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Angel Season 5 Episode 7

Lineage

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AIRED: 11/12/03

Cyborg assassins attack the offices of Wolfram and Hart for a magical device that will give them control of Angel. Wesley is surprised by the arrival of his estranged father, who has come to evaluate Wesley for possible reacceptance to the Watcher's Council.

FAN RECAP

Fan Episode Reviews (8)

The son will kill the father...

8.0

By joxerlives, Jan 22, 2012

LINEAGE

The Good;

Hard boiled Wes in both terms of his negotiations and gunplay. All the scenes with Wes and his dad are excellent as is the assault on WR&H

The Bad;

We tolerate a lot of dramatic licence in terms of what AI can endure but Gunn being chucked against the staircase should kill him. If WR&H have this staff that controls Angel why not use it before?

Best line;

Wes (after Emil prattles on); "If I'd know this was a seminar I'd have worn a name-tag"

Jeez, how did they get away with that?

Hooks through the throat! Also Wes gropes around the cyborg's guts with his bare hands?

Apocalypses: 5

Angel Cliches

In disguise; 8

DB/JM get's his shirt off; 17,

Cheap Angel; 7

Fang Gang in bondage: Gunn chained

Cordy: 5

Angel: 14

Wes: 7

Gunn; 6

Lorne; 5

Fred; 3

Fang gang knocked out: Fred passes out, Wes knocked out by his 'dad'

Cordy: 15

Angel: 19

Wes: 8

Doyle; 1

Gunn; 2

Lorne; 7

Groo; 1

Connor; 1

Faith; 1

Fred; 4

Kills; Wes kills one of Emil's goons and 2 cyborgs. Angel kills a cyborg.

Cordy: 5 vamps, 3 demons

Angel; 45 vamps, 61 and 1/2 demons, 5 zombies, 12 humans, one werewolf and one cyborg

Doyle; 1 vamp

Wes; 14 demons+5 vamps, 5 zombies, 3 humans, 2 cyborgs

Kate; 3 vamps

Faith; 18 vamps, 6 demons, 3 humans.

Gunn; 11 vamps+ 13 demons, 5 zombies, 1 human.

Groo; 1 demon

Fred; 3 vamps+ 2 demon, 5 zombies

Connor; 16 vamps, 5 zombies, 2 demons, Jasmine

Fang Gang go evil:

Cordy: 3

Angel: 3

Gunn; 1

Wes; 1

Alternate Fang Gang;

Cordy: 4

Angel: 11

Fred; 2

Wes; 1

Gunn; 1

Connor; 1

Lorne; 1

Characters killed:

2261

Recurring characters killed;

10

Total number of Angel Investigations; 5, here Spike saves Gunn

Angel, Gunn, Fred, Lorne, Wes,

Angel Investigations shot:

Angel: 14

Wes; 2

Packing heat; Wes with his 45s, Fred with the sniper rifle. Presumably Wes uses the 13-shot model of the 45 as he fires 9 bullets when he shoots his 'father'.

Wes; 11

Doyle; 1

Angel; 4

Gunn; 3

Fred; 3

Notches on Fang Gang bedpost:

Cordy: 5 ?+Wilson/Hacksaw Beast+Phantom Dennis+Groo+Connor plus possibly the Beast

Angel: 6; Buffy, Darla, The Transcending Furies, Eve

Wes; 3 definite; Virginia, the bleached blonde and Lilah, 1 possible, Justine

Gunn; 2 Fred and Gwen.

Fred; 1 Gunn

Groo; 1Cordy

Kinky dinky:

Emil is turned on by the sight of a woman handling a powerful weapon. Well who isn't? Worked for Ripley/Sarah Connor! Wes' dad describes his mum as 'sturdy'? Spike refers to him having sex with the Buffybot and his mum trying to 'shag' him. I know the Buffybot is true but is that really true about his mum? Not from my recollection.

