Reviewed By: Adam Bardwell
Rating: 8/10
This is a really important episode for the series. It introduces a new charter, Charles Gunn, who will be a regular next season and with him a scope for new types of stories. The story here feels different to any Angel before it. It feels so fresh - there a no signs of the writers running out of ideas as they approach the end of the season. In fact it seems that they suddenly realised that they have under-spent for the season for there are some very impressive visual effects.
Gunn is the leader of a gang of street kids who have been forced to fight for their lives against the local vampires. He seems to enjoy what he does to the point where his sister accuses him of like danger too much. He seems a bit too ready to accept his colleges deaths although does show compassion in that he says everyone must eat even if they are squatters and not part of the gang. Near the end he admits to his vamped sister that he wants to stop running and hiding. I think ultimately Angel is going to help him achieve this.
The teaser to this show is so good. You see a girl (Gunn's sister) being followed by vampires. The shot chances to a mans legs - the camera pans up and you see a flapy coat you obviously think it is going to be Angel. It turns out to be Gunn with the line; 'you expecting somebody else?' - genius. This leads to a huge fight sequence after the titles. Gunn's gang have a very cool truck which has large stakes on the front to ramp vampires and a stake cannon on the back. This is shown in action in the fight with it being used to shoot down a vamp. mid flight in the most impressive visual effect of the show.
There a some other good action sequences in this episode. I liked the booby trapped warehouse. The way Angel dodged the arrows looked impressive. I do think that it was a bit unlikely that Gunn was using metal arrows as Angel said what is he going to kill with them. He seems to have been in the vamp. slaying game for a while you would have thought he would have leant what kills them. By the same token you would have thought that he would have found the vamps nest by now if it was so close and would know that vamps needed to be invited in so wouldn't have been so keen to evacuate their warehouse.
Angel gets involved in Gunn's affairs after working on a case for a to be reoccurring character David Nabbit brings him to Gunn's attention. David is a nerdy billionaire who was being blackmailed by a man who had pictures of him in compromising positions in a demon brothel. The character seems a bit too similar to Bill Gates for comfort (he made his billions in the software market) and could be accused as being a bit of an adult Jonathan. However, he could be very useful to Angel Investigations from a financial point of view - especially after the office / Angels abode got blown up in "To Shansh in LA".
The blackmailing plot was only a minor one - Gunn was the main focus. It did add some good humour to the mix, however. The scene where David gives Cordy and Wes. the cheque was pretty funny but even better was the one where Wesley and Angel were looking at the photos. The fact that Angel wants another look at the cheque at the end of this scene shows that money means something to him which makes "To Shansh in LA" a bit of a relapse for in this episode it is made out that he doesn't have any desires, any wants.
The David part of the episode shows the sharp contrast between the rich and poor parts of LA. This gives a good sense of perspective without pushing the social commentary down your throat so much. Cordelia and Wesley also see this perspective. Cordelia clearly prefers the richer side of LA but the fact that she realises that she couldn't prostitute herself to David shows that she is isn't desperate for wealth and probably that she has grown as a person since moving to LA (which she undoubtedly has). These two characters (Wes. and Cordy) have a few good scenes which continue to show their sibling like bound. The three regulars, in fect, have a very close family feeling to there interaction. I wouldn't be surprised if Gunn brings some friction to these relationships.
Like with the main Gunn plot there are a few plot points of the blackmailing story which I can't believe. The only one really worth mentioning is that the blackmailer actually brought the photos top Angel. If he had hired a demon to kill Angel why bring the photos. If he didn't want to show his hand straightaway he could have given Angel an envelope but if he was smart he wouldn't pout the pictures of David in it.
The best drama of the episode can be found in the scene between Gunn and his sister after she has been vamped. Before this seeing her being bitten in the van by a group of vampires was fairly dramatic not to mention disturbing but as they were the heart of Gunn's story here the confrontation between them needed to be told. And it was. The direction in this scene was really good and you could really feel Gunn's pain. The fact that he was able to stake his sister shows he has inner strength which is probably why he has been able to survive for so long.
The tag is also very good. It really highlights how far Angel's social skills have come. Although it is clear that Angel wants to protect and aid Gunn the fact that he says that it may be he who needs help shows tact. Of course, in the next two episodes that Angel will follow though on this and ask Gunn for help. This shows that Gunn will be useful in the battle against evil. It may also lead Gunn to reciprocate and ask Angel for help and guidance at a later date.
Great Angel Moment: Either Gunn's, "You expecting somebody else?" in the teaser or the mid air vamp dusting.
In a Nutshell: A good introduction for Gunn who should turn out to be a very interesting character.