Angel, "Dead End" Review (2x18)

Brief Synopsis: “Lindsey is given an amazing gift by his bosses at Wolfram & Hart...a new hand to replace the one Angel sliced off. However, when the new hand begins acting strangely of its own accord, Lindsey becomes suspicious about where the hand came from. After singing at Caritas, Lorne teams Angel and Lindsey up begrudgingly, as Angel is also researching transplanted body parts that have been turning on their owners. What they find forces Lindsey into making a life-altering decision.”


"Disharmony" (2x17) quick link here                                                                                                                        "Belonging" (2x19) quick link here

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One of the things I admire most about Joss Whedon, David Greenwalt, and the writers of “Angel” is that they’re confident enough in their abilities that they take secondary characters and make them the focal point of an episode, even above their leading characters. How many other shows can boast of doing this so frequently, if at all? Very few come to mind. Certainly, Angel’s counterpart, “Buffy The Vampire Slayer”, doesn’t do it anywhere near as often as “Angel” does. “Angel” is a show all about dissecting adult life, morality, searching for one’s identity, and what it means to save souls. Even before “Dead End”, the entirety of season two has focused on pushing the members of Angel Investigations as far as they possibly can to see what happens when they break. This has happened to Angel himself more than anyone else, which is why the second half of the season has focused on his journey into darkness, his battles within that darkness, and his slow ascent out again. However, the last four episodes of the season won’t focus on the same darkness and character deconstruction that the previous eighteen have. It’s more a standalone series of episodes taking place in Pylea that are more fun and light-hearted than what’s been happening in Los Angeles all year. However, before leaving Earth and heading to the medieval lands of Pylea, we still have a few loose ends to tie up from the major arc of the season. The biggest of those loose ends is Lindsey and his hate-hate relationship with Angel. The last time these two characters saw each other, Lindsey was beating on Angel with a sledgehammer, and Angel later used that sledgehammer to smash Lindsey’s plastic hand, before stealing his pickup truck.

Angel is a part of Angel Investigations again and for the most part things have settled down. Cordelia, Wesley, and Gunn have accepted Angel back after “Disharmony”, but there’s still just a hint of unease in the air. Angel is trying too hard to support Cordelia in this episode because he’s still trying to make amends for being the world’s biggest ass for the past few months. However, for the most part, the team is back together for the first time since “Reunion”. This is further proved by them tackling their first case together as a team with Wesley at the helm. There’s just one problem...the person in need this time is Lindsey. It’s only fitting that Angel’s first case back since being all dark and gloomy is one that will truly test how far his epiphany will stretch. Angel hates Lindsey, and the feeling is certainly shared the other way around. Let’s not forget, it was Lindsey who brought Drusilla to Los Angeles and swooped into that hotel room where Darla was re-sired. Let’s also not forget that it was Angel who chopped off Lindsey’s hand in the season one finale, “To Shanshu In L.A.”. Of course, with this being the World of Whedon, it was only a matter of time before Angel and Lindsey were forced to become a buddy-cop team and work together. Even though Angel and Lindsey hate each other, I’ve always thought that if nothing else there’s a level of respect between them. It’s also instantly apparent that David Boreanaz and Christian Kane are good friends away from the cameras (they are) because their chemistry together on screen is terrific. Can they work together long enough to solve the case or will they fall apart and descend into childish bickering? Perhaps a mixture of the two?

