TV Show Recaps & Reviews - TV Show Episode Recaps & Reviews

Angel

Ep.	Title	Air/Pub'l	Grade	Author
5-22 Recap	Dulce et Decorum Est Not Fade Away - Though it may be too late now to sound a death knell, it's time to declare this the end of Angel. As usual there's plenty of angst and gloom: just forty-two minutes 'till they meet their doom. It may start with a scuffle, but it ends with a clang. There's a hole in the timeslot where Cary once sang. This is the end, the end of Angel. For five (or more) years, his life has been hell. At least he's finally free of Buffy. Now save up your pennies for the DVDs.	2004.05.19 2004.05.25	A-	Strega
5-21 Recap	"It Ain't Like It Used To Be, But It'll Do" Power Play - The MoG are afraid that Angel's gone evil, but it turns out he's just trying to get them all killed.	2004.05.12 2004.05.17	B	Strega
5-20 Recap	Commedia Del Dolore The Girl In Question - In which we learn yet again that the Burkles are the only decent, sane people in the whole world.	2004.05.05 2004.05.10	F	Strega
5-19 Recap	The Big Time Time Bomb - Turning Fred into a superpowered babe who doesn't understand humans may cause her to explode with the force of several thousand science-fiction clichés.	2004.04.28 2004.05.03	C	Strega
5-18 Recap	Origin-al Sin Origin - What's too painful to remember, we simply choose to forget. Unless Wesley's around to dredge it all up again.	2004.04.21 2004.04.26	A-	Strega
5-17 Recap	Baloney And Anomie Underneath - Some of the characters spew nonsense, and some of them feel alienated. Wesley and Illyria manage to do both, because they're just that special.	2004.04.14 2004.04.19	C-	Strega
5-16 Recap	Antihero In A Half-Shell Shells - Illyria's feeling chagrined 'cause her army bit it. Angel may be a good guy but he's had his share of sin. Gunn broke the rules, and gets cut as the cost. Wesley gets violent when he feels that he's been crossed.	2004.03.03 2004.03.08	C+	Strega
5-15 Recap	We Don't Need Another "Hero" A Hole In The World - No sense of shame prevents these clumsy lines. No human spark is left, nor new plotline. Endure this and there is a small reward: Fred dies after we are completely bored. Thy hand, Joss Whedon, makes the story crawl; and sentimentalism buries all.	2004.02.25 2004.03.01	D	Strega
5-14 Recap	Angel's A Puppet. Smile Time - Literally. There's nothing to say except: tee hee!	2004.02.18 2004.02.23	A+	Strega
5-13 Recap	We All Live In A Nazi Submarine Why We Fight - Before 1944 Angel went into the sea, where he found a dark-haired Spike in a captured submarine. There were good guys with a Hun, and vampires -- part of a scheme. Could Angel make them behave in their Nazi submarine?	2004.02.11 2004.02.16	C-	Strega
5-12 Recap	Taunted You're Welcome - She's here to set Angel at ease, and get a hug from the Host, then Cordelia must leave. She sneers, and grabs Eve by the ear, then there's something 'bout a monster and so Lindsey just jeers.	2004.02.04 2004.02.08	B+	Strega
5-11 Recap	Careful What You Wish For Damage - So you wanted to know what the Scooby Gang is up to these days? Well, Andrew is here to fill you in on the gossip, while Spicule gets tortured. It's just like old times. Enjoy!	2004.01.28 2004.02.02	B	Strega
5-10 Recap	Little Angel In Slumberland Soul Purpose - A nasty little critter called a Selminth slithers over Angel's chest all night just to give him angsteriffic nightmares, while Spicule tries fighting the good fight.	2004.01.21 2004.01.26	B+	Strega
5-9 Recap	Working Vamp Harm's Way - Do they abuse her or show her disdain while she gets their coffee? If she gets killed, then will they have to train a brand-new secretary? Harmony -- she drinks blood like a leech. And the one thing she wants is the only thing out of her reach.	2004.01.14 2004.01.18	C-	Strega
