Mary Beth's Synopsis

A moonlit night. A dark alley. A girl running for her life. This girl, unfortunately, runs directly into a shadowy figure -- a vampire. The vampire grasps her by the throat, runs a sharp finger knife over her cheek, then sinks his fangs into her throat. From above, we get a view of the offending vamp: tall, dark haired, wearing dark clothes. There's something familiar..... The vamp drops the girl to the ground and we finally see his face. Damn straight it's familiar. It's Angelus!

In a flash, Angel gasps and sits up in bed -- it was a nightmare. But a very vivid one that has left our hero quite unsettled.

Meanwhile, in a familiar looking alley, Kate and her partner arrive at a crime scene to find the woman from Angel's dream -- dead, with a cross cut into her cheek. And she's not the first victim either. "This makes three," says Kate. "This guy's just getting started."

~*~*~*~

At the offices of Angel investigations, Cordelia is in the middle of a tough sales pitch . . . with a chair. Wesley interrupts before even this client can run screaming for mercy, having arrived purportedly to exchange news from their respective battle fronts -- and bring in their mail. Sadly, all's quiet on the LA front, no news to report.

Wesley doesn't show any signs of leaving, however, and stays fill in viewers who may have missed Parting Gifts on what happened. Cordelia, meanwhile, realizes Wesley brought her someone else's mail. Before Wesley can even be embarrassed (for once), a story on the front page of the paper catches his attention. His mood turns grave almost instantly, which Cordy notices. But before he can explain, he hears Angel coming up in the elevator and makes a hasty retreat from the offices -- claiming he has to return the mail to its rightful owner.

Angel, meanwhile, slams the elevator door open and a dark, disturbed cloud practically pours out with him. I don't think even coffee's going to help this mood. Good thing, since there isn't any. Cordy tries to fill him in on a license plate he needed traced, but quickly notices his dourness and comments--Cordy-style--but Angel just wants to go about daily business. Cordy suggests he have Kate help with the trace. Angel leaves, insisting that he's fine -- and then tries to walk out the front door into sunlight. Yeah. He's fine.

Angel head for the tunnels, while Cordy goes to shut the front door. Outside, Wesley has been lurking in the foyer, listening in on their conversation. He skulks off.

At police headquarters, Kate agrees to bend the rules and find the license place info for him. She knows he's out to help someone, so she trusts him. And she's happy to have something to distract her from this horrible case she's working on. In the mood to talk a little, and fills Angel in: three victims so far -- a man, a child, and a young woman all with nothing in seemingly nothing in common save the way they died. A uniform brings by the crime scene photos, and Angel catches a glimpse -- and freezes. The girl is the one from his dreams, the cross on her cheek triggers a memory. Kate mistakes his shock for horror, and commiserates. She's been trying to put together a profile on the killer, and it's not been much fun for her. The tabloids are calling him The Pope -- saying that he thinks he's doing God's work. Angel has another idea -- he's mocking God. Angel is clearly shaken, and when Kate's attention is diverted by the uniformed officer, he makes a hasty exit.

In the squad room, Kate fills her team in on the profile she's come up with so far. Long lecture short: She describes Angel to a T. On the surface, doesn't seem like a monster. Charming, attractive, but at his core he's a loner. Possibly a duel personality, who once the crime is committed, doesn't remember committing it. He seems himself as something other than human -- more than human even who sees victims as prey, staking them. She mentions a recent, painful break up that could serve as a catalyst to the crimes -- we see Angel wandering the streets, his attention caught by a petite blonde with a striking resemblance to Buffy. The relationship would have marked an inactive period in the killer's life, acting as a lifeline. The killer, Kate says, has been doing this a very long time and he will do it again.

At the offices, Cordy packs up for the night and starts to leave, when she runs in to Wesley. He's looking for Angel -- and he's carrying a stake. Taken aback, Cordy tells Wes it's rather rude to come to a vamp's home with such a weapon. Could be misinterpreted. Wesley fills Cordy in on what upset him that morning, showing her the article in the paper about the young woman's death. Cordy is unmoved. But it turns out that when Wesley was serving as a Watcher, he did a lot of research on Angel -- he had the time since no one was listening to him anyway -- because of Angel's close relationship with Buffy. Wesley recognized the cross carved on the victim's left cheek as a signature of Angel's from his early killing days in the late 1700s. Cordelia doesn't like where this is headed, and tells Wesley to leave. She's certain that Angel's good now and nothing anyone else can say or do will change her mind.

