Just as Cordelia is starting to realize the merits of Doyle, along comes his wife, Harry, who wants him to sign divorce papers so she can remarry. What worries Doyle, however, is that her husband-to-be is a demon, but his fears become less about Harry when he goes to the bachelor party.
Throwing in a surprise distant relative, or in this case, wife, to the mix is the kind of desperate ploy usually seen only in soap operas, and we have come to expect more from Joss Whedon's shows by now. Written by another newcomer to the world of Angel, however, the occasional cringe-inducing idea is played off against some supremely funny dialogue which juxtaposes the mundane against the decidedly odd with dazzling effect. For instance, the confontations between Harry and fiancé Richard are frequently hilarious, especially her annoyance at there being a stripper despite what has also been happening.
At the start of the story, it sppears that the cast are all more comfortable with their relationships in the show, and we finally get some information about Alan Frances Doyle's past and when his demon side first appeared. Speaking of which, it's good to see him in full demon form for an extended period for the first time. Cordelia also gets some good moments, and even Angel is slightly less quiet or monosyllabic.
Richard's family, demons who have allegedly merged into society are fantastically amusing creations, determined to follow old traditions while arguing over the correct tools to use for the job.However, all the comedy in the world can't disguise the fact that there's not much plot, with some kind of revelation made at the end of each act that the viewer can predict with increasing ease. Otherwise, the only plot to speak of is Doyle and Angel going to a bachelor party. As last week, though, it seems rather odd that the people writing the better episodes of Angel firstly are new to Joss Whedon's universe, but secondly make the stories work by writing them more in the style of Buffy. And that can't be a bad thing.
***
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