Mary Beth's Synopsis

We're back at the Demon Karaoke Bar with the Latin name I can't spell. Five years of French, thank you very much. The Host congratulates Angel on his renditions of both Send in the Clowns and Tears of a Clown. I am grateful we have been spared the performance; I'm sure David Boreanaz is, too. The Host tells Angel he has come "to a turning point in his personal uphill road," especially where his heart is concerned. It may not be beating, but it can still break. The Host turns to serenade us all with a ballad I don't recognize. I'm glad of that. Angel wanders from the stage and over to the bar where a sexy blonde in a red sheath awaits. It's Darla. He's surprised she's there; she whispers in that voice that she's been there the whole time. Suddenly, the room is empty and they begin to dance. You know this must be a dream, because Angel is dancing well. He's also smiling. A lot. It's very nice. Darla asks if he's told anyone about their dates, but he hasn't. "I want to keep you all to myself." She smiles and replies that she knows how he feels. They kiss. I retch. . . and Angel smiles in his sleep before drifting awake with a perplexed look on his face. Thank god.

Wesley's unpacking boxes and Cordy is stuck with cleaning duty at the old hotel/new office -- while wearing a red blouse, calf-high boots, and a denim skirt with high slits and rivets up the side. Perfect cleaning attire. She's using a feather duster, which will effectively move the 30 years' worth of dust around in the air before it settles elsewhere and wreak havoc on her sinuses. Naturally, she's complaining. She starts to give up (a big vacuum might help that "swimming against the tide" feeling she's got. I'm just saying) but starts up again when Wes reminds her it's here or her place. She's immediately given another excuse to procrastinate by the arrival of Gunn -- until he opens his mouth to insult them, that is.

He's there to see Angel, who promised to back him up with an informant who has a line on Deevac, a nasty demon working Gunn's neighborhood. Gunn's not happy to learn Angel is still asleep at only 3:30 in the afternoon. Wes & Cordy offer to help but Gunn doesn't think "C3PO and Stick Figure Barbie" will be very effective with Deevac. He needs real muscle. Nice 'tude, dude.

Before he can insult them further, he's interrupted by the arrival of Billionaire Geek Extraordinaire David Nabbit, complete with purple cape and sword. He's all "demons beware your end is nigh" and Gunn is all "who is this loser"? Angel finally joins them and we learn that David is there because Angel wants financial advice. They're currently leasing the hotel for 6 months with an option to buy. David quickly swallows his disappointment at only being asked to slay the bad math and spits out a bunch of financial lingo to satisfy the "but how does Angel afford . . . " crowd while causing Cordy's heart to flutter. She sighs and asks him to do it again. He doesn't. He does leave -- with a "flourish" -- and Angel rallies the troops to help Gunn. Gunn's not thrilled that they will be tagging along, but Angel ignores it. Cordy gets to drive the convertible, and while Gunn glares, Wes calls shotgun. Heh.

Cordy drives the care with heavy black top and deeply tinted windows into your standard L.A. parking garage. Here, they encounter Jameel, a weasely little informant who, despite Gunn's chilling intimidation tactics charming people skills, wants to back out on his promise. It seems Deevac is "everywhere" and the snitch is worried he had vamps follow him. Angel actually has to step in and keep Gunn from pummeling the guy into submission (or death, whichever), which Gunn doesn't appreciate. The two white hat demon hunters share a cold glare, but before they can throw down, a bunch of vamps attack. Did I mention it's the middle of the day? Just thought I would.

