Mary Beth's Synopsis

We open with an aerial shot of downtown: skyscrapers, lights, etcetera, etcetera. We hear a narrator, Cordelia in full take-charge mode, speak:

"Okay, we fade up on an aerial shot -- downtown, skyscrapers, lights, yadda yadda yadda."

Is there an echo in this review?

Cordelia continues to describe the scene for us as she sets up her proposal for a commercial designed to drum up business for Angel Investigations (starring herself of course). In this masterpiece, her damsel in distress is rescued by Angel as none other than "The Dark Avenger."

Angel is less than enthused. Cordy does her best sales pitch to convince him not only that she can do this but also that they desperately need the money this one commercial could bring them. But he's not listening. He stalks off, taking the elevator down to his lair, and its privacy, while Cordy laments that the funk he's been in since Buffy breezed through is seriously harming their income. And Cordy's tired of it.

Doyle plays the middle man, as usual, explaining to Cordy that Angel doesn't need the attention that a commercial could bring to him. Suspicion is not his friend. While Doyle talks, Cordy gets an new idea. Angel is all wrong for the commercial. She needs someone more down to earth, that the audience can identify with...... Doyle.

~*~*~*~

Poor Doyle tried his best to talk his way out of it, but a determined (and desperate for money) Cordelia Chase is not to be stopped. The commercial isn't quite as lavish as Cordy had planned though. And Doyle isn't turning out to be quite the star material she had in mind. In the office, she's set up a camera and some cue cards, which Doyle is reading off of -- poorly.

His stilted performance, more "weasel" than the "Everyman" Cordy was looking for, leaves her frustrated. Add in the fact that Angel's pretty much a 24/7 brooder lately, and things aren't happy in her world. Buffy's visit -- as brief as they think it was -- has really thrown them all for a loop. Unfortunately, Angel's not seeing the big picture. Doyle goes to talk to him.

***

Downstairs, Doyle finds Angel pounding out his inner turmoil on a punching bag. Doyle tries to commiserate with Angel, recalling how he felt when Harriet showed up unexpectedly and set his world spinning after just 5 minutes. That's when Angel does something completely new, completely different, completely unexpected: he opens up. He tells Doyle that Buffy was in town for a day and a night -- which, of course, raises Doyle's suspicions about Angel's alcohol consumption. But Angel persists. He asks Doyle about the Oracles. This takes Doyle aback. Angel shouldn't know about them. So Angel continues, filling Doyle in on how the Mora demon got away the first time it attacked and its blood mixed with Angel's, making him human. With Doyle still doubtful, Angel tells him that he took Angel to the Oracles, who told him he was released from his duty. And that he and Buffy were together....until they realized they just couldn't be because they belonged to a higher purpose. He tells Doyle that he had the Oracles to turn back the clock and erase the day.

Stunned, Doyle puts the rest of the pieces together and realizes just what Angel gave up -- and why he's been a touch crabby lately. He marvels at what Angel had the strength and courage to give up. He could never be so strong, he says.

"You never know your strength until you're tested," Angel replies.

Doyle isn't so sure. He can't even get up the courage to ask Cordy out to dinner, let alone tell her he's half-demon. Angel tells him they've got plenty of tests ahead because the Oracles told him there's badness ahead -- End of Days kind of badness. It's time to "fight the good fight, whichever way you can."

"Tell you what," Doyle responds. "You fight, and I'll keep score."

***

Later, Doyle fills Cordy in on just why Angel's been so down lately. Cordy is incredulous. She can't believe Angel would turn back a day.... and not at least check the stock quotes or lotto numbers. Still, she's hurt he kept it from them. With the battle their in, they shouldn't be keeping secrets from one another. Cordy's words hit home with Doyle. He tells her he's been thinking a lot about secrets himself since Harriet turned up again, about how much better things would have been if they'd let each other in. Cordy questions him about his current relationship with Harriet. They're getting on with their lives, he tells her. He also begins, finally, to tell Cordelia the truth when he's hit with another of his blinding -- and usually better timed -- visions. Shabby buildings. Frightened people with strange faces. Cordy wants to know if they look like they could afford to pay.

***

On a dark street in a less than glamorous part of L.A. a young girl is running, from what we don't see, but we do hear -- the methodical, eerie sounds of an approaching army. She's yanked into the shadows by an older boy, and they watch as soldiers march by.