5-8 Recap	Soul Men Destiny - Both were sired on dingy streets. Spike fell in love. Dru wasn't discrete. Angelus's hair looks like a mop. When they start fighting they just can't stop.	2003.11.19 2003.11.23	C+	Strega
5-7 Recap	Papa, Don't Preach -- Just Lie There And Bleed Lineage - Maybe someday, when Wesley looks back he'll be able to say, "You didn't mean to be cruel. Somebody hurt you, too. In fact, maybe it was somebody like me, repeatedly firing a gun similiar to this one."	2003.11.12 2003.11.17	C	Strega
5-6 Recap	Or, "Five's Fable," For Short The Cautionary Tale Of Numero Cinco - Speaking of short, Jeff Bell still loves the little people. Strega still loves the goofiness. Angel still loves making himself miserable. So this episode works out nicely for everyone.	2003.11.05 2003.11.09	B+	Strega
5-5 Recap	Something Borrowed Life Of The Party - The MoG feel compelled to obey Cary's innocent suggestions. Why didn't he visit the writers and "suggest" that they speed up the episode?	2003.10.29 2003.11.03	C	Strega
5-4 Recap	Don't Fear The Reaper. Seriously, Don't. He's Lame. Hell Bound - Fred talks a lot; Spicule talks a lot. Spicule gets tortured; Fred gets choked. Fred gets naked; Spicule gets naked. Couldn't one of them jump off a bridge?	2003.10.22 2003.10.27	C	Strega
5-3 Recap	Arf. Unleashed - We saw a werewolf and cheap exploitation; this girl was kidnapped, hosed down, in manacles, naked. Driving in sports cars and ghosts who go on and on! The show has been neutered, not fixed.	2003.10.15 2003.10.20	C-	Strega
5-2 Recap	Necromancing The Stone Just Rewards (2) - Angel faces his greatest challenge yet, when an evil magician forces him to do mime.	2003.10.08 2003.10.13	C-	Strega
5-1 Recap	Pilot Light Conviction (1) - On this spinoff of some UPN show, there are a bunch of rather annoying people who talk a lot and work at a company that might also be a law firm. Joss Whedon's got a brand-new show! Essentially.	2003.09.31 2003.10.06	N/A	Strega
4-22 Recap	Home of Deranged (Writers) Home - Oh give her a show where the plotlines all flow, and the premise won't fill her with rage. Strega would prefer an end less absurd, 'cause what happened filled her with dismay.	2003.05.07 2003.05.13	C-	Strega
4-21 Recap	Family Tradition Peace Out - Connor's gonna pout while Jasmine is acclaimed. But Angel is gonna ruin things with a rubber head that says a name. Stop and think it over; put yourself in his position: if he feels bummed and kills relations, it's a family tradition.	2003.04.30 2003.05.06	B	Strega
4-20 Recap	"Funny" Strange, or "Funny" Ha-Ha? Sacrifice - Ben Edlund's first episode brings the funny: while our heroes beat a couple of kids unconscious, Wesley meets a disgusting, sewer-dwelling, corpse-mangling demon.	2003.04.23 2003.04.29	B+	Strega
4-19 Recap	Too Good To Be True? The Magic Bullet - This giddy delight must be the work of a spell, and when it wears off there's going to be trouble. Strega can't worry about that right now, because she's busy doodling "Mrs. Jeffrey Bell" on all of her notebooks.	2003.04.16 2003.04.21	A+	Strega
4-18 Recap	Kiss Me, Bleeding Dummy Head Shiny Happy People - She destroyed a bond of friendship and respect between the only people left who might determine she should die! Now she's inspired so much torpor that the show may feel like torture, and then Fred screams, "It's just a facade!"	2003.04.09 2003.04.15	C+	Strega
4-17 Recap	This Ain't No Love Song Inside Out - And now it's time to murder and create, and time to revisit old plot strands we thought were dropped, or just the work of fate. Some déjà-vu, and some Cordy, and time yet for a lot of exposition, and for impressive storyline "revision" before the taking of a life. And Zoe.	2003.04.02 2003.04.06	A-	Strega
