Confessions of a Liberal Puritan

"Angel is forced to realize that Buffy trusts this lackey more than she trusts him. The reason for that, it would seem, is that Andrew of all people, has seen through AI's sham of doing good through evil means. It's simultaneously a testament to Andrew's growth---he sees through the glamour of evil---and just how transparent the situation is."

Good point. I hadn't really thought enough about that, until your comment. Considering Andrew's ample history of self-delusion ("re-positioning" himself in the "good-vs.-evil" market, putting lots of "spin control" on his version of events, or even re-writing the entire narrative from moment to moment in order to bolster his delicate ego or distance himself from responsibility), it really is a remarkable testimony to the ease with which ANYBODY outside the Team Angel inner circle can see what's really going on.

Andrew's still spinning his personal narratives (e.g.: it was mostly he and Spike who saved the world, though Buffy helped a little), and drawing upon the characters and dialogue from every science fiction/fantasy TV show and movie that he's ever seen in order to describe his reality (e.g.: "Check the viewscreen, Uhura!" or all the LotR references), but he's STILL more clued-in to the truth than Angel is, for all Angel's vast experience and "street cred" as a bonafide champion of good. Kind of mind-blowing. And GOOD for Andrew! He HAS come a long way, and it has nothing to do with his affectation of the tweed jacket and pipe or whatever fighting skills he's gained. If he's now "80% more manly" (or whatever it was), it's because he's able to distinguish good from evil and face up to his responsibility to work for good.