Angel S3-18: The Short Review

'Double or Nothing'

Written by David H Goodman

Directed by David Grossman

"When you live as long as I do, you eventually lose everyone. I'm not saying you get used to it, but...you expect it, y'know? But he was just...he was just a little... [pause] You think you know something about living because you have this really long life. And that's really all you have - I mean in my case, anyway. And then one day, when you wake up...you have something else" - Angel.

I have to say, I feel a little sorry for David Goodman. With his first episode, 'Dad', he had the unenviable task of following up 'Lullaby', and all things considered did a fair job with it. Here, he has the equally steep challenge of not only dealing with the fallout from 'Forgiving', but also preparing for the onset of May sweeps; and whilst there are still a couple of missteps - Cordelia is occasionally a touch too wise (notably in her conversation with Gunn), and some of the Gunn/Fred interaction is that little bit too cute, even for a fan of the relationship like me - overall I think 'Double or Nothing' is a genuinely solid effort, and covers the bases well.

It's a very different episode from last week; slower, quieter, more reflective. However, I think that's actually exactly what was needed at this point. 'Double or Nothing' is a pause; it's the eye of the storm, a chance for the characters to come to terms with the events of the past few weeks before the big things start happening again. As Groo and Lorne discussed, Cordelia and Angel needed a chance to grieve. By the end of the episode, Angel is starting to come to terms with his loss; it's not like he's going to be happiness and light next week, but he should at least be able to resist the urge to throttle Wesley if he comes back to work. I think that's absolutely the right reaction, as well; two years ago - heck, even last year - Angel may have descended into a broodathon, but he's grown since then. He came to terms with Buffy's death, and he can start to come to terms with Connor's loss. In addition, I thought his scenes with Cordelia got the tone pretty much spot-on; no romantic overtones, just one friend helping another to cope.

From a story standpoint, there are two things I really like about the episode. The first is the decision to put Gunn and Fred front and centre; it must have been so tempting to focus on Cordelia in her first week back, but in the end I think this works better. The writers are following through on their promise to develop the secondary characters more, and whilst 'Double or Nothing' isn't a home-run for either of the pair, it's all good work, and every little helps. I particularly appreciated the way Gunn's situation and Angel's situation were paralleled with each other (down to the willingness to give up their soul in a moment of desperation, albeit for different reasons - Gunn seven years ago, Angel in 'Reprise'). Fred also had some good moments, notably her wonderful scene with Wesley, but also the intelligence she displays in her attitude to her relationship with Gunn; her insistence that something must be wrong looks at first glance to be another manifestation of her skewed fairy-tale perspective, but actually turns out to be based on an understanding of Gunn.s character; and at the end of the episode, she doesn't just let him off the hook, she tells him how stupid he was.

The other thing that impressed me was the way the cast was handled, collectively. I've been saying this off-and-on since 'Birthday', but it bears repeating: The writers are getting the ensemble writing right. Every single episode since 'Birthday' has used the cast well. Part of that is due to a willingness to not use the characters when necessary; the decision to make Cordelia's return the B-plot, for instance, or the use of Lorne - he lives in the hotel, so it makes sense for him to be in a couple of scenes, but he doesn't outstay his welcome, and doesn't detract from the focus of the episode. Amazingly, Groo also worked for me, providing some remarkably unforced humour ("Hail to you, potential client!"); he seems to be fitting nicely into the fish-out-of-water role that Anya fulfils over on Buffy. I still don't particularly want him around beyond the end of the season, but for now he can stay. Lastly, I like the fact that almost all the characters get to interact with all the other characters on a regular basis; The Cordelia/Gunn conversation may not have been the episode's finest hour, but it was extremely welcome, because it was the one character pairing we hadn't seen for a while.

I went into 'Double or Nothing' expecting the worst, and came out pleasantly surprised (bizarre use of Coolio notwithstanding). It's a thoroughly decent effort, with some great scenes and (in the demon casino) a nice conceptual hook, and overall it acts as an effective bridge into May sweeps. Roll on next week, I say.