In a deserted building, presumably in the same part of town, Doyle and Angel are looking for the people seen in the vision. It's a death trap, with crumbling walls, broken and boarded windows, and ratty furniture. In one "apartment" Doyle and Angel find signs that people have been there very recently. Angel picks up their scent, and find them hiding in a crawlspace under the floor. They're families. They look frightened and lost and not quite human.

***

It turns out they're refugees who've were scammed by a man had promised them freedom. He'd taken their money and promised to get them out of the country to a small island near Ecuador where others of their kind have found sanctuary. Before he can explain just what they're running from, the boy and girl arrive with their few supplies and news that the soldiers are close.

The leader introduces Angel to the boy as The Promised One. The boy, Reef, is skeptical. Angel, too, is unsure. The man insists that their prophecies are clear that it is The Promised One who will save them from The Scourge. Reef is the voice of dissension. He doesn't believe the prophecies; he only believes The Scourge are coming and they are doomed. He is an angry young man. Doyle, meanwhile, is deeply shaken by the mention of The Scourge. When Angel questions him, he admits he knows what they are. And what they are is Death.

~*~*~*~

In a dingy apartment in the middle of somewhere, Doyle returns home. He looks perhaps a tad younger but definitely more worse for the wear -- unshaven, unkempt, perhaps even unsober. He turns when he senses someone in his place, grabbing a baseball bat. From the shadows, a man emerges -- a Brakken demon just like Doyle. His name is Lucas, and he's looking for help from "family." His clan is from Oregon, where they'd been hiding out until The Scourge came and killed many of them. "The Scourge?" Doyle asks. "Who the hell is that?"

Back in the present day, Doyle tells Angel what he knows. The Scourge are "an army of pure-blood demons" who despise anything that's of mixed blood or human. They hunt them down, like animals. And those who do fight back are pretty much helpless to stop these fanatical demons.

Lucas begs Doyle for help, but Doyle is reluctant. He wants nothing to do with his demon side and doesn't want to put himself on the line. He sends Lucas away with no one else to turn to.

"I punked out," Doyle tells Angel. "I'd only just found out about my demon side. I didn't know what it meant. The idea of sudden family obligations with guys that looked like big blue pin cushions, it was just a little bit too much to take right then."

"What happened?" Angel asks.

The blinding visions, that's what. Some time after Lucas left is when Doyle was hit with the first one -- images of Lucas and his people in pain and terror. Scared and unsure, Doyle went to find out if the visions were for real. What he found was death. Women and children--and Lucas--dead and bloody, wiped out by The Scourge.

Reef and his people are a painful reminder for Doyle of a dark time in his life -- a time for which he's seeking atonement even today. And he's scared because he knows what's coming. They need more than the Promised One to fight The Scourge. Angel tells him it won't come to that because they're going to get them to freedom.

***

Later, Cordelia arrives at the tenement with a truck and is quite surprised to find she's helping demons. After an awkward moment in which she threatens the leader with wintergreen breath freshener, Doyle finds her and fills her in. Angel's off getting documents for safe passage, and he wants Cordy to head to the docks to scout out a ship. Turns out Angel's got people all over the city who owe him money, and Angel's collecting in favors, much to Cordy's displeasure. But the direness of the situation wins out and she heads out.

Down by the docks, Angel calls in the chips with the brother of some guy named Big Randy. It's amazing what the knowledge of his being a vampire and a few not-so-veiled threats can get a guy these days. In this case, it's a ship that won't be stopped or inspected on its way out of port.

Unfortunately, they've hit their first snag back at the building. Reef has run off. His sister tells them Reef doesn't believe in the Promised One and didn't want to stay and die with the rest of them. Doyle reassures the girl that no one's gonna die this time. He leaves the cell phone with the leader and tells him to wait for Cordelia's call. He's going to get Reef, and if he's not back by the time they need to leave for the ship, he'll meet them there.

On the streets, Doyle catches up to Reef. He tries to convince him to come along, telling him that Angel's found a ship that'll get them out of there. But Reef is in full-on stubborn mode. Something Doyle recognizes all to well. Reef's a bitter boy, and this is all about more than dying. Seeing Doyle has lit a fire in some deep-seated issues for the boy. He's going to be hated and reviled no matter where he goes -- unlike Doyle, who can pass for human. He's got no choice, he thinks. He can be hated by humans who fear him for being different, or killed by demons who hate him for being less than pure. Doyle points out that he does have his family, especially his sister. They'll love him no matter what. Besides, it will be different this time. Because of Angel? Reef asks. He's still skeptical about Angel's status as the Promised One, but Doyle knows Angel. He knows Angel will do whatever he can to help, prophecy or not.

