User Reviews

When I watched this episode for the first time, I was afraid to even blink for fear I'd miss something. It's just so, SO good. "Destiny" confronts all those details of Spike and Angel's complicated love/hate relationship that I always wanted addressed. It also sets up the next stage of the story arc, as Angel begins to question his mission. I think it's one of the boldest, most interesting and most important episodes of the Buffyverse. I highly recommend it.

"Destiny" revolves around Spike being re-corporealized. He gets a box of "flashy" in the mail and suddenly he's all solid again. At the same time, Wolfram & Hart is afflicted by some sort of strange spell. Eve says that it's because of the Shanshu Prophesy. Two Vampire Champions means that either one of them could be the one it's talking about. Angel insists that he's the one destined to be human again and, the more he presses, the more annoyed Spike becomes. When Sirk says that the Prophesy has a clause about a magical cup, Spike and Angel go on a mad dash to find it. The resulting fight brings up all there old resentments: Buffy, Dru, their past and their souls. Spike finally gets the cup, but it's a trick. It's filled with Moutain Dew. Back at Wolfram & Hart, Angel is demoralized. The spell has faded, but Eve says that the problem with the Shanshu remains. Then the scene flashes to Eve and her boyfriend, Lindsey. It turns out that they set up the cup thing. Lindsey is back in LA and looking for revenge.

There are some great parts to this episode. I love Spike & Angel and I see no reason why I can't sort of vote for them both. I understand both of their points-of-view. Their fight, as they battle it out with fists and stakes and even crosses, is just incredible. I enjoy watching it. And I'm really happy that Spike's recorporealized again. He's hugging Gunn, drinking Angel's mug o' blood, and "reconnecting" with Harmony. It's just hilarious. Finally, I love the flash backs. I think they correspond with BTVS season seven's "Lies My Parents Told Me," which seems to show what happened after Spike left the hotel. Really, anytime I get to see Dru, I'm happy.

"Destiny" is driven by Spike and Angel's mutual jealousy and reluctant bond. Spike is jealous because Angel has always been the leader. Good or evil, people follow him. Buffy loved him and Dru slept with him. Spike has always come in second to Angel. Second worst vampire, second Vampire Champion, second best in everything. On the other hand, Angel is jealous because Spike just seems to get everything so easily. He has a soul with no curse. And he willingly fought to get it. Angel was cursed, but Spike choose to join to the White Hats. Spike can deal with his past and enjoy his unlife. Plus, in the end, Angel could easily believe that Dru and Buffy "chose" Spike. Dru sort of bought into Spike's destiny argument, (even saying that she can "feel" love for him in BTVS season five's "Crush.") And, in season seven's "Chosen," Buffy gives the amulet to Spike, not Angel. Honestly, it's easy to see where both Spike and Angel coming from. But adding to the trouble is the fact that they love each other. Spike isn't willing to kill Angel to get the Prophesy. Honestly, if Angel hadn't made him so angry, I think he'd have let Angel have the stupid cup. I'm not convinced that he even WANTS to be human again. And Angel feels guilty about what he did to Spike and how he trained him to be a monster. He looks at him and sees all the mistakes of his past. It's all very cool.

In order to really understand a lot of the episode you have to have seen Spike's evolution over on BTVS. When Spike says that he's always been "different," he means that he wasn't exactly like other vamps. Even when he was evil, he could feel things. He could fight for good. Vampires shouldn't be able to do that. They shouldn't WANT to. Angel's scared because he knows that. Soulless Angel is a unrepentant killer. Soulless Spike babysits for Dawn. If Spike's always been a little bit less evil than other vampires, what if it means he's more worthy of the Shanshu? Angel's scared and defensive, but his feelings make perfect sense to me. He's so sad when he tells Gunn that Spike won the fight. Angel's whole way of defining himself is being threatened. He's suppose to be the Champion, the one who helps the helpless and has a heroic destiny. Wolfram & Hart has been eating away as his sense of self, greying his world. Now with Spike beating him, Angel is feeling so lost that my heart just breaks.

On the down side, I want Spike and Angel to both have the Shanshu Prophesy. Are we sure that can't happen? Also, what's the deal with the White Room being a "howling abyss"? How'd Lindsey do that?

My favorite part of the episode: Spike saying, "You never knew the real me." It's one of my favorite lines in the Buffyverse, because it's the exact same thing he says to Buffy in BTVS season seven's "Never Leave Me." In BTVS, Spike's saying that he never really showed his true demon side to Buffy. He loved her, so he tried to keep the dark side of his personality hidden. In "Destiny" he says it to Angel for the exact opposite reason. He means that Angel never knew "William" or the person that Spike would have been if he hadn't met Angelus and Dru. Spike sees both aspects of his personality as the "real" him and spends most of his time in the Buffyverse trying to find a balance between them. It just blows me away.

