“Origin”

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Episode 18 of Season 5

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“I learned that from my father.”

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Original US airdate: April 21st, 2004

Rewatched: October 20th, 2024

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• Writer: Drew Goddard

• Director: Terrence O'Hara

• Guests: Vincent Kartheiser, Dennis Christopher, Jack Conley, Jim Abele, Adrienne Brett Evans, Adam Baldwin

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In this episode, Connor returns to remind Angel why he came to Wolfram & Hart. Connor, a well-adjusted college student with a loving mother and father, was hit (on purpose) by a van and survived without a scrape. His parents have come to Wolfram & Hart to find out why. Angel refuses to take the case, until Hamilton tells Angel that someone (not the Senior Partners) is using Connor to send a message to Angel, to test them. When Connor and his parents are also attacked by demons, Angel decides he has to help.

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It turns out that Vail, the warlock who cast the spell to alter everyone’s memories, is behind it all. He wants Connor to kill Sahjhan, although why Vail has it out for Sahjhan is never clear. Vail is convinced by a prophecy that only Connor can do it. Connor is willing to give it a try, in order to protect his family, but new Connor is not the warrior old Connor was. At the same time, Illyria tells Wes that some of Fred’s memories were altered, although she can’t tell what they once were. This leads to Wes tracking down what happened, that Vail was paid by Wolfram & Hart on the day Angel Investigations took over; that Angel signed paperwork to have this done. At Vail’s, where Connor is fighting Sahjhan, Wes confronts Angel. He claims he can’t trust Angel. Wesley breaks Vail’s spell and everyone gets their memories back. Earlier in the episode, Illyria said that Wes wasn’t following Angel anymore. The question is, did he ever? Did he ever really trust Angel? This is not the first time Wes has betrayed Angel, although the consequences here are smaller. It doesn’t bring back Fred, as Wes had hoped. It only brings him more pain.

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For Connor, although he doesn’t really let on that he has his memories back, it’s fairly clear he does. He gains his warrior skills back and is able to best Sahjhan. Illyria mentions that those the spell affected now have two sets of memories- the real ones and the fake ones, and it can be hard to tell the difference. The question is how much Connor is ignoring his bad memories. At the end of the episode, he hints again at having his memories back, claiming Vail couldn’t show him anything he hasn’t seen, and telling Angel he has to return to his life, an indication that he knows he could stay. Finally, as he walks out, he tells Angel that “You gotta do what you can to protect your family. I learned that from my father.” It seems clear he’s referring to Angel and Angel’s choice to give him a new life. Connor is not going to let that choice be in vain. It’s a lovely moment for the two of them, even as Angel watches his son walk away.

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In addition to the main theme of Angel and Connor’s relationship, Angel is dealing with two other issues. First, he’s worried about Wes spending too much time with Illyria and tells him not to deal with her alone. This prompts Wes to get Spike to test Illyria, trying to figure out what her powers are. Then, there’s Gunn. Angel is working to get Gunn out of hell but has had no luck so far. Hamilton does approach Gunn to make a deal to get him out of hell, but Gunn turns him down without hearing him out. He’s learned his lesson about deals with Wolfram & Hart.

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A final theme is the role of prophecies. The prophecy about Sahjhan being killed by Connor is definitely a self-fulfilling one. If Sahjhan hadn’t tried to take Connor out, Connor wouldn’t have ended up with Holtz in Quor’toth and wouldn’t be the fighter he is. Also, if the prophecy didn’t exist, Vail wouldn’t have asked Connor to kill Sahjhan. Without the prophecy, the events wouldn’t have happened. It’s not quite a false prophecy, like the one Wes read about Angel killing Connor (although that one kind of turned out to be true), but more like the prophecy that the Master would kill Buffy. Without the prophecy, events could have different.

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“Time Bomb”

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Episode 19 of Season 5

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“If you want to win a war, you must serve no master but your ambition.”

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Original US airdate: April 28th, 2004

Rewatched: October 25th, 2024

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• Writer: Ben Edlund

• Director: Vern Gillum

• Guests: Jaime Bergman, Jeff Yahger, Adam Baldwin

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This is an Illyria-centric episode. First, Illyria rescues Gunn from the Wolfram & Hart holding dimension, destroying quite a bit to do so, and her motives remain unclear. Was she proving she could? Was she helping? Either way, Gunn is back.

