Lilah gives Angel a proposition: as a reward for ending world peace, he can have the newly restored LA branch of Wolfram & Hart. But as the team gets a tour, Connor decides to end his pain.

Interesting premise, and one that has several sides to it, but we'll get to those later. There are some excellent parts of this story, such as Gunn's visit to the White Room, Wesley's Bruce Willis impersonation, some superb lines from Lilah and Angel's decision about Connor. There are also some less impressive parts, such as Connor's rather abrupt descent into apparent madness and Cordelia's distinct lack of presence. While Charisma Carpenter is probably quite happy to sit episodes out at this point in her new baby's life, it would have been nice to get a little more closure on the story of her coma, which I believed was connected to Jasmine, before the end of the year.

What we do have here is a new start. The two least interesting characters, Cordelia and Connor, can be quietly written out with little fuss, and we can spend more time with the new reforged fighting force of Angel, Wes, Gunn, Fred and Lorne. I think they make an interesting and varied group, and it'll be interesting to see what happens next if the show comes back, which I hope it will. If it ends here, that won't be a big problem. If it doesn't, there's a lot of potential here to see if the characters are corrupted, how and if they make Wolfram & Hart work for them, and whether the series can take on a very different tone as the gang gets a leg up the crimefighting ladder. It also lends itself to a greater supporting cast, some more interesting dynamics both in the team and shooting wise in the magnificent new office space created for the episode, and some little plotlines that can be straightened out over the course of the season.

There's also a lot of fun in the idea of them being rewarded because, without meaning to, Angel and co have ended world peace and turned the world back into the horrific mess it was. Speaking of which, the material with Connor is, to an extent, good, as the troubled soul is finally allowed to find a home. It's maybe a shame that his dynamic with Angel may not be explored, but his placing in the house of a family without them being any the wiser who he is is a lovely idea, and a bittersweet conclusion to the character's arc.

So there we have it. Another season of Angel, and possibly its best one yet, with a good throughline and competent storytelling. If this is how it ends, so be it. If not I'll certainly be excited to see it finally flying solo with no Buffy in the area to give it back-up. If it doesn't come back for a fifth series, thank you all for letting us spend some time with you. It's been fantastic.

****

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