Angel S2-15: The Short Review

'Reprise'

Written by Tim Minear

Directed by James Whitmore Jr.

"If there wasn't evil in every single one of those people out there, why, they wouldn't be people at all. They'd all be angels." - Holland.

This was, quite simply, the best episode of the series to date, in my opinion. It may even be better than the big Faith two-parter from S1 - and coming from me, that is high praise indeed.

Once again, the writers have provided an explanation for what appears to be a confusing inconsistency from the past few episodes, namely the absence of Darla and Drusilla. Lindsay believing he's nursing Darla back to health, when in actual fact Darla is just biding her time, is convincing. On the other hand, in this particular case I do think the explanation - or at least an explanation - should have been a bit earlier in coming.

For those who hadn't spotted the resemblance of Angel's current state of mind to that at the end of 'Are You Now Or Have You Ever Been', the return of Denver should have made it clear. At the end of this episode, Angel didn't just turn his back on a hotel full of people; he turned his back on the whole world. He has finally hit rock bottom; from saviour to soldier to someone who just can't care any more.

Kate, it appears, has also reached her lowest ebb. Fired in disgrace from a job she loves and believes in for events she had no hope of controlling - it's no wonder that she attempted (and succeeded?) to commit suicide. What I appreciate about her story, however, is that there's a sense of permanence about it; even if she does survive, I can't see her getting her job back. This is a totally different prospect to, say, The X-Files - which seem to spring open and closed with the regularity of a cuckoo clock - and I'm glad to see it.

I liked the fact that the senior partner was pretty much incidental to the plot. The mystique that has been built up around them would almost inevitably make any episode that centred on them a disappointment; but here, they are revealed as an irrelevance. There is no point in Angel targeting the senior partners, because killing them wouldn't - couldn't - change anything, and that - as Holland points out in that wonderful elevator ride - is what's really killing Angel. In a sense, a revelation such as that has been what 'Angel' has been building to all along. As Tim will keep reminding us, it's a show about people doing bad things to people, rather than demons doing bad things to people.

Tim Minear's writing is as good as we've come to expect from him; several lovely set pieces ('To kill the Klaynak and get the Ring, you need the Glove!' and the DIY sacrifice kit spring to mind as examples), and he even manages to convince the audience that Angelus is back for at least, ooh, a minute, which is quite a feat. What I'd like to know, though, is who's writing the music for this series - I'm really quite impressed by it, from 'Are You Now Or Have You Ever Been' through 'Redefinition' to here.

This episode raises far more interesting questions than I could hope to discuss in a review of the length I allow myself here; but the main one now is, I think - Where do we go next? Despite appearances, I can't believe that Angelus is back; so what has happened to Angel?