Tiz the end of an era

[Medicine Man]

I didn’t get why Lorne wanted out, and why he killed off the hippie.

It was my impression that killing Lindsey was on Angel's orders. Lorne's depression, though, struck me as rather out of character.

I just finished watching a replay of the episode and noticed something. Lorne must have known he was destined to kill Lindsey. Just before he shot him he said, "I've heard you sing..." Therefore, Lorne had previously read Lindsey and would have known what was coming. Do we even know that Angel actually ordered it or did Lorne tell Angel what he had seen and they both knew that this is when it was going to happen?

I think it was a reference to all the times Lindsey had sung in his Karoke bar -- back when he had a bar and when Lindsey worked for Wolfram & Hart. From all of the past exposure, Lorne would already have a good idea about Lindsey's character -- enough at least to know that Angel's suspicions about Lindsey were intelligent ones.

Enough reason to kill Lindsey in cold blood? Only if you are deeply in 'Ends justify the means' mode and realize that you probably aren't going to be around to keep him in line later. All told, I can understand why Lorne felt dirty after that.