Fight, fight, fight, fight . . . fight. . . fight. . . and this is taking entirely too long. Well, it's implied it's taking to long as they fade to later. Our gang is sitting with their backs propped up against the side of Angel's car, a few piles of dust strewn about. They're spent. They boys all have various aches and pains (and Wes's beeper sadly did not survive) and Cordy has actual grease stains on her outfit (trust me, it's not big loss). Gunn is frustrated that they lots their lead on Deevac, but Wes points out that if they couldn't beat a few vamps, they're not exactly prepared to face this demon. Gunn doesn't want to hear it and gets up to go find his informant. Cordy advises him to be a little more "Guy Pierce in L.A. Confidential and a little less Michael Madsen in Reservoir Dogs." Gunn doesn't get the reference; he hasn't seen a movie since Denzel Washington lost the Oscar for Malcolm X. I'd just like to point out that Reservoir Dogs came out in 1992, as did Malcolm X, for which Denzel would have lost the Oscar in 1993. Also, Gunn was, what, at best 12 then? He holds a grudge for a kid, doesn't he? And yes, I do have too much time on my hands. Moving on. Gunn stalks off and there's witty banter about how everyone things Denzel is cool, and then Cordy drives Angel home. I presume she dropped Wes off somewhere. Angel tells Cordy to take the car home and bring it back the next day; he's going to bed. Something Cordy points out he's been doing a lot lately -- sleeping. Angel doesn't really respond.

Back at her place, Cordelia snuggles in for the night with sweats, a comfy sweater, and her hair in a ponytail and a bandana to hold it back. Now this is a cleaning outfit. She complains that Dennis keeps the place so cold, and he kindly turns up the heat. Before Cordy can get into her book, a vision hits. It's short, but painful, but almost as soon as it stops, it hits again, with more power than before. We see it's Gunn. And he's fighting for his life.

Dennis flies the phone to Cordy and she tries to call Angel. But he's sleeping soundly. . . and dreaming of moonbathing, complete with sunglasses and swim trunks. Red ones. Oh, yeah, Darla's there too. A bikini's involved. I don't care. She distracts Angel from the ringing phone with by running an ice cube down his chest. In a nice touch to continuity, the ice cube does not melt on his cold vampire skin. He smiles some more and looks good some more. He's happy. The ringing stops.

The ringing has stopped because Cordy has moved on to try Wesley. But he's not home either. Maybe she didn't drop him off. Making a decision, she leaves a message on Wes's machine that Gunn's in trouble and she's going to his place. She stops on her way out the door to grab a small battle axe, then heads out, repeating the latest in feel-good mantras "I'm gonna die. I'm gonna die."

She drives to Gunn's current abode (good thing she knows where he lives), hops out of the car and runs inside, where she proceeds to "save" Gunn by banging one of his cronies upside the head with her axe. Other cronies look on and laugh, as Gunn as the guy were just practicing. Cordy is embarrassed.

Back at dream central, Angel and the twit are snuggling in the courtyard. There's a persistent tapping in the background, and Darla is sad because she has to go. I'm not. Angel wants to "go" with her, to protect her from the danger. She tells him he's too busy "protecting everyone else." The tapping has become a hammering, and they both look over to see Wesley determinedly nailing a coffin shut. Angel tells him to stop and then looks back to see Darla's gone (yay!). He looks again and Wes has moved right next to him, an expression of anger on his face. Angel grabs him by the throat and throws him to the ground with a growl of "you made her go away." In reality, he's done this also, as Wes has arrived to watch his beloved Angel sleep. Oh okay, he showed up to get Angel to go after Gunn. But first, he has the small problem of Angel choking the life out of him to deal with. He gets through to Angel, who jumps back, appalled. Wes then looks the vamp up and down appraisingly and reluctantly asks "Now, about the naked thing?" Angel looks himself up and down then suggests he get dressed. Wes is supposedly appreciative, but slash writers everywhere are already scribbling away.

