User Reviews

I get the feeling that this episode is set up to make us feel sorry for Spike. To get the "Angel" audience to sympathize with his plight and want Team Angel to help him. As we watch everyone try and save this werewolf girl, Spike begs for some attention. The audience (and Fred) know that Spike is fading into hell and I think the episode is designed to make him seem really desperate. It works because I end up shouting, "Angel, Fred, help him!" whenever I see "Unleashed." Honestly, this isn't the best episode of the season. But it does introduce Nina who will be a recurring character, so you really should see it.

"Unleashed" revolves around Team Angel trying to help a werewolf girl. She's been bitten by a werewolf and will now become one. Angel wants to help her adjust. Meanwhile, everyone is concerned that Gunn is adjusting a little TOO well to Wolfram and Hart. He's really digging his new legal brain and he's starting to settle right in. Fred is working, somewhat, on re-corporealizing Spike. He's anxious to be un-ghosted as his fading is become more frequent. He urges Fred to work on his problem, but she is busy with Nina. When, Nina is kidnapped by a bunch of people who want to eat werewolf meat and Team Angel has to save her. She and Angel flirt a little bit. Back at Wolfram & Hart, Fred promises to save Spike. Then Gunn, Angel, Fred, Wes and Lorne reconnect with a dinner at Angel's place.

There are some great parts to this episode. It really fits that Fred would be the one person Spike went to for help. It's not because she's a science wiz, either. It's because she's a woman and Spike always feels more comfortable dealing with women. (Dru, Buffy, Willow, Faith, Dawn, Anya, Illyria, even Harmony... He talks to all of them longer than with pretty much any male character in the Buffyverse except Angel. And maybe Clem.) He doesn't try to act all tough guy with women and he's much more relaxed. His ridiculous excuse about a blood vengeance with Wesley preventing him from going to Wes with his troubles is pretty funny. Fred calls it a "load of crap" and Spike sort of admits that he made it all up. But then we learn about his history with Wes's father in "Legacy," which makes me wonder if Spike wasn't telling a teeny bit of the truth, only about Wesley's dad. Also, I like Lorne reading that evil crypto-zoologist. The guy sings "Jessie's Girl," which ties in with a certain Rick Spingfield screen-saver that an evildoer has in "Shells." Personally, I like song, but in the Buffyverse, it's apparently bad news. Also, I like that Wes is jealous of Knox. Wesley's really cute. Fred must be blind not to grab him up. Plus you just have to laugh when Angel explains to Nina that he's a monster, too. "Like a Frankenstein?" she guesses. Angel's outraged, "No! I'm a vampire." is just hilarious.

Finally, the episode has some indication what's to come this season. Fred is trying to see the Hyperion out the window, but she can't and confuses it with another building. In a way, Team Angel spends the whole season losing sight of that Champions that they were back at the Hyperion. They're confused about good & evil now and the fact that they can't even see the Hyperion anymore seems to illustrate that. Nina's basically the last "real" person they save all season. From now on, all their cases are left unresolved on screen, with faceless participants and compromised solutions. It's Spike who has to go out and "help the helpelss," and Team Angel who slowly begins to just mitigate evil. It's really fascinating. And it's sort of interesting to hear Angel tell Nina that separating yourself from the people who love you will lead to badness. That's pretty much what Illayria says about Angel later in the season in "Power Play."

On the down side, we have a werewolf episode with no mention of Oz? Are you kidding me? He's a big part of seasons 2,3 and 4 of BTVS and he's been on "Angel" (season one's "In the Dark," which also had Spike in it.) Oz (mostly) cured his werewolf-ness over on BTVS season four, something that Nina might like to know. Spike, Angel and Wes all know Oz and I can't believe no one mentions him. And, did Team Angel really leave that crypto-zoologist to be eaten? How is that different than killing the evil college professor last season, which drove Gunn and Fred apart? I know they said they'd closed down the food cult, but still if they didn't save that guy, it seems... wrong. Also, I don't like Nina. Angel has two girlfriends already: Buffy and Cordy, both of whom play a big part in the season's story arc. Why introduce this boring blond woman to distract him from the women that he really loves?

