Angel

APOCALYPSE NOWISH


The Good;
Hold on tight, we're going on a rollercoaster!

The Bad;
?

Best line:
Lorne; "CLOSE THE DOOR!"

Apocalypses: 5

Angel Cliches
Inverting the Hollywood cliche; the gang royally get their collective ass kicked by the Beast

In disguise; 8

DB get's his shirt off; 12

Cheap Angel; 5

Fang Gang in bondage:
Cordy: 5
Angel: 12
Wes: 6
Gunn; 4
Lorne; 4
Fred; 2

Fang gang knocked out: Angel, Wes and Lorne all knocked out
Cordy: 12
Angel: 16
Wes: 6
Doyle; 1
Gunn; 2
Lorne; 7
Groo; 1

Kills:
Cordy: 5 vamps, 3 demons
Angel; 41 vamps, 57 and 1/2 demons, 8 humans
Doyle; 1 vamp
Wes; 12 demons+3 vamps, 2 humans
Kate; 3 vamps
Faith; 16 vamps, 6 demons, 3 humans.
Gunn; 11 vamps+ 12 demons.
Groo; 1 demon
Fred; 3 vamp+ 1 demon
Connor; 8 vamps and 2 demon

Fang Gang go evil:
Cordy: 2
Angel: 2
Gunn; 1
Wes; 1

Alternate Fang Gang:
Cordy: 3
Angel: 9
Fred; 1

Characters killed: I figure about 50 dead at the nightclub?
96

Recurring characters killed;
8;

Total number of Angel Investigations: 5 Wes for all intentions back in the fold
Angel, Gunn, Fred, Lorne, Wes

Angel Investigations shot:
Angel: 11
Wes; 1

Packing heat; Wes goes all John Woo with a pair of 45s and a pump action shotgun. Maybe he should call Buffy and borrow her rocket launcher?
Wes; 6
Doyle; 1
Angel; 3
Gunn; 1

Notches on Fang Gang bedpost:
Cordy: 5 ?+Wilson/Hacksaw Beast+Phantom Dennis+Groo+Connor
Angel: 5; Buffy, Darla and The Transcending Furies
Wes; 3; Virginia, the bleached blonde and Lilah
Gunn; 1 Fred
Fred; 1 Gunn
Groo; 1Cordy

Kinky dinky:
Actually no kinky dinky for Fred and Gunn since supersymmetry. Schoolgirl Lilah, RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR! "Keep them on", bet that's the first time he's ever said that to her! Lilah as Fred wishes that one day she'll have hips. To judge by 'Spin the Bottle' I'd say she'd prefer bigger breasts. CC and Connor also get it on. A lot of people dislike this as they think it's tantamount to incest but frankly I'm ok with it as long as they're not blood relations (fine with a girl wanting a daddy figure as long as it's not actually her daddy). Remember Connor doesn't remember CC acting as his mother and to her he's the closest thing she'll ever get to Angel (just as Spike hangs out with Joyce and Dawn because they're the closest thing he can get to Buffy) When told that snakes emerged from a part of someone's body Lorne wonders if it was just some form of sex game? When Wes suggests 'pooling resources' Gunn tells him to 'Go pool himself'.

Captain Subtext;
Gunn shows an unusual interest in bathroom fittings for such a macho character.

Know the face, different character; 4

Parking garages;
6,

Guantanamo Bay;
Angel tortures Gavin but you figure not as much as Lilah's going to.

Buffy characters on Angel; 16
Wetherby, Collins and Smith. Angel, Cordy, Oz, Spike, Buffy, Wes, Faith, Darla, Dru, The Master, Anne, Willow and Harmony

Questions and observations;
Really like the way it's Gunn that figures out the symbol although it looks a bit like the cross of St Patrick to me (the red diagnols on the Union Jack). Can anyone tell me at exactly what point CC goes evil, it's never clear to me? Gunn's fear of rats reoccurs, living in abandoned buildings for so long must have been very tough for him. Really this is the end of the road for Cangel. Angel asks Wes if he's 'in' much as Doyle asks Angel if he's 'game'. Goodbye to Gunn's hubcap axe.
Marks out of 10; 9/10 some really good stuff here

Cordy is having nightmares of the evil Lorne read in her in Slouching Toward Bethlehem. It is something bad, as expected. Fred and Gunn go on what they thought would be a simple call but it turned out to be the bathroom from hell (Rats galore!) Soon the office is flooded with calls of an apocalyptic nature. Wes even shows up to pool data with the gang, much to Gunns chagrin. Angel gets intel from W&H and he and the gang (sans Fred who has run off in a snit about Gunn)figure out that all of the calls are in a pattern exactly like the info pulled out of Lornes head. We get our first encounter with the beast who has risen from the exact spot Connor was born. Connor is sure that the beast is something connected to him, but Cordy reassures him that isnt the case. While a rain of fire falls on the city, Cordy and Connor have sex. Angel, fresh from his fight with the beast, decides to check in on Connor/Cordy at exactly the wrong time and sees them together. OUCH

Apocalypse, Nowish was a perfect episode of Angel. I really enjoyed watching this episode because there was a lot of good character development with Cordelia and Angel as well as with all the other characters. I also thought the stories are all coming together nicely shaping the season. Angel makes a temporary alliance with Lilah and gets the info they pulled from Lorne's brain. When they put it all together they discover an ancient symbol and what it all means. Meanwhile Cordelia and Connor are searching for the place where Cordelia's vision shows the demon will rise. Cordelia and Connor are the first to meet the demon and get thrown around like sock puppets by him and the rest of the gang find out just how unstoppable he really is. The ending of this episode was really shocking and I can't wait to see how things play out in the next episode!!!!!!!