Back at Gunn's Cordy bandages the head of her victim, Joey. She proclaims him good as new, despite the pesky crack in his skull, and then Gunn does his best to get rid of her by walking out of the room and presuming she'll follow him to her car. Of course, she does. Because that's where the camera went. They banter and walk to their way outside. Gunn's had his manly street ego bruised by Cordy's attempt to "save" him, so he's not too appreciative right now and he doesn't think a walking Barbie can do much for him. Cordy reminds him she's Vision Girl and insists he's in danger. "You were at the end of your world fighting for your life," she tells him. "You were so scared." He knows she's "trippin'" because he "don't get scared." I mentioned the manly ego, right? Yeah, well, he's still a cutie. She says she's scared for him and she's not leaving until she knows he's safe. They arrive outside where Gunn tells her he's not looking for a sidekick so "thanks for coming, buckle up, drive safe." They look around the empty parking lot and Gunn asks, "Where's your car?" Across town, Angel and Wes stand out behind the hotel and Wesley wonders the exact same thing.

Mr. Hip Fly Demon Hunter dude drives an ugly beat up pick-up truck. Just thought I'd point that out. He and Cordy are riding through the streets of Gunn's 'hood searching for the aforementioned car. Actually, they're not searching so much as . . . bickering. Cordy's fretting over what Angel's going to do to her if they don't find said car. Gunn assures he'll find the car because he's down with the info on the brothers who specialize in hot autos. And that will my last sad attempt at doing lame lingo. "And then what? You'll just ask them to give it back?" Gunn glares at her and says all deadpan-like that he'll say please. Cordy's not to confident in his "famous charm." Gunn tells her he doesn't have a clue why he does the things he does. "Paging Mr. Rationalization!" Cordy replies. "Paging Miss About to Be Thrown out of Moving Vehicle!" Gunn shoots back. So, they're having fun and getting along famously. And Cordy's still not going anywhere. She's there to protect him. With what? Gunn wants to know. "Some weak-ass, ladysmith battle axe?" Oh yeah? "Ask Joey and his cracked skull just how weak-ass it is," Cordy retorts. And Gunn's scathing comeback? That thing where you mock what the other person said by scrunching up your face and mouthing their words because you can't argue with her point. Goober. Oh, plus Cordy has mace! Gunn is unimpressed -- "you expecting me to be jumped by a couple of purse-snatching demons?" -- but he's clearly missed out on the How to Recognize Foreshadowing portion of his "So Now You're a Regular on an Action Drama" orientation class. Cordy is firm. "I'm your protector whether you like it or not." Gunn is dubious to the point of hoping that "something better attack me soon because I know I can't take much more of this." Oh, they're kids are going to be so cute.

Back at Testosterone Manor, Wes has brought 'round his Harley, his Hog, his motorcycle from "Parting Gifts." It'll be cozy but Angel can skoosh on -- if he can just get past his manly image issues and put on the hot pink helmet that Wes expects him to wear because it's the law in California. Angel worries that the helmet will mess up his hair. Wes just rolls his eyes and tells him to "stop being such a wanker and put it on." Angel pouts. And then he does. Wesley smiles coyly and tells him it "looks good. Hop on board, gorgeous." The hot pink helmet hides the blush as Angel not-so-menacingly tells Wesley he'll "pay for this." Awww, those two.

Cordy and Gunn arrive at car lot #1 and encounter Henry, who plays dumb about any '67 Plymouth Convertible, despite Gunn's icy glare. He tells Gunn to try Desmond, who specializes in convertibles. Henry tells them they'll find Desmond at a party at Tito's. Everyone's invited; it's the event in town! Gunn calls Henry on getting his hot merchandise from the neighborhood -- seems Gunn doesn't have a problem with stealing as long as it's not on his turf. Gunn threatens and heads out with Cordy in tow. Henry watches them go, then a large, ugly demon in football pads with hamster teeth and rotting green skin approaches from behind. This be Deevac. And he and Henry agree that Gunn is becoming more trouble than he's worth.

