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All Shows > Angel > Season 1

Angel - 1x11 - Somnambulist

Synopsis: A series of killings follow the MO Angel used back in his Angelus days, but he has no memories of the killings.

Review: Most Angel episodes have been light and frothy, but "Somnambulist" is a grande black coffee (the kind I imagine Angel drinks). Normally Angel saves the person in need by the end of the episode and all is hunky-dory in Angelville. We are reminded that Angel was a monster. He murdered and pillaged for the sheer pleasure of it.

This episode presents a challenge Christians should pay attention to: knowing the horrible sins a person committed, could you still forgive that person? It is all too easy to become judgmental. Cordelia offers forgiveness to Angel. Kate, not the most awe-inspiring of Angel's reoccurring characters, makes the inevitable discovery of Angel's undeadness. At first, she has the natural reaction of anger, but she too eventually brings herself to forgive Angel (if that is what you call staking him through the stomach rather than the heart).

This episode included all the stylistic elements of Angel that I love: silhouettes running up and down an alley, dark, grainy photography, and flashy editing. The theme was powerful and the climax was creative, but the story itself did not inspire enough interest to earn more than a 7 out of 10.

Objectionable Content: Unfortunately this dark coffee had a few obscenities added to the blend.

Rating: 7 out of 10 (Reviewed by: Matthew Miller)

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