I love this episode so much. It gets Spike back to being a real undead boy.

In this episode, Spike receives a package in the mail. Kind of weird, he's a ghost. Anyway, so he opens the package and all it did was make a flash of light. Spike then goes to see Angel and tries to walk through the door. But instead, he hits it and falls over. The flashy box made him corporeal again. Yay! Finally he's not go-throughy anymore. The rest of the episode focuses on everyone trying to figure out how the flashy box made him corporeal and who sent it to him in the first place.

Overall, I give this episode an 8 out of 10.

The Good; The fight, the race, the flashbacks, all great! And the great ending. The Fred/Eve hurt/comfort scene is also very powerful

The Bad; The Alice Cooper eyeshadow. Also the idea that Lorne would just lock himself in his office, I mean this is the guy who went to fight the Beast.

Best line; Spike; "Mountan Dew!"

Jeez, how did they get away with that? Gunn throttling Eve is horrible, reminds you of Lilah/Gavin. Spike and Angelus crashing the wedding.

Subverting the cliché; Mountain Dew! Also when Fred tries to sympathise with Eve and Eve rejects her concern.

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

Fang gang knocked out: Gunn doped up Cordy: 15 Angel: 19 Wes: 8 Doyle; 1 Gunn; 3 Lorne; 7 Groo; 1 Connor; 1 Faith; 1 Fred; 4

Kills; Cordy: 5 vamps, 3 demons Angel; 45 vamps, 61 and 1/2 demons, 5 zombies, 12 humans, one werewolf and one cyborg Doyle; 1 vamp Wes; 14 demons+5 vamps, 5 zombies, 3 humans, 2 cyborgs 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: Gunn big time Cordy: 3 Angel: 3 Gunn; 1 Wes; 1

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

Characters killed: 2261

Recurring characters killed; 10 Total number of Angel Investigations; 5, Angel, Gunn, Fred, Lorne, Wes,

Angel Investigations shot: Angel: 14 Wes; 2

Packing heat; Wes; 11 Doyle; 1 Angel; 4 Gunn; 3 Fred; 3

Notches on Fang Gang bedpost: Spike get's corporeal again and 'seduces' a willing Harmony who seems intent on setting feminism back about 500years like the dumb tramp she is! Cordy: 5 ?+Wilson/Hacksaw Beast+Phantom Dennis+Groo+Connor plus possibly the Beast Angel: 6; Buffy, Darla, The Transcending Furies, Eve Wes; 3 definite; Virginia, the bleached blonde and Lilah, 1 possible, Justine Gunn; 2 Fred and Gwen. Fred; 1 Gunn Groo; 1Cordy Spike; 3-Buffy, Anya, Harmony

Kinky dinky: Spike and Harmony on the desk. Unromantic but having been denied the touch of a woman (or anything else)for so long...? Angelus and Dru, much to Spike's dismay. Darla still devoted to her Master much to Angelus's disgust. Spike let's slip about the circumstances of him killing his mother, Harmony comments how it explains a lot. Fred knows what the term 'nooner' means. Love Eve's dress and the sexy striptease she does at the end. Gunn cautions Eve 'Don't be touching the robots'. Gunn says that Fred might want to tie him down again, does he mean when he went crazy or when they were dating?

Captain Subtext; Angel asks the newly corporeal Spike to stop touching him. Angelus bids Spike to be 'Home before sunrise' again casting the Fanged Four as a sort of family with him as the father and Spike as the son. Eve calls Fred 'princess' and 'sweetie', Spike calls Angel a ponce. Spike is happy to voyeuristically watch Angelus having sex until he realises it's with Dru. As with Lover's Walk, souled Angel still knows how to push Spike's buttons. Once again Spike and Dru seem to retain some aspect of humanity which other vamps lack, Angelus saying that vamps can't know true love ('Nothing is yours') but Spike and Dru intent on trying anyway. Spike also hugs Gunn and asks him to go drinking with him at the end of the ep.

Know the face, different character; 5

Parking garages; 8,

Buffy characters on Angel; 16.

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; A great gift for Spangelers

Questions and observations; No Wes who's on a leave of absence, possibly heading home to visit his folks after the events of Lineage (Alexis Dennisof in real life marrying Alysson Hannigan the lucky beggar). I'm sure the idea of everyone being sent mad by a phonecall was a Stephen King book? Eve quotes The Music Man. Hell of a tumble MM's stuntwoman takes when Spike hits her. Instead of racing Spike why doesn't Angel use his helicopter? Presumably Angel and Spike reach the opera house at the same time because Angel already knows where it is? DB apparently loves doing his Irish accent. Has he ever heard it? Gunn sees the howling abyss but obviously the budget won't stretch that far so the rest of us don't get to.

