Angel S4-03: The Short Review

'The House Always Wins'

Written by David Fury

Directed by Marita Grabiak

"You were fighting for your friends' futures. The people you love are part of your destiny; nobody can take that away, not even you" - Lorne

Well, I've got to say: That's not what I expected from a Vegas episode. Particularly after two weeks of dark, I expected a romp. Play up the Vegas camp, have a few laughs, rescue Lorne, take a breather. What we got was steadier, more focused, and at times downright bleak. Usually, I'm all for that, but I don't think it quite came off here; in places, the episode felt as though it was just the wrong side of seedy.

What the episode does underline, however, is what seems to be a developing theme for the season: Angel trying to piece his family back together. The world isn't what it should be, so he has to show it what it can be, starting with his own life. So far we've had the opening wish-fulfillment hallucination of 'Deep Down', his stumbles towards reconciliation with Wesley, and his attempts to reach Cordelia. This week, it's the realisation that the destinies of his friends are in danger that snaps Angel out of his trance - a moment which, it has to be said, works an awful lot better thematically than it does logically.

It's the rough edges like the above that keep this episode from reaching its full potential. Gunn's mistrust of Lorne isn't out of character - he's always been jump-to-conclusions guy - it's just clumsily handled in this episode. Lorne's high-note bulb-smashing theatrics just aren't that funny any more. And so on. It means the subtler, more satisfying moments - Angel's reminisces about the rat pack, for instance, which (reading between the lines) paint a picture of a drunken, disillusioned vampire stumbling around Vegas - are in danger of getting lost in the noise. It is at least a step upwards from last week, however, the more so since David Fury provides a typically neat 'futures trading' metaphor that is effectively tied into the characters' situations. Given the obvious parallels between Lorne and Cordelia - both thought they were pursuing their dreams; both became trapped; neither was heard by AI - I'm wondering just how far the similarities in their situations go. The ironic play on the title phrase becomes slightly more sinister if one considers that 'the house' may be The Powers That Screw You as well as a Las Vegas casino.

Whilst I'm on the subject of Cordelia: To everyone who wanted Queen C back, I have to say, congratulations. Looks like you got her. Hope you're happy.

If you think you can sense bitterness in the above words, you're spot on. ME has performed their old trick of giving disgruntled fans what they want, but not how they want it; we all know how Buffy and Spike panned out, after all. The difference is, this time I'm not neutral. This time, I liked the existing character, and if they're going to try to give us Queen C as a Cordelia substitute for any length of time then I am not going to be a happy bunny. It might not be that bad, of course; a lot depends on exactly what she doesn't remember. Does she remember vampires and demons? Does she remember Sunnydale? Does she remember who she is?

The implication arising from the timing of her return, of course, is that she has been punished in some way for helping Angel. Whether this is actually the case, I'm not sure; I'm half-inclined to think that whatever Wesley was working on may have had something to do with her return to earth. I'd certainly like to think it, since it would mean that Wesley's scene had a point besides showing us him having phone sex with Lilah. And if Wesley pulled Cordelia out of a place where (as far as he knew) she was happy, perhaps because she too is 'necessary'...well, that could be a very interesting development. The other possibility, more remote, is that her memory has been taken for her protection, or for the protection of someone else.

Overall, I think this is one of David Fury's weaker Angel scripts. It's still a decent effort, mind, although it would be fair to say that after a strong start, S4 is starting to look just a little shaky. So here's hoping next week firms things up.

The Council of Watchers rating: