Mr Trick Does the Angel rewatch thingy

[Mr Trick]

Angel Season One Roundup.

Overall Conclusion: Like the first season of Buffy, this was a very mixed bag of quality, ranging from excellent, to avenge, to terrible. To be fair the highs here are higher than the debut season in Sunnydale, but like that first season on Buffy the writing is inconsistent, and its not really till late in the season where we start to see what the show can become or how the strong the characters will become. Season of... was a very strong pilot, its sets the darker LA Noir tone of Angel, and has some very effective set pieces and some good comedy too. From then on and for awhile, the season was very hit and miss. I never got into Doyle enough as a character and besides the odd sccene I found his thing for Cordy a little creepy and unconvincing. But then, his perfect send off in Hero showed just what might have been. Wesley's transition into team Angel was fairly smooth, although there were a few episodes where he was given too little to do, and was used as cheap comic relief. Cordelia's growth from Buffy carried over into Angel. Certainly in the early episodes, she had most of the best lines, and again we see a more confident, and well rounded character than first showed up in season one of Buffy. She also made the most of an unconvincing (for the most part) relationship with Doyle, and had good chemistry with both Wesley and Angel. Again returning to the link with season one of Buffy, there were too many random, stand alone, b-movie/MOTW episodes which just felt dated, I Fall to pieces and Expecting for example. The Kate Lockley character was the other main draw back for the season. The actress never got to grips with the character, and she was just too unlikeable for me to care about, plus she just felt like a Buffy stand-in from pretty much the word go. With the exception of I Will Remember You (which I have mixed feelings on), the cross over between the two shows was one of the highlights of the sesaon(s) for me. I enjoyed both Spike and Oz's appearances in In the Dark. I liked the scene in Blind Date when Cordy calls Willow for some help cracking Wolfram & Hart's files, and the Faith two parter is a big turning point for Angel as a show and as a character for that matter. That he would invest so much time and effort and belief in turning Faith around is a big signal of Angel's morality, and maybe contrast to Buffy as a character. The pair of episodes are both dramatic, moving, and of course extremely entertaining, and feature some of the best acting we will see from Eliza Dusku as Faith. Unlike some I don't have an issue with Sarah Michelle Gellar's appearance in the second episode. It makes total sense that she would chase Faith down to LA, and I like the conflict between her and Angel over Faith and how the writing is balanced so that you can see it from either prospective. Its also a good moment to mark Angel out both character and show as making statement compared to Buffy both character and show. Five by Five and Sanctuary also saw a turn around for the Wolfram & Hart narrative. Up til now the evil law firm (wait is there any other kind?😛), had only been on the fringes of the show, and the writing for it pretty hit and miss. But the overall involvement and threat to Angel and his friends becomes a big theme in the later episodes of the first season, and this sets up perfectly the direction of the show moving forward.

Episodes Ratings and Rankings:
1. Five by Five 10/10
2. Sanctuary 9/10
3. Hero 9/10
4. In the Dark 8/10
5. City Of... 7.5/10
6. War Zone 7.5/10
7. Rm W/A Vu 7.5/10
8. Parting Gifts 7.5/10
9. I've Got you Under My Skin 7/10
10. Blind Date 7/10
11. Somnambulist 7/10
12. The Prodigal 7/10
13. To Shanshu in L.A. 6.5/10
14. The Bachelor Party 6.5/10
15. I Will Remember You 6/10
16. The Ring 6/10
17. Lonely Heart 6/10
18. I Fall to Pieces 5/10
19. Sense & Sensitivity 5/10
20. Expecting 4/10
21. Eternity 3/10
22. She 2/10

Best Character: Cordelia Chase
Runner Up: Angel

Worse Character: Kate Lockley
Runner Up: Rebecca Lowell

Best Scene: Angel and Faith's fight in the alley, and Faith's emotional breakdown in Five by Five.

Best Dialogue: "The first assassin kills the second assassin sent to kill the first assassin, who didn't assassinate anyone until we haired the second assassin to assassinate her"
- Lee Mercer (Sanctuary).
Runner Up: Spike's VO and mocking of Angel's hair and heroic character in In the Dark.

