Angel ep by ep; rewatch and reviews

THAT OLD GANG OF MINE (anyone else keep expecting Gunn to break into a number from Sweet Charity?)
The Good;
Angel apologising to Merl is hilarious but this is Gunn's ep. Love Fred singing at Caritas and she shows some steel for the first time.
The Bad;
Evidence bags. Hmmm? Are we on CSI or something? Weird how they appear this week as an important part of the plot but then we never see them again.
Best line:
Fred; "Oh. Oh! Ohhhhhh!" (all in the delivery)
Jeez, how did they get away with that?
The killing of the balancing entity is particularly gruesome
Apocalypses: 5
Angel Cliches
Inverting the Hollywood cliche;
Human's bad, demons, well if not good not inherently evil
In disguise; 8
DB get's his shirt off; 12
Cordy's tattoo; 8,
Cheap Angel; 7
Fang Gang in bondage:
Cordy: 5
Angel: 10
Wes: 6
Gunn; 3
Lorne; 2

Fang gang knocked out:
Cordy: 11
Angel: 13
Wes: 5
Doyle; 1
Gunn; 1
Lorne; 2
Kills: one demon for Gunn
Cordy: 5 vamps, 3½ demons
Angel; 28 vamps, 40 and 1/2 demons, 3 humans
Doyle; 1 vamp
Wes; 7 demons+1 vamp
Kate; 3 vamps
Faith; 16 vamps, 6 demons, 3 humans.
Gunn; 8 vamps+ 6 demons.
Fang Gang go evil:
Cordy: 2
Angel: 2

Alternate Fang Gang:
Cordy: 2
Angel: 6

Characters killed:
40
Recurring characters killed; goodbye Merl. Gunn is still haunted by killing his sister which you can't blame him for.
7;
Total number of Angel Investigations:
5, Angel, Cordy, Wes, Gunn and Fred

Angel Investigations shot:
Angel: 11
Wes; 1
Packing heat; Gunn with a shotgun. He seems to object to the gang using Uzis but under his leadership they didn't hesitate to use a flamethrower.
Wes; 3
Doyle; 1
Angel; 1
Gunn; 1

Notches on Fang Gang bedpost: Angel and the Furies
Cordy: 3 ?+Wilson/Hacksaw Beast+Phantom Dennis
Angel: 5; Buffy, Darla and The Transcending Furies
Wes; 2; Virginia and the bleached blonde

Kinky dinky:
It's implied that Angel beds the three Furies (genuine characters from Greek mythology and very popular on TV at the time also turning up on Xena and Charmed, Piper even becomes one for a while). Singly or all three sisters at the same time? (Every man's ultimate fantasy? Or would that include their milfy mom joining in as well?) He's now happy to do so as after Darla he knows he won't lose his soul because he doesn't love them. Of course this is what we all assume. I read a very funny fanfic once where we learn that the Furies actually dig Angel due to his exquisite foot massage technique.
Captain Subtext;
CC describes Fred as 'sweet and adorable'. Lorne describes Gunn as 'sweetie'. The Furies tell Cordelia she is not equipped to pay this debt but I once read a rather good fanfic on the subject which ended in the words "MMMMmmmmm Cordelia!". http://www.fanfiction.net/s/3037269/1/Mmmmmmmmmmmm (non-adult)What exactly did Rondell flee from in Florida? Who is the girl who trusted him to the end? Someone he betrayed or someone who he couldn't save?
Know the face, different character; 3
Parking garages;
5,
Guantanamo Bay;
Buffy characters on Angel; 16
Wetherby, Collins and Smith. Angel, Cordy, Oz, Spike, Buffy, Wes, Faith, Darla, Dru, Master, Anne, Willow and Harmony
Questions and observations;
Wes saves Fred in Caritas. Wes' new image makes him look like some form of student teacher or something. Surely shooting Lorne would do him no harm if cutting his head off doesn't kill him? One demon keeps saying "Oh god", the other says "He's not listening", weird that demons refer to god.
Now, are Rondell and the guys right or wrong? When they raid Caritas they kill at least one vamp and a babyeating demon, it's hard to say that's really wrong? The problem is they don't distinguish as AI do. The ending is probably as good as you can get in this dilemma. Interesting that Wes warns Gunn about divided loyalties a subject he's going to learn all about later in the season.
Marks out of 10; 7/10

 

CARPE NOCTEM
The Good;
Some nice humour, especially over the whole 'Fred' thing and some nice stuff with Lilah
The Bad;
Surely Marcus notices that in his new body the heart isn't beating and he doesn't breathe?
Best line:
Cordy; "You're a eunuch"
Angel; "Hey!"
CC; "Figure of speech"
Angel; "Find another one!"
Jeez, how did they get away with that?
Apocalypses: 5
Angel Cliches
Inverting the Hollywood cliche; Much like the handicapped in Blind Date in the Buffyverse old people are EVIL! We don't expect Marcus' spell to affect Angel but it does.
In disguise; 8
DB get's his shirt off; 12
Cordy's tattoo; yes, her two piece purple outfit shows it off to great effect.
9,
Cheap Angel; 7
Fang Gang in bondage: yep, Angel
Cordy: 5
Angel: 11
Wes: 6
Gunn; 3
Lorne; 2

Fang gang knocked out: Angel as Marcus
Cordy: 11
Angel: 14
Wes: 5
Doyle; 1
Gunn; 1
Lorne; 2
Kills:
Cordy: 5 vamps, 3½ demons
Angel; 28 vamps, 40 and 1/2 demons, 3 humans
Doyle; 1 vamp
Wes; 7 demons+1 vamp
Kate; 3 vamps
Faith; 16 vamps, 6 demons, 3 humans.
Gunn; 8 vamps+ 6 demons.
Fang Gang go evil:
Cordy: 2
Angel: 2

Alternate Fang Gang: Angel/Marcus
Cordy: 2
Angel: 7

Characters killed: the three poor guys Marcus hijacks
43
Recurring characters killed;
7;
Total number of Angel Investigations:
5, Angel, Cordy, Wes, Gunn and Fred

Angel Investigations shot:
Angel: 11
Wes; 1
Packing heat;
Wes; 3
Doyle; 1
Angel; 1
Gunn; 1

Notches on Fang Gang bedpost:
Cordy: 3 ?+Wilson/Hacksaw Beast+Phantom Dennis
Angel: 5; Buffy, Darla and The Transcending Furies
Wes; 2; Virginia and the bleached blonde

Kinky dinky:
Three in the bed sex with 2 beautiful hookers. Well, we've all been there. CC refers to Angel as a eunuch, remember she doesn't know about Darla. CC salivates over the bodybuilders but still thinks 'All men are dogs'. Gunn and Wes argue over who gets to visit the 'First Class Escorts' but CC decides she should go instead. She refers to them as 'Pretty skanky women' (does she mean 'Women who are pretty skanky' or 'Women who are skanky and pretty'? To judge by the extremely attractive girls in the opening scene they certainly live up to their companies' billing). That's a bit rich considering she wanted to prositute herself to Rusell Winters and David Nabbit, has twice been knocked up by demons, twice sold as a slave and is currently having a high old time with her ghost and his loufa.
The simmering sexual tension between Lilah and 'Angel' finally comes to a head. Much like Kate in 'The Shroud of Rahmon' Lilah finally gets what she secretly always wanted, thrown across the desk to be ravished Viking-style and bitten by Angel. Is this ever mentioned again because Lilah is actually the only one who knows about it and she has no idea it's not really Angel? And what do AI make of Lilah's forgeries plonked on Wes' desk?
Captain Subtext;
Marcus thinks Angel is gay (just look at his outfit) and Wes is 'Fred', his boyfriend.
Know the face, different character; 3
Parking garages;
5,
Guantanamo Bay;
Buffy characters on Angel; 16
Wetherby, Collins and Smith. Angel, Cordy, Oz, Spike, Buffy, Wes, Faith, Darla, Dru, The Master, Anne, Willow and Harmony
Questions and observations;
Amy Acker's remarks about skinny models are weird as she's the thinest girl in the Buffyverse by quite some way, even more so that season 5 Buffy. Angel likes 70s Charlton Heston films, a leftover from the Manilow era? (The Omega Man has vampiric theme, plenty of blood and contains the wonderful line 'Honky paradise brother?'). The 'Nightstalker' is referred to but probably the LA serial killer rather than Kolchak. Marcus/Angel drinks martinis with Lilah, thought she was a whiskey girl?
Read a good fanfic once where Angel doesn't get his body back in the end but his soul gradually retakes control, Marcus' magic temporary and unstable. Good performace from Rance Howard as Marcus (Ron Howard's dad)
Marks out of 10; 7/10, always thought I disliked this ep bu

 

FREDLESS
The Good;
Wonderful acting by AA when Fred's finally reunited with her parents. CC and Wes' Buffy/Angel show is FANTASTIC! A good ep all around. The scene where Fred calms herself at the bus station by reciting Pi and the crazy looking homeless guy moves away from HER is the funniest scene in all of Angel and may be my favourite Angel scene ever.
The Bad;
Bit of a reach that they just let the bugs go?
Best line:
Fred; (when reunited with her parents) "I didn't mean to get so lost, I'm sorry I got so lost" (tears me up every time)
Jeez, how did they get away with that?
Apocalypses: 5
Angel Cliches
Inverting the Hollywood cliche;
Bugs ain't evil and neither really is the demon Angel kills, just driven mad by the eggs in it's skull. We think Fred's parents are evil but they're not. They're also able to accept AI's rather odd lifestyle
In disguise; 8
DB get's his shirt off; 12
9,
Cheap Angel; 7
Fang Gang in bondage:
Cordy: 5
Angel: 11
Wes: 6
Gunn; 3
Lorne; 2

Fang gang knocked out:
Cordy: 11
Angel: 14
Wes: 5
Doyle; 1
Gunn; 1
Lorne; 2
Kills: chalk up one demon bug for Fred's mum and one demon for Angel
Cordy: 5 vamps, 3½ demons
Angel; 28 vamps, 40 and 1/2 demons, 3 humans
Doyle; 1 vamp
Wes; 7 demons+1 vamp
Kate; 3 vamps
Faith; 16 vamps, 6 demons, 3 humans.
Gunn; 8 vamps+ 6 demons.
Fang Gang go evil:
Cordy: 2
Angel: 2

Alternate Fang Gang:
Cordy: 2
Angel: 7

Characters killed:
43
Recurring characters killed;
7;
Total number of Angel Investigations:
5, Angel, Cordy, Wes, Gunn and Fred

Angel Investigations shot:
Angel: 11
Wes; 1
Packing heat;
Wes; 3
Doyle; 1
Angel; 1
Gunn; 1

Notches on Fang Gang bedpost:
Cordy: 3 ?+Wilson/Hacksaw Beast+Phantom Dennis
Angel: 5; Buffy, Darla and The Transcending Furies
Wes; 2; Virginia and the bleached blonde

Kinky dinky:
Fred's mum asks if Fred is making 'movies', LA's porn industry probably bigger than it's tourism, film and music combined. Check out CCs fishnets. She seems to revel in playing nurse for the gang and later tells Angel she could 'soothe his ass off'.
Captain Subtext;
Lorne wears eyeliner which Fred's dad says men from Texas tend not to do (never been to a 'Gay Rodeo'?).
Know the face, different character; 3
Parking garages;
5,
Guantanamo Bay;
Buffy characters on Angel; 16
Wetherby, Collins and Smith. Angel, Cordy, Oz, Spike, Buffy, Wes, Faith, Darla, Dru, The Master, Anne, Willow and Harmony
Questions and observations;
A nice ep with Fred now part of the gang more than ever. AI are in awe of the PI the Burkle's hire who can find Fred with only a letter to go on. The Alien films are referred to with JW of course writing part 4. Fred's dad refers to Spiro Agnew who was Nixon's vice president (he was caught up in a corruption scandal before Watergate which is why Gerald Ford, the speaker of the house becomes President following Tricky Dickie's resignation). Famously his name is an anagram of 'grow a penis'. Angel likes ice cream, weird I thought he couldn't enjoy normal food. Lorne smokes and is still bitter about what Gunn's friends did to his bar. Fred considers going to Vegas for a new job, well one day she will. Angel likes golf and apparently watched the Bob Hope Desert Classic which was presumably played in Vegas. In the daytime? Wes' talk of his own parents puts Lineage into perspective.
Marks out of 10; 7/10 a funny and touching romp before we get down to the more serious stuff of season 3