My favorite part of the episode: That food-y guy saying that there's no such thing as leprechauns. It's a running joke in the Buffyverse and I appreciate the nod to history.

UNLEASHED

The Good; Especially love the gag of Nina asking Angel if he's Frankenstein and Angel self-consciously rubbing his forehead, Spike's taunting must be getting to him. Nice final scene with Angel making sure to anchor himself to the world once more by hanging out with his friends. The Hyperion has also not been forgotten and a sly dig at Scientology.

The Bad; A little trite that they give the cryptozoologist to the cult to eat but then abolish the club?

Best line; Nina; "Angel, he saves a lot of girls?" Fred; "Girls, guys, puppies, he's pretty much an equal opportunity saver" (presumably Fred has been told of Angel's Orpheus flashback)

Jeez, how did they get away with that? Nasty scenes with Nina about to be eaten alive

Apocalypses: 5

Angel Clichés In disguise; 8

DB get's his shirt off; 14,

Cheap Angel; 7 Lorne remarks that hell has frozen over when Angel says their food is on him

Fang Gang in bondage: Cordy: 5 Angel: 14 Wes: 7 Gunn; 5 Lorne; 5 Fred; 3

Fang gang knocked out: Fred by the kidnappers Cordy: 15 Angel: 19 Wes: 7 Doyle; 1 Gunn; 2 Lorne; 6 Groo; 1 Connor; 1 Faith; 1 Fred; 3

Kills; Angel kills one werewolf. Cordy: 5 vamps, 3 demons Angel; 45 vamps, 60 and 1/2 demons, 5 zombies, 12 humans, one werewolf Doyle; 1 vamp Wes; 14 demons+5 vamps, 5 zombies, 2 humans Kate; 3 vamps Faith; 18 vamps, 6 demons, 3 humans. Gunn; 11 vamps+ 13 demons, 5 zombies, 1 human. Groo; 1 demon Fred; 3 vamps+ 2 demon, 5 zombies Connor; 16 vamps, 5 zombies, 2 demons, Jasmine

Fang Gang go evil: Cordy: 3 Angel: 3 Gunn; 1 Wes; 1

Alternate Fang Gang; Cordy: 4 Angel: 11 Fred; 2 Wes; 1 Gunn; 1 Connor; 1

Characters killed: 2255

Recurring characters killed; 9;

Total number of Angel Investigations; 5, Spike noticeably absent from the gang at the beginning. Angel, Gunn, Fred, Lorne, Wes,

Angel Investigations shot: Angel by the security guards Angel: 14 Wes; 2

Packing heat; Wes with a pistol and unusually Gunn with a shotgun Wes; 9 Doyle; 1 Angel; 4 Gunn; 3 Fred; 2

Notches on Fang Gang bedpost: Cordy: 5 ?+Wilson/Hacksaw Beast+Phantom Dennis+Groo+Connor plus possibly the Beast Angel: 5; Buffy, Darla and The Transcending Furies Wes; 3 definite; Virginia, the bleached blonde and Lilah, 1 possible, Justine Gunn; 2 Fred and Gwen. Fred; 1 Gunn Groo; 1Cordy

Kinky dinky: Nina quite reasonably suspects Angel to be a psycho rapist. Well, not lately. Nina naked and chained (anyone else think she looks a little like Sharon Stone?). A fellow student calls and says he missed Nina in the life drawing class which implies she does nude modelling (she certainly has the figure for it).

Captain Subtext; Wes not so subtly jealous of Knox whom Fred refers to as being 'Under me' and 'On top of'. The comparison of Angel to the werewolf is clear, he cut himself off from humanity to avoid temptation but ended up losing all value for people and lost his human side anyway, just as Angel might have if Doyle hadn't come along.