Apocalypse Nowish is an excellent episode that truly starts off the main arc of the season, has some great special effects and an amazing fight at the end. It is a very epic episode and also a dark one.



The episode seems to have finished off a day or two after "Spin The Bottle". Lorne and Angel seemed to have changed roles this episode; in Supersymmetry Angel was pressurizing Lorne to read Cordy to find out things about the new big evil whereas here Lorne is pressurizing Angel into asking Cordelia about it. Things between Cordy and Angel seem to have changed ever since she told him they were in love, implying they're not anymore. It is further revealed that Cordelia has witnessed Angelus' murders during her time as higher power; Angel seems genuinely horrified by this and hurt that she has seen this; he has never tried to hide what he was but to know someone you love has witnessed you commiting atrocities which you aren't responsible for but feel responsible for is tough. Little things here suggest that it isn't really Cordelia; the fact that she seems to play Angel and Connor at the same time, subtly yet effectively is out of character for her. She tells Angel she loves him but flirts with his son; on first viewing you don't really notice it but when you find out it's really Jasmine-in-Cordelia, these things can be picked up. Of course all this subtelty is blown out of the water by the fact she sleeps with Connor at the end which is a HUGE clue. The Beast was incredibly frightening here. He's one of the only Buffyverse main villains that is just brute strength. Most of the Big Bads are highly intelligent and hurt our heroes through magic or emotional attacks but The Beast is basically a much more interesting version of Adam from Buffy S4. His motivations aren't known to us yet but we know he can render Angel, Connor, Wesley, Lorne and Gunn useless in 4 minutes so he's pretty tough. Also the whole Rain of Fire thing gives him mystery and points for coolness- it's a breathtaking sight to see him power up the Ring of Fire and then massive fireballs fall from the sky.



Fred and Gunn are still feeling the after effects of Gunn killing Seidel. To see such a loved up couple go from happy to painfully awkward so fast is sad and I really felt the awkwardness between them in this episode. The only bad thing about this episode is the end. Seeing Cordelia and Connor having sex is every kind of wrong and we REALLY could have done without the visual. It's a truly sickening sight. Aside from that Apocalypse Nowish is an exciting, dark episode that has great action and effects.

Apocalypse, Nowish-Cordelia's fragmented memories from the higher plane tell her that a horrific beast is coming, and that it will bring about the end of the world. With no other options open to him, Angel must enter a most unusual alliance... with Wolfram & Hart. Meanwhile, Fred and Gunn begin to question their relationship while Cordy and Connor team up to find the Beast.



And here begins the long yet ambitious arc that over runs this season and it begins with this truly explosive and amazing hour! If there is one thing that Angel has never done as a series thus far is be epic, and not only is it epic but it's apolcayptic in ever sense of the word. The episode is filled with brutal and disturbing images like Cordelia's vague yet shocking vision with her eyes turing a very errie white color. Also, there's the scene where birds fly into the Hyperion hotel with blood being splaterred all around Lorne and Gunn as they watch in horror. Also there is some touching scenes like Connor confronting Angel to help Cordelia, then Gunn and Fred having a fight about the events of "Supersymmentry". Then there's powerful scenes like the introduction of first Big Bad of the season, The unstoppable The Beast. The Beast itself looks very impressive, and you could tell it took the make-up people a lot of time to make Vladimir Kulich look like the devil incarnate! The Beast is very powerful and literally kicks everyone's a$$. He flings Connor away like fly, and it's very interesting how the Beast burst out of the alley that Connor was born in. The episode ends with one of best action seqeuences of the series with an all out brawl with the Beast to which he easily defeats Angel, Gunn, Wesley and Lorne. It's an extremely violent scene as the Beast knocks everyone into solid walls that break like butter, not to mention stabing Angel in the neck which is just painful to watch. The Beast setting all those dead bodies on fire and creating the rain of fire is the darkest, yet most stunning sequence I've ever seen on the series. But yet that image is soon replaced by the disgusting sight of Cordelia sleeping with Connor, while the reason for this will soon be explained later on in the season, it's still like sleeping with you own mother, but hey it doesn't take away from the brilliance of this hour. All and All, an incredible episode that is one of the darkest and most epic episode this series ever produced!

It really doesn't get any better than this. Season 4, episode 7, Apocalypse Nowish. Mark it down as the best episode of Angel ever. This episode is just brilliant and im in love with it.



It's got everything an episode of Angel could ever possibly want. The smart, witty and always funny dialouge. Some of the most tense drama seen in Angel. Some great character development. Down right right amazing fight scenes and thats just the tip of the iceberg.



I wont bore you with a long recap so here is the rundown.



Gunn and Fred struggle to keep there relationship stable as they are still dealing with the death of the professor in Supersymetry.



Things are getting very strange as there is suddenly a whole lot of paranormal activity in L.A.



Cordy gets a vision that leads her and Connor to an alley where a new villian called The Beast rise up.



Wesley rejoins the group at Angel Investigations and they all try to decipher informations about the coming dangers. This info leads them to a highrise building rooftop where they confront the very powerful Beast.



Angel and the group get beaten down badly and The Beast unleashes a burst of fire into the sky. It then begins to rain fire from the sky and it appears it could be the end.



Angel goes to check on Connor and Cordy but finds them in bed having sex. The episode ends with a blank look upon Angel's face.



Like ive said it's a great episode. Il just say one more thing. The fight with the Beast is hands down the best fight scene there has been in Angel. It's great.



