Angel
"Sanctuary"

Airdate: May 3, 2000

With last week's episode, "Five by Five", I declared Faith the superior Slayer, marveled at Eliza Dushku's amazing acting ability, and just generally was awed. This week, I'm taking it a step further and declaring my true feelings.

Eliza Dushku, I love you.

"Sanctuary" brings us further into the character of Faith than we may be ready to go, and the picture that's painted isn't a pretty one. Angel is all about redemption, and in "Sanctuary", Faith has to decide if redemption is what she's looking for. We're pulled into Faith's pain and confusion right along with her; she fantasizes about beating Angel up even after he's brought her back to his home, and I got the feeling that the visions of violence aren't something that Faith is finding easy to control. Dushku cements the character's lack of direction with a listless, moody performance; we see Faith leaning against a wall, staring off into space, but she's got a knife clutched in her hand and doesn't seem to be sure why. She wants to say she's sorry for everything she's done, but she can't. She wants to make up for it all, but knows that no matter what she days, she may never be redeemed.

The other characters, on the other hand, are a mixed bag. When confronted by the Watchers Council goons from Buffy episodes "This Year's Girl" and "Who Are You", Wesley seems to agree to help them bring Faith in, but isn't ready to give up on Angel. Cordelia's a non-presence; she's in the office for a bit then takes off on a paid vacation, not wanting to be around while Faith is there. This episode marks the welcome return of Kate Lockley, and we're left wondering whose side she'll come down on; she's played by Wolfram & Hart and tries to arrest Angel for harboring a fugitive, but she's not really a bad guy, she's just walking the line and trying to do her job.

But more importantly, this episode features another crossover guest appearance from Buffy's Sarah Michelle Gellar, and man, is it painful. I'm not even that much of a Buffy/Angel relationshipper (Buffy needs to shag Spike), but this episode really hurt. When Buffy walks into Angel's apartment, she finds him holding Faith, who's freaking about all the blood on her hands, as she's just killed a demon sent by Wolfram & Hart to kill her. Faith doesn't even seem to notice that Buffy's there, but Angel sure does; he tries to explain, but Buffy's angry to find him holding the woman who made Buffy's life hell just weeks before and who sided against the Scoobies with the Mayor. She blows up, wanting revenge, and when Angel stops her, she hits him.

Shockingly, thankfully, amazingly, Angel hits back.

To say that I was floored is an understatement. Buffy looked pretty damn surprised, too. But I've gotta say, it was about time; though I'm certainly no supporter of domestic abuse, I also don't mind that Angel's decided not to put up with his former lover's abuse. Through the rest of the episode they're pretty much at odds; when the Council guys come for Faith, Buffy helps her despite their differences, but Faith disappears from the rooftop after a spectacular helicopter sequence. Kate arrests Angel for harboring a fugitive, threatening to throw him in a sunny cell, and Buffy tries to intervene, but when they get to the police station, Faith is there, ready to give her confession.

Buffy and Angel's final confrontation is the most explosive between them; Faith had mentioned to Angel earlier that Buffy has a new boyfriend, which obviously hurt, but a very angry Buffy brings it up just to hurt Angel, and he tells her to leave LA. She takes off, leaving both of them wounded, though not in the physical sense. The action that's given to Buffy is a little uncharacteristic, and though Gellar mostly pulls it off, I was left ambivalent: on the one hand, I can see where all the anger comes from, but on the other, I can't help but think that Buffy's just a spoiled little punk.

In her cell, Faith sits alone, knowing that the journey ahead of her won't be an easy one, but that it's one she'll have to make, and maybe at the end of the road, redemption will be waiting. The haunted and hollow look on her face is a mental picture not easily shaken. So once again Dushku has delivered a performance that makes me want to worship at her feet, and all of the characters have suffered trials that change things, lending the series back in the direction it's been needing to go and making Angel really fun to watch again.

I'd ask Eliza to marry me, but I'm saving myself for James Marsters.

-- Lisa Kincaid

Angel airs Tuesdays at 9pm EST on the WB.

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