Angel starts having dreams about killing people, and it appears they are coming true. Has he reverted back to his evil ways subconsciously?
This really is more like it, a fine example of just how good Angel can be when it puts its mind to it. Considering that this is the second story by newcomer Tim Minear, it seems the flaw may be those formerly/currently on the Buffy staff trying to write in a similar way for a different series.
Anyway, this episode features all the ingredients the series has been looking for and shows a cast finally starting to come together. Doyle's character never really went anywhere, if anything keeping Angel that little bit distant from Cordelia and others. This is the first episode Cordy refers to him as a friend, and you can see a new closeness emerging. Wesley stays a little sidelined as a result, but still is useful and provides some comic relief. Cordelia's misunderstanding of Angel's need for a stake and Wesley being captured by Angel's protegee are laugh out loud moments.
It's good to take a closer look at Angel and his past, giving David Boreanaz some actual acting to do aside from looking moody. The flashbacks have been a long time coming, but are atmospheric and vital here, not to mention Angel having to atone not just for his sins, but what he has caused another to do in his name. Somnambulist uses the character of Kate well too. With so many characters having taken the knowledge of what Angel is pretty much in their stride, it's good to see a different tack taken by Kate, refusing to believe what she has seen as most would do in these circumstances, and later blocking Angel out rather than accepting that he's good on the face of his actions. There are some important and interesting seeds sown here that could prove to be the elements this series needs to find a direction.
****
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