10/10

So much happened in this very dark episode; one of the actors was expecting a child and the series main storyline had to be altered to fit this. The scene toward the end, with Connor and Cordelia, was cringe-worthy but, because of the pregnancy, necessary to move the plot forward effectively. The fight scene at the rooftop club was stunning; my only concern with this episode is Wesley and the blazing guns (yawn) but the director chose lenses and camera speeds that made it fun to watch the character blasting away. Otherwise, very scary overall when you consider that none of the heroes were successful in defeating the enemy . . . but honest, too, and respectful towards the audience's intelligence. It was interesting to see Lilah anxious (a rare occurence indeed).

buffy never really was good at apocalypse infact most of it sucked but angel did an amazing job creating one if not the best episode of the show featuring an apocalypse everycharacter had their time and the episode had a mixture of all kinds of stuff like comedy horror drama and more



the rain of fire at the end is what makes this episode so brilliant also connor sleeping with cordelia or whatever she was and ofcourse the beast. one f#ucking hell of a ride this episode was

The apocalypse has come to Angel. "Another one?!" Yes another one. By the time of this episode Buffy had faced about 6(?) and come through fairly unscathed. But this apocalypse is very differen from the ones we have seen on Buffy. Firstly this is the first true one we have seen on Angel making it a little more special and a whole lot more scary. Wolfram and Hart have been expecting it for a while now (about 1000 years) and we have been let in on this fact. But this is not the one which they were planning meaning that it is double the scary. Secondly this is also the first apocalypse that the team whether it be the Scoobies in Sunnydale or Angel Investigations in LA have actually lived through. Apocalypses have always been averted before now which is what makes this episode so brilliant and foreboding, we don't know whats going to happen now that they are under siege good and proper (well apart from the fact that it will take place over another 15 episodes!)



There are so many elements that make this episode special. The warning signs are excellent in form of rats (Gunn's reaction to them was hilarious!) the snakes (big giant demon snakes, the start of another apocalypse) the poor little sparrows hurling themselves at the hotel. All of these signs reek of apocalypse. Not to mention Cordy's more informative vision complete with creepy white eyes (which were less creepy due to the close up revealing contacts)



It is the last 10/15 minutes or so of this episode what makes it a classic. From the re-bonding of the male part of Angel Investigations to that hugely impressive and thrilling fight with the Beast. Its well shot and takes an interesting turn when Angel has his own stake stab himself in the neck and he is thrown off a building. For once Angel doesn't win the fight making this an extremely more interesting fight. The ring of fire thing too was well played and I enjoyed the symbolism of it all.



The raining of fire was such an amazing touch and hugely apocolyptic. Good use of the CGI meant that it truly felt like it was raining fire (although slight quible, why didn't any buildings get burned up??) The shots of the scattered team against the rain of fire were spectacular.



The closing shot of Cordy and Connor going at it whilst being watched by Angel was truly jaw-dropping. The Cordy-Connor relationship is a bit icky but for Angel to have to see that was heartbreaking. Poor Angel. It is little wonder that he is so isolated. He has loved perhaps 3 women in his life, Darla, who abandoned him when he needed her most (when he got his soul) and tried to make him insane, Buffy who killed him and has since been sleeping with someone who he despises and now Cordy who is apparently sleeping with his son. You have to feel for him especially after her brush off earlier in the episode. This should all make (hopefully) for some spectacular fall out scenes in the coming episodes.

Apocalypse, Nowish



The best episode on television history. there was a time I found 'Hero' to be the one but I mean. come on, this episode looks like some classic movie. The Beast was the best villain I have ever seen. he was made of stone and he didn't have lame jokes. he was just cold and awesome and strong. all the characters had their classic moments. Fred in the coffee shop. Gunn in the fight. Wes with his guns. Lilah dressed as Fred, Lorne being the demon that cried apocalypse nowish and not to forget Angel in the fight and bleeding. but the big extra is for Cordy and Connor. we were all seeing this come and it was the best, their scene where they had sex and Connor's tears. Cordy looked amazing and Charisma's acting was superb. Connor braking his ribs and the mentioning of Darla. there just isn't one second in this episode that is bad. it's the best episode ever.



cut to the office and Lorne is worried and wants Angel to talk to Cordy but Angel doesn't want to and says that there are more important things and Gunn and Fred leave for some extermination. cut to Cordy and Connor comes with some food and she is watching tv but doesn't remember the name of the movie but it's because it's from her youth. she says that her words won't come out when she tries to talk to Angel and that she can feel all the people that are gonna be killed and she's afraid and then it says he knows and grabs her but then she wakes up and Connor comes to her and she begins to cry on his shoulder.



the credits start



cut to people calling Lorne about snakes and he talks to Angel and he asks if they make a weird demon sound. cut to Fred and Gunn going to the place they have to and the bathroom is big and they hear a voice and rats come out from everywhere and they scream and go out and tells the woman to burn the place down. cut to Wesley coming home and he finds Lilah dressed as Fred and she makes fun of her and she knows about his crush and then they begin to kiss and they have sex. cut to Gunn and Fred coming to the hotel and she wants to take a bath but not with him and he asks what she wants from him and she says nothing and then they fight because they haven't touched each other since they murdered the professor. and he says she doesn't have that in her heart but she says he does and he says he does now and she can't take it and walks away.



cut to the office and Gunn comes back upset and Lorne asks Angel to talk to Cordy because they need her and then comes Connor and he says that Cordy is staying with him and that he needs to talk to her. cut to Angel going to Cordy and Connor took her and she is mad at Connor and she talks to him and says she can make everything sound like it's not falling apart and she says that as a higher being she lived and felt everything that Angelus did and that it's just too soon even if she loves him she can't be with him. then she suddenly begins to heavy breath and has a vision 'he's coming. he's coming now' cut to later and she says it wasn't a normal one and that they need to no more and that it's coming soon.



cut to the office with Gunn and Lorne on the phone. and Lorne asks Gunn to find Fred but he doesn't care and he tells Lorne to ask Fred what's going on and he tries to leave but Lorne says that she feels for him. and they talk about the professor and that he got what he deserved. then a bird bumps into the glass and Gunn goes to look and then Lorne tells him to close it and a lot of birds fly against the window. and they don't think it's a good sign. cut to Lilah in the office and sees Angel. he wants to know about the apocalypse and he asked Gavin but Gavin told him so he couldn't torture him. and Angel isn't in the mood for threatening so he tells her to play it smart cause if he stops the monster Lilah gets promoted and if he doesn't he dies and then she wins again.



cut to Cordy and she wants to leave but Connor sweeps and she wants to take a walk but he knows what's what and she says she thinks where she has to be and now she's going. she doesn't know why she's back and she thinks she might be important and that she can change something and she is going and he is coming with her because it's dangerous and she's important to him. cut to them coming in a place and she thinks she can make a difference and that when he passes the 21 everything will get better and he says they already are and she says that he's getting good with the words. then Cordy recognises the place and she says that Darla died there and that he was born there in that alley and then comes the monster out and he hits Connor away and he grabs Cordy and tills her up and lets her fall and Connor attacks him again and he hits Connor away again and then he jumps away.



cut to the office and Gunn can't find Fred and Lorne keeps getting called and they're worried so they are going to find her and then Wesley arrives and he knows about what is happening and he has a fight with Gunn because he asks about Fred and Gunn knows about his crush. then comes Angel and says that they are going anywhere because they need to find what they have to find and he has a few pages and they can't seen anything at first but then Gunn discovers something and it's the eye of fire when they put all the papers in each other and then Lorne calls out for them because he says it's worse than they thing and then the eye of fire is on the map on all the places where people call to have happened something paranormal and he cries Apocalypse Nowish.



cut to Fred in a bar and a maid talks to her and says that if her boy really loves her so much then nothing is going on and she should call him but then there comes an earthquake and she tells everyone to get away from the window. cut to Cordy and Connor and he wants to kill it but she says he can't and she sees his ribs are broken and he says he has never been broken before and he says he will let no-one come near her. cut back to the office and they have to go to the heart of the fire thing and they are all in and going to kill it. then they arrive and see The Beast with all killed humans around him and they begin to fight him. first comes Angel and he fights him but he hits him away and then the same with Gunn and his axe, then comes Angel again but The Beast hits him on Wes and Lorne and then comes Gunn again and the beast throws him away. then comes Wesley with his guns but his not enough and he throws Wes away.



The Beast chuckles but Angel doesn't give up and comes back to fight The Beast and he throws him away but Angel vamps and The Beast grabs a stake and puts it in his neck and throws him off the building and then he makes it burn and Wes, Gunn and Lorne fall away and it begins to rain fire. cut to Cordy and Connor seeing it and he thinks it's his fault cause The Beast was born in his place but she says it isn't and that he never had something real and she wants to show him something that is and she kisses him and then they go to bed. the raining of fire sees everyone, Lorne, Wes, Gunn, Fred and Lilah. Connor and Cordy have sex and Angel sees them and is very upset.



Black Out

----------

Best episode quotes:



Connor: Chocodiles. And some other stuff.

Cordelia: What?

Connor: Thought you might be hungry. Want something else? I could

Cordelia: No. These are great.

Connor: Whatcha watching?

Cordelia: Some old movie. Pod People or Mutant Pod Mushrooms or something, I don't know. I can't remember. I mean, I don't remember 'cause I was a kid when I saw it, so it's a little on the foggy, but natural fog. Don't worry. I'm not gonna turn into Amnesia Action Figure Cordy again.

Connor: She wasn't so bad.

Cordelia: Yeah, a real hoot, too, with the panicking and the screaming and running around like a nut. Mmm...I love these.

Connor: Yeah, I know.

Cordelia: Thank you.

Connor: You're welcome.

Cordelia: Not just for the snacky goodness. Thank you for...God, thanks for everything. I don't know what I would have done without you, Connor.

Connor: Panic, scream, nut.

Cordelia: Probably.

Connor: You should rest.

Cordelia: I'm OK.

Connor: You haven't slept since you came back.

Cordelia: I know. Every time I close my eyes, I...

Connor: What?

Cordelia: See it. Something horrible moving deep down, clawing it's way up.

Connor: Just a dream.

Cordelia: I can taste the blood of all the people it's going to kill, smell the burning flesh.

Connor: It's OK. You're safe with me.

Cordelia: No one's safe. Don't you understand that? It's coming, and no one can stop it. I wanna warn Angel, but the words won't come out. Why can't I tell him? I feel it. The thing in my dreams... It's real, and it's almost here.



Lorne: Snakes? Uh-huh. And they came out of your what? OK, OK, well did they get up there themselves, or is this part of a, you know, a thing. No, I'm not judging. Do we fight snakes?

Angel: Only if they're giant. Or demons. Or giant demons. Are they giant demon snakes?

Lorne: Well, unless this guy's 30 feet tall, I'm thinking they're of the garden variety.

Angel: Oh. They could still be demonic. Are they making any kind of weird demony sounds?



Gunn: Man, look at this place.

Fred: A family of four could live in here.

Gunn: With room for Uncle Laruel. Man, marble countertops, whirlpool tub, bidet... it's the kind of place I imagine us moving into one day.

Fred: Yeah.

Gunn: Well, I'm not saying tomorrow.

Fred: I know, I

Gunn: Just, be nice one day. 'S all.

Fred: Charles- OK, that's not the bidet.

Gunn: Where's it coming from?

Fred: Um, everywhere. Maybe we should've brought a priest.

