Angel: The House Always Wins

Episode score 8.5 Great

The House Always Wins

  • 69.
  • Season: 4
  • Episode: 3
  • First Aired: 10/20/2002
  • Prod Code: 4ADH03
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EPISODE OVERVIEW

8 Reviews | 258 Votes

Angel, Fred and Gunn take a road trip to Las Vegas to enlist Lorne's help in finding Cordelia, but when the get there Lorne doesn't even acknowledge their presence. It soon becomes clear that Lorne is being held against his will, and that his popular casino act is actually a way for his captor to read the futures of people in the crowd. Angel and the gang must find a way to help Lorne escape without sacrificing their own destinies in the process. Read full recap »

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CAST AND CREW

Writers:
David Fury
Director:
Marita Grabiak
Stars:
David Boreanaz (Angel)
Alexis Denisof (Wesley Wyndam-Pryce)
J. August Richards (Charles Gunn)
Vincent Kartheiser (Connor)
Charisma Carpenter (Cordelia Chase)
Amy Acker (Winifred "Fred" Burkle)
Recurring Role:
Andy Hallett (Lorne)
Guest Star:
Clayton Rohner (Lee DeMarco)
Jennifer Autry (Lornette #2)
Tom Schmid (Well-Dressed Man)
Sven Holmberg (Delivery Guy)
Diana Saunders (Bejeweled Woman)
John Colella (Croupier)
Rod Tate (Bruiser)
Morocco Omari (Spencer)
Matt Bushell (Security Guard #3)
Gloria Alexandra (Lornette #1)
Brittany Ishibashi (Vivian)
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TRIVIA

  • When Fred, Gunn, and Lorne run out of the casino, Fred has something like tissue paper coming out of her dress, but after they turn around from hiding from the guards it is gone. edit »
  • Lorne says he was stuck in the car for five and a half hours during the return trip from Las Vegas to L.A. Downtown where they live (although the hotel they use as home is actually in Hollywood). It takes 4 hours at most from L.V. to L.A. and they drove at night when there's even less traffic. edit »
  • When one of the Lornettes walks up to Vivian and gives her a Play-to-Win chip, one chip in her stack falls, but when cuts back to Vivian, the chip is back up in its place. edit »
  • In another parallel to the 3rd season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Cordelia -- now given up for lost to another plane by Angel and the rest of the group -- reappears at the very end of the 3rd episode of the season; on Buffy, Angel, given up for lost to a hell dimension by Buffy and the Scoobies, suddenly reappears at the end of the 3rd episode ("Faith, Hope, and Trick" - 3x03). Similarly, both characters reappeared in different mental states than when they "left" - when Angel emerged from the Hell dimension on Buffy, he was in a feral, bestial state; likewise, when Cordelia returns from the Higher Plane, she has amnesia. edit »
  • When the casino owner realizes how important Angel's destiny is, he tells someone to "put a call in to that weirdo law firm in L.A". But during 5x20 it's established that Wolfram & Hart have offices in every major city around the world. Wouldn't it make more sense for the casino owner to call the nearby Las Vegas chapter of W&H? edit »
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NOTES

  • This episode received a 4.0/6 in the overnight ratings. edit »
  • Andy Hallett (Lorne) is credited as "Special Guest Star Andy Hallett." edit »
  • From this point on Andy Hallett appears in every episode of "Angel." edit »
  • The original running length of this episode was a couple minutes too short. Joss Whedon stepped in with an uncredited contribution and wrote the scene of Wesley in his apartment running his new organization and having phone sex with Lilah. Without this scene, Alexis Denisof wouldn't have appeared in the episode. edit »
  • Although Vincent Kartheiser is credited in this episode, he only appears in the teaser. edit »
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QUOTES

  • Fred: Who's Fluffy?
    Lorne: Fluffy. Fluffy the dog. The dog you don't have. The universally recognized code for "I'm being held prisoner, send help!" edit »
  • Angel: This place was so much friendlier when the mob ran it... edit »
  • Angel: I know you're there. Watching me.
    Cordelia: Oh my God, Angel! You can hear me? I so love you! You don't know what it's been like...
    Fred: We weren't spying...
    Cordelia: Oh, for crap's sake. edit »
  • Gunn: Something starting to feel a lot not right about this.
    Fred: That's what I've been saying, only with better grammar.
    edit »
  • Angel: I just thought we all could use a little get-away to decompress. You know I haven't had a vacation in a while, not counting my recent ocean cruise. edit »
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ALLUSIONS

  • Angel: Not (the Dunes). I mean actual sand dunes. Bugsy used to call 'em 'dung piles.'
    Angel brings up mobster Bugsy Siegel, who made Vegas the gambling capital it became. edit »
  • Gunn: Wait a minute. Hold it. You knew the Rat Pack?
    Angel and Gunn discuss the famed group of entertainers known as the Rat Pack. The group comprised of Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Peter Lawford, Joey Bishop and Sammy Davis Jr. edit »
  • Gunn: Man, it has been a while. They tore the Dunes down ten years ago.
    Gunn is referring to one of the older famous Las Vegas hotels, the Dunes. edit »
  • Angel: And maybe afterwards we can check out that Danny Gans guy I keep seeing billboards for.
    Angel refers to the multi talented Las Vegas headliner. It also seems that advertising works. edit »
  • Cordelia: Argh! Think bobble-head...
    Cordelia compares her astral form to the fad toy figurines with bouncing heads. edit »

REVIEWS

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Show Score 9.0 great
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  • 550 Reviews
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