 

BILLY

The Good;
Love the fact that Lilah is the hero, all round great performance from Stephanie Romanov and CC (their scene together is wonderful) and some terrific out of character stuff from Wes and Gunn. Fantastically poignant ending.
The Bad;
Why does Angel tell Billy's cousin he's going to kill him? How does he expect to be invited in after that?
Best line:
Angel; "She thinks I'm melodramatic?"
Jeez, how did they get away with that?
Very hard to watch at times, man's brutality to woman a lot harder to take than demons and vampires. Even though Gavin is evil you don't doubt that he would never dream of attacking Lilah if Billy hadn't infected him.
Apocalypses: 5
Angel Cliches
Inverting the Hollywood cliche;
Lilah kills the villain, bad girl comes good.
In disguise; 8
DB get's his shirt off; 12
9,
Cheap Angel; 7
Fang Gang in bondage:
Cordy: 5
Angel: 11
Wes: 6
Gunn; 3
Lorne; 2

Fang gang knocked out: Gunn and Wesley
Cordy: 11
Angel: 14
Wes: 6
Doyle; 1
Gunn; 2
Lorne; 2
Kills:
Cordy: 5 vamps, 3½ demons
Angel; 28 vamps, 40 and 1/2 demons, 3 humans
Doyle; 1 vamp
Wes; 7 demons+1 vamp
Kate; 3 vamps
Faith; 16 vamps, 6 demons, 3 humans.
Gunn; 8 vamps+ 6 demons.
Fang Gang go evil: Gunn and Wes
Cordy: 2
Angel: 2
Gunn; 1
Wes; 1

Alternate Fang Gang:
Cordy: 2
Angel: 7

Characters killed: two women Billy's victims.
45
Recurring characters killed;
7;
Total number of Angel Investigations:
5, Angel, Cordy, Wes, Gunn and Fred

Angel Investigations shot:
Angel: 11
Wes; 1
Packing heat; Only Lilah.
Wes; 3
Doyle; 1
Angel; 1
Gunn; 1

Notches on Fang Gang bedpost:
Cordy: 3 ?+Wilson/Hacksaw Beast+Phantom Dennis
Angel: 5; Buffy, Darla and The Transcending Furies
Wes; 2; Virginia and the bleached blonde

Kinky dinky:
Wes comments on Fred's slinky number. CC and Angel 'getting all sweaty' whilst training as Xander would say. CC thinks Billy is 'kinda cute'.
Captain Subtext;
Wes has the hots for Fred and CC is aware of this. CC comments on using a phallic shaped weapon to threaten Billy. Angel is hurt that CC thinks him melodramatic.
Know the face, different character; 3
Parking garages;
5,
Guantanamo Bay;
Even Angel is shocked when he meets a battered Lilah. She refuses his sympathy however considering what he'd done to her in the past.
Buffy characters on Angel; 16
Wetherby, Collins and Smith. Angel, Cordy, Oz, Spike, Buffy, Wes, Faith, Darla, Dru, The Master, Anne, Willow and Harmony
Questions and observations;
The Blims are very obviously supposed to be the Kennedys (of course Stephanie Romanov played Jackie O in the excellent Cuban missile crisis drama '13 Days'). His cousin actually seems ok. What happens to the poor guys who Billy infected and who attacked their women? Hopefully AI/Lilah get them out? Angel tries to spare CC from killing Billy just as he and Gunn will later do with Fred and the Professor.
Marks out of 10; 8/10, good episode, would be 9/10 if it had more arc.

 

OFFSPRING
The Good;
Season 3 really kicks into high gear with the arrival of Darla and her 'passenger'.
The Bad;
?
Best line:
CC; "What are friends for?"
Darla; "Knocking you up and leaving you high and dry"
Just beating Lorne's "It's beyond my Ken and my Barbie and all my action figures"
Jeez, how did they get away with that?
Cordy describes Angel as not going evil but 'going male' which is positively misandrist.
Apocalypses: 5
Angel Cliches
Inverting the Hollywood cliche;
Darla the pregnant mother is still pure evil, defying all our expectations
In disguise; 8
DB get's his shirt off; 12
9,
Cheap Angel; 7
Fang Gang in bondage:
Cordy: 5
Angel: 11
Wes: 6
Gunn; 3
Lorne; 2

Fang gang knocked out:
Cordy: 11
Angel: 14
Wes: 5
Doyle; 1
Gunn; 1
Lorne; 2
Kills:
Cordy: 5 vamps, 3½ demons
Angel; 28 vamps, 40 and 1/2 demons, 3 humans
Doyle; 1 vamp
Wes; 7 demons+1 vamp
Kate; 3 vamps
Faith; 16 vamps, 6 demons, 3 humans.
Gunn; 8 vamps+ 6 demons.
Fang Gang go evil:
Cordy: 2
Angel: 2
Gunn; 1
Wes; 1

Alternate Fang Gang:
Cordy: 2
Angel: 7

Characters killed:
45
Recurring characters killed;
7;
Total number of Angel Investigations:
5, Angel, Cordy, Wes, Gunn and Fred

Angel Investigations shot:
Angel: 11
Wes; 1
Packing heat; Wes takes the pistol from the scroll owner
Wes; 4
Doyle; 1
Angel; 1
Gunn; 1

Notches on Fang Gang bedpost:
Cordy: 3 ?+Wilson/Hacksaw Beast+Phantom Dennis
Angel: 5; Buffy, Darla and The Transcending Furies
Wes; 2; Virginia and the bleached blonde

Kinky dinky:
Wes refers to the date rape drugs GHB/rohypnol. CC refers to the Furies as Angel's 'chippies' and hopes they're on the pill. CC refers to Angel 'boning' Darla.
Captain Subtext;
The Kyrumption subtext between CC and Angel finally comes to the fore but Darla's arrival puts a spanner in the works. Darla seems appalled by the world suggesting her baby is already giving her a soul.
Know the face, different character; 4
Jack Conley as Sahjhan, also played the werewolf hunter Cain in the Buffy season 2 ep Phases
Parking garages;
5,
Guantanamo Bay;
Buffy characters on Angel; 16
Wetherby, Collins and Smith. Angel, Cordy, Oz, Spike, Buffy, Wes, Faith, Darla, Dru, The Master, Anne, Willow and Harmony
Questions and observations;
Hang on everybody, we're going for a hell of a ride! Holst appears to be a Catholic which is ironic given that he's based on Oliver Cromwell who was markedly anti-Catholic despite being largely regarded as a champion of liberty. Gunn is a great juggler, I wonder if he was taught by the same person as Buffy in 'Hell's Bells'?
Marks out of 10; 8/10

 

QUICKENING

The Good;
Love Angel's pride at 'Our kid, special!", everything else just moves at SUCH a frantic pace
The Bad;
Fred is introduced to Phantom Dennis but didn't they meet before in That Vision Thing? How non-corporeal is Sahjhan, it seems to vary?
Best line:
Linwood; "We're going to give you a second chance"
Psychic; (reading him) "No you're not, you're going to have me killed!"
Linwood; "See, why couldn't you come up with insight like that earlier?"
Jeez, how did they get away with that?
Killing the psychic with the plastic bag, euuuughhh!
Apocalypses: 5
Angel Cliches
Inverting the Hollywood cliche;
Love the fact that the all powerful WR&H are once more betrayed by an underling, their security really does suck.
In disguise; 8
DB get's his shirt off; 12
Cordy's tatt; 9,
Cheap Angel; 7
Fang Gang in bondage:
Cordy: 5
Angel: 11
Wes: 6
Gunn; 3
Lorne; 2

Fang gang knocked out:
Cordy: 11
Angel: 14
Wes: 5
Doyle; 1
Gunn; 1
Lorne; 2
Kills: one vamp for Wes and one for Angel
Cordy: 5 vamps, 3½ demons
Angel; 28 vamps, 41 and 1/2 demons, 3 humans
Doyle; 1 vamp
Wes; 7 demons+2 vamp
Kate; 3 vamps
Faith; 16 vamps, 6 demons, 3 humans.
Gunn; 8 vamps+ 6 demons.
Fang Gang go evil:
Cordy: 2
Angel: 2

Alternate Fang Gang:
Cordy: 2
Angel: 7

Characters killed:
45
Recurring characters killed;
7;
Total number of Angel Investigations:
5, Angel, Cordy, Wes, Gunn and Fred

Angel Investigations shot:
Angel: 11
Wes; 1
Packing heat;
Wes; 4
Doyle; 1
Angel; 1
Gunn; 1

Notches on Fang Gang bedpost:
Cordy: 3 ?+Wilson/Hacksaw Beast+Phantom Dennis
Angel: 5; Buffy, Darla and The Transcending Furies
Wes; 2; Virginia and the bleached blonde

Kinky dinky:
Angel; "I'd had a bad day"
Darla; "So you pushed me onto the bed and took what you wanted?"
Angel; "Seemed the thing to do"
Never got THAT on Party of Five! Which is probably why Buffy/Angel are the most popular series for adult fanfic ever. Gavin is quite the voyeur. It seems that everyone knows about Marcus/Lilah on the desktop. Angel remarks to Darla that she likes pain. Linwood dumped his wife for a younger model (perhaps literally?).
Captain Subtext;
Know the face, different character; 3
Parking garages;
5,
Guantanamo Bay;
Buffy characters on Angel; 16
Wetherby, Collins and Smith. Angel, Cordy, Oz, Spike, Buffy, Wes, Faith, Darla, Dru, The Master, Anne, Willow and Harmony
Questions and observations;
The title is derived from the term when a pregnant mother feels her child move inside her for the first time (rather puts a different perspective on 'Highlander' huh?). How does Wes know so much about childbirth? WR&H lose audio for a crucial 2 days, Jasmine/PTB interference? Linwood is played by the same actor who was in 80s detective show 'Crazy like a fox'.
Marks out of 10; 8/10

 

LULLABY

The Good;
All of it, pretty damn brilliant, especially love Holtz raiding the club. The Lilah and the interpreter scene is also great, no such thing as a minor character on Angel.
Interpreter (horrified); "You highlighted an ancient gushundi text?"
Lilah (defensively); "In yellow"
The Bad;
Even if it's just a stun grenade wouldn't Lilah and Holtz be deafened for hours afterwards? Why can't they just resoul Darla?
Best line:
Sahjahn; "He's using product but he's the same guy"
Jeez, how did they get away with that?
Darla and Angelus slaughtering Holtz's family is beyond horrible. Holtz's killing his sired daughter is the strongest and most tragic act in the series, your heart just bleeds for him.
Apocalypses: 5
Angel Cliches
Inverting the Hollywood cliche;
In disguise; 8
DB get's his shirt off; 12
9,
Cheap Angel; 7
Fang Gang in bondage: Angel pinned
Cordy: 5
Angel: 12
Wes: 6
Gunn; 3
Lorne; 2

Fang gang knocked out: Wes by Darla
Cordy: 11
Angel: 14
Wes: 6
Doyle; 1
Gunn; 1
Lorne; 2
Kills:
Cordy: 5 vamps, 3½ demons
Angel; 28 vamps, 41 and 1/2 demons, 3 humans
Doyle; 1 vamp
Wes; 7 demons+2 vamp
Kate; 3 vamps
Faith; 16 vamps, 6 demons, 3 humans.
Gunn; 8 vamps+ 6 demons.
Fang Gang go evil:
Cordy: 2
Angel: 2

