Previously: Drusilla surprised the shit out of us by showing up to re-sire Darla, just as soon as she had accepted her human-dying-of-syphilis fate.
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Reunion
Sweeney: Gunn is helping a wounded Angel into the Brooding HQ. Angel’s babbling and Gunn doesn’t really know what’s going on, but he found Angel at Darla’s motel. Through his crazy stress babble, Angel reveals the gist of what just happened: Dru is back and she just re-sired Darla. Wesley is once again on Team Let Darla Go, and Angel’s all, “Nope! I can save her!” and pulls out a stake. Roll electric cello.
Kirsti: I’m still a little confused as to why Angel has a stake just lying around his office. I mean, if it were part of his magical stake-firing wrist weaponry, then sure. But he has to actively search through cupboards looking for it, which implies that it’s not part of his standard weapons set (although they DID get blown up at the end of last season…). Perhaps I’m overthinking things (just for a change!), but it seems bizarre and a little risky for a vampire to just have stakes lying around…
Lorraine: Meanwhile, in Lorraine-land, I’m thinking, “dude. Get you a more handy stake. You leave your doors unlocked.”
Sweeney: I’m with you. Random weapons around the office isn’t a thing I question in their line of work, but you damn well better be able to get to them quickly. After the credits, Gunn is trying to get caught up and, in the process, hilariously breaking down the Vamp Family Incest going on.
K: I love Gunn so much for this.
Lor: What up, incest! It’s been kind of a while. Grandma Flowerboss would have a field day with this.
Sweeney: A+ forever.
Angel emerges, wanting to know where the research is at. Cordelia says that she’s confirmed that Lindsey has a meeting at W&H, so Angel gets his billowy coat on to go. Wesley points out that Angel can’t get in undetected and he’s all, “Yeah. I know. I’m going to his house, because bullshit to him only having one meeting all day.” Then we get the Hero Insists On Going In Alone routine. AGAIN. This is one of the rare occasions where they’ve set that up decently — all of Angel’s I-let-her-down feels — but it will never stop being a frustrating device. STOP TRYING TO RUN OFF AND DO ALL THE SHIT ALONE. IT NEVER GOES WELL. WE LIKE THE TEAM! DON’T YOU KNOW HOW BEING ON TV WORKS?
K: A+. I know Angel’s busy having all the broody feels about letting Darla down, and he no longer has a Brooding Basement to lurk in, but DUDE. Doing things alone ends really freaking badly for all concerned. Like that time last week when you went off on a quest and nearly died a bunch of times and then it was all for nothing. LIKE THAT. Let the Fang Gang help.
Sweeney: Angel bursts into Lindsey’s apartment to find that it has been emptied of all the furniture. One step ahead of you, yo. A woman who probably works in the building appears to tell Angel that the open house is on Saturday. Angel asks for a forwarding address, adding that it is for a mutual friend who is in need of immediate medical attention. She says everything is being forwarded to Lindsey’s place of employment. Womp.
As Angel goes to leave, Building Lady starts to babble about how this is all about the super thin but somehow pregnant British cousin that was staying with Lindsey. Angel whispers to himself as this lady babbles about Dru getting the nursery ready – Dru wants a ritual of some sort and also insisted that her daughter be born under the stars. This lady explained to Dru that you can live your whole life in Los Angeles and never even see a star.
K: I call bullshit, because until January, I’d not left the airport in Los Angeles since 1990. And I still saw a star – I was like three people behind Jason Segel in the security line at LAX in 2011. Clearly, Realtor Lady just needs to hang out at the airport more often.
Lor: If this scene is any indication, she’d be that annoying person on the plane who wanted to give your their whole life’s story. Way to blab, lady.
Sweeney: SHE TOTALLY WOULD AND THAT PERSON IS THE WORST.
Cut to Dru propping a window open so that she can see the stars. Dru crazies about how happy grandma is with this and Lindsey’s all, “Can she hear you?” and Dru hilariously tells him that Darla is dead.
Holland and Lilah appear for about 8 seconds to remind us that this is part of the elaborate W&H plot and that Lindsey is conflicted by his Darla feels. They make him leave with them. Thanks for stopping by!
