Angel - 5.17 "Underneath"

Now that we are well into recovery from the loss of Fred, it still is heartbreaking to see her again. I hope that the "Wesley has a dream of Fred" doesn't occur every week. Illyria is it now and we need to learn a little more about her/it. With only 5 episodes to go, there's not a lot of time, so revealing one fact a week isn't going to get us far.

Changes to the credits give me cause for alarm now. Lost are all the old Fred images, in are Illyria kicking Angel and Spike's butts. In this week is Mercedes McNab. Only Alexis Denisof has previously become a regular mid-season, all others joined at the start of a season. So I was concerned that this ep would result in a bloody death for Harmony. Thankfully it was not so, as she has become a source of joy and laughter.

Lindsay being stuck in a 'LA Story' kind of hell was great. It's amazing how creepy whedon-world can make the familiar and friendly. A loving wife and child, what more could a man want. Perhaps to have his heart ripped out on a daily basis!

There were many great moments in this ep. Illyria the 'Smurf'; Lorne, Harmony and Eve's scream and escape from terminator man; Angel, Spike and Gunn's trip into the hell and the attack from the inhabitants. This week was mostly what I needed, advancement of the season's arc, some character stuff, fighting and things to laugh at.

I find Eve irritating and trite. Certainly not exactly what I expected the liaison to the Senior Partners to be. Child of blah blah, whatever. She never really presented anything...Well anything! As part of the whole 'distraction' ploy she worked perfectly. But now that Marcus Hamilton is the liaison perhaps things may get a little more tense between Angel and the SPs.

I was surprised to see Gunn choose to stay behind, but more surprised to see Angel let him. This year has seen the decline in the importance of each member of the group to the group as a whole. Angel wasn't really leading, each person was off doing their own thing, losing the mission. A little similar to Buffy season 4 in a way.

The obvious question being, can they pull it back together? Fred's beyond...everything. Gunn is stuck, unless Lindsay dishes everything he has and can go back into storage. Wesley is drunk and demonsitting. Lorne is full of self doubt and pity. Only Angel and Spike want to play, but usually get in each other's way.

Can't wait for next week!