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Wes seems to be unravelling a bit. Looking after Illyria is taking its toll on him, but he is able to find a solution to Illyria’s instability that develops this episode. It seems that a human body is not meant to hold a god, and Illyria becomes a ticking time bomb. First, she starts jumping through time, at one point she ends up dragging Angel along. However, Illyria assumes she knows what’s happening (Wes is trying to kill her) when in fact she doesn’t (Wes is trying to save her). Angel is able to figure it out, get Wes to talk to Illyria, and prevent her from killing Wes, Gunn, Spike and Angel, as well as explode and take out all of California. The price is part of her power, however, leaving her not quite as godlike in the end.

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Gunn being back means he’s working as a lawyer again. However, it’s noticeable that he’s returned to his previous clothing and hairstyle choices, forgoing suits in favor of street wear. It’s an outward sign that Gunn now no longer buys in to Wolfram & Hart the way he used to. He also tries to prevent the Fell Brethen, first mentioned in “Life of the Party” and who will play a role in the final events of the season, from adopting a human child so they can sacrifice him on his 13th birthday. With the Fell Brethren being Wolfram & Hart’s client, not the mother, this is going against the firm. Gunn even questions Angel’s motives, asking him “Is that all we’re doing here? Hiding the horror?”

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For Angel, he is able to talk with Illyria quite a bit in this episode as he is pulled through time with her. Angel thinks that Illyria can’t accept change or loss of power, and Illyria thinks Angel can’t accept the price of power. She tells him “If you want to win a war, you must serve no master but your ambition.” At the end of the episode, it seems that Illyria’s speech has caused Angel to accept working for Wolfram & Hart. He circumvents Gunn and allows the Fell Brethren to adopt the baby.

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The episode shows that the team still isn’t communicating with each other. They nearly die because Wes can’t explain to Illyria what he needs to do; Angel and Gunn aren’t really seeing eye to eye; Wes and Angel’s relationship is still strained. Gunn and Wes may be on the road to recovery, but Wes did stab him, so it’s not going to happen overnight. Can the team find each other again? It’s the question of the season.

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“The Girl in Question”

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Episode 20 of Season 5

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“People change. You guys should try it someday.”

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Original US airdate: May 5th, 2004

Rewatched: November 2nd, 2024

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• Writer: Steven S. DeKnight & Drew Goddard

• Director: David Greenwalt

• Guests: Julie Benz, Tom Lenk, David Lee, Gary Grubbs, Jennifer Griffin, Carole Raphaelle Davis, Juliet Landau

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This episode is a humorous caper in which Spike and Angel fly to Italy to bring back the “Capo di Famiglia”, the head of a demon who died while away on business and needs to be returned to LA for his family to carry out rites so that he can regrow a body. At the same time, they hope to save Buffy from the Immortal. They end up losing the head and never talking to Buffy, who it turns out is not trying to fight the Immortal but is very much dating him. The head does end up at Wolfram & Hart in LA in time, thanks to the Immortal. But Spike and Angel never have a chance to face Buffy and express their anger that she is dating the Immortal, who they view as their nemesis due to events with Dru and Darla in Italy in 1894.

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It's a fun episode in many ways, but there is a message in it. Spike and Angel don’t talk to Buffy, but they do talk to Andrew. He seems the same old Andrew at the beginning of the episode that we know from Buffy, but he is able to impart some wise words:

The point is, she’s moving on. You should do the same. You might catch her one day. One of you, anyway. But if you keep running in place, you’re gonna fine she’s long gone … Buffy loves both of you, but she’s gotta live her life. People change. You guys should try it some time.

Andrew’s final goodbye to Spike and Angel sees him transformed into a suave, tux-wearing man of the night, escorting two ladies out on the town. Maybe, like Andrew, Spike and Angel can change.

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It’s interesting because in some ways, Angel has done okay moving on. He did fall in love with Cordy. Her turning evil (and Angel seeing Buffy at the end of Buffy season 7) have brought feelings for Buffy back into his life. However, he is seeing Nina, which he admits to this episode, despite saying can’t afford to date in “Origin”. So, he’s not just sitting in LA pining for Buffy, and has overall moved on. Somewhat. Word of her being in danger can still make him come running.

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Spike is closer in time to his relationship with Buffy, meaning it’s understandable he hasn’t fully moved on and still wants to save her. But he did decide to stay in LA rather than track Buffy down. I’m not sure Andrew does either enough justice, although the point he makes is not bad in itself (both vampires need to accept that Buffy has a life apart from them now), I think they aren't fully standing in place.

