THE Andrea

3x05 Fredless

Angel Investigations gets a surprise visit from Fred's parents. But Fred doesn't seem all that happy to see them though. So not happy in face when she sees them, she seems to get scared and she runs away.  Because of Fred's reaction, everyone doesn't seem terribly trusting of Mr. and Mrs. Burkle. They try to prepare to protect Fred from them, that is if they manage to find Fred. She's bolted over to Lorne's to see if he'll give her cash and an aura reading. The Gang manage to find Fred at the bus station, and she freaks when she sees her parents are with them. She isn't upset cuz these people are mean or demon-y or anything. She's upset cuz if they find out what's happen to her the past five years she's been missing, then it'll have all been real, and she doesn't want to face that.

Cordy: Fred can barely tie her shoes without Mr. Oh-You're-My-Big-Fat-Hero, around.
Angel: You think I'm fat?

As they are going about their tearful reunion, a strange insect-like demon attacks them. They eventually get it under control, mainly with the help of Fred's mom using a big bus to run it over. After all is said and done, Fred decides to go back home with her folks. She thinks maybe this is all too much for her, and she should go back to where it's more simple.

On their way out, she realizes some of the demon goo that got on her shirt matches some other demon thing they saw earlier. I dunno really. This episode was a bit on the dull side. Anyhoo, she figures something out, has to go back to the hotel to save the others. Which she does, then she figures out that maybe she can hang with the Gang after all, and so she stays. Well, I mean, she is in the opening credits right? So, it's not like she was gonna go anywhere. Big shocker, that.

3x06 Billy

A wave of unexplained and extreme violence against women is traced back to Billy, the young man that Angel was forced to free from a demonic prison a few weeks earlier. Billy's merest touch can cause an otherwise good man to become violently misogynistic, and the results can be deadly. The crew rushes to prevent another brutal attack, unaware that Wesley has already been infected -- and he's alone in the hotel with Fred.

Angel: Is Billy here?
Dylan: You a friend of his or something.
Angel: Actually I'm here to kill him.
Dylan: Oh come on in.

Cordelia is feeling uber responsible for the release of Billy, because it was the price they had to pay to get her crazy painful visions to stop. So, going off alone, she's determined to kill him to make things right again.

Wesley is hunting Fred in the hotel, and Gunn ends up coming to help her. But, he is a man after all and he gets infected too. But this is bad, cuz Gunn is hiding out in the same room with Fred. She finally has to knock him unconscious to keep herself safe from him.

Ok... having... hard... time... writing.... this... one... b.o.r.i.n.g.

Angel finds Cordy about to kill Billy, then Billy thinks he can infect Angel, but that doesn't work, and they go about fighting. Just as Billy is starting to recharge from the earth or something, a couple shots ring out and he's dead. Lilah has shot him. Guess she can have issues with some of the clients she has to work for sometimes too.

3x07 Offspring

Oh yay. We have more flashbacks. I always love flashbacks. Not.

The point of the flashbacks is to introduce us to an old adversary of Angel's and other vampires.. name of Holtz. In the past, he's hunted Angel and Darla, and all had a great dandy time of it.

Back in the non-annoying flashback time, Darla has arrived back in LA via bus, and everyone on the bus is dead and sucked dry. Well, except the driver of course cuz someone had to drive.

Angel is busy continuing to train Cordelia in some sword fighting skills. She's trying to brighten up his life, even if it is only with fake flowers sprinkled around his dreary hangouts. Wesley and Gunn are still messing with those pesky scrolls that talk about Angel's future and whatnot. Just as they figure out something big is coming, something big does come... Darla. Big as a house being all preggers. She's pissed and looking for daddy -- Angel.

Cordelia is very hurt that Angel didn't tell her about what happened with him and Darla, and takes Darla's side immediately. Everyone is very baffled at how this can even happen, so they all head over to Lorne to see if he can tell them anything.

Fred: Can I say something about destiny? Screw destiny. If this evil thing comes, we'll fight it and we'll keep fighting it till we whoop it. Because destiny is just another word for inevitable. And nothing is inevitable as long as you stand up, look it in the eye and say, "You're evitable." (pauses) Well, you catch my drift.

To try to make this shorter, cuz damn these are getting long or something... I seem to have a hard time writing reviews for episodes that don't sparkle for me. So they get wordy for no reason.

Anyway, Darla tries to snack on Cordelia, then escapes and goes to try to munch on some wee young folk, Angel stops her. Tries to explain to her that the reason nothing is sated her thirst is something to do with the baby being human and having a soul or something.

Elsewhere, someplace underground it looks like, a demon monk thing is changing and throwing dirt at a big stone statue and telling "it" to arise. Everything goes crumbly, and Holtz is revealed. His first question is where can he find him some Angelus.

3x08 Quickening

Again with the flashbacks. Why must they torture me so? Angel looks so awful in the past, with the nappy hair and the nappy accent. It's all about Holtz again. This time we see Angel and Darla eat Holtz's family and then he finds out cuz he's chased them somewhere that they aren't. They left him a note about not being able to protect his own.

Angel is trying really hard to protect Darla and the potential demon spawn from Wolfram & Hart. Then a weird vampire cult who believes the baby is The Miracle Child, starts being a bit of an issue too. So, they are just having to run and keep safe. They take Darla to a hospital and they do a sonogram thing or ultrasound or whatever that is. When she sees the baby, and it has a beating heart and it looks all normal, something seems to change in her.

Angel: How you feeling?
Darla: I haven't had blood in almost a day, and your devil's spawn is trying to rip it's way outta my body. How do you think I'm doing?