Wes & Angel are getting their motors running and heading out on the highway, while Gunn and Cordy arrive at the party. Gunn runs into one of his men, who's obviously not out patrolling where he should be. Gunn chastises him while Cordy looks on. Then she marvels at the short leash he keeps his people on. "Or do you just go all warm and tingly on the whole power trip thing?" Gunn is indifferent, telling her that some people need extra discipline. He proceeds to treat Cordy like he thinks she's one of those people by telling her when they get inside to "shut up and stay close to me." Shock of all shocks, Cordy doesn't take to such treatment. "Hold on there, Generalissimo. I'm not one of your toy soldiers you can just boss around." Gunn reminds her he doesn't even want her there. "Too bad. I am here. And I don't take orders. Except from Angel. And at least he usually asks nicely. " They approach the door and Queen C pulls her head up high and tells Gunn that "I don't need you how to tell me how to behave at a party. Trust me. I know how to blend." And in they go. . . where Cordy discovers that her foundation just isn't going to mix well with the foundation of everyone else. This is so not territory Cordy is familiar with. To her credit, she just looks at Gunn and says meekly, "Maybe I'll just shut up and stay close to you."

A pretty girl named Veronica is happy to see Gunn. He's been a stranger lately, keeping himself too busy. She looks sidelong at Cordelia and asks who his "friend" is. Gunn looks on horrified as Cordelia proceeds to stick her foot, ankle, calf, and possibly even her knee in her mouth with socially unacceptable party small talk, then just ask for the hors d'oeuvres. When she finally stops talking, Gunn introduces her and asks for Desmond, who's around somewhere. With a peck on Veronica's cheek, he drags her off to find him. He greets a few pals and Cordy asks if he's "friends with, like, every criminal in town." Gunn is offended that she assumes they're criminals. "Aren't they?" Cordy asks. He avoids giving a straight answer by changing the subject to her universe, "You mean like your friend David Nabbit? You think he became a billionaire by being a good citizen?" That means "Yes, but are they any worse than some white-collar criminals" for those who need translation. Cordy replies by telling Gunn that yes, Nabbit did. "He made his first millions developing software that lets blind people surf the Web. Plus, he set up a foundation that donates $20 million a year to countless charitable causes." Methinks she knows a tad much about Mr. Nabbit than is healthy. Gunn puts on the poor brother from the 'hood act with a "Yeah, well you let me know when some of that corn trickles down to these parts."

The find Desmond at the keg and Gunn gets down to business, asking for the car. Desmond starts to play dumb also, but they're rudely interrupted by a vampire attack. Crowd scatters, Gunn fights and gets ganged up on. Cordy tries to help but gets knocked out of the way. Veronica runs in to assist, too, but she gets shoved into a set of glass shelves. She crashed through them and falls to the floor, with a jagged piece of glass protruding from her neck. While Gunn fights back, Cordy runs to Veronica, but not before Veronica pulls the glass out of her neck. Blood quickly drenches Cordy's hands. She helps Veronica sit up and applies pressure to the wound while comforting the girl. Gunn gains the upper hand and chases the vamps off. He spots Cordy with Veronica and goes to them. Cordelia says calmly that Veronica needs a doctor. Her eyes say she needs a miracle.

At the hospital, Gunn carries Veronica in and Cordy barks out some vital statistics for the doctors. Then she pulls Gunn away to let them do their work. But not before the doctors tell him that "his friend" probably saved Veronica's life. Later, Cordelia walks to the waiting room from the bathroom, having washed her hands, but barely cognizant of the blood-soaked sweater. She just rolls up the sleeves and moves on. As she approaches the room, she catches sight of Gunn, leaning his head against the wall, fighting hard to hold back frustrated sobs. He pounds his fists into the walls and starts pacing. His eyes wet, he tells her, "She almost died." Cordy reminds him that she didn't. Gunn blames himself for letting his guard down. The wall takes another beating and he reminds Cordelia that the vamps were after him, not Veronica. Cordy tries to calm him down, telling him to "take it easy." He can't. "I can never take it easy. Not for a second, alright? The minute I forget that, somebody like Alonna pays the price." Cordy is confused. "Alonna?" Gunn looks past her for a moment, and Cordy gives him a questioning look. There's more here that he's not telling. But today's not the day for opening up. He corrects himself and goes back to pacing. "I can't stop. I can't ever stop." Cordelia smiles softly at him, and as a familiar figure of Desmond creeps behind her and tries to sneak into the elevator, she calls out -- without looking back -- "Don't you move a muscle. Where is my car?!"

