Buffy and Angel Rewatch part 21

A1.10 Parting Gifts
This is definitely one of those episode where half of it is interesting and half it, really is not. I enjoyed the re-introduction of Wes, who has changed enough to fit into the Angel-verse but not too much for it to be a ridiculous change. Angel and especially Cordy dealing with Doyle's death was also enjoyable to watch, Cordy kissing all the boys was hilarious. The new gang working together for the first time was great and made for a sweet ending. However the whole storyline with the greedy empath demon was pretty boring as he's an unlikeable character, especially when you watch the episode again, as you know what his true intentions are. Most of his scenes are skippable, though I did like that it allowed Wolfram and Hart to be subtly mentioned again. (6.5/10)

A1.11 Somnambulist
Another not very interesting episode. The characters of Penn (Angel's prodigy) and Kate, who join Angel as the key characters in this episode are not very interesting. Though it was an interesting idea to bring in someone who didn't believe in vampires or who didn't embrace Angel as good despite his soul, Kate falls flat as a character. This isn't her worst episode as she discovers who Angel is and I do appreciate her strong character here, but she isn't quite interesting enough to make this episode exciting. Same goes for Penn and Angel's flashbacks. Whilst they are good for showing more of what Angel has to atone for, Penn is a dull character and the flashbacks aren't my favourite Angel ones. On the plus side, Cordy and Wes are pretty funny in this episode and I'm pleased they found a legitimate reason for bringing Wes into the fold before he's officially part of the team. (6/10)

B4.12 A New Man
Whilst I liked the focus on Giles in this episode, the main story was a bit 'monster of the week'. It was a funny episode in places, Spike and Giles working together were particularly hilarious. There was also some good relationship progression between Buffy and Riley and more stuff on the Initiative, but overall this wasn't the most interesting episode the show has done. Ethan Rayne returning did add a kick to the show, but its a shame that this is his last appearance as he's a good antagonist for Giles. This episode also has the rather dubious honour of marking the start of the 314/Adam arc but despite all the character and arc development, the episode felt a little filler to me. (6.5/10)

A1.12 Expecting
As I pointed out in the review for that episode, Buffy's Reptile Boy is very similar to this episode. However since Cordy has grown a great deal since then, this episode was a lot more enjoyable as its much easier to root for her. This is the first of many demon pregnancies on the show and it was an entertaining episode with some funny moments including Cordy drinking blood and Wes and Angel appearing to be gay together. What I liked about this episode this time round was watching the 'family' dynamic build up between Angel, Cordy and Wes. I think the bond between the three of them takes longer to build up then it did with Doyle, but the beginnings are definitely there as shown by Cordy's little speech at the end of the episode. (8/10)