Spike is right of course, he IS better than Angel because he fought to get his soul back. He blames Angel(us) not for making him a vampire but for making him the evil monster of a vampire he was, that it was Angelus' influence that made him worse than all the rest. Spike comments that Dru still has a bit of a child in her, like him she still retains some humanity. Or he retains some humanity BECAUSE she was his sire.

Angel asks Spike does he want the destiny because it's his or because it's something to take away from Angel? You could make the same argument for Buffy, did Spike love her for his own sake or because she was Angel's and he wanted her for himself? As revenge for Angelus/Dru? And of course, Spike beats Angel in a fair fight! I guess that's one question answered. Does the title Destiny refer to Angel and Spike or might it actually refer to Lindsey who thinks his destiny is to run WR&H? Marks out of 10; 9/10 for the Angel(us)/Spike scenes alone

Don't mistake me. I do love the ladies. It's just lately, I've been wondering what it'd be like to share the slaughter of innocents with another man - As much as I want to hate this episode, for several reasons, I have always admitted that it's well done, the flashbacks were perfect and the action and script were superb. There are only two main things that really p!ss me off, first of all, 'Spike', big surprise there, he's always selfish and unbearable but this time more so than the usual, also him becoming corporeal just like that without any real explanation on how, didn't really leave a good impression, and people whine about season 4 not making sense? Another one is the way 'Angel' was written in this episode, they wrote him into this incredibly childish loser, and even though I know that was the point of all of this, it still bothered me, it felt as if the writers were just trying to make the audience dislike his character. Didn't work for me 'cause I kept loving his character, even though I did have the urge to slap him. The best about the episode gotta be the flashbacks, it had been a while and even though I wish 'Darla' had appeared in them, 'Dru' worked just fine. Apparently 'Angelus' was whom turned 'Willy' into a monster by having sex with Dru right in front of him, 'Angelus' is so morbid and I love it. I also liked that strange sound that made people crazy and cry blood, like 'Harmony' when she was having sex with 'Spike' and 'Gunn' who tried to strangle 'Eve'. The whole 'Eve' mystery also worked well, she got away by making the gang believe that she wasn't involved in any of it by using her innocent look, while she was actually behind all of it and was even working (well, sleeping) with 'Lindsey' who is back and has tattoo's all over his body and apartment. Well done episode all round, definitely annoying, but in a good way. kind of. SPIKE: Look at you. Thinking you're the big savior fighting for truth, justice, and soccer moms, but you still can't lay flesh on a cross without smelling like bacon, can you? ANGEL: Like you're any different. SPIKE: Well, that's just it. I am. And you know it. You had a soul forced on you as a curse. Make you suffer for all the horrible things you'd done. But me, I fought for my soul. Went through the demon trials. Almost did me in a dozen times over, but I kept fighting. 'Cause I knew it was the right thing to do. It's my destiny. ANGEL: Really? Heard it was just to get into a girl's pants. (9.0 out of 10)

In "Destiny" a package is sent to Spike that returns him to the corporal plane. Coincidentally, employees around Wolfram & Hart start to go mad and bleed out of their eyes. Eve blames this on Spike and Angel both having souls, claiming Highlander rules: only one souled vampire can exist. They get an interpretation of the prophecy from someone in Wes's department while he's away. They learn of a new interpretation involving a magical cup in the Nevada desert that holds the key to the champion's destiny.

The two duke it out before Spike wins and takes a drink, only for them to realize it was all a distraction to get rid of them. Everyone goes back to normal without explanation, Eve claiming that the senior partners were able to restore the balance to fix it. As the episode ends, it is revealed that Eve is Lindsey's lover and secretly working for him behind Wolfram & Hart's back.

I was a bit sceptical how easily Eve was able to get Spike and Angel to be at each other's throats. I wasn't buying any of this "universe out of balance" mumbo jumbo from the start. Why they decided to believe her so easily is beyond me. Also, shouldn't Angel smell Lindsey's scent on Eve?

Angel and Spike's fight scenes felt a bit too long as well. Although I did enjoy their flashbacks (it's always nice when Dru drops by). But there wasn't much in the ways of resolutions here. Their rivalry over who has the truer soul could be interesting moving forward if the writers play it right.

Now I remember why I don't like season 5 as much as the rest. Spike, who's just as whiny and conceited as ever, and Eve, the poor man's Lilah Morgan, dressed as Cordelia Chase. Are the only two characters creating unnecessary drama this season... I was fine with ghost Spike, and thought everything would go back to normal at the end of the episode. But they pushed his presence to much like they did on BTVS. I still liked how it got Lindsey back in the game, and how past grudges were addressed, as well as those flashback sequences. Even if it meant Darla not being there for it. Only Angel is clearly the Shanshu vampire, and it's really annoying to see writers wasting our times with unnecessary fan service.