Angel leaves the Gang down the block from the hotel to grab the scroll they need. When he gets back to the hotel, he sees the lobby full of dead people. Holtz steps out from the shadows and tells Angel he's been looking for him. Over with the others waiting in the car, Darla's water breaks and she's gonna be in labor right about now.

I do believe this is leading up to something that doesn't suck too bad. But it just seems like it's taking a lot of quasi-sucking to get there. Yawn with me please.

3x01 Heartthrob

On a routine patrol, Angel stakes a female vampire. Just before she crumbles to dust she calls him Angelus and he recognizes her from his soulless past. Now, her grief-stricken lover, Angel's old hunting companion, is out for revenge for both the present killing and for a betrayal Angelus committed over 200 years ago.

Cordelia: (about Buffy) Angel, she was the love of your life and she died, and you weren't there when that happened, you couldn't help her fight, you couldn't save her, you couldn't die with her.

Really not loving this episode. Buffy just died, and this is the episode we get after the fact? Lame. I mean, I don't want him to be the uber-brooder. Cuz, gawd knows we get plenty of that on a daily basis. But, this just seemed like a lame response to her death. I get the whole story line where they tied in the fact that this other vampire is all mad cuz Angel killed the love of his life. That's not obvious at all, really. But, just so weak. I know that Buffy isn't really dead, cuz they resurrected over there on the other show, but still. Show some damn respect for the vamp Romeo & Juliet here yo.

3x02 That Vision Thing

When Cordelia's visions begin to manifest as painful physical wounds, Lorne tries to use telepathy to find out why this is happening to her, and how the visions can be stopped. Meanwhile lawyers from Wolfram & Hart make another visit to Angel's hotel.

The two are not necessarily unrelated. Turns out Lilah is using some swami type guy to get at Cordelia and her visions. The swami type guy is played by Kal Penn. His part is like this || big. So, he takes off his hat while he's in his weird trancy mode, and it turns out he is missing the top of his skull and his grey matter is all just out there, sitting there, for the world to see. Yech.

Lilah: You're a remarkable man, Angel.
Angel: And you're an evil bitch.

This other lawyer dude is going after Angel and the Gang through the hotel... building violations and such. Such a typical bureaucratic thing to do. But, they are lawyers afterall.

3x03 That Old Gang of Mine

Gunn finds himself stuck between old and new allegiances when he learns that a string of brutal and indiscriminate demon murders is the work of members of his former gang. Even Lorne's usually peaceful club isn't immune to the violence. Cordelia, meanwhile, attempts to help Fred readjust to the world.

Gunn: No matter what else, I think I proved that you can trust me when I could have killed you and I didn't.
Angel: No - you'll prove I can trust you when the day comes that you have to kill me - and you do.

First things first. Those are some seriously sexy leather pants Angel is sporting all of a sudden. Yumlicious. Very few people can pull the leather off, and he's doing it quite well. Ok, yah, that's really all that stuck with me on this episode.

3x04 Carpe Noctern

Our man Angel is trying to be so helpful with getting Fred out and about into the world, they end up going to a Charlton Heston double feature together, since none of the other Gang folk want to join. Fred may take this a bit more serious than she should.

Later, In the course of searching out one of Cordelia's vision, Angel stumbles on an old man playing peeping tom across the street from a gym. When he goes to see what the guy is up to, the old guy casts a body-switching spell with Angel. The old man, Marcus, enjoys the many pleasures of being eternally young, handsome, and bloodthirsty in Los Angeles while a dying Angel tries to get his body back.

Angel: You may not know this, Fred, but certain friends and coworkers have been known to accuse me of being the quiet, stay at home, sulky one.

With Marcus as Angel, he doesn't help matters with Fred when he gets all flirty with her and telling her she's so beautiful. Then it really doesn't help when he gets a little more than flirty with Lilah from Wolfram & Hart. So flirty in face they get a little hot & heavy on Wesley's desk. But then Fred has to walk in on that. It just is not helping her self esteem. Poor wee little thing.

Eventually they get everything all situated and back to normal. Bah... Montster-of-the-Week (MoW). I really don't like these types of eps in the scheme of things. It's not like I haven't repeated that several time, huh?

2x20 Over the Rainbow

This is the beginning of a very strange few episodes. They are a bit of fun, but still very strange.

Angel, Lorne and Wesley are left standing in Caritas and realize Cordelia is missing. Looks like she got sucked into the portal along with Lorne's cousin. Meanwhile, Cordy wakes up in a forest area that has animal skins hanging from the trees, with no clue where she's at. She's quickly found by some creature that starts chasing her, then she's eventually captured cuz she's "a cow" in this world and good for bartering apparently.

Back in the normal world, The Gang and Lorne are still trying to figure out where she's gone, and how they get there to save her. Eventually Lorne slips up and they realize he knows more than he's letting on. She's been sucked into Pylea, his home world. Lorne tells them how he got to this world and how much he loves it. He doesn't want to go back. They try to open the portal they used before, but it appears to be out of batteries. So, they have to find some place else that has a full charge to open a portal.

Over in Pylea, Cordelia is now a slave of sorts they call "a cow". How poetic is that? While doing some of her daily chores, like shoveling manure, another human finds her and hits her up for info on how she got there. The other cow gets found and they take her away for some unspeakable torturing I'm sure. While Cordelia is getting huffy about the girl getting captured, she gets a vision. She tells people to go save someone somewhere and they freak out. Then they find out she saw something happened before it happened and they are wigged out. Then they realize she's been blessed or cursed or something.

Angel: Ha, I'm not on fire.
Wesley: And, we're together. We didn't merge into a freakish four-man Siamese twin.
Gunn: That was a risk? How come nobody told me that was a risk?
Angel: Can everybody just notice how much fire I'm not on?