Except maybe Angel -- who's been listening from the door way to his office, and who tells her that he thinks Wesley's right. Cordy's response, to Wesley "You hold him down, and I'll cut his head off."

Angel moves quietly into the room, and Wesley holds up a cross to hold him back. Angel promises he's not going to hurt anyone -- disarming Wesley in a flash to prove how easily he could kill him if he wanted to. Cordy and Wesley back off and listen to what he has to say.

He doesn't remember committing these murders, but admits to having killing dreams, always the same. Cordy tries to placate him -- they're just nightmares. But that's not all, says Angel, he's enjoyed them. There's not much Cordy can say to that. Wesley puts it together and realizes that Angel fears he's acting these dreams out in some sort of sleepwalking state. Especially since all the murders have happened in the pre-dawn hours. There's only one to find out, and that's chaining Angel to the bed for the night. So they do.

We'll pause while the female viewing audience appreciates this scene . . . .

Cordy and Wesley secure Angel for the night -- sadly, fully clothed -- and Wesley stays on watch (Cordy doesn't particularly want to take her chances. "Better safe than cocktails.") And heads out.

Another moonlit night (this time long ago), another dark alley (this one with cobbled streets), another woman running for her life (this one in a peasant dress). Again she runs straight into her attacker and meets a similar fate as her modern day counterpart. She falls to the ground, and we see Angelus standing above her (long stringy hair, no horrible sideburns). "There now," he drawls in his 'Irish' brogue, "isn't that better?"

Angel jerks awake -- still chained to the bed -- just as Cordelia arrives and Wesley starts to unchain Angel. It's morning, and she's happy. There's been another murder! Okay, well, that's not good, but at least they know Angel didn't do it. But Angel surprises them both with his reaction. "Yes, I did."

~*~*~*~

Back in the past, Angelus stands over the victim -- as another vampire rises from her body, his mouth bloody, his appetite sated. This vamp, Penn is his name, is a new protege, and this was his first kill -- his sister. Angelus is proud. And his next lesson for Penn will be in savoring the sweetness that is the rest of his family.

In a dingy apartment in LA, the modern-day Penn busily decorates his wall with clippings recounting his latest killing spree, admiring his work thus far.

Back at his apartment, Angel has finished filling Cordy and Wesley in on his past with Penn. He was a good student, taught well -- a real "Psycho-Wan Kenobi," Cordy calls him. Penn hasn't changed his act for 200 years, though. And he needs to be stopped. Angel decides Kate is the key in finding and stopping the murders.

At the precinct, Angel finds Kate and asks to talk to her. In the meeting room, Angel looks over the gruesome photos from the killing spree. Kate, who's coincidentally fingering her crucifix, tells him the investigation is going nowhere right now. As Angel looks over the picture, he flashes back to scenes of Penn's home and his family's bodies strewn about -- a man, a girl, a young woman, an older woman -- and figures out that Penn is simply repeating his first kills. Kate notices something is up. Angel asks if she trusts him -- she does -- and he gives her the tip of a lifetime -- a picture he's drawn of Penn -- and tells her that's the man she's looking for. Kate is shocked, and Angel tells her that the next victim will be an adolescent white male, taken off the streets near a bar or liquor store. Kate listens intently.

In the garage under the precinct, Angel meets Wesley at the car -- he's told Kate enough to get her killed, which they'll have to ensure doesn't happen. They're going to monitor police communication on a police radio that Angel stole from a police car. They'll let the cops lead them right to Penn.

Kate gets her team mobilized. On the streets, a young boy trying to get people to buy him beer finally gets someone to offer him help -- Penn. Fortunately, two cops in a nearby squad car notice, recognize Penn, and call it in. They take off in pursuit as Penn leads the boy down and alley and attacks. The car interrupts in time to save the boys life as Penn takes off and goes flying up and through a boarded up window in an abandoned building. Angel and Wes, listening in find the alley and watch the action. Kate heads into the building; Angel realizes where Penn is and heads up a fire escape to the roof top.

Inside, Penn surprises Kate as she searches the building when he casually saunters down a staircase. Kate warns him, then fires on him -- three shots -- when he doesn't stop. When she checks for a pulse and, finding none, starts to call for back up. That's when Penn reaches up, grabs her by the lapels, pulls her down, whispers in her ear -- "ouch!" -- and then shoves her across the length of the room. She lands hard and gasps for breath, gaping at Penn. He moves in for the kill just as Angel comes crashing through from above -- landing in Penn's way. Penn recognizes his sire and is both surprised and happy to see him. Angel is not as moved.

