Ep 15. Reprise

In the Angel season 2 episode 15 titled "Reprise," the tension between Angel and Wolfram & Hart escalates as the law firm comes up with extreme measures to take down the vampire. After Angel infiltrates the firm in the previous episode, he discovers that the senior partners have finally taken notice of him and are planning to use their vast resources to eliminate him. Meanwhile, Darla, Angel's former vampire lover, returns to the city and initiates a plan of her own to test Angel's willpower and loyalty.

The episode begins with a flashback to Angel's past when he was still a human. He works as a clerk in a law firm and is passionate about fighting injustice. His boss, Holland Manners, recognizes Angel's potential and offers him a partnership in the firm. However, Angel's moral code clashes with the corrupt practices of the firm, and he ultimately declines the offer. Cut back to the present day, and Holland is now a prominent figure in Wolfram & Hart, the very law firm that Angel rejects all those years ago.

Wolfram & Hart is planning a special event, and the senior partners have invited Angel to attend. Meanwhile, Lindsey McDonald, one of the firm's lawyers, is assigned to keep an eye on Angel and sabotage his efforts to take down the firm. He enlists the help of Darla, who has her own ulterior motives. Darla wants to test Angel's loyalty to his mission of redemption by offering him the chance to become human again. She approaches Angel with a proposition: she will help him become human again if he leaves Los Angeles and abandons his pursuit of Wolfram & Hart.

Angel is torn between his desire to become human again and his obligation to fight against the evil of the law firm. He seeks the advice of his friends, but none of them can give him a clear answer. Cordelia, Wesley, and Gunn are preoccupied with their own personal issues and don't fully comprehend the gravity of Angel's situation. Angel ultimately decides to attend the Wolfram & Hart event, hoping to gain insight into their ultimate plan.

The event turns out to be a trap, and Angel is ambushed by the senior partners. They reveal that they have been monitoring his every move and that they have a footage of him killing a human, which they plan to use against him. They demand that he leave Los Angeles and never return, or otherwise, they will make his life a living hell. Angel is left with no choice but to agree to their demands.

However, Darla's plan backfires when Angel discovers that her offer to make him human again was a lie. She never had the power to make him human again, and the whole thing was a ploy to distract him from his mission. Angel becomes angry and disillusioned, realizing that he was played by the people he thought he could trust.

The episode ends with Angel returning to his apartment, where his friends are waiting for him. Cordelia, Wesley, and Gunn try to comfort him, but Angel is consumed by his anger and shame. He tells them that he failed in his mission to save humanity and that he is nothing but a monster. The final shot shows a montage of Angel's memories of his past, highlighting the pain and suffering that he experienced.

Overall, "Reprise" is a compelling episode that explores the complexities of Angel's character and the challenges that he faces in his battle against evil. The episode features some great performances from David Boreanaz as Angel and Julie Benz as Darla, who share some intense and emotional scenes. The episode also sets up a new direction for the show as Angel is forced to make some difficult choices in his fight against the powerful and mysterious Wolfram & Hart.