4-16 Recap	Taser? I Hardly Know 'Er! Players - While everyone else takes it easy, Gunn gets some much-needed screen time with glamorous Gwen, while Cary plays cat and mouse with conniving Cordelia.	2003.03.26 2003.03.31	A-	Strega
4-15 Recap	Faith-Based Initiative Orpheus - Wesley almost lets Angelus kill Faith, Cordelia urges Connor to kill Angel, and Strega begs for someone to kill Willow. For better or worse, everyone survives.	2003.03.19 2003.03.25	B+	Strega
4-14 Recap	Losing Faith? Release - Faith might be dead, Connor might be demonic, Fred and Gunn might be over, Cordy might be pregnant, and Wesley might be a complete psycho. That first thing is kind of surprising, isn't it?	2003.03.12 2003.03.18	B	Strega
4-13 Recap	Faith, Dopes, and Asperity Salvage - Grovel, sneer, grovel. Angst, taunt. Crash! Punch, poof, poof. Sneer, grouse, bully. Threaten, cajole. Brag, poof, thump, whine. Taunt, taunt, taunt, snore, taunt, bang, thump, ow. Thud thud thud, taunt. Kablooey! Smooch. Ew.	2003.03.05 2003.03.10	C+	Strega
4-12 Recap	Situational Ethics Calvary - Does destroying Wolfram & Hart make Satan a bad guy, when he's just trying to make his boss happy? Does stabbing Lilah prove that Cordelia's evil? And is Angelus actually that bad, or is he just very, very talkative?	2003.02.12 2003.02.18	A-	Strega
4-11 Recap	Evil 101 Soulless - The MoG get lessons from Angelus in smirking, taunting, manipulation, advanced chortling, and the lyrics to "The Teddy Bear's Picnic." Wait, what was that last one, again?	2003.02.05 2003.02.09	B	Strega
4-10 Recap	Make Someone Happy Awakening - Better yet, make everyone happy. Angel saves the world, reconciles with his friends, and gets the girl. This makes him happy. Finding out it was all a dream and Angelus is back makes the viewers happy.	2003.01.29 2003.02.03	A	Strega
4-9 Recap	Don't Let the Sun Go Down On Me! Long Day's Journey - Whoops, too late. The MoG make a desperate attempt to keep Satan from killing several magical beings and plunging the city into eternal darkness. The interesting thing is, they fail.	2003.01.22 2003.01.27	B+	Strega
4-8 Recap	Angel Goes to the Drive-In Habeas Corpses - One Beast. Four (covered) breasts. One sex scene. Several dozen dead bodies. Three broken doors. Six pints of blood. Three uses of "big bad." Which is three too many. Zombie-fu. Gun-fu. Wesley-mockery. What more do you want?	2003.01.15 2003.01.21	B+	Strega
4-7 Recap	Apocalypse, Nowish Rain of Fire - Clever headline, eh? Actually, that was the original episode title. Why waste time making up new jokes when DeKnight's are handy? What? The plot? Well, the world's ending.	2002.11.17 2002.11.23	C+	Strega
4-6 Recap	Unchained Memory Spin The Bottle - Time can do so much. As we discover when the MoG revert to their teen selves. Except for Cary, who's busy being the emcee.	2002.11.10 2002.11.16	B-	Strega
4-5 Recap	The Obligatory Fred Episode Supersymmetry - Leather pants go with rants but spoil romance. Supersymmetry. Affect with some cause, subatomic laws, demons with big claws. Supersymmetry.	2002.11.03 2002.11.09	C+	Strega
4-4 Recap	Yeats Is Enough Slouching Toward Bethlehem - Why should we blame her that she filled a show with bad clothing, or that she would of late prefer an ignorant boy with violent ways, and fled the lying Ministers of Grace upon learning they're led by a vampire? Why, what could she have done, being what she is? Was there another boy-toy for her to earn?	2002.10.27 2002.10.31	C+	Strega
4-3 Recap	Veni, Vidi, Vegas The House Always Wins - Valiant vampire visits Vegas, vies against villain who uses voodoo to claim vicious vigorish. Verily, virtue is victorious.	2002.10.20 2002.10.24	B-	Strega
