Review of Episode 17, Season 4 "Inside Out" By the end of watching Inside Out, my head was spinning and I couldn't decide if I was overwhelmed by the goodness or just plain confused - maybe it's a mixture of both. Fans waiting for the other shoe to drop in the form of an explanation to this season's ongoing arc got a size-12 work boot weighing a metric ton in their laps this episode. Not only did we find out Cordy has been pulling a major wolf-in-sheep's-clothing, we also come to understand the "charming" demon Skip was in on the ruse and that everything for the last three years (heck, maybe longer) has been leading to the birth of Cordy's demon seed. Lorne, pour me a drink and make it a double! As the title suggests, everything in this episode was revealed to be the opposite of what was previously considered canon and it made for a breakneck hour of revelations, action, and return appearances. Skip (played again to perfection by David Denman) returned in a completely different capacity (evil!) to reveal, albeit under duress, all the history and circumstances that have led to this point in the story. While his witty dialogue and delivery are grounds enough for a superior appearance, Skip also got to lock horns with Angel and the team in two amazing battles. Congrats to first-time director, Steve DeKnight for his excellent use of slow motion and camera movement to create some standout fights in an already stellar year of combat. Meanwhile, Cordelia was back to seduction number 1,353 on her dense boy-toy, Connor. I have to give credit where credit is due this week to Charisma Carpenter who finally rose to a new level of nasty sorely needed from her this season. And Vincent Kartheiser is doing the best he can with Connor despite being written about as annoyingly possible this season. He did a fine job battling his "conscience" as embodied by the specter of his dead mother, Darla (in a welcome and deeply emotional turn by Julie Benz), who continues to bring her character up yet another level. But by show's end Connor did a bad, bad thing that makes me wonder if he can ever come back from it. Despite some great sequences and fine acting, Inside Out leaves me feeling anxious about these stunning arc revelations. To claim three seasons worth of actions and outcomes were all planned or nudged to lead to one moment smacks me as over-reaching and arbitrary. My hope is that more explanation will further flesh out this plot twist and that Gunn's speech about freewill may be the more real and satisfying key to this mystery. I give it... Review by CoA Staff member, Phoenix

CoA Stakes Rating Guide = Disappointing, Stake it, it's Dust! = Not too bad, Lacking a few graves. = Typical Dark Avenger saves the day Saga. = Better still, Quality Headstones. = Outstanding! Reward it with mortality!

Cordelia: (re: the Lorne ruse You know there was a time I would have seen that one coming eons before it ever crossed your timy little mind. Angel: Because you're so clever. Cordelia: On a scale of you to me? Pretty damn. Cordelia: So, what finally tipped off the great detective? Angel: Tongue, slip of. (a flashback reveals Cordy calling her baby: 'my sweet') "My sweet". Same phrase the Beastmaster kept using when he was whispering in Angelus' head. Thought it was a bit femme for the booming macho act. Cordelia: That's it? I get away with bringing the world down around you, and two eensy words tingle your spider sense? Gunn: (re: Cordy) Whoa. Back it up for the new guy. Are you sayin' poppin' mama threw you a beating? Lorne: Kid Vicious did the heavy lifting. Cordy just wa-ha-ha'd at us. Gunn: Why? Angel: Beastmaster. Gunn: You think she's working for him? Fred: She is the Master. Gunn: (slightly stunned) Guy steps out for a couple hours, half the place goes super villain. Angel: Connor's not a part of this. Lorne: (sardonically) Evidence upside my head to the contrary. Lorne: Explains why my mojo's been gunked up. Queen bee-atch put the whammy on me. Wesley: (realization) It was Cordelia. She murdered Lilah. Angel: We don't know if it's really Cordy. Fred: Or what she's got baking in her over. Gunn: Evil and pregnant? I'm guessin' it ain't cookies. Angel: Wes, Lilah and I weren't exactly friends. Wesley: You were mortal enemies. Why should you care what happened to her? Angel: Because you did. Angel: The last couple of times I asked the Powers That Be for help, they made it pretty damn clear they weren't in the business. Wesley: But at least one of those was to save Darla's life. A mass-murdering, ex-vampire dying of syphilis? A strong "no" is hardly a shock. Fred: A bunch of candles, a couple of broken pieces of the Muo-Ping, and some toiletries that smell way too pretty to be evil. Not much to go on. As insidious lairs go, it kept Cordy's room nice and tidy. I think it even vacuumed. Angel: Keep working on a way to locate this thing. If I'm not back in a couple hours... Gunn: You're dead. We're screwed. End of the world. Fred: (nervously) Or you could stay here with us. Here's nice. Skip: This is going to be really hard for you to accept, but Cordelia has ascended to a higher plane. Angel: I know. She's back. Skip: Back? Angel: Or at least something that looks like her. Skip: Whoa, wait. Nobody comes back from paradise. Okay, a slayer once, but... Skip: (fighting Angel) Not like last time is it, monkey boy? Angel: (grunting in pain) Tell me what happened to Cordelia. Skip: Or what? You'll bleed on me some more? You know, I've always wondered. How many chunks you gotta hack off a vampire before he goes all dust bunny? Skip: See, this is the nefarious meat of it, pal. You die never knowing what really happened to the woman you love. Gotta respect the classics. Fred: (threatening Skip) Sphere of the Infinite Agonies. Every second a lifetime. Should be able to whip one up in, umm-20 minutes. Angel: Everything you know. Or she starts whippin'. Skip: Hey, whoa. I'm just a merc. I go where the deal is. And not getting stuck in one of those? Bargain. Skip: How did I ever get spanked by such a chump nut? The thing which has turned your life into a burning rain of fire? She is the real Cordelia. Or at least she's in there somewhere. This whole thing. Gunn: Is it Cordy or not? Skip: Oh, it's her. She just ain't driving. Angel: Something took control of her on a higher plane? Skip: Drill a little deeper, Hoss. How do you think she got there in the first place? Wesley: You're saying her ascension was all part of this thing's plan? Skip: (sarcastically) No. Cordelia was chosen to become a higher being because she's such a pure, radiant saint. Please. Darla: I did so many terrible things, Connor. So much destruction. So much pain. You were the one good think I ever did. The only good thing. I'd die every day for the rest of eternity for you, and this is how you repay me? (pointing at the captured girl) Angel: How do we stop it? Skip: That's the easy part, slick. All you gotta do is find Cordelia and chop her head off. Angel: Has to be another way. Skip: Sure. Stab her in the heart, kidney, couple pokes in the lung... Wesley: (to Angel) What do you want to do? Skip: The only thing he can do. Kill the woman he loves and save the world. Times like this, really gotta suck being you. Gunn: Look, mono-chrome can yap all he wants about no-name's cosmic plan. But here's a little something I picked up rubbing mojos these past couple of years. The final score can't be rigged. I don't care how many players you grease. That last shot always comes up question mark. But here's the thing. You never know when you're taking it. It could be when you're duking it out with the Legion of Doom or just crossing the street deciding where to have brunch. So you treat it all like it was up to you, the world in the balance, 'cause you never know when it is. Quotes by CoA Council member, Seeker