Penn asks him what happened to him -- they were to meet in Italy. But Angel got sidetracked, he tells Penn, in Romania. By gypsies. Kate has taken advantage of the distraction to reach her radio and call for back-up, but Penn notices her. He tries to get Angel to join him for a drink, but Angel's not there to socialize. He's there to kill Penn.

He vamps out and catches Penn off guard. A battle royale ensues as Kate looks on, her face a mixture of confusion and fear -- and maybe a touch of awe. The vampires throw each other to the ceiling, across the room, through beams. Angel throws Penn through a cinder wall and tells Kate to get out of there. She starts to move, but freezes again when Penn vaults back through the wall at Angel. Penn is still confused as to why Angel knows "its name" and is helping her. They continue to struggle, and Kate pulls her gun. They can hear her backup approaching. Penn throws Angel into Kate and makes his escape. Angel gets up and turns to Kate -- he's still vamped out. She stares back trying to take it all in.

~*~*~*~

Later, while the forensics teams go over the scene, Kate confronts Angel. She pulls her gun, but comments that it didn't hurt Penn and asks Angel if he'd get up, too. She asks him what he is, but he tells her that she already knows. Kate backs down, while Angel tells her that he knows there's something in the police reports that have been left out of the press -- a bite on the neck and that the victim's have all been drained of their blood. Kate wavers -- should it comfort her that he knows this. Angel goes on -- she's not going to be able to stop Penn the normal ways; it's going to take direct sunlight, decapitation, or a stake through the heart. Kate's brain is on overload; she doesn't want to believe. And until she does, says Angel, she'll lose. He grabs her crucifix and as his hand burns, he tells her there are just some things in this world she's not ready to face. Then, he walks away.

Angel may have underestimated Kate, though. At the precinct, she starts going through police records from as far back as she can find -- looking for similar crimes. Looking for answers. She fins some, in Boston.

And at the offices, Cordelia is in the middle of another hard sell. This time, however, it would be better if she were talking to a chair, because this time, the "client" is Penn. He tells her that he heard of them through the police -- a particularly enthusiastic detective. He feigns forgetfulness at her name, though, and ever-helpful Cordy supplies Kate's name . . . before finally cluing in that Penn is pumping her for info and is who he is. Before Penn can hurt her though, she pulls the blinds up high, and Penn leaps back from the sunlight. Angel arrives, too, but the swath of sunlight keeps them on opposite sides of the room. Cordy goes to get Angel a stake, while Angel confronts his former pupil. Penn babbles, then Cordy brings Angel the stake. Angel apologizes to Penn -- for turning him into a cheap hack who can't stop getting back at his father. He pegs Penn for having a killer's shrine on his wall. Penn is agitated by Angel's taunting and moves away toward the door -- which is when Wesley most conveniently arrives so he can be Penn's hostage. Penn tells Angel he's right; he does need to change his tune -- and he will. "Just think of the worst possible thing you can imagine and I'll see you there." He shoves Wesley at Angel, grabs the dark heavy overcoat he'd used to get there, and makes a break for it.

Meanwhile, Kate continues to do Giles proud, searching archaic book stores for all the information she can find. Angel searches the streets for Penn, and Penn, in his lair, makes his plans.

Later, Kate's studies are interrupted by a knock on her door. It's Angel. He asks if he can come in, but Kate's ready for him. She knows he has to be invited, and she's not so ready to trust him right now. She's done her homework all right. She knows that Penn has been in LA before in 1929 and 1963. She believes Angel now. Or should she say Angelus. That she'd learned this much stuns Angel. He's not prepared for her to know so much so soon, and she' not prepared to trust him. He tries to tell her that while he can't make up for the past. No, Kate tells him, he can't, especially since what's going on now is pretty much is fault. She knows Angel made Penn. Quietly, Angel pleads, "Let me help, please." "Please. Now there's a word I imagine you heard quite a lot in your time. Please. No. Don't." She refuses his offer to help, telling him she knows what to do -- drive a stake through Penn's hear. And if Angel's nearby, he'll be next. And with that she slams the door.

Angel takes what he learned from Kate about Penn's previous activities, and he and Cordy and Wesley do their own research. In press clippings, they find that in both of the previous cases, the police managed to track the killer to his hideout, but just missed him. Both times, he was staying at the same place. Good old predictable Penn.