At the party house, Wes & Angel pull up. Angel pulls off his helmet and fusses with his hair. Wes smirks. They run into a young girl exiting the house. They pull her aside and ask her about Gunn. She's frazzled, jumpy. Her forehead is bleeding. She blathers on about the attack and leads the boys away from the main crowd behind an ambulance. She insists she's okay and turns to leave, running into Angel. He grabs her shoulders and asks if she's sure she's okay. She smiles gratefully and says she is. So Angel head butts her -- and she vamps out. He tells her to start talking.

Cordy and Gunn arrive at Desmond's garage to find Angel's car in one piece. There's just one problem. Cordelia doesn't have the keys. She was in such a hurry to rescue Gunn earlier, that she left them in the ignition. Gunn has had it. "You know, I gotta tell you. You are one high-maintenance chick." She knows they've got to be there somewhere. "You are *killin'* me." Cordy wants him to hot-wire the car and Gunn snarks that "Just cuz I know some car thieves doesn't mean I am one." Cordy doesn't really care right now. "Instead of being High Moral Ground Guy, why don't you help me find them?" But he doesn't need to. Because Deevac's got them. Oops.

Gunn yells at Cordy to go, but she won't. Deevac is touched by her willingness to die for her man. "Oh no. He's not my man. He's just a friend. And . . . about the willing to die part?" Heh. Gunn acts all tough-guy with the oversized football player who looks like he could be knocked over with a good swipe at his feet. Deevac grabs Gunn by the throat and lifts him up. This, as you would assume, isn't a good thing. Cordy tries to fight back with her axe, but she is, of course, ineffectual. Deevac then morphs into . . . Jameel! The weasely informant from earlier. See! This is shocking because appearances are deceiving and all that. He throws some of Gunn's own tough-guy talk back at him, and Cordy reaches into her bag, pulls out her mace, and sprays Jameel in the eyes. Ha! Jameel drops Gunn and let's Cordy go. He is angry. He morphs back into Deevac.

Angel and Wes choose that moment to arrive not-very-gracefully by sliding the motorcycle under the half-open garage door. Angel pops up, takes off the pink helmet and smashes the vamp that's giggling at him in the face with it. Gunn takes on Deevac, who's not a very mobile demon. While the rest of the gang takes out the vampires. Much fighty mcfighty. Deevac gains the upper hand on Gunn. Angel takes off across the garage, yells at Cordy who tosses her axe to him, jumps up on his car and smashes the axe into Deevac's skull before he can do Gunn any further damage. The day and the hottie young good guy are saved.

Angel pushes his car out of the garage door -- and almost into the alley wall. Wesley has found the keys, but they're covered in demon blood. Or demon pus. Or possibly both. Needless to say, they're not of much use. While they try to figure out how to hot-wire the car, Cordy approaches Gunn at his truck. Rubbing his jaw, he tells her "Well, you finally saved my life. I guess I should say thanks." "Yes, you should." Cordy replies. "And no, I didn't." She then sprouts some angel wings of her own and proceeds to tell Gunn -- and the only thing missing in this speech is the Irish accent, really -- that she wasn't there to save Gunn from Deevac or any other demon. She's there to save him from himself. He's on a self-destructive path. "You don't just face danger, you create it." Gunn scoffs at her, but his look says he knows what she's talking about. "You need some serious saving," Cordy tells him. "Looks like I've got my work cut out for me." He should plan on having her in his life for awhile -- until he find some peace. "Lucky me," he says as he turns to get in his truck. But Cordy wants her apology. Gunn looks back and they exchange one of those looks -- you know, those looks that says these two people have shared some experiences and reached an understanding and the tough-guy street dude doesn't have to actually say the words, she knows he really is appreciative. Really. The look says all that. Cordy smiles back, and he drives away.