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Another plot line involves Illyria. Fred’s parents show up for a surprise visit and instead of letting Wesley tell them Fred is dead Illyria turns herself into Fred and visits her parents. Wesley is not happy with this and tells her never to do it again. It does raise an interesting question. If Illyria can be Fred, is Fred truly gone? Wesley is not ready to explore this philosophical question, finding it more painful than comforting. 

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“Power Play”

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Episode 21 of Season 5

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“I've spent years fighting to get somewhere. To accomplish something. And now that I'm close to it, I don't like what I see. Who I am.”

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Original US airdate: May 12th, 2004

Rewatched: November 8th, 2024

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• Writer: David Fury

• Director: James A. Contner

• Guests: Christian Kane, Dennis Christopher, Alec Newman, Jenny Mollen, Leland Crooke, Stacey Travis, Adam Baldwin

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Has Angel been corrupted by Wolfram & Hart? While this episode would have us believe so, it is just a power play. Two episodes ago, Illyria told Angel “If you want to win a war, you must serve no master but your ambition” and it seemed that he may have taken her words to mean he should embrace Wolfram & Hart. This episode, he truly seems to be doing so. He offers Senator Brucker’s vampire aide human blood and offers to turn her opponent into a pedophile. He plays racket ball with the devil. He seems to be listening to Hamilton and not to the Angel Investigations team.

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It's enough for the other Angel Investigation members to start investigating. Spike and Illyria talk about what it means to have power as they hunt a demon together. She thinks Angel is being corrupted and soon they will have proof:

Illyria: You’ll have proof soon enough. A corrupted ruler on such a path sees treachery and betrayal all around him. He cannot suffer intimates and will eventually turn against them.

Spike: Well, guess I don’t have to worry about that, ‘cause Angel and me have never been intimate. Except that one… (as a side note: this answers the interesting question about the relationship between Angel and Spike in earlier times, only ever hinted at before.)

And they seem to find their proof, as they run into Drogyn who claims Angel tried to have him killed, worried that Drogyn would find evidence that Angel was behind freeing Illyria. At the same time, Wesley’s book interface is hijacked, and he is shown a symbol. The team sans Angel meets in Spike’s apartment to discuss strategy. Drogyn and Illyria are left behind when the others go to find Lindsey. They interrogate Lindsey and find out that this is the symbol of the Circle of the Black Thorn, the Senior Partners’ instrument on earth and responsible for the apocalypse. Lindsey’s end game in returning to LA was evidently to try to join. Now it looks like Angel is joining. While Wes, Gunn, Spike and Lorne are with Lindsaey, Hamilton shows up to kidnap Drogyn. Illyria tries to stop Hamilton, but he is stronger than her (raising serious questions about what he is). It’s true Illyria is less strong since Time Bomb… but she is still formidable.

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Angel does manage to join the Circle and is initiated in this episode (although he had to kill Drogyn to get in… a price he may not have been willing to pay without Illyria’s advice) and finds out who’s in the Circle (Vail, Archduke Sebassis, the Fell Brethren, the devil, the senator, etc.). But looks can be deceiving. When confronted by his friends, Angel chooses to have their conversation come to blows. In the middle of their weapons-pulled show down, Angel uses a spell to give him a short amount of time to explain everything. Angel says he’s finally figured out that the little details don’t matter. He can’t be so obsessed with doing good that he can’t win the war. “There is one thing in this business, in this apocalypse that we call a world, that matters: Power.” Until he has power, he won’t accomplish anything. Then he tells them that Cordy gave him one last vision, but he hadn’t been able to put it all together. Then Fred died, and he decided to use the tragedy to help him get in with the bad guys, to get their power. He didn’t free Illyria, but he let the Circle think he did.

“We’re in a machine. That machine’s gonna be here long after our bodies are dust. But the Senior Partners will always exist, in one form or another, because mankind is weak… The powerful control everything, except our will to choose. Look, Lindsay’s a pathetic half-wit, but he was right about one thing. Heroes don’t accept the way the world is. The Senior Partners may be eternal, but we can make their existence painful… We’re in a machine. The Black Thorn runs it. We can bring their gears to a grinding halt even if it’s just for a moment… This isn’t a ‘keep fighting the good fight’ kind of deal, let’s be clear. I’m talking about killing every single member of the Black Thorn. We don’t walk away from that… Power endures. We can’t bring down the Senior Partners but for one bright, shining moment we can show them that they don’t own us. You need to decide for yourselves if that’s worth dying for… So, we’ll vote, as a team.”

