Angel attempts to reveal Wolfram & Hart's true face to the world via a charity ball, while Wesley, Cordelia and Gunn start to build their own business.

The absence of Darla and Dru is keenly felt this episode, as Lindsay and Lilah's power play isn't as interesting. After seeing an all-new dark Angel (geddit?) last episode, there's little sign of him here, except maybe at the end when he visits Anne. Anne is the girl from the Buffy episode of the same name, working for a children's shelter with support from the law firm, and although it's a nice link to see her again, she's not a particularly well-formed character and doesn't play off Angel particularly well.

The way Angel has Lindsey and Lilah chasing shadows is superb, with his final ploy teaching them a valuable lesson. The arrival of another member of the law team serves to demonstrate their position in the grand scheme of things and we learn something new about their interest in Angel. The video footage Angel plays is also a neat trick, and very funny as we see the impressive extent of Cordelia's acting and Wesley's dancing abilities.

Meanwhile, the other regulars are off setting up a business. It's not clear whether Gunn and Wesley do manage to kill the fire-breathing beast, but they're rather sidelined for most of the episode, making plans to go it alone but not progressing any further than searching for offices in this episode.

Bloody Money has its moments, but somehow it never really takes off. There's some good dialogue, the new villain/friend Boon could be interesting, but in the end you just find yourself wishing it could have been better somehow, but you can't quite put your finger on why it doesn't work.

***

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