Angel is off to Romania, leaving his friends behind and the show in danger. It’s been a difficult situation all around and the danger of the other world’s Angel and Spike is still lingering. Divided, they might not win.
Note: This recap may contain spoilers!
We start off the issue with Lorne and Andrew playing a VR game in front of Oz’s cell. Distracted by the game, they are unaware that he’s sneaking the key to break out. But the escape and aftermath is not focused on for the rest of the issue, so perhaps we’ll pick it up next time.
Meanwhile, Fred is on a three day fight, trying to take down the vampires overrunning the city. Wesley is with her and recounts something Oz said before he transformed. In his world, Spike helped Angel slaughter everyone. Which means there is a bigger, badder version of Spike roaming the streets and likely trying to set his sights on this world’s Spike so he can kill him. Even though they haven’t seen Spike since he stormed out with Dru, Wes thinks they should try to track him down to help protect him. Seems like the right thing to do.
Spike and Dru have been spending the past two days at Diablillo Cantina, where Spike has been drinking all the alcohol. The owner wonders when he’s going to leave and Spike scares him off. Dru is impatient because Spike hasn’t come through on his promise of providing her a vampire hunter’s skill. Spike hasn’t felt motivated to do anything lately, wallowing in his own despair.
While Wesley and Fred planned to track him down, it was Cordelia who actually does it. She offers him a guest spot on the show, to help it continue while Angel’s missing in action. Spike’s not interested, but Cordelia sweetened the pot with a seat in the writer’s room, co-executive role, and two guaranteed episodes. Spike wants to direct one episode, too, and Cordelia agrees. He’s going to be an actor!
Meanwhile, in Romania, the other vampire actor isn’t doing as well as he thinks. The crew is watching the dailies of Van Helsing facing off against Dracula and they hate it. The writing is terrible, as is Angel’s acting. Deciding to cut their losses, they wrap for the day. That leads Angel and the actor playing Dracula to hang out. Angel’s contemplating his life and whether he’s supposed to be doing something more, rather than just being a TV star. He joined the show because it was the first time he didn’t feel alone, but really he’s destined for more.
Or perhaps his base nature is something he cannot escape. When his co-star leaves, Angelus shows up. They fight, tumbling into the social gathering below and exposing Angel as a vampire. Angelus swears to return to LA and kill his human friends, if the other Spike hasn’t done it yet.
In LA, Spike is trying to act, but it’s difficult. Something is going on with him. He goes outside and calls Doctor Dead. Spike says the bit of soul he took might have had lingering side effects. He even felt like killing again. While the doctor tries to reassure Spike, it’s soon clear that he knows more than he’s saying. Something bad is coming. And it’s all coming together soon.
On set, Holtz the vampire hunter tries to kill Spike in front of the crew. Cordelia tries to help and they go hide as Holtz is pulled away. The duo hear the sounds of Holtz being tortured and they see the other Spike appear in front of them. The stage is set for a bloody showdown!
Rating: 3 / 5 Stars
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