Trying to determine the Beast's next move, not to mention deciphering the girl from the White Room's message, the team attempts to take the fight to the creature, with mixed results.

I'm not quite sure what to make of this story, which in places doesn't seem to have been properly thought through. One good thing is that The Beast's motive is revealed: he wants to blot out the sun. Or at least, it's part of his plan. The only way the team can stop it is to find and protect totems, all of whom physically contain a part of a device The Beast requires to blot out the sun. Sadly, they're already three totems down, and on finding another one dead, they also come across the final remaining one, Manny.

Manny's a fun character, and it's a shame that he has to die. His efforts to get a lap dance are funny, especially his enthusiasm for the latest addition to the team, Gwen, who saw one of the totems being killed and has dropped by to find out what weirdness is underway. What's weird here is why Gwen does what she does. While she claims later on that she's still a thief and not particularly trusting, if she's gone to the trouble of visiting Angel and company, why does she not tell them she's seen The Beast kill someone already? There's no real reason to hold back the information except for her to look more suspicious later on. On top of this, during the later confrontation with The Beast, why does she not use her electrical powers at all? She's meant to be frying the thing, yet she does nothing even after she's been specifically asked to. That said, the rest of them seem incapable of moving, as The Beast carries out his plan to blot out the sun with no one trying to stop him after a brief opening gambit and a truly spectacular fall from Connor as The Beast chucks him out of a window.

There are more great character scenes in this episode. Cordelia's encounter with Angel where she apologizes for what she did but tells him to get over it because there are more important things to worry about is nicely played by both actors. Boreanaz plays the hurt and tired Angel well, while Carpenter comes across as guilty but still realistic about the future of the company, and themselves. We also get more hints of a link between Connor and The Beast, as someone among the group is branded a traitor. The actual connection is Angel, but there's got to be more to Connor's significance than simply where he was born. There's obviously a lot more to tell about this part of the story, and it's going to involve the return of Angelus, something that's been a long time coming.

It's great to see everyone back together again, and I like the antagonism between Gwen and Cordelia as Gwen continues to make a play for Angel with help from a slinky little outfit and falling into his arms. Now he's back, though, I love how Wesley is asserting his authority, pushing Gunn into second place in the toughness stakes and, at the end of the episode, actually taking command and saying that fighting The Beast will require Angelus. He really is a born leader, and I hope he gets reinstated.

***

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