somniloquence

Some of it comes from the fact that this is two women in a row -- the only real women on the show who could be considered integral to the story -- have disappeared, and been replaced with something else in order to be killed off. I’m not sure what this says, even though I’ve always known it was not a kind show for women.

This bothers me as well, in the sort of way where I don't even want to look at it too closely. One of the many things that I loved most about BTVS was the wide range of strong female characters. It's unsettling that on Angel the strong women either die (Cordy, Fred, Lilah) or disappear (Kate, Gwen).

But I’m dissatisfied with the explanation that her soul is gone, when this relationship of soul/ether/replacement of soul has never been fully explained.

I'm completely unspoiled, so this is just speculation, but they emphasized so many times that Fred was really, really, gone that it makes me think there may be a reversal in the future and Fred will be brought back somehow.