Buffy/Angel Crossover Guide

Buffy the Vampire Slayer began airing as a midseason replacement in the winter of 1997. After three seasons, Angel was spun off. Angel initially aired directly after Buffy on Tuesday nights, which made it my favorite night of television for quite awhile, and there were several crossovers. When Buffy the Vampire Slayer ended, one of the Buffy cast moved over to Angel for its fifth and final season.

This little article is intended to help new viewers figure out when to watch what. I'll try to keep the spoilers to a minimum, but a little bit of spoileryness cannot be helped.

To lessen the confusion of the show names and the character names being the same, I'll refer to the show Buffy the Vampire Slayer as BtVS, and the show Angel as AtS (Angel, the series). Plus I am only counting crossovers when actors appear. If I counted every mention, this would be really, really long.

The seasons ran as follows:

BtVS 1 (1997)
BtVS 2 (1997-1998)
BtVS 3 (1998-1999)
BtVS 4 — AtS 1 (1999-2000)
BtVS 5 — AtS 2 (2000-2001)
BtVS 6 — AtS 3 (2001-2002)
BtVS 7 — AtS 4 (2002-2003)
AtS 5 (2003-2004)

And here we go!

BtVS season four, AtS season one

BtVS 4.1 "The Freshman"
AtS 1.1 "City Of"

Angel calls Buffy on the phone, but hangs up without saying anything. We see Buffy's side of the phone call on BtVS, and Angel's on AtS.

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BtVS 4.3 "The Harsh Light of Day"
AtS 1.3 "In the Dark"

Two-part story about the gem of Amarra that begins on BtVS and ends on AtS. Oz and Spike cross over to AtS.

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BtVS 4.8 "Pangs"
AtS 1.8 "I Will Remember You"

In "Pangs," Angel arrives in Sunnydale, but stays in the background; Buffy doesn't know he was there until the last moment of the episode. In "I Will Remember You," Buffy goes to Los Angeles and confronts Angel. (If you're just watching BtVS, you don't want to miss "I Will Remember You.")

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AtS 1.10 "Parting Gifts"

Wesley Wyndam-Pryce from BtVS season three arrives at Angel's office in Los Angeles and becomes a cast member on AtS.

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AtS 1.15 "The Prodigal"

Includes flashbacks of Darla.

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BtVS 4.15 "This Year's Girl"
BtVS 4.16 "Who Are You?"
AtS 1.18 "Five by Five"
AtS 1.19 "Sanctuary"

Faith returns for a four part cross-over that begins with a two-part story ("This Year's Girl" and "Who Are You?") on BtVS and ends after skipping an episode with a two-part story on AtS ("Five by Five" and "Sanctuary"). Darla appears in flashback in "Five by Five." Buffy appears in "Sanctuary."

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BtVS 4.20 "The Yoko Factor"

Angel comes to Sunnydale to argue with Buffy about what happened in "Sanctuary" and has a delightful encounter with Riley.

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AtS 1.22 "To Shanshu In L.A."

Darla returns.

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BtVS season five, AtS season two

BtVS characters Darla and Drusilla are prominent continuing characters on season two of AtS. Darla is in nine episodes (2.3-2.5, 2.7, 2.9-2.11, 2.15-2.16), and Drusilla is in four (2.5, 2.9-2.11).

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AtS 2.1 "Judgment"

Faith appears briefly.

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BtVS 5.7 "Fool for Love"
AtS 2.7 "Darla"

"Fool for Love" and "Darla" are my favorite crossover episodes, with many shared scenes and flashbacks, plus all five of the Buffyverse's most popular vampires: Angel, Darla, Drusilla, Spike, and the Master. "Fool for Love" is Spike's backstory, and "Darla" is Darla's.

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AtS 2.12 "Blood Money"
AtS 2.14 "The Thin, Dead Line"

Chanterelle/Lily/Anne (played by Julia Lee), who appeared in the BtVS episodes "Lie to Me" and "Anne," appears on AtS.

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BtVS 5.17 "Forever"

Angel visits Buffy in Sunnydale.

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AtS 2.17 "Disharmony"

Harmony visits Cordelia in Los Angeles. Cordelia and Willow talk on the phone.

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AtS 2.22 "There's No Place Like Plrtz Glrb"

Willow stops by to give Angel some news.

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BtVS season six, AtS season three

BtVS 6.4 "Flooded"
AtS 3.5 "Fredless"

Buffy and Angel meet off camera in between these two episodes. Not much of a crossover, and that's it for BtVS season six/AtS season three.

