Angel and Wesley are directed to a house where the boy of the family is possessed by a demon and the pair must attempt an exorcism of the spirit.

The Angel revival (assuming it's not a bit early for one) continues with this very strong episode that sees a much tighter degree of scripting and a continuation in the newfound strength the main actors seem to have found with each other. I'm sure I'm not wrong in noticing that the arrival of Wesley has really merged the group together as a team, and they seem to be functioning better onscreen than they did with Doyle around. Whether this is due to already being familiar with Alexis Denisof from Buffy the part of the actors and, indeed, viewers, or not is unknown, but there's a much more intimate feeling to the series. We're even starting to get hints of the backgrounds of the characters. The supporting cast are also excellent, with Ryan's (the possessed boy) troubled parents coming across very convincingly as they are confronted with the truth about their son.

On top of this firm foundation is a carefully played story, which, though resembling The Exorcist, still provides some good shocks and scares along the way to a clever twist ending that is far more sinister than any battle with a demon. It's a difficult thing to do, to depict a child possessed, especially showing a particuarly evil child who tries to strangle his mother and stabs people. However, the script remains on the right side of taste, bringing to the screen one of the most creepy creations Angel has yet provided.

There's a couple of oddities: Lockley turns up very late in the day, and it hardly seems worth her appearing, and after being stabbed in the neck, Wesley seems to recover quickly with no ill effects, which seems unlikely. Otherwise, it's a classy piece of entertainment that gives strong hope for Angel being at least as good as its predecessor.

****

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