Angel: Rm W/A Vu

Cordelia: "You're a ghost. You're dead. Big accomplishment! Move on! You see a light anywhere? Go towards it, okay?"

I loved this one. The previews didn't appeal to me, but the episode was just great -- proving that you can't tell an episode by its preview. I'm not saying that I prefer funny episodes to serious ones, because I don't; but I think the cast really started to gel and I enjoyed every minute.

Angel and Cordelia are such total opposites and play off each other so well; all of the Angel/Cordelia scenes were well done and deliciously in character. Charisma Carpenter has great comic timing and delivery; I've always liked her, and she rocked in this episode. David Boreanaz also has a delightfully light touch with his comic lines, and I like him better every week, if that's possible. I loved the peanut butter exchange in particular.

Some nice Cordelia character development. Of course, she feels as if she's being punished; she's lost her status, and status is such a big part of what Cordelia is. That ghost played right in to Cordelia's insecurities, and to my delight, brought out the inner bitch we all know and love.

We started to learn more about Doyle, but it was more tantalizing than informative, and just not enough. I want more. He seems to have a great line about Angel in every episode; this week's was the one about the overhanging forehead. Maybe it's the brogue that makes the lines sound so good. Well, no, I know it's more than that; it's Quinn's delivery. He's so good.

Good bits:

-- The rejected apartment scenes were fun. I swear I've had a landlord just like the one that was drooling on her.

David Boreanaz always looks gorgeous (to me, anyway). This week, he looked a tad more gorgeous. I'm not sure what it was -- hair cut, maybe?

--The radio was playing "you always hurt the one you love" when the ghost first started attacking Cordelia; that is also what was playing while Mommy was walling up Dennis. Nice touch, there.

Quotes:

Doyle: "Well, if you ever want to, I don't know, stay a night away from the place, maybe give me a call."
Cordelia: "Well, stranger things have happened. No wait, they really haven't."

Doyle: "Tell me stuff."
Angel: "What stuff?"
Doyle: "About Cordelia."
Angel: "Well, I know she can't type or file. Until today I had some hope regarding the phone."

Angel: "They ruled the high school. Decided what was in, who was popular. It was like the Soviet secret police, if they cared a lot about shoes." This was by far and away my favorite line.

Cordelia: "Roaches. Live one, dead ones. All skinny feet and creepy antlers."
Angel: "Antlers?"

Cordelia: "You have mousse? Of course you do."

Doyle: "Man, you know I was crazy about her, and I was wearing her down, too. But no, handsome, brooding vampire guy has to swoop in, all sensitive mouth and overhanging forehead."

Doyle: "Hey, your high school diploma is all burned."
Cordelia: Yeah, it was a rough ceremony."

Guy: "It's like a community, you know? We share all the upkeep and chores."
Cordelia: "Oh, my urination just hasn't been public enough lately."

Cordelia: "I am not giving up this apartment."
Angel: "It's haunted."
Cordelia: "It's rent controlled!"
Doyle: "Cordy, it says 'die'."
Cordelia: "Hey, maybe it's not done. Maybe it's 'diet'. That's friendly. A little judgmental, sure..."

Cordelia: "That place has that weird little old lady smell, like violets and aspercreme."

Cordelia: "Another one of Doyle's guys. Tell me, is this the same guy that help me find my poltergeist-delicious apartment?"

Cordelia: "Little old lady ghost. How come Patrick Swayze is never dead when you need him?"

Cordelia: "I'm not a sniveling whiny little cry-Buffy. I'm the nastiest girl in Sunnydale history. I take crap from no one."

Three out of a possible four stakes, mostly for the witty script and great character development,

Billie