Angel/Recap/S02 E05 Dear Boy

Angel is still drowsy and seeing Darla -- this time in waking dreams. Cordelia is hit with a vision about a Thrall Demon residing in a water tank. They ring up Gunn, and the four of them head over to the location to slay the demon and its followers. During the battle, Angel gets a bit of tunnel vision and ignores Gunn's plea for help in favor of brutally hammering on one mook in particular. The others seemed concerned about him afterwards. He's off his game. Angel decides to go for a walk to clear his head. He ends up on Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica (Yes, it was a long walk.) As he makes his way through the leisurely crowd, he spots a familiar face: Darla. Stunned, he tries to catch up to her but loses her in the crowd.

London, 1860 -- England, 19th century. Darla and tells Angelus that she's prepared a surprise for him - a trio of sisters wandering down the avenue. The middle daughter has powers of vision. The young girl turns, and it's Drusilla. Angelus is ready to pounce on her right now, but Darla tells him to "let the plum ripen." Angelus realizes he has to come up with something elaborate for this one.

Angel returns to the office and tells Cordelia and Wesley about seeing Darla but they don't believe him. Darla was staked three and a half years ago. They have more important matters to discuss anyway. A new client who believes that his philandering wife's reports of being "abducted by aliens" may, in fact, be less than credible. The Bat Pack track the wife to a hotel where, sure enough, she's making an illicit love connection. Angel spots Darla in the lobby. He races over and grabs her but she claims to be someone named DeEtta Kramer. Security comes to aid and she races outside to her husband...in the sunlight. Yep, she's human.

Undeterred, Angel heads over to a San Fernando suburb to pay the Kramers a visit. Creeping through their yard, Angel glaces into a window that looks into a beautiful scene of Stephen and Darla sharing dinner. Stephen's a paid actor, and annoying the hell out of Darla, who is communicating with Lindsey via earpiece.

London, 1860 – Angelus is at the Sisters of Mercy convent, having just killed the entire convent. Darla notices a very much alive Drusilla in the corner, who is now in full-fledged wacky mode. Darla wonders why they don't kill her already. The lightbulb has finally gone off over Angelus' head. He'll make her a vampire, instead.

Darla calls 911 and pretends that an intruder is in the house. The vamp guard backhands Darla and murders Stephen. Angel overhears the screams and crashes through the door to find Darla sobbing over her dead "husband." Angel runs from the police, taking a few bullets in the process, and runs off. Kate arrives on the scene and Darla plays the grieving housewife. The moment that Kate turns her back, Angel's hand descends from the nearby tree, grabbing Darla and pulling her up. Yoink!

Angel drags Darla back to the water tank. After a little foreplay, her game of being DeEtta is tossed aside. Darla wants the old Angel back, but he tells her things are a little different now because she is now has a soul. Darla presents Angel with a cross and slams it against his chest, causing it to smoke. She taunts Angel about how it's proof that no matter what he does, God doesn't want him -- But she still does. Succumbing to his cooking flesh, Angel releases Darla and can only watch as she walks out into the sunlight. Later, back at the hotel, Cordy and Wes pay Angel a visit in his room. They're worried. He reassures him that he didn't go bad. Wesley warns him to be careful. With Darla conspiring with Wolfram & Hart, there's bound to be trouble.

"I say bring it on."

Tropes:
"Wesley: All the great ones are. Sherlock Holmes, Phillip Marlowe--
 * Always Camp: Wolfram & Hart's paid actor. Not only does he prattle on endlessly, but he refuses to touch his linguine. "Gotta watch the figure."
 * Analogy Backfire: Following Angel's airy dismissal of their cleint, Wesley hustles Mr. Jeakins to the door, explaining that Angel is a bit eccentric.

Jeakins: Those are fictional characters.

Wesley: --Right you are, which gives Angel rather a leg up when you come to think of it!"

