Angel : Season One, Episode Thirteen : She

Grade: C

An army of militant male demons arrives in Los Angeles, claiming to be on a mission to stop a rampaging evil being escaped from their own dimension. Soon afterward, Angel has an encounter with a female demon from the same realm, revealed to be the so-called "evil" spoken of by the males of her species; a disinherited princess, she is leading a desperate attempt by the women of her race to escape from their own dimension and the terrible enslavement they endure there. Angel offers to help her with her mission, which proves difficult, as the women arrive from their trans-dimensional journey burning with fever and barely alive. The princess has secured the services of an isolated spa, where she is able to keep the group of women temperature-regulated until they are able to adjust to the new environment; as Angel, Cordelia, and Wesley accompany her on an attempt to get the women to safely, they are attacked by the cohorts of demon soldiers sent to recover the refugees. The women are removed to a secure location, but Cordelia and Wesley are briefly taken hostage by the soldiers, a state of affairs the princess chooses to ignore if it means safety for herself and the others of her cause. Cordy and Wesley manage to free themselves while Angel confronts the leader of the demon army, telling him that their race's ongoing struggle must be kept out of his dimension. Later, he meets the princess for the last time, and, despite the fact that they feel a connection and a common purpose, reminds her that she was willing to let Wesley and Cordelia die if it meant success for her own mission, and that she should be willing to protect innocents of any race; warning her that it would not be wise to cross the line into endangering his people, he parts with her for the last time.


Observations: 

• Apart from a few character-related highlights (the dancing!), this episode is pretty much a dud. A heavy-handed metaphor, two-dimensional secondary characters, and a dearth of character development for the main cast add up to a pretty dull, uninspiring hour. At least Wesley finally became an official team member.