Besides having a really cool title, this episode is kinda interesting. Cordelia’s back, and she can’t remember a damned thing. Angel, Fred and Gunn tries to spare her from the truth about what they really do for a while, probably hoping to ease her return. She doesn’t like that very much, and having found things out on her own, she runs off with Connor, who’s more honest with her.

Like I said when commenting episode 3, there aren’t many stand-alones in season 4. This is a prime example of that, seeing as it continues a tale or four that has been building and developing for at least one season, so you don’t really get much from it if you haven’t seen the preceeding episodes. At the same time, it doesn’t really have a conclusion, beyond Cordy’s choice to stay with Connor rather than coming back to the hotel with Angel et al. At the same time, it points forward toward future events, particularly through Lorne’s reading of Cordelia and the ensuing chaotic situation.

I guess the theme of the episode has something to do with truth, like whether or not it’s right to withhold information from people because you think it’d for their own good, orif it’s better to just tell them everything and let them deal. Personally, I’d probably favour the former, and giving out the truth in small doses. However, this method has a flaw, and that is that it’s easy to just keep the lies and half truths you tell going, that it’s hard to stop lying once you’ve started. As for Cordelia’s reaction, I thought she was a little unfair towards Angel, Fred and Gunn, especially as she herself, after they’d finally told her everything, said that “No wonder I forget, because, seriously, who’d want to remember that?” It also took her a while to believe them — which is totally understandable, of course — but she none the less insisted on being told the truth. Bah, too tricky stuff for me to bother my pretty little head with it. Brilliantly portrayed by the writers, in any case.