"Darla: All that power wasted on a whiny, mopey do-gooder. God, I could eat this eyeballs.
 * Brutal Honesty: As Wes is giving the five-star treatment to their newest client, Angel pops up out of the tunnels and storms through the lobby. Cordy introduces Mr. Jeakins, who asks, "Do you think my wife's cheating on me?" Without pausing, Angel fires back, "Probably." Well, not tactful, but still accurate.
 * Call Forward: Darla says that all relationships end in betrayal -- in "Darla" we find out that she abandoned her sire (The Master) for the new and attractive Angelus, just as she accuses Angel of doing when he rejected her for "that cheerleader".
 * Cut His Heart Out with a Spoon

Lindsey: Our plans for Angel are a little more long term than that, but if you can't help yourself, then by all means be my guest.

Darla: [smirks] You're fun for a human."

"Darla [in flashback]: He was propositioning a streetwalker and dickering over the price. Can you imagine? I told him I'd do him for nothing."
 * Description Cut: Gunn asks how bad Angelus could get -- cut to Angelus and Darla massacring the convent where Drusilla was hiding.
 * Dirty Business: Angel gets annoyed with the divorce case they're investigating and blows the surveillance by telling the woman they're watching that her husband is on to her.
 * Does This Remind You of Anything?: Older woman jealous of being 'dumped' for a younger woman. The 'religious war'.
 * Double Entendre: The philandering wife and her beau. "I'm going to abduct you right now and conduct my own probe."

"Angel: ...Which is nothing compared to what happened in Our Lady of Lochenbee..."
 * Face Revealing Turn: Darla asks Angelus to guess who she's picked for his next victim. He narrows it down to three virgin daughters he sees walking away from him on the street. Darla says it's actually the middle one, who is a seer -- sure enough a still-human Drusilla turns to stare at them in horror.
 * Fan Service with a Smile: Cordelia disguises herself as a waitress in a "nifty little outfit, which seemed to tell so many conventioneers 'pet me, I'm a whore'."
 * For the Evulz: Even Darla seems stunned by Angelus' passion for cruelty. In the present day, she admits to Angel that she could barely keep up with him.
 * Frame-Up: Angel is framed for the murder of Mr Kramer.
 * Getting Crap Past the Radar
 * Groin Attack: We quickly establish that Stephen is a hired actor, from the Method school. He name-drops the Actor's Studio, then frets over whether he should be holding Darla's chair, given that they're supposed to be 'married'. As Stephen natters on, Darla finally takes matters into her own hands by reaching below the table and grabbing a vulnerable part of his anatomy. (Even the vampire bodyguard winces.)
 * Hero Insurance: Averted by Kate Lockey's parting shot at the heroes.
 * Hannibal Lecture: Darla's shot that Angel was attracted to Buffy simply because she was something "new" clearly hits the mark.
 * Holy Burns Evil: Darla pulls her own twisted version of the famous cross-burning scene in BTVS "Angel".
 * Hollywood Tone Deaf: Angel says "I'm very sorry" after his bad karaoke.
 * Hyde Plays Jekyll: Angel lets out his inner Angelus to encourage Darla to stop pretending to be DeEtta Kramer. Sure enough Darla enjoys it too much to keep up the charade.
 * Hypocritical Humor: At headquarters, Wes and Cordy explain Angel's special situation concerning his "suddenly turning evil" to Gunn. Wes assures him it's all precautionary. Gunn eyes a tranquilizer gun, manacles, and a pile of chains, then deadpans, "I see."
 * Indulgent Fantasy Segue: While among his colleagues Angel imagines Darla on top of him, making out.
 * I Shall Taunt You: Lampshaded by Darla herself, who sarcastically inquires about whether Lindsey's plan is to "tease him to death."
 * Indian Burial Ground: Saint Bridget's in Fremont, a convent built over a sacred Native burial ground. The place saw eight murders in the span of two years, before the whole place burned to the ground.

"Darla: "But you can escape. You can escape it all. Remember what it was like to get lost, huh? Every thought a million miles away, every part of you being alive! All you have to do is let me give you one little moment of happiness."
 * It Doesn't Mean Anything

Angel: "You took me places, showed me things, huh? You blew the top off my head. But you never made me happy."

Darla: "But that - that cheerleader did? We were together 150 years! We shared everything. You're saying - never?""