Alternate Fang Gang:
Cordy: 2
Angel: 7

Characters killed:
45
Recurring characters killed; Goodbye Darla, she'll appear again but she's finally dead this time
8;
Total number of Angel Investigations:
5, Angel, Cordy, Wes, Gunn and Fred

Angel Investigations shot:
Angel: 11
Wes; 1
Packing heat; Lilah threatens her lackey with her gun. Angel uses the stun grenade (which Holtz is obviously impressed by and uses one later at Caritas) and Wes wishes he had a shotgun.
Wes; 4
Doyle; 1
Angel; 1
Gunn; 1

Notches on Fang Gang bedpost:
Cordy: 3 ?+Wilson/Hacksaw Beast+Phantom Dennis
Angel: 5; Buffy, Darla and The Transcending Furies
Wes; 2; Virginia and the bleached blonde

Kinky dinky:
Way to much going on for that
Captain Subtext;
Or that.
Know the face, different character; 4
Parking garages;
5,
Guantanamo Bay;
Buffy characters on Angel; 16
Wetherby, Collins and Smith. Angel, Cordy, Oz, Spike, Buffy, Wes, Faith, Darla, Dru, The Master, Anne, Willow and Harmony
Questions and observations;
Holtz is one pretty damn tough guy to take on WR&H's commando team. Note Angel doesn't even try to tell Holtz he has a soul, he knows he'd be wasting his time. Goodbye Caritas, after this Lorne won't bother trying to rebuild again.
The end of the Angel/Darla relationship and it's EPIC! And hello Connor (for good or ill).
Marks out of 10; 9/10

 

DAD

The Good;
Love all the Lilah stuff, especially love 'Files and records' girl (who presumably gets killed by the Beast in season 4). The seige of the Hyperion is also good as is the reveal of Lorne's message
The Bad;
Won't the LAPD notice all this going on?
Best line:
Holtz; "I think you'll find your modern popular culture references wasted on me" (No kidding!)
Jeez, how did they get away with that?
Apocalypses: 5
Angel Cliches
Inverting the Hollywood cliche;
In disguise; 8
DB get's his shirt off; 12
Cordy's tatt; 9,
Cheap Angel; 7
Fang Gang in bondage:
Cordy: 5
Angel: 11
Wes: 6
Gunn; 3
Lorne; 2

Fang gang knocked out:
Cordy: 11
Angel: 14
Wes: 5
Doyle; 1
Gunn; 1
Lorne; 2
Kills: 3 demons, 2 humans and a vamp for Wes, a demon for Gunn, 4 vamps, 4 demons and 4 humans for Angel
Cordy: 5 vamps, 3½ demons
Angel; 32 vamps, 45 and 1/2 demons, 7 humans
Doyle; 1 vamp
Wes; 10 demons+3 vamps, 2 humans
Kate; 3 vamps
Faith; 16 vamps, 6 demons, 3 humans.
Gunn; 8 vamps+ 7 demons.
Fang Gang go evil:
Cordy: 2
Angel: 2

Alternate Fang Gang:
Cordy: 2
Angel: 7

Characters killed:
45
Recurring characters killed;
8;
Total number of Angel Investigations: Lorne moves into the Hyperion and joins the gang. Most would say that this is the definitive Angel Investigation line-up?
6, Angel, Cordy, Wes, Gunn, Fred and Lorne

Angel Investigations shot:
Angel: 11
Wes; 1
Packing heat; literally, Wes with a flamethrower (why not use that more often?)plus Angel with explosives
Wes; 5
Doyle; 1
Angel; 1
Gunn; 1

Notches on Fang Gang bedpost:
Cordy: 3 ?+Wilson/Hacksaw Beast+Phantom Dennis
Angel: 5; Buffy, Darla and The Transcending Furies
Wes; 2; Virginia and the bleached blonde

Kinky dinky:
Captain Subtext;
Angel has a woman's taste in clothes according to CC.
Know the face, different character; 4
Parking garages;
5,
Guantanamo Bay;
Buffy characters on Angel; 16
Wetherby, Collins and Smith. Angel, Cordy, Oz, Spike, Buffy, Wes, Faith, Darla, Dru, The Master, Anne, Willow and Harmony
Questions and observations;
Justine's sister is portrayed by Pat Tallman (her stunt double) who was one of my favourite characters from Babylon 5. Gunn refers to his cousin, I thought Elana was his only family? Fred is a computer expert now, just like Willow. Connor likes Angel in vampface which explains why he has no problem with Jasmine's true form. Cordy comments that Connor has Angel's brow. Holtz has killed 378 vamps in 9 years which is good going, in six years by my count Buffy has only killed about 150 vamps/demons and she's the most successful Slayer ever (although she has spent much of that time running away to LA and dead).
Marks out of 10; 9/10, slam bam all the way.

 

BIRTHDAY

The Good;
Cordy's sitcom is great and some excellent crazy acting from DB. Also nice to see Doyle again if only in a clip.
The Bad;
Feels a bit laboured in places. How can the message in one dimension still be there in another (Jasmine?)
Best line:
Skip; "Get out of here. No really, get out of here"
Jeez, how did they get away with that?
Apocalypses: 5
Angel Cliches
Inverting the Hollywood cliche;
In disguise; 8
DB get's his shirt off; 12
Cordy's tattoo; yep when she's ripping the wallpaper off so that makes 10. Note it's not CC doing the somersault on her show's credits because you don't see her tattoo.
Cheap Angel; 7
Fang Gang in bondage: no although Wes and Gunn use manacles to restrain mad Angel.
Cordy: 5
Angel: 11
Wes: 6
Gunn; 3
Lorne; 2

Fang gang knocked out: CC for the whole ep
Cordy: 12
Angel: 14
Wes: 5
Doyle; 1
Gunn; 1
Lorne; 2
Kills:
Cordy: 5 vamps, 3½ demons
Angel; 32 vamps, 45 and 1/2 demons, 7 humans
Doyle; 1 vamp
Wes; 10 demons+3 vamps, 2 humans
Kate; 3 vamps
Faith; 16 vamps, 6 demons, 3 humans.
Gunn; 8 vamps+ 7 demons.
Fang Gang go evil:
Cordy: 2
Angel: 2

Alternate Fang Gang: Angel possessed by CC
Cordy: 2
Angel: 8

Characters killed:
45
Recurring characters killed;
8;
Total number of Angel Investigations:
6, Angel, Cordy, Wes, Gunn, Fred and Lorne

Angel Investigations shot:
Angel: 11
Wes; 1
Packing heat;
Wes; 5
Doyle; 1
Angel; 1
Gunn; 1

Notches on Fang Gang bedpost:
Cordy: 3 ?+Wilson/Hacksaw Beast+Phantom Dennis
Angel: 5; Buffy, Darla and The Transcending Furies
Wes; 2; Virginia and the bleached blonde

Kinky dinky:
Fred mentions she didn't wear underwear for 5 years. Gunn goes through CC's lingerie. To judge by CC's cleavage exposing outfit on her show this must be sweeps week?
Captain Subtext;
If Cordy wasn't around does this mean Doyle's last act was to kiss Angel? Love the CC as Wonder Woman cake the gang get for Cordy, too bad Joss went off the idea of making the film. Gunn comments that Fred is so cool. Wes refer to Gunn as his 'partner'. CC and Angel kiss
Know the face, different character; 4
Parking garages;
5,
Guantanamo Bay;
Buffy characters on Angel; 16
Wetherby, Collins and Smith. Angel, Cordy, Oz, Spike, Buffy, Wes, Faith, Darla, Dru, The Master, Anne, Willow and Harmony
Questions and observations;
So this is a world where CC never joins AI. No Fred so presumably after Wes and Gunn rescue her she goes back to Texas? In a world without Cordy's influence does this mean Merle, Elana etc are all still alive? Pentagrams always bad news. What are Buffy and the Scoobs doing about mad Angel in this alternate reality? CC is now part demon as is Faith, Buffy etc. This is ep 55 so exactly half way through the series.
Marks out of 10; 6/10

 

PROVIDER
The Good;
Some great comedy and some excellent action, great payoff in the end (literally)
The Bad;
Not bad, just lightweight. Don't like the way they can't just come out and say 'gay lover' for Sam Ryan's friend. Wes and Gunn seem to take an awful lot of trouble defeating Brian.
Best line:
Justine (about the ice-pick through her hand) "Feeling something is better than feeling nothing" That girl has some SERIOUS damage deep inside and I'm not talking tissue.
Jeez, how did they get away with that?
See above
Apocalypses: 5
Angel Cliches
Inverting the Hollywood cliche; the hero who is out for money
In disguise; 8
DB get's his shirt off; 12
Cordy's tatt; 10
Cheap Angel; the whole thing 8. Ironically CC who'd always been so mercenary now doesn't care about the money. Although she thinks that $50,000 is way up there on the list of cool things in the world.
Fang Gang in bondage: Lorne and Fred tied up
Cordy: 5
Angel: 11
Wes: 6
Gunn; 3
Lorne; 3
Fred; 1

Fang gang knocked out: Lorne
Cordy: 11
Angel: 14
Wes: 5
Doyle; 1
Gunn; 1
Lorne; 3
Kills: Angel kills 7 vamps whilst Gunn and Wes take a demon each
Cordy: 5 vamps, 3½ demons
Angel; 39 vamps, 52 and 1/2 demons, 7 humans
Doyle; 1 vamp
Wes; 11 demons+3 vamps, 2 humans
Kate; 3 vamps
Faith; 16 vamps, 6 demons, 3 humans.
Gunn; 8 vamps+ 8 demons.
Fang Gang go evil:
Cordy: 2
Angel: 2
Gunn; 1
Wes; 1

Alternate Fang Gang:
Cordy: 2
Angel: 8

Characters killed:
45
Recurring characters killed;
8;
Total number of Angel Investigations:
5, Angel, Cordy, Wes, Gunn and Fred

Angel Investigations shot:
Angel: 11
Wes; 1
Packing heat;
Wes; 5
Doyle; 1
Angel; 1
Gunn; 1

Notches on Fang Gang bedpost:
Cordy: 3 ?+Wilson/Hacksaw Beast+Phantom Dennis
Angel: 5; Buffy, Darla and The Transcending Furies
Wes; 2; Virginia and the bleached blonde

Kinky dinky:
Allie misses the sex from her dead boyfriend and seems to be open to necrophilia. In a dark scene in an otherwise lightweight ep Justine and Holtz play some serious S&M games. Tying your hair in pigtails and having your boyfriend play the stern headmaster is one thing, sticking icepicks through the hand and consenting not to take it out as a trust exercise quite another! Brian seems to think that Allie is dating both Gunn and Wes at the same time. Fred thinks they want her to marry the Prince
Captain Subtext;
The Wes/Gunn/Fred love triangle becomes apparent. Obvious gay subtext between Sam Ryan and his 'friend'. He also notices that Angel is quaffed. Lorne says he never knew the demons intimately. CC and Angel lying on the bed with Connor together at the end, a perfect little family.
Know the face, different character; 3
Parking garages;
5,
Guantanamo Bay;
Buffy characters on Angel; 16
Wetherby, Collins and Smith. Angel, Cordy, Oz, Spike, Buffy, Wes, Faith, Darla, Dru, The Master, Anne, Willow and Harmony
Questions and observations;
Obvious Monty Python gag. Angel comments that 'We may have to incorporate' which is what they do in season 5. Eric Bruskotter who plays Brian was in one of my favourite shows Tour of Duty, you can also see him in Starship Troopers, Hamburger Hill and Crimson Tide. Jeffery Dean Morgan as well as appearing in Supernatural and Watchmen was in my favourite erotic thriller ever, Undercover Heat (which I'm sure he's taken off his CV). http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0114786/ He's also another Buffy/Angel alumni who turns up in Eliza Dushku's series Tru Calling in the gambling ep.
Angel's arrival is very Batman.
Marks out of 10; 7/10, fun comedy ep

