Angel

* Angel
* "You’re Welcome"
* Starring David Boreanaz, Charisma Carpenter and James Marsters
* Created by Joss Whedon and David Greenwalt
* Written and directed by David Fury
* The WB
* Premieres Wednesday, Feb. 4, at 9 p.m. ET/PT

By Kathie Huddleston

Grade: A+

Now in its fifth season, Angel celebrates its 100th episode by bringing Cordelia (Carpenter) back to guest star in a very pivotal episode. "You’re Welcome" opens with Angel and the gang hunting for one of their wayward evil clients. When they discover that the client in question has murdered five nuns and jumped dimensions, Angel decides to quit Wolfram & Hart. He’s serious, and the others argue about the merits of leaving the evil law firm. Gunn (J. August Richards) feels they’ve done a lot of good, and he’s not so sure the senior partners would even let them leave.

However, the discussion gets tabled when Angel discovers that Cordelia has mysteriously come out of her coma. Angel and Wesley (Alexis Denisof) rush to the hospital to discover that not only has Cordelia woken up, but she looks fabulous and remembers everything that led up to her coma when she was possessed by an evil entity. She’s thrilled to see them, but shopping is top on her list, considering all she has to wear is a hospital gown.

Once that’s taken care of and she discovers that her former partners in "helping the helpless" now run the very law firm they were fighting to destroy, she wastes no time in reminding Angel why he became a champion in the first place. She believes he’s made a deal with the devil and he needs to get back on track.

In the meantime, Lindsay (Christian Kane) continues to manipulate Spike (Marsters) while plotting his revenge with a little help from Eve (Sarah Thompson). And when everyone in Wolfram & Hart deserts the building, leaving Angel and gang alone, Lindsay’s revenge springs forth full throttle.

A sanguinary celebration

Not many series make it to 100 episodes, and even fewer do it with style, but Angel is one of those shows-and its 100th episode shows why. "You’re Welcome" offers the return of former regular Charisma Carpenter in a very important episode that fans of the series will not want to miss.

Carpenter is a stitch, reminding us why she was so great, first on Buffy and later on Angel, until her character got stuck in a clunky romance with Angel and in a coma last season. Cordelia returns in fine form to give Angel a reality check, and she does so in a way that only Cordelia could. It’s a great guest turn for the actress and her character, who deserved more than to be left in a coma for months, nearly forgotten as Angel’s story went on. However, that said, this excellent episode almost makes up for the bad treatment of a wonderful character. The rest of the cast, led by Boreanaz and Marsters, play it just right, with Boreanaz’s Angel a confused mess when it comes to trying to explain to Cordelia why he’s running Wolfram & Hart.

David Fury’s script is very funny and packs a terrific punch at the end. All the characters get a moment or two to shine, and the story, like the best episodes of Angel, weaves its tale around the events that have come before and has consequences for what will follow.

Recent episodes have touched on how others perceive the deal Angel made with the Wolfram & Hart devil, and this episode crystallizes the doubts the characters have about what they’ve done. "You’re Welcome" is a high point for this very good season, and it will no doubt galvanize the show as it heads toward the end of its fifth and possibly last season.

Finally, Cordelia’s back. Angel fans, don’t miss this one. It’s a biggie and, even though Joss Whedon didn’t write it, "You’re Welcome" is a standout episode. - Kathie