Captain Subtext;

Lorne hints that Churchill and Richard Harris had a love child? Spike thinks Wes was grown in a school for dandies. Angel says he's not comfortable with hugging. Like CC in Spin the Bottle Spike makes great fun of Wesley being 'Head boy' (good thing he never let's on about his own relationship with his mother). Whereas the prophecy stated that the father will kill the son here we have the son killing the father (although neither turns out to be true). Angel wears a lot more grey than black this season perhaps illustrating his moral ambiguity?

Know the face, different character; 5

Parking garages;

8,

Guantanamo Bay

Wes ruthlessly tortures the cyborg.

Buffy characters on Angel; 16.

Wetherby, Collins and Smith. Angel, Cordy, Oz, Spike, Buffy, Wes, Faith, Darla, Dru, The Master, Anne, Willow and Harmony. POSSIBLY The First Evil

Questions and observations;

Emil is the guy who sold Wes his James Bond style weapons in Spin the Bottle. The ninjas are reminiscent of both the old Disney Star Wars clone The Black Hole and Snake-Eyes from Action Force/GI JOE. Note as soon as his dad shows up Wes returns to his klutzy season 1 self (just like Tara get's her stutter back in Family). Does Lorne say that Louis Gossett Jnr wants a phone party or foam party? Are the cyborgs Twilight? The Initiative? Or are they really from the Watcher's Council? Wes' dad and co stopped pre-soul Spike slaughtering an orphanage, you have to remember that the Watcher's Council were good guys who wanted to protect people. Nice ref to Lilah. Spike still fears Pavayne. Is it really Wes' dad? The imposter seems to know an awful lot about him, more so than any Watcher's files could say. Fathers as always poorly portrayed in the Buffyverse. Wes' 45. fires nine shots so presumably it's the 13 shot version rather than the standard? Angel and Spike recount the stories of killing their own parents. The story of little Wes trying to ressurect a dead bird speaks much of his humanity. Roy Dotrice holds the dubious distinction of being one of only three people ever killed onscreen in The A-Team (anyone name me the other 2? Or can you name all 7 members of the A-Team?). His daughter also married the late Edward Woodward.

Marks out of 10; 8/10, nice to have a Wesley centric ep

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Lineage

9.0

By TrueTvWatcher, Dec 22, 2010

Lineage was a superb episode of Angel. I enjoyed watching this episode and learning more about Wesley through a visit from his father. I thought the begining of this episode was a cool take on the secret meeting in a warehouse. The story of this episode was interesting and gave viewers more insight into some of the characters. Weseley's father was a very interesting character with secrets and I enjoyed watching his interactions with Wesley. This episode definitely moves story lines along and there are little hints and foundations being layed out in this and other episodes. I look forward to watching more!!!!!!!moreless
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Finally, an excellent episode!

9.3

By TwistedConverse, Aug 17, 2008

After quite a disappointing season so far and after the absolutely horrendous "The Cautionary Tale Of Numero Cinco", Lineage is an excellent episode and is Angel back at it's best.

After what feels like an eternity of Spike episodes, we finally get a old Wesley centric one, which we haven't got in ages. It's much better than any of the Spike ones as it has great acting, a brilliant plot and some incredible emotional moments.

I'm really beginning to like Fred/Wesley as a couple. Before I never liked them but here I loved them and the entire episode had some great moments for them. I loved Wesley shooting his own father as soon as he threatened Fred and also the look on Fred's face when she realises what Wesley will do for her. Makes me dread "A Hole In The World". The scene where Knox comes in at the end is a significant one; all throughout this season he is the one in the way between Fred and Wesley, eventually culminating in him effectively killing her when she gets with Wesley. I really dislike Knox- he's an irritating character that I have absolutely no sympathy for whatsoever.

We know quite a bit about the strained relationship between Wesley and his father, as little tidbits throughout the seasons lead us to the point that Wesley's father constantly belittles him and is the reason for his need to over achieve. Roger was a bit like Wesley without any of the charm, with him basically resulting as a walking book. It may not have been actually him but it must have been pretty close if Wesley thought it was.

Eve sheds a little light on herself and on Spike's return; her comment in the elevator "How do you know we meant it for Angel?" proves she knows more than she's letting on. Spike seems to have realized it as well but unfortunately he forgets in all the confusion.