K: I have to admit, I kind of loved Snarky Lilah being all “So…you think you stand a chance now that she’s dead, Lindsey?”
Sweeney: Back at the Brooding Hotel, the gang is searching for cemeteries where Dru might bury Darla. Then they make a series of ridiculous leaps that take them to a high-up-plant-nursery-with-ties-to-W&H. Bingo! Watching this insta-logic train was a little like a scene from one of the National Treasure movies, but it’s cute that everyone contributed, so I’ll allow it.
Angel drops in on a roof all Batman like from the sky. I have a soft spot for these moments – they’re a tad silly, but the whole pilot episode called that association to mind so many times that I smile a little during their less frequent later appearances.
K: I’m glad you mentioned Batman because that gives me a chance/excuse to use this:
Lor: Aw, Kirsti. You’re not even really trying to make it make sense.
Sweeney: Anyway, Angel goes inside the now empty (seeming) nursery. He finds some dirt in a rather person-lengthed box. He pulls the dirt back and finds Darla. He hesitates, but finally pulls his arms crazy far back to stake her, to make it easier for Dru to appear from the shadows and hit him with a shovel. As they fight, Darla wakes up, all crazy-eyed. Angel finally goes back to stake her, but she’s already gotten up. She lifts Angel by the throat and Dru crazies, “Now everybody’s home,” as we go to a Not Commercial Break.
K: And Kirsti sits at home yelling “EXCEPT FOR SPIKE, YOU IDIOT” at the television…
Sweeney: After the Not Commercial Break, Angel gets free and tosses Darla aside. All sorts of fighting ensues, including Darla fighting Drusilla. Err’body fighting err’body. Angel once again gets the opening to stake but hesitates long enough for Dru to stop him. Darla jumps off the building. (L: Darla’s Batman!) (S: I LOVE THIS GAME.)
Angel returns to the Brooding Hotel and tells the gang to get their pointy shit ready cause it didn’t go well. They’re asking him all sorts of questions about where they might be, and Angel’s got nothing. He insists that they need to get to them before they get back together and Wolfram & Hart is their best lead. Cordelia tries to talk some sense into him about W&H’s security, but Angel’s not hearing it, so off they go.
At Wolfram & Hart, Holland is asking Lindsey about bringing a date to the party at his place. That party sounds even more terrifying than the Fear, Itself frat party of actual horrors (K: YUP). As Holland goes to leave, Drusilla appears and crazies enough to get Holland up to speed on the events of the evening. Dru’s worried about grandmum, what with how tall that building was. Also, she knows that Angel is on his way.
They get a call about a vampire entering the building and as Lindsey goes to investigate he opens his door to find Darla there. She lingers on him for a second like she might bite, but tosses him aside, grabs Dru, and runs off.
Elsewhere, Angel is cartoonishly doing some terrible I’M IN A HURRY driving. As they try to get them to show down, Cordelia has a vision, which she says is happening behind them. Angel begrudgingly turns around.
K: Is it just me, or has it been a while since Cordy’s had a vision?? Maybe it just SEEMS like a while…
Lor: No, I totally had the same reaction. I was all, “oh shit! Yeah! Visions happen…” Then I thought maybe Angel was on the outs with TPTB(contriving). Also, Cordelia gets Angel to turn around by threatening him with a stake. You go, girl.
Sweeney: +1. It has definitely been a while since we’ve had a Cordelia vision. Also, YES. The stake-threatening was precious.
We cut to Darla kicking Dru’s ass on a random street in LA. Dru is flailing about not wanting to displease Darla. Dru gets hit by a car and Darla goes out and helps her up. (L: Dear God, the stunt double work here is so clunky.) Darla asks Dru why she did it and Dru says it was because she thought it was what Darla wanted. Dru crazies about dirt and worms and it’s probably all going to turn out to be a prediction of some sort and Darla hugs her.
This is all happening out in the street, and the line of backed up cars is honking. A guy gets out and yells at them (you know, for blocking traffic to hug it out) and so Darla gets her bite on. Dru taps Darla on the nose, saying she’s all new again. With that, they walk off to go shopping.
