Cordelia escapes the gang with Connor's help, and takes off. As Angel and the others start to piece together what's been happening lately, Angel realizes that there's one person who can provide some insight: Skip. The problem? He's been in on the scheme from the start.

A series of blasts from the past here, as we get some explanation of what's been going on, and more worryingly, an idea of just how much has been leading to the point we're at now. Could it be that everything that's happened to the team to bring them together at this point has been designed specifically to lead to this one event?

It's great to see some fantastic reversals here. Skip, for his several previous appearances a wise-cracking, fun, generally friend demon, here finally shows his true colours as a demonic killing machine happy to beat anyone who crosses his path into submission. The fact he can switch so easily still between comic relief and serious threat is of great credit to the fantastic David Denman, whose job is mainly exposition this time out yet he makes up for it when he has a few other choice lines. It's a shame to see him go, although he probably had been pushed as far as he was likely to go, and Wesley's sure-shot aim is top notch, especially after guns have been, as Skip points out, woefully ineffective this season.

The bigger issue here is Cordy, who is picked up in suitably gung ho style at the start of the episode by Connor, then continues her mind tricks on him throughout, convincing him to do what she says claiming it's for the good of their baby. After too long just obeying orders, it's good to finally see Connor make his own choices here, even if they are the wrong ones. The poor kid, he's been tricked and twisted so many times now that even the spirit of Darla is unable to soothe his troubled mind, and he squares off against Angel once again to protect Cordelia as she gives birth, after helping in the murder of an innocent girl whose blood will help Cordy bring her child into the world. Vincent Kartheiser has his finest hour here, allowed to act with Julie Benz for the first time, and demonstrating expertly the twisting of reason that is happening to him. Benz is a little more restrained, rehashing some old observations that Connor is the only good thing she ever did, but the scenes with both in are well acted. I'm still not quite sure why Connor continues to believe everything's alright, especially when he's asked to sacrifice an innocent girl, but you have to feel for him.

While this episode goes some way towards answering a lot of the questions so far this year and last, there are still others remaining. Is Cordy okay now? How exactly was Connor born to two vampires? What was The Beast attempting to do? And who or what is the person Cordelia has given birth to? She seems almost heavenly, but I can't believe it's that simple. Whoever it is, either Angel either recognizes her or she has a strange effect on men.

My only real problem with the story is why Gunn and Fred seem to be okay again as friends, especially after what Gunn's just done. Hopefully some more of these questions will be answered next time out, but we'll have to wait and see. Aarrrgh, it's agony!

****

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