Best Demon(s): Vocah
Runner Up: The Scourge

Best Debut: Lilah Morgan
Runner Up: Charles Gunn

Overall Season Rating: 6.5/10

If you agree or disagree with any of my comments or choices, then please respond, and give me you feedback. I should start my reviews of the second season later today🙂

 

[Mr Trick]

Judgement

Things seem to be running pretty smoothly for our protagonist. Cordelia is having a good audition for a change, and Wesley has scrubbed up on his darts playing skills since season 1😉 The former Watcher is even catching the eye of a pretty lady, but no time for that as Angel pages him and Cordelia into demon fighting action😀 The trio track down a demon to a gym. Angel smashes through a mirror and clears house. Titles.

Following the events at the end of season one Angel Investigations is now working out of Cordelia's apartment (nice touch), and they have gone back to basics with a white board😛 Angel and Wesley hang on Cordy's every sneeze/vision😉 Finally they get a real one. Wesley introduces them to Lorne (the host), a demon who reads people or demons if they sing at his karaoke club. As it turns out Angel is not prepared to give it up just yet!😛 Instead he gets a false lead from a crooked demon named Merl. Coming across a pregnant young woman (Six Feet Under's Justina Machado) in the shower Angel saves her from a demon, or so he thinks, in fact the demon was there to protect Jo and her unborn child. Taking over the mission of her protector Angel inlists the help of a cliche street talking Gunn. Wes and Cordy confusing Gunn saying his name for a threat is a choice bit of comedy😀 As is the brooding Angel singing Barry Manilow for the host in exchange for information😛

Angel discovers that there is set to be a trial for Jo and her babie's life. The Vampire excepts a medieval duel on horse back (in the middle of a LA street😉), and ultimatley wins saving both mother and child at least for now. We close with Angel visiting Faith in the joint. This is a touching scene and Angel's singing confession is a lot of fun😀

Conclusion
After the bang in which City of... opened the first season with, Judgement sees the show in a transitional period. For example, the new funnier Angel will take a bit of getting used to. Most of all the episode just feels a collection of moments, and its the subplots or small character moments which are the most effective. Part of the problem is that director Michael Lange's direction is a little off, at times its like Cordy, Wes and Angel are in different scenes to one another. Justina Machado does a good job with what could have been a throw away character otherwise. Lorne has a promising debut, but the main plot of the episode just isn't very engaging.

 

[bespangeled]

I am actually engaged in a rewatch - though I've had the time to marathon. One thing I really see is Wesley's growth over he first season. He goes from being comedy relief to an interesting character - the moral center. But then, I am a Wesley fan so my viewing is definitely skewed. I loved Cordy my first time through - and I still love her but she can be oddly wooden at times. Yes, Judgement had a nice moral and some good scenes - but it also changes the focus to Angel being rewarded, and that weakens the concept for me.

Oh, and I take some time to reacquaint myself with Spike - Spangel here!

 

[Fuffy Baith]

Judgement is a decent season opener. I like the ending! I wish we would have got more scenes of Angel visiting Faith in prison. I don't imagine she gets a lot of visitors.

The pair of episodes are both dramatic, moving, and of course extremely entertaining, and feature some of the best acting we will see from Eliza Dushku as Faith. Unlike some I don't have an issue with Sarah Michelle Gellar's appearance in the second episode.

Well she comes back and gives a great performance in season 4! Faith on Angel has more to do, so I think Eliza's performances stand out a bit more than when she's on Buffy and gets overshadowed a lot. I like seeing SMG on Angel. I do love IWRY. But I like her scenes with Angel and Faith in Sanctuary. Remember what Willow says to Buffy in Revelations, that when it comes to Angel, Buffy doesn't see clearly. So I think her reaction to Angel and Faith hugging fits with her character. Buffy doesn't fit in the Angel world, and in that episode I think she works because of that contrast.