Angel arrives back at the hotel to find the little lady waiting for him. "Honey, you're home!" He's tired, withdrawn. Darla's all wifey and wants to know how his day was. "Save any lives today?" A few, Angel tells her. She sidles up to him and wants to know if any of his ungrateful friends said thank you. She acts indignant that no one appreciates him. "You give and you give and you give." Angel says he's used to it. "Always the protector, never the protected," she whispers. Angel says wearily that he has "so many things to make up for." But Darla tells him that he has. "Who takes care of you?" she queries. Angel smiles slowly and says that she does. My skin starts to crawl. She laughs and pulls him toward a loveseat that has appeared in the lobby. She pushes him down, takes of his shoes, and climbs on his lap, telling him to relax and "let Darla take care of you." She moves in for a kiss. In his bed, Angel smiles. Back in the dream, Darla sits up and helps Angel off with his shirt. She tells him "I'm just getting started baby. I know how to please you," and she proceeds to place kisses down his chest, his stomach, ever closer to. . . .

And back in his bed, Angel smiles, sleeping deeply, completely unaware as a hand slides up his stomach and Darla creeps up his body. "All you have to do is let me," she continues, kissing her way up his chest, biting his lip, smiling at the sleeping vampire and whispering, "I could just eat. . . you . . . up."

Nyayayayah!!

SunSpeak

"Oh, shitshitshitshitshitshitSHIT! Darla's there in reality, and he doesn't know it? Or is it another layer of dream weirdness? YeeeEEEeeeEEeeeeee! This whole thing is just...yeeeeeeeEEeeEEEeee! Is this an ability she's picked up on her travels through death and back? Or something she learned during her time with the Master?"
"She's there in reality. I got confirmation from sources. Which just wigs me out big time. He's so deep into that reality that he's oblivious. Yeesh! And I'm thinking maybe it's her way of connecting with those she's sired? Angel said he had connections with his offspring, so maybe it's a family thing." -- Val, MB

"By far the creepiest thing about all this (besides that they just dangled it in this ep, and didn't even take baby steps toward resolving it, which I really respect them for, but, ARGH!) is Angel's blithe acceptance of her being there, and of their intimacy, within the dreamspace. Which, as much as I want to scream at him 'This is wrong! Some part of you has got to know how wrong wrong wrong WRONG this is!!!'...it really makes perfect sense. More of my dreams than not have some 'fact' that I accept without question as part of the background of the reality I'm in, only to wake up and go 'what the hell was I thinking?' . . . . The subconscious does weird, weird things to us; and Darla being able to manipulate Angel's is just...yeeeeeEEEEeeeEEEeeee-worthy beyond the telling of it!"
"I don't think she's manipulating. . . well, she is. But I think she's working with something that's already there. Angel has a baser nature that they've already explored how tenuous his control of it is. And a guy who has had sex exactly once in more than 100 years *has* to be having some serious needs. [Well, scratch that. Angelus . . . Dru. . . . not thinking about it. Okay, so he's probably had sex more than once, but the souled part of him hasn't and it's still a pretty big drought, overall . . . moving on.] In reality, he's got an iron will and control over these baser instincts. He wouldn't even be tempted by Darla -- in fact, he'd be repulsed by her[after her picked his jaw up off the floor]. But deep down, he has these urges you know he wants to satisfy. And she's certainly been his biggest temptation and downfall (next to Buffy). She's just working with what's already there." --Val, MB

"The second creepiest thing is that she's using this influence to alter his attitudes about his work and his friends, and I don't think he even *remembers* any of it in the conscious world."
"Nope. And that freaks me out as much as anything. She's starting to drive a wedge between him and the others. This cannot go well. And the shot ofWesley hammering the coffin? Aiyeee!!!!" --Val, MB