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BtVS season seven, AtS season four

The final season of BtVS and penultimate season of AtS include a Firefly-ish crossover, with Nathan Fillion in the final five episodes of BtVS (7.18-7.22) and Gina Torres in five episodes of AtS (4.18-4.22).

Faith returns for three episodes of AtS starting with "Salvage" (4.13), and then returns to Sunnydale for the final five episodes of BtVS. Willow appears in "Orpheus" (AtS 4.15).

The producers of the two series wanted Angel to crossover for the final two episodes of BtVS, so AtS's season concluded first. It gets confusing. You can watch in any order up to BtVs "Lies My Parents Told Me" (7.17) and AtS "Orpheus" (4.15). The best way to watch after that is by air date.

AtS 4.13 "Salvage"
The first of three AtS episodes with Faith.

AtS 4.14 "Release"
Second episode with Faith.

BtVS 7.17 "Lies My Parents Told Me"
Fred calls Willow on the phone; we don't actually see Fred.

AtS 4.15 "Orpheus"
Third episode with Faith. Willow appears.

AtS 4.16 "Players"

AtS 4.17 "Inside Out"

AtS 4.18 "Shiny Happy People" Gina Torres as Jasmine for the final five episodes.

BtVS 7.18 "Dirty Girls"
Faith arrives for the final five episodes. Nathan Fillion as Caleb for the final five episodes.

AtS 4.19 "The Magic Bullet"

AtS 4.20 "Sacrifice"

BtVS 7.19 "Empty Places"

AtS 4.21 "Peace Out"

BtVS 7.20 "Touched"

AtS 4.22 "Home"

BtVS 7.21 "End of Days"
Angel visits Sunnydale.

BtVS 7.22 "Chosen"
Angel in Sunnydale.

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AtS season five

The entire fifth season of AtS includes Spike as a cast member and Harmony as a recurring character. Adam Baldwin, who played Jayne in Firefly, appears in five AtS episodes: 5.17-5.19, and 5.21-5.22.

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AtS 5.11 "Damage"
A visit from BtVS character Andrew.

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AtS 5.16 "Shells"
Angel calls Giles on the phone; we don't see Giles.

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AtS 5.20 "The Girl in Question"
Buffy is supposedly in this episode, but we never see her face and Sarah Michelle Gellar does not appear. Unfortunately.

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AtS 5.22 "Not Fade Away"
Chanterelle/Lily/Anne appears.

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And that's it. People have written and asked me for something like this several times, and now it's finally done. And all revisions mentioned in the comments are now included.
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Billie Doux loves good television and spends way too much time writing about it.

• Buffy the Vampire Slayer home
  
• Angel home
  

The Angel finale opinion poll

[Originally published on a now defunct web magazine in 2004. Includes big time spoilers.]

Before I begin, I want to thank the people from all over the net who answered the poll and forwarded it around to their friends. I received nearly one hundred and fifty responses, and the answers people gave were terrific; they made me laugh, and made me think.

Angel gets shaken up, Enterprise gets sexy, and the Dead Zone returns

April 20, 2003

[Originally a Billie's Bytes column]

The Dead Zone aired their so-called second season finale a couple of weeks ago. The second season was supposed to consist of thirteen episodes, just like the first season, but if you were counting, they only aired twelve. I hear that one of the episodes, called "The Hunt for Osama," was pulled because of the war. I don't know about you, but I'm really curious about that one; I hope they eventually air it.

The good news is that The Dead Zone's second season was just extended; there will be six new episodes airing in July and August. Just the thing to help us all get through the summer television wasteland, especially now that Farscape is gone. No news yet on a third season for The Dead Zone, but it's looking good.

No such luck for the X-Files religious clone, Miracles, which was cancelled by ABC. But it's looking pretty good for Angel. No official word yet, but there's a lot of interesting and encouraging buzz about Angel right now, and it has a lot to do with the Buffy spinoff that didn't happen.

The initial idea for the Buffy spinoff was supposed to be Faith as a fugitive, and it would have included Spike as a supporting character. Eliza Dushku said in a recent interview that she ultimately decided that she wanted to do something new rather than revisit a character she's already played, and I think we can all understand that. I'm not sure how I feel about Faith as Dr. Richard Kimble with superpowers, anyway.

After Eliza tanked the spinoff, Joss Whedon and his merry band of producers went to Fox and the WB and pitched a whole new direction for Angel. The show has a loyal audience and makes consistent ratings, but it isn't generating big numbers or pulling in new viewers; I'm fairly certain they decided on some radical surgery because Angel is also in danger of tanking.

