Okay - first and foremost: that outfit is the worst idea for Cordelia they have ever had for Cordelia on the show. If they weren’t dressing her like a knocked-up Princess Jasmine her whole plotline might be much less hokey.

I don’t mind Gwen. I can find sympathetic things about her. And virgins are sad. But it’s still unsane that they’re over-using a new charectar like this - purely for the sake of expanding her own story - when they’re not using main memebers of the ensemble.

Gunn’s place in this world and his self-confidence and the way the others view him definitely had to be dealt with. But not in place of DEALING WITH THE TIME HE KILLED A MAN. I get that Gunn has a dark past - though apparently he’s traveled which we never knew before - but I don’t think he’s killed non-dangerous people before. I can’t believe that on a show which is all about exploring the darkness of good characters they’ve virtually ignored that idea.

The Fred/Wesley conversation was actually pretty good. I like the idea of viewing Fred less as naive and needy and more as someone who just has such a black and white view of the world.

So the episode overall was fine. Way too much time on Gwen, way too much continued delaying of Cordelia. I just don’t understand how this show forgot how to do bad charectars. It’s like bad guys just mean really annoying and setting up obstacles. Also, they could only do the “Cordelia ALMOST does something bad” like stabbing Willow or knocking over coffee so many times before it was ridiculous. I get it. They probably want to be able to bring Cordelia back as a good guy so they can’t push her too far over - but it’s just annoying. I’m getting villain blue balls over here, people.

And then ending - awesome.

Awesome.

If Cordelia had killed Lorne I would have freaked, but that last moment with the slow walking and the singing was so cool that I would have taken the sacrifice. But then the payoff of Angel showing up behind her AND NOT SAYING ANYTHING was great. So great. And then the sudden gun-toting appearance of Fred and Wesley. Swell.

Now does the season start?