Angel S3-15: The Short Review

'Loyalty'

Written by Mere Smith

Directed by James A. Contner

"Wesley's a good man. He'll do the right thing. He always does" - Gunn.

Mere Smith has rocked my world for the second time this season. From start to finish, 'Loyalty' is an intense, claustrophobic, slow-burning episode that has to rank with the best Angel has produced. It's got everything; a powerful plot, great humour, a stunning ending, and a theme that resonates not only with the events in the episode, but also with the rest of the season to date.

Almost all the characters are bound together by the theme of loyalty. Holtz has trained a group of fanatically loyal warriors, and decided that he himself owes no loyalty to Sahjan. The spurned timewalker visits Lilah, who decides that her desire for vengeance outweighs her loyalty to Wolfram and Hart, and puts into motion some as yet unclear plan involving Connor's blood. Gunn and Fred are conflicted, and have to decide whether their loyalties lie with the mission, or with each other. Looked at another way, each of the characters above makes a choice about the relative importance of their duties and their desires. As with earlier stories in the season, some put their personal desires first (Angel in 'That Vision Thing', Lilah here), whilst others invest everything in their duty (Gunn in 'That Old Gang Of Mine', Holtz' recruits here). In this view, Gunn and Fred, who are somewhat periperal to the plot, turn out to be crucial to the theme, since they are the characters that debate the relative merits of both positions. It remains to be seen which, if any of the choices made will prove to be the right ones.

And then, of course, there is Wesley. Once again Alexis Denisof produces a top-notch performance that perfectly captures Wesley's growing sense of isolation, frustration and desparation. I believed every step of his descent, from half-snapping at Fred, to seeking out Holtz, to his hysterical laughter when he thinks he's been worrying for nothing, and his look of fear when he realises the worst may be about to happen. The choice to emphasise Wesley's reactions to the prophecy, rather than the fact of the prophecy itself, has proven to be an excellent one. In the wake of his failure with Fred, Wesley has thrown himself into his work (indeed, it is starting to look as though, in plot terms, the major reason for the existence of the Fred/Gunn relationship is to produce this feeling of isolation in Wesley), and what he has found produces a conflict. How can he best exercise his loyalty to Angel, if he thinks Angel is going to kill his own son?

As if that wasn't enough for one episode, all of the above takes place in the context of an episode that advances almost every other ongoing plotline. Holtz, it seems, is finally ready to take the next step. His warriors are trained, and his intelligence is gathered; and interestingly, his focus now is on Connor. What impressed me was that his concern for the infant appeared real; it's possible that he might not only view Angel's son as a means by which he can get to Angel. Meanwhile, presumably whatever Lilah and Sahjan's plan is, it is responsible for Angel's unusual behaviour at the episode's close; and for Gunn and Fred, the implications of their office romance are beginning to sink in. One other note - Fred takes another turn at playing matchmaker. You'd think after she got it so spectacularly wrong with Angel and Cordelia that she'd have learnt!

It seems only fitting that what is arguably the first true 'Wesley episode' turns out to be one of the best episodes of the season. I've always felt that one of Angel's strengths in the past has been in lending a feeling of importance to the events taking place and the choices being made, and so it proves here. The feeling of impending doom, of imminent catastrophe, is palpable - and towards the end of the episode, unbearable - and yet the focus is always on the characters. At the same time, there are the little flourishes that cement the episode.s status as a classic - notably, of course, the McOracle, but I also appreciated Lilah's phone conversation with her mother. Here's to hoping that part two of this story proves as memorable.