After a bunch of research in old books, they realize they need to travel in metal to not get separated. So, Angel and Gang arrive in Pylea via his car through a portal. When they arrive, with top down, the suns are out and Angel starts to scramble to get covered. But he soon realizes he's not getting all burned and stuff. He starts to act quite silly about being in the sun, which is so terribly cute. Just wanna squeeze his cheeks! (either set). They quickly get captured despite trying to lay low. While they are in their cell they overhear guards talking about Cordelia and thinks she's in major trouble. Then the guys are taken out of their cells, and they brought to a throne room and they try to attack the guards. A woman clears her throat which stops everyone in their tracks, and they look up to see that it's Cordelia all dressed fancy, and on a throne.

2x21 Through the Looking Glass

Yup, that's Cordy on a throne. Because of her cursedness with the visions, they've made her a Princess or something. Not sure what's up with that. I'm sure it's something awful and evil though. What would be the point otherwise. She pardons all her buds cuz she's all powerful like that, and then they go about researching. They realize their books are kept in 3s, and they find the ones they need. On the covers their are pictures of a Wolf, Ram, & Hart. Oooh, those fuckers are everywhere. Even other dimensions.

(seeing himself in a mirror)
Angel: Okay, this is because of going through the portal, right? (pushes down hair)
Cordy: No, it always looks like that.

Ok, Angel looking in the mirror in shock at his hair is hilarious. There's always been jokes here and there about his hair, but it's extra funny to see him get all worked up about it. Anyhoo... Angel is looked at like a warrior and he sits in the town center telling the tale of cutting off the evil lawyer's hand. Seeing him be all giddy and laughy is just weird. They then tell him he has the honor of wielding some weapon. But what he doesn't realize is he has to wield it to cut off the other lady cow's head. He refuses, fights the demony folk, Lorne sings a tune (they don't know music here), and it freaks everyone out. They are able to get away.

Meanwhile, Cordy is being all primped and ready for something big. It turns out she's to be mated to a Groosalugg. That doesn't sound very appealing. She tries to delay them, but then when she actually meets the Groosalugg, she is quite happy cuz he's a handsome man. They get to talking, blahblahblah, she decides she wants to be a real princess and start having some proclamations.

Angel ends up in a fight with some of the soldier dudes, and he turns into this weird ugly monster. Not a vampire like usual, but a very bumpy green thing that is just out of control. He even goes after Wesley and Gunn, and it's only the little lady cow that stops him and redirects him with a hand full of some blood of something. She manages to get him all under control in her own little private cave, and he is deeply shamed for what he's done to his friends.

Meanwhile, Cordelia and the Groosalugg are in the throne room on the floor writing out her proclamations. One of the priest dudes walks in with a silver tray and orders the Groosalugg out. The cover of the tray is lifted and we see Lorne's head all severed on the platter.

2x22 There's No Place Like Plrtz Glrb

Um, yah, Lorne's head still on a tray. But as Cordelia is doing her "woe is me, it's all my fault" thing, his eyes pop open and he starts talking. Which makes Cordelia get all scream-y. Ya see, if his body hasn't been mutilated yet, he's still alive. So, she has to find his body. She trades clothes with one of her servants and goes on the search. She, with Lorne in hand, find a body with his clothes on, but it proves to not be him. The Groosalugg has saved Lorne's body for her cuz Lorne's her friend. Isn't he sweet?

Ok, let's try to shorten this cuz I'm beginning to bore myself. Let's see... Rebels capture Wesley and Gunn, they want to kill them. They talk them out of it and say they'll help them attack the weird priesty dudes that are basically trying to destroy Cordelia via her mating with the Groosalugg.

Rebel: Five cheers for the other-worlders.
Wesley: Oooo, in this world you get five.

Angel gets over his beasty-ness with Fred, the lady cow, and he ends up fighting with the Groosalugg to get Cordelia free. She ends up splitting up the fight cuz she loves the Groosalugg. Say wuh? Then she cuts off the main priests head and everyone is all happy and stuff. She makes some proclamations to the priest before she leave... no religious persecution, no slavery, the standards. She also leaves the Groosalugg in charge. But, before she leaves they get all lippy and kissy and stuff.

Fred has figured out the formula stuff for the portals, so off they go home. They arrive in Angel's car in the middle of Caritas, the karaoke bar. Now how are they gonna get that sucker out?

Back to the hotel, where they find Willow waiting for them. By the look on her face, he realizes it has something to do with Buffy... and it can't be good.

2x16 Epiphany

After an empty night of passion with Darla, Angel wakes up with his soul still intact and has an epiphany. In a moment of clarity he realizes how deeply he had sunk into despair and how self-destructive his actions had become. See what sex with Darla does, versus sex with Buffy. Tsk Tsk. He resolves to reunite with his crew, but Cordelia, Wesley and Gunn may not be ready to forgive him, even when their very lives are at stake.

Darla: I don't understand. Was I...was it...not good? Well, I don't accept that. You cannot tell me that wasn't perfect. Not only have I been around for 400 years, but I used to do this professionally, and that was perfect.... We'll go again.

Cordy gets kidnapped by these demons with an eye in the back of their head, they want her to pay for the spawn she got rid of, so they make her be a spawn person thingy. So, now she has an eye in the back of her head, which is SO not attractive.

Lindsey seems to be going through another crisis of conscience. Mainly cuz he found out that Darla and Angel knocked boots, and he wanted to be the one knocking Darla's boots. So, he decides to run Angel over with his car. They duke it out, then Angel kinda steals his truck cuz he has some place to be.

The next morning after all is saved, or whatever is needed done, Lindsey walks out of his apartment building to find his truck, mostly intact, with a Thanks note on the windshield. I think they might be fast becoming friends. I kid.

