Angel S1-03: The Short Review

'In The Dark'

Written by Doug Petrie

Directed by Bruce Seth Green

"Souls, fingers, toes - let's get chopping, shall we? I want my damn ring!" - Spike

'In The Dark' is the first time our heroes face a personal threat, rather than simply dealing with somebody else's problem. In that respect, it works well as a straight action-adventure. However, it is also used as an opportunity to have Angel reaffirm his mission, and his reasons for choosing that mission.

Despite initial appearances, Spike is not the principal villain of the piece. That privilege is reserved for the unsettling Marcus. From the start of the torture scenes, Angel's battle of wills is with Marcus, not Spike. It is also Marcus, not Spike, who eventually obtains the ring and must be dealt with. This is not to say that Spike is superfluous; in fact, his appearance highlights an interesting issue. His initial voiceover is - apart from hilarious - spot-on. Every word hits the mark; we know that that is what Angel is like. The writers are clearly aware of the action-hero cliches surrounding our vamp detective; what's surprising is that they attempt to have their cake and eat it, going on to use those cliches anyway, notably in the later (cringe-worthy) scene with Rachel.

As mentioned above, this episode functions as a confirmation of Angel's mission. Angel's admission to Marcus that he wants forgiveness rings absolutely true, despite - or because of - the fact that it was obtained under duress. As Marcus says, Angel's not one to take the easy way out. He feels he has to earn his absolution. Which, of course, leads directly to the thorny question of the ring's destruction. Angel not wanting to use the ring is understandable, but the writers need to provide a good reason for destroying the ring, rather than hiding it and bringing it out in times of need. The problem is not that there are not good reasons for destroying the ring - there are plenty, starting simply with the fact that it would be too easy for the ring to fall into the wrong hands, and working on down. The problem is just that the reason given isn't a good one. Angel forgetting about the people who needs his help seems unlikely, to say the least.

Elsewhere, the contrast in demeanour between Marcus and Spike in the torture scenes works extremely well. They make an engaging pair, and Spike's frustration with Marcus' painstaking approach allows for some memorable black humour ("Do you two need to be alone, or can we get on with the ouchy part?"). Indeed, almost all of the humour in this episode seems to come either from Spike or from Oz ("He's...incredibly pale. Paler than most people"); the guest stars, unfortunately - but not unexpectedly - overshadow the regular cast. That said, we do learn a bit more about Cordelia and Doyle. Cordelia's reaction to Oz's appearance is as much about her trying to impress Doyle, to prove she has friends, as it is about her trying to catch up on the Sunnydale gossip. We also get another glimpse into Doyle's life; where he lives, the type of people he associates with - and the fact that those associations may one day come back to haunt him.

However, in the end this is an episode that focuses on Angel; what motivates him, why he does what he does. In most respects it is very successful; only the somewhat clumsy use and disposal of the ring keeps it from being a classic.