I get the impression, by the way, that we're supposed to find DeWitt more sympathetic after that episode, but I'm afraid I still want her to die in a fire. Possibly more than I did before. This despite a performance that certainly would have wrung some sympathy for the character out of me if there were any to be had.

I don't think we're supposed to find her more sympathetic as such, but more fleshed out as a character; even when high, she has been on top of things all the time, so to speak, and you have to wonder why a smart and charismatic woman like that couldn't find other ways to gain money and power, and who was she kidding with the ongoing "we're just doing this to help people" line? This episode, however, showed some of the ways she's screwed up herself (beyond the obvious, i.e. she has to be if she took this job), and that one of the reasons she's so hung up on said line is that this is her self justification re: Victor/Roger. The way they present Adelle DeWitt reminds me very much of Lilah Morgan in Angel. The show has always been clear on Lilah's evilness, but she was a compelling character, and things like her affair with Wesley (in which she was arguably the more vulnerable party) contributed to this without excusing what Lilah did for a living.