In a random garage, we see the guy from Cordelia’s vision chanting as he holds a gun. The Fang Gang arrives and Cordelia tells Angel to proceed with caution, advice he predictably ignores. He smashes all of the guy’s chanting-ritual stuff and then takes his gun. He says the demon the guy was chanting to is useless and he probably maybe has plenty to live for. With that, Angel’s out. Everyone else is all, “BUT THE POWERS THAT BE CONTRIVING! YOUR CALLING!” Angel sticks to his, “Whatever,” and leaves.
Elsewhere, Darla and Dru are raiding a shop. A phone in Dru’s bra starts ringing and Dru gets all excited about ringing. Darla gives her some classic, “Bitch crazy,” face only a more amused version this time. Darla pulls the phone out and answers it. Holland suggests that the girls go on a massacre.
K: This was a nice follow up to a comment Dru made earlier to Angel in which she told him that the stars had told her to join the twentieth century, and he’s all “Bitch, please. It’s the twenty FIRST century now.”
Sweeney: Back at W&H, he smarms about how Darla and Dru are going to keep Angel busy forever and they don’t need to worry about him now. On cue, Angel bursts through the window and empty threats are exchanged. There’s a bit where Angel talks about Holland ruining lives and he says he doesn’t give a fuck. I’m excited because it’s another, “THAT’S WHERE THAT GIF COMES FROM!” moment. We need a name for this phenomenon too, because as many times as it has already happened, I know it’s only going to keep being a thing.
Sweeney: LE SIGH. I’M SORRY. I’LL TRY TO STOP. I JUST WANT TO NAME ALL THE THINGS.
Anyway, security guards with stakes enter. Holland assures Angel that they are going to let him walk out of there because they don’t want him dead yet. This I do not understand because they did want him dead recently, but OK. Everyone keeps telling me that I should watch my accusatory questions because there’s a fair chance I’ll have to take those words back later. FINE, SHOW. FINE.
Angel is ultimately escorted by police. Lindsey encourages them to give him a cell with a window because he’s pretty good with Angel death. He’s put into a cop car to find Kate waiting for him. She explains that two women were found dead in a clothing shop and she’s pretty sure that (1) Darla was one of the murderers-and- (2) they’ll be getting a whole lot more murder on. Kate says she can’t stop them, but believe Angel might be able to. She tells the guy driving the car to pull over and undoes Angel’s handcuffs.
K: Kate’s return to sanity land probably doesn’t bode well for her survival on this show. Just saying…
Lor: Still don’t like you. BYE.
Sweeney: I didn’t know what to say here, because she was being good/useful, but I also did not feel like she was acquiring that usefulness likability factor so I just avoided it. Glad you went ahead and said it.
Lindsey arrives at the Holland Manners Cocktail Hour of Horrors just in time for Holland to toast to Lindsey and Lilah. His speech is interrupted by the arrival of Darla and Dru who were kindly invited in by his wife, who they apparently just ate. Holland looks afraid and confused. Darla says they came to give him what he wants — a massacre.
K: I also have to point out that Dru and Darla are both wearing leather pants and Darla has her hair crimped and I swear to God all I could think of was Buffy and Faith in Bad Girls, and I really want to know if it was intentional.
Lor: Also, this goes back to my total inability to understand why W&H would even deal with baddies bad enough to eat them. THEY WILL EAT YOU.
Sweeney: SO MUCH YES, KIRSTI, ON THE BAD GIRL CLOTHES. It was perfect, and I has to be intentional. I refuse to accept that, even if you offer me “BUT JOSS SAID” proof that it’s not. I refuse.
And, you know, dealing with baddies who eat you is probably not an A+ life choice. Lesson learned. I mean, they’re probably mostly dead now, but they sure learned that lesson before they died!
After a Not Commercial Break we see Angel lurking around the shop crime scene. We cut back to the party, where Holland tries to tell Darla how happy he is that they brought her back, as a means of trying to manipulate her out of killing him, I suppose. Nothing much happens, exactly, in this scene, but Dru and Darla are both amazing as the evil lawyers stand around dumbstruck and horrified.
