Angel (TV Series) Power Play (2004) User Reviews

So this whole evil Angel thing has been a big scamola? Hmm. I smell Oscar

[SleepTight666 · 9/10 · 29 September 2007]

So this whole evil Angel thing has been a big scamola? Hmm. I smell Oscar - With only two episodes to go, the show builds up the ultimate series finale. You know, I actually fell for it, I really thought 'Angel' had crossed over to the dark side. And I think he did a bad thing for killing 'Drogyn', but he did it to save the world. Still, it bugged me, poor Drogyn. I love 'Hamilton' - he's badass and kicked the blue bird's flat-ass. Good to see some old faces re-apear as well, like 'Cyvus', 'Lindsey' and 'Nina' who was sleeping with 'Angel'. I loved the end when 'Angel' tells his gang about the plan and about 'Cordy' giving him her visions (Which made the kiss even more meaningful), the last scene gets me teared up every time. DROGYN: Old one... you have no right to walk this Earth. Your time is past. You belong to the well. ILLYRIA: Truly. I wish now I had never been brought out of it. DROGYN: Do You?. ILLYRIA: I don't know. I play this game... it's pointless and annoys me... and yet, I'm compelled to play on. (9.5 out of 10)

Powerfully penultimate

[Joxerlives · 27 April 2012]

The Good; Drogan and Illyria play Crash Bandicoot. Angel reveals his devious side and Illyria starts to embrace her humanity.

The Bad; When Angel arrives at WR&H's offices it's night but when he walks into his office it's day. Angel threatens Lorne with a neck hold but we know Lorne can be decapitated and survive? But maybe that's the point?

Best line; Lindsey; "They're a secret society" Gunn; "Never heard of them" Lindsey; "That's because they're SECRET!"

Jeez, how did they get away with that? Drogan tortured and killed is horrible. Also nasty to see Marcus pounding Illyria.

Apocalypses: 5

Angel Clichés Subverting the Hollywood cliché; Angel kills Drogan!

In disguise; 8

DB/JM get's his shirt off; 20

Cheap Angel; 8

Fang Gang in bondage: Cordy: 5 Angel: 15 Wes: 8 Gunn; 8 Lorne; 6 Fred; 5 Spike; 6

Fang gang knocked out: Cordy: 15 Angel: 20 Wes: 10 Doyle; 1 Gunn; 4 Lorne; 8 Groo; 1 Connor; 1 Faith; 1 Fred; 7 Spike; 5

Kills; Illyria kills the demon, Angel kills Drogan Cordy: 5 vamps, 3 demons Angel; 48 vamps, 72 and 1/2 demons, 5 zombies, 13 humans, one werewolf and one cyborg Doyle; 1 vamp Wes; 16 demons+5 vamps, 5 zombies, 4 humans, 2 cyborgs Kate; 3 vamps Faith; 18 vamps, 6 demons, 3 humans. Gunn; 11 vamps+ 15 demons, 5 zombies, 1 human. Groo; 1 demon Fred; 3 vamps+ 14 demons, 5 zombies Connor; 16 vamps, 5 zombies, 4 demons, Jasmine Spike; 21 vamps, 12 demons+1 human+one parasite

Fang Gang go evil: we almost think Angel does Cordy: 3 Angel: 3 Gunn; 1 Wes; 1

Alternate Fang Gang; Cordy: 4 Angel: 12 Fred; 3 Wes; 1 Gunn; 2 Connor; 1 Lorne; 1

Characters killed: 4 civilians plus Drogan 2269

Recurring characters killed; Drogan 13

Total number of Angel Investigations; 5, Illyria goes hunting with Spike, starting to become one of the gang Angel, Gunn, Lorne, Wes, Spike

Angel Investigations shot: Angel: 15 Wes; 2 Spike; 1

Packing heat; Wes confronts Angel with a shotgun but Angel takes it off him Wes; 14 Doyle; 1 Angel; 5 Gunn; 3 Fred; 5

