Angel learns that one of the senior partners is about to manifest at Wolfram & Hart for the regular review and decides to gatecrash. Meanwhile, Angel Investigations tries to work up its rep and Lockley faces a hearing about her recent actions.

I'm not sure what the producers of this show are trying to do, but if it's to depress everybody then they're well on the way. This is possibly the darkest hour for many of the characters as Angel's despair at the nature of his task and his part in it comes sharply into focus, Wesley is forced to re-examine his life after his shooting, and Cordelia heads into danger.

After not wrapping up the story about the three-eyed girl from the previous episode, this one thankfully continues it rather than ignoring what's happened, moving the story on to lead Cordelia into trouble with no back-up. A further confrontation with Angel for the former team is powerful drama, especially when there are serious consequences for Wesley. Speaking of whom, it's ironic that the scene in which you can feel how much he cares for Virginia, he gets dumped by her when she realizes how dangerous his job can be. Of all the characters, Wesley has come on in confidence, becoming a leader and getting a more stable life than any of his colleagues. When it all comes crashing down, he cuts a terribly tragic figure that is painful to watch as he speaks to Cordelia, unable to tell her what's happened to him.

And then there's Angel. Given a chance to make a serious dent in Wolfram & Hart's power, he learns some important facts about them, him and the people in the world that are even stronger because we all know the truth of them. When he is finally confronted with Darla and enjoys a sexual liaison, there can only be trouble ahead. With everyone at their lowest ebb, Lockley apparently taking her own life, the return of Angelus couldn't come at a worse time. Is he back? We won't know until next week, and the wait is painfully long.

Once again, the only slight problem is that too much is going on. Lockley's storyline gets rather lost in everything else, Wolfram & Hart's review isn't very well explored and Cordelia is left on her way to a deadly rendezvous. For an episode that doesn't mark itself as a two-parter, there are a lot of loose ends to be wrapped up next week, and as the last episode before a repeat run, there's going to be a lot going on...

****

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