Angel

Angel : "I’m from Wolfram and Hart."

Spike : "I’m his date."

Spike is damned funny, and he makes Angel crazy. It’s a match made in heaven. This episode wasn’t quite as good as the season opener, but it was still great fun, and I think it successfully began the integration of Spike into the "Angel" cast.

Dan doesn’t like the idea of Spike as a ghost. I think it’s fun, as long as it isn’t permanent. Plus it gives the two vamps some emotional breathing room ; a chance to begin working together without beating the crap out of each other. The verbal sparring between them is just so much fun. Angel neglecting to mention Spike having a soul and saving the world made him appear petty and jealous. Spike drives Angel nuts. Did I mention that I’m loving this ?

The Angel/Spike relationship still has many unknowns. They were in the same vampire "family" for a century. Were they ever friends ? Given their current rivalry, can they ever be ? It’s probably going to be a lot more fun for us if they never get along, but they proved they could work together here.

Angel may be the boss, but he can’t resist the one-on-one with the bad guys. Which is fine with me. I also liked the "my soul’s better than your soul" debates : Spike : "Maybe Captain Forehead was feeling a little less special. Didn’t like me crashing his exclusive club." And later, Angel : "Fair ? You asked for a soul. I didn’t. It almost killed me. I spent a hundred years trying to come to terms with infinite remorse. You spent three weeks moaning in a basement, and then you were fine. What’s fair about that ?"

Spike is radiating heat and isn’t made of ectoplasm, and he’s connected to the amulet as well as stuck in L.A. He’s slowly losing his grip and heading toward a hell dimension. He’s not exactly a traditional ghost. So what is he ? Did the Senior Partners intend it to happen to Angel instead, since the amulet was originally intended for Angel ?

Dan observed that Willow could probably put Spike back into his own resurrected body ; she’s done it before. Maybe that’s what they have in mind. During sweeps in November, perhaps ?

Since the focus was on Angel and Spike, we didn’t get so much of the other characters this week. Harmony got some fun screen time, though. She is fitting in perfectly, both as Angel’s assistant and as Spike’s pain-in-the-ass ex. Pre-soul Spike did indeed treat Harmony like "day old rat blood ;" maybe this is Spike’s karmic opportunity to make things up with her. Not that I want them together again, heaven forbid.

I’ve also decided that I like Gunn as a legal eagle ; it suits him. Turning the necromancer over to the IRS is a new way of doing things for the L.A. Scoobies. It’s a whole new ball game.

Bits and pieces :

- Angel’s shirt finally came off, after a two-year hiatus. Did someone spend the summer working out, perhaps ? - The nineteen days earlier in Sunnydale flashback established that the hiatus between seasons was *not* the entire summer. This is a break with a seven-year Buffyverse tradition. Which is fine, although it reminded me of how much I miss BtVS. (I wonder why they didn’t show the "I love you" part of the flashback ?)

- Even though I saw it coming, Angel killing his three o’clock Graxlar demon was fun.

- Spike had to turn away and grin when the necromancer put his hand into Angel’s stomach.

- Harmony gave us two mixed cliches : a leopard changing its stripes, and preaching to the horse’s mouth.

- Wolfram and Hart is now in a new building ; they didn’t show the outside of it last week or in the season four finale. I’m sort of bummed ; I liked them being in the Sony building. It made a statement.

- Spike likes Fred ? Well, she’s a lot better suited to him than Harmony. Wow, do I miss Buffy. Who is in Europe. (What is Buffy doing in Europe ?)

- I absolutely loved the Gunn voodoo doll and the bucket o’ lawyer. And the spoon. I almost expected a Matrix joke after Angel threw the spoon.

- Lorne said he saw Depp and Bloom playing Angel and Spike. I can actually kind of see that.

- Lots of name-calling this week. Lorne called Fred "Slim," Spike called Wes "Percy." Gunn called Lorne "Green Jeans," Spike called Angel, "Beefcake" as well as "Captain Forehead." But Harmony wins ; she called Spike, "Slayer-loving freak."

An enthusiastic four out of five stakes,