Welcome to Rewatching Angel, the part of the blog where I rewatch the Buffy the Vampire Slayer spin-off: Angel. Each Tuesday evening, you’re invited to join me as I attempt to rediscover what made me love these shows so many years ago.

Darla

• Angel’s visit with the fake T’ish Magev last week didn’t help him with his Darla obsession.
• Meanwhile, Darla has smashed the reflective surfaces.
• That pesky soul has started to bother her.
• In Virginia in 1609, Darla lies dying.
• She thinks she’s being visited by a priest. But this guy’s not a priest.
• It’s the Master, who turns her into a vampire. Obviously.
• In 1780, Darla introduces Angelus to the Master.
• Angelus pretty much insults the guy. He’s unimpressed by the Master’s lifestyle, living in the sewers.
• In the present, Angel discovers that the name Darla didn’t come into common usage until about 100 years after she was born.
• The Master must have given her the name.
• Wes points out that Wolfram & Hart may have brought Darla back just to distract Angel and take him out of the game.
• It’s working.
• Lindsey brings Darla to the office. Holland realizes she’s beginning to lose her mind, which means she’s way ahead of schedule.
• They were expecting this?
• In London in 1880, Drusilla has just fed on a sailor. But she laments that she’s still alone.
• And that’s when she goes after Spike, as seen in the Buffy episode, “Fool for Love.”
• Cordelia tracks down where Darla has been living and Wes goes to check it out.
• Darla points out that Lindsey has a thing for her. So he kisses her.
• She’s having a pretty serious existential crisis. She thinks her soul is killing her.
• In 1898, Darla, Dru, and Spike slaughter the tribe that cursed Angelus with a soul.
• Darla calls Angel. She wants to go to him, believing he’s the only one who can help her.
• In a scuffle with a Wolfram & Hart security guard, the guard is accidentally shot and killed.
• As a result, Holland pulls Lindsey off the project.
• Back at the hotel, Wes points out that Angel may not know what Darla is dealing with. He wandered for 100 years without seeking redemption.
• Angel says that he sought Darla.
• This leads us back to the Boxer Rebellion. Angel finds Darla, wanting her to kill him to rid him of his soul.
• But then he asks her to take him back. Even with a soul, he can be her Angelus again.
• Or can he?
• Lindsey wants Angel to help Darla. He thinks the firm is going to kill her.
• Back in China, Angel saves a family of missionaries from being slaughtered. He can’t be Angelus.
• Darla calls him out later for feeding on vermin. The only humans he kills are evildoers: murderers, rapists, etc.
• In the present, just as a couple of goons from Wolfram & Hart are about to kill Darla, Angel arrives to stop them.
• The next day, Lindsey notices the “dead” security guard shaking hands with Holland, alive and well.
• It was all a ploy to drive Darla to Angel so he could save her soul.
• Huh?
• Darla wants Angel to turn her back into a vampire so she doesn’t have to deal with the burden of her soul.
• When he refuses, Darla runs out, telling Angel not to look for her again.
• Body count: Humans – 2 (Yes, I’m counting Darla)