This summary is the intellectual property of Loey

The episode picks up exactly where "Power Play" left off, with the crew standing in Angel's office, making use of the last few seconds of the glamour. Angel tells them that they'll have to take down the Circle of the Black Thorn members one by one, since the group is too powerful as an entity. They're all on board.

Gunn suggests that having Illyria on their side might not suck, since she's still got the Smurf demon mojo. Angel isn't sure she'll be on their side. He also isn't sure she's safe, once he learns that she was left at Spike's apartment with Drogyn.

This leads to the revelation that Angel killed Drogyn to get into the Circle. It's a whopper, but there's no time to discuss it, as the glamour is wearing off and Marcus is about to enter the room. Angel sends everyone packing, making sure it still looks like they're on the outs.

Marcus tells Angel that the Circle is concerned and wants to meet with him. Now.

"No rest for the wicked," Marcus says smugly, as he walks toward the door.

I'm gonna miss him.

[credits....last...credits...ever....damn]

While Angel plots his next move, the others go to the apartment, where they find a badly injured Illyria. She tells them that Marcus attacked her and delivered Drogyn to the Circle, and Lorne wonders aloud if, given this fact, Angel can really be trusted. It's interesting that he, of all of them, is the one who is still the most concerned about Angel's mental state. They're all thinking it, I'm sure, but they know how far you sometimes have to go in order to get the important things done. Ironically, they're the ones who have sometimes crossed that line in pursuit of what they believed was the greater good, while Lorne, the (presumably soulless) demon, has always found the whole business distasteful. And right now, he's finding it borderline intolerable.

Meanwhile, an extremely scary, powerful organization sits around a table, chanting an invocation before getting down to business. No, it's not a Bush administration prayer meeting, just our buddies in the Circle of the Black Thorn (yeah, cheap shot, but I just had to).

Angel waits for them to finish, then makes wisecracks as they explain their concerns. His people are turning against him, and such insurrections are not a good thing. They do mention, however, that the "intriguingly unstable" Mr. Wyndham-Pryce might someday be a good candidate for the Circle.

During this conversation, that freaky slave of Sebassis' does something weird, and Angel pushes him away with his right hand. Pay attention - this will be important later.

Anyway, the Circle is also worried about Angel, thinking that he might be manipulating them in order to fulfill the Shanshu prophecy and become human again. He denies this, and they make him prove it by having him sign a document that will completely invalidate the prophecy. Poker-faced, he does so.

And this may be the most heroic thing Angel's ever done. He pretends not to care much about the Shanshu, but we know that it's always in the back of his mind. The hope, however vague, that he could be a "real boy" again has motivated him more than even he probably realizes. But it's time to let go, tough as it is.

Which it is, as evidenced by the next scene. Angel stands in his office, gazing out the window with a melancholy look on his face. Harmony comes in, and he asks her if she ever misses being human. He can't even remember it anymore, and she points out that it's not really that great, although she does kind of miss feeling her heart beat.

This is an extremely poignant scene, for both of them. Leaving aside the fact that Angel should remember being human briefly back in Season 1, it's sad to think that he can't even recall what it was like. And Harmony, for all her shallowness, almost has a moment of reflection when she responds.

This nice little conversation ends rather abruptly, as Harmony once again confronts Angel about being left out of the loop on one of his projects. He tells her only that she needs to keep Marcus occupied for a while. Dejected, Harmony follows orders.

Angel goes to see Lindsey, and asks him to join in this battle against Wolfram & Hart. Lindsey is skeptical that there's any point to this, given how powerful the Senior Partners are and what they'll do to anyone who tries to go against them. He also doesn't see why Angel would want him on the team.

Angel answers the first point with his usual "fighting the good fight" speech (which Lindsey promptly zones out). He answers the second by giving Lindsey kind of a compliment - he's a tough cookie and Angel would prefer to have him close by when things go down. Especially if they survive, since someone will have to step into the power vacuum, and it may as well be someone Angel can keep an eye on.

If this argument makes no sense to you, congratulations. It doesn't actually make any sense at all. But it's enough to convince Lindsey, who is also (mostly, in fact) interested in kicking some ass just for the fun of it. He's in.

Wesley is tending to Illyria, but needs to get supplies from home. Angel arrives, and is surprised to learn that Marcus was involved in the attack. The others are still wigging about what Angel did to Drogyn, and wonder if the Circle will want any of the rest of them dead as proof of Angel's loyalty.

It'll be a moot point, because they're taking the Circle down tonight. And instead of preparing for battle, Angel wants everyone to go and have a "perfect day," because there's a very good chance it will be the last day they ever have.