Gunn: Or some consecrated Drano. I think it stopped.

Fred: These aren't ghosts. These definitely aren't ghosts.

Gunn: Well, they're gonna be.

Fred: It won't open.

Gunn: Get 'em off me. Get 'em off me.

Fred: You're OK. You're OK. Um, you might want to look into an exterminator.

Gunn: Or just burnt he place down.

Fred: Either way.



Lilah: Hard day at the office?

Wesley: I've had worse.

Lilah: What happened?

Wesley: Bugs.

Lilah: Giant?

Wesley: Swarm. Why are you dressed like that?

Lilah: Isn't this what you like? Big brain and a tight little

Wesley: Lilah.

Lilah: Oh, forget about that evil witch. Let's talk about me. I'm good and pure and science turns me on, and-and one day if I pray hard enough and eat all my vegetables, I just might just have hips.

Wesley: Are you finished?

Lilah: Did it turn you on? Watching her up there in front of all those braniacs knowing she was the smartest one in the room?

Wesley: Her theories deserve attention.

Lilah: Just her theories? I saw the way you looked at her. Oh, come on. Do you think I care about your little crush? Moon all you want of the Texas twig 'cause I know whose bed you'll be crawling into at the end of the day. Or the middle of it.

Wesley: You think you know me?

Lilah: Better than she ever will.

Wesley: Leave them on.



Gunn: Nasty pink-nosed bastards. I can still feel 'em crawling on me.

Fred: I'm gonna take a long bath and scrub 'til my skin stops twitching.

Gunn: Can we have bubbles?

Fred: I was kinda looking forward to a quiet soak alone.

Gunn: Oh. Yeah, OK.

Fred: It's just the tubs not that big and... Forget it. We'll squeeze in.

Gunn: No, no, you go ahead. I'll grab one later.

Fred: Can we not do this?

Gunn: You mean have a meaningful conversation the way that two people who love each other are supposed to?

Fred: Fine. We'll do this.

Gunn: Fred, what do you want from me.

Fred: Nothing.

Gunn: Yeah, you've made that pretty clear.

Fred: That's not what I meant.

Gunn: You sure? We don't talk. We sleep on opposite sides of the bed. We haven't even touched each other since

Fred: Since we murdered Professor Seidel.

Gunn: No, since I did.

Fred: For me.

Gunn: I couldn't let you carry that.

Fred: It wasn't your choice.

Gunn: Fred, it's not who you are. It isn't in your heart.

Fred: But it's in yours?

Gunn: It is now.

Fred: I'm sorry.

Gunn: Fred!



Lorne: No, no, that certainly doesn't sound normal for a boy his age. Look, we'll send someone out as soon as we can. Just, um just don't poke it.

Angel: Hey. How'd it go?

Lorne: Where's Fred?

Gunn: Bad. Out. I got it.

Lorne: Bless you and all your parts.

Gunn: Angel Investigations. Uh-huh. And what is the nature of your manifestation?

Lorne: Business is really humming, huh?

Angel: Yeah, word of mouth, I guess, got around that I'm back. You think I should keep these alphabetical, or rearrange them by how much damage they inflict?

Lorne: Damage. Nomenclature goes out the portal when, uh, hacking's afoot.

Angel: Still, good to know what you're using. I mean, what if I'm fighting a Glurgg, and I ask for a Khopesh to finish him off. What would you throw me?

Lorne: Uh, a towel. Glurggs are 90% pus. Yeah, uh, not speaking of sticky fluids, maybe we should get some help around the office. A certain somebody with a good understanding of higher dimensions. And could tell me what got hoovered out of my head. Um, name starts with a "C."

Angel: Connor.

Lorne: No, I was leaning more towards a perky love muffin, but Oh.

Angel: Hey.

Connor: Hey.

Angel: It's OK. The spell wore off. Thanks for not letting me hurt Cordy.

Connor: Well, I don't know, she probably would've staked you. She's pretty tough.

Angel: Yeah, she is.

Connor: She's staying with me now. You know that, right?

Angel: Yeah, that's good. She needs a place she can feel safe. Give her a chance to work things out. A couple of days, everything'll be back to the way it was.

Connor: You should talk to her.

Lorne: Oh, hallelujah.

Angel: Now's not a good time. After everything she's been through, the last thing she needs

Connor: Dad, please?



Cordelia: I'm gonna kill him.

Angel: He's just worried about you. We all are.

Cordelia: Is that the royal we, or the populous?

Angel: I always wanted to be a prince. I hear you gotta be born into it.

Cordelia: How do you do that?

Angel: What?

Cordelia: Make everything feel like it's not spiraling apart.

Angel: You all right?

Cordelia: Getting there.

Angel: The way you left the hotel

Cordelia: I know.

Angel: Did I do something, or

Cordelia: Oh, Angel... I love you. I always will. You know that.

Angel: I don't suppose we could stop there.

Cordelia: I wish we could more than anything but I can't. When I got my memory back, everything came rushing in. Sunnydale, moving to Los Angeles, meeting you again. I wanted to tell you, but it was just too much.

Angel: Tell me what?

Cordelia: What I remembered when I was a higher being. I remember seeing you- your past- when you were Angelus.

Angel: I never tried to hide who I was or what I've done. You already knew.

Cordelia: Knowing's different than living it. When I was up there, I could look back and see everything you ever did as Angelus- more than see, I felt it. Not just their fear and pain. I felt you and how much you enjoyed making them suffer. I love you, Angel, but I can't be with you. It's just too soon. Maybe if we just give it a little time...

Angel: Cordy!

Cordelia: He's coming. He's coming now.

Angel: You still have your visions. I thought they weren't supposed to hurt anymore.

