This episode ushers in lots of trouble in River City. Cordy is tormented by vision induced nightmares, Fred and Gunn aren't frolicking, and to top it all off, there is a big new baddie in town (popularly called The Beast on fan boards; oddly, that's also the name of the reviewer's new Brooks running shoes).

Everything starts back at hotel HQ. Angel and Lorne bicker about whether or not it's time to ask Cordelia if she remembers her time "aglow." Meanwhile, Fred and Gunn head out to investigate a possible haunted toilet. When Gunn mentions the idea of future cohabitation, some pent-up strife between the two rises quickly to the surface.

But at least another couple is having some fun. Lilah seduces Wesley by donning a Fred like outfit that's somewhere between erotic and just plain disturbing.

Despite his feelings for Fred, Wes can't help but be amused (or is that the actor underneath?) and again caves in to Lilah's amorous advances. Lilah claims she knows Wesley better than anyone, and some in the audience may be fearing now that she's right.

While Wes may be declining in character, perhaps Connor is gaining. He treats Cordelia well, displays a semblance of a sense of humor, and even has the common sense to seek out help from his father. His scenes are well executed because the audience is still left guessing whether he is acting out of maturity or scheme.

When Angel responds to Connor's request, he learns more about Cordy's feelings. Her words, however, will likely leave some viewers confused, upset, or even angry given her actions later on. One troubling inconsistency is that Cordelia seems to have lost any ambition. Prior to her vacation in higher plane land, Cordelia was fired up to run the business, train to fight, etc. Now she seems somewhat resigned that the coming evil is unstoppable.

Whether it's unstoppable or not, the evil does come. The initial symptom is a growing number of calls to Angel Investigations about stock paranormal nuisances, e.g., bleeding walls, possessed pets, and so on. The increase in potential business provides a vehicle for Lorne to amuse the audience with lots of zippy one liners. Unfortunately, the writers don't know when to quit; like a good spice, Lorne should be used sparingly.

Still, it is Lorne who sums up the disturbing events with a class "Charleton Heston plague-a-thon" quip. But it takes Angel forging an alliance with Lilah to figure out how to respond. Apparently Wolfram and Hart have there own plans for the Apocalypse. While the idea that there can be different types of Apocalypses is very interesting (and has been brushed against before), a few details or explanation would be a welcome addition.

When Angel and company (including Wesley) finally encounter the Beast, the audience gets to enjoys some well done action. Unfortunately for the Fang Gang, the action is mainly them being tossed around like dolls.

Gunn deserves an the Idiot-of-the-Month award. He still charges in with a sword after witnessing The Beast pummel Angel and bend a steel axe like it was aluminum foil.

Without spoiling too much, things do not end at all well. Not only does Cordelia's reasoning not make any real sense, she doesn't stop to think that her actions might hurt others. The pre-higher plane Cordy would not act poorly just because the world might end. The writers have really botched what had until the end of last season been wonderful character development.

Despite this flaw, the episode overall delivers. While it features an effective mix of humor, drama, and action, it still falls a little short of some of the best episodes to date. That's too bad because fans have a long wait until January for new episodes. But maybe by then someone can figure out how The Fang Gang can survive a seemingly unstoppable Beast!

Chris Crotty