Dianne's Synopsis

Angel is sitting alone in his room sketching Darla's face. Wesley shows up to find out what's wrong, but Angel brushes him off. We pan back to see the floor littered with discarded sketches.

Lindsey walks into [what turns out to be] the W&H safehouse to find it trashed, then sees Darla curled up on a chair. She's cut her wrists with the broken glass. Lindsey realizes they sent her back to Angel too soon. Darla speaks in a detached, dreamy voice about her past with Angelus, and how they have become something even worse than enemies: now they are soulmates.
*****
<credits>
*****
Flashback: 1609, Virginia Colony
Darla is laying in a bed, attended by nuns and a leech (i.e., doctor with leeches), obviously dying of a lingering and wasting illness. A "priest" in a hooded cowl comes in, and asks if she wants God's forgiveness. She tells him she is a whore and that God has never done anything for her. He sends the others out, then reveals himself as the Master-- bat-face and all-- and turns her.

Present Day:
Angel has a plan-- he wants to go find Darla. The crew thinks it's a bad idea-- aside from the difficulties of finding where W&H has her stashed. Gunn points out that a group of lawyers would find a way to write off everything-- they must have established housing for out-of-town guests. The crew goes to off to look.

Flashback: 1760
Darla is introducing Angelus to the Master in his cave. She brags that Angelus would already be a legend in his own village-- had he left anyone there alive. Angelus has no problem with his ego, he is unimpressed with meeting the Master, or learning of the Order of Aurelius and their self-proclaimed mission to destroy the world. He keeps mouthing off to the Master, mentioning how much fun they've having living in that "human-infested" world above, even as Darla nervously tries to quiet him. The Master throws him around for his insolence, but Angelus finally convinces Darla to leave with him. The Master lets them go, giving their relationship "a century, tops."

Present Day:
Angel is looking up "Darla" [Anglo-Saxon: "Dear One"], and in use so late that the Master must have given her the name. While Angel broods over that, Wesley points out that keeping him distracted over Darla may be W&H's master plan for him right now-- and it's working.

Lindsey brings Darla to his office and offers her something to eat. Holland comes in and pulls Lindsey out in the hall. Lindsey reports his concern that Darla is experiencing some sort of post-traumatic stress. Holland nods and agrees that "She's cracking up. She's ahead of schedule." (That this was expected is obviously a surprise to Lindsey.)

*****

Flashback: 1880 London
Darla, Angelus, and Drusilla have just finished snacking on a sailor. Drusilla displays her usual disconnected mental processes (not to mention a tendency to call Darla grandmother -- to Darla's annoyance and Angelus' amusement). When she complains of being alone-- Angelus being too caught up with Darla-- he reminds her that she could make herself a companion. She seems enraptured by the idea. Just then a distraught William the Poet stumbles down the street, through their group, and catches her eye.

Present Day:
They've tracked down where Darla is (and Cordelia even used her acting skill to verify Darla is there). Angel wants to run right out, but-- considering it's 1pm and the address is Sun Valley-- Gunn and Wesley convince him to let them check it out first.

Lindsey returns to his office to find Darla staring out the window. She's obviously been contemplating her current state. She tells him that Darla wasn't her human name, but that she's been "Darla" so long she can't remember what her human name was. She wants to know why they brought her back... and what exactly they brought back. The woman whose name she can no longer remember? The Darla that slaughtered for centuries? Something entirely else?

Lindsey has no answers, but just insists that she is what she is. She asks him to kiss her. Mid-kiss, she acknowledges that she knows they are using her to get to Angel. She bites Lindsey on the neck, and keeps demanding "Who am I? What am I?" Then she insists that she can feel her body dying around her, moment by moment.

Flashback: 1989 Romania
In a trashed and burning gypsy camp Darla is confronting the Rom who cursed Angel with his soul. Drusilla interrupts, but Darla sends him away. Darla insists that the Rom remove the "filthy" soul, or the man's wife and children will die... when Spike comes out of the wagon with a bloody mouth and a loud belch. Darla looks disgusted at finding her little bit of leverage gone, and casually breaks the Rom's neck.