David Greenwalt told Zap2it a few weeks ago, and I quote: "I'm not sure we're going to blow up the hotel, but the notion is of them going to a place that is more like an advertising agency, lots of glass and light. It's going to be great -- visitors from the Buffyverse, including a possible regular from the Buffyverse. I think these ideas are so strong that it could run two years. It would be a whole new show. We'd put the characters in a new situation, both financially and physically. It's all about us saying, 'OK, you've been on the Greenpeace ship saying, 'Hey, Shell Oil is bad.' What happens if you actually have to go work for Shell Oil? What happens if you had to be on the inside, grow up, get a real job?' I'm really excited about it."

What does this sound like to you? That Greenpeace/Shell Oil thing makes it sound like Angel and his crew are going to work for Wolfram and Hart, doesn't it? How on earth could they make that work? Not long after this announcement, we heard that both Spike and Giles might be moving over to Angel. (To which I say, hallelujah! My two favorite characters? There is a God, and it's not Gina Torres.) The addition of Giles makes one wonder... what if the new direction has something to do with the Watcher's Council? (Thanks to Dan for that idea.)

This week, David Boreanaz told an audience in L.A. that several Angel characters are going to bite the dust. "Several." He said, "several." I'm assuming it doesn't include him. Angel already has seven cast members; if they add Spike and Giles, that's nine, which is too many for a show with a WB budget. Heads are clearly going to roll, and I bet that they'll be making decisions based on who will work best in the new scenario.

I hope they take this opportunity to cut Charisma Carpenter loose; the character of Cordelia has been jerked around and screwed with so much that I don't like her any more. I used to love Cordelia, dammit. And the feminist in me hates to say it, but I'm not a big fan of Fred's, either. I think Connor is fascinating, but I wouldn't miss him. The two characters I like best are Wesley and Lorne. I'm also very fond of Gunn. If the new direction has anything to do with the Watcher's Council, Wesley is probably not gonna get the axe. Yay.

Want to bet that Joss Whedon plans to use the next year of Angel to lay the groundwork for another Buffyverse spinoff?

Okay, moving right along...

Remember awhile back when The Nashville Network acquired Next Generation and tried to revamp their image by changing their name to The National Network? Well, maybe you don't remember because nobody noticed the change, and they're still having ratings problems. So they're changing their name again to, I kid you not, Spike. Really. I'm really not kidding. They're targeting the male demographic, and they wanted a masculine-sounding name. I have a cat named Spike. He's a total wuss.

The National Network, soon to be called Spike, made one good move last week: they started running Highlander again. I forgot how much I loved that show; it's great to have it back. If you've never watched it, do yourself a favor and check it out. I'm considering buying the DVDs, if only to see the sexy European scenes that were cut for American audiences. Does anyone know if the second season is coming out in DVD anytime soon? Or at all?

And finally, there's Enterprise. The latest news is that they're gearing up for a huge finale that will include a great deal of death and destruction on Earth, and some big changes in the storyline. And T'Pol (Jolene Blalock) is going to go through ponn farr. Man, I knew that one was coming.

If you're not a Trek fan, this means she's going into heat, and will undoubtedly be running around in skimpy clothing attacking her male shipmates. You can undoubtedly tell from the implicit sarcasm that I'm leery of this idea, probably from the justifiable fear that they'll screw it up. I wonder if she's going to do the horizontal warp with Captain Archer, though? I can picture them afterward, totally embarrassed and unable to look at each other. Could be fun.

Please, Paramount. Fire Berman and Braga before it's too late.

And that's all for this week in sci-fi,

Billie
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Billie Doux loves good television and spends way too much time writing about it.

Spike moving to Angel?

April 2, 2003

[Originally a Billie's Bytes column]

With only five new Buffy episodes remaining before the end of the series, fans are in a major state of freak-out about the future of the franchise. That includes me, by the way.

Although there have been no official reports as yet, rumor has it that plans for a spinoff have been permanently derailed by Eliza Dushku's defection to the proposed new Fox series, Heroine. This doesn't mean there will never be a spinoff; we just won't be getting one this fall.

And what about Angel? Angel's ratings are consistent, but not fabulous. Creatively, Angel is having its best season yet. I love Angel for itself, but I must admit that losing it now would have extra added angst. No Buffy, no Angel, no spinoff? Too horrible to imagine.

