Is it Angel or Spike destined for greatness?
Written by: Steven S. DeKnight
Directed by: Skip Schoolnik
Spike gets a special delivery - his body back! Opening a mysterious package sent to Wolfram and Hart, the ghostly vampire suddenly becomes corporeal again.
However, Eve claims that the existence of two souled vampires is causing 'chaos' that's suddenly making the Wolfram and Hart staff to act violently. The only a quest to find the Cup of Perpetual Torment will establish who is destined to fulfil the Shanshu prophecy.
Spike and Angel race to Death Valley to acquire the cup, battling each other until Spike ultimately wins. Drinking from the cup, he discovers it's merely a soft drink. Both he and Angel have been misdirected by Sirk, an ex-watcher working at Wolfram and Hart.
Eve reveals to Angel that the Senior Partners have stabilised the chaos, before heading home and into bed with a bizarrely tattooed figure, who bears a striking resemblance to ex-lawyer Lyndsey McDonald.
- ten quick questions.
Trivia:
Just married: Wesley is absent for the first since he joined Angel midway through season one. Despite the claim that this was to recover from the events of Lineage, it was really to allow Alexis Denisof to marry his former Buffy co-star, Alyson Hannigan.
Nice Tatts: Christian Kane returns to Angel, sporting some impressive tattoos. They're not Christian's own, but are fakes - reportedly of mystical symbols that are likely to become significant in future episodes. Eliza Dushku sported a fake tattoo to play Faith, whilst Charisma Carpenter, Alyson Hannigan and Sarah Michelle Gellar all have one or more real ones.
Dru's back: Also back on Angel is Juliet Landau as Drusilla. It's her first episode on the show since season two. Dru appears in flashbacks to Spike's early days although, unusually, Darla doesn't appear with her. "It's always fun to visit London 1880," Landau told the Zap2it media website. "I have some different wardrobe that's really gorgeous. I'm always excited to go back and work, and this is a particularly fun episode, because I'm back with the boys."
Review:
It's the big Spike/Angel showdown, after a big build-up, and it's truly awesome. Getting this one right was vital, and Mutant Enemy don't disappoint. Astounding wirework, sumptous flashbacks and oodles of style make this one top monster smackdown.
The treats are ladled on all over this week. There's the gallows humour of psychotic photocopier man - hey, what office worker hasn't felt like that from time to time? There's super sardonic Sirk, with his effortless sarcasm, and there's Spike-babes getting his moves on. What more could we ask for? A big hoorah for this episode!
