You're not going to untie me, are you?

Angel S1E13 - E17

“She”

Okay, I guess technically Wesley isn’t an Angel Investigations employee until this episode. He is nailing the comedy, though.

Maybe I’m just a sucker for Joss Whedon’s dialogue, but I think Alexis Denisof is actually just that good. Plus, that party scene! I wish I made gifs, because Wesley dancing is completely hilarious. As is Angel imaging himself dancing, which I think is the first time we get to see this Angel, the one who likes Barry Manilow.

The real subject of the episode is a woman from another dimension where women are treated as sub-human. There, the men mutilate all women by removing bony ridges from their necks, which makes them docile and takes away their sexual agency. So Zheira is helping the young women escape into our world. Pursued by her patriarchal society, she runs afoul of Angel when she uses her powers to burn men from the inside out. And Angel does help her, as he should, but she doesn’t drop everything to help him, and the script’s reaction to that is where the episode stumbles. During the final fight scene, Cordelia and Wesley are taken hostage and when their enemies try to use them against Zheira, she doesn’t take the bait. Not her dimension, not her refugee girls. Not her problem.

Angel calls her on it after and gets really mansplainy about her choices. And sure, I’d be upset if someone I was helping decided to throw my friends under a demon bus, but it’s a story about female agency and it’s really undercut by some dude taking the moral high road. Even if that dude is Angel. That’s not to mention that part of this process by which the women retain their agency is that they go through a period of being so hot that they literally have to lie scantily clad on piles of ice. Some real unnecessary male gazing there.

“I’ve Got You Under My Skin”

Now this is how you do creepy. This episode feints and dodges and then hits from behind and I don’t know enough boxing metaphors to do this story justice, but it’s good. Cordelia’s extremely unspecific vision starts Wesley and Angel off on a series of goose chases relating to demon possession and ends with musing on human souls.

“The Prodigal”

Kate has daddy issues. So does Angel. Angel’s dad was killed by a vampire. By the end of the episode, so was Kate’s. So she’s mad at Angel, because he’s a vampire too. I’m sure if she knew he was the vampire who killed his own father, she’d be even more mad.

“The Ring”

Angel is captured and forced to be an underground demon gladiator… and there isn’t much more to it than that. This is the first time we meet Lilah, though!

“Eternity”

Kind of a companion piece to Buffy S2 “Lie to Me”. Not as emotionally moving, but turns out a little better for the characters. Probably related, in a Joss Whedon show. I want to like this episode, because evil Angel, but I also really can’t handle the giant, gaping plot hole that gets us there. Angel meets a tv star who, basically, wants to become a vampire so she won’t get older. Instead of giving him the chance to point out the flaws in her plan (namely, vampires care about eating people, not so much with tv ratings) she drugs him with some demon street drug meant to simulate perfect happiness. You can see how this might be a bad idea. Angel gets all evil and chases her around his apartment trying to murder her. Then the drug wears off, and Angel’s fine. TV star lady is less fine, but didn’t get bitten so that’s cool.

Except it doesn’t work that way! The loophole in the curse is that Angel feels perfect happiness, the curse is lifted, he loses his soul. If the drugged happiness triggers the curse, his soul is gone until we can find Willow and get it reinstalled. And if, as Wesley says, the happiness is only synthetic, he had his soul the whole time. The interesting thing would be if the drug just lowered his inhibitions that keep the demon side of him in check. This is what’s below the surface. Even with a soul, Angel could be that evil if he just let down his guard. That’s my read, anyway.

And Cordelia is prepared.

There are chains, ropes, padlocks and multiple sets of handcuffs
all in there. Cordelia and Wesley weren't taking any chances.