Reef doesn't have to come along, he tells him, but the other option -- losing yourself and hoping it all goes away -- that's no option at all. He knows. Doyle's passionate plea finally gets through.

Back at the ship, Cordy meets with the Captain. It's no Love Boat, but it will do. She makes the call and just in time, too. As Doyle and Reef head back, they encounter The Scourge.

~*~*~*~

Doyle and Reef run from The Scourge but are quickly boxed in by the ugly demons. They watch from a window as The Scourge destroy cars and break windows, setting fire to all things in their path. As they get close, Doyle tells Reef to sit tight, while he distracts them. He makes a break and gets them to follow. Thankfully, Angel yanks him into a shadowy doorway just in time. The Scourge is close. But Angel's ready.

Back at the tenement, the Scourge leaders have found the hiding place. Their prey is gone, however, much to their consternation. Before they can get a real good hate on, though, Angel shows up. He's vamped out, and he's got Doyle (also in demon form) in tow. The Scourge is at first uninterested in Angel -- vampires, apparently, are the lowest of all the half-breeds. But they are impressed with his hatred for the humanity within him and within all other half-breeds and humans. Angel snaps Doyle's neck and asks to join The Scourge. And they let him in.

Outside, Reef watches as The Scourge drags Angel away. He waits until they're gone and returns to the apartment to find Doyle lying on the floor. But Doyle's not dead--Brakken demons are just unusually hearty creatures. He snaps his head back in place and takes Reef to meet the others.

***

The others, meanwhile, are loading up and ready to shove off. The Captain is getting impatient, too. Cordy asks him to wait just a little longer. He agrees, if Cordy agrees to shave a little more off the debt that Angel was planning to wipe clean. Trust Cordy to think of business even during the darkest times. The group's leader (whose name we never do hear), thanks Cordelia again for all their help, especially Doyle. He appreciates help from someone who truly understands their suffering -- having to live with the persecution himself as a half demon.

Needless to say, Cordelia is surprised.

***

Somewhere under the city, The Scourge has gathered for a pre-Apocalyptic pep rally. You know, the kind that allows the hero who has infiltrated their ranks to learn all the details of their nefarious plan so he'll be able to thwart it just in time. Only this time, they've added to our needless suffering by putting Angel in one of the not-all-flattering (and oh so subtle) Nazi-like costumes and slicking his hair back in the style of Dennis the Menace. Which is made only that much more ridiculous by his vamp face. Ick. But I digress.

The leader blathers on -- with a few also-of-the-unsubtle Seig Heil arm motions -- about ridding the world of the vermin half-breeds who spread their own form of "pestilence" and cleansing the world for the true demons. Angel listens intently and not without a good amount of suppressed disgust. The leader reveals that a human first-mate from the ship Cordelia secured has turned them in for money. He also reveals their solution for purifying the world for evil: A Big Lamp of Death. The light from this "Beacon," when at full power, will demolish "any creature contaminated with human blood" within a quarter mile radius. He demonstrates on the human turncoat, who disintegrates before Angel's eyes. A few more cheers and the hideous creatures head out to bring about the end of humanity.

~*~*~*~

As The Scourge heads out, Angel hops on an also unsubtle 1940s style bike and heads for the docks, where Cordy and the others wait impatiently. Doyle and Reef finally arrive, and Reef and his father head down below with the others. Cordy is relieved to see Doyle alive, so she smacks him. The last in return for hiding his half-demon side after they'd agreed that secrets are bad.

He tells her that he wanted to tell her but was afraid she'd rejected him. She points out that she's rejected him lots of times before now. She's genuinely offended that he'd think she's so superficial. (Imagine!) So he's half demon. So what? He's also short and poor, she points out. Bigger faults in her eyes. Doyle promises that the half demon thing was pretty much his big secret, and Cordelia is satisfied. "Would you ask me out for dinner already?" She beams at him. Doyle is surprised, but please. But before he can fulfill her wish, Angel arrives with The Scourge close behind.

He tells the Captain to shove off, but it's too late. Cordy and Doyle head below and lock the doors. The Scourge hook the Beacon up to a crane and begin lowering it -- as it increases in power -- into the hold of the ship. Above deck, Angel squares off with the demons. He does holds his own and makes quick work of most of them, save one of the leaders. Midfight, they fall together into the hold with Cordy, Doyle, and the others. The Beacon, meanwhile, is growing in power and dangling above the room.