Lindsey is an interesting and unique character in that he has almost no redeeming personality traits, yet he’s oddly likeable. How many times has Lindsey done something that could be deemed ‘good’ or ‘heroic’? The only instance that comes to mind is Lindsey helping to save those children in “Blind Date”, but that was negated by Lindsey deciding to remain at Wolfram & Hart at the conclusion of the episode, after his conversation with Holland about power. Usually, Lindsey is the primary representation of Wolfram & Hart. Someone who strives for power and wealth, someone who doesn’t lift a finger to do anything unless there’s something in it for him. Lindsey seems more dedicated to ruining Angel’s life than anyone else at the law firm. Wolfram & Hart want Angel dark, Lindsey wants Angel dead. Yet, even with all that working against him, I love Lindsey as a character. A lot of people do. The main reason why goes back to my point earlier in the review. The show has made a point of giving this secondary character a lot of screen time and they’ve fleshed him out as something much more than a 2D villain. Christian Kane should also get some of the praise for this, as his portrayal of Lindsey is a big part of the reason why Lindsey is memorable. We know why Lindsey joined Wolfram & Hart. We know why Lindsey is desperate for power and wealth. He grew up in a dirt-poor house, sharing a room with his siblings (some of which died), before the house was repossessed. For this reason, Lindsey knows what real poverty looks like and he views his father as weak for not being able to stop this from happening. This inspired Lindsey to not let the same thing happen to him. He worked hard, studied hard, and reached for greatness. Then, after joining Wolfram & Hart, Holland entered his life. Holland was a surrogate father to Lindsey and was everything Lindsey’s biological father wasn’t...powerful, commanding, respected, wealthy, a leader. When Lindsey was at an impasse in “Blind Date”, it was Holland’s advice that encouraged Lindsey to remain at Wolfram & Hart...which also led to him losing a hand, so perhaps he should have listened to Angel in hindsight.

Losing his hand represents a big part of the reason why Lindsey is unhappy with his life at the moment. The other part is that Darla has disappeared from his life and he’s lonely. Yes, Lindsey wanted Darla because she used to be Angel’s, and any excuse to stick it to Angel (or Darla in this case) is always welcome for Lindsey, but Lindsey also genuinely had feelings for her. She’s gone, his hand is gone, Holland is gone, and his job no longer gives him the satisfaction it once did. Sure, he has a little bit of power and some money, but what else does he have? Nothing shows this more than the beginning of the episode, where Lindsey looks longingly at his guitar, which he can no longer play because of his plastic hand. Working for Wolfram & Hart has given him everything he has, but it’s also stripped everything away from him. Plus, unlike Lilah, the moral complications of working at Wolfram & Hart are starting to get to Lindsey. The first thing he does every day when he gets home is shower because he wants to wash away the stain of Wolfram & Hart and the horrific acts he’s committing in their name. When he’s at the end of his tether, Wolfram & Hart offer him an olive branch, a way to regain a part of his life...a new hand.

The hand turns out to be less than perfect, as it starts writing ‘kill, kill, kill’ all over everything. Before exploring the transplant section of this episode, there’s something else to consider...did Wolfram & Hart know this would happen? There’s no denying that Lindsey is Wolfram & Hart’s golden boy. They choose him over Lilah at the end of this episode to replace Holland Manners as Head of Special Projects. However, it’s totally in character of Wolfram & Hart to do this to Lindsey on purpose in order to test him and see how he reacts to this cursed ‘gift’. Personally, I think they didn’t know, otherwise they’d have followed him more closely and realised that it was him who blew up the lab where they house the transplant patients. Plus, why would they risk their golden boy and star in the making? However, we’ll never know for sure. Lindsey is desperate for answers as to why his new hand, his gift, is acting of its own accord, so he goes to Caritas seeking guidance.

While this is going on, Angel Investigations are researching a transplant victim of their own. Cordelia receives a vision of a man that was happily living his perfect life. He had a wife, two beautiful children, a new eye...then he stabs himself in the eye with a kitchen knife and dies. It’s worth noting that the visions are starting to really affect Cordelia. I believe this is the very first episode where it’s apparent that Cordelia can’t cope with the visions anymore. She has headaches that last days, the visions are becoming more real for her, and she can’t live her life anymore because the visions are starting to haunt her. Cordelia has this particular vision at the beginning of this episode, but the effects of it are still with Cordelia right until the very end of it. This is a slow-burn storyline that will be explored in much greater depth in the next season of the show. Visions aren’t meant for humans. Doyle was half-demon, so he was able to manage them physically, Cordelia isn’t. The visions are slowly destroying Cordelia’s brain and will one day kill her. How does Cordelia deal with this pain? Does she bitch and whine and complain, like the Cordelia of Sunnydale would have? No, she grits her teeth and bares it because it’s a small price to pay for being able to help the helpless. Can you believe how much this character has grown since leaving Sunnydale High less than two years earlier?! Remember, she didn’t ask for these visions, they were forced upon her by Doyle’s love for her. The weight and burden of these visions has been growing heavier and heavier with every passing episode. Cordelia rarely goes on auditions anymore, she rarely socialises, she has no friends outside of Angel Investigations, all because of the visions and her quest to help the helpless. These visions aren’t just heavy for Cordelia to bear physically, but also mentally and emotionally. The pain and suffering of the people in them is always with Cordelia. They’re a constant, undying companion to her, which is a horrible way to live when you think about it.

