Angel: The Thin Dead Line

“Is this morphine?... Well it’s bloody lovely!”

It had to happen: zombie cops. This is an excellent episode, full of social commentary and character development. Wesley takes a bullet while trying to help Gunn and his friends, thus creating a much stronger bond between these unlikely friends from such different backgrounds.

The staff of Angel Investigations (not including Angel these days) deal with two cases. It is initially Gunn, who is working class and black, who deals with the zombie cops and their attacks on homeless kids, while Wesley and Cordelia, both from much more affluent backgrounds, work for a rich client sourced from Wesley’s rich girlfriend. There’s very much a class divide. But Wesley, significantly, makes a personal sacrifice while helping those less fortunate than himself. He shows that, although he’s a klutz, he is nevertheless a hero with integrity.

We meet Anne again, after only a couple of episodes, it is significant that Gunn seems to know her well. Gunn knows a lot of people well throughout the shelter. There is a nice scene between Gunn and thuggish and menacing Jackson. Gunn’s line- “a thug with a gun, keeping the cycle going” is a telling and eloquent piece of social commentary. Gunn, in fact, is promoted to the main character for this episode, and fills the role well.

Angel is also investigating this case, but on the margins. It is he who investigates the police and de-voodoos the precinct in question. Still, when he finally turns up at the hospital, Cordy is dead right that “it takes a gunshot wound to make (him) give a crap.” Angel seems to have repented his behaviour a little, but it’s too late. It now seems to be time for the story arc to take a new turn. There aren’t many episodes left this season. Something big is going to happen, I know it.