Angel

REVIEW : ANGEL 5.3 - UNLEASHED

Establish the gang in their new environment ? Check.

Introduce the BUFFY crossover character ? Check.

Time to help the helpless.

And here it begins : the first of the Monster of the Week episodes on ANGEL that we’ve been hearing about. Starting with a classic (and a type of monster mythology that was very well covered by BUFFY), the helpless girl in question is a newly made werewolf. Angel (David Boreanz) and the gang pull together to find and help her, drawing on the considerable resources of Wolfram & Hart. Locating her seems as easy as looking her up on Google. This is followed by finding the girl, losing the girl, then re-finding and rescuing the girl. Fairly standard fare.

New arrival Spike (James Marsters) was nowhere close to being the central figure that he was last week. He still has no answers, and the pull of that less-appealing afterlife is getting stronger. The character is reverting to form, manipulating Fred (Amy Acker) with lies and guilt. Pre-soul, Spike was never a character that could be trusted... that is, unless you are the object of his affections (and even then, not completely). We haven’t had the opportunity to see the being that he truly is with his soul ; that is, when he’s not busy being controlled, crazy, or about to face the battle of his life. Free of love and his former (undead) life, perhaps we’ll learn who Souled Spike truly is. Next week’s preview gives a good indication that they will be delving more into the Spike situation - however, it’s tough to trust a preview from the WB these days.

So, back to the episode in question (and the fact that the preview has already been brought up should show how interesting the actual episode was). The end of the episode included a very ALLY MCBEAL-like moment, with the gang gathered in Angel’s apartment for a little happy hour. It was lighthearted in a strained way, striking wrong chords galore while the melody itself still seemed friendly and normal.

The three best things about the episode were :

1. The suggestion - finally spoken aloud - that Gunn (J. August Richards) is working for the Senior Partners in some way. Is he evil ? Are the Senior Partners controlling him ? Or, is this a big red herring ?

2. Spike’s disappearing act and pleas for help. He’s in limbo - both literally and character-wise - and his role was minor enough in the episode that it makes us all the more curious about his eventual fate.

3. The preview for next week. Yes, it was that intriguing. When the WB advises "viewer discretion" in the preview, it’s likely a good sign.