The cyborg fight sequences were extremely cool as were the gun fights. They were action packed and well done and the cyborgs didn't come as cheesy or ridiculous- they looked very good and realistic. Lineage is an excellent episode that finally doesn't revolve around Spike. It brings Wesley back into the picture and has some great moments. The first real brilliant episode of Season 5 and one that shouldn't be missed.moreless
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Daddy Dearest!

9.0

By lenzinoH20, Dec 28, 2007

Lineage-Cyborg assassins attack the offices of Wolfram and Hart for a magical device that will give them control of Angel. Wesley is surprised by the arrival of his estranged father, who has come to evaluate Wesley for possible reacceptance to the Watcher's Council.

Hard to believe that the one character who has gotten the most development in Buffyverse history is not even the 2 series' lead characters. It's no doubt by now that it's Wesley! He was once this bubbling annoying, weakling who pretty much did what anyone told him to but since his first appearence on Buffy, Wesley has done a complete 180 and is now a still intelligent yet brooding, violent killer who does whatever he can to win a fight even if the decision he makes is on his own. I mean even Willow maintained her perky personality even after her transformation but Wesley is just completely different. But what we never knew is how Wesley was like he was in first place, there were some hints that it might be his father but we never really knew the truth. Well, the appearence of Wesley's father in the episode surprisingly continues the character's development as we see into his past as well as his soul. You immediately get the impression that that these 2 men have to struggle to get along, especially Wesley, who can't help but revert back to his incompetence while his father's around. You really feel bad for Wesley as his father always expects the best from Wesley and can't fully accept him.

The episode also has some inventive little villains with the cyborg ninjas whose origins are a mystery yet they are the good guys. The way they have the metal masks covered over they're decapitated faces and they're plans to steal Angel's will were all very intriguing. It really brings up a new threat for Team Angel as the good guys don't trust them as well as evil and will do anything to stop them. It's really puts the gang in a grey area that brings up more questions like, "Now that good and evil are after us, where do we stand?"

The episode ends with a brilliant yet shocking climax with Wesley and his father are going at it and are willing to kill each other to win. The dialogue is strong as father and son truly mirror each other as you can see some of who Wesley is in his father. Then his father points his gun at Fred and without thinking, Wesley shoots him mutiple times! Even if his father turned out to be an imposter, Wesley's actions still bring some revelations that he killed his father because he had no doubt that it wasn't and that he killed him for Fred. Wesley had strong feelings from Fred but him killing his own father to save her is a HUGE step forward for Wesley. He pretty much can't get any darker than he has become and you are marveled by the character at this point. Poor Fred, she still has no clue because of Knox, but they're time will come. Ohh there were also some truly hilarious scenes like Wesley's talk with Angel and Spike about the whole "killing your parents" thing:

Angel: "You know I killed my father. It was actually one of the first things I did as a vampire."

Wesley: "That doesn't really count in this situation."

Angel: "Yeah, it really doesn't."

and

Spike: "Hey heard you offed your father. If it makes you feel any better, I sired my mom and then she tried to shag me..."

Wesley:*raises hands* "Thank you!"

All and All, "Lineage" is the strongest episode of the season so far because of it's amazing character development of Wesley with shocking revelations, great villians and fine plot.moreless
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This Pryce was wrong

9.3

By mattsafreak, Jan 28, 2007

Wes makes the mistake of bringing Fred along to one of his meetings with a weapons supplier and ends up getting her hurt pretty badly. Angel is furious with him as a result and berates him for it. Eve(il) points out that Angel is projecting his feelings from when Wes took baby Connor away from him. To make things even worse for Wes, Fred berates him for blaming himself for her injury and Wesleys dear old Dad shows up to hear her scolding him. Now I ask you, would Wesleys father (what we know of him anyway) show up for a visit unannounced like this? NO WAY. Not in a million. I wasnt buying that "Watchers Council wants you back" stuff for a minute. This ep had me feeling sorry for Wes so much, then feeling sad for him at the end when he shoots the man/cyborg who he thought was his father. He made it very clear to Fred at the end that he KNEW it was his Father and he shot him because he threatened Fred. I remember hoping she was paying close attention at that point, this man would do anything for her.moreless
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Cast & Crew: STARS

