This 25-Year-Old Angel Episode is Still The Most Disturbing in the Show (& For Good Reason)
When the vampire with a soul from Buffy the Vampire Slayer got his own spin-off, the new series broke dramatically from the original in terms of themes and aesthetics. Angel moved the action to Los Angeles and took on a darker and more somber tone. Borrowing from horror, fantasy, and noir genres, the new show stayed true to its origins while charting its own course. In doing so, it featured some truly terrifying and disturbing episodes that surpassed the usual standards of Buffy. One of the most horrific episodes of the entire series came halfway through the very first season. “I’ve Got You Under My Skin” began as a homage to The Exorcist but managed to offer an even more grim take on the idea.
At first, the episode appears to be a generic take on the classic story of demon possession. Over time, however, the narrative morphs into something even darker. By the end of “I’ve Got You Under My Skin,” viewers are left shaken and likely very uncomfortable with the implications of the conclusion. While Angel ultimately saves the day, it’s clear that he hasn’t actually defeated evil, and it’s unclear if such a victory is even possible.
“I’ve Got You Under My Skin” Begins with a Suspected Possession
- “I’ve Got You Under My Skin” shares numerous narrative and visual similarities with The Exorcist.
- Both demonstrate possession through pale skin and cuts on the face.
- Like The Exorcist, “I’ve Got You Under My Skin” has the possessed talk with a distorted, inhuman voice.
The fourteenth episode of Angel‘s first season began simply enough. Following a vision from Cordelia, Angel sets off to a suburban neighbourhood where he’s just in time to save a young boy who had wandered into the street in the middle of the night from being hit by a car. The child, Ryan, is unharmed and his parents are relieved, but the vampire detective and his team suspect something deeper is going on. The Powers That Be rarely intervene in mortal affairs for something as simple as a potential car accident and the family seems secretive and on edge. Further, the father of the family presents as vaguely hostile, raising the possibility that Ryan had been trying to escape abuse. The totality of circumstances prompt further investigation by Angel Investigations, and evidence of demonic possession is found.
Angel immediately suspects the father is the victim, raising the terrifying possibility that the patriarch of the family is controlled by an evil entity and his wife and children are being abused. To definitively prove these suspicions, a plan is hatched to use an invitation to dinner to slip a magical powder into the family’s food, which will force the demon to reveal itself. A tense meal with Angel and the Anderson family follows, with the former taking care to ensure that everyone tries the brownies that he brought. The powder works but, as it turns out, Ryan is actually the person who’s possessed. This revelation, complete with some truly disturbing visuals when the demon inside Ryan emerges, sets up the horrifying second act.
While the basics of the episode draw heavily on the tropes of the genre, the mystery element spices up the story and adds to the tension. As Angel, and the audience, are jumping in long after the possession began, they are left trying to unravel just what happened. Further, excellent performances from the family members hint at a dark past which can only be guessed at. Ryan’s father appears exhausted and barely able to contain his frustration. the children’s mother, meanwhile, is distraught, clearly terrified about the safety of Ryan and desperately clinging to hope that he can be saved. By the time the exorcism has gotten underway, fans are fully invested in the fate of this sad family and fearful of what will happen to Ryan and how everyone else will survive.
As with the film that inspired the episode, the horror is heightened by the fact that a child is the ultimate victim, and also the perpetrator of cruel and violent acts. Further, makeup and visual sound effects add to the dram. By the midpoint of “I’ve Got You Under My Skin,” Ryan is almost unrecognizable, and it’s easy to believe an evil entity lurks just under the surface.
The Demon Taps into Every Character’s Fears
“I’ve Got You Under My Skin” is also such an effective horror story because it draws on recent events in the series and the past trauma of the main characters. Able to read minds, the demon taps into the fears, regrets, and emotional pain of those trying to cast him out, heightening their own danger by distracting them and threatening to turn them on each other. While this episode is, for the most part, a monster-of-the-week episode without connections to the larger conflict with Wolfram and Hart, it does significantly advance the characters arcs of Angel and his friends.
| Character | Fear |
|---|---|
| Angel | Failing to save one of his friends |
| Wesley | Being a failure and disappointment to others |
| Cordelia | Living up to her new role after Doyle’s death |
Taking place only a few episodes after Doyle’s tragic death in “Hero,” and Wesley joining the team in “Parting Gifts,” the episode sees everyone forced to confront recent events. As they behin the exorcism, with Wesley leading the effort, Angel still feels that he let Doyle die and is now faced with placing another companion at risk. Meanwhile, Wesley has been fired by the Watcher’s Council after what transpired in Sunnydale during the previous season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Seeing himself as a failure and disappointment, he is facing a dangerous job that requires strength and confidence. The demon is quick to exploit all of these insecurities, drawing Wesley into a trap that ends with a cross buried in his neck and nearly losing his life as a result.
“I’ve Got You Under My Skin” does have some comic relief moments. Cordelia makes a trip to Rick’s Majick n’ Stuff to buy a special box crafted by “blind Tibetan monks” but is ultimately forced to settle for one made by “mute Chinese nuns” – a gag that surely elicits a laugh from many fans and helps to break the tension. Still, the episode, overall, features suspense and terror almost from beginning to end, both for viewers and for the characters involved.
When the exorcism proves successful, with the demon driven out and Angel and Wesley giving chase, it appears that the horror is over. Now that the evil must take corporeal form, it’s just a matter of slaying it; something that the pair have plenty of experience with. This sets up the twist that elevates “I’ve Got You Under My Skin” above other Exorcist imitators and makes it one of the most disturbing episodes of Angel.
The True Evil of the Episode Is a Shocking Twist
- Cordelia subtly references The Exorcist in the episode, talking about vomiting and heads spinning around.
- The fate of the boy, Ryan, and his family is never revealed in Angel.
- It’s implied that Ryan will be sent to an instituition.
When Angel and Wesley track down the Ethros demon, they’re shocked to learn that he welcomes death. As it turns out, he was not voluntarily possessing Ryan but had been trapped inside the boy’s body. Upon taking up residence, the demon discovered, to his horror, that Ryan had no soul. The innocent-looking child was actually, essentially, a psychopath, lacking any conscience, empathy, or goodness. It was the boy, and not the demon, that had done all the terrible things that had plagued the family and the demon had only been trying to escape.
As this revelation unfolds, the episode continuously cuts back to the Anderson house, as Ryan prepares to burn his sister alive while she’s sleeping. The terror that had previously been dispelled quickly returns as Angel and Wesley confront the truth and are forced to race back to the family. While they manage to stop Ryan and save his sister just in time, “I’ve Got You Under My Skin” still ends on a somber and disturbing note.
The rest of the Anderson family may be safe, and now the truth can come out, but they are all forever scarred by what happened. How Ryan’s sister will come to terms with what her brother tried to do to her or how her parents will cope with the knowledge that one of their children is evil is left unknown. Further, Angel and his team are reminded that regular humans are capable of doing terrible things.
Angel focuses on supernatural and evil threats, but it was an episode that featured an entirely mundane and human threat that was its most disturbing episode. The exorcist and possession elements were frightening, but the twist is what truly made it remarkable. It tapped into real and closer-to-home horror that all people living in the world must confront and served as an excellent addition to the dark and gritty series.
Original article at CBR
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