Angel attempts to stop the theft of an ancient shroud by joining the team of thieves. However, proximity to the shroud makes people act increasingly erratically and Angel is far from immune.
Maybe it’s just me being a misery, but I think every show should have bad episodes just so we can spot the good ones. This, sadly, isn’t bad, but it’s not as good as the last few stories. The crooks themselves aren’t really developed much beyond being evil, which is a shame, and it’s never entirely clear just how much Angel is being affected. Gunn seems more irritable than usual but not really insane, which is what the shroud apparently confers on those close to it. Likewise, Cordelia and Wesley don’t seem particularly affected by proximity either, just becoming forgetful. Attempts are made to explain this, but it gets a little muddled.
The framing device works well, with Wesley explaining what happened to two police officers, leaving the viewer to wonder what has occurred that would have resulted in his arrest, thereby leading us towards the conclusion, as evidence mounts, that Kate has been killed. The important aspect, though, is that she isn’t, as it gives her a new understanding of Angel and causes a brand new problem for him as he gets his first taste of human blood in decades. One is tempted to point out that just over a year ago he did some pretty serious draining of Buffy, but there you go.
The humour is welcome too, keeping the episode light at the outset and becoming blacker as the story unfolds. David Boreanaz has developed a fine line in putdowns for Angel, and he’s always clearly loved every minute of playing the evil side of the vampire’s personality.
The only real flaw is the pacing; there’s plenty of mystery and intrigue in the beginning, but it’s all leading towards an inevitable event that you know is going to happen, and eventually you realize that once the heist starts there are only so many ways of holding the attention when a group of people are breaking into a safe and carrying a box. Not a bad episode, that’s for sure, but it doesn’t really hold up that well to close scrutiny.
***
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