EDIT

David Boreanaz	Angel
Alexis Denisof	Wesley Wyndam-Pryce
Amy Acker	Winifred "Fred" Burkle
J. August Richards	Charles Gunn
Andy Hallett	Lorne
James Marsters	Spike

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Cast & Crew: RECURRING AND GUESTS

EDIT

Treva Etienne	Emile	Guest Star
Roy Dotrice	Roger Wyndham-Pryce	Guest Star
Jonathan M. Woodward	Knox	Recurring Role
Sarah Thompson	Eve	Recurring Role

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Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

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TRIVIA (3)
ADD TRIVIA
- When the cyborg ninja first bursts into room with Wesley and "his father," the line of books is as it should be. One of the books is tipped over the empty space where the book Wesley is using was and said book is open on the table. However, in subsequent shots during the fight, all the books are perfectly aligned with none missing. Once they have defeated the cyborg ninja, the books are back to how they were before the ninja entered.
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- How is that Angel was apparently hanging around, waiting for Wesley's deal to go bad, but did not know Fred was there? And if his involvement was not planned, it is a huge coincidence that he happened to show up in the middle of a fight.
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- Spike: Sex with robots is more common than most people think.
  In the episode "Intervention" (5x18) of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Spike has a "Buffybot" created and subsequently has sex with it.
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QUOTES (14)
ADD QUOTES
- Spike: Oh, Eve's stuck in the elevator.
  Gunn: So tell maintanance.
  Spike: Well, where the bloody hell is maint- oh to be honest I don't really care.
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- (Everyone is running for their lives when the cyborg's bomb is about to go off. Spike, who is also running, suddenly stops)
  Spike: Wait...what am I worried about? (starts walking in the other direction)
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- Spike: Daddy, eh? I always thought Wesley was grown in some sort of greenhouse for dandies.
  Roger: Spike
  Spike: You've heard of me.
  Roger: No, we've met. 1963. My colleagues and I fell upon you slaughtering an orphanage in Vienna. Killed two of my men before you escaped.
  Spike: Oh... How've you been?
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- Fred: It's like an M.C. Escher picture, but with wires and flesh instead of geese.
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- (When power goes out in elavator)
  Eve: That's odd.
  Spike: I know what this is. You'll never take me to hell, Pavayne!
  (Emergency power comes on)
  Spike: Oh. Well, that's just something I say...when, uh...it gets dark.
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- Fred: (In reply to Roger's death) Part of you knew. Even if you can't admit it to yourself, part of you knew it wasn't him.
  Wesley: No. I was sure it was him. You were there. I killed my father.
  Fred: He was threatening your friends.
  Wesley: He was threatening you. He pointed a gun at you, Fred... so I shot him.
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- Angel: You know... I killed my actual Dad. It was one of the first things I did when I became a vampire.
  Wesley: I hardly see how that's the same situation.
  Angel: Yeah. I didn't really think that one through.
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- Wesley: You went to a lot of trouble to get this staff. You had us attacked, you smuggled in a weapon, you brought in an army so you could escape. I don't know why you're doing all this, but did you ever once consider there might be another way? Did you ever once consider talking to me about it?
  Roger: No. You've failed me enough for one lifetime.
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- Eve: (About Wesley) Willing to risk anything...or anyone...for the greater good. Look, hey...I'm just asking. Could it be there's another reason you're getting so mad at him about this? Mmm...stealing your son, for instance?
  Angel: We don't talk about my son.
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- (Talking about the cyborg)
  Fred: This thing really blurs the line between human and robot.
  Spike: Aha! So you're not ruling out that a human being could've boffed a robot. Sex with robots is more common than most people think.
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- Spike: I don't know if you know this, but, uh... I killed my mum. Actually, I'd already killed her, and then she tried to shag me so I had to –
  Wesley: Thank you. I'm... very comforted. Right.
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- