismember a demon corpse, showing just how far she’s come since her days in high school.
• +1/ Having to follow Kate’s Dad, and like Buffy, she isn’t the best dresser when it comes to recon.

KATE- (+6)

• +1/ Still having trouble with the whole, demon world as she speaks to Angel in the train station (see Angel point 1).
• +1/ Wanting Angel to say ‘evil thing’ instead of demon (see Angel point 2).
• +1/ Having a conversation with her Dad about Angel, it saddens me that the only reason that her Father would have a lengthy conversation with her is to discuss someone he is interested in-
  Trevor: And, uh, – how’s Angel?
  Kate: Pardon me?
  Trevor: Tall, good-looking fellow you brought to my retirement party.
  Kate: Yeah, I know who you mean.
  Trevor: That ain’t a Mexican name, is it?  Angel?
  Kate: I don’t think so.
  Trevor: You two still seeing each other?
  Kate: We were never – seeing each other, dad.
  Trevor: What’s wrong with him?
  Kate: Nothing!
  Trevor: Must be something wrong with him.  He married?
  Kate: No.
  Trevor: West Hollywood?
  Kate: Daddy, no!  -  Angel’s just – not my type.  Or I’m not his type.  There is definitely a type involved and it’s the wrong one.
• +1/ Going to see Angel to say that she believes him to be good. Their last nice interaction for a while.
• +2/ Getting her revenge on the vamps for her Father’s death, the start of a very large downward spiral for her.

ANGELUS- (+2)

• +2/ Killing his Father, with whom he had a very estranged relationship, Angelus gets the final say though-
  Angelus: Strange. – Somehow you seemed taller when I was alive.
  Dad: Lord, bind this demon now.
  Angelus: To think I ever let such a tiny, trembling thing make me feel the way you did.
  Dad: I pray ye, give me your protection, Father.
  Angelus: You told me I wasn’t a man. (Slowly stalks closer to his dad) You told me I was nothing. – and I believed you.  You said I’d never amount to anything.  (His dad stares at him with wide-open eyes)  Well, you were wrong.  (Angel morphs into vamp face)  You see, father?  -  I have made something out of myself after all.

DARLA- (+1)

• +1/ Providing some philosophy when she shows that Angelus has not defeated his Father but rather made him unbeatable-
  Angelus: Now I’ve won.
  Darla: You’re sure?
  Angelus: Of course.  I proved who had the power here.
  Darla: You think?
  Angelus: What?
  Darla: You’re victory over him took but moments.
  Angelus: Yes?
  Darla: But his defeat of you will last life times.
  Angelus: What are you talking about?  He can’t defeat me now.
  Darla: Nor can he ever approve of you – in this world or any other.  -  What we once were informs all that we have become. The same love will infect our hearts – even if they no longer beat. Simple death won’t change that.
  Angelus: Love?  -  Is this the work of love?
  Darla: Darling boy.  -  So young.  Still so very young.

SEASON OVERALL-

ANGEL- +125
CORDELIA- +84
DOYLE- +44
WESLEY- +39
KATE- +22
BUFFY- +13
SPIKE- +8
OZ- +5
PHANTOM DENNIS- +4
ANGELUS- +2
DARLA- +1
LINDSEY- +1

OVERALL COUNT-

BUFFY- +305
ANGEL- +240
CORDELIA- +208
OZ- +92
SPIKE- +70
WESLEY- +64
DOYLE- +44
ANGELUS- +26
KATE- +22
PHANTOM DENNIS- +4
LINDSEY- +1
DARLA- -1

EPISODE THOUGHTS-
I think this is a strong episode which lacks just a few crucial components which would have made it a great one. It focuses heavily on the Father-child relationship of both Angel and Kate. Their both interesting storylines and really drove the episode along. One point of interest for me was that the episode lacked a lot of Cordelia and any Wesley. He’s in it but he is very quiet not providing his usual humour. Kate’s father dying was a nice move and made the episode pivotal and also leads Kate into a dark path which is great. I like that a supporting character gets dragged into a dark place because of their relationship with the lead, it’s refreshing. Good episode.

77/100

A114- I’ve Got You Under My Skin

Written by: Jeannine Renshaw.
Cast: David Boreanaz, Charisma Carpenter, Alexis Denisof & Elisabeth Rohm.

While Wesley shows off the newest addition in his collection of arcane weaponry to Angel, Cordelia’s dubious-smelling brownies finish baking. Enjoying the homey spectacle of Cordy and Wes bickering, Angel nevertheless tries to make peace—and achieves total silence by inadvertently calling Wesley ‘Doyle.’ Elsewhere, real children squabble over toys until their mother tells them it is bedtime. The kids protest until sternly admonished by their father. After the parents tuck their children in, the father stonily bids the heartbroken mother to padlock their daughter’s door. Behind them, another door, labeled “Ryan,” is already padlocked for the night.

Inviting herself to have a seat in his office that evening, Cordelia insists that Angel talk with her about the friend they both miss so much. Just as Angel begins to express the guilt he carries over the manner of Doyle’s death, Cordelia is wracked by a vision. Angel and Wesley stake out the envisioned house in the suburbs, but all seems quiet. The Angel Investigations pair is about to leave, when Wesley spots a young boy walking across the yard in his pajamas. Down the street, a car revs its engine and speeds toward them. Angel leaps form the Plymouth, grabs the boy and rolls onto the grass with him, just as the vehicle rushes by. Noticing the bloody scrape on Angel’s shoulder, the boy, who seems completely unconcerned about his near brush with death, asks Angel if he’s going to cry. Angel jokingly pretends to consider it, finally deciding that he doesn’t think he will. At that moment, the boy’s father emerges swiftly from the house and roughly begins to berate the child. The boy’s mother also rushes up, near panic, and effusively thanks Angel for saving their son, Ryan. Despite her husband’s obvious reluctance, she invites Angel inside with an offer to tend his wound. Of course, he accepts. While her husband, Seth, puts Ryan back to bed, Paige tends the scrape on Angel arm. Shocked at one point to notice that it seems to be healing with miraculous rapidity, Paige is distracted when Angel returns to the subject of her family. Paige seems too chronically anxious to be truly forthcoming, and stops talking altogether when Seth returns to the living room. Learning that the Andersons have recently moved to the area, Angel begins to probe more deeply for information, such as how their son got out of his room, as well as where he was likely to be going, and why. Decidedly hostile, Seth sits opposite their guest and pointedly reminds him that he hasn’t told them his name. Angel introduces himself as “Angel… Jones, Angel Jones.” Seeming not to notice his hesitation, Paige rather too delightedly reveals, again over her husband’s muttered objection, that she collects angels. To Angel’s discomfort, she is instantly convinced that he has been sent to help them, especially since he refuses all offer of payment or recompense. However, when Paige insists on inviting him to supper the following night to thank him, which Seth openly disapproves, Angel uses her enthusiasm to his advantage. After a dramatic pause, Angel brings a glow to Paige’s face by asking her, “What can I bring?” before squarely meeting Seth’s furious glare.

While Angel is inside, Wesley pokes around outside and finds glowing goo called “plakticine” (similar to ectoplasm) oozing from the foundation all around the house. Comparing notes back in the Plymouth, Angel and Wesley conclude that someone in the family is possessed by a demon and, though he doesn’t express it until later, Angel strongly suspects the father. He might have changed his mind, however, had he noticed the Andersons’ daughter, Stephanie, watching expressionlessly from her window as they drive away. Back at the office, Angel and Wes bring Cordelia up to speed. Further research, including a background check on the Anderson family, determines that they are dealing with a powerful, fully developed, mass-murdering Ethros demon. Despite Angel’s suspicions about the father, the only way to be sure which family member is possessed is to have each ingest eucalyptus powder, which will force the demon to manifest. They mix the powder with Cordelia’s brownies, a plateful of which Angel brings as a hostess gift when he arrives at the Andersons for dinner. After a mildly uncomfortable meal, Paige brings out the brownies for dessert and Seth tells the protesting kids that this will replace their hot cocoa treat tonight. As the Andersons each take a bite, Angel watches Seth so closely that it isn’t until Paige screams that he sees the demon horrifically manifesting in Ryan. The boy spasms and partially transforms, and his frantic mother accuses Angel of poisoning her son. Unexpectedly, Seth comes to Angel’s support, urging Paige to admit that something has been truly wrong with the boy since long before Angel’s advent. Eventually, although his face remains disfigured, Ryan grows somnolent and Paige and Seth agree to try an exorcism. Taking an opportunity to speak aside to Angel, Seth expresses his gratitude for this chance at hope and healing for his son and his family.

Having asked Seth to arrange care for Stephanie, Angel takes the rest of the Anderson family to his place, where his team has made preparations. Wesley carries the still-sleeping Ryan and gently deposits him in Angel’s bed. Cordelia establishes a magic circle of protection around the bed with a granular mixture she pours from a large flask. Stressing that Ryan is not himself anymore, Angel warns Seth and Paige, particularly Paige, that they risk being killed if they break the barrier or go anywhere near the boy. Leaving Cordelia in charge, Angel and Wesley try to make contact with the priest reputed to be professionally trained to perform exorcisms. Upon arriving at his parish, an aged nun, wise and discerning, informs them that Father Fredericks died during his last exorcism attempt. She warns that an Ethros, more powerful than the demon that killed the Father, is even more dangerous than Angel. As Wesley dips holy water from the font, Angel argues that the former Watcher is physically, emotionally and spiritually unprepared to conduct Ryan’s exorcism. Wesley makes his own case by the simple expedient of tossing a cross at Angel, who reflexively catches it, then, just as reflexively, drops it. Shaking scorched fingers, Angel pronounces Wes vulgar, but concedes the point. Meanwhile, Ryan has seemingly regained consciousness and commences tormenting Paige with guilt at leaving him abandoned and alone in the dark. Just as Paige’s resolve breaks and she rushes to her son’s side, Angel and Wesley return. The demon telekinetically prevents them from coming to Paige’s rescue while he tries to throttle her with Ryan’s small hands.

After a tense few minutes, Wesley and Angel rush into the bedroom and manage to pull Paige from Ryan’s choke hold, but their efforts send the demon deeper, and the boy again lapses into unconsciousness. Angel emphatically repeats his warnings to Paige, and she and Seth sit recovering on the sofa while Wesley prepares himself for the coming ordeal. Angel checks on Cordelia’s progress with further research and learns that once the Ethros is expelled, it will automatically possess the nearest “warm body.” The only way to prevent this is by obtaining a rare and singularly constructed Ethros Box. Angel gives Cordelia the address of a shop he knows downtown, Rick’s Magick & Stuff, and she leaves immediately. Angel stays behind to keep an eye on things and help Wesley prepare for the ritual. Rick’s, however, does not have an Ethros Box carved by “blind Tibetan monks,” so Cordy instead buys a box made by “mute Chinese nuns.” This box is intended for another type of demon, and Rick warns her it might be “tight across the shoulders” for the larger Ethros. While Cordelia shops, Wesley begins the exorcism. He manages to raise the demon far enough to animate the boy once more, and intones the opening lines of the Latinate ritual. Sturdily enduring the Ethros’ cruel taunts about his inadequacies as a youth and as a Watcher, Wesley nevertheless grows visibly more distracted and vulnerable as the exchange continues. When Angel intervenes, the Ethros viciously twists Wesley’s new-found devotion toward the vampire and Wesley’s control abruptly breaks. He furiously blasts the demon in Ryan, focusing his righteous wrath through the cross he brandishes. The Ethros, using Wesley’s own fury against him, suddenly forces Wes to stab himself in the neck with the heavy cross. Angel rushes to Wesley’s side, extracts the cross and presses a cloth to the wound, then helps him from the room. Cordelia returns and the five adults regroup in the kitchen while Wesley rests. Suddenly, the room begins to tremble and shake, and everyone backs away as the disturbance localizes at the kitchen table. Amidst the other toys being rattled and moved telekinetically, all the marbles spill from their bag and arrange themselves into words on the tabletop. Someone has written the pleading message, “Save me.”