 

WAITING IN THE WINGS
The Good;
All of it, great humour, great pathos, the ballet is beautiful and this is THE ep for Cangelers
The Bad;
?-actually how can Angel be so sure that it's the same people he saw 100 years ago, do vampires have perfect recall? And do we really believe that Angelus who casually slaughters entire famillies gets moved to tears by a ballet (or is he just gilding the lily for Gunn?). How does the Count explain that his ballet company appears to have no members?
Best line:
Showing the double edged genius of the ep (comedy and tragedy) it's either "I don't dance, I echo" by the ballerina or "You know I was cool before I met y'all" by Gunn
Jeez, how did they get away with that?
Apocalypses: 5
Angel Cliches
Inverting the Hollywood cliche; In the end the ballerina fades away, she's free but not as we might have expected her to go free.
In disguise; 8
DB get's his shirt off; 12
Cordy's tatt; astonishingly given all the nudity no,10
Cheap Angel; 9
He complains he used to be able to get better seats.
Fang Gang in bondage:
Cordy: 5
Angel: 11
Wes: 6
Gunn; 3
Lorne; 3
Fred; 1

Fang gang knocked out:
Cordy: 11
Angel: 14
Wes: 5
Doyle; 1
Gunn; 1
Lorne; 3
Kills: 3 minions for Angel and 1 for Wes
Cordy: 5 vamps, 3½ demons
Angel; 39 vamps, 55 and 1/2 demons, 7 humans
Doyle; 1 vamp
Wes; 12 demons+3 vamps, 2 humans
Kate; 3 vamps
Faith; 16 vamps, 6 demons, 3 humans.
Gunn; 8 vamps+ 8 demons.
Fang Gang go evil:
Cordy: 2
Angel: 2
Gunn; 1
Wes; 1

Alternate Fang Gang: CC and Angel possessed by the spirits of the ballerina and her lover
Cordy: 2
Angel: 8

Characters killed: the ballerina
46
Recurring characters killed;
8;
Total number of Angel Investigations:
5, Angel, Cordy, Wes, Gunn and Fred

Angel Investigations shot:
Angel: 11
Wes; 1
Packing heat;
Wes; 5
Doyle; 1
Angel; 1
Gunn; 1

Notches on Fang Gang bedpost: so how far do CC and Angel go? Certainly plenty of above the waist action but probably not all the way. Cordy however confirms her relationship with Phantom Dennis.
Cordy: 3 ?+Wilson/Hacksaw Beast+Phantom Dennis
Angel: 5; Buffy, Darla and The Transcending Furies
Wes; 2; Virginia and the bleached blonde

Kinky dinky:
CC thinks that men would dig 'The Ravager' because she has 6 breasts. The jacket gag, some extremely saucy dialogue between CC and Angel. Lorne comments on Angel's yen for cheerleaders.
Captain Subtext;
Fred thinks Gunn is 'pretty'. The entire ep concentrates on the ballet. Lorne calls Angel a variety of pastries.
Know the face, different character; 4
Parking garages;
5,
Guantanamo Bay;
Buffy characters on Angel; 16
Wetherby, Collins and Smith. Angel, Cordy, Oz, Spike, Buffy, Wes, Faith, Darla, Dru, The Master, Anne, Willow and Harmony
Questions and observations;
Amazed they let Joss away with the shameless plugging of his brother's band. Also amazed that Summer Glau had no acting experience prior to this, she's amazing both acting and dancing. Once again how would CC who was born around 1985 know about Spinal Tap? Wes shows his fencing skill which we saw him practicing with Giles back in SD. For a moment you really think that Wes will turn Iago style on Gunn and Fred but as CC comments he's a gentleman. Always wondered about the little moment when Fred turns to Wes and says 'I thought it would work out another way'. Does she know how Wes feels about her? Is she hinting that she's still interested? Lorne tells Connor the story of the Rat Pack, wonder if he knew Angel hung out with them? Start a "website", nice reach out to the fans.
Marks out of 10; 10/10 a real treat rivalling OMWF

 

COUPLET
The Good;
A not so subtle tale of Angel drawing away from CC, funny but nothing really special UNTIL the final scene with Wes' revelation changing what had been a lightweight ep utterly.
The Bad;
Tree demon looks stupid
Best line:
Angel; "Life is short, ok not mine but most peoples"
Jeez, how did they get away with that?
Apocalypses: 5
Angel Cliches
Inverting the Hollywood cliche;
In disguise; 8
DB get's his shirt off; 12
Cordy's tatt; 10
Cheap Angel; 9 quite the reverse, he's very generous to CC
Fang Gang in bondage: Gunn and Fred trapped by the tree roots. So is the guy chained to the wall at the brothel but he doesn't want to be released. Or judged.
Cordy: 5
Angel: 11
Wes: 6
Gunn; 4
Lorne; 3
Fred; 2

Fang gang knocked out:
Cordy: 11
Angel: 14
Wes: 5
Doyle; 1
Gunn; 1
Lorne; 3
Kills: 1 demon for Gunn and one for Groo
Cordy: 5 vamps, 3½ demons
Angel; 39 vamps, 55 and 1/2 demons, 7 humans
Doyle; 1 vamp
Wes; 12 demons+3 vamps, 2 humans
Kate; 3 vamps
Faith; 16 vamps, 6 demons, 3 humans.
Gunn; 8 vamps+ 9 demons.
Groo; 1 demon
Fang Gang go evil:
Cordy: 2
Angel: 2
Gunn; 1
Wes; 1

Alternate Fang Gang:
Cordy: 2
Angel: 8

Characters killed:
46
Recurring characters killed;
8;
Total number of Angel Investigations: add Groo to the mix
7, Angel, Cordy, Wes, Gunn, Fred, Lorne and Groo

Angel Investigations shot:
Angel: 11
Wes; 1
Packing heat;
Wes; 5
Doyle; 1
Angel; 1
Gunn; 1

Notches on Fang Gang bedpost: once again CC drawn to someone with a demon essence
Cordy: 3 ?+Wilson/Hacksaw Beast+Phantom Dennis
Angel: 5; Buffy, Darla and The Transcending Furies
Wes; 2; Virginia and the bleached blonde

Kinky dinky:
CC on the Groo "RRRRrrrrrrr", likes his (admittedly formidable) muscles. CC wants to know if they can 'com without actually shukking'? (Second base?) She plans to rip the Groo's shirt off later, shouldn't she let him get his strength back first? Angel in a brothel not for the first time or I dare say not the last, seems a fun place for all. Gunn refers to voodoo booty rituals but he might be making that up.
Captain Subtext;
Groo and CC and Fred and Gunn pair up leaving Angel and Wes to wander around like a gay couple. Angel objects to Groo 'handling his weapons' which is nothing to CC asking him to help her have sex with Groo. She also states that 'No women is going to tempt you' which he doesn't take as a compliment. The Madam thinks he and the Groo are a gay couple, Groo mentioning 'his princess'. Poor Wes wonders that Fred thinks of him as a brother.
Know the face, different character; 4
Parking garages;
5,
Guantanamo Bay;
Buffy characters on Angel; 16
Wetherby, Collins and Smith. Angel, Cordy, Oz, Spike, Buffy, Wes, Faith, Darla, Dru, The Master, Anne, Willow and Harmony
Questions and observations;
Who wants to bet me that it was Numfar that did the 'Dance of Revolution'? AI still take the occasional paying case in order to fund Connor's college tuition (and presumably CC's holiday). Much in the same way as Buffy seems to increasingly rely on Dawn for her emotional needs as she slowly parts with Riley, Angel seems to get over CC by concentrating his affections on Connor whilst Wes throws himself into his work. Personally I love the Groo and I'm glad to have him on the show. CC refers to her cousin, we know she has no sister but is she an only child? Did you notice that the woman the demon grabs in the park looks the spitting image of Cordy (maybe her stand-in/stunt double?)
Marks out of 10; 7/10, good fun and you really feel for Angel and Wes

 

LOYALTY
The Good;
Really is Wes' ep and he's put through the wringer here. Or so we think, it's nothing compared to what he's going to face...
The Bad;
Holtz's spy seems to learn a lot about AI very quickly. Why doesn't Holtz just continue to work with Sahjhan? How can Lilah be so confident in betraying WR&H, what about the mindreaders? Or do they not apply over a certain level of promotion?
Best line:
Gunn; (of ice hockey) "You do realise this is the whitest sport known to man?" (obviously never seen synchronised swimming)
Jeez, how did they get away with that?
Apocalypses: 5
Angel Cliches
Inverting the Hollywood cliche;
We think Holtz will possibly kill Aubrey for failing him but again he shows great understanding. It's no wonder he commands respect amongst his people so easily (a mirror image of Wes in command?)
In disguise; 8
DB get's his shirt off; 12
Cordy's tatt; 10 no because no Cordy at all for the first time in 3 seasons
Cheap Angel; 9
Fang Gang in bondage:
Cordy: 5
Angel: 11
Wes: 6
Gunn; 4
Lorne; 3
Fred; 2

Fang gang knocked out:
Cordy: 11
Angel: 14
Wes: 5
Doyle; 1
Gunn; 1
Lorne; 3
Kills: 2 vamps for Gunn and Fred nails her first
Cordy: 5 vamps, 3½ demons
Angel; 39 vamps, 55 and 1/2 demons, 7 humans
Doyle; 1 vamp
Wes; 12 demons+3 vamps, 2 humans
Kate; 3 vamps
Faith; 16 vamps, 6 demons, 3 humans.
Gunn; 10 vamps+ 9 demons.
Groo; 1 demon
Fred; 1 vamp
Fang Gang go evil:
Cordy: 2
Angel: 2
Gunn; 1
Wes; 1

Alternate Fang Gang:
Cordy: 2
Angel: 8

Characters killed:
46
Recurring characters killed;
8;
Total number of Angel Investigations:
7, Angel, Cordy, Wes, Gunn, Fred, Lorne and Groo

Angel Investigations shot:
Angel: 11
Wes; 1
Packing heat;
Wes; 5
Doyle; 1
Angel; 1
Gunn; 1

Notches on Fang Gang bedpost: Going to add Groo to CC's list and Fred and Gunn to each other
Cordy: 4 ?+Wilson/Hacksaw Beast+Phantom Dennis+Groo
Angel: 5; Buffy, Darla and The Transcending Furies
Wes; 2; Virginia and the bleached blonde
Gunn; 1 Fred
Fred; 1 Gunn
Groo; 1Cordy

Kinky dinky:
Lilah turns a guy down at the bar.
Captain Subtext;
Wes and Angel really like a gay couple now.
Know the face, different character; 4
Parking garages;
5,
Guantanamo Bay;
Buffy characters on Angel; 16
Wetherby, Collins and Smith. Angel, Cordy, Oz, Spike, Buffy, Wes, Faith, Darla, Dru, The Master, Anne, Willow and Harmony
Questions and observations;
Gunn empathises with Audrey after she talks of killing her son. So does Angel but his words have extra resonance for Wes. Holtz actually shows considerable understanding of AI and Angel also observes that he considers Holtz a good man and justified in his need for vengence.
Lilah talking to her mum is heartbreaking. A staple of fanfic is that no matter what goes wrong for AI Lilah's mum dies and without the need to support her any more she decides to switch sides and help the good guys. How do they twig Aubrey? Has Lorne told them that Holtz is recruiting people like her? Or did Angel's vamp senses simply smell Holtz's scent off her? All the stuff between Lilah and Sahjhan is hilarious. Angel memorised CC's credit card number but in fairness he has given her a big roll of cash for her holiday.
Marks out of 10; 7/10

 