Angel is still trying to get back into Cordelia’s good graces during this episode. Sure, she’s accepted him back after he bought her off with clothes, but they’re not close yet. After witnessing the toll that the visions are taking on Cordy, Angel buys her a mountain of sandwiches and food to try to cheer her up, and it’s a genuinely heart-warming moment between the two. Cordelia tells Angel that she loves him (in a friend way), and Angel’s response is the most genuine smile I’ve seen on his face in some time. These two characters have been through more together than anyone else on the show. They’ve been together since day one. Cordelia is learning that she can rely on Angel again, while Angel is learning that Cordelia is slowly beginning to trust him again. They’re finally back on the right path after almost half a season of disassociation and conflict.

In comparison to all of this is Wesley, who is clearly struggling to settle into his new leadership role. When the males realise just how much Cordelia is struggling with the visions, Wesley passes the responsibility of comforting her onto Angel. Part of the reason for this is that it will give Angel and Cordy the opportunity to bond, but it’s also telling for Wesley’s character. Wesley has never been a leader. When he was a Watcher in Sunnydale, he failed. When he was travelling around the U.S.A. by himself as a Rogue Demon Hunter, he failed. Now, this leadership role has been thrust upon him again, and he’s struggling to make decisions and be commanding. Much like Cordelia’s vision dramas, this is a big part of Wesley’s journey in the Pylea arc, so I’ll talk about it in more depth there.

At a dead end (see what I did there?) with their case about the man who stabbed himself in the eye, Angel realises that he’ll have to sing at Caritas in order to find out more information...

Gunn: “We’re at a dead end.”
Wesley: “I thought we had more than that.”
Angel: “There is only one thing we can do now.”
Cordy: “Oh, God! Oh no!”
Wesley: “...The karaoke bar.”
Gunn: “Angel’s gonna sing?”
Cordy: “Isn’t there some other way?”
Wesley: “There has to be. Think, damn it!”
Angel: “Hey!”

While at Caritas, Lindsey sings a song called “L.A. Song”, which was co-written by David Greenwalt and Christian Kane. Before this episode aired, I had no idea that Christian could sing. However, since this episode aired, I’m fully aware of it. I’ve been fortunate enough to see Christian sing live twice, and both times he put on a helluva show. He’s also got two albums, one EP, and live album out on the market under either the “Kane” name or his own name. You should definitely check them out, guys. It’s rock meets country. Lindsey singing at Caritas wasn’t just a cheap ploy to get Christian’s beautiful voice into the episode or to give Lindsey an excuse to seek guidance from Lorne, the lyrics to the song itself are also telling of Lindsey’s mental state in his life...

“Pretty girl on every corner,
Sunshine turns the sky to gold.
Warm, warm, it’s always warm here,
I can’t take the cold.

Streets littered with diamonds,
Everyone is glistening.
This whole world shines so brightly,
I can’t see a thing.

She’s as pretty as a picture,
She is like a golden ring.
Circles me with love and laughter,
I can’t feel a thing.

The sky’s gonna open,
People gonna pray and crawl.
It’s gonna rain down fire,
It’s gonna burn us all.”

Firstly, has Lindsey ever looked as happy as he does in the moments that he’s singing on stage at Caritas? Finally, he has something in his life worth living for again. Also, Angel is only jealous that Lindsey is a billion times better at singing than he is. When Lindsey finished singing “L.A. Song”, he should have sang “Mandy” just to rub salt into Angel’s wounds. Lindsey sings about Los Angeles being full of warmth, diamonds, and beautiful people, but he can’t see or feel a thing. He’s empty inside, numb. He can no longer see the positives and wonderful things in the world, all that he sees is misery, gloom, and the coming darkness. He’s tired of this life, he’s tired of Los Angeles, and he needs a change. Again, how awesome is it that the show makes a secondary villain so deep, so interesting, and so empathetic? It’s also a pretty cool development that Lindsey used to sing in Caritas all the time before Angel chopped his hand off.

