I was really impressed by this episode. I feel like it really emphasized the kind of tone Angel would take, and how it's different from BTVS. It's a lot darker, such as actually showing us the slaughtered bodies of Doyle's demon "cousins." It also brings to light the true meaning of hero. The demons they're trying to save believe that Angel is the prophesied saviour, and Cordy believes that Angel is such a good looking heroic type dude that he's not relatable to others, but in the end it's people like Doyle who make the difference.
I liked the balance between humour and drama. It starts off funny, with Cordy narrating a theoretical commercial. Angel saying that he is the "Dark Avenger" totally cracks me up. Doyle's line "I don't see Angel puttin' on tights... Oh, now I do and it's really disturbing" won the episode for me early on. Doyle and Cordy trying to film the commercial is funny.
But then we get darker, with the Nazi-esque Scourge hunting half-demons. I feel fairly ambivalent about them, as it was a pretty heavy-handed allegory. They even made Angel's hair 1940s-ish when he "joined" them. But the scene about the demon boy relating his experiences on Halloween was touching. Doyle and Cordy finally getting a moment was great. Doyle overcoming his personal demons of having let down his demon-brethren in the past was great, and especially pronounced given his usual comedic role. And finally, Doyle kissing Cordy and sacrificing himself, proving himself the real hero, was tragic but powerful. It took me by complete surprise, as I really liked Doyle and assumed he was a main character, here to stay. This just tells me what to expect from the future of Angel - or rather, that I can't expect it to be the average, good guys always make it through kind of show.
Bookending the episode with the recording of Doyle's commercial was really great. It takes on a completely different feeling after his heroic sacrifice, in the best possible way.
Basically, a really strong episode.
I liked the balance between humour and drama. It starts off funny, with Cordy narrating a theoretical commercial. Angel saying that he is the "Dark Avenger" totally cracks me up. Doyle's line "I don't see Angel puttin' on tights... Oh, now I do and it's really disturbing" won the episode for me early on. Doyle and Cordy trying to film the commercial is funny.
But then we get darker, with the Nazi-esque Scourge hunting half-demons. I feel fairly ambivalent about them, as it was a pretty heavy-handed allegory. They even made Angel's hair 1940s-ish when he "joined" them. But the scene about the demon boy relating his experiences on Halloween was touching. Doyle and Cordy finally getting a moment was great. Doyle overcoming his personal demons of having let down his demon-brethren in the past was great, and especially pronounced given his usual comedic role. And finally, Doyle kissing Cordy and sacrificing himself, proving himself the real hero, was tragic but powerful. It took me by complete surprise, as I really liked Doyle and assumed he was a main character, here to stay. This just tells me what to expect from the future of Angel - or rather, that I can't expect it to be the average, good guys always make it through kind of show.
Bookending the episode with the recording of Doyle's commercial was really great. It takes on a completely different feeling after his heroic sacrifice, in the best possible way.
Basically, a really strong episode.