Angel
"I've Got You Under My Skin"

Airdate: February 15, 2000

This has nothing to do with the episode, but check it out... he's all wet.

Following the clues in Cordelia's latest mind-splitting vision, Angel and Wesley track down a family whose actions can only be described as strange. Of course one of them is possessed by a demon so strange only covers part of it. What they discover is that little Ryan has a Ethros demon squatting in his head. In their efforts to expel this very dangerous entity however, they discover something even worse.

After the travesty that was "She", Angel makes a return to a more adult themes, and it's a very welcome return indeed. While the red herrings thrown at the audience are far from perfect, they are a sign that perhaps the series has realized where its strengths lie.

The father's vise grip control over his family in the early part of the episode were of course meant to set the audience in mind of an abusive household, where the husband reigned supreme with violence. The locks on the children's bedroom doors stressed that idea even further. In typical Mutant Enemy fashion we quickly learn that all is not as it seems and that true evil can take on a much more insidious form.

The demon's words about the void that exists inside little Ryan serve as a reminder of what we now know is fact. Evil exists even behind the most innocuous of faces and half of the danger in that is ignoring or hiding the signs. While ultimately the father is painted in a somewhat sympathetic light, after Jeffrey Dahmer and Columbine one can't help but think that perhaps some tragedies might be avoided if parents paid more attention to the actions of their children and didn't gloss over incidents that might seem a bit strange.

Cordelia regains a little dimension, and looks damn good while doing it.

On a less gruesome note, Cordelia seems to be gaining back some of the dimension she'd lost in the past couple of episodes. Still not enough to keep me from cringing over some of her comments, of course, but you can't have everything. I realize Cordelia is and will probably always be shallow, but you'd think that it could be toned down a little more by now.

While Angel certainly has a father figure complex, as a man of action I would think he'd better understand Doyle's decision to give his life for others so I'm not certain I truly buy into the vampire's self-flagellation. Perhaps if the show were to impart on him an equal sense of comprehension as well it might work better. Angel should feel the guilt, but deep down understand that in this instance it is misplaced and maybe a little selfish. Doyle, like Angel, had the potential to be a hero. He died living up to that potential. A soul as old as Angel's should respect and accept that.

Wesley, for his part, was much better used in this episode and may be developing a bit of a spine along with his backstory. His Chihuahua-like tenacity for keeping to Council rules during his Buffy tenure is much more understandable in light of his the abuse he suffered as a child at the hands of his demanding father. And while still a bit pathetic, his eagerness to please seems less annoying.

And maybe I've just been hanging around our web designer too long, but when I heard Doyle's voice in this episode my heart stopped and I felt a pang of grief. I recognize the manipulativeness of the gesture, but it seems that in those few episodes in which he appeared, Doyle (and Glenn Quinn too), made a hell of an impression.

-- Linda M. Najera

Angel airs Tuesdays at 9pm EST on the WB.

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