 

[Mr Trick]

Judgement is a decent season opener. I like the ending! I wish we would have got more scenes of Angel visiting Faith in prison. I don't imagine she gets a lot of visitors.
Well she comes back and gives a great performance in season 4! Faith on Angel has more to do, so I think Eliza's performances stand out a bit more than when she's on Buffy and gets overshadowed a lot. I like seeing SMG on Angel. I do love IWRY. But I like her scenes with Angel and Faith in Sanctuary. Remember what Willow says to Buffy in Revelations, that when it comes to Angel, Buffy doesn't see clearly. So I think her reaction to Angel and Faith hugging fits with her character. Buffy doesn't fit in the Angel world, and in that episode I think she works because of that contrast.

Very good point. I guess Buffy oversteps the mark a little, but I was still partly on her side given what Faith did her. Its a strength of the episode that you get all prospectives.
 

I am actually engaged in a rewatch - though I've had the time to marathon. One thing I really see is Wesley's growth over he first season. He goes from being comedy relief to an interesting character - the moral center. But then, I am a Wesley fan so my viewing is definitely skewed. I loved Cordy my first time through - and I still love her but she can be oddly wooden at times. Yes, Judgement had a nice moral and some good scenes - but it also changes the focus to Angel being rewarded, and that weakens the concept for me.

Oh, and I take some time to reacquaint myself with Spike - Spangel here!

I really agree, Wesley's character evelution is possibly the best of any. And I think AD does a fantastic job throughout. Having seen him in Buffy you just never would have guessed that he had that level of dramatic performace in him. There are a few shakey episodes after he debuts on Angel, and for awhile he felt like a lesser version of Giles. But from season two onwards he never looks back real. I still prefer Cordy on Buffy personally. Judgement felt more of a set up episode for what was to come.
 
Are You Now or Have You Ever Been?

Angel instructs Wesley to investigate the history of the abandoned Hyperion Hotel, a space Angel previously discovered underground. As it turns out the Vampire has a past at the Hotel dating back to the early 1950s. As Wesley and Cordelia pieces together the past the episode switches between past and present Angel.

Angel gets himself involved with a girl Judy who is hiding out from what appears her abusive boyfriend, but later actually turns out to be a private investigator who is chasing Judy on behalf of her ex-employers whom Judy stole some money from. The episode touches on the racial tensions of the era, including a scene where some coloured people are turned away, with the manager claiming "that there are no rooms available." And as it turns out Judy's motivations are raced related, as she actually has black family roots, which is why she wanted the money to start a new life. Around this time a guest at the Hotel commits suicide, an event which puts the Hyperion's manager at pains to cover things up through fear that the place will be shut down. Things come to a head when the other guests start gossiping about what really happened?

In the present Angel and the gang discover that the Hotel has been haunted by a demonic demon, whom has remained in the Hotel since feeding on the guests years ago. Back in the past Judy panics when the private investigator returns, and suspicion falls on her for the death of the guest, and so she turns it on Angel, who is strung up by the baying mob. In the present Angel, Wesley, Cordelia and Gunn confront the evil spirit whom they exorcised with a Ghostbusters style device😉 As it turns out an elderly Judy has remained in the Hotel the last 50 years fearing to leave. She makes peace with Angel over turning on him and is lied to rest. Angel tells the others that Angel investigations has a new home.

Conclusion
One of the most distinct and exciting narratively of the whole show. The period detail is finely tuned, and the use of colour and tension really cranks up the tension. Another reason I prefer it to the season opener is because Cordy, Wes and Gunn are more important to the story. Cordy and Wes working together to research the past is engaging and a nice link, considering how the episode references old detective crime fiction or movies. The story also adds another layer to Angel's past, and it is the perfect way to explore the space of Hyperion Hotel which is a fantastic location for the gang to take up residence. There are also some strong supporting cast members, and the themes touched on tie in nicely to the contrast of the modern LA setting. My only issue was the ending when Angel comes across Judy. Apart from the lack of logic of her surviving all that time, it just felt like the story tying itself up a little too neatly. Really great episode though, great plotting, acting, and production and direction.