Present Day:
Wesley and Gunn have returned with video of Darla's trashed safehouse. Angel sees it as a sign that her new soul is weighing upon her. Angel insists they go find her, when Darla calls for him. She confesses how lost and traumatized she is, and Angel tries to reassure her. Lindsey walks in and tries to talk her out of this, while Angel listens over the open line to the conversation... and Darla's heartbeat. A security guard, with drawn weapon, has obviously been sent there by Holland with instructions not to let Darla out of the building. While Lindsey argues with him, Darla strikes Lindsey in the face with the receiver, and struggles with the guard... who is shot and falls to the floor.

*****

Holland is reviewing the security tape of the incident with Lindsey. He blames Lindsey for helping her to escape, and throws him off the project. He tells Lindsey that they picked Darla up two blocks away, but refuses to say anymore about it... other than the project is being "terminated".

Wesley is trying to counse4l Angel out of going looking for Darla. But Angel insists: only he can know what she is going through, and unlike him, she won't have to go through it alone.

Flashback: 1900 China [Boxer Rebellion]
In a devastated burning city, Darla walks composedly into a room in her kimono. An unkempt Angel shows up and grabs her from behind, startling her. He has apparently been separated from the rest of the crew and living off of (and with!) vermin. When she offers to put him out of his misery, he encourages her. When she doesn't follow through, he says that he is back to "try again". He convinces her that they can be destructive, terrorizing couple they once were again if they just try.

Present Day:
Lindsey is walking through the darkened parking structure busily dialing his cell phone when Angel jumps him, holds him by the throat, and demands to know where Darla is. As the phone connects, we can here Cordy's voice on the answering machine -- he was calling them to tell them that Darla's going to be killed and to get their help to save her. She's downtown in an abandoned bank building that W&H own.

Flashback: 1900 China (again)
Wandering through the streets in the aftermath of the Boxer Rebellion still, Angel is looking for Darla, when he stumbles upon a frightened white family-- mother, father, daughter, crying baby in basket-- huddled in an alleyway. Stunned, he absently dispatches a rebel with a sword who tries to attack them, then wordlessly backs out of the alleyway in response to Darla's calls.

She's delighted with the destruction and demonstrative in her enthusiasm to have "Angelus" back. When she tries to go in the alleyway behind him, he diverts her with a lie. They turn to meet up with Drusilla and Spike, who has just bagged his first Slayer. Angel manages a "congratulations", but looks less than comfortable with the news. meanwhile Drusilla smells "fear" and drifts toward the alleyway herself. Angel diverts her as well and claims "boredom" with the scene as a reason for leading the group out of town. The younger two apparently have no problem with this, but Darla looks suspicious and/or concerned.

Present Day:
Darla is tossed out of the back of a van onto the floor of a parking garage by two guys in white orderly-type garb. As she looks up from the floor, still slightly disoriented, one of them pulls a gun on her.

*****

Flashback: 1900 China (still)
When Angel returns to the house they are apparently using, he finds Darla waiting up for him. She accuses him of going out to feed on vermin. When he protests that she's seen him kill people, Darla points out that he's only killed rapists, murderers, and other scum. When she took him back, he promised to prove himself... and she has the perfect opportunity for him. Seems she hunted down the missionaries and killed them, but brought the baby back still alive. She's tired of his promises and lies: if he wants to stay, he has to accept the little snack-in-a-bassinet she's provided him.

Present Day:
Darla is still helpless on the ground, but Angel's convertible comes screeching around the corner behind her. he takes out both the orderlies, then goes to help Darla, who got thrown face-first into a pole during the fight.

Lindsey's heading for his office when he sees the "dead" security guard, out-of-uniform, in perfect health, and shaking Holland's hand as he leaves the building. Holland then turns in time to see Lindsey watching. Following Lindsey into his office, Holland readily admits that he used all of them. Lindsey had to believe the crisis was real, so that Darla would believe it, so Angel would believe it. But W&H isn't expecting Angel to find his "true happiness" with Darla and go Angelus again. They've got a more subtle plan.

Darla wakes up on the couch in the hotel lobby, with the full crew in attendance. She's happy to see "Angelus", but Cordelia (in particular) is less than thrilled to have her there. Nonetheless they accede to Angel's request for a moment alone with her. Darla seems quite sincere in her gratitude that Angel is there for her, and seems to be feeling the guilt that came with her new-recovered soul as well.

