What a shocker, huh? I was screaming "Nooo!" at the television. Why did they do it? Why did they make Pacey shave? Apparently, I'm the only person in the world who liked the goatee. Well, fine. I hate you all. What? Oh yeah, this show.

Previously on Angel, Satan turned up, the sky turned dark, Angel's soul was turned loose, and everyone's relationships took a turn for the worse. And considering that their relationships weren't that great to begin with, it's impressive that there's a "worse" for them to sink to.

In a familiar, candlelit room, a familiar red-suited ninja is chanting over a familiar mystic circle. There are the familiar crashing noises of a fight outside. Didn't I already do this episode? A body is thrown through the beaded curtains and lands inside the circle. Wo Pang sighs, "Must acquire better guards." Or replace those beads with a door. Just a suggestion. Connor enters, followed by Wesley and Cordelia. Okay, so after desouling Angel, Wo Pang went home, but they were going to have him perform the resouling, right? So why do they have to fight their way in? Shouldn't they already have an appointment scheduled? Ah well. Wesley explains that they seem to have misplaced a certain glowy bottle. Wo Pang says he didn't take it, and after throwing the bones, says he can't determine where the soul is, but it's still in the bottle. Cordelia asks what else they can do to make Angel feel properly guilt-ridden. Wo Pang sums it up: "Without the [bottle o' soul], you're screwed." He adds that if the bottle is opened or broken, the soul could be returned...or destroyed! I bet that'll be important later. It'd be funny if the soul got out and started hopping around in different bodies, and the MoG had to track it down by finding people who were unusually moody and taciturn. With that, all the candles in the room go out. Which I guess is Wo Pang's way of hinting that his time is up.

Hyperion. This week's theme of "burning stuff" becomes apparent as Gunn pours gasoline into a flame-thrower. Neat! On the monitor, Angelus is taunting away. He insists, "I've had time to think, and I've realized something important. Being evil is wrong. I want to be good. I want to be Angel again." Gunn tests the flame-thrower. Fred figures that Angelus knows there's a hitch in the resouling plan. Gunn says that bringing Angelus back was a big mistake. Fred correctly points out that Gunn originally supported the plan. Gunn is man enough to say "Then maybe I did the wrong thing." On the monitor, Angelus asks, "Like smacking your girl around? I betcha Wes would never hit her." No, but he might pay visits to Justine occasionally.

In the basement, Angelus continues singing Wesley's praises: "And that accent -- ooh, chicks just love a good accent. Makes them all buttery in their nether regions. Isn't that right, Fred?" "Nether regions"? I know they pushed things way past the limit last week, but once you've established that he's crude, you can't go back.

Upstairs, Gunn looks at Fred. Angelus threatens to use his Irish brogue on Fred while he "rape[s] [her] to death." He's gotten a lot more sadistic over the years. He never threatened Buffy with his deadly accent. Gunn finally switches off the sound on the monitor. Fred nervously repeats that Angelus is just trying to scare them because "he knows he's never getting out." Fred hasn't gotten the memo about tempting fate, I see.

Downstairs, Lilah steps out of the shadows. So Angelus was trying to get them to turn the sound off so he could talk to Lilah? I'll just assume so, because otherwise it makes Lilah way too lucky. And it fits in with all the other hidden motives in this episode. Anyway, Angelus grins at Lilah. She looks into the cage and holds up a crowbar.

Credits. This week's Boreanaz quote comes courtesy of elishavah: "Rabbit? Whoa, a rabbit! Jumping in the grass. Woohoo. All right! Okay!" Please, nobody tell me what the context was, because I like making up my own explanation.

Angelus and Lilah get straight to the snarking. Angelus points out that, even though he's in a cage, she's the one looking unkempt. People are never just plain "kempt," have you noticed? Or "heveled," for that matter. He chides her, "All these years, wanting to meet me. You couldn't run a comb through your hair, maybe slap on a little lipstick? Evil doesn't have to mean sloppy." Lilah asks Angelus to stop Satan, but he's still not into the idea. He asks why she's so upset. Lilah madly cackles, "The Beast took everything! Killed them all" Whoa. I was just kidding about turning her into Gollum, I swear, but I like seeing her get unhinged. She explains that, in addition to his rampage through the office building, Satan has been wiping out all of Wolfram & Hart's employees. Oh. Poor Wolfram & Hart. I'm kind of sad for Greenwalt. Angelus watches Lilah comes a little closer to the red line marking his reach, while she rants, "Why is he picking on us? We're the bad guys!" Angelus comforts her, "You've got a devoted boyfriend who loves and cares for -- oh, wait. You don't." He giggles. Lilah repeats that she wants Angelus to kill Satan, and holds up the crowbar. While she doesn't have any particular reason to think Angelus will keep his part of the bargain, I assume her plan is to hand him the crowbar and skedaddle, so that she's gone by the time he gets out. So she's not totally dumb, at least. And still very pretty. The more they mess her up, the prettier she gets. It's like a superpower.

Fred and Gunn are sharing a moment upstairs -- an uncomfortable moment. Gunn explains that he didn't mean to hurt her, and I get distracted by the fact it took three people to write this episode. Fred tells Gunn, "I just can't help but [sic] think if you didn't attack --" "'Attack'? That's how you see it?" Gunn interrupts, kind of proving her point. He continues, "What do you call what [Wesley] was doing in the office before I walked in?" Fred stammers, and Gunn shouts, "He was kissing you!" And that's an attack on Gunn? Wow, they all need so much therapy. Gunn tells Fred not to lie to him, adding, "It's the one thing you're not good at." Besides shutting up. Fred disregards Newtonian physics and tries the old "It just happened," but Gunn plays the "you let it" card, and it's basically a tie until Gunn plays a trump card: guilt. He says, "I can't do this anymore, Fred. I'm tired of you looking everywhere but at me." Awwww. Then Wesley walks in, followed by Connor and Cordelia. Fred looks up, the way you do when someone enters a room you're in, and Gunn sighs, "Like that." That's not quite fair, because what if Cordy had been the first one through the door? Although I kind of like the way they had me ping-ponging back and forth about whom I agreed with. It's more interesting than just thinking either character is a total jerk in every way.

Speaking of which...shut up, Wesley. As Gunn stomps off, Wesley asks Fred if she's okay, but she claims she's just frustrated because she can't translate the Svear's spell. Connor sums up their unprofitable expedition to Wo Pang's, and Fred reports that Cary hasn't turned up any leads. Gunn suddenly curses and grabs the tranq-gun as he runs for the basement. Wesley turns to look at the monitor, where Lilah is visible talking to Angelus. Her back is to the camera, so I don't think anyone recognizes her.

Lilah looks up as Gunn rushes down the stairs. As she turns, Angelus quickly reaches out to grab the crowbar, but it's just out of reach. He takes a tranq to the arm. Lilah drops the crowbar and dashes back to the sewers as Angelus collapses. As Wesley and Connor enter, Gunn tells them that Angelus's visitor was Lilah. Wesley looks startled, then gives chase. Connor starts to follow, but Gunn calls him back, pointing out, "You should stay here; make sure it isn't a set-up." Good thinking! He du

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