Writer:	Howard Gordon
Director:	Nick Marck
Star:	David Boreanaz (Angel),  Charisma Carpenter (Cordelia Chase),  Alexis Denisof (Wesley Wyndam-Pryce)
Recurring Role:	Stephanie Romanov (Lilah Morgan)
Guest Star:	Markus Redmond (Tom Cribb),  Juan A. Riojas (Val Trepkos),  David Kallaway (Doorman),  Chris Flanders (Matthew Winslow),  Douglas Roberts (Darin Macnamara),  Marc Rose (Mellish),  Scott William Winters (Jack Macnamara),  Mark Ginther (Lasovic),  Anthony Guidera (Ernie Nellins),  Michael Philip (Announcer)

This episode scored a rating of 5.4/8 in the overnight Nielsen ratings, ranking number 2 out of 15 WB shows airing that week. (edit) A character named Colonel MacNamara appeared in Buffy the Vampire Slayer episode "New Moon Rising" (4x19). (edit) This is the first appearance of Wolfram & Hart beauty Lilah Morgan. (edit) The X-Files episode "Firewalker" also featured a character named Daniel Trepkos. That episode and this one were both written by Howard Gordon. (edit) The sketches of demons in the database are from Joss Whedon, who used them to give his ideas to the make-up folks on both Angel and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. They include the demons from "Gingerbread" (B-3x11) and "The Wish" (B-3x09), a Kaliff from "Rm W/a Vu" (A-1x05), a Kawaini from "The Prodigal" (A-1x15), and a Brachen demon from "Hero" (A-1x09). (edit)

Lilah: I prefer to think of it as picking the battles you can win. There's not one reason why we can't work together.
Angel: You're right... there are about a thousand. (edit) Lilah: How do you feel?
Angel: Like I was hit by lightning after the truck ran me over. (edit) Angel: Someone needs to put you in your place. You... and your brother.
Jack: Someone may. Someday. But not you. And not today.
Angel: Why put off 'til tomorrow what you can do today? (edit) Jack: (to Angel) Well, that was the most exciting match I've ever seen. My favorite part was when you stuck Baker with the knife. Kind of put a damper on the whole brotherhood spiel. (edit) Cordy: Angel, you don't look so . . . well it's a good thing you heal fast.
Angel: It's also a good thing you guys found me in time.
Cordy: We weren't going to let anything happen to you.
Wesley: No.
Cordy: Well, I mean, beyond the slavery and the severe beatings and stuff. Wesley came up with the key!
Wesley: But Cordelia came up with the key to the key! In a clinch moment.
Angel: You both did great. And I think we did a good thing here tonight.
Wesley: Yes. We set the captives free.
Cordy: Well, actually, didn't we set a bunch of demons free?
Wesley: Oh. Well. Technically, yes. (edit)

When Ernie the bookie is being threatened by Wes, he pulls a gun from behind his back with his right hand, however, in the following shot, that hand is empty and conveniently placed against the wall, ready to be impaled by Wes' crossbow bolt. (edit) During the fight with Trepkos, there are several clear shots where you can see that it's David Boreanaz' stunt double in the shot (and if you look closely, you can tell in several other shots, since David Boreanaz has his chest and underarms shaved/waxed; the stunt double doesn't). (edit) The three main Wolfram and Hart lawyers have the same initials: Lilah Morgan, Lindsey McDonald and Lee Mercer. (edit) Angel's Language Skills:
This episode establishes that Angel speaks Spanish, Italian, and Russian (at least enough to hold a conversation); future episodes will reveal that he speaks even more languages. (edit) Wesley: "These Octavian matches date back to the Roman Empire."
Saying "Octavian" and "Roman Empire" is redundant. Octavianus changed his name to Augustus when he became the second Emperor of Rome in 27 BC. Octavianus, like many Romans, enjoyed Gladiator matches. I believe Wesley is comparing the fights to Gladiator matches, where many of the participants were slaves and some even earned their freedom by being very good at what they did. Octavianus was not famous for enjoying gladiator matches, though, so I'm not sure why Wesley refers to the matches as Octavian at all. The first Emperor of Rome, Julius Caesar, loved Gladiatorial entertainment and often bet on the games, which meant he owed many of his friends money (before he became Emperor). It would have, perhaps, been more appropriate to call these matches Julian than Octavian if one wanted to assign a famous name to them at all, or even Caesarian in honor of both Julius and all the Emperors after him who called themselves Caesar in his honor. (edit)

Cordelia: Oh, I know. Every night it’s Jeopardy, followed by Wheel of Fortune and a cup of hot cocoa.
Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune are both game shows that air sequentially on ABC. (edit) Cordelia: You'd think people would get enough gratuitous violence watching Jerry Springer.
Jerry Springer is a show where people argue out their problems on television. (edit) Jack MacNamara: (referring to Angel) What about Captain America here.
Captain America is a comic book character sometimes drawn by Jack Kirby. He was a military reject who took a serum to give him super strength. He embodied the virtues of America and fashioned his costume to resemble an American flag. (edit) Cordelia: Couldn't they have done West Side Story?
West Side Story was a musical adaptation of the story of Romeo and Juliet. It was later made into a movie starring Natalie Wood. (edit) Cribb: Idiot, thinks he can get out of this by pulling a Gandhi.
Mahatma Gandhi was a believer in Hinduism and a leader of the Indian people. He lead a revolt against the British rule of India. He practiced non-violent means and preached passive resistance. Eventually, his efforts help India gain independence from Britain. Many of his teachings are still followed today. (edit)