Angel

Eliza! Eliza! Eliza! Eliza! Buffy’s not the only one who’s back! God bless Faith the Vampire Slayer! And God bless the United States of America!!!! Welcome the latest Coaxial News superstar, Branwen: Angel 4.13 FAQ What’s it called? "Salvage."

Who’s responsible? Teleplay is credited to David Fury ("Awakening," "The House Always Wins").

What does TV Guide say? Eliza Dushku returns to the series as rogue vampire slayer Faith, who may prove to be the only match for Angelus (David Boreanaz). Angel’s evil alter ego, who’s out of his cage and pursuing the Beast, hits a pool hall packed with vamps to see if he can determine the demon’s hideout. Meanwhile, at the hotel, Wes (Alexis Denisof) goes about the grisly task of dispatching Lilah’s corpse, as Lorne, Fred and Gunn gather ingredients for a protective sanctuary spell. But the gang is all too familiar with the unpredictability of magic, so Wes pays a visit to the incarcerated Faith to try to persuade her to join the team in the race to prevent Armageddon.

"Lilah’s corpse?" She’s dead, then? Very much so. She’s definitely not coming back - in any form - after Wesley’s finished with her.

Does Angelus get blamed for Lilah’s murder?" He can’t help but take a nip when he comes across her body in the hallway.

Does the gang call Willow to get ingredients for the no-vamp spell on the hotel? Lorne calls the Furies, the ladies who put the no-violence charm on his old club, who "tech-support" him through a quickie version of the spell.

What is TV Guide not telling us? Angelus isn’t the only one put out by Faith’s return. Cordelia isn’t happy to see her old rival, and Connor - after a little bit of attitude - discovers first-hand how much of a match a Slayer can be.

What’s up with Cordelia? Did sex with Connor drive her insane? That niggling feeling we’ve had all season that something isn’t right with Cordelia becomes a full-fledged "duh!" as Cordy reveals herself to be the Beast’s master. This Cordelia not only loves the little boys, but seems to have a soft spot for crumbly demons, too. The phrase "Now, give mama some sugar" has never sounded creepier.

And Cordelia’s protruding belly? There is definitely something wrong with that. We even get to see it!

Is Faith as bad-assed as we remember her? She’s still pretty threatening, but in a passive, fatalistic way. We meet up with her in a prison yard as another inmate attacks her. Faith calmly deals with the attack, and just as calmly breaks out of prison during a visit from Wesley. In fact, the only thing that gets a rise out of her is Connor’s childish attitude.

Was the weapon used in Faith’s attack of any significance? Though I’m not well-versed in weaponry, I think it’s safe to say that the Bringers from the Buffyverse supplied Faith’s attacker with her knife.

Is Angelus back to his old snarky self? He’s making up for lost time and may be even more nasty than we remember him. No leather pants in sight, though.

Any Wesley-Fred action? Nothing this week. We do, however, get a reprise of Wesley’s spidey- sword.

The big news? For a corpse, Lilah has a lot of deep thoughts about her relationship with Wesley.

The bigger news? Thanks to some fantastic slow-mo editing and wicked-sharp commentary from Angelus, the fight between Faith and the Beast appears to be more even-sided than it is. The Beast pummels Faith and leaves her bloody and broken.

The biggest news? Angelus finds an unexpected use for the Beast’s big bony knife.

What’s good? Angelus’s flight out of a top-storey window at the Hyperion; the reaction Angelus gets at the biker bar; "There’s a signed dollar bill in your wallet I think proves different"; the singing of Wesley’s blade; Wesley and Faith’s reunion; "It’s like riding a biker"; Faith’s confrontation with Connor; the welcome banner; Angelus’s contempt for the Beast; "I thought that was Angel’s retarded fantasy."

What’s not so good? The plastic look to the demon barfly’s skin; the soap-operatic way in which Cordelia telepaths her pregnancy to the rest of the Scooby Juniors; Wesley’s 360 on killing Angelus; and what’s the deal with Cordelia? Is she evil? Is she possessed? How many more episodes do we have to wait to find out?

How does it end? "You and me. Forever," Cordelia murmurs before pulling Connor onto the bed.

Branwen’s rating for "Angel" 4.13? **** The Hercules T. Strong Rating System:

***** better than we deserve **** better than most motion pictures *** actually worth your valuable time ** as horrible as most stuff on TV * makes you quietly pray for bulletins 9 p.m. Wednesday. The WB. That was water-cooler vengeance! I am - Hercules!!