SLEEP TIGHT
The Good;
The tragedy of Wesley Wyndham Price, it's a powerful 40 minutes, the rug well and truly pulled out from under the viewers feet.
The Bad;
Kim's demon transformation and the Rathers generally look stupid but it is effective. Exactly how much of Connor's blood does Lilah have to lace Angel's with? Surely Holtz and Justine should go a little farther than Utah to avoid Angel? (it's a cliche of American fiction that people who go on the run for some reason seldom go outside the US?)
Best line:
Wes; "You work for a man who you think is noble and good. I respect that but he's not. I work for a vampire who in fact is noble and good. Quirky but there it is"
Jeez, how did they get away with that?
Justine all busted up then SLITTING WES' THROAT!
Apocalypses: 5
Angel Cliches
Inverting the Hollywood cliche;
In disguise; 8
DB get's his shirt off; 12
Cordy's tatt; 10
Cheap Angel; 9
Fang Gang in bondage:
Cordy: 5
Angel: 11
Wes: 6
Gunn; 4
Lorne; 3
Fred; 2

Fang gang knocked out: Lorne by Wes
Cordy: 11
Angel: 14
Wes: 5
Doyle; 1
Gunn; 1
Lorne; 4
Kills: 1 demon for Gunn and 2 for Angel
Cordy: 5 vamps, 3½ demons
Angel; 39 vamps, 57 and 1/2 demons, 7 humans
Doyle; 1 vamp
Wes; 12 demons+3 vamps, 2 humans
Kate; 3 vamps
Faith; 16 vamps, 6 demons, 3 humans.
Gunn; 10 vamps+ 10 demons.
Groo; 1 demon
Fred; 1 vamp
Fang Gang go evil: no but Angel comes damn close when he tears up the Rathers
Cordy: 2
Angel: 2
Gunn; 1
Wes; 1

Alternate Fang Gang:
Cordy: 2
Angel: 8

Characters killed:
46
Recurring characters killed;
8;
Total number of Angel Investigations:
7, Angel, Cordy, Wes, Gunn, Fred, Lorne and Groo

Angel Investigations shot:
Angel: 11
Wes; 1
Packing heat; Wes has a pistol, possibly the same one he took from the collector in 'Offspring'. Angel takes a sub-machine gun from Lilah's men and threatens them with it
Wes; 6
Doyle; 1
Angel; 2
Gunn; 1

Notches on Fang Gang bedpost:
Cordy: 4 ?+Wilson/Hacksaw Beast+Phantom Dennis+Groo
Angel: 5; Buffy, Darla and The Transcending Furies
Wes; 2; Virginia and the bleached blonde
Gunn; 1 Fred
Fred; 1 Gunn
Groo; 1Cordy

Kinky dinky:
Gorgeous but skanky (is there any other kind?) groupies gyrating to the bands appalling music. Looks like Angel was right, musicians get the chicks. The bandleader describes Fred as a hottie and bags 'first ride'. Love Lilah's cat's miaow. Justine and Holtz extremely abusive and twisted relationship. Lilah asks Sahjhan did Angel 'boink his demon bride' and describes him as impotent?
Captain Subtext;
Know the face, different character; 4
Parking garages; no, Angel stalks Lilah in her bar nowadays
5,
Guantanamo Bay;
Angel breaks the arms of Lilah's assistant. Angel tortures' Holtz's people to find Connor.
Buffy characters on Angel; 16
Wetherby, Collins and Smith. Angel, Cordy, Oz, Spike, Buffy, Wes, Faith, Darla, Dru, The Master, Anne, Willow and Harmony
Questions and observations;
Lorne tells Connor the story about The Rat Pack, wonder if Angel ever told him he knew them? Angel talks about hell with Nixon and Britney Spears. Bit unkind to both of them. Angel is a fan of The Flying Nun presumably during the Manilow years, he must have watched a lot of daytime TV in his time (although maybe that goes without saying?). Note Angel would rather Connor would be with Holtz whom he knows would care for him than Lilah who would disect him. Also Holtz pushes Justine aside to stop her following him into hell. What happened to Linwood's policy of leaving Connor alone?
Marks out of 10; 7/10 humdrum ep until the devestating ending

 

FORGIVING
The Good;
Some great acting from Amy Acker as Fred is horrified that Connor has been lost to a portal, just as she was. The little girl in the White Room is a really creepy little moppet.
The Bad;
Gunn and the orderlies seem to overpower Angel at the hospital very easily (although I guess that settles the whole question of Angelus' confrontation with Xander in 'Killed by death'. Thinking back on the cops/security guards in that scene would probably have had tasers which is weapon that seems to affect vamps a lot. Although bullets are no joke to them either)
Best line:
Angel; (heartbroken) "Cordy will be back soon, with presents for Connor"
Jeez, how did they get away with that?
Lilah cutting her hand just like Darla, the whole 'women cope better with pain' idea certainly gets a lot of mileage in Joss's shows. Angel meanwhile prepares to stick a needle in Linwood's eye. Angel attempts to smother Wes and is quite prepared to kill Lilah to get his son back. Justine is beaten to a pulp, so much so that even Gunn feels sorry for her. Fred using the hot coals against Sahjhan is pretty damn ruthless.
Apocalypses: 5
Angel Cliches
Inverting the Hollywood cliche; we think Angel will forgive Wes after he's so compassionate to the poor guy at the accident but oh boy he doesn't! Sahjahn mocks the standard Hollywood buddy-cop thriller. AI are getting hammered by Sahjahn but get saved by Justine?
In disguise; 8
DB get's his shirt off; 12
Cordy's tatt;
Cheap Angel; 9
Fang Gang in bondage:
Cordy: 5
Angel: 11
Wes: 6
Gunn; 4
Lorne; 3
Fred; 2

Fang gang knocked out:
Cordy: 11
Angel: 14
Wes: 5
Doyle; 1
Gunn; 1
Lorne; 4
Kills:
Cordy: 5 vamps, 3½ demons
Angel; 39 vamps, 57 and 1/2 demons, 7 humans
Doyle; 1 vamp
Wes; 12 demons+3 vamps, 2 humans
Kate; 3 vamps
Faith; 16 vamps, 6 demons, 3 humans.
Gunn; 10 vamps+ 10 demons.
Groo; 1 demon
Fred; 1 vamp
Fang Gang go evil:
Cordy: 2
Angel: 2
Gunn; 1
Wes; 1

Alternate Fang Gang:
Cordy: 2
Angel: 8

Characters killed:
46
Recurring characters killed;
8;
Total number of Angel Investigations:
7, Angel, Cordy, Wes, Gunn, Fred, Lorne and Groo

Angel Investigations shot:
Angel: 11
Wes; 1
Packing heat; Gunn refers to the shotgun Wes keeps that we saw in Epiphany
Wes; 6
Doyle; 1
Angel; 2
Gunn; 1

Notches on Fang Gang bedpost:
Cordy: 4 ?+Wilson/Hacksaw Beast+Phantom Dennis+Groo
Angel: 5; Buffy, Darla and The Transcending Furies
Wes; 2; Virginia and the bleached blonde
Gunn; 1 Fred
Fred; 1 Gunn
Groo; 1Cordy

Kinky dinky:
Angel tell Justine he isn't her boyfriend and she should find someone else to smack her around.
Captain Subtext;
Sahjhan once again demonstrates his insecurity about his masculinity, insisting he flitted in a 'manly way'
Know the face, different character; 4
Parking garages;
5,
Guantanamo Bay;
Linwood get's kidnapped and threatened with torture
Buffy characters on Angel; 16
Wetherby, Collins and Smith. Angel, Cordy, Oz, Spike, Buffy, Wes, Faith, Darla, Dru, The Master, Anne, Willow and Harmony
Questions and observations;
Shouldn't Linwood know who Lorne is? Surely Lorne's concern for humans and disregard for 'slimy demons' is hypocritical. Like any good Watcher Wes keeps comprehensive diaries. Why do people always cut the palm of their hands in films? Surely that's one of the most sensitive parts?
Marks out of 10; 8/10 here comes the emotional pain but it's SUPREMELY well done.

 

DOUBLE OR NOTHING

The Good;
The Groo and CC back which is marvellous. Lovely little scene with CC and Angel and also a lovely little scene of Pylean kinship between Lorne and the Groo over the 'ritual of the bereaved'. Wonderful final confrontation too, watched this ep first at a convention and people cheered when Angel delivers his line
The Bad;
The angry young man Gunn stuff is not so good. The cockney demon debt collector is deeply stupid, Guy Ritchie has a lot to answer for. When he first sees Caritas Gunn comments he's never seen anything like it but we find here he has (unless he's never seen karoke before?). Angel could smell that Wes has had sex with a bleached blonde back in season 2 but is unaware that Gunn and Fred have been doing the funky monkey all this time?
Best line:
Angel; "Am I the only one who owes this guy money?"
Jeez, how did they get away with that?
CC staking the guy's hand to the table. Gunn being so mean when breaking up with Fred is also hard to watch as is the guy getting his soul removed by Jenoff. Jenoff's death is not half as yucky as his 'rebirth'.
Apocalypses: 5
Angel Cliches
Inverting the Hollywood cliche; Angel loses the card game and actually cheats, breaking his word to the guy. We think Fred is going to be more sympathectic towards Wes but she rejects him.
In disguise; 8
DB get's his shirt off; 12
Cordy's tatt; 10
Cheap Angel; 9
Fang Gang in bondage:
Cordy: 5
Angel: 11
Wes: 6
Gunn; 4
Lorne; 3
Fred; 2

Fang gang knocked out:
Cordy: 11
Angel: 14
Wes: 5
Doyle; 1
Gunn; 1
Lorne; 3
Kills: Gunn kills a skench demon
Cordy: 5 vamps, 3½ demons
Angel; 39 vamps, 57 and 1/2 demons, 7 humans
Doyle; 1 vamp
Wes; 12 demons+3 vamps, 2 humans
Kate; 3 vamps
Faith; 16 vamps, 6 demons, 3 humans.
Gunn; 10 vamps+ 11 demons.
Groo; 1 demon
Fred; 1 vamp
Fang Gang go evil:
Cordy: 2
Angel: 2
Gunn; 1
Wes; 1

Alternate Fang Gang:
Cordy: 2
Angel: 8

Characters killed:
46
Recurring characters killed;
8;
Total number of Angel Investigations:
6, Angel, Cordy, Gunn, Fred, Lorne and Groo

Angel Investigations shot:
Angel: 11
Wes; 1
Packing heat;
Wes; 6
Doyle; 1
Angel; 2
Gunn; 1

Notches on Fang Gang bedpost:
Cordy: 4 ?+Wilson/Hacksaw Beast+Phantom Dennis+Groo
Angel: 5; Buffy, Darla and The Transcending Furies
Wes; 2; Virginia and the bleached blonde
Gunn; 1 Fred
Fred; 1 Gunn
Groo; 1Cordy

Kinky dinky:
The demon fancies Fred, again weird, shouldn't demons like other demons? Groo comments Gunn is fortunate to have a woman such as Fred to 'take care of his weapon'.
Captain Subtext;
Know the face, different character; 4
Parking garages;
5,
Guantanamo Bay;
Buffy characters on Angel; 16
Wetherby, Collins and Smith. Angel, Cordy, Oz, Spike, Buffy, Wes, Faith, Darla, Dru, The Master, Anne, Willow and Harmony
Questions and observations;
Blonde Cordy! Angel seems unaware that Fred and Gunn were dating, I thought he overheard them in 'Waiting in the Wings' or at least smelled them on one another. No leprechauns in the Angelverse although considering how they appeared on Charmed maybe we should be grateful. Wes coming home to an empty flat is a real killer. Angel refers to the AI gang as family.
Marks out of 10; 6/10, fun but nothing special

 

