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.

That Old Gang of Mine

• At Caritas, Angel is meeting with his informant, Merl, and apologizing for the way he treated him.
• It’s really not much of an apology, since Angel just antagonizes him and tells him that he can take his best shot.
• But since there’s no demon violence allowed in Caritas, trying to hit Angel with a bottle backfires.
• After the meeting’s over, Merl heads home and is slaughtered by unknown assailants.
• The next day, Angel discovers Merl in pieces when he goes to his home to give sincere another shot.
• Gunn questions why they’re investigating Merl’s death. A demon’s a demon…
• Wes insists that Merl was harmless. Gunn can’t really get behind that reasoning.
• He takes off and heads back to his neighborhood, where he’s immediately attacked by a new kid with the crew.
• The new kid, Gio, starts talking trash about Gunn working with Angel.
• At the Hyperion, Angel and Cordelia discuss their concern about Fred spending so much time alone.
• Angel wants Cordy to spend some time talking to Fred… noticing that she’s outside having a conversation with a plant…
• While looking into one of Merl’s potential killers, they visit a demon bookie who has also been slaughtered.
• Cut to a big ugly demon drinking a Big Gulp in the sewers.
• He’s confronted by some people with flashlights and he timidly asks, “Who’s there, please?”
• They attack… and someone shouts, “Smoke ’em, Gio!”
• So the new guy in Gunn’s old crew is indiscriminately taking down demons, whether or not they pose a threat to humanity.
• Wes calls Gunn to the bookie’s apartment and recognizes the point of a crossbow bolt that he knows Gio was using.
• He knows because Gio stuck it in his face.
• Gunn goes to warn Rondell, the crew’s leader these days, that they’ve got a rogue on their team.
• Rondell states in no uncertain terms that Gio is no rogue.
• Not a single one of them has a problem taking down any type of demon.
• Cordelia goes to have a talk with Fred and says that Angel wants her to get out.
• Fred thinks that means she needs to leave the hotel.
• But Cordelia explains that she should just get out for a night on the town… with her. They’ll go together… and sing karaoke.
• Wes joins the ladies and looks on with concern as Fred sings “Crazy.”
• Gunn arrives looking for Wes. Lorne reads him without even trying…
• In the middle of the song, the old crew burst in with guns blazing.
• No demon violence is allowed at Caritas. That spell apparently doesn’t cover human violence.
• When they’re done randomly shooting, Gio calls out Gunn, knowing he’s there somewhere.
• Wes is disappointed that Gunn knew about his old crew being the killers.
• Gunn tries to talk down Rondell.
• Rondell lets Cordelia leave, saying he’ll let the rest of Team Angel go when she brings Angel back with her.
• Angel heads to Caritas and sends Cordelia to the furies who performed the spell. She’ll get them to lift the spell so Angel can actually fight the crew.
• Cordelia’s meeting with the furies goes well… they seem to have a past with Angel.
• I’m gonna leave it at that.
• Back at the club, Gio sings “Wind Beneath My Wings” and Lorne reads him.
• He digs up some harsh truth from Gio’s past.
• When a demon makes a break for it, he’s stopped at the door.
• In the confusion, Gunn manages to get Gio’s shotgun away from him.
• Gio eggs Gunn on, leading to Gunn shooting the demon that tried to escape.
• Then Angel walks in and asks Gunn if he’s next.
• Rondell wants Gunn to stake Angel…
• Gunn refuses, so Gio makes an offer to the humans still being held hostage.
• Kill the vampire and they can go free.
• Fred stands up and says she doesn’t want to die, so Gio hands her his crossbow.
• She aims the crossbow at Angel, apologizing because she just “can’t die in here.”
• At the last second, she turns the crossbow on Gio, deciding she’d rather shoot him instead.
• Just then, the spell is broken and the demons can fight back.
• A timid looking demon transforms and bites Gio’s head off.
• In the aftermath, Wes pulls no punches with Gunn. If he ever withholds important information like that again, he will be fired.
• Body count: Demons – Unsure (after all the carnage at Caritas); Vampires – 1; Humans – 1