But there's hope. I'm still braced for the worst... but rumors and hints and other wonderful things are floating around the internet. It started (for me, anyway) with an article on Zap2it, in which Angel co-creator David Greenwalt says that he and Joss Whedon, Tim Minear, and Jeffrey Bell have talked with Fox and The WB about new plans for Angel's next season. These plans would include major re-vamping :) of the main story line, and crossing over characters from Buffy. And, I quote, "a possible regular from the 'Buffy'-verse."

Of course, the first thing that galloped into my brain was, PLEASE LET IT BE SPIKE.

Okay, it could be Willow, too; I adore Willow. But Alyson Hannigan has said repeatedly that she's ready to move on; I bet she'd be willing to do guest bits, especially since her fiance works on Angel, but she doesn't sound willing to sign on full-time.

And it could be Xander... except that his character has been seriously underutilized this year, and I don't think his permanent addition to the Angel cast would add drama or conflict. I think Xander would have been a natural for a Faith spinoff, since Xander and Faith have so much history together. But I don't really see him on Angel.

Giles and Anya are out, of course, because the actors have said so, and I don't think anyone would propose moving Dawn to Angel. Although the idea of Dawn and Connor as a couple is oddly appealing.

Why Spike? Let me count the ways.

Reason 1: James Marsters is an outstanding actor, and he plays a complex and popular character. Spike is second only to Doctor Who on the list of top ten sci-fi characters of all time. His acting talents were recently praised in the New York Times and the Boston Herald; his performance in the October episode, "Beneath You," has been referred to several times as an Emmy-caliber performance. He even made TV Guide's 50 Things to Love About TV, and I quote, "The James Dean of the undead, played with sardonic sex appeal by James Marsters, this peroxide paradox brings a brutally carnal bite and a bitterly anguished heart to Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Buffeted between evil and good, regaining his soul but losing his mind out of love for the slayer, Spike is the sort of romantic antihero fan club cults were made for." And so say all of us.

Reason 2: Marsters has confirmed that he's interested in continuing to play Spike. It hasn't been seven years for him, after all.

Reason 3: Adding a popular Buffy character to Angel (as well as having other Buffy actors guest star) will almost certainly increase Angel's audience, and Angel needs the ratings. Plus it would keep the characters going and serve as a possible launching pad for another Buffyverse spinoff.

Reason 4: The characters of Angel and Spike have a century-long antagonistic relationship, and they're now romantic rivals. Remember their acting chemistry in Buffy's second season? Put them together on the same show, and the possibilities for dramatic conflict go through the roof. I get excited just thinking about it.

I think my two favorite vampires need each other.

A pro-Spike campaign is already in the works. I'm planning to write a postcard or email myself. Take a moment out of your day and help support our favorite blond vampire; letting the Powers That Be know how much we love Spike is a good thing. And while you have those postcards out, stop by and help the Renew Angel campaign. Nothing will happen if Angel isn't renewed.

MediaWeek just reported that Jordan Levin, WB entertainment president recently said, "Angel could return next season on either Wednesday or Sunday, and discussions are underway with show creator Joss Whedon to possibly include some characters from Buffy, the Vampire Slayer, which ends its run on UPN this season."

I'm officially encouraged. Especially now that Angel was just named as one of the six shows you're probably not watching (but you should) in TV Guide.

Moving right along... Alias just keeps giving us one great episode after another, and Ron Rifkin is turning into one of the tube's most memorable villains. This past Sunday's episode, "Endgame," gave us an omigod moment as Sloane took revenge on Dixon for Emily's accidental death (see my review for more). I wasn't sure if this show could survive the shake up of its original premise, but it has; I dare say it's even getting better.

Finally, what's up with The Dead Zone? At the end of this Sunday's episode, "Playing God" (an outstanding if slightly maudlin episode featuring Ally Sheedy in a small Breakfast Club reunion), the preview for next week clearly said that it was the season finale. If I take my shoes off and count, that's twelve episodes. Is that all we're getting this year?

That's all for this week,

Billie
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Billie Doux loves good television and spends way too much time writing about it.

Those anti-Spike hackers part deux, the Angel DVD, and Miracles

March 16, 2003

[Originally a Billie's Bytes column]

My column last week seems to have touched a nerve; I received several well-written messages of support, and one less well-written message full of exclamation points suggesting that I stuff it. I also heard that my opinion was slammed on a certain Buffy board, which is certainly their privilege... although the immortal words of William Shatner, "get a life!" come to mind.