THE PRICE
The Good;
Very much an 'in the bottle episode'. Do like Fred drinking the snowglobe.
The Bad;
I think the Schlucks (or however you spell it) are deeply stupid, this doesn't really work for me
Best line:
Cordy; "We have a pool?"
Jeez, how did they get away with that?
The poor guy crumbling. Also Lilah's assertion that when a co-worker at WR&H pats you on the back you should check to feel for the knife.
Apocalypses: 5
Angel Cliches
Inverting the Hollywood cliche;
In disguise; 8
DB get's his shirt off; 12
Cordy's tatt; 10
Cheap Angel; 9
Fang Gang in bondage:
Cordy: 5
Angel: 11
Wes: 6
Gunn; 4
Lorne; 3
Fred; 2

Fang gang knocked out:
Cordy: 11
Angel: 14
Wes: 5
Doyle; 1
Gunn; 1
Lorne; 3
Kills:
Cordy: 5 vamps, 3½ demons
Angel; 39 vamps, 57 and 1/2 demons, 7 humans
Doyle; 1 vamp
Wes; 12 demons+3 vamps, 2 humans
Kate; 3 vamps
Faith; 16 vamps, 6 demons, 3 humans.
Gunn; 10 vamps+ 11 demons.
Groo; 1 demon
Fred; 1 vamp
Fang Gang go evil:
Cordy: 2
Angel: 2
Gunn; 1
Wes; 1

Alternate Fang Gang: schluck possessed Fred
Cordy: 2
Angel: 8
Fred; 1

Characters killed: the poor guy who get's dusted
46
Recurring characters killed;
8;
Total number of Angel Investigations: Wes makes his first moves towards returning back to the fold
6, Angel, Cordy, Gunn, Fred, Lorne and Groo

Angel Investigations shot:
Angel: 11
Wes; 1
Packing heat;
Wes; 6
Doyle; 1
Angel; 2
Gunn; 1

Notches on Fang Gang bedpost:
Cordy: 4 ?+Wilson/Hacksaw Beast+Phantom Dennis+Groo
Angel: 5; Buffy, Darla and The Transcending Furies
Wes; 2; Virginia and the bleached blonde
Gunn; 1 Fred
Fred; 1 Gunn
Groo; 1Cordy

Kinky dinky:
Depending on how much you're into the Alien mythology you could interpret the Schlucks possessing Fred and the guy as metaphorical rape. CC describes Groo as 'sexy, well-built, go-all-night'
Captain Subtext;
Groo starting to pick up on CC's feelings for Angel.
Know the face, different character; 4
Parking garages;
5,
Guantanamo Bay;
Buffy characters on Angel; 16
Wetherby, Collins and Smith. Angel, Cordy, Oz, Spike, Buffy, Wes, Faith, Darla, Dru, The Master, Anne, Willow and Harmony
Questions and observations;
Drawing from Alien, Invasion of the Bodysnatchers and The Thing a great deal. Our first appearance of grown up Connor for good or ill. Love Lilah's tarantula, once asked Stephanie Romanov at a convention did she have a problem with that scene but she said no, they're 'furry like a kitten'? Groo's mother was called Pomegranate? 'Puppy-dog' is how CC describes the Groo and how she described Jesse in the first ep of Buffy. Gunn once again demonstrates his loathing of creepy-crawlies. 'Thaunmogenisis' is also the term used for the demon created when Buffy was ressurected. Love Lorne's hat. Note when Fred drinks from from the snowglobe she cuts her lip a little. Powerful scene between Gunn and Wes. First real signs of CC's greater power. Lorne uses the traditional Buffyverse line "Standing right here".
Marks out of 10; 5/10 not one of my favourites

 

A NEW WORLD
The Good;
Anthony Starke who plays Tyke also played Ezra in the TV version of the Magnificent Seven, my favourite character, very Doc Holliday (he's also Sanchez's assistant Truman Lodge in the Bond film Licence to Kill). Love the way you can see Gunn and Groo just automatically reacting to Connors attack without a moments hesitation. Love Myrna too.
The Bad;
Connor jumping on the bus looks very fake. The shootout with the police looks like it belongs in the Matrix films as indeed does the initial confrontation at the Hyperion. Also, where is the body of the beastie that proceeded Connor through the rift? Holtz's makeup also isn't too good. CC's blood seems almost translucent which it wouldn't be unless that's a side effect of her half demon side. You can see Angel's shoulder reflected in the door when he tries to follow Conor outside
Best line:
Tyke; (pointing to where his ear used to be) "You'll have to speak up because I DON'T HEAR SO GOOD!"
just beating;
Fred; "Poor Connor he must be so scared"
Gunn; "Yeah he looked real scared when he was KICKING MY ASS!" (once again Gunn is AI's straight man)
Jeez, how did they get away with that?
Sunny dead in the bathtub with the needle in her arm. Such realistic depictions of death and suffering always more disturbing than demons and vampires. Connor cutting Tyke's ear off!
Apocalypses: 5
Angel Cliches
Inverting the Hollywood cliche;
In disguise; 8
DB get's his shirt off; 12
Cordy's tatt; 10
Cheap Angel; 9
Fang Gang in bondage:
Cordy: 5
Angel: 11
Wes: 6
Gunn; 4
Lorne; 3
Fred; 2

Fang gang knocked out: Cordy and Groo
Cordy: 12
Angel: 14
Wes: 5
Doyle; 1
Gunn; 1
Lorne; 3
Groo; 1
Kills: none but Connor must be quite the boy to fight off Angel, Gunn and Groo!?
Cordy: 5 vamps, 3½ demons
Angel; 39 vamps, 57 and 1/2 demons, 7 humans
Doyle; 1 vamp
Wes; 12 demons+3 vamps, 2 humans
Kate; 3 vamps
Faith; 16 vamps, 6 demons, 3 humans.
Gunn; 10 vamps+ 11 demons.
Groo; 1 demon
Fred; 1 vamp
Fang Gang go evil:
Cordy: 2
Angel: 2
Gunn; 1
Wes; 1

Alternate Fang Gang:
Cordy: 2
Angel: 8
Fred; 1

Characters killed: Sunny ODs.
47
Recurring characters killed;
8;
Total number of Angel Investigations:
6, Angel, Cordy, Gunn, Fred, Lorne and Groo

Angel Investigations shot: Angel by the police in the motel shootout
Angel: 12
Wes; 1
Packing heat;
Wes; 6
Doyle; 1
Angel; 2
Gunn; 1

Notches on Fang Gang bedpost:
Cordy: 4 ?+Wilson/Hacksaw Beast+Phantom Dennis+Groo
Angel: 5; Buffy, Darla and The Transcending Furies
Wes; 2; Virginia and the bleached blonde
Gunn; 1 Fred
Fred; 1 Gunn
Groo; 1Cordy

Kinky dinky:
Tyke appears to be attempting to force Sunny to have sex with him in return for drugs. Connor is fascinated by a bra he finds at the squat. The Groo once spent 11 days standing stock still to avoid being mated with by a herd of Burrbeasts. He implies that he was a virgin before him and Cordy. Connor strips before Sunny and they kiss.
Captain Subtext;
Sunny warns him not to play 'teddy bear in the hole' with another of the residents.
Know the face, different character; 4
Parking garages;
5,
Guantanamo Bay;
Buffy characters on Angel; 16
Wetherby, Collins and Smith. Angel, Cordy, Oz, Spike, Buffy, Wes, Faith, Darla, Dru, The Master, Anne, Willow and Harmony
Questions and observations;
When does Connor reload his arm cannon, it has 3 tubes but he fires four shots? Note Wes keeps a couple of swords in the umbrella stand by his door. It's an interesting comparison between Groo and Riley, both love their sweethearts but realise they're not the ones for them so leave. However whilst Riley was pretty much agony to watch the Groo does it much more subtly and with dignity (maybe the writers learned their lesson?). The LAPD at the crime scene seem remarkably forthcoming to Gunn, maybe they're friends of Kate's? Connor intends to find Tyke from his scent, has he inherited his parents vamp senses? Angel says that Stephen isn't an Irish name, true but in Sout

 

BENEDICTION

The Good;
The return of Justine but this ep will always be remembered for the incredible scenes between Angel and Holtz. They strike you as a pair of weary emotional boxers slugging it out to the last. I especially like the moment where Angel rages at Holtz for stealing his son and Holtz points out that he kept Angel's son alive whilst Angel(us) killed his.
The Bad;
Angel just leaves a set of vamps lying on the floor of the club.
Best line:
Justine; "How did you survive?"
Holtz; "My hatred kept us alive" HOOOOoooooooooo!
also like;
Fred; "He's survived an unspeakable hell dimension. Who hasn't? It doesn't mean you can leave him on the streets of LA"
Jeez, how did they get away with that?
Holtz forcing Justine to stab him with the icepick
Apocalypses: 5
Angel Cliches
Inverting the Hollywood cliche;
In disguise; 8
DB get's his shirt off; 12
Cordy's tatt; 10
Cheap Angel; 9
Fang Gang in bondage:
Cordy: 5
Angel: 11
Wes: 6
Gunn; 4
Lorne; 3
Fred; 2

Fang gang knocked out:
Cordy: 12
Angel: 14
Wes: 5
Doyle; 1
Gunn; 1
Lorne; 3
Groo; 1
Kills: 2 vamps for Angel. 2 for Connor as well and we can add in the demon he killed in The Price
Cordy: 5 vamps, 3½ demons
Angel; 41 vamps, 57 and 1/2 demons, 7 humans
Doyle; 1 vamp
Wes; 12 demons+3 vamps, 2 humans
Kate; 3 vamps
Faith; 16 vamps, 6 demons, 3 humans.
Gunn; 10 vamps+ 11 demons.
Groo; 1 demon
Fred; 1 vamp
Connor; 2 vamps and one demon
Fang Gang go evil:
Cordy: 2
Angel: 2
Gunn; 1
Wes; 1

Alternate Fang Gang:
Cordy: 2
Angel: 8
Fred; 1

Characters killed:
46
Recurring characters killed;
8;
Total number of Angel Investigations:
6, Angel, Cordy, Gunn, Fred, Lorne and Groo

Angel Investigations shot:
Angel: 12
Wes; 1
Packing heat;
Wes; 6
Doyle; 1
Angel; 2
Gunn; 1

Notches on Fang Gang bedpost:
Cordy: 4 ?+Wilson/Hacksaw Beast+Phantom Dennis+Groo
Angel: 5; Buffy, Darla and The Transcending Furies
Wes; 2; Virginia and the bleached blonde
Gunn; 1 Fred
Fred; 1 Gunn
Groo; 1Cordy

Kinky dinky:
According to Fred's gizmo Connor is 'Hot'. Gunn dislikes the idea of tracking Angel's teenage son's 'emissions'.
Captain Subtext;
Groo and Lorne, their scene together very reminiscent of a scene in season 5 Buffy with Xander and Riley at the magic shop. But the Groo does it SOOOOO much better than Riley does "If she asks" Awwwwww!
Know the face, different character; 4
Parking garages;
5,
Guantanamo Bay;
Buffy characters on Angel; 16
Wetherby, Collins and Smith. Angel, Cordy, Oz, Spike, Buffy, Wes, Faith, Darla, Dru, The Master, Anne, Willow and Harmony
Questions and observations;
One thing I've noticed in working my way through Buffy season 6 and Angel season 3 is that I keep leaping ahead wanting to watch more and more Angel and not Buffy. Note that the PTB's decide to save Justine through CC's vision. Holtz is quite religious believing god gave him Connor. You genuinely get the impression that they do love each other. Interestingly Fred refers to 'being at the bottom of the ocean looking upwards'. Does Holtz go to hell? Is he an evil man? The only evil thing I can think off he does is slitting Wes' throat but that's Justine and we've no idea that he even knew about it.
Marks out of 10; 8/10, an ep of great emotional depth and poignancy

 