Cordelia: This wasn't normal. If that word actually applies to anything that ever happens to me. The visions are usually like a lawn sprinkler. This was like Niagra.

Connor: You should let her rest.

Cordelia: No, I'm OK.

Angel: What else can you tell me?

Cordelia: Big, powerful, clawing its way up through the bowels of the earth to slaughter us all. Yeah, that pretty much covers it.

Angel: Did you see anything that could give us a location?

Cordelia: No, just the big beastie. It's coming, Angel, and it won't stop- not until we're all- It won't stop.

Angel: He's right. You should probably get some sleep.

Cordelia: Yeah, because impending doom- almost as good as warm milk.

Angel: Whatever's coming, I'll figure out a way to stop it.

Cordelia: It'll be too late. I can feel it. There's something- I don't know. I think I know more about this thing- or, I knew more when I was all high and mighty, but I just can't get at it.

Angel: Maybe if Lorne read you again.

Cordelia: You think he would after what happened the first time?

Angel: I could hold him down.

Cordelia: Angel, we need to know more. I need to know.



Angel: Close the door.

Lilah: How did you get in here? Vampire detectors, my ass. Well, here we are, all nice and cozy. Let's talk about- hmm, gee, let me guess- Lorne. How's he doing? Still green?

Angel: I told you we were gonna have a conversation.

Lilah: Swell, but I'm having a bit of a day, so let's say we skip the usual two-step, you threaten me, I threaten you, yadda, yadda, yawn. Jump directly to the throwing you out on your thick, meaty head. 'Cause, you know what? You're not getting anything out of me this time either.

Angel: Didn't think I would, but Gavin- he was more accommodating.

Lilah: Couldn't you have at least tortured him a little bit more?

Angel: Really wanted to, but he wouldn't start talking long enough to get into it.

Lilah: I have a cure for that.

Angel: Vindict on your own time. I'm kinda on the clock here.

Lilah: What did he tell you?

Angel: You're trying to decipher what you took out of Lorne's head. Hundreds of psychics probing and prodding- Well, not quite that many now, because every time they peel back a layer, their brains end up decorating the walls.

Lilah: You should see the cleaning bill. Now that is terrifying.

Angel: Anything you got on what's coming- now'd be a good time.

Lilah: Not big on sharing.

Angel: Think I'm joking?

Lilah: Not unless you've conjured up a sense of humor to go with that soul. Look, you got it straight from the weasel's mouth. Whatever Lorne gleaned from reading Wonder Girl- it's protected. Try and unlock it- ka-blooey. Thanks for stopping by.

Angel: You're trying to hide it. I can smell it on you?

Lilah: Chanel?

Angel: Fear.

Lilah: Well, you are very imposing in this light.

Angel: You're not afraid of me, Lilah. You're afraid of what's coming. Maybe we can help each other, huh. The enemy of my enemy

Lilah: Can kiss my ass too. You wanna play hero? Go find another sandbox.

Angel: Normally, this would be the part where I'd make a grand threat, but thanks to Gavin

Lilah: Like he knows anything.

Angel: That's the point. This thing caught you by surprise, too. You had no idea it was coming.

Lilah: So, what- I'm supposed to throw in with Mr. Goody 'cause the great unknown has me shaking in my pumps?

Angel: It's a win-win for you, Lilah. You help me, I stop it, Wolfram and Hart makes you employee of the month for protecting everything they set in motion for the last thousand years. You help me and I don't stop it, well, I mean the only way that's gonna happen is if this thing kills me. And if that's the way it goes, you win again. So, you can keep playing it hard, or you can play it smart. It's up to you.



Cordelia: Must be genetic.

Connor: What?

Cordelia: Sneaking up on people. Your dad's an expert.

Connor: I was just making a sweep. Where ya going?

Cordelia: Been inside all day. Thought I'd take a walk, clear the cobwebs, recharge the chargeables. OK, stop with the look. I'm getting a stronger feeling.

Connor: About the vision.

Cordelia: Yeah. Flashes, images, tugging at me, pulling.

Connor: Where?

Cordelia: I don't know. Maybe where this thing's gonna jack-in-the-box.

Connor: So you were gonna go face it by yourself.

Cordelia: 'S all right. I was a higher being.

Connor: Was. You're not anymore.

Cordelia: No, I'm not. I remember wanting to come back home, to be able to touch, to feel, to be human again.

Connor: You are.

Cordelia: But I can't remember how. Am I on vacation? Did I go cosmic AWOL? Did I do something to piss off the Powers That Be and get kicked out? Why am I here?

Connor: Because you're important.

Cordelia: Oh, yeah. The world's really stopped turning without me.

Connor: Well... you're important to me.

Cordelia: Guess the sneaky's not the only thing you got from Angel. Getting pretty good with saying the right words, too.

Connor: Complete sentences. I've been working on it.

Cordelia: Maybe you're right. Maybe I was sent back because I'm important or needed- for this, to stop whatever's about to happen. I have to find out if that's why I'm here.

Connor: And I have to go with you.

Cordelia: No, it's dangerous.

Connor: That's why I'm coming.



Connor: Sure you know where you're going?

Cordelia: Exactly? No. But, for the first time since I've been back, I feel like I have a purpose, like a reason for being here. Before, all I felt was empty- like I was waiting for my life to start.

Connor: I know how that feels. Not knowing why you're here, what your place is in this world...

Cordelia: It's called being 18. If you make it past 21, things get a lot better.

Connor: They already have.

Cordelia: You really are getting awfully good with words.

Connor: What is it?

Cordelia: This place. I've been here before.

Connor: In your vision?

Cordelia: No, I- Oh, my God. Darla.

Connor: My mother.

Cordelia: She died here. Connor, this is where you were born.



