Cordelia is back and she's brought presents, Groo, and the haircut of a ten year old boy. Just pop a slingshot in her back pocket and she's Dennis the Menace. But there is no joy in Mudville as mighty Connor is still kidnapped. So the gang explains and we finally get that "I'm so sorry" scene with Angel that The WB's been advertising for weeks. Then we cut over to a demon casino (which features a big bright "Casino" sign right in the middle of the city) as some gangster demons say to bring him in while looking over an Angel Investigations card.

The title "Double or Nothing" can be applied so many ways here. There's the obvious casino moments. There's the fact that every character is never alone in any scene, always paired up (more on that later). And there's the fact that this episode is more or less two half hour episodes. And that's where the hurt comes in.

On the one hand you have Angel, heavy in the brooding. Just staring off into space for most of the episode. On the other hand, you have Gunn and the evil casino demons. The coolest demons since Skip show up at the Hotel and explain a squatter demon has invaded their lair. What's great about them is that they're just like an old married couple, bitching at each other the time. It's obvious, but funny. After killing the squatter demon, we learn Gunn's connection to the casino demons by going to Land of the Jarring Flashback. Of course we're supposed to just know it's a flashback because Gunn is dressed like a reject from Dangerous Minds and surprise, surprise, "Gangsta's Paradise" is thumping on the soundtrack. It turns out Gunn sold his soul to a demon back in the day for a... wait for it... ah they don't tell us just yet, which means you know it's gonna be stupid.

This is all intercut with Angel doing the brooding thing and Cordy trying to comfort him. Not that kind of comforting you pervs! Groo is still downstairs and was halfway funny this episode. Like when he told Gunn "He is very fortunate to have such a woman looking after his weapon." And don't forget about poor Wesley in all this. Fred goes to visit him and really laces into him. She tells him not to come back ever because Angel will kill him. It was heartbreaking, which is also why it was amazing. Later a doctor asks Wesley, "Do you have a friend or family member we can call?" No words, because he still can't speak, but the facial expressions said it all. This should have been Wesley's episode.

But it's not Wesley's episode, it's Gunn's. And when he realizes the casino demons want his soul, he decides to live the rest of his day to the fullest. He binges on the sugary sweet stuff with Fred and my teeth started rotting as they acted all lovey dovey. Then to truly live life to the fullest, he dumps her in the middle of a restaurant. So Fred decides that Gunn must be trouble for breaking up with her and tries to explain it to the gang in a bad Abbott and Costello sketch way. It's painful. Though I did like Angel's line "Let me get this straight. You and Gunn are dating?" Echoes of Xander at the end of season 4 of Buffy.

So our two episodes converge as the Avengers saddle up and storm the casino... while Wesley walks home alone. Do I need to say it again? There is some very cool fighting and a final card game that decides the owner of Gunn's soul. Fitting for a casino and almost out of place in this scattershot episode. Angel loses the card game, so he just decides to lop off the gangster demon's head. Way to get over your brooding man.

As the day ends we find out why Gunn sold his soul back in the day. For his truck. Let me repeat that, Gunn, the man who is supposed to not even trust Angel, even though they've fought side by side for almost two years, sold his soul as a teenager, at the height of his demon hate, for a truck. I knew it was gonna be stupid. Not just stupid, but it goes against Gunn's entire character. It's just... ugh. I expect more from the Angel writers. Oh and in the end Angel symbolically started to move on by taking apart Connor's crib.

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