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Angel
Double or Nothing
Episode Air Date 04/22/02
This unpretentious episode offers welcome relief after last week’s frenetic smorgasbord. The plot focuses primarily on Gunn, his relationship with Fred, and his special debt to a casino-owning demon name Jenoff.
Collecting for Jenoff is an unnamed, bespectacled (and apparently English) demon well played by Jason Carter of Babylon 5 fame (the much beloved ranger Marcus). Back-stories deal with Angel’s mourning, Cordelia’s return with the “Groos-a-Dork,” and Wesley’s isolation. The pacing among the stories is well balanced, and the ending works in a few simple yet fun surprises.
However, some fans will no doubt find the frequent, syrupy cooing of Gunn and Fred unpalatable. Indeed, when Fred declares late in the episode that she’s “kind of full,” it’s likely that many fans share her feeling of nausea. Whereas the writers in the past
have, in this regard, skillfully navigated the border between romantic comedy and teen melodrama, this episode is perhaps a “pancake kiss” or two in the wrong direction.
Speaking of nausea, Cordelia now sports a new, short, blonde haircut. While Charisma Carpenter would no doubt look fetching with any hairstyle, the new look is not especially flattering. When Cordelia asks “what happened” upon returning to the hotel, fans are likely echoing the question. Perhaps Joss Whedon has a penchant for blondes and short hair: first Anya, then Buffy (supposedly that was Sarah Michelle Gellar's call -- editor), now Cordelia. And apparently he has just the opposite feeling about Leprechauns. As once done on a Buffy episode, the writers here go out of their way to point out that Leprechauns do not exist in the Wedon-verse (these same writers also display an impressive, if not especially useful, lexicon involving mucus).
The episode is a little dissatisfying in that there is no discussion of Cordy and Groo’s vacation. Instead, Cordy holes up with Angel while Gru tries to contribute to the business despite being the intellectual equivalent of a Labrador retriever.
But overall it was an OK episode for those able to stomach the lovebirds Fred and Gunn. If nothing else, it got Angel out of the house (so to speak).
That’s probably a good thing, too, since next week’s preview hints at a new nasty for the Fang Gang (sans Wesley) to battle (do they ever fight vampires anymore?). If the writers need ideas for new big bads, perhaps they should look towards some of the
commercials aired during this episode (as seen in the Bay Area; actual mileage may vary). Consider the possibilities:
Carrot Top. Probably too obvious, and wouldn’t last very long because everyone, human or otherwise, would be out to kill him. Besides, any more screen time for him would open a rift to a Hell dimension.
Steven, The Dell Guy. In a bizarre crossover and adhering to the universal “Conservation of Dork” law, the Groosalug also begins plugging personal computers.
Jack-In-The-Box Antenna Ball. Already has the ability to spin its head around 180 degrees.
The creepy candy storeowner from the “Got Chocolate Milk” commercial where the kid smashes up his “Parisian Mocha Flake.” Her disturbing pale skin and odd voice would fit right in. Or for real horror, they could bring in the writers for this season’s Buffy…
