Angel is confronted with the pregnant Darla and must decide what to do with her and try to find out how such an event is possible. Meanwhile, someone new is being brought to LA...

It's testament to the pacing and writing of this story that it takes until the end for you to realize not a lot has actually happened, yet still it's enthralling. The return of Darla opens up a whole bunch of issues, not least of which for Cordelia, who is just starting to reach a new level of friendship with Angel, partly thanks to their training, only to find that he's knocked up a woman and left her on her own. The increasing closeness between Angel and Cordy that leads to suggestions that Angel might care more deeply than he realizes is a nice touch, but still quite nice to see it's knocked on the head here. If it's to continue, it'll be interesting to see where it's taken and whether it really works.

For a while you are left wondering why no-one has chained Darla up as, even pregnant, she's still a vampire, but it's her pregnancy that overtakes everyone. Cordelia's sympathy for her manages to lull the viewers in a false sense of security and even we start to trust Darla, just for old habits to bite back, literally, as Darla decides to munch down on Cordelia. Only the sudden intervention of Angel saves her and provides a welcome reminder of just what we're dealing with here.

Things get creepier from here on in, with Darla developing an insatiable taste for younger victims and going after small children, with Angel once again being the only thing that saves a kid from her clutches. The baby within is obviously affecting her on a deep level, and once more the series is in darker territory once more. With all this and some background on Holtz that builds towards explaining his hostility towards Angel, there's a lot of set-up going on here, the only disappointment being that we have to wait until next episode for pay-off.

****

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