TOMORROW

The Good;
The ending is amazing, simultaneously heartrending and (literally) uplifting. Also love the touching Groo leaving scene and Fred's vamp impression.
The Bad;
The drive in film is Courage Under Fire which was brought out to little acclaim in 1996 so I'm not sure why it should be being shown again? How does CC drink the mockna and not stain her magnificent teeth?
Best line:
Lilah; "Mind if I join you?"
Wes; "On many levels and with great intensity"
Jeez, how did they get away with that?
Connor cuts the head off Holtz's corpse. Wes tells Lilah post sex 'I wasn't even thinking of you when you were here', god, talk about the most heartless post-sex line EVER! And just for a second the mask slips and you can see the hurt in Lilah's eyes.
Apocalypses: 5
Angel Cliches
Inverting the Hollywood cliche;
In disguise; 8
DB get's his shirt off; 12
Cordy's tatt; 10
Cheap Angel; 10 Angel thinks 50 cents is enough for a teenagers allowance. Even CC observes that he's 'tight with a buck'.
Fang Gang in bondage: Angel chained and in a box
Cordy: 5
Angel: 12
Wes: 6
Gunn; 4
Lorne; 3
Fred; 2

Fang gang knocked out: Angel is tasered into unconsciousness
Cordy: 12
Angel: 15
Wes: 5
Doyle; 1
Gunn; 1
Lorne; 3
Groo; 1
Kills:
Cordy: 5 vamps, 3½ demons
Angel; 41 vamps, 57 and 1/2 demons, 7 humans
Doyle; 1 vamp
Wes; 12 demons+3 vamps, 2 humans
Kate; 3 vamps
Faith; 16 vamps, 6 demons, 3 humans.
Gunn; 10 vamps+ 11 demons.
Groo; 1 demon
Fred; 1 vamp
Connor; 2 vamps and 1 demon
Fang Gang go evil:
Cordy: 2
Angel: 2
Gunn; 1
Wes; 1

Alternate Fang Gang:
Cordy: 2
Angel: 8
Fred; 1

Characters killed:
46
Recurring characters killed;
8;
Total number of Angel Investigations: Byebye Groo who unfortunately we'll never see again on the show although he shall return in the comics. I heard one rumour that in season 5 Harmony would have a 'Naked Musclely Hunks' calender and Fred would look at it and recognise one of the models as the Groo. Byebye Angel who's taking a dip at the bottom of the ocean, byebye CC who's taking a break as a celestial being and byebye Lorne who's off to Vegas. This officially leaves AI as Gunn, Fred and Connor, back to the same number as in the first episode of the show.
3, Gunn, Fred, Connor

Angel Investigations shot: no but Angel tasered again, it seems to be a highly effective weapon against vamps.
Angel: 11
Wes; 1
Packing heat;
Wes; 6
Doyle; 1
Angel; 2
Gunn; 1

Notches on Fang Gang bedpost: Lilah and Wes
Cordy: 4 ?+Wilson/Hacksaw Beast+Phantom Dennis+Groo
Angel: 5; Buffy, Darla and The Transcending Furies
Wes; 3; Virginia, the bleached blonde and Lilah
Gunn; 1 Fred
Fred; 1 Gunn
Groo; 1Cordy

Kinky dinky:
Lilah and Wes, once again Wes is violent as hell with Lilah yet this seems to turn her on and she ends up having sex with him. She seems intirgued to know what it's like to have your throat cut (one day she'll find out) Groo offers to rub CC's shlugtee which is actually Pylean for neck but that's not what she thinks he means. CC and Angel 'try out bedrooms' in the Hyperion. CC refuse to tell Connor the facts of life as Angel requests but one day she will graphically 'fill in the blanks for him'. Connor comments on CC's beauty.
Captain Subtext;
Lilah thinks Fred is cute.
Know the face, different character; 4
Parking garages;
5,
Guantanamo Bay;
Buffy characters on Angel; 16
Wetherby, Collins and Smith. Angel, Cordy, Oz, Spike, Buffy, Wes, Faith, Darla, Dru, The Master, Anne, Willow and Harmony
Questions and observations;
How does Lorne get on a commercial flight even with his fedora disguise? Connor refers to Holtz's home as having white cliffs which implies he's from Dover. Sorry to say goodbye to the Groo, your heart breaks for him but he does the honourable thing with dignity like the hero he is. CC looks at a season 1 pic of her, Wes and Angel demonstrating just how much things have changed (not least her hair). The scene where CC talks to an image of herself is

 

DEEP DOWN

The Good;
Wonderful to see Fred and Gunn as Connor's surrogate parents during the summer, would love to see that in the comics sometime. Love Fred's attempts to speak 'street' especially Gunn's little look when she says 'Word'.
The Bad;
The vamp Fred and Gunn confront gives them the info they want then tries to attack them anyway, please!
Best line:
Gunn; "2 coats of polish"
Jeez, how did they get away with that?
Fred is pretty vicious with the old taser! Also Linwood get's 'headhunted' WR&H style
Apocalypses: 5
Angel Cliches
Inverting the Hollywood cliche;
In disguise; 8
DB get's his shirt off; 12
Cordy's tatt; 10
Cheap Angel;
Fang Gang in bondage: Connor tied to the chair
Cordy: 5
Angel: 12
Wes: 6
Gunn; 4
Lorne; 3
Fred; 2
Connor; 1

Fang gang knocked out: Connor and Fred
Cordy: 12
Angel: 15
Wes: 5
Doyle; 1
Gunn; 1
Lorne; 3
Groo; 1
Fred; 1
Connor; 1
Kills: 2 vamps for Fred, 1 for Gunn and 2 for Connor
Cordy: 5 vamps, 3½ demons
Angel; 41 vamps, 57 and 1/2 demons, 7 humans
Doyle; 1 vamp
Wes; 12 demons+3 vamps, 2 humans
Kate; 3 vamps
Faith; 16 vamps, 6 demons, 3 humans.
Gunn; 11 vamps+ 11 demons.
Groo; 1 demon
Fred; 3 vamps
Connor; 4 vamps and 1 demon
Fang Gang go evil:
Cordy: 2
Angel: 2
Gunn; 1
Wes; 1

Alternate Fang Gang:
Cordy: 2
Angel: 8
Fred; 1

Characters killed:
46
Recurring characters killed;
8;
Total number of Angel Investigations:3
Gunn, Angel and Fred

Angel Investigations shot:
Angel: 11
Wes; 1
Packing heat;
Wes; 6
Doyle; 1
Angel; 2
Gunn; 1

Notches on Fang Gang bedpost: Lilah and Wes
Cordy: 4 ?+Wilson/Hacksaw Beast+Phantom Dennis+Groo
Angel: 5; Buffy, Darla and The Transcending Furies
Wes; 3; Virginia, the bleached blonde and Lilah plus possibly Justine?
Gunn; 1 Fred
Fred; 1 Gunn
Groo; 1Cordy

Kinky dinky:
Lilah appears to wear no bra. Wes keeps Justine as a slave girl, do they have sex? Lorne says give fluffy enough love, Fred wonders does he mean Gunn or some part of her?
Captain Subtext;
Fred flatters Gunn that he's the Alpha male of AI. Despite being his slave Wes won't make Justine feed Angel from herself, he knows that would cross the line after losing her sister. When Angel get's back Gunn tells Connor to stand by for his spanking. Connor warns the gang that Angel will turn on them which he will.
Goodbye to Justine who will change her identity, move to San Francisco and embrace her inner lesbian.
Know the face, different character; 4
Parking garages;
5,
Guantanamo Bay;
Buffy characters on Angel; 16
Wetherby, Collins and Smith. Angel, Cordy, Oz, Spike, Buffy, Wes, Faith, Darla, Dru, The Master, Anne, Willow and Harmony
What the fanficcers thought;
Read a pretty good one once where Justine discovers she's pregnant with Wes' twins and goes off to rebuild her life, changing her identity, moving to San Francisco and becoming a lesbian. http://www.fanfiction.net/s/3071303/1/Whatever_happened_to_Justine
Questions and observations;
Hell of a long teaser, if you hadn't been following the series you'd be utterly lost. Note that whilst Wes is back at the AI dinner table there's no Groo? AI are almost broke, either Angel must subsidise the agency with his private income or they must spend all their time looking for Angel and CC. Vamps can exist indefinitely without blood but they go mad with hunger. Lilah mentions Mr Subarto, did she actually meet a senior partner? Do Buffy and co know about Angel's disappearance? Oddly this summer is probably the best time Connor ever has, he has 2 loving parents and a fairly normal life (as normal as it can be working for AI)
Marks out of 10; 7/10

 

GROUND STATE

The Good;
Wonderfully clever opening, you think Gwen's parents and headmistress are uncaring but actually they love her, they can just never touch her no matter how much they want to. Also love Angel's drawing and Fred's show, especially her little ghost.

The Bad;
Gwen is fab, the rest of it is pretty stupid truth be told

Best line:
Gunn; (about their chances) "Operation chance in hell!"
Jeez, how did they get away with that?

Apocalypses: 5

Angel Cliches

Inverting the Hollywood cliche;

In disguise; 8

DB get's his shirt off; 12

Cordy's tatt; 10

Cheap Angel;

Fang Gang in bondage:
Cordy: 5
Angel: 12
Wes: 6
Gunn; 4
Lorne; 3
Fred; 2

Fang gang knocked out:
Cordy: 12
Angel: 15
Wes: 5
Doyle; 1
Gunn; 1
Lorne; 3
Groo; 1
Connor; 1
Fred; 1

Kills: 1 demon for Wes
Cordy: 5 vamps, 3½ demons
Angel; 41 vamps, 57 and 1/2 demons, 7 humans
Doyle; 1 vamp
Wes; 13 demons+3 vamps, 2 humans
Kate; 3 vamps
Faith; 16 vamps, 6 demons, 3 humans.
Gunn; 11 vamps+ 11 demons.
Groo; 1 demon
Fred; 3 vamp
Connor; 4 vamps and 1 demon
Fang Gang go evil:
Cordy: 2
Angel: 2
Gunn; 1
Wes; 1

Alternate Fang Gang:
Cordy: 2
Angel: 8
Fred; 1

Characters killed:
46

Recurring characters killed; Gunn dies for a few seconds but then comes back.
8;

Total number of Angel Investigations:3
Angel, Gunn, Fred

Angel Investigations shot:
Angel: 11
Wes; 1

Packing heat;
Wes; 6
Doyle; 1
Angel; 2
Gunn; 1

Notches on Fang Gang bedpost: Lilah and Wes
Cordy: 4 ?+Wilson/Hacksaw Beast+Phantom Dennis+Groo
Angel: 5; Buffy, Darla and The Transcending Furies
Wes; 3; Virginia, the bleached blonde and Lilah
Gunn; 1 Fred
Fred; 1 Gunn
Groo; 1Cordy

Kinky dinky:
Gwen RRRRRRRRRR! Love a bad girl in leather/PVC. And you can see her nipples through her outfit when she enters the bar. Justine described Lilah as 'incredibly loud' during sex and there's some belt snapping action between her and Wes. Lilah describes herself as Mrs Robinson and indeed Connor will develop a thing for older women. Gunn likes it when Fred is in charge. Gwen describes Angel as handsome and Gunn and 'Denzel' which certainly must have pleased him. Gwen describes Angel as a great kisser (the Furies were right) and sits astride him.

Captain Subtext;
Fred's plans include going to prison and becoming somebody's bitch. She hopes her cellmate will be gentle (see also What the fanficcers thought). Gwen seems very close to her cute blonde Marlene Detreich-like female butler. Gwen calls Fred honey.