"Wow, Cordy, channeling Alana much? Whom she never even laid eyes on, or heard anything about. I think that's why Gunn suddenly started listening. TPTB are certainly trying to tell *him* something! And when the Universe gets to the point where it's starting to yell, you'd bloody well better listen...you really don't want it getting any louder than it already has with him." --Val

"I am so incredibly impressed with Cordelia's conduct under pressure. She may still not be the most skilled fighter around, but enthusiasm and stubbornness make up for a lot there. And wow, we always knew there was more of her hidden in there, but who'd have thought it was a super-efficient combat medic with a flawless bedside manner? The girl has really been through trials by fire and then some, and talk about your tempering!!! Yet she can still put her foot in it spectacularly when removed from her familiar social milieu. And she can still boss people around with the best of them...only now, she's a lot more likely to know what she's talking about. Gunn definitely learned that she's a lot more than she seems, and that it's a lot closer to the surface these days than he (or we) thought."
"They both learned that there's more to the other than it seems. Yeah, Gunn moreso about Cordy, but she pretty much just thought of Gunn as some wiseass street hood. Seeing how much he cares about his people -- to the point of obsession -- and seeing how much pain is driving that obsession opened her eyes to the fact that he's a human being, too." --Val, MB

"Wesley called Angel a wanker! I realise that others will probably have mentioned this, but I haven't read the other messages, so I will allow myself to bounce and post this quasi-'me too.' Wesley called Angel a wanker! That said. What the bloody hell was he doing with a *pink* helmet? Pink? Blech. " Just as long as they don't combine it with the Evil Pink Shirt from Games Vampires Play (FK). I guess He wanted to make the ladies feel comfortable on his bike? Somehow I don't think he takes too many, but the fact that he has a pink helmet, could prove me wrong." -- Kim, Judy

"I'm not sure I liked Cordy's speech at the end. It just felt a little too scripted. (I realise that it was, but still.) I like the fact that she's not going to let Gunn commit a AnhkMorpork suicide, though. Part of me thinks that Cordy should sit Gunn down and tell him about Buffy and how the only reason that she's made it so far is that she allowed herself to relax a bit. On the other hand, I can also picture Cordy trying to convince Gunn tofollow in the steps of a tiny, blond thing named Buffy. That would go over well, don't you think?" -- Kim

"I'm not sure I liked Cordy's speech at the end. It just felt a little too scripted. (I realise that it was, but still.)"
"I didn't like the ending much either. Way too pat, too perfect, to Touched by an Angel. It would have been more in keeping with the tone of the evening and the characters to have them trading a few more barbs and Cordy saying something like what she said laced with a little more haughtiness -- with the meaning more hinted at then spelled out. They started off well with the 'I guess I should thank you' 'Yes, you should.' And they ended perfectly with the unspoken thanks within the exchanged looks. I think they could have found a way to keep that tone throughout and still get the point across." -- Kim, MB

"Isn't it funny how we're all so proud of Cordelia? I mean that in a cool way; we've watched her change *so* much over five years, and we didn't have a thing to do with her progress. Except that we were rooting for it, just amazed that anyone who started out that shallow and self-absorbed could actually believably morph from Miss Me-me-me into the Cordy we know now. Granted, she always had a brain, and she always had feelings; but it took a while for that to be clear. And even then, it sometimes looked like she'd hang onto that facade of the Prom Queen forever.
It's wonderful, the job that both Joss and Charisma Carpenter have done with her, just gradual enough to be believable, but large enough to be detectable and still true to the old Queen C. You just want to hug her. :> On a show where most often the changes are either about someone dying, or having to unwillingly accept awfulness in their lives with courage, it's lovely that Cordelia's metamorphosis has, in a lot of ways, made her happier. I think she likes *herself* more than she did back then, without hating who she used to be as much as she did at some points last season. I think she knows her skills and her strengths now, and that's why she can speak up to Gunn, when the old Cordy would have either folded out of pique or frustration. " -- Kiki