 

[bespangeled]

Completely agree - I thought this would have been a much stronger season opener. I like the little touches - the gay couple who move apart when they see Angel, the black family, background of McCarthyism that is always there, and an amoral Angel who is willing to turn on a group of humans because they turned on him even knowing that it was under the influence of a paranoia demon.

It's the best illustration of how far Angel came. I really can't stand the popular notion that Angel got a soul and immediately began to fight for good. Under those circumstances there would be no reason for the character , no depth, no story. You have to see where he was, and this was about 50 years after he was souled, in order to appreciate who he became.

 

[Mr Trick]

Completely agree - I thought this would have been a much stronger season opener. I like the little touches - the gay couple who move apart when they see Angel, the black family, background of McCarthyism that is always there, and an amoral Angel who is willing to turn on a group of humans because they turned on him even knowing that it was under the influence of a paranoia demon.

It's the best illustration of how far Angel came. I really can't stand the popular notion that Angel got a soul and immediately began to fight for good. Under those circumstances there would be no reason for the character , no depth, no story. You have to see where he was, and this was about 50 years after he was souled, in order to appreciate who he became.

Spot-on and I think ulitmately that is the reason why he needed his own show to explore his diverse roots in detail. Its really striking how humble he is to Judy at the end and how he forgives her without a thought. Of course its all a part of his compelling narrative journey to redemption.

 

[Fuffy Baith]

Apart from the lack of logic of her surviving all that time, it just felt like the story tying itself up a little too neatly. Really great episode, though, great plotting, acting, and production and direction

Yea that's the part that I don't like either. I think we are supposed to believe that somehow the demon has been keeping her alive. But, it doesn't really make a lot of sense. She's only there so that Angel can forgive her. I feel like maybe if she was a ghost, like James from I Only Have Eyes For You. Like she needs to be forgiven in order to move on. Which is basically what they did, it just doesn't make sense she's been alive there this whole time.

Completely agree - I thought this would have been a much stronger season opener. Angel who is willing to turn on a group of humans because they turned on him even knowing that it was under the influence of a paranoia demon.

I agree. This would have been a better season opener. It fits the theme of the season. Just because Angel has a soul it doesn't mean that he is inherently good and moral. I we see this happen to Angel as season 2 progresses, and I like exploring that side of Angel's character.

 

[Mr Trick]

First Impressions

We open in Lorne's nightclub where Angel meets a striking looking Darla on the dance floor (she's wearing a stunning red dress), but of course Angel is in the surreal dream world. Angel has been spending a lot of time in this state recently, during a rare waking hour the Vampire and his crew are drawn into Gunn's mission to confront a demon gang leader. Having got involved in the wrong fight, Angel decides that he is off his game, and heads off for another snooze/Darla sex fantasy🙄

Cordelia gets a vision suggesting that Gunn is in danger. With Angel in dream world and Wesley unavailable, she takes matters into her own hands, and refuses to take no for an answer from her project. I
 

First Impressions

We open in Lorne's nightclub where Angel meets a striking looking Darla on the dance floor (she's wearing a stunning red dress), but of course Angel is in the surreal dream world. Angel has been spending a lot of time in this state recently, during a rare waking hour the Vampire and his crew are drawn into Gunn's mission to confront a demon gang leader. Having got involved in the wrong fight, Angel decides that he is off his game, and heads off for another snooze/Darla sex fantasy🙄

Cordelia gets a vision suggesting that Gunn is in danger. With Angel in dream world and Wesley unavailable, she takes matters into her own hands, and refuses to take no for an answer from her project. In a nice twist Cordy loses Angel's car, meaning that her and Gunn must try to track it down, while Angel's masculinty is challenged by the prospect of riding on the back of Wesley's bike with a pink humet no less😛

Cordy and Gunn's hunt for Angel's car leads them to a house party which is crashed by a gang of demons. A friend of Gunn's is caught in the cross fire, luckily theyget her to the hospital just in time, however, this near miss opens up fresh wounds concerning the loss of Gunn's sister. Finally they come face to face with the demon gang leader. Wesley and Angel come to the rescue just in time and all hell breaks loose. The team work together to win the day. Cordelia gives Gunn a nice pep talk, pointing out that her vision didn't feature the demon they faced on that night, and that Gunn's main enemy is himself, and his craving for violence. She makes it clear that she will be sticking around in his life for sometime to come. Gunn has a new found respect for Miss Chase. No surprisely, the episode closes with Angel having another romantic Darla dream. "I could just eat you up" says dream Darla.