Spike says yes first. A testament to several things, like his impulsiveness, but also his heroism and his trust in Angel. Wesley is 2nd. A true Watcher deep down, he has chosen this path again and again. Gunn is 3rd, perhaps reflecting his distance from the team, despite his dedication to the good fight. Finally, Lorne, never fully swayed by the good fight, decides to do it as well. He does love his friends.

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So, Angel has put it all together. What does it mean to fight the good fight? Sometimes, it means hard choices and sacrifice. And it is never easy. But since Buffy showed him how to be a hero, Angel has been on the path of good, continually searching for how to make a difference in the world.

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Another important theme is Angel’s relationship with Nina. They sleep together in this episode (and Angel keeps his soul), but then he sends her away. He knows what’s coming and he wants her (and her sister and niece) out of LA. Nina takes this as a breakup, especially when Angel is clearly lying when he says he’ll join her after the big things that are going down are over. I think Angel isn’t lying because he doesn’t want to be with Nina. I think he thinks he won’t survive, and he isn’t ready to tell her that. He is willing to tell her a bit about his worries, that he doesn’t like who he’s becoming, and he’s worried he won’t always be a hero, but he can’t go deeper with her yet. She’s not Buffy. She’s not really in his world, despite being a werewolf. And he’s willing to let her go so he can try to save the world.

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The last note of this entry is about the condensed finale to Angel. The commentaries indicate that going into season 5, everyone was certain there would be a season 6. Promises had been made that if ratings were at a certain level, renewal was certain. That turned out not to be the case. Despite overall good ratings, the show was cancelled (which they knew about “Underneath”). The plot with the Circle of the Black Thorn had been put in motion with Lindsay returning, Cordy’s last vision, Fred’s death, a slow introduction to the players… but it had to be sped up. So, in the end, what might have lasted for a full season is squashed into two episodes. I think it feels a bit rushed, but I always tell myself, sometimes the apocalypse does sneak up on you and you have to save the day in a manner of days.

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“Not Fade Away”

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Episode 22 of Season 5

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“Let’s go to work.”

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Original US airdate: May 19th, 2004

Rewatched: November 15th, 2024

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• Writer: Joss Whedon & Jeffrey Bell

• Director: Jeffrey Bell

• Guests: Vincent Kartheiser, Christian Kane, Dennis Christopher, Sarah Thompson, Julia Lee, Leland Crooke, Stacey Travis, Adam Baldwin

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The final episode of Angel did not resonate with me when I first watched it. In fact, I was a bit annoyed that five seasons ended with no resolution, no final great glorious victory for good. It was so unlike the ending of Buffy, which did give resolution (despite not ending Buffy’s story). But Buffy’s finale needed resolution. Buffy is the story of growing up and the final act of the series ends her childhood and leaves the openness of her adulthood in front of her. The ending of Angel is open because it needs to be. Angel is the story of being an adult and the story of continually fighting the good fight no matter the odds. Angel’s open end shows that adulthood doesn’t end. As Jeffrey Bell says in the audio commentary for this episode, “…it’s our guys mid fight, Angel saying ‘let’s go to work’, and the point isn’t whether they win or lose, but what the series has been about, is the fact that these guys will always be fighting.”

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In the final episode, Angel and his team take out the Circle of the Black Thorn, which was introduced last episode. While everyone agreed to help last episode and kind of believes Angel may not have gone evil, they still have their doubts and learning that Angel had to kill Drogyn to join the Circle doesn’t help. Lorne especially has his doubts. Angel sends everyone to check on Illyria after learning she was watching Drogyn before he was taken to Angel. Angel is called by Hamilton to an emergency Black Thorn meeting where he is asked to sign away his stake in the Shanshu Prophecy. Angel may never get to be human again, but he’s willing to take the risk.

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Angel then begins to enlist more help. Harmony is upset she’s not involved, so Angel sets her to watching Hamilton, although it will turn out that Harmony instead rats them out to Hamilton, something that Angel seems to have planned on. Finally, Angel recruits Lindsey. Then, before the team takes out the Circle, they each have one last day to themselves.