Angel and Wesley find Penn's place empty, but do come across pictures of several schools, school buses, and children, as well as maps and lists of bus routes. Have they found Penn's New Big Thing?

~*~*~*~

At the police precinct, Kate fills her team in with a pictures of Penn and Angel. She wants the police to put Angel under surveillance and use him to find Penn. Unfortunately, Penn's already found them -- in fact, his in the room. With lightning speed, he grabs one cop and shoves him into most of the others (at least he's consistent), grabs a couple others and disarms them before going after Kate.

Having decided that the school children were just a ruse, Wesley and Angel arrive in the garage (Angel under a blanket until they get in), to find chaos as dozens of police cars scramble to pursue the suspect. Angel ducks out of the car and down a manhole into the sewer system. He knows that's the only way Penn could go.

Down below, Penn drags Kate into an anteroom off the sewers. He stops, vamps out, and moves in for the kill. He, of course, takes time to taunt his victim. Which gives Angel time to catch up. With Penn distracted, Kate reaches into her pocket and pulls out a vial of holy water, which she splashes on Penn's face. He throws her against the wall, where she falls, winded.

Penn tells Angel that he's finally realized that it's not his mortal father he's been trying to stick it to, it's Angel. He attacks, another tough fight ensues, and Kate watches. She picks up a stay piece of wood (from a conveniently placed wooden structure that's been smashed during the fight), but Penn kicks it out of her hand. She falls again. Penn actually gains the upper hand, grabbing Angel from behind and holding him by the neck. Kate picks up the piece of wood again and hesitates while Penn taunts Angel for being weak now. Kate and Angel exchange looks before Kate rushes forward and impales both Angel and Penn. Only Penn, however, bursts into dust. "You missed," Angel breathes. "No I didn't," Kate tells him as she yanks it back out. They each fall to ground, exhausted. . . and silent.

~*~*~*~

On the rooftop of the offices, Cordelia finds Angel brooding and lets him know she's gotten another vision. Angel's been contemplating his unlife and the world; how nothing ever seems to change. Cordelia doesn't agree. He's changed, she tells him. She tries to reassure him, reminding him that they were just dreams. But he enjoyed them -- something she asks that he never mention again. He's worried, though, that the demon is still in him. Sure it is, she says, but that doesn't mean she is him. TPTB aren't working with Angelus; they're working with Angel.

For now, Angel accepts Cordelia's comfort, but notes that while people do change, sometimes they change back. And if that ever happens, he says. . . .

"Oh, I'll kill you dead," Cordy promises.

Because that's what friends are for.

Mary Beth's Review

Wow. This was one stellar Tuesday, in my book. Two hours of good TV. After a poignant and often hilarious hour of Buffy, though, Angel took a darker turn. This episode was intricately crafted and gripping, from the criminal profiling to Penn's family issues and Angel's constant fear of losing control.

Characters
Angel -- The poor boy goes through quite a lot in this episode. Not only is he forced to face his fear of losing control again -- he's reminded that a very large part of him longs for just such a thing to happen. And we're reminded that the demon isn't gone from Angel and he's not just a pretty-faced Hero now, he's a vampire and there's much more of a struggle going on than he lets anyone see. And he's forced finally to let Kate in on his secret -- which he doesn't hesitate to do when her life is on the line. Angel never hesitates or tries to hide his vamp visage -- he practically shoves it all in her face and dares her to accept it, too. His fears seem to be driving him there -- perhaps he secretly hopes to scare her away at that point and thus keep her safe? Whatever the case, he underestimates her resolve, and in the end her knowing will prove invaluable when he can open up more about the kinds of things he's fighting.

But at the heart of the episode is Angel's ongoing struggle to reconcile his past and his present. We get to see another of Angelus's progeny -- but Penn is from Angelus's early days as a vampire and seems to have been "made" in his father's own image. Everything about Penn is derivative -- as Angel points out. But wouldn't it make sense for Angelus to pick victims that he can mold and control -- but who will never quite be as strong or dangerous as he is? And this explains Angel apology for making Penn what he is.

