Angel: Disharmony (2.17)

After a run of heavy drama, this was entirely welcome. Disharmony is a whole barrel of silliness featuring a series-best performance from Mercedes McNab. Like practically everybody else that comes to Los Angeles, Harmony is seeking some kind of redemption. Or if that doesn't work out, at least a new perspective on life. I loved how the writers depicted her flakiness here, gradually going from one extreme to another as she tries to figure out what she wants to do with her life. That also feeds into vampire mythology, too, since she's not the blood-hungry monster that most vampires in the Buffyverse seem to be. She hasn't got a soul, but it's almost like she hasn't got the smarts or the ambition to become a fully-fledged blood-sucking fiend.

There were some great moments of characterization here, for both Cordelia and Harmony. Cordelia only seems to realize her own evolution after Harmony arrives, creating that lightbulb moment where she sees that they have so little in common, and that she's grown so much while Harm has remained pretty much the same. Harmony, always having had so little personality herself, then decides to 'become' Cordelia (continuing to fulfill Cordelia's one-time declaration that Harm is a 'sheep') and fight the good fight. But being so vain, she switches teams without a second's thought. It's a great little contrast.

Elsewhere, Angel's gradual return to the fold was handled really well. Cordelia's resentment towards him still feels so raw and emotional, and I loved Angel's subtle attempts throughout the episode to give her the respect that she always sort of deserved. Of course, in the end he wins her back with presents, but his heart is in the right place.

Disharmony is mostly filler material, but there are so many wonderful moments of humor (Harmony's singing, that ridiculously awesome Willow phone call, Harm appearing out-of-nowhere in the slow-motion cast stride down the sidewalk, etc.) and subtle pathos that it becomes so much more than it easily could have been. And they kept Harmony alive, too. She's too strong and unique a character to write off so casually. A

Credits
Guest stars Andy Hallett (Lorne); Mercedes McNab (Harmony Kendall); Pat Healy (Doug Sanders); Alyson Hannigan (Willow Rosenberg)
Writer David Fury Director Fred Keller