Angel: That's everything Wolfram and Hart could decipher from what they took outta Lorne.

Wesley: They just handed these over?

Angel: Lilah- she can be very giving.

Gunn: You trust her on this?

Angel: No, but she's got an interest in stopping the end of the world before it ruins Wolfram and Hart's end of the world, so...

Gunn: OK, what's the plan?

Angel: You're holding it. We figure out what all this means, then do something large and violent.

Wesley: I see you've given it considerable thought.

Lorne: So all this came out of my head? No wonder it made me greener.

Angel: If Wolfram and Hart hadn't extracted it, you'd be a paler shade of dead.

Lorne: Yeah, well, remind me to send 'em a fruit basket. Mm. Saved by the continuous bell.

Angel: You've been logging the calls?

Lorne: Every last squishy one.

Angel: Grab a map, start marking the locations. See if they're concentrated in any one area. Whatever's happening, whatever Cordy's seen, the answers are in these pages. We need to figure this out.

Gunn: We're never gonna figure this out.

Angel: We have to keep trying.

Wesley: Normally I'd agree, but this is a waste of time.

Angel: It's all we have.

Wesley: Then we must be missing something. This is gibberish. Bits and pieces of glyphs, archaic languages, symbols- all jumbled together.

Angel: Do you recognize any of them?

Wesley: Uh, heat, fallen, shrine, flesh...none of it makes any sense.

Angel: Ah, we gotta keep at it until it does.

Gunn: You know, maybe we should just take a step back.

Angel: We don't have time. Cordy said whatever's happening is going down right now.

Wesley: Then perhaps you should have addressed this earlier. We could sift through this muddle from now 'til doomsday, whether that's tomorrow or a thousand years from now

Gunn: Wait, go back. The last sheet, flip it back.

Angel: What is it?

Wesley: I don't see anything.

Gunn: 'S cause you're looking too close. OK. So what the hell is it?

Angel: The Eye of Fire.

Wesley: Ancient alchemical symbol for fire.

Angel: And destruction.

Gunn: You had me at fire.

Lorne: Um, boys? I hate to be the little demon that cried apocalypse nowish, but uh.



Connor: I gotta go. I've gotta stop it.

Cordelia: Yeah, getting yourself killed should really slow that thing down. Oh, God. I think you broke a couple of ribs.

Connor: I've never been broken, not even in Quor-Toth. I didn't think I could be.

Cordelia: You're hurt because of me. Because I thought maybe I still had some grand higher purpose, that me being here could actually... make a difference. Now I know better.

Connor: All you know is that that thing can hurt you, and if it tries again, I will find a way to kill it.



Connor: What's happening?

Cordelia: I don't know.

Connor: It's him, isn't it? It's that thing.

Cordelia: We don't know that.

Connor: I should've tried harder. I should've stopped it.

Cordelia: It was too strong. This isn't' your fault.

Connor: What if it is? What if that thing is- chose the place where I was born. Is that why it's here- because of me?

Cordelia: No.

Connor: I was never supposed to happen. The child of two vampires. What if

Cordelia: Connor, it's not you.

Connor: You don't know that.

Cordelia: Yes, I do. In my heart. It's not you, baby. It's not you. Not you.

Connor: Why- why did you?

Cordelia: Because I don't think it matters anymore. I know how you feel about me, Connor. When I think about what you've- you never had a childhood, or a family or friends or anything that's real, and if this is the end, I want you to have something that is.



----------

Story: 10

Acting: 10

Writing: 10

Picture: 10

Gripping: 10

My Rank: 10

----------

Total: 10

APOCALYPSE, NOWISH



I have learned in other commentary that Joss wanted this season to be big and huge and operatic.



With a huge emphasis, then, on the "erratic."



There are two points in this episode that may as well run back to back because no 40-minute interlude is going to matter:



1) Cordy answers her own question: She and Angel were in love. And they can't be together because she's too weirded out by what she saw when she was living his life, both as Angel and as Angelus.



Ooo! A time portal!



Let us dive back to "Deep Down," in which we see Cordy and she says "I am so bored."



What, of reading everyone who's ever lived and remembering everything there is to know about them? Or are you just //bored//.



Whoops! Fast forward to the end of "Ground State," in which she says "Are you deficient? Get me out of here!"



Where, theoretically, if she had all of that powerful insight, she'd see exactly what's going on and wouldn't even have to ask.



* rejoins everyone else in the present * Well, those were certainly some fun and interesting products. Let's all think really hard about buying those.



Cordy remembers that she loved Angel, and in the most manipulative way imaginable, shrugs it to the side.



Angel knows full well what it means to know everything he knows. And Cordy's already hinting that he doesn't even //know// everything he knows. And she's off on a beeline to Connor.



2) Cord sleeps with Connor.



Y'see, that's what he can't get his head around. Feelings for him, no feelings, fine, whatever. But that's his //boy// you're climbing all over (apocalyptic rain of fire or no -- I mean really, apocalypse -- we've all been there, am I right, people?) and tell me her heart's not being a little hard to read right now.



In fact ...



Well, loathe as I am to cast aspersions, I believe Cordy so regularly begins behaving peculiarly and keeping her own counsel and manipulating the heck out of everyone that -- yep, I've got my AspersoCaster 3000 loaded and aimed and I'm //firing// it at Cordy.



She's ... if not completely Jasmine, she is under one hell of a thrall.



And her misdirection played really well to the audience. She's playing a lot of it subrosa, but there's no denying those hips working Connor under that blanket.



And I barely mentioned the Beast at all. In a show with as many creatures as this one has, you've seen a lot and you get jaded. And that is one powerful rock monster. But one of the first things that happened to him was his horns jiggled. And he's not nearly so snarky as Glory. I find big unstoppable unkillable things to be boring because they can't be addressed. If you can't be addressed, you've essentially showed up as a gigantic plot stone and until someone finds a way to flush you, I'm not impressed.