Cordelia -- Her loyalty to Angel is growing with each passing episode. Sure, she's willing to take him out the second he turns evil again (so she says), but she first and foremost believes in him and will defend him to any Tom, Dick, or Wesley who gets in her way. Doyle's death at least served to push these two even closer together as Angel vows not to lose another friend and Cordy's determined not to lose her lifeline (both to her soul and her income!). And she still demonstrates a pretty fast mind when it comes to spotting those vampires and how to save herself from them. The most intriguing and often frustrating development (for some Cordy fans) is the humanity she's showing more and more. Her talk with Angel at the end was surprisingly touching. It was nice to see someone who's changed a lot give him the encouragement he needed -- but just as nice to see Cordiness in her "oh, I'll kill you dead."

Kate -- She proves once again that she's smart, she's tough, and she can find her own way in this world. She's developed quite a rapport with Angel, but she wasn't willing to fall back on that when confronted with the mind-shattering, life-altering truth about Angel. And her response to Angel's challenge that she isn't ready to deal with the truth is impressive -- to search out all she can on vampires is task enough, but she took it further to find out about Angel himself. Smart cookie. She also demonstrates her top-notch detective and profiling skills.

Wesley -- Well. He's still here. And his Watcher background proves useful. But his bumbling ways get in the way again. Otherwise, he's just sort of *there*. He seems to really like Angel and Cordelia, though, and is quietly latching on to them out of loneliness and a need to find his place in this world. At this point, Angel might as well post a "Detective Agency for Wayward Souls" sign over his door.

Relationships
Kate's and Angel's working relationship and burgeoning friendship is finally put to the ultimate test when she finds out Angel's secret. I like that she refuses to be suckered in by his quiet pleas and chooses, instead, to do things her way and make her own decisions. Of course, that almost gets her killed, but it also ensures that she sees just what Angel was and what he has become and the kind of life he's faced with. It helps her decide to go with her guts and give him back at least a little of her trust though. It will be interesting to see if she continues her research and has more questions for Angel.

Cordy and Angel seemed to have bonded more since Doyle's death -- perhaps in part because Cordelia would surely be lost without the income, the anchor, and the purpose in her life that Angel provides. They reach a nice understanding at the end, with Cordelia summoning a great deal of humanity in comforting Angel, and him reacting with surprise that he's gained an unexpected friend in all this.

Continuity
Kate knows Angel's secret. And while she finally sides with him in the end, it remains to be seen how this will affect the trusting working relationship they'd formed.

Wesley's got lots of Angel knowledge and access to at least some Watcher records, which could prove useful in the future.

Angel maintains a "connection" with the vampires he made -- meaning he's able to sense them or at least they'll affect his subconscious to the point of him dreaming about them. I wonder if this is how he knew Dru & Spike were in town in School Hard.

More fun with dates and Mutant Enemy. According to the on-screen note in Becoming 1, Angel was resouled in 1898, but Penn talks about waiting for Angel in Italy into the 19th century. Oops.

Questions & Comments
I found the scene where Angel asks for Kate's trust eerily reminiscent of the scene where Buffy offers her neck to Angel in Angel. Not in actions so much as in tone -- it was a moment where Angel was really first putting himself on the line with her, even if she wasn't aware of his deepest secret at that point.

Some have questioned how Kate got a hold of books and journals on Angel. She was seen, however, in an old book shop. I'd venture to say that while Giles had lots of books, he didn't have them all (example: The Codex), and some mentions of Angel have made it to print. It's also possible that some Watcher Journals have made it out for "public" consumption.

The fight scenes were spectacular -- fights befitting two strong, older vampires -- it was very Matrix-y. But the use of the super-speed, the jumping through the window, and the throws into the walls and ceilings were new to this universe's vampires. It was a bit distracting.

Kate is strong enough to shove a rather dull piece of wood through *two* vampires -- with enough accuracy to save one and dust the other? Color me impressed.

So Kate knows about Angel. Angel knows about Riley. Riley knows about Buffy. But when does Kate get to find out about Buffy (and vice versa) -- and for that matter, when does Riley get to find out about Angel?

Best Moments
* "Psycho-Wan Kenobi" Bwhahaha!

* Both fight scenes -- tense, rough, totally cool!

* Cordy's quick thinking in pulling the blinds on Penn before he can even finish his threats. Go Cordy!

* Kate seeing Angel's true face, his challenge as to whether she's ready to accept the truth, and her subsequent research. The resulting moment with Angel in her doorway proved once and for all just how smart Kate really is. Me likes her.