Conclusion
Its always a risky experiment to sidetrack a show's central character for a period in order to build a new narrative, and therefore limiting him or her's interaction with the other core characters. In this case it works very well because they use that experiment to progress the stock characters of Cordelia and Gunn. There is a welcome return to the theme of Gunn as an emotive character who sometimes allows his emotions to override his actions, and it was important to readdress the passing of his sister. At the same time we also see the subtle, smart and heroic sides of Gunns character. The two actors have a strong spark and play smoothly off one another. The Gunn connection is just about the best use of Cordy's visions subplot, and again character blossoms further. A very tight and well rounded piece of storytelling.

 

[Mr Trick]

Untouched

Darla reveals to Lilah the magic powder she has been using to control Angel in his dreams. During a rare waking hour the boss of Angel Investigations with a little bit of insisting from Cordelia decides that they can make Gunn a part of the team on a case by case basis. Cordy's latest vision is of a girl in trouble at the hands of some thugs in an alley, so far, so very Angel right?😉

As it turns out the young girl Bethany Chaulk (Daisy McCrackin) does not need Angel's help, at least not on a pyhscial level. Bethany has telekinetic powers caused by nerves and so deals with the bad guys herself. Angel connects with her on a personal level, and says that his door is always open. What Angel isn't aware of is that Bethany already has a role model in Lilah😱 The evil lawyer came across Bethany at her school months back, and ever since under orders from Holland has been mentoring her😉 So that the Law firm can exploit her special gifts to their advantages. Its later revealed that Lilah set up the guys attacking Bethany so that she has more of an excuse to remain in her life.

Angel has another early night, which promps Cordy to point out "you've been up three hours"😀 In a flashback we see that Bethany was abused by Joey Potter's criminal father!😱 Lilah loses control of the girl who tracks down Angel, taking him up on his offer. Wesley is smart enough narrow down the route of her telekintic issues. With that out in the open Angel tells both Cordelia and Wesley to go home for the night and than he will keep an eye on Bethany. This proves a risky strategy as throughout the night Angel struggles with his fantasties over Darla and so the lines between this and his connection with Bethany become blurred. Back at W&H Holland decides that Bethany's presence with Angel is getting in the way of their Darla plan, so in a totally over blown scene Lilah arranges for some hired hands to kiddinap the girl. When this doesn't work, the penny drops with Bethany, she stands up to her crooked father, and finds the strength to cut herself loose from Lilah.

Conclusion
Like with the second season of Buffy, season two of Angel does still have some speed bumps before we get to the really good stuff. Untouched is the biggest one yet, for a number of reasons. The logical place to start is that its an odd case of a Joss Whedon directed episode, which is written by someone else in Mare Smith, thanks to @Bluebird for the pickup on this detail. And there does seem to be a disconnect between the writing and direction during the episode. I think that the setup is perfectly solid, and in an odd twist we get that classic Whedon thing of setting the viewer up for one thing, but then pulling the carpet out from under them (with the twist to Bethany's character), but of course from a different writer😉 But from there a good setup falls a little flat, and the plot follows some predictable ground such as linking Bethany's problems to an abusive father figure. Lilah was wasted too. Having her as a mentor to this young girl could have opened so much more interesting territory for the character, and it would have been an interesting narrative place to at least suggest that this Lilah's more sensitve side coming out, or at least to have played with that tension before revealing to us the truth. Instead, Lilah became too much of a sounding board for Holland and plot cypher for another Wolfram & Hart scheme. The other main problem I have is with the casting of Daisy McCrackin as Bethany. I thought she gave a really emotionally dry and dead performance, in fairness it may have just been a helpless role from the start. The episode creeked towards its conclusion, and the scene in which the guys in the van snatched Bethany was very over the top, and felt like it was from a differet show. It had its moments, like how it sets the ground work for the future Angel-Cordy romance with some fun flirting, and I liked Cordy getting protective of Angel. But mostly one to forget.