Seeing the situation is exceeding dire, Angel kills the demon (doing that neck snap thing he likes so much). The others have discovered that they've been sealed into the hold from the outside, so Cordy, Doyle head up the ladder to meet Angel on a platform that stands even with the Beacon. Angel fills them in on the "kills anything with human blood" problem and things come to a crashing halt as they realize their lack of options. Angel is pretty sure he can shut it off from the source, but Doyle points out he can't do that without getting too close. It's suicide.

Angel is prepared to make the sacrifice. The reason he gave up humanity, the thing he needed to fight for, is at hand. Cordy tries to argue, but he doesn't listen. He looks Doyle in the eye and grabs his friend's shoulder in a gesture of good-bye.

"The good fight, yeah," Doyle says in a voice filled with emotion. "You never know until you've been tested. I get that now." Then Doyle reaches back and punches Angel, sending him flying off the platform to the ground below.

Doyle turns to Cordelia and kisses her with the passion of a man with nothing else to lose. As they part, a flash of blue light passes between them, and Doyle steps away. "Too bad we'll never know," he tells her as he morphs into demon form, "if this is face you could learn to love." Cordelia looks on in shock as Doyle moves to the edge of the platform. Below, Angel comes to and yells at Doyle. He doesn't make it to the platform in time to stop Doyle before he leaps the distance from the platform to the beacon. As he grabs on, his skin immediately begins to melt away. He holds on long enough to disconnect the power from the Beacon, before disintegrating in a shriek of pain and blinding light. As the light extinguishes, his friends and the people he saved stare at the emptiness left behind before Cordelia and Angel, both sobbing, embrace.

~*~*~*~

Back at the office, Cordelia and Angel share a silent pain as they watch the commercial video Doyle and Cordelia made. What seemed stilted and silly just a day before is filled now with prophetic words of wisdom:

"If you need help, then look no further," he tells the viewer earnestly, "Angel Investigations is the *best.* Our rats are low. < Rates! > It says rats. Sorry. Our rates are low, but our standards are high. When the chips are down and you're at the end of your rope, you need someone that can you can count on. And that's what you'll find here. Someone who'll go all the way, who'll protect you no matter what. So don't lose hope. Come on over to our offices, and you'll see that there's still heroes in this world. Is that it? Am I done?"

Mary Beth's Review

They killed Doyle! Those bastards!!

Okay, there, I said it. Now I'm moving on.

How can an episode filled with so many brilliant moments, be filled with so many bad things, too?

This was a wonderful study into the character of Doyle that gave us everything we've wanted from Doyle and more. And that's part of its problem. For something Joss and Greenwalt have said they planned all along, this sure felt like "quick, let's shove an entire character arc into one episode so we don't cheat the fans anymore than we already are." Waiting to see how Cordy reacts to Doyle's half-demon status? Done. And she accepts it pretty readily. Want to know why Doyle's stuck serving TPTB and gets those blindingly painful visions of his? Done. Want Doyle and Angel to bond more? Done. Want Cordy and Doyle to finally kiss? Done. Want Doyle to come to terms with his demon/human angst? Done.

And then they kill him. No wonder there are rumors they felt they had nothing more to do with Doyle. They used it all up here. That said. Glenn Quinn made this story work. This was his episode to shine, and he went out in style. His retelling of his past mistakes (and the flashbacks) was especially poignant, as were any of his scenes with Reef. It's amazing what the young can teach us.

But strip away the wonderful character development in this episode, and you're left with one weak story.

The Scourge are a Big Bad Evil Army trying to "cleanse" the world and make it "pure" for the truly evil demons. They hunt down "half-breeds" who hide in hidden rooms in grungy buildings. They wear uniforms, make familiar hand gestures, and ride 1940s motorcycles. Get it?! Get it?! They're Nazis! Get it?! Yes! We Get It! This was way over done. Well, the idea of persecution of half-breeds was a good one, and the scenes where the families talk about their oppression and the fear they face from humans, these were well done. But they took it too far. Subtlety has always been a strong suit of Mutant Enemy productions. They seemed to forget this.

And the entire conclusion, from Angel deciding to join The Scourge -- when his focus should have been on getting the people out of the country -- so he could conveniently learn their plot to the crew member of the boat who just happened to know where/how to find The Scourge so he could turn the people in, was filled with convenient plot devices and holes big enough to loose a 4x4 in them.