Last week, I referred to letter-writing campaigns. Why would letter-writing campaigns be unfair? Certainly, very few letter-writing campaigns are fixed; a fan letter-writing campaign saved Star Trek back in 1968, giving it that all-important third season (a little ancient history there). If it hadn't been for the fans, the entire franchise -- the movies, the multiple series, the books, you name it -- would never have happened.

But what if a specific group organizes its members, feeds them form letters, and then instructs each member to send in multiple letters and/or messages?

Could this be what happened to Kristin's recent poll on whether Buffy should be with Angel or with Spike at the end of the series? (The results were Buffy/Angel, 56%, Buffy/Spike, 44%). But hey, probably not; perhaps the lack of Buffy/Spike sparks so far this year was the cause. It hardly matters in the grand scheme of things. Somehow I doubt that Mutant Enemy takes internet polls seriously when making decisions about what to do with their characters; focus groups and direct polling of actual human beings will carry more weight.

You know, I adore Angel and David Boreanaz, and I was a big fan of the Buffy/Angel romance back in the day. I just happen to like James Marsters more, and I'm not alone. Do I think Buffy will walk into the sunset with either of her vampire lovers? Come on. Would Joss Whedon go completely against type and give fans a trite Mulder/Scully ending? I don't think so.

The next new Buffy episode airs on March 25, and it is centered around Spike. It's about time. Many Buffy episodes this season have suffered from too much with the slayers-in-training, and not enough Spike, Willow, and Xander.

Spinoff talk is now focused on the character of Willow, possibly because of her crossover stint this coming Wednesday on Angel. By all reports, though, Alyson Hannigan does not sound enthused. Personally, I love all of the Buffy characters and will watch any spinoff... but please, whatever it is, let it include Spike!

Firefly star Nathan Fillion has been signed to play a key role in the last five episodes of the series. And Anthony Stewart Head has mentioned that talk of a spinoff series for his character, Giles, may be moving in a different direction -- a television movie, which would be a much easier-to-execute proposition for Joss Whedon than a BBC series. As far as I'm concerned, any Giles is good Giles; go, Joss, go.

Speaking of Angel, I'm currently working my way through the recently released first season DVD. Although I'm enjoying the uncut episodes, the extras are a non-starter. The four featurettes run a total of only about half an hour, and include short, unsubstantial comments by the producers David Greenwalt and Tim Minear, and actors David Boreanaz, Charisma Carpenter, Alexis Denisof, J. August Richards, and Elizabeth Rohm. There is little discussion of Glenn Quinn, which is not surprising considering that the DVD was packaged before his untimely death.

The high point of the DVD is definitely the episodes themselves, which is probably as it should be. There are several good ones, most notably those featuring crossovers with Buffy, Spike, Oz, and Faith; in fact, the two episodes with Faith ("Five by Five" and "Sanctuary") are critical to understanding what is going on with her character in the episodes airing now. "Hero," the last episode with Glenn Quinn, is much more of a tear-jerker now than it was when it aired. I was reminded of how much I originally disliked Alexis Denisof's Wesley, and how quickly he won me over; he's my favorite character now. I was also struck by how different David Boreanaz and Charisma Carpenter look now than they did three years ago.

There are also some colossally bad episodes, such as "I Fall to Pieces," "Expecting," and "She." In fact, there's a lack of cohesion in the entire first season; they seem to be feeling their way in the dark, as it were. Angel improved dramatically in its second year with the return of Darla and Drusilla, and the amping up of Wolfram & Hart characters Lindsey McDonald and Lilah Morgan.

Executive producer David Greenwalt left Angel last summer to co-executive produce the new show Miracles, which debuted just over a month ago on ABC. Unfortunately, I missed the debut and have only caught the last two episodes, but I'm catching up as quickly as I can.

Miracles is intriguing, although the plot lines of the last two episodes have not impressed me and I'm constantly reminded of similarities to The X-Files, Millennium, and The Sixth Sense. But the look of the show is captivating, the religious undertones are fascinating, and the acting is good; the show has promise, and I plan to continue watching.

That's all for this week,

Billie
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Billie Doux loves good television and spends way too much time writing about it.

Angel has Faith, and those anti-Spike hackers are at it again

March 9, 2003

[Originally a Billie's Bytes column]

We all knew it was coming, but did we know it would be this good? Eliza Dushku's character Faith returned for a three-episode run on Angel, starting this past week with an outstanding episode in which Wesley (Alexis Denisof) broke Faith out of jail so that she could save Angel. Well, actually, Faith broke herself out, in about fifteen seconds. After three Angel episodes, Faith will cross over to guest star on the final five episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Our Very Own Buffy and Angel Location Tour

by Billie Doux and Tara Dilullo (who now writes as Tara Bennett; she is the author of many television-related books). Originally published in 2003 on a now defunct web magazine.

