Angel: The Trial

Cordelia: "You're planning on sleeping over?"
Darla: "I'm dying."
Cordelia: "So just for the one night, then."

Excellent timing. I think they went as far as they could with pale, human, demure and terminally ill Darla and it was time for her to move on. And did she ever. Who else was faked out by that ending? I certainly didn't see it coming. I loved it. (I have to give Dan credit; during that scene where Darla was trying to seduce that clueless idiot vamp into biting her, Dan told me that the writers should have Drusilla or Spike turn Darla.)

The trials were an excuse for Angel to be noble and self-sacrificing and for David Boreanaz to run around for twenty minutes with his shirt off, but hey, worked for me. The flashback to France in 1765 was obviously intended to illustrate that vamp Darla really didn't care about Angel at all, while by the end of Angel's trials, I actually thought human Darla was at the point of expressing affection for Angel.

Drusilla is finally back! and not in a flashback! How is Angel going to get out of that hotel room?

Bits and pieces:

— The segments with the Host of the karaoke bar were such a hoot as well as a great plot device. "You're a big hunk of hero sandwich and you want to save the girl."

— Gunn continued to prove that he was the best actual detective in our faux detective group.

— Wolfram and Hart have a "moral responsibility" toward Darla? Ho ho ho. How could Holland say that with a straight face?

— Is Lindsey suicidal, or is he just supremely confident? I was really surprised that he invited Angel in to his home that way. And speaking of Lindsey, I'm glad someone finally held him down and cut his hair. At least now we can see those eyes.

Quotes:

Wesley: "What's he doing down there?"
Cordelia: "How should I know? He barely says 'good morning' and 'get me a glass of blood' anymore."

Darla: "I don't trust them, but I know a thing or two about mind games. (To Angel) So do you. We played them together for over a century."
Cordelia: "Yes, but you were just soulless bloodsucking demons. They're lawyers."
Angel: "She's right. We were amateurs."

Host: "I sense pain and anger. Are you still testy from the last time?"
Angel: "When you sent me to that swami who was dead, and his imposter tried to kill me? Why would I be testy about that?"

Host: "Someone get my heart. That girl's ripped it right out. Okay, I know I'm probably going to regret this. In fact, being prescient, I'm actually sure of it."

Three out of four stakes. Another really good episode in a string of really good episodes,

Billie
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Billie Doux reviewed all of Buffy and Angel, so she knows the plural of apocalypse.

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