Unfortunately, it suddenly becomes clear they're talking at cross-purposes: Angel intends to be supportive while she learns to come to terms with her past, while Darla expects him to vamp her immediately to make the pain stop now. He tries to argue that her returned humanity is a gift -- at the same time she's arguing that her vamping of him was a favor he'd show gratitude by returning to her now. They've gone from very sincere bonding to realization that they have polar-opposite world views within moments.

Flashback: 1900 China (where else? [g])
Back to another time when Angel let her down by refusing to do what she wanted. She tells him that she disgusts him. Then he grabs the infant and escapes with it. [This is presumably the last time they see each other for 96 years, since he comments upon first seeing her in school-girl garb way back in "Angel" that "last time I saw you it was kimonos".]

Present Day:
Darla is the one running out now. Angel tries to stop her, but she tells him "don't look for me again" and leaves.

Celli's Review

I had always known that Darla was an interesting character without caring much about her. This ep totally turned me around. Probably in my top-five episodes of the whole show.

And, just so you know...I am madly in love with Lindsay. Okay? Any attempts at objectivity when his name is mentioned should be mocked and laughed at. Just tellin' you.

Continuity:  Kind of a big ep for that. :) Just in terms of flashbacks, this fills in even more holes in Angel's life, plus it gives us a sense of Darla's reaction to all this. And a nice tie-in to "Fool for Love," naturally.

Good backstory on the Order of Aurelius, which on any other show would have been forgotten after the first time it was mentioned.

Characters: What a way to show how *much* Angel has been alone in all this, by giving him someone with the same experience and not letting him near her.

Did anyone notice his compulsive desk-straightening in that beginning scene when he's talking to the team? I loved that.

Oh, and re: Angelus--it's clear now that he was always stoopid. *g* Mouthing off to the Master like that is so totally in character for him, and so completely lacking in thought...I just wanted to smack the big undead lug. Only Darla could ever rein him in.

Skipping Wesley, Cordy, and Gunn, who were pretty much ciphers in this episode...

Darla. Wow. Julie Benz is *incredible.* That bit at the very beginning, where she calls them "soulmates" and starts laughing...? My skin actually crawled. During the scene in Lindsay's office, she went from plaintive to vicious and back like nobody's business.

I was glad to see the flashback to her before she died (the, uh, first time), because it gave me a good idea of what Darla's about. Control, usually of men. Which makes a lot of sense given her profession. And it also ties in to her tendency to snap people's necks, if you think about it. To kill them, *not* for their blood, but just because she can. And, man, she's relearning how to play mind games pretty darn quick, isn't she?

Holland is Eevil. *shudder*

I get the impression that Lindsay has completely forgotten about what Angel did to him in the past and is concentrating on just being jealous of the guy. (All together now: "Poor Lindsay.") I think his life right now was very well summed up by Holland when he said, "Things are often confusing for you, aren't they?" But he was just wonderful to watch in this. We don't often see Lindsay so focused on what someone else (besides the senior partners) wants.

Relationships:  Angel's crew is more and more worried about him. Kind of a big duh. :) But they're still doing what he asks of them, even if they're not sure it's a good idea.

Angel and Darla are still bound together on just about every level possible.  This is one of those times where he starts to think that his whole redemption is wrapped up in one person, and it's just a bad idea.

Darla and Lindsay--ow, ow, ow. "This can only end in tears." He's completely in love with her, and I'm not sure he's even on her radar most of the time. When she asked him to kiss her, I really felt it was just one of those "things humans do." Julie and Christian play wonderfully off each other.

Is it me, or is any scene where Cordy and Darla are in the same room really jarring? I don't know if it's their voices or what but when Cordelia was telling Darla to call Angel, Angel, it kinda wigged me out.

Questions and Comments:  If "Darla" didn't come into common usage until she was 100 years dead, did she go by her original name all that time?

Wesley's comment about bringing her back as a human because they couldn't control her otherwise: foreshadowing much?

"It's not me you want to screw, it's him." *snerk* Somebody's been reading fanfic...

Best Bits:  "She could be sitting on top of anybody." Loved the delivery on that!

Angel realizing that he was with Darla for 150 years and never knew her "real" name.

"Or you could just take the first drooling idiot who comes along."

But my favorite moment (possibly of all time) was the Darla/Lindsay scene in his office. Brilliant work.

Rating: 4 1/2 stars. I still want to see the AI team doing something besides wringing their hands over Angel. But that's my only complaint.

SunSpeak