Coming up a double bill as the Darla plot kicks into high gear🙂

 

[bespangeled]

I love the key part Wesley played - sussing out the fact that Bethany was abused by her father. It was one more building block in his character - that he so quickly went to the root of the problem, knowing who abused her - and it was pivotal to the understanding of Bethany's character.

But then I love Wesley!

 

[Mr Trick]

I love the key part Wesley played - sussing out the fact that Bethany was abused by her father. It was one more building block in his character - that he so quickly went to the root of the problem, knowing who abused her - and it was pivotal to the understanding of Bethany's character.

But then I love Wesley!

That may well have been the highlight of the episode, otherwise it was a bit of a dud IMO.

 

[Hunga Munga]

I couldn't agree more about this episode . It's not like it's 'bad' ...it just seems to me like Whedon had lost the mission or something . It's straightforward run-of-the-mill television .

This could be a contender for the worst Whedon directed episode in the Buffyerse ?

 

[Mr Trick]

I couldn't agree more about this episode . It's not like it's 'bad' ...it just seems to me like Whedon had lost the mission or something . It's straightforward run-of-the-mill television .

This could be a contender for the worst Whedon directed episode in the Buffyerse ?

Think your right, but for the most part the direction is fine. Its just the disconnect with the story, how poorly the story is written, and the casting of that actress.

 

[Mr Trick]

Dear Boy

The Angel team (including Gunn), beat up a group of nutty religious demons, later Angel's dreams of Darla become more vivid as we cut to titles. Post-titles we flash back to the wild days and see when Angelus and Darla first came across Drusilla. What appeals to them are her unique powers to see into the future. As Wesley and Cordelia attend to a man who believes that his wife might be involved Aliens, cheating or both😀 Angel is still too distracted by the visions of Darla and tells a sceptical Wesley that he's seen her alive.

Later when tracking the client's wife at a hotel (this scene is a lot of fun😛), Angel runs into what appears to be the real Darla😱 Although she denies that she has ever seen him before, Angel makes a scene and is dragged away. Darla escapes into the arms of her HUMAN husband and into the daylight?😱 We get another masterful singing performance from our guy, however, Lorne/the host tells him Angel to forget about Darla.

Wesley and Cordelia are both convinced that Angel is wrong about Darla being alive and in LA. However, it turns out that the woman Angel saw was in fact his sire and that Wolfram & Hart have given her a new identity, an actor husband and human form. With the help of Lindsey Darla frames Angel for her pretend husband's death, and the cops led by the Buffy wannable get on his tail. After giving a convincing performance to the Buffy wannable Darla is snatched away by Angel (something which hardly helps him get the cops off his back).



Buffy 2.0 puts pressure on Gunn, Wes and Cordy back at the Hyperion Hotel however rather impressively they stand firm and loyal behind their boss. In a clever twist Cordelia figures out that because the real owners of the house Angel entered are dead it means that the vampire could not have entered it without their premisson,thus, they come around to the idea that he was right, even if Buffy 2.0 still hasn't🙄 Meanwhile Angel and Darla face off and she tries to seduce him, claiming that they belong together. Angel points out that only Buffy could ever make him happy etc... After some intense back and forth Angel says that the soul made the difference for him and that Darla now has the same chance, she runs off, but their paths will cross again...