The signs and portents were fine. The rats, the snakes, the overpaid production assistants with the baskets of dead bird-shaped things just out of shot. For a person who's seen a bird hit a window, that was just ... unconvincing. Sorry.



But yes, otherwise, strong installment. A little more conversation with Gunn and Fred, though not much and certainly not enough. And Wes comes back -- very nice. And great fight sequence.



But 1) and 2) are some unyielding images, and if I was Angel, I'd be seriously ticked off as well.



JASMINE WATCH: You've ... gotta be kidding me, right? //Oy// what a thrall.

Apocalyse, Nowish (or WB's a.k.a for it, Rain of Fire) proves to be a defining episode for the season 4 story arc, as well as for the series as a whole. Viewers hoping for the Angel/Cordelia relationship to finally take shape are forced to come to grips with the reality that Cordelia and Angel cannot be together, extraneous circumstances or not, and are forced to swallow an even bigger twist of fate when Cordelia decides she would rather like Angel to be her undead father-in-law.



The episode starts with Lorne pestering Angel about Cordelia's absence and his unwillingness to confront her about what she knows of the upcoming and unavoidable apocalypse. Lorne feels that getting some idea of what's to come would likely help, a lot. He knows that the glimpse of what he read in Cordelia gave him a whirlwind of a headache, and it would be better to find out now rather than later what to expect.



Lorne motions for Fred and Gunn to help him in the persuasion process, but they are both still visibly upset and standoffish , especially with each other, about their murder of Professor Seidel. Gunn wants to continue to be intimate and have a relationship with Fred, hoping to get past the murder, while Fred cannot deal with putting up faces and pretending to be okay inside. She runs off, all damsel in depression, and is absent when the rest of the group encounters the Beast.



Signs are all around of the apocalypse, from "kamikaze birds" to bleeding walls to rat infestations that Fred and Gunn had a too close encounter with. How sweet was it to see Gunn, the muscleman and experienced demon fighter, going bonkers over a few (okay, several) normal-sized rats? So not Buffy-like.



Wesley is finally, after so much distraught, abandonment, and neck-slashing, integrating back into the fold of things with Angel and Co. His lustful sex romp with Lilah is more and more turning into a real, authentic relationship, but this episode made it apparent out-loud that Wesley still has Fred on his mind. Evil Lilah dressed as a naive, southern schoolgirl just isn't a good picture. Clearly there is still some hostile blood between him and Gunn, fueled by an ongoing love triangle that never was, but fighting together and collectively getting beaten to a bloody rag-doll by the Super Beast should help to push those feelings aside for the time being. In a truly poetic scene, Wesley assists Gunn in walking after the Beast's rampage leaves them both hurt, Gunn more so, and they look out into the sky together from the edge of the skyscraper, gazing at the fiery rain of doom that warrants the pending apocalypse.



The episode was all culminating toward a great, huge, do-or-die all-out brawl with the hellish demon from hell. Seeing the old team back together to take on the big baddies was moving, and even peaceful Lorne got in on the action, not so much by his own will, however. He didn't prove to be much helpful, but he was trying.



The quad squad, those four boys, arrived at the skyscraper chosen for The Beast's sacrificial party, all decked out with weaponry and ready for a fight. And was it ever. What followed was one of the most incredible, albeit short, action sequences in the series. Watching them stand side-by-side, with a determined yet freaked out by Mr. Rockass look, was a poignant scene of their heroism and what the series is about: fighting the Fight, no matter what, whether the odds are in your favor, or, in this case, stacked against you.



Gunn's awesome battle axe was quickly crunched into scrap metal by the Beast, and you could tell Gunn was just totally frikkin' pissed and scared by that at the same time. Wesley hastily threw down his primitive and obviously useless crossbow, though his deflected arrows hit Angel. His slow-motion gun scene was totally bad-ass, but when he pulled out those dual-pistol you can't help but say, "that's not going to even scratch him!" Then, when he pulled out his shotgun and started blasting the Beast in the chest and the face while walking toward it, that was nothing but friggin' sweet. A total "Oh S&!*" moment. One has to wonder if he would have gotten his last shot off, just two feet away from the Beast, if that would have actually sent him back a bit. Shouldn't they all be thinking it's about time to handle this the easy rocket-launcher way that Buffy used to blow up the Judge?



Angel stepped back up to go hand-to-hand as the other three were down and out, vamping out and proclaiming that things were just getting started. For a few, brief moments, I actually thought Angel could pull it off, could win, and take the damned Beast down. When he pulled out his knife, Angel came so desperately close to ramming it into the Beast's glowy yellow eye. I bet that would have hurt him. That close-up made me think it was his weakness, and that Angel could end him. At a future encounter, of course.



A slow, somewhat drawn-out start, but a spectacular finish. Lines begin to blur with this episode, and things get real fuzzy with Cordelia. When did she turn evil, or possessed, exactly? Was it after last episode's spell, or was it when she first got pregnant? Or was it right from the start, when she first came back into Angel's life? Since this was likely the first episode written after Mrs. Carpenter became pregnant in real life, was the direction changed at all? What were Joss' original plans? Seeing her com-shok with angsty demon-boy as a bloodied Angel looks on was quite disturbing, by the way. Quite disturbing indeed. Also, on another tangent, does Angel know of Wesley's relationship with Lilah? He visited her and mentioned that she "gives things easily," and he may have smelled one of them on the other.



A character is coming back into the fold, and another is slipping away...again. Amazing how an apocalypse can bring people together, huh?