Oh, and Kate tried to kill herself, but didn't. Which was a total bummer. She got fired as a cop and was all boohoo about it. She left a drunken message on Angel's machine, and he finally realized what she was doing. He runs over there, and saves her. The problem is she had never invited him into her house. So, how did he get in? Ponder that folks. Deep stuff.

2x17 Disharmony

So, Angel is having a bit of difficulty with the fact that he works for Wesley now under their new arrangement. Little things like the big office is now Wesley's and Angel keeps giving the orders. And now, he's having to get everyone coffee. Which is just so cute. Big broody guy getting lattes and cappucinos for his once-upon-a-time employees. Atonement's a bitch, he says.

Angel: She doesn't have a soul.
Cordelia: Oh. That's it, isn't it? You're better than her because you have a soul.
Angel: Well... yeah.

Cordy gets a vision, sends the guys on their way, and then Harmony shows up. Thing is, Cordy and Gang don't know that Harmony is a vampire now. After a bit of a misunderstanding, Cordy thinks she's just lesbian, until she calls up Willow and finds out that no, she's just a bloodsucker. Willow's the lez.

For half a second, Cordelia convinces the guys to give Harmony a chance at being a good guy and they send her in undercover at a vamp version of a Tony Robbins event. That turns out to be a problem since Harmony has no self esteem, and she ends up betraying the Gang cuz they have her all thinking she's worth more and better than how they treat her. Whatever. Cordelia tells her to leave town and not return. If only that's what really happens. I could definitely do without anymore Harmony I think. Sigh.

2x18 Dead End

Lindsey McDonald is given an amazing bonus by his bosses at Wolfram & Hart -- a new hand to replace the one he lost fighting Angel. When the new hand begins acting strangely, Lindsey becomes suspicious, and when he runs into Angel and the gang researching body parts that seem to be turning on their owners, he must make a life-altering decision.

Lindsey: (about Angel) Work with him? Work with him?
The Host: Hey, am I the only one who saw 48 hours?
Lindsey: I got a murderous hand on me and you're telling me to team up with the guy who cut mine off in the first place?

Just as Lindsey is starting to get me hot and bothered, he leaves the damn show! That is just messed up. He sings at the karaoke bar, but he sings-sings, instead of karaoke. Christian Kane is an actual singer, and he has a really great voice. I believe he even wrote the song he performed on the show. He's now on TNT's Leverage. Anyway, after he gets a new hand via the evil Wolfram & Hart folks and the hand turns out evil too. Wants to do all this evil stuff or something. He gets mad about it and ends up quitting his position at the firm, thus giving Lilah the position he was about to get. Buh-bye sexy man with the sexy voice.

2x19 Belonging

The crew is eating dinner at a fancy restaurant and we learn that Angel is a bit of a cheapskate. He seems to be worrying about every little thing they eat. Old man. Cordy starts to moan and everyone thinks she is getting a vision, but really she's just gonna hurl from some bad sashimi. Which really sucks for her cuz the next morning she has a commercial she's going to be shooting. Angel actually shows up on the set where she's at to get more info about her latest vision. While he's there, he witnesses the commercial director treat Cordy like a cheap piece of meat. He doesn't take that too well.

Angel: I'm not cheap, I'm just old. I remember when a few bob got you a good meal, a bottle, and a tavern wench.

Anyway, Cordy's latest vision involves a girl in a library that seems to be suffering. On their search, they find that it was a girl name Winifred aka Fred. She disappeared from that library years ago and no one has seen her since. Then a bloodthirsty demon emerges from a magickal portal on the stage in Caritas, the Host (whose name, we learn, is Krevlornswath or "Lorne" for short) asks Angel and the gang to find it and destroy it before it cuts a bloody swath through Los Angeles.

Gunn is trying to help his old gang o' vampire hunters, but he keeps getting called away with Angel Investigation stuff. This particular time he can't help, one of his buds gets bitten by a vamp. They don't know if he was made to drink any vamp blood himself, so they have to make sure he is really dead via an old school pyre.

Oh, that demon that came out turns out to be Lorne's cousin from his home world. He helps them open a portal back to get his cousin back home. The problem is, Cordelia is suddenly missing now. She wakes up laying on a leafy ground in a forest with two suns in the sky. This ain't Kansas anymore Toto.

2x12 Blood Money

Wesley and Gunn are busy playing Risk at Cordelia's apartment. I guess Cordelia is getting tired of them spending all their time at her house. So she orders them out. But before they go, they decide they need a new office and new business cards. They just can't quite agree on a new name, so I guess it'll be Angel Investigations for now.

Lilah: So, what if this guy's actually as good as he says and actually kills Angel?
Lindsey: Boo hoo, let me wipe away the tears with my plastic hand.

Angel threatens to expose Wolfram & Hart's criminal activities when he discovers that they are stealing large contributions that were made to a teen shelter -- but an old adversary has other plans.

Blah show. Yah yah yah, Angel is kinda evil. Not full-on Angelus, but he's into some serious hating of Wolfram & Hart. That sucks. The other guys are still trying to do their good their own way.

2x13 Happy Anniversary

Angel and the Host search for a physicist who they fear will cause the end of the world, but they are hampered by two Lubber demons who are seeking to subvert the scientist's work to their own dark ends. Wesley, Cordelia and Gunn settle into their new digs, where Virginia brings them their first official case.

Angel: You want to know what my problem is? I'm screwed, that's my problem. I can't win. I'm trying to atone for a hundred years of unthinkable evil. News flash: I never can! Never going to be good enough. Now I got Wolfram and Hart dogging me. It's too much! 200 highly intelligent law school graduates working fulltime driving me crazy. Why the hell is everyone so surprised that it's working? But no, it's "Angel, why are you so cranky? Angel, you should lighten up, you should smile. You should wear a nice plaid."
The Host: Oh, not this season, honey.