Lorne gives both Lindsey and Angel the same advice regarding their plights: work together. That’s not the easiest thing to accomplish considering that Angel and Lindsey hate each other. This isn’t professional hate because Lindsey works for Wolfram & Hart, this is personal. Lindsey was responsible for Angel’s sire being re-sired and stolen away from him. Angel is responsible for chopping off Lindsey’s hand in the first place. That missing hand has been a constant reminder to Lindsey of how much he hates Angel, how much Angel has taken from him, and how much he’s lost in his quest for power and wealth. It’s not just Angel that has taken from Lindsey, Wolfram & Hart have as well. Over the years, they’ve lied to him, stopped him getting retribution against Angel, manipulated him, and used him for their own agenda. The lab of people being kept alive for transplanted body parts is the final nail in the coffin for Lindsey’s tenure at Wolfram & Hart. He’s had enough of this life and he needs to walk away from it.

While this episode is heavy on morality and the prices one pays for the cause (Lindsey’s hand and Cordelia’s visions), it does offer us some very funny moments after Angel and Lindsey are forced to work together. Case in point...

Lindsey: “That’s my lead! You’re choking my lead!”
Angel: “‘He’s my lead, he’s my lead!’, what’re we in the school yard here? Look, if you want to get to the bottom of this, you’ve gotta learn how to play with others. Okay look, I’m gonna loosen the rope and you’re gonna tell me all about your parolee, Bradley Scott.”
Lindsey: “Who?”
Angel: “The guy whose hand you’re wearing. You might want to listen up.”
Lindsey: “You don’t tell me what to do.”
Angel: “He’s so immature.”
Lindsey: “Shut up!”
Angel: “We’re waiting.”
Parole Officer: “I’m not telling you zip. You can kill me, but Wolfram & Hart will do a lot worse.”
Angel: “Kill you? Why would I kill you when I could live off you for a month?...(*to Lindsey*) hmm, can’t you just taste that butter fat?”
Lindsey: “...You are really gross, you know that?”

I really, really wish that Lindsey was a part of Angel Investigations for a few episodes, just so I could watch more of this. Of course, Lindsey being Lindsey, he’d have eventually betrayed Angel Investigations as soon as the right opportunity arose, but it would have been incredibly funny and interesting to watch while it lasted. Also, does it strike anyone else as amusing that Angel is the one talking to Lindsey about happiness and whether or not Wolfram & Hart is right for him? Angel’s such an epiphany whore! The second he gets a little clarity, he has to start preaching it at everyone...such a drama queen. I actually love that Angel does this.

All the bickering and childish banter eventually pays off and Lindsey and Angel find the lab where Lindsey’s transplanted hand and Cordelia’s vision man’s transplanted eye came from. Wolfram & Hart have been keeping people alive in tanks of water so that they can remove body parts from them at will. How bloody disturbing is that?! It’s one of the most disturbing, horrific things that we’ve seen on either “Angel” or “Buffy The Vampire Slayer”. These are all people that have annoyed Wolfram & Hart in some way...former employees, people who betrayed them, etc. Harrowingly, Lindsey’s hand was writing ‘kill, kill, kill’ because the man behind Lindsey’s new hand wants Lindsey to kill him. He’s been in that tank for God knows how long, losing body parts and being kept alive to suffer. This leads us to another moral crisis for Lindsey...does he try to save the man, does he respect the man’s wishes and kill him, or does he remain loyal to Wolfram & Hart? Ultimately, Lindsey respects the man’s wishes and turns off his machine so he’ll die peacefully. Then, Angel and Lindsey save the people that are able to be saved, before blowing up the lab entirely.