4-2 Recap	Bird on a Wire Relay Ground State - Angel accidentally stumbles into a totally different show about a girl with special powers, slinky clothes, and a bad attitude. Is this what Faith: The Series would be like?	2002.10.13 2002.10.19	B-	Strega
4-1 Recap	Brine and Punishment Deep Down - After spending all summer in a box, Angel's got some kinks to work out. Justine puts the "sub" back in "subtext." Connor's been a naughty boy. Strega will never feel clean again.	2002.10.06 2002.10.10	A-	Strega
3-22 Recap	Cordelia vs. The Radioactive Plot Twist Tomorrow - Don't know quite what's up with Cordy; don't know much demonology. Don't know how Angel will raise that lid, or where Justine's going with his kid. But I do know Cary gone, so's Groo, and that Wesley's feeling pretty screwed. For the rest we'll have to wait and see.	2002.05.20 2002.05.25	B+	Strega
3-21 Recap	Angel's Past vs. Connor's Present Benediction - The man out of England's past had the love of a fine screwed-up lass, but you won't solve this riddle till Connor's in the middle and Holtz gets revenge with his last gasp.	2002.05.13 2002.05.18	B+	Strega
3-20 Recap	Connor vs. Our Expectations A New World - There once was a lad whose dad was a cad, and kind of like Vlad. Though, Strega might add, at least he's not glad, 'cause then he'd go bad, and that would be sad.	2002.05.06 2002.05.11	B	Strega
3-19 Recap	The MoG vs. A Mountain of Swiss Cheese The Price - Can our heroes survive the tons of anvils and clunky exposition tossed around in this episode? Only if they take shelter under Wolfram & Hart's comfy padding.	2002.04.29 2002.05.05	C+	Strega
3-18 Recap	Gunn vs. the Brain-Melting Horror Double Or Nothing - Gunn is afraid that he's going to lose his soul, but the real danger lies in trying to make sense of anything that happens in this episode.	2002.04.22 2002.04.28	C-	Strega
3-17 Recap	Angel vs. Wesley (Hooray!) Forgiving - It's another one of those ironic titles, as Angel, Justine, and Linwood react to the discovery that you can't trust anyone these days.	2002.04.15 2002.04.21	B	Strega
3-16 Recap	Angel vs. Pretty Much Everyone Sleep Tight - Angel dismembers demons, snarks about his son, lurks around Lilah, shrugs at Sahjhan, growls at Gunn, and, uh, gets histrionic with Holtz.	2002.03.04 2002.03.11	B+	Strega
3-15 Recap	Wesley vs. Darth Burger Loyalty - Wesley and a drive-thru oracle disagree about whether the "kid's meal" should be made for children or out of children. In Connor's case, not only would Shack take the oracle's side -- he'd super-size that order.	2002.02.25 2002.02.28	B+	Shack
3-14 Recap	Angel vs. The Too-Accurate Metaphor Couplet - An evil force devours the characters' energy, turning them into lifeless hulks who can't take care of themselves. And then there's also a demonic tree.	2002.02.18 2002.02.24	C-	Strega
3-13 Recap	Angel vs. The Time-Twisting Tie-Tack Waiting In The Wings - Angel splurges and takes the MoG to the ballet. No, seriously.	2002.02.04 2002.02.10	B-	Strega
3-12 Recap	Angel vs. The Invisible Hand Provider - The ghost of Adam Smith divides the MoG from one another. In a way.	2002.01.21 2002.01.27	C+	Strega
3-11 Recap	Wes: Mostly Armless Birthday - For her birthday, Cordy gets knocked unconscious and becomes part demon. At least she didn't have to hear Angel sing "Happy Birthday."	2002.01.14 2002.01.20	C-	Strega
3-10 Recap	Major Bad Dad - Angel fusses over the baby for most of an hour. It's just as exciting as that sounds.	2001.12.10 2001.12.16	D	Strega
3-9 Recap	And Baby Makes...a Dozen? Lullaby - As if there weren't enough freaks hanging out at the Hyperion, it's time to add a baby to the mix. Darla graciously makes way for the little potential monster.	2001.11.19 2001.11.25	C+	Strega
