reviewed by: Charity Bishop
               

After the destruction of their official offices, Angel Investigations is suffering a backlash of loss of cliental and relocation problems. Working out of Cordelia's lavish second story apartment, Angel (David Boreanaz) continues his quest for redemption. The Powers That Be have led him to believe that once his tasks on earth are fulfilled, he may regain his human form.

Directed by a series of violent visions from gifted associate Cordelia (Charisma Carpenter) to the LA underground, Angel successfully dispatches a demon in pursuit of a young woman. Only when the creature lies dead on the ground does he realize his mistake: the green monster was actually the assigned protector to the girl, who is going to give birth to a child of extraordinary power. Attempting to rectify his mistake, Angel calls on the talents of street-wise Charles Gunn (J. August Richards) and bookish Wesley (Alexis Denisof) to assist him in championing the girl, who must appear before a medieval judicial panel and request protection from the forces out to slay her and the child. This leads him to an abandoned hotel downtown, rampant with memories from his past. Before he found the Slayer and made a grasp at redemption, Angel was very much a loner, and the hotel holds more than just memories. The gang make it their new place of residence, but Angel's torments are only just beginning.

Wolfram & Hart have grown tired of Angel's attempts to undermine their wealthy underworld clientele. Darla (Julie Benz) was Angel's sire in the 1700's, and encouraged him on a bloody rampage of Europe that ultimately lead to the restoration of his soul by a group of vengeful gypsies. After being slain in combat, the lawyers have resurrected her human form. Determined to drive Angel once again into losing his soul, they fail to realize what they have unleashed. Darla is human, but retains the same evil that has indwelled in her for centuries. When Angel refuses to transform her into a vampire again, they bring Drusilla (Juliet Landau) to the rescue. A product of Angelus' bloody reign of terror, abducted from a convent in the early Victorian age, Drusilla is insane and dangerous. Drawn to both women from his past, Angel's search to right the wrongs of his past lead him further away from the others, fear that this growing darkness will consume him.

Fraught with the usual crew of villains of the week, and the evil law firm Wolfram & Hart, Angel goes to a very dark place in the second season. It explores the notion of relativity and whether or not doing good matters. The conclusion that our hero ultimately reaches is that it's not the ending that's important, it's the journey toward a final conclusion. Exploring the relationship between Angel and Darla, both in modern times and via flashbacks to their bloody reign of terror, is one of the season's highest accomplishments, along with its travels into an alternate dimension that introduces us to one of the series most enduring characters, Fred (Amy Acker). It becomes a little melancholy at times, dealing with such serious issues as murder, prejudice, and attempted suicide, but ultimately retains the humor and charm we've come to expect from the show. Characters are strengthened and faced with unique conflicts, and overall it's sure to please fans.

Angel and his friends are pitted against a number of hideous beings that must be dismembered. Violence consists of vampires attacking and mauling people (and being dusted in return), numerous fistfights, instances of creatures pitted against one another. Severed body parts are shown. Angel and Lindsay, a lawyer, attack and brutalize one another. Manifestations of evil appear in various forms, sometimes downright grotesque (such as an eye growing out of the back of a little girl's head). Lorne is a demon with the power to foresee the future through the musical talents of his customers. The presence of several cults (always portrayed as evil) pervades several episodes. Dru and Darla slaughter a wine cellar full of lawyers. Language is mild, consisting of occasional profanity and slang. Darla comes to Angel unknown to him at night, prompting erotic flashbacks to their romance. (Her bare back is shown, she's underneath the covers with him; they kiss and caress before a fireplace, and roll around on the floor.) One encounter becomes graphic. It's implied that Wesley sleeps with a girl he's supposed to be protecting. In Pylea, monks desire Cordelia to mate with a foreign prince, but it never comes to pass. There's a misunderstanding concerning a vampire's coming out as mistaken for a lesbian, and some innuendo.

The season has its low moments, when the audience begins to lose interest, but for the faithful viewer, has a rewarding second half. I found the subplot with Darla to be one of the more remarkable aspects, because it granted us further glimpses into Angel's brooding past. One incredible episode focuses on the aftermath of the restoration of his soul, the farce he attempted to play, and the ultimate separation of the infamous foursome that left Europe drenched in blood. Joss has given us a fantastic lead in to the further adventures of Angel Investigations, and it's a world you won't soon want to leave.