Lindsey asks the MoG, "You gonna beat it out of me?" Spicule is fine with that, and Lindsey leaps to his feet like he is too, and that is a fight I would enjoy. Although it'd probably wind up with "I hated Angel long before you did!" "But he hates me way more than he hates you!" "He does not!" "You're jealous 'cause Angel hates me more!" "Funny, he never mentioned your name when we were punching each other!" Five years from now, Spicule and Lindsey will do their own version of "The Girl in Question" where they're stalking Angel.

Where was I? Right, Spicule shoves Lindsey back into his seat, and the MoG suggest that they skip the fisticuffs portion of the interrogation. Lindsey insists that he doesn't know why Angel's doing what he's doing: "Me and him? Not too close." Wesley shows Lindsey the mysterious spikey circular symbol of doom, and Lindsey blinks and asks where they got it. Wesley asks what it is, and Lindsey giggles and finally says, "No way they'd take Angel." He finally explains that it's the symbol of the Circle of the Black Thorn, a secret society. Gunn says he hasn't heard of it, and Lindsey sneers, "That's 'cause they're secret," and totally redeems the rather obvious joke with his sneering "I just cannot believe how stupid you are" expression. Apparently, the Circle of the Black Thorn is an elite group of powerful evil folks. Insert Skull & Bones joke here. Lindsey says, "But evil's not the point. Power is." Then Wesley says, "Powerrrr," in this whispery voice, and I can't really explain why it's so funny. I didn't notice it the first time, but after the show was over, Johanna made me go back and listen to that line again, and I couldn't breathe for a minute or two.

Gunn asks what the Circle actually does, and Lindsey giggles and asks, "You guys always this slow?" Oh, Lindsey. Need you ask? He continues, "Starts with 'A,' ends in '-pocalypse.'" Lindsey says that the Circle "makes sure that man's inhumanity to man keeps rolling along." Wesley says he thought the Senior Partners did that, and Lindsey explains that the Circle's members are the Senior Partner's agents on this plane. Wesley says, "That's why you came back to L.A., tried to kill Angel. To get into the Circle." Hey! We finally learned what the hell Lindsey was doing, and it makes sense! You know, mostly. As much as most things on this show do. Yay! Gunn observes, "It looks like Angel succeeded where you failed." It's weird to taunt Lindsey about how they Angel's better at being evil than Lindsey is, because they aren't really that proud of him for it. Are they? Lindsey says Angel couldn't get into the Circle, because he'd have to stop helping the helpless. He adds, "Probably wouldn't even make it on the Circle's radar 'till he killed one of his lieutenants." Lindsey grins around happily at everyone while they exchange shocked looks. Cary sighs that the Senior Partners are "killing Angel by degrees." Wesley mournfully adds, "And we all watched it happen." Dude, they are so dumb. Seriously. I can't believe they still don't realize it's a trick. Gunn moans, "The guy I knew wouldn't want this, wouldn't want to be this." Wesley says that Angel dedicated his life to helping others, and that if he's changed his goals, they have to try to bring him back to the side of goodness and whatever. Wesley insists, "He'd do the same for any of us, regardless of our actions." Er. Well. If you say so. Cary asks, "What if he's skipped too far down that evil brick road?" The MoG stare around at each other. And Lindsey stares around, too, looking sulky. I think Spicule's still trying to figure out where that evil ant figures into this.