So, off they go. Lorne heads to a bar, where he sings for a receptive crowd. Spike goes to another bar, full of big biker types, but he's not there to start a fight - he's there to read his poetry. He's finally perfected his poem to Cecily, complete with the word "effulgent." The patrons cheer loudly for it.

They must be very, very drunk.

Gunn goes to visit Anne, his old friend from the homeless shelter. She's moving some stuff to a new building, and he pitches in to help. He asks her what she'd do if she realized that none of it really matters, that there are powerful forces who won't ever let anything on earth get better.

She doesn't bat an eyelid. "I'd get this truck packed before the new stuff gets here," she replies, and continues working.

This is all Gunn needs to hear. Any doubts he had about what they're planning are washed away by Anne's steady determination. In fact, she just summed up the whole theme of the show in one tiny exchange. You keep going because that's all you can do. You might save a million lives. You might save one. It's all good.

Angel goes and finds Connor, who did get his real memories back (I guessed a plot twist right!). He and Angel have their first ever pleasant conversation, and Connor acknowledges that he now understands what Angel did for him. It seems that his new, fake memories have mellowed him out a little, and maybe helped mitigate the horrible ones that made him such a basket case before.

Maybe he's also growing up. Part of maturing is understanding decisions made by well-meaning adults whose actions you couldn't comprehend at the time. The kid might turn out all right, after all. Imagine that.

Wesley's perfect day is not so great, as he spends it treating Illyria's wounds. She is fully aware that he would prefer to be with Fred, and seems slightly hurt that he would never accept her taking Fred's form just to please him. He would rather face reality, especially since he doesn't intend to die tonight.

I'm beginning to think that Illyria is in love with Wesley. In a twisted, demonic kind of way (she really doesn't get why her pretending to be Fred bothers him so much), but still. This could have emerged as a great relationship, if the friggin' show hadn't been cancelled.

Lindsey and Harmony weren't really in on Angel's "have a perfect day" speech, but they're making a go of it anyway. Actually, they're going at it. Lindsey is having a relaxing snog with Eve, who is somewhat distracted by that nasty apocalypse business and the horrible future that Lorne foresaw for her. Lindsey thinks it'll all be OK in the end. Eve knows better.

Funny how she turned out to be the smart one.

Meanwhile, Harmony is keeping Marcus distracted....by having sex with him. And telling him all she knows about Angel's plans. Granted, that isn't much, but it's enough to inform Marcus that Angel isn't being entirely on the level with him about this whole Circle of the Black Thorn thing.

Adam Baldwin is ripped, by the way. Now I have another reason to miss the guy :-)

After everyone gets his respective affairs in order, it's time to cowboy up. Wesley will "betray" Angel (much to an eager Spike's disappointment) by meeting with Cyvus Vail and pretending to switch sides, then killing him when the opportunity arises. Spike will rescue the baby from the Fell Brethren and give him back to his mother. Gunn will take out Senator Bruckner and her vampire minions. Illyria will get Izzy and some of his Circle pals. Lindsey will go after the Sahrvin clan, with Lorne as backup. Angel will take care of Sebassis.

A few meaningful glances are exchanged, as they all go off to fight what might be their last battle. Angel wants the survivors to meet in the alley near the Hyperion after it's over, but one warrior will definitely not be there: Lorne. He's willing to do this one last thing for Angel, but that's it. He's never gotten too heavily into the whole champion routine - he'd rather sing and drink cocktails than fight for any reason. He likes humanity, he likes this dimension, he's cool with helping people out. But going out in a blaze of glory? No thanks.

Before he leaves, Spike also chimes in with something interesting, asking Angel if the night's activities will possibly cause the Shanshu prophecy to be fulfilled. Angel reminds him that it doesn't matter, since they're probably not going to survive anyway. Spike drops the matter (although he does get a good quip in at Angel's expense).

And that's it. I kind of expected Spike to be more concerned, since he's had a lot less time to process the whole Shanshu thing than Angel has. The prospect of becoming human someday is still a fresh, enticing notion for him, while Angel has long since let go of seeing it as his reason for existence. He still cares - who wouldn't? - but he's had a few years to turn it over in his mind and conclude that it's not important in the larger scheme of things. The fact that Spike even asks about it shows that it's an issue for him, but the fact that he doesn't make a big deal out of it shows that he's aware of its relative insignificance at this point. More proof that he's figuring out the whole champion mentality.