Know the face, different character; 5

Parking garages; 8,

Guantanamo Bay; Angel once again tortures ruthlessly

Buffy characters on Angel; 16. It would have been nice if Caine the bounty hunter had shown up but as the actor had also played Sajhan maybe that was impractical. Wetherby, Collins and Smith. Angel, Cordy, Oz, Spike, Buffy, Wes, Faith, Darla, Dru, The Master, Anne, Willow and Harmony. POSSIBLY The First Evil

What the fanficcers thought; Plenty of fic where Oz shows up in LA to help Nina out with what he's learned, if ever there was an ep for him to re-occur on Angel this was it.

Questions and observations; Lorne's reading not too good lately. Here's a good game for you, match the car to the AI member in the opening scene. The guys refer to being at WR&H for a month. Does Angel detect the werewolf by his scent? He's met one before, Oz in Phases. Spike still lies a lot. Different werewolf makeup than what we see in Buffy and thank god, much more impressive! Note though that Nina has amnesia for her first few transformations just as Oz had. Note it's Lorne who figures out how to find Nina. When Fred tells Nina that Angel was seeing someone does that mean CC or Buffy? Lorne makes an 'extra weight' remark of Angel, is that a joke on DB? Wes refers to the Initiative or whatever they call themselves nowadays.

Marks out of 10; 7/10, enjoyable standalone ep, reminds you of the sort of thing they used to do in season 1

In "Unleashed", Angel and the firm must help a woman recently bitten by a werewolf with no idea of her upcoming transformation. This becomes a problem when a group of rich foodies kidnap her with the intention of eating her once she turns. Spike pleads with Fred for help turning him back into a physical being.

Definitely not the first werewolf-focused episode in the Buffy-verse but possibly its most inventive. I love the idea of a group of rich, adventurous foodies attempting to try to eat mythical creatures. It's a very cool concept. Nina's inclusion here also doesn't seem like a one-off. I expect we'll see her come back.

Spike doesn't have a lot to do with this episode but he's always on the border checking in on things, reminding us of his plight. I reckon a conclusion to his current ghost body will be coming sooner rather than later.

You're so full of crap - One of my favorite early-season 5 episodes. Werewolves have always been my favorite supernatural creatures, so I was very pleased with getting a werewolf episode after one irritating Spike-filled episode, it feels like a reward somehow. Though 'Spike' is still annoying around, he wasn't as irritating in this episode, I love it when he does the 'woosh' thing you know?, when he's suddenly not there anymore, that's the positive side of him being a spook. I also quite loved the 'Nina' character, Jenny Mollen has to be one of the prettiest actresses to appear on the show (i'm not shallow, it's just an observation), my favorite scenes of the episode were when 'Nina' began to have her first symptoms of a werewolf, smelling and hearing everything more sharply, also in the kitchen when she imagined ripping her niece's throat out was pretty neat. The werewolf transformation and the Nina-werewolf looked a lot better than the Oz-werewolf on BtVs which I always found to look pretty cute. The 'Nina' getting kidnapped to serve a menu storyline was kind of morbid, which I like, especially when she bit the W&H guy who was behind all of that - A month from now, you'll have one. I also loved the ending, with the gang hanging out at 'Angel's place like back in the day. Plus the irony of 'Angel' killing a werewolf with a pen was not lost on me, first a spoon and now a pen? I wonder what's next. WESLEY: You think you can trust him?... Them? FRED: What? WESLEY: These people, the ones you're spending so much time with lately. Knox, for example. FRED: We're, you know, friendly, but he's under me...or I'm on top of him... professionally. (9.0 out of 10)

Fred just constantly neglects Spike! The dude is pleading, begging her as he is LITERALLY being sent to HELL! The entire episode she just doesn't seem to think it's a huge deal, and the near the end of the episode she realizes oh no it's serious!! And she declares she is truly going to do whatever it takes to save him. I don't know if they just cut this incorrectly in editing or if they just forgot that the scene had happened but right after Fred is just chilling with the boys, "let's order chinese!" HahAhAhaHahahA Soooo funny!! THE MAN IS GOING TO HELL!