And the Big Lamp of Death -- a sad excuse for a way to go. Physics aside.... this thing couldn't be dropped from great height and broken? There seemed to be any number of ways they could have stopped this thing, and this cheapened Doyle's heroic death for me. It seemed extremely contrived and very set up. I would have been happier with something either much more sudden or that seemed much more necessary. They failed to convincingly convey, logically, the need for someone, anyone, to die that night.

Still, the very idea that he achieved redemption for his past mistake in his death was a fitting way to send the character off.... if they had to do so. And the acting was stellar enough to sell the idea.

Characters
This is Doyle's episode, most definitely. In the beginning, he's the same old Doyle we're familiar with -- wise-cracking middleman unwilling to do any more than he has to to get by -- or get a date with Cordy. Even after a conversation with Angel about his and Buffy's Lost Day, Doyle is playing the part of the reluctant sidekick. He jokes with Angel about letting Angel do the fighting and being to scared to even ask Cordelia out. But later, he finally gets up the nerve to tell her the truth about himself, but is interrupted by his vision. It's when he's confronted with his own kind -- and his demons from the past -- that he's forced to face the things he's been avoiding since he discovered his half-demon status and later was sent to help Angel. This confrontation, like so many in our lives, forces him to dig deep.... and he discovers that just because he's half-demon, it doesn't mean he's not human. He's a big softy at heart. And he gives his life in the fight against evil and to let Angel -- the man he's truly come to admire as "the real deal" -- live to be a part of that fight.

Cordelia evolves a great deal from this encounter, too. At first the same self-involved Cordy we know and love, her exposure to the half-demon families and their plight opens her mind to the shades of grey in the battle with the forces of darkness, and makes her much more open to Doyle's own half-demon status than she might have been in other situations. Still, her easy acceptance seems a bit sudden. She cracks "What do you think I am, superficial?" Well, yeah, actually, I do. I would expect her to accept him, but not without a little hesitance. She does accept him though. And losing him so soon after deciding to open her heart to him is going to shake her to the core.

Angel has little to do in this episode, actually (save having his hair massacred by the stylists! Ick!). But it's a pivotal moment when he trusts Doyle enough to actually share his pain for once and tell him about the Lost Day with Buffy. The loss of his new friend -- his own mentor -- and when he was so ready to give his own life instead, is not something he's going to get over easily.

Relationships
Cordelia and Doyle come to terms with one another, and even have a moment to plan a date before their world comes crashing down.

Angel and Doyle bond over lost loves and the fight against evil. At the beginning of the episode, and throughout, you get the idea that Angel really is Doyle's hero. The things he sacrifices, the pain he suffers all in the name of helping the needy, these are things Doyle admires him for. By the end of the episode, it's clear that their roles have reversed.

Continuity
Some kind of blue wispy light passes between Cordelia and Doyle during their kiss. Could this be a way of passing the visions on to someone else? And just how thrilled would Cordy be about getting head-splitting visions all in the name of the Fight Against Evil? Someone's going to be demanding a raise.....

Cordelia finally learns Doyle is half-demon. And accepts it. Just in time for him to die.

We learn that the reason Doyle gets the visions from TPTB is because he turned his back on his own kind when the Scourge was after them. He's been getting the visions ever since, although it's not clear just how long that is.

Angel, whose been grumpy and useless since Buffy visited, fills Doyle in on his "lost day" with Buffy, and Doyle turns around and tells Cordelia. So that's two people who know now. And one of them is much more likely to spill the beans if she's ever provoked.

Harriet is still in L.A., although she and Doyle are living separate lives. But it's always good to know there's a demonologist on hand.

Best Moments
* Cordy trying to get Angel to buy the Dark Avenger.

* Doyle picturing Angel in tights. Hee!

* Angel opening up to Doyle about Buffy.

* The flashbacks to Doyle's Big Mistake that brought TPTB down on him. The scene where Doyle found the bodies of his fellow Brakken demons was gruesome, but powerful.

* Cordy and her Wintergreen "Demon Repellent"

* Doyle convincing Reef not to run away. A moving scene that showed Quinn's acting chops.

* Cordy smacking Doyle and reading the riot act for hiding the truth from him... then telling him to ask her out already.

* The kiss goodbye.

* The videotape at beginning and end. An inspired way to use the same words/scenes in different contexts to highlight the character growth and sacrifice of Doyle.

* The music throughout was quite simply, lovely. Especially over Doyle's flashbacks, his death scene, and the watching of the video. Chris Beck has found a worthy successor in Robert J. Kral.