Know the face, different character; 4

Parking garages;
5,

Guantanamo Bay;
Angel beats the building plans from a snitch

Buffy characters on Angel; 16
Wetherby, Collins and Smith. Angel, Cordy, Oz, Spike, Buffy, Wes, Faith, Darla, Dru, The Master, Anne, Willow and Harmony

What the fanficcers thought;
Read an interesting one where Fred does indeed go to prison and becomes someone's bitch. Lucky for her that someone is Faith. Also the last appearance (or not) of Phantom Dennis. Read a lovely fic once where CC in 'You're welcome' goes to visit Dennis and tell's him that she loves him and it's time to pass over to the other side which indeed he does, his love for her all that was keeping him on Earth. http://www.fanfiction.net/s/3044478/1/Whatever_happened_to_Phantom_Dennis

Questions and observations;
Wes has his own organisation with 3 employees, maybe that's what Gunn and Fred are broke, he's taking their business. The Chandler auction house is of course a homage to LA author Raymond Chandler. Angel's 2 previous break-ins were in The Shroud of Rhamon and Choices in Buffy. Neither is very successful. The squatter camp Connor goes to is the old power station you see in countless movies and TV.
So why does no one wonder about Groo? Possibly because he let Lorne, Fred, Gunn know of his plans or maybe he's been in touch with them since?
Marks out of 10; 7/10 but only due to Gwen really

 

THE HOUSE ALWAYS WINS

The Good;
Lorne's performance is wonderful and love Fred's excited squeal. The Vegas stuff is all great
The Bad;
The actual story is not that good.
Best line:
Angel; "Boy, Vegas was a lot friendlier when the mob ran it!"
Jeez, how did they get away with that?
Apocalypses: 5
Angel Cliches
Inverting the Hollywood cliche;
In disguise; 8
DB get's his shirt off; 12
Cordy's tatt; 10
Cheap Angel;
Fang Gang in bondage:
Cordy: 5
Angel: 12
Wes: 6
Gunn; 4
Lorne; 3
Fred; 2
Connor; 1

Fang gang knocked out:
Cordy: 12
Angel: 15
Wes: 5
Doyle; 1
Gunn; 1
Lorne; 3
Groo; 1
Fred; 1
Connor; 1
Kills: 1 vamp for Connor and another human for Angel
Cordy: 5 vamps, 3½ demons
Angel; 41 vamps, 57 and 1/2 demons, 8 humans
Doyle; 1 vamp
Wes; 13 demons+3 vamps, 2 humans
Kate; 3 vamps
Faith; 16 vamps, 6 demons, 3 humans.
Gunn; 11 vamps+ 11 demons.
Groo; 1 demon
Fred; 3 vamp
Connor; 6 vamps and 1 demon
Fang Gang go evil:
Cordy: 2
Angel: 2
Gunn; 1
Wes; 1

Alternate Fang Gang: Destinyless Angel
Cordy: 2
Angel: 9
Fred; 1

Characters killed:
46
Recurring characters killed;
8;
Total number of Angel Investigations: 4
Angel, Gunn, Fred, Lorne

Angel Investigations shot:
Angel: 11
Wes; 1
Packing heat; Angel uses the guard's gun to kill the casino owners' assistant
Wes; 6
Doyle; 1
Angel; 3
Gunn; 1

Notches on Fang Gang bedpost:
Cordy: 4 ?+Wilson/Hacksaw Beast+Phantom Dennis+Groo
Angel: 5; Buffy, Darla and The Transcending Furies
Wes; 3; Virginia, the bleached blonde and Lilah
Gunn; 1 Fred
Fred; 1 Gunn
Groo; 1Cordy

Kinky dinky:
Fred in her Lornette costume is a revelation. Hands up who else was thinking what a shame we don't get to see CC in the same? (and Charisma is a Vegas girl after all). Lilah and Wes have some pretty explicit phone sex.
Captain Subtext;
Know the face, different character; 4
Parking garages;
5,
Guantanamo Bay;
Buffy characters on Angel; 16
Wetherby, Collins and Smith. Angel, Cordy, Oz, Spike, Buffy, Wes, Faith, Darla, Dru, The Master, Anne, Willow and Harmony
What the fanficcers thought;
Once read an interesting one where Angel introduces Elvis to the delights of wearing black leather whilst Elvis teachers him karate.
Questions and observations;
Angel in pinstripes, interesting look for him. Good enough, especially the musical numbers, glad to have the gang back together and Gunn get's to achieve his ambition, as indeed does Lorne. But you want them to get back to LA and crack on with the season. Wes seems quite happy to take AI's business when they're out of town suggesting he was partly responsible for their lack of clients during the summer. Also Fred seems to win pretty good at the blackjack table which might explain why AI's money problems seem to be over. Weird to hear Andy Hallet's commentary when you know he's no longer with us.
Marks out of 10; 6/10

 

SLOUCHING TOWARDS BETHLEHEM

The Good;
Like Connor's vamp hunting and some of the humour with amnesiac CC especially Gunn refusing to be a sidekick (having been the Alpha-dog all summer). For me the Wes/Lilah stuff saves this ep for me.
The Bad;
Much I'm afraid, especially the stupid looking client Gunn had in the hotel 5 minutes after he is unexpectedly back from Vegas. Also the vamp Connor sets on fire seems to burn very quickly compared to Dru and Darla who were soaked with a lot more petrol.
Best line:
Amnesiac Cordy; "I was popular. Well no suprise there"
Jeez, how did they get away with that?
Apocalypses: 5
Angel Cliches
Inverting the Hollywood cliche;
In disguise; 8
DB get's his shirt off; 12
Cordy's tatt; twice, once when Angel pulls her off Lorne and once during the fight with WR&H's goons.
12
Cheap Angel;
Fang Gang in bondage: Lorne seems to spend most of this season knocked out and tied up to something
Cordy: 5
Angel: 12
Wes: 6
Gunn; 4
Lorne; 4
Fred; 2

Fang gang knocked out: poor old Lorne really seems to be getting it lately
Cordy: 12
Angel: 15
Wes: 5
Doyle; 1
Gunn; 1
Lorne; 4
Groo; 1
Kills: 2 vamps and a demon for Connor. At least one demon each for Gunn and Fred
Cordy: 5 vamps, 3½ demons
Angel; 41 vamps, 57 and 1/2 demons, 8 humans
Doyle; 1 vamp
Wes; 12 demons+3 vamps, 2 humans
Kate; 3 vamps
Faith; 16 vamps, 6 demons, 3 humans.
Gunn; 11 vamps+ 12 demons.
Groo; 1 demon
Fred; 3 vamp+ 1 demon
Connor; 8 vamps and 2 demon
Fang Gang go evil:
Cordy: 2
Angel: 2
Gunn; 1
Wes; 1

Alternate Fang Gang: amnesiac CC
Cordy: 3
Angel: 9
Fred; 1

Characters killed:
46
Recurring characters killed;
8;
Total number of Angel Investigations: not going to count Cordy just yet so 4
Angel, Gunn, Fred, Lorne

Angel Investigations shot:
Angel: 11
Wes; 1
Packing heat;
Wes; 6
Doyle; 1
Angel; 3
Gunn; 1

Notches on Fang Gang bedpost:
Cordy: 4 ?+Wilson/Hacksaw Beast+Phantom Dennis+Groo
Angel: 5; Buffy, Darla and The Transcending Furies
Wes; 3; Virginia, the bleached blonde and Lilah
Gunn; 1 Fred
Fred; 1 Gunn
Groo; 1Cordy

Kinky dinky:
Wes and Lilah at it again (doesn't she think to shower after sex?). I actually think the whole dollar thing is utterly charming. And of course Lilah's right, she played Wes but he betrayed her. Also in a sign of things to come Connor grabs one of CC's breasts in bed.
Captain Subtext;
Lorne has been borrowing CC's lingerie for a 'friend'?
Know the face, different character; 4
Parking garages;
5,
Guantanamo Bay;
Buffy characters on Angel; 16
Wetherby, Collins and Smith. Angel, Cordy, Oz, Spike, Buffy, Wes, Faith, Darla, Dru, The Master, Anne, Willow and Harmony
Questions and observations;
CC appears to think that she is actually a character in Alias which was Buffy's great rival at the time (but never came close despite Jennifer Garner's obvious loveliness and Amy Acker/Roger Moore guest starring). Gunn's fear of rats occurs again, Wes once again starts to take steps back into AI, it's actually Gunn who's more hostile to him than Angel (Wes can't help needling them about getting CC back only to immediately lose her again). Connor seems to be living quite well on the street but I guess if he survived Kortath (or however you spell it?) he can survive LA. And probably steals the vamp's stuff after killing them. He is lonely however and misses being part of AI. CC sings The Greatest Love of All which she also sang in Buffy's The Puppet Show. I freeze framed my DVD but unfortunately there's no one I recognise from SDH in CC's yearbook.
Marks out of 10; 5/10 very static, stupid demon, Lilah and Wes and CC's performance largely saves this one for me.

 

SUPERSYMMETRY

The Good;
Angel versus the demon and all the Wes and Lilah stuff
The Bad;
Surely the Prof can think of a less public way to get rid of Fred? All told this is a pretty damn stupid ep
Best line:
Angel (to demon who keep's fighting despite having been decapitated) "Come on, I'm holding your head"
Jeez, how did they get away with that?
Apocalypses: 5
Angel Cliches
Inverting the Hollywood cliche;
In disguise; 8
DB get's his shirt off; 12
Cheap Angel; 5
Fang Gang in bondage:
Cordy: 5
Angel: 12
Wes: 6
Gunn; 4
Lorne; 4
Fred; 2

Fang gang knocked out:
Cordy: 12
Angel: 15
Wes: 5
Doyle; 1
Gunn; 1
Lorne; 4
Groo; 1
Kills: 1 vamp for CC, 1 demon for Angel and one human for Gunn
Cordy: 6 vamps, 3½ demons
Angel; 41 vamps, 58 and 1/2 demons, 8 humans
Doyle; 1 vamp
Wes; 12 demons+3 vamps, 2 humans
Kate; 3 vamps
Faith; 16 vamps, 6 demons, 3 humans.
Gunn; 11 vamps+ 12 demons+ one human.
Groo; 1 demon
Fred; 3 vamp+ 1 demon
Connor; 8 vamps and 2 demon
Fang Gang go evil:
Cordy: 2
Angel: 2
Gunn; 1
Wes; 1

Alternate Fang Gang:
Cordy: 3
Angel: 9
Fred; 1

Characters killed:
46
Recurring characters killed;
8;
Total number of Angel Investigations:
Angel, Gunn, Fred, Lorne

Angel Investigations shot:
Angel: 11
Wes; 1
Packing heat;
Wes; 6
Doyle; 1
Angel; 3
Gunn; 1

Notches on Fang Gang bedpost:
Cordy: 4 ?+Wilson/Hacksaw Beast+Phantom Dennis+Groo
Angel: 5; Buffy, Darla and The Transcending Furies
Wes; 3; Virginia, the bleached blonde and Lilah
Gunn; 1 Fred
Fred; 1 Gunn
Groo; 1Cordy

Kinky dinky:
Connor remarks that CC steals the bedcovers much to Angel's distress. Gunn mentions that Fred kept him up all night and was unstoppable.
Captain Subtext;
Lorne calls Angel 'sweetie' when he brings him breakfast in bed. Whilst Connor refuses to bring Cordy any pics of Angel he's fine with everyone else, even Lorne.
Know the face, different character; 4
Parking garages; yep, if I were Lilah I'd just take a taxi every night
6,
Guantanamo Bay;
Buffy characters on Angel; 16
Wetherby, Collins and Smith. Angel, Cordy, Oz, Spike, Buffy, Wes, Faith, Darla, Dru, The Master, Anne, Willow and Harmony
Questions and observations;
Really not good, silly plot and although there's some powerful emotional stuff really far below par. First time we ever see CC's parents. Now when we see Angel recreate the conference room scene at the Hyperion is that just a photographic memory or a spell he casts? Love the satire on the Angel fans, Angel referring to the 'chatty rooms'. Love Fred's Ripley moment, "I'm the bitch!".
Marks out of 10; 6/10 and maybe that's generous