Episode Reviews   

"The Ring," Tuesday, February 28, 2000

by Chrystal

I loved this episode. The show is back on track, if only we could have two good episodes in a row. The elaborate set up to lure Angel into the underground fight worked really well. Angel never saw it coming and neither would have I, if I hadn't read the spoilers. By the way, David looked gorgeous in the leather coat.

Angel's whole experience in the underground fighting pit was interesting. His attempts to rally the demons to support each other, fail miserably. He tries to engage in a type of passive resistance, but the vampiric demon overtakes him and he kills his opponent. Yet Angel's refusal to cooperate with his jailers make an impression on his fellow fighters and they respond in kind. Perhap, the episode was a bit idealistic, portraying Angel as a "Ghandi" type, but I bought into it.

Cordelia and Wesley were outstanding in this episode. Their bickering was great, I loved how Angel had to soothe them and referred to them as "children." I had the same thought. Wesley telling the bookie that his employer was important to him and pulling the gun was a nice touch. The fact that he could not shoot the jailer in the end, showed that it was just a bluff. I liked Wesley and Cordelia as a working together to free Angel. They used initiative to get the bracelet and the horse hair to pick the lock. They were hysterical as the imitation police. Cordelia was so real, while Wesley overplayed his hand. Pretending to be the police to the snag tickets, showed how smart they are even without Angel guiding them. They are not just the goofball sidekicks.

I'm glad that the law firm is back. I actually liked the female lawyer. I thought she and Angel had real chemistry, definitely more than he has with Kate or had with the princess.

The ending was really cute. I had to smile when Angel, Wesley, and Cordelia's elation at destroying the whole fight operation and freeing the other fighters was dampened by the fact that they had released demons on the world. I had the same thought.

The overnight ratings were 5.4/8 (5.2/8).

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