Power Play

When Drogyn (Alec Newman), the guardian of the deep well (see "A Hole in the World"), shows up with disturbing news about Angel (David Boreanaz), the fang gang begins to suspect that its boss has taken the job as CEO of Wolfram & Hart to heart -- and gone over to the dark side. Rebuffing the group's every concerned question, Angel secretly sets out to join the Circle of the Black Thorn, a sort of Skull and Bones for the evil elite. Many of the villains from previous storylines turn out to be members of the well-connected cabal. Cyvus Vail (Dennis Christopher -- see "Origin") and Archduke Sebassis (Leland Crooke -- see "Life of the Party") join Senator Bruckner (Stacey Travis), a crooked-as-they-come lawmaker, and Hamilton (Adam Baldwin), the Senior Partners' go-to boy, in recruiting Angel into the fold. But the vampire with a soul's quest for membership isn't what it seems. Originally broadcast May 12, 2004, on the WB network, "Power Play" marked season five, episode 21 of the supernatural soap opera. Although she shows up only in a flashback, Charisma Carpenter makes her final Angel appearance in this episode, as it's revealed that Cordelia's final kiss with Angel was more than mere romance. Speaking of romance, Angel's sexual relationship with werewolf Nina Ash (Jenny Mollen) is confirmed in this episode.