Grade: B-
When Doyle's estranged wife appears without warning at Angel Investigations, introducing a new fiance and asking Doyle for a formal divorce, no one is entirely sure how to respond. Speaking to Angel privately, Doyle explains that he and his wife were married at a very young age, and that their already unstable relationship collapsed when she found out about his demon propensities. Wishing to learn more about her new relationship before signing the divorce papers, Doyle asks Angel to follow Richard, his wife's prospective second husband. Angel agrees, following Richard as he enters a restaurant owned by his family; looking in a window, Angel witnesses the man morph into a demon and apparently prepare to kill Harry, his fiance. Breaking into the place, Angel attempts to take the demon out of commission, only to be stopped by Harry, who is well aware of her boyfriend's demonic nature. Confused by this direct contradiction to Doyle's story, Angel demands to know Harry's motivations; she explains that she is, in fact, an avid scholar of demon lore and culture, and that she left Doyle as a response what she viewed as his self-loathing and refusal to accept his demon side. Richard belongs to a group of civilized and harmless demons who operate a chain of restaurants, and has no ill intentions toward her. Returning to headquarters, Angel confronts Doyle with Harry's version of their breakup, which Doyle sadly confirms. Richard and Harry visit the next day, attempting to smooth over the entire affair buy asking Doyle and Angel to Richard's bachelor party, while Cordelia visits with Harry and her future in-laws. Meanwhile, a glimpse of Richard's home life reveals that the family's intentions are not quite benevolent; their cultural traditions demand that before marrying Harry, Richard must first obtain her prior husband's blessing - and then eat his brains. Unaware of this twist in the proceedings, Angel and Doyle arrive at the bachelor party, where Richard accosts Doyle in an attempt to obtain his blessing on the marriage, while Angel's suspicions are raised by members of the demon family quietly exiting the room. Following them, he witnesses the beginning of a demon ceremony, but is unable to translate the meaning; calling Cordelia and getting Harry on the line, he asks her to translate the phrase for him. Consulting her books, Harry's suspicious are raised by the sinister import of the words, and she and Cordelia depart for the bachelor party. Angel is discovered by the demons performing the ceremony and is ganged up upon and thrown out of a window, while Doyle, unsuspecting, gives his blessing to Richard and Harry's marriage. As soon as he does so, he is entrapped in a box which allows only his head to protrude from the top, while the family prepares to kill him; however, they are held up by disagreement over petty details of the ceremony, allowing time for Angel to come to himself and crash the party before Doyle is hurt. As the fight commences, Harry and Cordelia arrive, and Harry confronts Richard over his murderous intentions, returning her engagement ring and leaving with Angel's team in tow. Later, Angel and Cordelia surreptitiously observe Doyle, depressed and unhappy after Harry's departure. Talking to him, they manage to lift his mood slightly; however, just then, he receives a vision of Buffy in danger, and struggles to inform Angel of what he just witnessed.
Observations:
Observations:
- So, we get our obligatory Doyle-centric episode; interesting character-wise, but nothing special.
- "Two beautiful words: sports bar." Doyle, I like you, but you are not the Mayor. Don't steal his lines.
- Yay, Xander gets a shout-out!
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