The Ethros, who has made Ryan sit up again, continues to taunt Angel. When the demon seems to channel Doyle, playing on Angel’s deep sense of (misplaced) guilt about letting his friend die, Angel resolves to have an end to the proceedings. Wrapping his hand with a length of cloth, Angel grabs the cross, grabs Wesley’s small volume of incantations, and strides into the bedroom. Holding the cross pressed to Ryan’s chest, Angel ignores the pain of his hand sizzling through the protective layers and begins to chant. Ryan twists and convulses as the Ethros struggles inside him. Angel’s voice grows louder and more commanding as he repeats the ritual phrases until, finally, he shouts, “Now get the hell out!” With an invisible rush, the demon is expelled from the boy, but the Ethros Box, held at the ready by Cordelia and Wesley standing in the bedroom doorway, is wholly unable to contain the demon’s energy, and shatters into shards. With a roar, the Ethros, still in invisible energy form, flees the basement, leaving everyone staring at each other in stunned shock. Some time later, after sending the Andersons home, the AI team tries to determine the demon’s current whereabouts. Although there is a fair amount of plakticine to be found in the building, Wesley concurs with Angel’s guess that the demon is long gone and will need to take corporeal form to recharge itself after expending so much energy to escape. Leaving Cordelia behind, the two demon hunters soon track the Ethros to primordial basalt sea caves nearby. As they penetrate deeper into the rocky blackness, Wesley takes a moment to try to assure Angel of his loyalty, no matter the Ethros’ earlier taunts. Angel, trying to keep it light, reassures Wes, in turn, that he knows the former Watcher isn’t planning to kill him. Also aware, however, that Wesley is willing to kill him should it become necessary, Angel concludes, “And that’s good. Now, come on.” With nothing more needing to be said, Wesley, deeply gratified, follows Angel into the dark. Shortly, they hear quiet moaning from up ahead, and come face to face with the terrifying Ethros demon. Oddly calm, the Ethros explains that in millennia of tormenting innocent souls, he has never before encountered a being that frightened him as much as did the Andersons’ son, Ryan. He reveals that the boy is not pure or innocent, but totally chaotic, amoral and soulless inside. The boy had been the true Box imprisoning Ethros, and the demon sought escape at any cost, even that of his own existence. Angel realizes that the message, “Save me” was, in fact, the demon’s plea, and that the Ethros, on the first night he encountered the Anderson family, was actually the one sleep-walking Ryan into the street to effect his own fatal escape from bondage. Angel and Wesley now understand that the Andersons, believing themselves safe at last, are still in mortal danger from the monster undetected in their midst. With pitiless swiftness, Angel dispatches the ancient evil.

In the Andersons’ suburban home, Paige gives Ryan and Stephanie their accustomed hot cocoa before bed, but Ryan is dissatisfied when he counts two fewer mini-marshmallows in his cup than in his sister’s. That night after everyone is asleep, Ryan, unsecured for the first time in a long time, steals matches from Seth’s bedstand, then chocks his parents’ door shut with a toy block. Entering Stephanie’s room, the boy sloshes gasoline over his sister’s toys and furniture, then lights a match and tosses it down. The room ignites with a whoosh and Stephanie, cut off from the door by a wall of flame, wakes up screaming. As her brother stares entranced at the roaring flames, Angel suddenly crashes through the window opposite and scoops Stephanie into his arms. Despite the open flame, he pauses a split second to see Wesley hustle Ryan and his parents down the hall to safety, then leaps back through the window with his small burden. A little while later, Angel and Seth stand in the strobing dark, while firemen contain the blaze, and other emergency vehicles stand at the ready around the yard. Behind Seth, Paige and Stephanie huddle together near the front door. Detective Kate Lockley comes over to inform Seth that Social Services is taking custody of Ryan, and that they can see him in the morning, but that there won’t be anything to report until after the evaluation. Angel catches her glance and says, “Thanks for coming by, Kate.” Staring at him for a moment, Kate merely nods, then turns away and climbs in the squad car that drives Ryan away. Angel redirects Seth’s attention from the son he cannot save to the wife and daughter he has already protected. Almost imperceptibly nodding his thanks, Seth turns to embrace his welcoming family. Angel makes his own way out to the sidewalk, where Cordelia and Wesley stand near the Plymouth, waiting for him.

