Angel is hired to protect an actress from attempts on her life, but to revive her flagging career, she has another use in mind for him…
What’s so good about this episode is the fact that you don’t know where it’s going. Admittedly in the beginning this isn’t a particularly good thing, as it seems to have no direction, but it does allow for a great shock halfway through. When Angel refuses to turn Rebecca into a vampire and she slips something into his drink, the last thing you expect is for her ‘bliss powder’ to bring on Angelus.
And this is where things really kick in. David Boreanaz always seems to be having a great time playing his evil, sadistic alter ego, who gets far better dialogue than the regular Angel does. He’s just as unpleasant as he’s ever been and he tells Wesley and Cordelia a few home truths that they need to hear. However, both refuse to accept Angelus’ abuse, Wesley proving that he’s not as ineffective as the vampire believes and Cordelia tricking Angelus and proving that she’s not as bad an actress as he is telling her.
With a small cast for this episode, it’s a chance to see some really good acting, firstly from the regulars and secondly from guest star Tamara Gorski, who goes through a wide range of emotions as she goes from being unafraid of Angel to trying to use him to true terror when she realizes the horror of what could have been her. Before his reversion, Angel’s attempt to show her what vampire life is like is particularly nasty, but it’s a hard lesson she must learn.
As for the rest, Cordelia gets some of her best lines and a great ending where she punishes Angel for letting his alter ego loose again and Wesley likewise shows great strength in a crisis and leads by example, not blaming Angel for something he couldn’t help and saying that he doesn’t even the vampire the life he leads. It’s a great character piece and well worth rewatching.
One thing puzzles me, though: Angel experienced his moment of true happiness and the curse was broken. Even if chemically-induced, once the drug wears off, that shouldn’t mean that the curse comes back should it? Those gypsy curses are more malleable than I thought…
****
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