Review of Episode 11, Season 5 "Damage" Is there a better example of an episode that perfectly blends the standalone format with the vast mythology of the series than “Damage?” Writers Steve DeKnight and Drew Goddard crafted an episode that spoke to new fans and yet sank deep into the characters and the legacy of the series along with tying up lose ends from Buffy’s finale. “Damage” illustrates what Joss show’s do best – they genre bust, jumping tones from scene to scene, sometimes in the space of a line reading, with a finesse that can be dazzling. From high comedy (thanks to the tremendous Tom Lenk) to the darkest of dark and violent, “Damage” touched on it all and gave us an episode with resonant messages about the nature of evil and the paths of redemption and remorse that linger long after the fade to black. The standalone story of the week, dealing with the newly empowered Slayer, Dana (played with quiet and creepy intensity by Navi Rawat) is a frighteningly dark and disturbing look at the after effects of child abuse, while simultaneously being an engrossing exploration of the unexpected down-side of Buffy’s “gift” bestowed on all the Potentials in the world at the end of “Chosen.” She is not only tortured by her actual past, but she also suffers from the memories of Slayers past – adding to her troubled state. Considering the story stems from a Buffy storyline, it makes sense a familiar Sunnydale resident appears in the episode to help the story along. Some might have been looking for Willow or Xander, but really who better than Andrew, the redeemed nerd and now Watcher-in-Training, to come calling. Sporting a tweed wardrobe and a Dr. Who style-do with hilarious sincerity, Lenk gives a bravura turn whether he is spouting “Vampyre Slayer” lore, nibbling on Union Jack snacks or getting freakishly emotional over Spike’s return. He crams in a lot of entertainment in his brief, but memorable return. The B-story stemming from Dana’s hacksaw rampage is the exploration of remorse and redemption especially as it applies to the souled vamps, Angel and Spike. While Angel has been brooding about his sins for centuries, Spike has seemingly moved forward to the point of mocking Angel for his lack of progress. It’s an attitude Spike pays for dearly when Dana’s psyche blends her Slayer memories of Spike’s former victims, Nikki Wood and the Boxer Rebellion Slayer, with her actual sadistic childhood abuser. She hacks off Spike’s hands in a brutally gruesome act of mutilation, yet Spike doesn’t revert to the demon in response, he instead gets back in touch with the remorse Angel still wrestles with daily trying to help Dana back to some sanity. Meanwhile, Angel gets another sobering dose of reality when Andrew informs him that his place at the helm of W&H has even caused Buffy to distrust him and his motives. It's another blow to the gut further deeping his self-doubt and uncertainty. It’s through such extreme events that Angel and Spike are both painfully faced with the forever burden of their past sins and future paths. The final scene, when the two men quietly talk in a stark hospital room about the origins of their evil, ranks as one of the great scenes of the show. These truly reluctant but irrevocably connected brothers have a moment of shared clarity that draws to a close with an exchange as exceptional as the scene itself when they reflect, ”She’s an innocent victim. So were we…once upon a time.” I give it... Review by Staff Writer, Phoenix

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

Harmony: Boss, we just got a tip some looney's hatched from the bin. Angel: A who did a what? Harmony: A girl over in the nuthouse went all Cuckuoo's Nest, hacked up a couple of guards and went over the wall. Angel: Really not our department, Harmony. Wesley: Notify the authorities. Make sure they're on it. Harmony: OK, but they better bring a priest. Looks like this chick's gone all kinds of Exorcist. Angel: Wait a minute. She's possessed? Harmony: Duh! (pauses) Didn't I say that? Angel: What are you doing here, Spike? Spike: Didn't get the memo? Hero of the people now. Angel: Oh, then go and annoy them. Spike: When I'm done. Angel: (re: Spike crashing through a 4-story window) What happened? Spike: Oh, I just thought I'd see what it was like to bounce off the pavement. Pretty much what I expected. Andrew: Spike? Spike: Oh, for the love of-- Andew: Spike? It's you. It's really you! (sobbing) My therapist thought I was holding onto false hope, but...I knew you'd come back. (sniffles) You're like...you're like Gandalf the White, resurrected from the pit of the Balrog, more beautiful than ever. Oh... he's alive, Frodo. (sobbing) He's alive. Fred: (re: Slayers) In every generation, one is chosen. Andrew: Yes, attractive, slender woman. Spike: (Re: Dana) What do you want me to do? Go all boo-hoo 'cause she got tortured and driven out of her gourd. Not like we haven't done worse back in the day. Angel: Yeah, and it's something I'm still paying for. Spike: And you should let it go, mate. It's startin' to make you look old. Angel: Lorne, any luck with the psychics on this place? Lorne: No, nothin' new. It's still cold, creepy, and smells like molasses. Wesley: What about...(chuckles) I almost said the words "molasses factory" out loud. Angel: She's psychotic, and I'm not turning her over...to you. Andrew: You don't have a choice. Check the view screen, Uhura. I got 12 vampire slayers behind me, and not one of them has ever dated you. She's coming with us one way or another. Angel: You're way outta your league. I'll just clear this with Buffy. Andrew: Where do you think my orders came from? News flash--nobody in our camp trusts you anymore. Nobody. You work for Wolfram & Hart. Don't fool yourself....we're not on the same side. Spike: (re: Dana) She's...one of us now. She's a monster. Angel: She's an innocent victim. Spike: So were we...once upon a time. Angel: Once upon a time. Quotes by Staff Writer, BCangel