* The rooftop scene between Cordelia and Angel. Surely it would have been Doyle if he'd been around, but I found it fitting that the one person who's seen both Angel and Angelus in action was there to comfort him and reassure him that while, sure, the demon's within him, he isn't the demon. It seemed to mean more coming from her. Her subsequent "Oh, I'll kill you dead" was priceless. But even better, to me, was the look of wonder on Angel's face at her "that's what friends are for" comment. It really took him aback there -- like he suddenly realized that they have, indeed, become friends.

* And did I mention Angel chained to the bed? Well besides the pleasing visual, Cordelia's banter in the scene was too funny.

Rating
4 out of 5. A tense, interesting, well-made episode. Great character interactions and interesting plot developments. And Angel chained to a bed!

SunSpeak

"I like that Kate now knows. I loved the scene where she refused to invite Angel in--excellent reaction. I like that she's sharp enough to pick up on the name and research him as well. . . . .I was impressed with her, that although when the information about Angel was new, she chewed him out, later as she was *clearly* reminded that he was fighting on her side and to rid the world of the baddie, she made a specific choice that she no longer wanted him dead."
"Which makes me like her more. She may still hold a grudge, but not to the point of stupidity."
"Not in the least. I also think she had one of the top reactions *ever* to her first vamp-dusting. Perfectly calm and collected on the surface, but the eyes were just a little too big, and she wanted something to lean on right *now*. Beautiful." --Amy, Kiki, & Val

"I was fascinated that she figured she could go through Angels' stomach and still hit baddie's heart. (She's *strong*!) And, if there was any lingering doubt in her mind, well, it's *gone*. I liked that she also had a backup bottle of holy water in her pocket. Clever." --Amy (on Kate)

"I'm very pleased that this episode had a *sharp*, complex plot. Much better than what I'm used to from either show--usually they're pretty straightforward plots, and this was very involved." -- Amy

"I really dislike Welsey, and thought he was an ineffective character last year on Buffy, but found him less offensive than usual in this episode." -- Amy

"Great delivery from Cordelia: 'Oh, I'll kill you dead.'"
Yes! And Angel's reaction was great, too--he was completely taken aback, and oddly amused. He was all geared up to keep arguing the point, as he's always had to before. "--Amy & Val

"I also liked that pep talk she gave him --- very Cordy, but very helpful, too. Someone who *has* changed is the best person to tell him that it matters that he has, too."
"I think there was also a bit of wondering whether he should believe her, which is valid, because I'm not entirely certain I do. Would she if she had to? Yeah. Would she, if given the option, find a way to neutralize him long enough to get Willow the HELL on the phone and out shopping for an Orb of Thesulah? Believe it. Remember, she was the first one to say "So we can curse him again. That's good, right?" when Willow found the disk with the spell. Of all the Scooby Gang, she's had probably the least difficulty keeping Angel and Angelus separate in her head. Certainly she's better at it than he is himself, which was why it was important to have her around this week. Granted, it's not that simple; but sometimes he needs reminding that, for most day-to-day intents and purposes, it might as well be." --Kiki & Val

"Alexis is in the credits! Yay! /me does the happy bameoba dance! Wheeeee! (no, I won't explain the happy bemeba dance--and it's unspellable, anyway < g >)." -- Betsy

"I just have this to say: Angel. Chained to a bed. ::We're sorry, but Mary Beth will be unable to comment coherently on Buffy and Angel until she manages to get control of this one simple thought. Thank you.::"
"At least he had a shirt on during this round of pseudo-bondage. ;) It would really have been awful if he'd worn boxers to sleep in."
"Gaaah." --MB, Tina, MB

"I loved it! Last night's Angel rocked! Lots of nice twists (or is that evil twists?) & good acting. I am so glad they let Kate in on it all. Keeping her as clueless as Schanke was driving me nuts. But I do wonder where she got the Watcher diaries from. My interpretation from first season of Buffy was that most of the records of him, especially the ones with his name, were in the Watcher Diaries. "
"This bugged me too. I'm sure I remember Giles saying he hadn't found any 'mention of Angel in the texts' until he started in on the diaries. I'm letting it slide, tho, because they've established Angelus' career as so high-profile and colorful, it's difficult to believe he wouldn't be mentioned elsewhere. It's easier to pretend that line never happened, though I usually HATE doing that." -- Julie & Val

"Kate was marvelous in this episode. She adjusted well to the thought that, yes the supernatural does exist, and is containing some very nasty somethings. I mean the initial disbelief was right on, but the stacking evidence of Penn's previous kills, plus what she, a trained observer saw, makes short work of that disbelief. " -- Julie

