YMMV / Angel S 02 E 09 The Trial

• Harsher in Hindsight: Darla wanting Angel to turn her back into a Vampire again. Season Five's "Why We Fight" will reveal that Angel was forced to sire a Vampire (one Ensign Sam Lawson) back during World War II. Due the unique nature of Angel's curse, the process was flawed and produced a half-turned Vampire that could take no joy in its nature. So, even if Angel had done as Darla wished, she would've suffered the same fate as Lawson.
• Magnificent Bastard: The Valet is the entity in charge of running the Trials, a test of worth to prove if someone deserves a second life. In service of this mission, the Valet deliberately makes the tests as hard as possible for his patrons, ensuring that only someone with the necessary strength of character can pass the tests. Among other things, the Valet deliberately gives incomplete information when prompted for a hint; has Angel take his shoes off to ensure the second test causes as much pain as possible; and, when the third test comes, convinces Angel that he must die for Darla to earn her second chance at life. Despite voicing every reason Angel has to let Darla die, the Valet goes ahead with killing him when he requests it, yet proves at the last moment that it was nothing more than a final character test. When he can't give Darla her new life because she's already living it, the Valet sincerely apologizes for what Angel endured before disappearing.

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