Episode, meh. But, I liked seeing more of The Host. He's a funny guy. He's especially needed next to the uber cranky pants Angel. Not cranky so much I guess. He's just seriously lost his reason for fighting the good fight. I get that, I do. Still... nice to have the lighter contrast with The Host.

2x14 The Thin Dead Line

Angel investigates rumors of renegade cops out for blood. Cordelia, Wesley and Gunn hear the same stories and try to catch the crooked cops in the act, but their plans go awry when they realize that these cops are not what they appear. They end up being zombies raised by a police commander type dude. Granted, his motivations are good. He wants less crime on his streets. And that is what he gets. But it gets to be a bit extreme when his zombie cops are hassling pretty much everyone for everything.

Cordelia: Maybe we can buy one of those star maps, find out where Steven Seagal lives. You telling me he got to be a movie star without a little demonic assistance?

Downside to getting rid of this guy and his zombie cops is now the crime rate is gonna go back up. Just can't win for losing. And on the opinion tip... totally forgettable episode. Oh wait. Well, except that Wesley gets shot while him and Gunn are out chasing down the meanies. That was a pretty big deal.

2x15 Reprise

Angel learns of the impending visit of one of Wolfram & Hart's demonic "Senior Partners," and he plans to use the visit to launch a kamikaze mission to the beast's home dimension to take on evil at its very source.

Angel: In the larger sense, I really don't give a crap.
Holland: Now, I don't think that's true. Be honest. You've got the tiniest bit of "give a crap" left.

The quick and dirty... Angel attacks Wolfram & Hart kinda, Darla is there. She has this weird glove thing. They fight a bit, he manages to get it on his way out the window of the high rise office building. Right after he lands, a ring - Band of Blacknil - lands next to him. He picks it up, puts it on his finger and orders to be taken to the Home Office. An elevator near by opens with the once-dead Holland inside waiting. Angel gets in, they have a heart-to-heart, they arrive... only it's exactly where they left from. Holland has essentially taught him that evil is everywhere. Angel walks out of the elevator and his eyes are a bit moist. Could we be getting our Angel back?

Oh wow... completely forgot about this. I do not know how... After he gets back to his place from his elevator session, Darla is there waiting for him. She wants to fight, but he wants to fight with his groin-al area. They get it on, he wakes up gasping for breath. Oh, he best not lose his soul over Darla?!? True moment of happiness with Darla? Puh-lease.

2x09 The Trial

Angel is still haunted by memories of his 150-year relationship with Darla and asks Gunn to help him track her down. He soon discovers, however, that he is faced with an impossible choice: watch her die from a terminal illness or "save" her by turning her once again into a soulless monster.

Angelus: This is outrageous. Don't these people know who we are?
Darla: I think they do, which would explain the lynch mob.

But, Angel can't turn her into a vampire. That could make him evil or something. Better not to risk it, I say. Instead he ends up asking The Host at Caritas to read Darla's soul. The Host sends him off to dive into a waterless pool. That turns out to be a big three round test he must go through to save Darla. He does all three, the last of which involves him agreeing to die for her by stake. Idiot says yes. Then when the dude goes to give her life, he realizes that she's already been given a second chance and he can't change anything after all.

In the end, Wolfram & Hart raid her hotel room, zapping Angel into submission. Drusilla walks in and starts the process of turning Darla into a vamp again.

Damn those lawyers.

2x10 Reunion

Drusilla has turned Darla back into a vampire, and Angel must catch them before she rises again and the two go back to their old ways. As he becomes more and more frantic, Angel begins to go off the deep end, and his staff worries that they are the only thing standing between Angel and real darkness.

Drusilla: It's not daddy. It's never daddy. Sss! It's the Angel-beast.
Darla: Come to punish us?
Drusilla: Yeah. Yeah. Spank us till Tuesday. Rrr! We promise to be bad if you do.

After Darla is back in the saddle, the girls go on a bit of a rampage. Holland, of Wolfram & Hart, suggests maybe they should upgrade to a massacre. They decide that is a great idea, and show up at his house during a wine tasting he has. It turns into a people tasting though. The really bad part here though is Angel gets there before it all goes down, and instead of helping everyone, he closes the doors and locks everyone in with Dru and Darla. The really bad part is he tells Wesley, Cordelia, and Gunn about it and they are more than a bit baffled. Right as they try to understand what he was thinking. He fires them all.

2x11 Redefinition

After firing his staff and cutting himself off from all help, Angel begins intense physical and mental training to become strong enough to stop Darla and Drusilla before they destroy the City of Angels. Meanwhile, Cordelia, Wesley, and Gunn try to continue the good fight on their own now that Angel has abandoned the cause.

Cordelia: One thing you can say about Angel, at least he's consistent. It's always some little blonde driving him over the edge.

By the way, just not really digging on Cordelia's hair this season so far. They seem to be trying to find a style for her, but it's just coming across as a wee bit schizo.

Also, really not getting Angel's obsession with Darla. Why does he suddenly seem to love her so much. Yes, she was human for like half a second, but seriously? He's only really known her as a psychotic murderess type. I know he needs a quasi-love interest or something. But really? Darla? Yeeesh. I would rather it be Drusilla or something.

Cordelia, Wesley, and Gunn run into each other at the demon karaoke bar, Caritas. After getting quite liquored up, they proceed to sing "We Are the Champions". How appropriate. The Host doesn't seem to give them their soul reading though. Gypped!

