Angel: Redefinition

“He’s got cow eyes, big and black…Moo…”

As the title suggests, this episode concerns the fact that everything has now changed. Everyone is lost, and they need to feel and grope for a place in a world that has changed around them. For Angel this simply means training and obsessing over Darla some more, to the exclusion of all else, including what was once his mission. His task is the easiest. For Darla and Drusilla, it simply means that they get to have fun recruiting henchmen and concocting evil plans. We get an interesting comment from Drusilla, however, at the end. She doesn’t know whether she’s looking at Angel or Angelus. This has very interesting implications.

For Lilah and Lindsey, things are more awkward and difficult. They are the only survivors of the massacre, and Wolfram and Hart are obviously going to treat one of them as a scape goat. Cue lots of amusing scenes in which they try to double cross each other. Unexpectedly, however, they are both promoted to active co-vice presidents, on probation, until one of them slips up. They’re going to be watched by the Senior Partners, who are, as ever, unseen and mysterious.

The heart of the episode, concerns Cordy, Wes and Gunn as they search for a role without Angel, with the aid of karaoke. Ultimately, they all realise that they have it within themselves to continue without Angel. It’s interesting to see, in our first actual glimpse of Wesley’s home life, that he is still with Virginia, and they seem to be very much in love. I’m sure that won’t last. This is a Joss Whedon show after all.