No, I meant the episode indicated it was a euphoria brought on by the drug that temporarily let Angelus control Angel's body. I guess that's what I meant by "knocked out his conscious mind."

I don't think it was established that it wasn't Angelus, only that it was temporary. DruggedAngel believed he was Angelus, was looking to do some damage, and had the tools needed to do that damage.

I start with a different premise, but come to the same conclusion (or basically, I'm with Plei wrt canon).

Or, this is how I think it goes: Angel did not experience true happiness. He experienced pharmaceutical (and therefore not "true") bliss. The drugs didn't remove his remorse, they knocked it unconscious, so Angel basically felt the way he feels when he is sans soul.

Ah. I didn't see the script.

Was simulated Angelus necessarily weaker than "real" Angelus?

I just never got the impression anywhere that it was Angel thinking he was Angelus.

Not even from what Wesley said to him, and not even from the fact that when the drug wore off, Angel had his soul (which indicates he never lost it)?

What I got from the episode was that it supressed Angel, and let Angelus through.

I may have to rewatch, because I'm clearly off my rocker in remembering this episode.

Well, I don't know that there's a big difference, between letting Angelus through, and thinking he's Angelus.

As far as I can interpret canon, Angel and Angelus are one in the same. There is only Liam. Liam was vamped, which made him lose his soul. As a vampire, he went by the name Angelus. Then, the Gypsies restored Liam's soul to his undead body. He felt remorse. He started going by the name Angel. If undeal Liam with-a-soul is ever completely happy (stops feeling the weight of his guilt, even for a moment), undead Liam will lose his soul. It happened once, and Willow, once again, restored his soul.

Undead Liam with-a-soul was drugged with an agent that makes him feel bliss. He didn't lose his soul, but he felt pretty much the same as when he is without a soul. The soul is that which allows him to feel remorse, and interestingly, if he stops feeling the remorse, he forfeits the soul, immediately.

Or something.

DruggedAngel believed he was Angelus, was looking to do some damage, and had the tools needed to do that damage.

I can believe this. Certain intoxicants have made me think I was a fighter pilot, looking to do much the same. Then I was sat down to watch Mary Poppins until I sobered up. Maybe they should have tried that with Angelus.

"I WILL KILL YOU AL....oooh. Umbrellas!"

It always seemed to me that there was more to the angel/Angelus thing than just a name change and a lot of remorse. As I see it here is a clear demarcation between the two, almost to the point of being completely seperate personalities. Ok, Liam gets vamped and becomes Angelus, years pass and he gets cursed by the gypsies. Wham, resouled and remorseful his mind cracks from the guilt over all the terrible things "he" has done. In order to give himself (some) distance from this his mind creates itself a new personality... Angel. He still has all of the guilt ( which keeps the the Angelus personality pushed down) but he gains the ability to tell himself that that was Angelus doing those things not him. The mind protecting itself from the trauma of the sudden guilt and remorse. When Angel was drugged/desouled the lack of remorse allowed Angelus to rise back to the surface.

As a sidenote Spike seems to have avoided this split in personality. Pre-resouling Spike is very similar to resouled (post-crazy) Spike.

Note: Take all of this with a large grain of salt. I'm tired and medicated. Apparently non-drowsey doesn't mean what I thouught it did.

Almost through season 4 on DVD and liking it much more the second time through. And I'm not sure why that is really.

Of course what I really want is Angel season 6.

(Picture Jon Stewart doing Shatner: Damn you WB!)