"As Prom Queen she knew what was expected of her. Doing anything different meant going into that scary area of the unknown. She had to wonder if her friends would accept it, if she was doing the right thing, etc. She was nicely safe and secure in the Me-me-me mode. She didn't have to face failure. I do like her changes. It shows her growing up, becoming her own person. I like how she's even used to Dennis. He can be quite helpful at times. She realizes that he's like a person with feelings and abilities, and can be hurt if they forget that. I like how she knew she could count on him to give her the phone when she needed it." -- Judy

"It may not be as big a risk as is being taken with Willow & Tara, but David Greenwalt (and Joss, however much it was his idea too) definitely deserve some kudos for setting up a possible romance between Cordy and Gunn. Often, I've noticed, when there are interracial couples on TV, the question of any tension is resolved by making them both middle-class or upper-middle-class, or at least from the same backgrounds, with the same attitudes and a tolerant-accepting-easygoing approach to the situation. It's other people that always have the problems with the idea.
They're not doing that here. Gunn is 'street', Cordy isn't, and wow, was that obvious in that party scene. Hell, *I* was uncomfortable for her, even though I'd like to believe I'd handle being the only white chick in the room better than that. If they get the two of them together, they won't be able to pull any punches about priviledge, economics, prejudice, and class consciousness. We don't know much about Gunn's past--- whether he always lived on the street, or whether he ran away and ended up there is an interesting question --- but the majority of his experience is still different from Cordy's. If they keep not-flinching in writing the realities of their relationship, and base it all on character and the things they do have in common (smart, pretty, smart-mouthed, tough, did I mention smart-mouthed?), this is going to be a joy to watch. I'm keeping my fingers crossed." -- Kiki

"Darla isn't annoying me so far, sappy Angel, on the other hand, is bugging the hell out of me. He's too happy. It's making me too nervous. Even before the Darla showing up in Angel's bedroom thing." --Kim

"Darla... wow, do I hate her. And admire all hell out of her technique. Those situations are probably the sappy back-of-his-mind things that Angel wishes he and Buffy could've had; and she's playing her role in his little fantasies just edgily enough to alienate him from his friends without setting off any red alerts. Very subtle and smart, which is more than she was back in Sunnydale. I'm going to hate her for the foreseeable future--- that voice just doesn't get any easier to listen to, in my opinion --- but I'm going to love watching her mess with Angel's head at the same time. " -- Kiki

"Darla is evil! Very sneaky evil. What would happen if we put her up against Lacroix?"
"I used to assume he'd wipe the floor with her, though it would have been interesting to watch. Now, I'm not so sure. Kiki's right, her tactics have gotten exponentially smarter and subtler. ~meep~" --Judy, Val

"I'm pouting that they used Oleta Adams' 'Get Here' as done by the Lounge Demon. I *like* that song. And now, I have that guy's wailing of itoverlying my usual memory of it. Is this the risk we're going to run this season, that at any moment, the Karaoke Hellmouth will open and swallow up some slow song that we used to like? 'Cause, if that's the case, I may have to get Closed Captioning in order to avoid this...." -- Kiki

"What else? I loved watching Cordy & Wes work together during the fight scene; neither one of them is top-drawer, but they lived through the fight and helped each other at the same time. Very good! This is where they should be by now. " --Kiki

"The movie discussion after the fight had me rolling, too. Not only because of Angel's deadpan 'Who doesn't love Denzel?' and Gunn's totally in-character riff on why he doesn't go to the movies any more. But also because, having friends who live in L.A. (wave!) it's a cool little comment on how the entire population of that city is a little more aware of the entertainment industry than the rest of the country, to the point that these types of savvy discussions happen more often than elsewhere. *g* I could be wrong, but it feels like David & Joss are still having fun with the 'welcome to L.A., land of temptation and demons' theme they established first season." -- Kiki