All of this leads us to Lindsey’s departure from Los Angeles, which happens in the most terrific way possible. While in a meeting with the higher-ups at Wolfram & Hart, they confirm the news that they’ve chosen Lindsey as their new Head of Special Projects. However, there’s just one problem with that...Lindsey is tired of Los Angles, tired of Wolfram & Hart, and wants out of this crap. Lindsey’s speech to convey these sentiments is absolutely amazing and is in the “Quote Of The Episode” section of this review. It’s arguably Christian’s greatest acting on the show. In one scene Lindsey completely changes the balance of power from Wolfram & Hart to himself. He takes his future out of Wolfram & Hart’s hands and places it back into his own. Plus, in the process, he gives Lilah her due and saves her from potential death. Remember, when Wolfram & Hart first told Lindsey and Lilah that they were temporarily both going to be co-heads of Special Projects, they implied that when they narrowed the selection down, the losing party was going to be removed (read: killed). He leaves Wolfram & Hart on his own terms and he’s taken just enough information and documents with him to keep him alive. In his stead, Lilah is now the new Head of Special Projects.

Angel: “I’m just here to say bon voyage and don’t come back.”
Lindsey: “To L.A.? Nah, you can have this place.”
Angel: “Good. I’m glad I didn’t have to do something immature here.”
Lindsey: “The key to Wolfram & Hart, don’t let them make you play their game. You gotta make them play yours.”
Angel: “Thanks, I’ll keep that in mind. Don’t drive too fast...lot of cops out there.”
*Lindsey drives away and reveals that Angel has stuck a “Cops Suck” sign on the back of Lindsey’s pickup truck*

Even after working together and gaining a little more respect for each other, these two aren’t capable of co-existing without trying to one-up each other. Angel puts a sign on Lindsey’s pickup so that he’ll get pulled over and potentially arrested, while Lindsey can’t even stick to Angel’s last request to not come back to Los Angeles. Angel’s goodbye ‘gift’ to Lindsey (the sign) is the most perfect way that these two characters could say goodbye. Just because they’ve worked together and respect each other, it doesn’t mean that they magically like each other now. If this was Lindsey’s final episode on the show, I would have been satisfied with his story and its conclusion. However, as we all know, much later down the line, Lindsey does come back. Sporting shoulder-length hair and a body-full of tattoos. In parting, Lindsey does offer Angel some very, very useful advice. Angel needs to avoid falling into Wolfram & Hart’s games. Angel manages to successfully do this for a while, but he falls victim to it more than ever in the fifth season, when he takes over the reins of the Los Angeles branch of Wolfram & Hart in order to try and bring the organisation down from within. Of course, Angel gets too caught up in Wolfram & Hart’s games and he loses two members of his team in the process...but more on that later. It’s apparent that Lindsey hasn’t completely changed. He wants out of Wolfram & Hart, but he’s still a character that is driven by power. Once his life has settled down, it’s this quest for power that brings him back to Los Angeles so that he can get revenge on his former employer and the vampire with a soul.


Quote Of The Episode

Lindsey (to Lilah): “You could’ve had it, but you didn’t have what it takes...an evil hand. I mean, come on, who here does, huh? Leon doesn’t. Charlie doesn’t. You do know you gave me an evil hand, right? I’ve been writing ‘kill, kill, kill’ on everything, it’s crazy. It’s crazy! Anything could happen!”

Nathan: “Allen?”

Lindsey: “Allen, how are you (*he shoots Allen in the foot*)? Uh-oh! Ooh, that’s gonna hurt in the morning! Stop it, evil hand, stop it! I just can’t control my evil hand. Nathan, I’m so proud that you chose me. Charlie (*he ruffles Charlie’s hair*)! If I’d been in your shoes, I would’ve chosen Lilah. Let me tell you why. Do you have any idea of the hours this chick has logged in, huh? The files she has on you guys? Deep stuff. Ronnie, your stock market manipulations, Nathan’s little offshore accounts. Can you imagine if something were to happen to this girl and those files got back to the Senior Partners? They’d eat you alive! She’s been working overtime, boys. She’s everything you ever dreamed of. Lilah is your guy. Me, I’m unreliable, I’ve got these evil hand issues...and I’m bored with this crap. And, besides, I’m leaving, so if you wanna chase me, be my guest, but remember (*he holds up his new hand*)...evil. (*he turns to Charlie and whispers*) Charlie. (*He turns back to Lilah*) Good luck. (*He grabs her bum on his way past*)...Evil!”


FINAL SCORE: 7.5/10

What are your thoughts on "Dead End"? Did you enjoy this episode? Dislike it? Let me know all your thoughts in the comments section below!

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