Note: I no longer have our original photos for this article, but I've included some from the internet as substitutes.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer may be over, but loyal fans will never let it disappear. Books, magazines, merchandise, and spin-offs (more than one, hopefully) will keep the love alive.

The Buffy/Angel Opinion Poll

[Originally published on a now defunct web magazine in 2002]

This May, after both Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel ended for the season, I composed and posted a short opinion poll on several listservs. Not realizing what I was getting into, I thought it might be fun to get a great many responses, so I asked for some distribution help from friends. The poll ended up on even more lists and scampered a bit around the net, and in the end, I got a LOT of replies.

Can Angel be saved? Or is Joss Whedon's Buffyverse gone for good?

[Originally published on a now defunct web magazine in 2004. Contains big time spoilers.]

My name is Billie, and I'm a Buffyholic.

I got hooked during the second season of Buffy, and started reviewing the show. Now, after seven years of Buffy and nearly five of its excellent spin-off, Angel, I can't imagine a new season without a show set in Joss Whedon's Buffyverse. Unfortunately, that's exactly what those turkeys at The WB intend to do to us.

Angel: Season Five Essay

Season Five: Saving the Best for Last

Angel, always good, hit a creative high in its final season. The cast was seasoned, the writers were outstanding and knew what they were doing, and the addition of popular character Spike (James Marsters) from Buffy was the icing on the cake.

Angel: Not Fade Away

Angel: "This may come out a little pretentious, but one of you will betray me."
Spike: "Can I deny you three times?"

I know Joss Whedon loves to break our hearts, but this is ridiculous.

Angel: Power Play

Lorne: "It's like Angel suddenly started channeling Leona Helmsley."

Sacrificing Fred... schmoozing with Marcus Hamilton... agreeing to Senator Bruckner's evil plan... the Fell and the baby sacrifice... even with all that, I knew immediately that Angel hadn't gone evil when he sent Nina and her family away instead of eating her. Dan figured it out even sooner than that.

Angel: The Girl in Question

Spike: "How do you say 'wank off' in Italian?"

I laughed out loud through most of this one, but it left me with a bad taste in my mouth.

Angel: Time Bomb

Spike: "I'm thinking that she cracked her engine block, and now she's leaking petrol all over the building."

Pinch me. Did Angel actually save Spike's un-life? How far they've come from the beginning of the season. When Illyria staked Spike the first time through, I was so shocked that I almost didn't register what happened.

Angel: Origin

Connor: "I went a little hard core there for a second. That guy made me really cranky."

When Connor was so beautifully written out of the show, several good-sized loose ends remained: (1) the possibility that Connor still had powers; (2) whether or not he would eventually remember who he was; and (3) the unfulfilled prophecy that Connor would kill Sahjhan. This episode took all of those loose ends, along with the unresolved emotional issues between Angel and Connor, and tied them up in the most satisfying bow possible. It was perfect.

Angel: Underneath

Tonight's theme was what's underneath, hence the title: layers, scratching the surface, painting on happy faces, digging beneath... even the hell metaphor chewy center scene with Zack. (I kept thinking, "From beneath you it devours.")

Angel: Shells

Angel: "Death doesn't have to be the end. Not in our world."

I found "Shells" to be... well, hollow.

Angel: A Hole in the World

Fred: "Cavemen win. Of course the cavemen win."

Fred again a reluctant damsel in distress, her men all around her sickbed, Angel saying meaningfully, "Winifred Burkle," Wesley actually shooting that guy in the leg... all very touching. Whedon's moving script and the sheer Buffy-ness of the dialogue were all quite satisfying. But to be honest, I can't help but feel manipulated. This is ground we have covered before.

Angel: Smile Time

Nina: "Are you okay?"
Angel: "I'm made of felt. Ad by doze cubs off."

Unique, and absolutely hilarious.

Angel: Why We Fight

Spike: "Don't ever go to a free virgin blood party. Turns out it's probably a trap."

I assumed that World War II, Nazis, submarines, and vampires wouldn't mix. Wrong. This episode was a hoot and a half. Nazis experimenting on vampires? The United States launching a Demon Research Initiative (operative word, "initiative"), which must have been the forerunner of Riley's outfit in Buffy season four? Angel even reminded me of Riley a few times, looking all stark and turtlenecked and serious. It was a good look for him.