"Cordelia: unbelievable. I didn't think you ever had sex.""
 * Laughing Mad: Angelus & Darla top off their Mind Rape of Drusilla with a celebratory rodding. Drusilla alternates between gleeful cackling and sobs.
 * Leaning on the Fourth Wall: "We should have our own series."
 * Lost in a Crowd: While trying to follow her, Angel gets caught up in the crowd surrounding a clown and a guy wearing a hot dog costume who's handing out fliers. After getting through the bottleneck, he looks around, but Darla has vanished.
 * Madness Mantra: "Snake in the woodshed. Snake in the woodshed. Snake in the woodshed! SNAKE IN THE WOODSHED!"
 * Master of Delusion: Mr. Jenkins genuinely wants to believe in his wife's UFO abductions. "It's more common that people realize."
 * Never Recycle a Building: The convent burned to the ground, but the state purchased the area and dug a water tank.
 * The Nose Knows: When Wesley is skeptical that Angel could recognise Darla from scent, Angel sniffs him and says he had sex with a bleached blonde last night.

"Kate: What brings you to Siberia?"
 * Not Helping Your Case: When his teammates shows skepticism at Darla's return, Angel yells, "I saw her. I'm not crazy!" Wesley asks where Angel spotted Darla, and he replies, "Right between the clowns and the big talkin' hot dog!" Well, that would certainly convince me.
 * Not Herself: Both Angel and Kate are looking somewhat strung out from stress and lack of sleep.
 * The Reveal: "DeEtta Kramer" hurtling into the arms of her "husband" -- who is standing in a pillar of sunlight.
 * Reassigned to Antarctica: In her first scene of Season Two, we see Kate shuffling paper in a dimly-lit corner. She's no longer working downtown.

"Gunn: My uncle Theo always said: never buy a dull plow, and never get in the middle of a religious war.""
 * Silly Reason for War: Men in black robes fighting it out with men in red robes. The victorious side gets to worship a wall-mounted piranha.

"Darla: "You're hurting me...I like it.""
 * Smash Cut
 * Smithical Marriage: The Kramers.
 * Stealth Hi Bye: Darla vanishes the first time Angel catches sight of her -- his own favourite weapon used against him!
 * Stun Gun: Gunn demands a Bigger Stick.
 * Tempting Fate
 * They Wasted a Perfectly Good Sandwich: Once her charade is over, Darla carries her (much-lauded) plate of prop linguine into the kitchen and smashes it in the sink. My god, she's not just evil, she's a careless housekeeper!
 * Too Kinky to Torture


 * Two Roads Before You: Lorne warns Angel that he's about to jump the track.
 * Undying Loyalty: Kate gives Wes and Cordy the option of betraying Angel or going down with him. Their mutual response is to fold their arms and say nothing.
 * Ungrateful Bastard: Cordy notes that they've been more than "cooperative" with Kate and her goons; "We solved the damn case!" Kate leaves in a huff nonetheless.
 * Vampire Invitation: Wes and Cordy protest that Angel could not have killed Mr Kramer as according to his wife's story he hadn't been invited into the house -- which meant the true owners were dead.
 * Vertical Kidnapping: After getting Darla's statement, Kate turns away to talk to a uniformed officer. Hands promptly yank Darla up into the tree they're standing under.
 * Victim Falls For Rapist: In the middle of ravaging Darla, Angel pauses to remark, "It's been a long time since I said this to anyone, but: you can scream all you want." Darla positively beams, and assures him she's won't scream. Ick.
 * Whole-Episode Flashback
 * What Do You Mean It's Not Heinous?: Cordy begins to castigate Angel for turning away paying customers, then leaps out of her chair when he starts lasciviously smelling her hair. He's clearly in another zone. Wesley storms in rolling up his sleeves, and barks, "I have to speak with you, man-to-man! Cordelia, you may not want to be here for this." He turns to Angel and whines, "Was it something I did?"
 * With Friends Like These...: Kate accuses police colleague Jack of avoiding her after she'd been "sent to Siberia". Jack protests that he stuck his neck out for her, and to prove his loyalty hands Kate an envelope with information on Angel's new address from "a friend of a friend" -- the fact that Lindsey was previously seen holding that same envelope throws a lot of doubt on his intentions.
 * You Remind Me of X: Averted; Angel sees Darla and naturally assumes it's another Indulgent Fantasy Segue, but she doesn't go away.