(S01E17) Eternity - waste of time. -- Natalie Clifford Barney

How can we obtain eternal youth? This has been a question that humanity has pondered for centuries. We've tried diet, exercise, clean living, creams, pills, herbs (the legal kind) and surgical procedures. Some of us have even resorted to cryogenics in order to be thawed out in some future time where old age has been cured. However, we have missed the one obvious way to obtain our youth for eternity . . .

Die from a vampire's bite and then come back as a vampire yourself. Of course, you won't be able to walk into the sunlight, you'll need to drink pig's blood, you'll be allergic to crosses, and some super-strong blond-haired girl will try to hunt you down and kill you with a stake. But, you'll be eternally young, so that won't matter.

At least that's what Rebecca Lowell thinks. Who's Rebecca? She's the newest client of Angel Investigations. A big television star in her teens and early twenties , she's now having a hard time finding another role because she is seen as being too mature. On top of that she is being stalked by some sort of lunatic who wants her dead. That's how she becomes a client of our favorite vampire with a soul: he saves her life, three times.

Rebecca also knows that Angel is a vampire; she notices his non-reflection in a mirror during one of his life-saving maneuvers. Being the intelligent person that she is, Rebecca also realizes that Angel will always be eternally youthful. After her manager admits to hiring a stuntman to be her stalker, so her public exposure would increase once again, the actress decides that eternal youth is not a bad idea at all, even if you lose your soul in the process.

So, she works on seducing Angel into doing a little 'necking' (Get it? Necking? Heh). She gets him drunk, flirts a little and, oh yes, puts a little "happy pill" into his champagne to make him a little more susceptible to suggestion. The drug she gives Angel induces a temporary feeling of perfect bliss.

Whoops. See, Angel can never be perfectly happy. It's that whole Gypsy curse thing; have total bliss, lose your soul. Which is what happens. Oh, Angel doesn't really lose his soul, but it just feels that way. Suddenly, he becomes the sarcastic, truth-telling, monster known as Angelus; something that Rebecca didn't expect. Luckily, it's only temporary. With the help of Wesley and Cordelia they are able to subdue Angel until the drug's effects wear off. However, even though Angel's role as Angelus was temporary, he opened up some sore points between himself and his colleagues.

All in all, this was a good episode. I liked the status change that was put on Rebecca . . . from scared Hollywood starlet to a conniving, selfish woman who is willing to hurt someone else for her own goals. It was also refreshing to see Angelus for a brief time (we see more of him in the 4th season). He is the opposite of the sulking, moody Angel and was a nice change of pace. Also good to see was Angel finally moving past his infatuation with Buffy Summers.

Thank the Lord that this was a quiet episode (for the most part) because all hell breaks loose in the next two episodes. More about that in my next post.