Angel finds a girl hiding in a dressing room, curled in the fetal position. She’s horrified by everything she just overheard, but that helpfully included a mention of getting to a party.
Back at that party, Dru says something about sirens so we can learn that the room they are in was originally a bomb shelter in the fifties. Dru gets horny at the thought of people hiding in there in fear. Darla comments on all the fear she smells in the room — on everyone but Lindsey. Lindsey says he knows he’ll probably die there, but doesn’t care.
Angel arrives at the house and finds the wife still alive. Lame. That wasn’t the appropriate reaction, but I couldn’t help it. I’m disappointed.
K: No, it’s totally the appropriate reaction because it’s a completely contrivance-y way of letting Angel into the house.
Lor: Guys, it’s a lot better than some of the non-vitations we’ve seen in the past.
Sweeney: I have gotten so used to the non-vitations that it genuinely didn’t even occur to me that this is why she was still alive. I was just like, “Seriously girls? You couldn’t finish the job?” Except Dru probably left her alive just for this reason because she’s psychic and The Great Contrivance Spirit willed it to be so.
Inside, Drusilla’s excited that daddy’s home. He doesn’t say much, until a delightful continuation of the “THAT’S WHERE THAT GIF COMES FROM” moment, in which Holland and Lilah beg for Angel’s help because people are going to die. Angel says he can’t seem to care. He locks the door behind him.
K: DARK SIDE! DARK SIDE! DARK SIDE!
Lor: QUIT CHANTING, KIRSTI. THIS IS TERRIBLE.
Sweeney: RIGHT? THIS IS NO TIME FOR CHANTING. THIS IS TIME FOR FREAKING THE FUCK OUT.
Back at the Brooding Hotel, the Fang Gang is saying about the same thing — that this was too fucking far. Wesley tries to shoulder some of the blame, saying that they should have spoken up louder. Oh, Wesley, you’re sweet, but no. This is not on you. They say he’s headed to real darkness. Angel says he sees that and adds that they’re all fired.
WHAT!? TAKE IT BACK, ANGEL. TAKE THAT SHIT BACK RIGHT NOW.
K: Pretty much my reaction. And my television’s – the picture tube exploded at about this point (Yes, our TV still had a picture tube. It was purchased in 1998, shut up).
Lor: I just about exploded. This has been so nicely built up to, and yet there were no bells and whistles as it all came to a head. He locked a door, walked away and in that moment undid all of that humanity he was working toward, something I always relate to the speech Doyle gives Angel early in season 1. In Angel’s stand-off with Holland, it was so clearly another “human with no soul” as a backdrop to Angel and his not-a-human with a soul. Angel knows W&H fights dirty, and it’s a shame though a perfect plot development that he thinks he needs to fight dirty to beat them.
Angel episodes can tend to be on the slow side, but this one was nicely paced and seriously: WTF.
Sweeney: YES to all of that. It was perfectly done. ALL THE WTF. I was shocked, and yet, as you point out, the background for this moment has been laid quite nicely. It’s all there. It makes sense. BUT I STILL CAN’T GET PAST WTF.
Good job, show. Good job.
Next time on Angel: Wesley, Cordy and Gunn try to figure out what to do with their lives and Angel tries to figure out how to kill him some crazy girl vamps in S02 E11 – Redefinition.
Nicole is the co-captain of Snark Squad and these days she spends most of her time editing podcasts. She spends too much time on Twitter and very occasionally vlogs and blogs. In her day job she's a producer, editor, director, and sometimes host of educational YouTube channels. She loves travel, maps, panda gifs, and semicolons. Writing biographies stresses her out; she crowd sourced this one years ago and has been using a version of it ever since. She would like to thank Twitter for their help.
I'm a 30-something librarian and I still live with my parents because I'm super broke. Leader of Team Heartless Cow. I have an inexplicable love for 90s television, eat too much chocolate, and read more than is good for me.
I'm a 30-something south Floridan who loves the beach but cannot swim. Such is my life, full of small contradictions and little trivialities. My main life goals are never to take life too seriously, but to do everything I attempt seriously well. After that, my life goals devolve into things like not wearing pants and eating all of the Zebra Cakes in the world. THE WORLD.
