A vision from Doyle sends Angel to a nightclub trying to find someone who needs help, but he finds himself instead in trouble with the police when he is discovered with a dead body.

This may not be the easiest series to review, as it's currently caught somewhere between going where it wants to go and retaining some of the hallmarks of Buffy The Vampire Slayer. Not that that's necessarily a bad thing, but there's still a certain hit and miss quality to the stories that are the hallmark of a show finding its feet.

The three regulars seem to be coping well with their new/expanded roles, with David Boreanaz gradually discovering some character in Angel. Charisma Carpenter plays a Cordelia much more worldly-wise than she was, and Glenn Quinn is well worth watching as Doyle. Also a good new addition is Elisabeth Rohm as Kate Lockley, a police officer who seems to be a better match for Angel than Buffy. Hopefully their relationship should be just as interesting.

The story itself, of a burrowing demon, works well, with some good examples of misdirection so that the audience no longer knows whose body it's in either. There's some great fight action and marvellous stunts, but what's needed now is more character examination, but that should come in time. Perhaps it's just the adjustment to a darker look and darker storylines, but Angel just isn't quite doing it for me at the moment.

***

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