Conclusion
After a mistep in the previous episode this gets the second season right back on track and does an excellent job in building on the Darla-Angel arc. It may also be Wolfram & Hart's strongest episode to date. The thriller elements are very strong, its nicely paced, and the involvement of the actor playing Darla's pretend husband pefectly links back to the shallow nature of LA life, and the theme which works across both shows of darkness lurking beneath a facide which is consistent with Wolfram & Hart too. As things progress the story is giving us a more distinct identity for Angel's friends/team, and the important roles they play in his life. The scene when they defend his honor is very touching. At the same time they all play individual parts which are just as important, but most of all are starting to stand on their own feet as characters and not just in relation to the title character. But this episode belongs to Julie Beniz, and again she shines, playing Darla to her most slippery, sexy and twisted best, while still bringing out the passionate, emotive side of the character. The sexual tension and chemistry between her and Angel/David Boreanaz is impressive, and the exploration of their past and where they fit into modern L.A. is shaping up to be fascinating viewing.

 

[Dolores]

Really enjoyed this episode. Julie Benz is perfectly wicked as Darla (and absolutely beautiful in this series) and their scenes together are just brilliant.

 

[Mr Trick]

Really enjoyed this episode. Julie Benz is perfectly wicked as Darla (and absolutely beautiful in this series) and their scenes together are just brilliant.

Yes, this is when the character really takes off, and I think Benz as an actress had matured a lot since her time on Buffy. She's great in just about everything she's in.

I'd say either this or Have You Now... are my favourite episodes of the season so far.

 

[bespangeled]

God doesn't want you, but I still do! One of my favorite scenes!

 

[Mr Trick]

Guise Will be Guise

First of all this is one of the worse episode titles of either show!😀 Wesley attempts to impress a potential client with his 'Rogue Demon Hunter' past!😛 Instead Angel's sidekick😉 ends up falling over in comic fashion and is dismissed as Angel's secretary. Cordelia further highlights Wesley's feminine traits by his choice of wardrobe😉

Angel visits Lorne/The Host in an attempt to get to the bottom of the Darla cause thing, but instead of subjecting everyone in the club including first timer Gunn to further Angel tunige the host gives Angel the details of a demon therapist (Art Lafleur) who he believes can rid of Angel of the curse. With Angel gone Wesley must defend Cordelia when some guys hit the Hyperion. He calls their bluff by pretending to be Angel and so that they don't shoot Cordy agrees to go with them. Wesley/Angel is asked by rich tycoon Magnus Bryce (Todd Susman) to protect his daughter, Virginia (Brigid Brannagh). Of course rather than coming clean Wesley takes his chance to step into big daddies' shoes! While Angel struggles with the unconventional methods of his demon therapist T'ish Magev, Wesley enjoys the benefits of his new gig, Cordy and Gunn do little of note.

With some good bluffing and Angel's towering reputation on his side Wesley is able to keep his secret and wins over Virginia who it turns out is lonely🙄 An unlikely romance ensues (but to be fair the actors involved have pretty sparky chemistry). We find out that Magev is a fraud and is actually keeping Angel out of the way, however, this leads to the security finding out that Wesley isn't really the true Angel. As a result Wesley is kicked to the curb and loses Virginia's respect, and Angel upon finding out the truth about his fraud escapes. Later when comparing stories Angel Investigations figure out that Virginia's father is settling his daughter up for a sacrifice. Just at the moment of sacrifice it is revealed that Virginia is impure (not a virgin), and therefore cannot be sacrificed, this is news to Daddy😉 Virginia stands up to her father and it seems like Wesley has won back her respect and that there maybe a future for these two kids after all.