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Lorne goes to a karaoke bar and sings. Lindsey spends the day with Eve. Angel visits Connor at college, where Connor admits he knows the truth, but doesn’t want to talk about it. He does tell Angel he understands, though, and it’s a touching moment showing that Angel was really able to save his son and make it right, and maybe this makes the decision to join Wolfram & Hart worth it. Spike goes to an open mike and recites the poem he originally wrote for Cecily. Despite it being a hard crowd, the reception is resoundingly positive. It may not be that the poem is any better than it was when Spike originally wrote it, but this time the feelings behind it are real. Spike has lived a lifetime since he wrote it and has, perhaps, come to understand what love really is.

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Gunn visits Anne, which is a nice connection to Buffy, where viewers first encountered her, and to Gunn’s old life. They speak about the fight against evil and Gunn asks her what she would do if she knew it didn’t matter, that nothing would change or get better, and her answer tells him she wouldn’t change anything. She’d keep fighting, which helps Gunn in accepting his decision to join Angel’s final fight. Finally, Wesley stays with Illyria, helping her heal. Since there’s nowhere else he wants to be.

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Then, Angel Investigations meet up. The final fight will not be them facing the Circle together, but each Angel Investigations member will face specific members of the Circle. Once they are done, they will meet up in the alley near the Hyperion, a place that has carried a lot of importance. It’s an interesting choice for the finale. One major theme this season has been the lack of unity in the group, and while they can be unified in their choice to take out the Circle, they still do not form a unified front until the very end of the episode, underscoring that the team is not really a team anymore. Finally, Lorne tells Angel he won’t be in the alley. He will do this one last thing and then disappear. Angel shouldn’t try to find him. Lorne has truly realized the good fight isn’t his.

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Illyria is sent to take care of the devil and three other members who meet for dinner regularly. Gunn is sent to take care of the Senator and her vampire minions. Spike takes out the Fell Brethren and saves the baby they adopted. Angel is set to take out Archduke Sebassis. Lorne and Lindsey will take out the Sahrvin Clan. Wesley will take on Vail.

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Illyria is successful and then goes to find Wesley, who has not been successful. She finds him dying. She takes out Vail and stays with Wesley while he dies. She morphs into Fred for him, as he is finally ready to accept the lie of Illyria as Fred. Gunn is successful as well but is badly injured and once he meets the others, it’s clear he may not last much longer. Spike and Lorne also succeed. However, part of Lorne’s job was to kill Lindsey, which he does. Angel trusted Lindsey enough to help, but not enough to set free. Lorne then leaves.

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Angel killed Sebassis via poison earlier that day at the emergency meeting. When Hamilton confronts him at Wolfram & Hart, Angel is ready to fight him. The fight is not going well for Angel, though, until Connor shows up. Connor sensed a big fight was looming when Angel visited him. Together, they manage to best Hamilton, but it causes the building to start to fall. Angel sends Connor home, telling him that Connor being alive is the most important thing.

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So, the team meets in the alley, in the rain. It’s just Angel, Spike, Illyria and Gunn facing the hordes (and dragon) that Wolfram & Hart is sending against them. It looks helpless, but they’re not ready to give up without a fight. Angel utters his final words and the screen turns black. The final image is one of unity, indicating Angel Investigations, if they survive, may still fight together another day. But it’s interesting to note how much smaller it has become. They have lost so many people (Doyle, Cordy, Fred, Wes, Lorne) and may still lose one, leaving only three people (Angel, Spike and Illyria) with questionable chances of being a team.

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Finally, the end leaves viewers uncertain about the fate of the characters. Will they survive? Who will survive? What happens if they don’t win? But there aren’t always answers in life. What is nice is how the final words echo those in the first episode, where Doyle asks Angel if he’s game and Angel answers that he is. It’s not quite the same words, but the sentiment is similar. Season 1 perhaps felt more like a game. Saving the world seemed like an easier endeavor. Five seasons on, Angel knows it’s work, never ending work, and he’s going to keep on working no matter the odds. It’s a fitting end.

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Coda

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So, this blog ends as well. It's been 1,391 days since I started blogging about Buffy and 944 days since I started writing about Angel. It's been a little over 24 years since Angel debuted in October 1999 and it's been a little less than 20 years since the fall, to spoil the open end of the series, in the comic continuation, the events in the finale caused LA to fall into hell. It's been a journey that I've been happy to share with various friends over the years, and I'm glad I took the time to write about each episode. Angel's story is an good one, reminding us of the importance of friends, communication, and choosing good again and again. There is so much to explore, including the comics and literature written about Angel, so updates may still come. 

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There are also other series waiting to be written about.

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Goodby for now.

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