From: Wikipedia

ANGEL- (+8}

• +2/ Saying Doyle when addressing Wesley during an argument between Wes and Cordy, which shows that Angel still hasn’t quite gotten over the passing of Doyle. It is the first person who Angel has lost in his fight for atonement so you can understand that Angel would have trouble with his death.
• +1/ Having to discuss his Doyle slip-up with Cordelia-
  Cordelia: You called him Doyle.
  Angel: It just – happened.  -  I hope Wesley is okay with it.
  Cordelia: Oh, who cares about him!  This is about Doyle.  You-you never say his name!
  Angel: I say it.
  Cordelia: No, you don’t.  -  Look you don’t have to be* Joe Stoic* about his dying.  I mean, I know that you have this unflappable vibe working for you, but… you don’t have to do that for me.
  Angel: I’m not unflappable.
  Cordelia: Great.  So – flap.
  Angel gets up with a sigh, moves around for a while, Cordy watches him silently.
  Angel: I miss him.
  Cordelia: Me, too.
  Angel: I’ve been around death before – a lot! – I’ve lost people.  I’ve killed people.
  Cordelia: And you *are* dead.  (Angel looks at her) Sorry.
  Angel: It shouldn’t have happened.  I shouldn’t have let it happen!
• +1/ Saving Ryan from a speeding car.
• +1/ Having to pretend to like a home-cooked dinner, you can tell his formidable acting skills were thoroughly tested.
• +1/ Worried about Wesley’s mental strength as he attempts to perform an exorcism (see Wesley point 2).
• +1/ Not worried about Wesley’s ‘plan’ to kill Angel, which shows that Angel has developed a large amount of trust with Wes.
• +1/ Saving Stephanie from Ryan’s arson attempt.

CORDELIA- (+5)

• +2/ Cooking brownies for Angel and Wes and then using Wes’ rare new dagger to cut the very tough brownies (see Wesley point 1).
• +1/ Confronting Angel about his Doyle slip-up (see Angel point 2).
• +1/ Discussing the apparent lack of children suitable themes in nursery rhymes-
  Wesley: Oh, it can’t hurt you.  Only the demon itself is dangerous.
  Cordelia: How dangerous?
  Wesley: Tends to go in for mass murder.  -  You’ve heard of Lizzie Borden?  She killed her parents with an axe?
  Cordelia: I remember the children’s rhyme.  And how come they’re all full of death and cradles falling, and mice getting tails cut off?  Anyway, the whole thing needs a ratings system, don’t you think?
• +1/ Having to shop for demon boxes, not her normal shopping item I’m sure.

WESLEY- (+5)

• +2/ Bringing a nice new dagger to show Angel which ends up being used as a cutting utensil for her brownies-
  Cordelia: They’re done!  Nobody touch.
  Angel: (to Wesley) She’s making brownies.
  Wesley: Oh, is that what I smell?  (Quietly to Angel)  I thought I tracked something in.
  Cordelia: The recipe was handed down to me by my mother, who got it from her housekeeper.  Plus, I improvised a little.  (To Wesley)  You’re gonna love them.
  Wesley: Me?  Doesn’t Angel – have to – get to try any?
  Cordelia: They are brownies full of nutty goodness, not red blood cells.
  Wesley: Oh, I wasn’t thinking. (Aside to Angel) More of a drinker than an eater, I suppose.
• +1/ Wanting to perform the exorcism, even though Angel has his reservations-
  Angel: You can’t do it.
  Wesley: I know the ritual and we have the supplies.
  Angel: You’ve never done this before.  Look, it takes tremendous strength – mental strength.
  Wesley: Resistance to suggestion.  Yes, I understand that. – I like to think of myself as possessing a certain…
  Angel: Wesley, you don’t even have sales resistance.  (Wesley looks up at him)  How many thighmasters do you own?
  Wesley: The second one was a free gift with my ‘Buns of Steel.’
• +1/ The first sign that Wesley has some major demon’s in his closet, mainly due to his father, which is something which gives a little depth to his character.
• +1/  Trying to reassure Angel that he doesn’t plan to kill him, Angel is not worried though.

SEASON OVERALL-

ANGEL- +119
CORDELIA- +81
DOYLE- +44
WESLEY- +39
KATE- +16
BUFFY- +13
SPIKE- +8
OZ- +5
PHANTOM DENNIS- +4
LINDSEY- +1

OVERALL COUNT-

BUFFY- +305
ANGEL- +234
CORDELIA- +205
OZ- +92
SPIKE- +70
WESLEY- +64
DOYLE- +44
KATE- +16
PHANTOM DENNIS- +4
LINDSEY- +1

EPISODE THOUGHTS-

I don’t mind this episode, the only major problem I have with it is that it’s a little slow. The character’s all provide something whether it is humour or character development. The actual plot isn’t bad either. It’s actually something of a twister, first you think the dad is the bad guy, but he turns out to be the guy trying his hardest to keep his family together and at first you think this is a basic possession story but we find out that the demon possessing him wants to escape the boy, due to his apparent lack of soul. It’s an interesting twist and makes you remember the episode. Overall, I like it, better than the last two that’s for sure.

74.5/100