"It's also interesting to see that Angelus had offspring other than Dru. And I'm not sure, but doesn't the timeline make Penn older than Dru? Penn, I wonder if Angelus made him because Penn reminded him of himself when he was mortal? Several of us has proposed that Angel hated his family for one reason or another, and it's obvious that Penn had issues with his, which is why he kept doing the serial killer bit and slaughtering them over & over. (Angelus telling him family blood was the sweetest and to savor it probably helped with that a tad.)" --Julie

"Penn is very much a cheap knockoff of Angelus, and he had no way to out manouver Angel, because the demon is still within and he can very easily remember how to think like that. This subplot was a nice way to make up for what we used to have Xander for: to remind us that Angel is not a former vampire, but more of a vampire under rigid control. The beast is still there, still powerful, but controlled by Angel's willpower. Should that willpower crumble, soul or not, the beast will roam." -- Julie

"Cordelia was so…I don't know. In parts she was the same old Cordy, but in others, she had a new empathy that she never showed, or cared to. She's gotten closer to Angel, probably due to what happened to Doyle, and she's hanging onto this friendship for all she's worth. At least until there's no hope. Then she's on it. . . . .At any rate, Cordy's learning how to interact with others in a much different fashion than we (or she) is used to. She's becoming a bit more tolerent. Yea. I like to see everyone learn and grow, and I think she's come the farthest of any character in the Buffyverse." --Julie

"Angel. Good old broody, blame himself Angel. Nice job David did (and didn't Tim write this? Good Tim!) in balancing the broody, self flagellating with the necessity of pushing it aside to get done what needs doing. I can't say enough good things about this. Very nice balance, David did edgy and preoccupied very well when he was dealing first with Cordelia, treating her very sharply to stop her from asking questions, and very vague with Kate so as not arouse her suspicians & concerns." -- Julie

"Speaking of Schank, was it just me, or was this ep about 500% more reminiscent of FK than usual? The flashbacks were a big part of it, of course; but I also got serious deja vu from Penn's flash-motion (tho it was probably more likely swiped from a certain pair of Jedi), and that leap into the window was flying in all but name. And of course, a near-verbatim dialogue echo: 'People change.' -- 'We're not people.' I still think the people who claim this is just a ripoff are full of it, but this isn't the ep I'd choose to prove them wrong!" -- Val

"As much as I loved Kate overall, tho, one serious black mark against her...and, more to the point, against the writers, because it was just a lazy way of contriving a plot-necessary setup: what in the name of all the gods ever conceived did she think she was doing going into that building after Penn alone? And how, out of all that swarm of uniforms, did no one even *question* this, let alone insist on accompanying her??? Shame on everyone involved. It was really a disturbing flaw in an otherwise excellent ep." -- Val

"I was incredibly proud of how Cordy dealt with Penn. Yeah, it took her a minute to register that he was playing her (and we won't even *discuss* the stake/steak brain-fart), but the bit with the blinds was fabulous--all the more so because she was perfectly calm and matter-of-fact about it. It was enough that she had outmaneuvered him in mid-gloat; she didn't waste any time or energy crowing about it. ('Sokay, Cordy, I did it for you!) Immediately thereafter, of course, I came very close to wish Penn had just killed Wesley and been done with it. Which isn't entirely fair to Wesley, but that's the point: if they're going to keep him around, they CANNOT continue to have him blunder into moments like that, (a) because it is simply not the least bit endearing, (b) because it stretches credulity way too much to have him be that danger-prone and continue to survive, and (c) because if I scream like that again in our nice reverby cathedral-ceilinged living room Jack will probably divorce me. (I was fresh from Shrew rehearsal--walked in the door during that scene, in fact--and thus nice and warmed up. It was deeply unfortunate.)" -- Val

"And on a last note, I did love how the profiler got Angel to a 'T' post soul, rather than pre-soul. But then, profilers are going on the assumption that the criminals are human. :-)"
"It was a nice bit. But okay, somebody confirm for me that Kate was reporting that secondhand, because I missed whatever reference was made to that, and don't know when I'll have a chance to rewatch. It seemed like they were implying that she had *done* the profile, which bugged me; but I probably just missed a line."
"Didn't she say something about that, when Angel showed up at her desk? I seem to recall her saying something like, "I could use the break, I've been trying to get inside this guy's head." I assumed she was referring to the killer." Julie, Val, & JenC