Angel finally meets up with Dru and Darla, and then sets them on fire. They manage to survive, but they are in pain and very confused.

Another random bit of info. I just love Dru. She's so freakin nuts, but in a lovely admirable sort of way. Very flowery with her nutso prophetic mutterings. Her and Spike are still like the all time best evil duo.

2x05 Dear Boy

Angel's continued restless nights send him into dreams of 1860 London and his first encounter with Drusilla, but when he sees Darla in his waking life, Cordelia, Wesley and Gunn fear he has gone off the deep end and may revert to his evil ways.

It seems like anytime that Angel goes a little moodier than usual, everyone is all "wah, he's gonna be evil again".  That would have to get really old if you were him. Nobody really trusting you. Always on edge.

Angel: It was Darla. She's back - and she's human now - but I know her scent.
Wesley: Angel, you can't just, sniff a person and know...
Angel: You had sex last night, with a bleached blonde.
Wesley: Good Lord! How'd you...?
Cordelia: That's unbelievable. I didn't think you ever had sex.

Angel hunts the Darla person he keeps seeing around, and as it is actually Darla, we discover that she's pretending to be not Darla with a husband and all that. She then stages a house and lures him there, has a vampire friend kill the actor playing her husband just before Angel comes in and then calls the police who walk in on Angel standing over Darla and her dead fake husband. Of course, Kate the cop is on the scene, and she's such an Angel hater that she always believes the worst.

This boy just can't get a break.

He fleas the scene, grabs up Darla, and they have it out in a ex-nunnery or something. He gets her to admit she is Darla and realizes she has a soul now. He warns her that she'll begin to feel every bad thing she's ever done soon.

2x06 Guise Will Be Guise

Angel travels to a mystical swami to help him understand his haunting dreams and to find his path again, but while he is away Wesley assumes Angel's identity to try to save a young girl and rather enjoys playing the role of a vampire with a soul. So much so, he beds the client he's trying to protect. Seems like Wesley gets some on a pretty regular basis. Go Wesley, it's your berfday.

T'ish Magev: (to Angel) How many warriors slated for the coming apocalypse do you think are going to be using that hair gel? Don't get me wrong. You're out there, fighting the ultimate evil; you're going to want something with hold.

Just too monster-of-the-week for me. I just don't really dig the one off cheesy episodes like I usedta. Nah, I never enjoyed them. Never really liked a lot of the X-Files monster-of-the-week episodes either. I'm all about the big picture I guess.

2x07 Darla

Ooopsy, looks like Angel was right about the remorse thing.  Seems as though Darla is in a bad way. Lindsay walks into his office with everything broken and shattered. Darla is sitting in the dark all sliced up from breakage and very despondent over all that she has done wrong and evil in the world.

Cordy: Unless there is a website called "www.oh-by-the-way-we-have-Darla-stashed-here.com", we're pretty much out of luck.

Angel is desperate to rescue Darla from the clutches of Wolfram & Hart and flashbacks reveal what a dangerous and powerful relationship they shared as history weirdly seems to be repeating itself. The trip down memory lane begins with Darla being sired by the Master and ends with the gang of Spike, Drusilla, Darla and Angel being torn apart when Angel is cursed with a soul.

2x08 The Shroud of Rahmon

When Angel and the gang find out that there is going to be a robbery at a museum Angel and Gunn pose as members that are going to be involved in the robbery. But when the shroud the robbers are trying to steal turns out to have mind-altering effects, Angel and Gunn have a bit of difficulty keeping the shroud from falling into the wrong hands cuz they are quite busy losing their damn minds.

Cordelia: Two words I don't like right off the bat: tomb and unearthed. People, you've got to leave your tombs earthed!

This was almost like a weird vamped version of Ocean's Eleven. I liked seeing the different personalities Angel does or turns into or however you need to word that for yourself. Also seeing Angel in non-black clothing was a plus. Not something I'd necessarily need to see all the time, but nice for the random episode here or there.

2x01 Judgement

Sans office, Angel, Cordelia & Wesley are holding up in Cordy's apartment. After a couple of sneezes, Cordy has quite the vision about a demon. The gang head to a demon sanctuary bar, Caritas, to get more info. We meet the proprietor of the bar, who we will see more of in the future. He can read people's souls when they sing. So, of course, it's a karaoke bar. Angel refuses to sing, of course. He's too dark and brooding for such things.

Angel finds the demon they are looking for, slays accordingly, then finds out he was protecting a pregnant lady. Angel doesn't take this very well. He's supposed to be helping people, not killing them. Granted, this dude... not so much with the person. But still.

Angel: There are three things I don't do: Tan, date... and sing in public!

So, this guy was this chic's protector or champion for this weird court. I guess her offspring is something special and she has to protect the right to keep it or something. Along comes Angel to the rescue and voila. The day hath been saved.

Oh, and he does eventually sing. He chooses "Mandy" by Barry Manilow. The outtakes in the credits was totally worth it.

2x02 Are You Now or Have You Ever Been?

Angel directs Cordelia and Wesley to investigate the mysteriously abandoned Hyperion Hotel, and as they piece together the building's dark history, they discover that his interest is more personal than he let on. In a flashback to 1952, Angel is not the atoning vampire of present day, but a recluse who is detached from the tortured humans around him, until one fateful day.

Cordelia: Yep, it's not that vampires don't photograph. It's just that they don't photograph well.

Granted, this is a different sort of flashback than the cobblestone streets and big fluffy skirts, but I still don't dig the flashbacks. This was like a big long reason to get the new gang into a new office building or office hotel. Because of the weird creepy factor of the place, I guess it goes for kinda cheap and I guess they also have all that money from David, the rich nerdy dude.