Rating
The episode had some phenomenal acting on the part of Glenn Quinn. The back story for Doyle, the book-ending of the commercial video, the bonding between Angel and Doyle and Doyle and Cordelia all were wonderful bits. But the gaping plotholes and number of convenient plot devices really ruined, for me, what was supposed to be the heroic death of Doyle. I can only give it a 3 out of 5.

SunSpeak

"Like Julie, I am now going to be rating Angel by the squishedness factor of certain items. However, instead of mooses, I am going to use fiances. I would have to rate this a One Squished Fiance episode. Unfortunately, there is a flaw in this rating system. If I rate anything as more than one squished fiance, I will, in the future, have no fiances to squish and therefore will be completely unable to rate Angel or Buffy. Therefore, I am going to have to discontinue the Squished Fiance Rating System For Buffy And Angel.
*grumble* Stupid ep should never have been written. Grr." --Tina

"I really, really liked Doyle. More than I liked Cordy at times. And *poof* he's gone. I suppose I should be happy they let him go out with a bit of class--true hero-style rather than what they had done to Jenny. But I'm not. I'm just depressed. Heck, I was all amused & happy after the Buffy ep and this just wiped it all out. Heck, I can't even remember what I wanted to post about the Buffy ep now. I haven't been this unhappy about a show since the end of FK." --Julie

"I knew it was coming and yet I found myself hoping that Joss was being super-diabolical and was going to pull out of this nosedive into sadness. but no - his diabolicalness was merely the ordinary 'See, I have this magic reset button you can only use one but I've already used it' kind. This week is the week I want to have badly costumed extras turning back the clock. Come on! Make Angel stay and destroy the bright light beacon thingy before it is loaded into the truck. Make Angel run home, fetch some sort of weapon to throw at the 'high powered beacon of dismay'. I hate the beacon. And yet, I would like to drop it on Joss' head. Two birds yadda, yadda, yadda..." -- Deb

" Loved Doyle attempting to do the commercial. Loved every shot Doyle was in. Hey, I may sounds excessive know but soon I will be too glum to speak about him - at least for a day or two...or maybe after I fic the whole thing and make it go away. Loved the Doyle flashback when he was filling Angel in on his initial experience with the scourge." -- Deb

"The scourge seem to think, dress and gesture in cliche (Sieg Heil, football head) and by the way - who decides what these demons are gonna look like. They were - kinda like Texas Chainsaw Massacre." -- Deb

"Damn it, Doyle. We hardly knew ya. And now, just when we do, you go and do something worthily, heroically, bravely stupid. Oh, the humanity!" --Deb

"OK, for the second week in a row, Angel has underwhelmed me. I'm sorry, but Doyle's death was totally lame. The first three acts were decent, and I was almost looking forward to the death scene bit, and then...I just couldn't buy it. It was sloppy. It was contrived. It was worse than Sleepless in Seattle. WAY worse. You shouldn't have to work that hard to die, at least not when you're not suicidal, y'know? I'm thinkin' they shoulda totally rewritten act four. Totally." --Jennie

"Hurtingness. *Manipulative* hurtingness. The tape. The "never know what you can do until you're tested" bit. Talking the kid into keeping going and not running away. The guilt from the other demons' deaths. *sniffffff* And asking --- well, almost asking --- Cordy out. If he'd done it sooner, the demon thing might have been an issue, but after several hours with pathetic family demons, she was okay with him being a demon. Since, let's face it, he might be short and poor and with bad dress sense, but he *is* cute. And funny. And he liked her. *sniffffle* Not fair! Not fair not fair not fair! *sniff* You know, no matter how much you prepare for a character death, and how much you know it's coming, if they do it right, you still hurt. Joss bites. Blows. Sucks. Die! Die a lot!" --Kiki

"Cordelia's never gonna date again. Or ever like another guy. At least, not for a good loooong while. Unless they make her go out with a loser who gets killed or revealed to be evil next week, thus negating the need to hate whoever they set her up with next. But if they don't do that, the next guy will have to live up to Doyle, who died to save her and Angel and those half-demons. And this is the second time a boyfriend has died on her (or, well, potential boyfriend, in Doyle's case). Kevin died too, in Prophecy Girl. If I were Cordy, a convent would be looking really good right now. *sigh* Not to mention that I'm pretty damn sure she'll be getting Doyle's headaches during the next new ep. I saw that little blue glowy fog go into her mouth when he kissed her. I don't think he did it on purpose. But it still happened." -- Kiki