They all go off to their respective missions, and some of them go fairly smoothly. Spike rescues the baby and kills the Fell Brethren. Gunn dispatches Senator Demon and dusts her campaign staff. Illyria slaughters Izzy and his pals, then goes to help Wesley, who is not faring as well with Vail. Their meeting has degenerated into a contest of wills and magical abilities, and Wes is losing. Vail has him suspended in mid-air, with a knife twisted into his gut, by the time Illyria arrives. It is clear that he's not going to survive, and as she cradles him in her arms, she asks him if he wants her to lie to him now. He says yes, and she takes Fred's form, offering words of love and comfort as he fades away.

It was almost a week before it really hit me that Wesley was dead. It's so sad to see him go (he was always one of my favorites), but it's actually sweet that Illyria is willing to help him die with some sense of peace. It's a false sense, but the man is nearly dead, so his previous commitment to complete honesty isn't going to do anyone much good now. Illyria knows what he needs to hear and offers it to him, even telling him that they'll see each other in the afterlife (which is not true, since Fred's soul was destroyed during the demonic takeover). This is emotional stuff, and can I mention once again how spectacular Amy Acker is? If this were a cop show, she'd have an Emmy by now. She wouldn't be the only one, either.

Once Wesley is gone, Illyria puts the full force of her wrath and grief into an attack on Vail. His head explodes like a ceramic vase. It's excellent.

Lindsey clears out the Sahrvin demons pretty easily, and he seems ready to go back and rejoin the "team." This is not to be, however - Lorne isn't just there to provide backup. He has a gun, and is under orders to finish Lindsey off. Lindsey is appalled that anyone other than Angel would kill him, but that's the way it goes. Eve was right about this guy and his obsession with Angel. He resents Angel for trying to push him onto the right path and not accepting his sorry-ass excuses for being a jerk. He also admires Angel for being tough and determined, despite the odds against him. Maybe he really believes he'll be part of a team. Maybe he could actually be trusted to commit to the fight instead of wussing out and going evil again.

Probably not, though. He's always been a little weasel, and Angel is no longer inclined to keep giving him second (and third and fourth) chances just because he has a soul. So it's bye-bye Lindsey, in a way that is most insulting to a guy who thought he'd go down in hand-to-hand combat with his chosen arch-nemesis.

And boy does Lorne not like this. He does it, but he has clearly, officially had enough of this brutish lifestyle. If he'd wanted constant violence, he would have stayed in Pylea. So he leaves, off to whatever non-heroic existence he chooses for himself.

Back at Wolfram & Hart headquarters, Angel prepares to visit Sebassis. Or so it seems. Actually, he has anticipated Harmony's betrayal, and sure enough, Marcus confronts him as he's preparing to leave the building. Angel fires Harmony, who insists that she only turned on him because he never trusted her, which probably makes sense to her feeble brain. She's a follower, and Angel never let her join his clique, so she found another one. Of course, Marcus only accepts her because she can spy on Angel for him, but she neither knows nor cares about this. She was dumb and amoral even as a human, and becoming a vampire just made her worse.

Now why, you may be asking, does Harmony get to escape (with a letter of recommendation, no less) while Lindsey gets several bullets in the chest? That's a very good question, and one to which I have no answer. Harmony should have been staked back when she tried to kill Cordelia, and she should certainly be dusted now. But Angel lets her go. Script Immunity strikes again. Feh.

She leaves, and Angel and Marcus go at it. Marcus is channeling Agent Smith again, beating the stuffing out of Angel and wondering why these stupid little twerps keep fighting when they know they can't win. He's very annoyed to discover that Angel has already killed Sebassis - when he pushed the slave away at the Circle meeting, he jabbed him with a poison, which Sebassis later drank when he sipped on the slave's blood. This revelation just pisses Marcus off even more.

Connor shows up to help, having realized that Angel would never come to visit him if the world weren't ending. Between the two of them, they do OK, but Marcus is clearly winning. Then he makes the Number One Bad Guy Mistake: He gloats, and in doing so, reveals his one weakness. His blood has been infused with the power of the Wolf, Ram, and Hart, he says.

"Can you pick out the one word there you probably shouldn't have said?" Angel asks in reply, just before biting him. This gives Angel enough power to take Marcus out once and for all. As he does so, the Partners start bringing the building down around them. Angel orders a reluctant Connor to get out, then finds Eve and tells her to do the same.

Angel makes it to the alley, where he is met by Spike, Illyria, and a badly injured Gunn. Illyria reports Wesley's death (and her unexpected grief over it), but they don't have time to mourn. The Partners have literally unleashed hell on them, and hordes of demons are headed their direction. There's even a dragon.

"You take the 30,000 on the left....," Gunn quips through the pain.

Angel raises his sword.

"Let's go to work."

The End.

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