Notches on the Scooby bedpost; Angel beds Nina, possibly the healthiest relationship he ever actually has? Cordy: 5 ?+Wilson/Hacksaw Beast+Phantom Dennis+Groo+Connor plus possibly the Beast Angel: 7; Buffy, Darla, The Transcending Furies, Eve, Nina Wes; 3 definite; Virginia, the bleached blonde and Lilah, 2 possible, Justine, Fred Gunn; 2 Fred and Gwen. Fred; 1 Gunn, 1 possible Wes Groo; 1Cordy Spike; 3-Buffy, Anya, Harmony

Kinky dinky: Nina rummages in her bedside drawer for her stake. She finds something similar in shape and size but declares 'That's not a stake'? (does it take batteries, perhaps?). She refers to Angel's Rome friend and worries he was thinking of her (another petite blonde with supernatural abilities). Angel has obviously rocked her world to judge by her remarks, she agrees with the Furies. Oddly she suggests that Angel makes love on the beach 'by himself'? Illyria states that she and Wes are no longer having intercourse which Spike misunderstands.

Captain Subtext; Spike empathises with Illyria and they develop quite a nice relationship so late in the day. Is the demonic female senator aiming to be president in 2008 a parody of Hilary Clinton? Angel refers to him and Spike being intimate once but he may be referring to the events of 'Just Rewards'. Spike refers to frat boys paddling each other's behinds to prove their manhood.

Know the face, different character; 7

Parking garages; 10,

Guantanamo Bay; Drogan tortures the demon assassin whilst Angel sacrifices him for the greater good. Angel says that Lorne was amoral in his running of Caritas, he has a point. The gang want to torture Lindsey again but don't have to.

Buffy characters on Angel; 17 Wetherby, Collins and Smith. Angel, Cordy, Oz, Spike, Buffy, Wes, Faith, Darla, Dru, The Master, Anne, Willow and Harmony. POSSIBLY The First Evil, Andrew.

Questions and observations; Stacey Travis who plays the Senator was in a great old low budget Brit sci-fi movie called Hardware along with a pre-Hamburger Hill/The Practice Dylan McDermmott. Did Marcus Hainsley install her in that body? Drogan is apparently over 1000 years old and linked to the Watcher's Council. According to the comics Nina does stay in LA for the apocalypse. Nina says that Angel is a bad liar but as events prove he's actually brilliant. Illyria wishes she was still in the Deeper Well. Marcus and Drogan are old acquaintances. Flashback to CC the last we'll see of her. Did you notice the Senator's election rival is Joss Whedon?

The Circle of the Black Thorn very Halloween 6. They're an obvious convenient story twist to give the series some closure in just a few eps but it's a fascinating invention. Do they represent the executive board of the WB? Does Marcus buy Angel's act or is he always suspicious?

Marks out of 10; 7/10

Angel Turns to the Dark Side... Or Does He?

[Samuel-Shovel · 7/10 · 11 June 2019]

In "Power Play" the gang starts to believe that Angel might have possibly went to the dark side. He seems okay to sacrifice babies and makes deals with corrupt senators. While searching for a demon to kill, Spike and Illyria run across Drogyn who reports that Angel tortured him and may have had a role in Fred's sacrificial death.

The gang is all ready to take Angel down when he reveals his secret plan via a secret glamor that gives them 5 minutes of frozen time. His sudden aboutface has all been to infiltrate a secret society and take them all down once their identities are revealed. He asks the gang if they're all in and the agree. He warns that this maybe the end if the line for them all since the Senior Partners will not take kindly to any of this occuring and will most likely banish them to the darkest recesses of hell. This doesn't scare any of them off though as the penultimate episode comes to a close.

I'm having a hard time believing that all these super evil and diabolical beings would be dumb enough to believe that Angel has switched sides practically overnight like this. I know we're operating on a tight schedule here since the show got cancelled mid-way through making Season 5 but still...

We we're starting to see some interesting character development here but all that is down the drain a but since I'm assuming this final episode will just be one bug battle sequence for the most part. Season 5 has been a fun ride, one of the most fun overall arc. The premise of them taking over WR&H seemed a bit silly from the jump but they've played with it well and explored some things they never would have been able to do under the old format. I'm hoping that the series finale holds up the expectations I've accumulated.