Angel: The Shroud of Rahmon (2.8)

In a lot of ways this is a filler episode. But similarly to something like Untouched, it's an energetic and fun distraction which ends up being so much better than it easily could have been. It takes two standard plot devices and renders them sort of fresh and amusing. The museum heist is fun and well-written, with the motley crew of vamps and demons at each other's throats constantly and being kind of dumb while lugging around a doom-leaden sarcophagus. At the same time, the cast get to act all squicky when they're all possessed by the Rahmon goo, which leads to a couple of funny moments.

This was another episode in which Angel gets to break character a little. His impression of a tragic Rat Pack-obsessed vamp is funny, even if it feels a little too out-of-character for him to be relaxed in the role. I'm assuming this was more David Boreanaz's influence than anything truly organic, but whatever.

Kate is still annoying, but this incarnation of the character is far more interesting than the old one. She's still ridiculous and petulant, though. I'm not sure she even remembers why she hates Angel at this point. I did like the whole set-up of the episode, with the fake-out of Angel biting Kate. Surely she's got to acknowledge his heroism as a result?

I still adore Wesley and Cordelia together. I'd completely forgotten how great they are, with the constant sniping at each other. They kind of stole the show this week, especially in their argument over 'Fat Chow-Chow' and later their acknowledgment of sending an already fragile Angel into a potential death trap.

Parts of The Shroud of Rahmon don't make a lot of sense (how exactly was the whole plan supposed to work out in the first place?), and it's filler in general. But there's an obvious sense of fun running through the whole thing which renders it pretty entertaining. B+

Credits
Guest stars Elisabeth Rohm (Kate Lockley); W. Earl Brown (Menlo); Dwayne L. Barnes (Lester); R. Emery Bright (Detective Turlock); Tom Kiesche (Detective Broomfield); Tony Todd (Vyasa)
Writer Jim Kouf Director David Grossman