Conclusion
Buffy regular Jane Espenson produced this script and that is a good place to start with my problems with the episode. Espenson is a very talented writer, but this did have very much a high concept Buffy style feel to it, and in reality I'm not sure that style works as well on Angel. There were a few such episodes during season one, for example Sense & Sensitivity, and they pretty much all missed the mark. Having now been in L.A. for close to a year it was good timing to have a Wesley centric episode, however, when compared to the Xander centric The Zeppo in Buffy it comes up very short. In that episode Xander's evolution was more credible as the growth did not step too far outside of the character or the show's remit, instead highlighted qualities which were already there, but needed certain events to bring out. The character growth of Wesley in Guise Will be Guise deals in far too broader strokes, and if anything seems to regressing back to the Wesley who first showed up on Angel. Unlike The Zeppo this episode comes up with nothing of note for the rest of the gang to do, and there is a lack of purpose to their plots in relation to Wesley's, unlike how each of the Scoobies, and in a neat twist Faith were important part of Xander's episode. The comedy just is not anywhere near as sharp. Another issue is the placing of this during the season. For sure this kind of episode has its place, but normally its either within the first five episodes of a season or one or two episodes before the dramatic finale. Coming on the back of the dramatic Dear Boy, and at a point where the Angel-Darla arc has started to kick into high gear GWBG disrupts that narrative momentum, and feels like a needless comic interlude when the show didn't need one. There are one or two nice touches such as the fact that Virginia is upset more at the fact that Wesley lied rather than the fact he isn't actually Angel suggesting that she likes what she has seen of his real personality. And at least their relationship isn't just a one episode thing.

 

[Mr Trick]

Darla​

Darla is now staying at Lindsey's apartment and much to the Wolfram & Hart employee's concern the former vampire still has a strong connection to Angel and is starting to ponder where she was brought back by the evil law firm. We flash back to 1609 to the start of their deadly relationship. While on her death bed Darla is visited by The Master (Mark Metcalfe, a welcome return!) who turns her into a vampire to save her soul. Come 1760 The Master is attempting to recruit Angelus into his underground clan, however Angelus has bigger plans to live among the humans and carry out his reign of terror from there. With his old fashioned views The Master doesn't except this and gives the Vampire a beating to try and change his mind. In the end Angelus and Darla leave together with the Master adding, "Let them leave. It won't last. I give it a century at the most."😀

Back in modern L.A. Holland informs Lindsey that Darla's erratic behavior is because she is starting to have a breakdown as a result of being returned to life and in human form. Later when Lindsey shares an intimate moment with a disturbed Darla he is taken aback by the cross over between her human and vampire states. This is scene is full of energy and once again Julie Benz turns it up to eleven in a wicked, and unhinged, yet human and raw performance. Past Darla finds out about the Gypsy curse which has taken Angelus from her, as a result her, Dru and Spike go on a killing spree in Romania. Back in L.A. she calls Angel looking for answers to her condition, Lindsey attempts to stop her from leaving, but in a scramble a security officer is killed. With Darla having escaped into Angel's keep Holland makes the decision to terminate the project (although this later turns out to be part Holland's plan). A souled Angelus and Darla are reunited at The Boxer Rebellion in China 1900. Angel/Angelus fights with his duel personality as he is determined to win Darla back, she gives him another chance. Later his new sense of morality takes over when he sees an helpless family in an alley and lets them escape. With the evilness oozing out of Spike and Dru following Spike's victory over a slayer, Angel/Angelus decides that its time to leave the Rebellion, but Darla suspect that something is a foot. Later she confronts the vampire over the fact that he is only killing evil people. In order to prove himself Darla presents Angelus with a baby. This is intercut with a scene at the Hyperion in the present where a
sympathetic Angel is asked by Darla to turn her back into a vampire, however, Angel has a very different view on the benefits of such a life style and refuses, as past Angelus refuses to slay the baby instead getting it out of harm's way, and in the present Darla storms out.

Conclusion
The reliable hand of Tim Minear picks up the slack from the last episode and crafts a compelling, and thrilling episode which skillfully moulds the past and present in a tight package which successfully adds substance to the characters and story. The visual flair is poetic, and the editing near perfect. Julie Benz once again steals the episode, and is dramatically engaging in every scene. The Darla character here is just full of so much more energy, danger and humanity than the slightly watered down version who first showed up in Sunnydale. The relationship between Angel and Darla is shown to be a rich and ever involving one, and the power of this episode and Benz's performance is that at times you really do feel for her. Lindsey's involvement in her narrative is nicely set in motion and gives more of a reason for him and Angel to clash in the future. I like the past details of Angel dealing with his soul and how his choice to only go after rapist and the likes foreshadows his future work in L.A.