"And we're never again going to see him going into head agony when he gets a headache...he always looks so...in need of a hug. The way he presses his eye to the heel of his hand, the way his shoulders stiffen... *sniff*" --Betsy

"Okay. So.... I heard weeks ago he was leaving. And you all know me. I'm a *sap*.... but.... sorry. Can't cry. I was touched by the episode.... his sacrifice. They sent him off with style. But.... somehow in the last couple weeks I shut off the emotions. I've been waiting for it to come and be over and now it is and I'm ready to move on. It sucks cuz I loved Doyle. But... can't cry. *sigh* This same thing happened to me with Jenny, I think. No, I did cry for her. But I was understanding of why they killed her. Here.... I don't quite understand why they did it. So... unemotional. I guess maybe it's partly because I've heard the rumors that Glenn Quinn may have only himself to blame and that sort of ruins the pathos. Hmmmm...." -- MB

"But Doyle.... Doyle was a sweet guy who didn't ask for what the world gave him. He was the best kind of human being, though. He hid behind the attitude and the booze, but he was caring and loyal and more than so many people could hope to be. It was touching to see him *get* that in the end. It's just frustrating and sad that he didn't have time to appreciate what he got. I admire Joss and co. for showing the reality of the war against evil. If it was planned, it was a gutsy move. It may backfire. If it *was* something they had to do.... well at least they made the most of it. " --MB

"So.... Angel told Doyle about the lost day. Hmmm.... I like that he's learning that sharing the burden can be easier. I'm even happier Doyle told Cordy. Cuz that's one more person who knows and one more who some day... some time.... when she's really sick of Buffy's whining about Angel, will spill the beans about what he gave up for her. So there." -- MB

"As Joss is my witness if they *ever*EVER* do David's hair like that again, I'm gonna kill someone. That was the most frightening hideous thing I've ever seen. I will never make fun of his spikey do again." -MB

"But I like Doyle, and I want him back, and my damn roommate isn't home and won't watch the episodes for another couple of days at least, and how am I going to keep from telling her what happened, and, as run-on sentences go, this one's doing quite well, no? Though as much as the guy is great and everything.... If they had just got on with it and not looked back, didn't it seem like he would have had enough time to get the thing disconnected before he got disintegrated? Sorry, had to get that off my chest first. "What are they going to do without him? Angel and Cordy would kill each other in a matter of weeks at the rate they normally work at. Somehow, no matter how older and wiser Angel seems to be, I can't see him having any patience with Cordy over the next little while, and I don't see a miraculous shift in Cordy. I think she'll either end up being suppressed and difficult to deal with or she'll overcompensate and be worse. It also wouldn't be as if it was mostly Cordelia's loss, illiciting more sympathy from Angel, because Doyle was important to both of them." -- Kimberley

It might, however, be interesting to see how Angel does deal with Doyle's loss. We haven't really run into that situation with him. (Or am I forgetting someone other than Buffy, who is still out there somewhere.) Is he going to wallow in guilt or let Cordelia inspire more guilt and brooding, or react very, very badly to Cordelia trying to convince him that it wasn't his fault that he allowed Doyle, in human form, to sucker punch him over a railing? Personally, I really don't want to see the last. It's been done, and thought it might not have been the greatest of choices, it was still Doyle's choice. (Plus, Angel Investigations is his company, and handing in his resignation isn't going to be all that effective.)" -- Kimberley

"In an amazing plot contrivance second only to Zen and Jana, the "Who Mourns for Adonais?"-reject deus ex machina oracle twins from last week, Angel joins the Hitlerjugend???? And then, in a moment of, 'Gee, wouldn't it be a kinda nifty bit of angst if the cowardly guy actually *died* heroically?' Doyle is vaporised by a Great Big Christmas Tree Ornament of Death (as Tara is calling it)? Cuz, we all know that magical devices that vaporise people with light only need a good 210 power supply to work..." -- Amy

"I can accept the killing of characters who die because of inexorable story developments. When Angel turned evil 2 years ago, that story *dictated* that someone close to the Scooby Gang must die or the plot development wouldn't hold any water. I didn't enjoy watching that, or the subsequent repercussions, but it was a well-told story, it was a story that, once the events went into motion, had to have that outcome (or some variation thereof). But this seemed gratuitous or half-hearted...and wasn't even in a well-plotted episode. Plot contrivances abounded. There was no greater reason. And I am delighted when there's not always a pat, easy, greater reason. When Tessa died in a random carjacking, I thought that was well done...the irony of her dying not because of the Immortal stuff but because of an inspecific, non-targeted bit of street violence. Again, something with a point. This? Not so much of a point." --Amy