3-8 Recap	Expecting...Very Little Quickening - Lots of people want Darla's baby. And it's a boy. Most of the jokes are funny, and nobody's dressed like a freak, so what more do you want?	2001.11.12 2001.11.16	B+	Strega
3-7 Recap	Offspring Offspring - In a flashback, Angel runs into Holtz, along with the sort of people nobody expects. In modern times, Angel and the MoG run into Darla, who's just expecting.	2001.11.05 2001.11.10	B	Strega
3-6 Recap	Billy Billy - Women are from Earth, men are from Hell, and the script is from Camille Paglia's trash can.	2001.10.29 2001.11.04	C	Strega
3-5 Recap	Plotless Fredless - Fred's folks visit. Fred runs away. Bugs attack. Fred reunites with her parents. Bugs attack. Bugs reunite with their parents. Huh?	2001.10.22 2001.10.28	D	Strega
3-4 Recap	Invasion of the Body Snatcher Carpe Noctem - An old man experiences his second, third, and fourth childhoods by possessing young stud-muffins. Wackiness, as it so often does, ensues.	2001.10.15 2001.10.18	C	Strega
3-3 Recap	Our Gang That Old Gang Of Mine - Gunn's old friends have taken to indiscriminate slaughter of demons. The little rascals. Cordy finally meets the Three Stooges, none of whom can hold a candle to Shemp.	2001.10.08 2001.10.11	N/A	Strega
3-2 Recap	That Vision Thing That Vision Thing - Think "Expecting" plus one-eighth of "The Gift," multiplied by negative "Blood Money."	2001.09.31 2001.10.06	B-	Strega
3-1 Recap	Heartthrob Heartthrob - Angel deals with Buffy's death in his own stoic way. After his girlfriend is killed, James goes on kamikaze mission for revenge. And, uh, "romance" has certainly put Darla in an awkward situation. Ain't love grand?	2001.09.24 2001.09.29	C+	Strega
2-22 Recap	There's No Place Like Plrtz Glrb There's No Place Like Plrtz Glrb - Angel, Wesley, and Cordy all learn valuable lessons in Pylea. The rest of us just learn to keep our expectations low.	2001.05.22 2001.05.28	C+	Strega
2-21 Recap	Through The Looking Glass Through The Looking Glass - Cordy's a princess, Angel's a hero, Gunn and Wesley are captives, and Cary's toast.	2001.05.15 2001.05.20	B-	Strega
2-20 Recap	Over The Rainbow Over The Rainbow - Cordelia is lost in another dimension, where the usual rules of story logic no longer apply.	2001.05.08 2001.05.14	N/A	Strega
2-20 Recap	Over the Rainbow Over the Rainbow - Cordelia is lost in another dimension, where the usual rules of story logic no longer apply.	2001.05.08 2001.05.13	N/A	Strega
2-19 Recap	Belonging Belonging - A crazed creature causes chaos at Caritas. Cary's cousin comes calling. Cordelia questions her career.	2001.04.31 2001.05.07	C-	Strega
2-18 Recap	Dead End Dead End - Lindsey sneers, strums, and shoots his way through the episode as he's forced to team up with Angel to track down the original owner of his new hand.	2001.04.24 2001.04.29	C+	Strega
2-17 Recap	Disharmony Disharmony - Harmony pays Cordelia a visit, and decides to try battling evil for a change. Bonus feature: Alphabetical Angel adjectives.	2001.04.17 2001.04.22	B+	Strega
2-16 Recap	Epiphany Epiphany - Angel redefines "anticlimax" when a night of passion with Darla ends up leading to...silliness. Also, Lindsey shows his roots, while Cordy continues to dye hers.	2001.02.27 2001.03.04	B-	Strega
2-15 Recap	Reprise Reprise - Everyone's broken-hearted, lonely, suicidal, and/or walking into a trap. Avoid sharp objects after this episode.	2001.02.20 2001.02.23	A-	Strega
2-14 Recap	The Thin Dead Line The Thin Dead Line - It's kind of like Dead Heat, but without Joe Piscopo, and only half as long. So, right there, it's better in at least two ways.	2001.02.13 2001.02.19	B-	Strega
2-13 Recap	Happy Anniversary Happy Anniversary - A lovelorn geek's creation threatens to stop time. This episode provides a frightening simulation of what that would feel like.	2001.02.06 2001.02.11	F	Strega