2x03 First Impressions

When Cordelia has a particularly disturbing vision of Gunn in grave danger, she elects herself as his new protector. When she discovers that he may be his own worst enemy, she has to face the fact that she can't save him against his will.

Cordelia: Do you know what he's gonna do to me when he finds out I let his car get stolen? What are the chances that a vampire has full insurance with a low deductible?

Meanwhile in dream-lala-land, Angel is getting quite close with Darla. What's going on with her? Something's coming, cuz you know if you bring back someone from the dead, they probably have evil plans. Darla and Angel seem quite happy in his dreams, and he seems to be sleeping a lot more because of them.

2x04 Untouched

Angel unknowingly crosses paths with Wolfram & Hart when he comes to the aid of a young woman, Bethany, who possesses telekinetic powers she can't seem to control. Since Angel is no stranger to loss of control, he takes her in and tries to help her deal with her power. But, seeing as how Angel is kinda overly pre-occupied with this sleep nonsense, he's a wee bit distracted, to say the least. We see that one of his dreams of making out with Darla, appears to be happening in real life too, he just isn't quite aware of it.

Angel: The time I've lived, I've seen some horrors, scary behavior, and a couple of fashion trends I constantly pray to forget.

Would this be common you think? Having sex in your sleep and not realize it? I ask because I'm pretty sure this hasn't happened to me. But, if it did, and I didn't realize it, then I guess I wouldn't know that it happened. Interesting topic discussion. Discuss amongst yourself.

1x20 War Zone

While working a blackmail case, Angel encounters Charles Gunn, the leader of a gang of street kids battling a nest of vampires who've settled in their neighbourhood.

So-so episode, but we are introduced to Gunn, who becomes quite the regular next season and beyond. Him and a bunch of other street kids are like a little vampire hunting gang. They fight, and they fight, and Gunn tries to take care of his little sister as best he can, but in the end she gets turned into a vampire, and he has to be the one to take her out. That has to be harsh.

Cordelia: I like David. It's such a strong, masculine name. Just feels good in your mouth.

Angel, Cordy, and Wesley also get a big paying case. A billionaire is being blackmailed with photos of him with a demon prostitute. They take care of that pretty quickly, and the check is so big it gets Cordelia all flummoxed and even at a loss for words. We don't know how much, but you know it's gotta be big if it's shut Cordelia up.

1x21 Blind Date

Angel, being the champion of good that he is, agrees to help a young lawyer from Wolfram & Hart, Lindsey McDonald. He has asked Angel to help stop the killing of three blind children who are said to be a threat to the firm. Apparently this of all thing has put one of our evil lawyers into a moral quandary.  One of the firm's clients is the assassin, but she's a bit unusual herself. She's blind too.

Angel also gets Gunn into the mix to help him break into the law firm. In his trek through the firm, and it's secret vaults, Angel finds himself mysteriously drawn to an ancient scroll. He takes it, and later they find out it talks about a "vampire with a soul".

Gunn: (after breaking into Wolfram & Hart) Whoo-Whoo! My God! They told me it was true, but I didn't believe them. Damn, here it is! Evil white folks really do have a Mecca!

Once all is said and done, and Lindsay is caught red-handed, he finds he can't quite stand behind his decision to betray his company. Instead, he gets a major promotion.  Just one of the many times we'll see Lindsay be a bit wussy pussy. He is a cute one though.

1x22 To Shanshu in LA

Wesley is trying to translate the ancient scroll that Angel stole from Wolfram & Hart. He thinks they say that Angel will die. When Angel hears this he doesn't react at all. This causes Wesley to worry that Angel is too far removed from the world and therefore not able to truly live, grow and change as the world does.

The gang also find out that Lindsay was promoted to Junior Partner at the law firm from hell. Lindsay and pals are busy conjuring up a demon to help separate Angel from the Powers That Be. The demon visits the Oracles and takes them down. The next day, as Cordelia is shopping in an outdoor market, the demon brushes her hand and she starts to get a vision. The main problem is that the vision doesn't stop. She's just bombarded with all the people that need help and their pain over and over. After Cordelia, he heads to Angel's place and he steals the scroll back. He also leaves another surprise. As Wesley comes back in from researching, the entire building blows up. Angel finds him though, and now that puts Wesley and Cordy in the hospital.

Angel: Don't believe everything you're foretold.

The demon then is busy performing a ritual in a mausoleum around a big crate. Angel interrupts, fights weird maggotty faced demon guy, Lindsay finishes the ritual, and our Wolfram & Hart pals which the mysterious crate away. After fighting and slaying the demon, Lindsay starts to threaten Angel, but ends up losing his hand. "Luke, I am your father!" and yet not. But, yanno, common missing hand thing.

Later, Wesley realizes that he may have misinterpreted the scroll and it really means that Angel will turn human once he has paid his debt off to The Powers That Be. We see a bit of sparkle in Angel's eyes at this.

Oh, and in that crate? Angel's best bud and sire, Darla. Looks like they brought her back from the undead dead.

1x16 The Ring

Jack, this older dude that is all beat up enters Angel Investigations begging for help. He gives the gang this big song and dance about a brother and kidnapping and some other stuff.  Angel goes on a search and it turns out the guy may have not been too truthful. Like, at all.  Angel ends up in an exclusive club in a warehouse district. He gets inside, and sees a huge crowd of very fancily dressed humans watching two demons battle to the death in a ring. Angel spots Jack in the crowd, follows him, and walks straight into a trap set by Jack and his bro Darren.

Cordelia: Someone ought to create an intra-demon dating base. You know like Archfiend.org, where the lonely and the slimy connect.