"I fail to see how the light could be so intense as to liquify Doyle right next to it yet not intense enough to even affect the folks 15 feet away. All he actually touched was a power cord. I also saw very few reflective surfaces and lots of what looked like shady hiding places in the room they were in. I think they've offended my sense of physics." -- Jennie

"I tend to think that it would have been more effective for his death to be even more sudden. No less sacrificial, but..... not so..... cliche. It was so set up, so contrived. It was well *done*.... and gave them a chance to give the viewers all the things they would have wanted (good byes, a kiss with Cordy....) but... what they did could have been better. It seemed to me that they just shoved all of Doyle's character arc into one episode to avoid cheating the viewers of info.... but that tells me this was *NOT* planned all along and there's much more to it. --MB

"They got rid of Doyle in a way that wasn't that original, and fairly predictable once the show was 10 minutes old. Angel and Cordy alone? I just don't see it working very well." -- Karen

"Doyle was one of the reasons I watched the show. I've heard that Wesley is joining the cast. I hope they write him as more than the gag character of last year or I'm soon going to be rooting for his death as well."
"Or that he's learned to act. I don't care if Joss says Alexis cracks him up...I didn't think much of his acting ability or choices last year. Sure, he had iffy material to work with much of the time, but *wow* did he make it even worse.... Ugh. Course, David has improved *astronomically*--I enjoy watching his performances now. So anything could happen... I just doubt we'd get that lucky twice..." -- Dawn & Amy

"So the people rooting for Cordy to date another fixer-upper will have to be satisfied with one kiss and a heroic death scene. :( :( :( !@#$!! What else is there to say? Cordy was great. Angel was okay. Doyle was ...snif heroic and is now dead. I think that was a pretty *definite* death scene. We can spec about him being transported to another dimension but when the flesh starts to melt, that's a sign. Chalk another one up to the "Not Dead Dammit!" club." -- Dawn

"When I completely turned off the logic circuits in my brain to watch the end of Angel, I could see what everyone was whimpering about, but I don't like having them that totally 'off'. I shouldn't have to do that. I liked Doyle lots. I was sad he was gonna die but willing to give it a go because I had hope they'd handle it well and I would have been OK with that. I could have slid happily off into my little pool of denial. I even brought my suit. But nooo, they had to put icky stuff in the water on me. Someone call in the Department of Mental Health, please? I'm sure we've got some *major* violations here."
"Hmmm... I had way less device issues than most folks here, but that may be partially traceable to two factors. (1) I had rehearsal last night, and came in halfway through the first time. Thus, too busy piecing together what the plot *was* to find holes. (2) I watched the whole thing this morning with the world's worst cold. Thus, non-functional in general. Result? I enjoyed it, in a not-stellar-but-certainly-adequate tragic kinda way. And Charisma and Glenn were bloody f***ing brilliant. And I feel no need to take it apart any further." --Jennie, & Val

"I really liked Doyle, and even though I knew he was going to die and the episode had plot canyons, I still cried."
"And I knew they were manipulating us. I knew it, loathed it, especially since it STILL WORKED! I _so_ hate being led by the nose."
"Okay, I don't really care how they bring him back, but at least once, they BETTER bring him back. < pout >"
"Want them to, but it in retrospect it would cheapen this whole thing more than it already has been. So...not holding my breath." -- Leslie, Julie, Leslie & Julie

"It's fairly interesting that "demons" on Angel doesn't seem to mean the same thing as "demons" on Buffy. What we're learning with Angel in the big, bad city is that Whistler wasn't so extrodinary as a not-all-bad demon. Presumably, all the demons Buffy ran into in Sunnydale (with the exception of Angel) were drawn by the (malicious?) power of the Hellmouth. So it's completely understandable that she wouldn't encounter any "good" demons. But between Doyle (HND, D), Harry's ex-fiance and family, and the huddled demon masses yearing to be free this week, "demon" is getting a different sense in the Angel half of the Buffyverse. From the Nazi-guys, we're getting the impression that the difference is pureblood verses human/demon hybreds. Which opens just a whole new kettle of fish... demons and humans can mate and produce offspring? But if demons aren't automatically bad... how are you going to know who the good guys are? Hmmm. Interesting." --Lizbet

"I know I'm being simplistic, but...I want happy mostly stories!" -- Julie