Angel regains consciousness to discover that he's been taken captive and locked in a cage with another demon. He's also been fitted with a special wristband. He can't cross a red line on the ground in the ring or else he'll be vaporized. His only way out of this mess is to win 21 death matches against other demons. This would kind of defeat Angel's purpose in life and all that. So, this ain't so good.  He tries to be all "we're brothers, let's bond" but the other demons aren't having it. So, he does end up having to kill one of 'em to stay alive.

Meanwhile, Wesley and Cordy are trying to find a way to help Angel. The only thing they think of is to get that cuff off him. Cordelia swipes one from the club area and they start working on how they can get it opened. They finally succeed with the help of a horsehair that Cordelia so helpfully has on her. They get Angel out, as well as all the other demons. They are all happy and yay us! until they realize they just let a bunch a demons go free.

1x17 Eternity

Wesley and Angel look like they are trying to figure out how to escape an awful fight. Turns out it's just Cordelia's theatrical debut.  As they are walking home and trying to avoid telling her exactly how they feel about her acting, they stumble across a movie premiere and a celebrity chica that Cordelia is going ga-ga over.

As Angel watches, Rebecca Lowell, a famous television actress, is almost run over by a speeding car. Angels does his thang, and pushes her out of the way. Rebecca thanks her savior, the media get all snappy-snappy with the photos, and Angel vanishes. Cordy, being Cordy, gives Rebecca their spiel and leaves their card with her in case she wants to get in touch.

Rebecca shows up at their office cuz she's all enamored with Angel and the fact that he's never heard of her. She also asks him for his help with a stalker she has. He refuses to take her case though. Wesley figures that Angel "likes" him some Rebecca. As in, could "like" her too much, and get all soul-y again. Can't be having that, so he just watches her from a distance.

Some masked man breaks into her home, and Angel comes out from the shadows and saves her. This is also about the time she realizes he has no reflection in her mirrors. So, he tells her what he is. Well, now she gets real curious. She's getting older, her career is waning, and the thought of staying young-ish the rest of her life is very intoxicating. She gets Cordelia out for a girls day of shopping and manages to get the details of how vampires are turned from her.

Armed with this knowledge, Rebecca goes to Angel's place and she spikes his beverage with some drug that emulates euphoria. Euphora + Angel = Angelus. Rebecca sees a whole different side of Angel and I don't think she be liking it much.

Angelus: I'll tell you what. I'll torture you for a few unbelievably long hours and you can tell me if this is the lifestyle for you.

Wesley and Cordelia find out what's been going on and realized what Rebecca has done. They manage to subdue Angelus, and the next morning Angel wakes up chained to his bed. He's said quite a few hurtful things the night before, so things are a bit tense between our trio. Wesley and Cordy leave, and Angel is still chained to the bed. Payback, boi!

1x18 Five by Five

We have Faith arriving in LA via bus. She does her thing, robs a guy, gets some money, goes partying and ends up kicking people's ass while she's dancing the night away. I mean that, she is really kicking and punching people in the middle of her dance moves. Or maybe it's more accurate to say she incorporates them into her dance moves.

Ergh, splurgh. We have some flashbacks in this episode. We see Darla presenting Angelus with a birthday gift of a scrumptious little gypsy girl. Now, if we've been paying any sort of attention, we know this is the girl that Angelus gets cursed for eating. Later they show him with a soul and him being tortured, in the spiritual sense, when trying to feed on people.

Angel is still being a major pain in the ass for Wolfram & Hart. He delivers a witness to the courtroom that they were really hoping not to see. Lindsay has to explain to his bosses why he's lost the case again. That pesky Angel! Lee Mercer, Lindsay's colleague, comes in with some papers claiming to have a solution to their Angel problems. They should use evil Faith bitch to kill Angel. You know the psycho is more than willing.

So, she tries to bow & arrow his ass in the middle of the courthouse, but Angel catches the arrow which seems to tickle Faith. Later, Faith actually gets quite into torturing poor Wesley, her ex-Watcher. Man, she has some serious anger issues.

Faith: (throws herself against Angel screaming) I'm evil! I'm bad! I'm evil! Do you hear me? I'm bad! Angel, I'm bad! I'm bad. Do you hear me? I'm bad! I'm bad! I'm bad. Please. Angel, please, just do it. Angel please, just do it. Just do it. Just kill me. Just kill me.

We have some cat & mouse, and eventually the big fight in a big downpour. During the big scene, Faith actually breaks down and ends up begging Angel to kill her. I think she's finally realized how evil she really is.

1x19 Sanctuary

So, this is after the big wet fight. Angel takes Faith into his home he lets her lay down in his bed. This is not something Cordy and Wesley are very happy about. It's hard for Wesley to reconcile the fact that someone that just tortured him is being given help just below him. He doesn't think she deserves to be treated so well. But Angel reminds them they help people who are in trouble, and she's in trouble.

Buffy stops by to check on Angel or tell Angel about Faith or something like that to have her be in a crossover episode of sorts. She walks in on Angel consoling Faith with his arm around her. Buffy not such a happy camper about that.

Angel: For a taciturn shadowy guy, I got a big mouth.

Wolfram & Hart realize they will have to find another assassin to kill the assassin they originally hired (Faith), and Angel still.

Kate the cop gets involved with some mess, but I don't like her so I'm skipping all the parts with her.

Later on, Angel tries to explain that he kept Faith's presense a secret from Buffy cuz he wanted to try to save her. Buffy says she was just worried about Angel being in danger, but Angel says he thinks she was only interested in vengeance against Faith. Buffy says she can trust Riley, her new man, more than she could ever trust Angel... oooooh, low blow. Angel gets pissy about this and doesn't want her coming around if all she's gonna do is flaunt her new man at him.

Faith turns herself in, and we see her in jail, where she belongs.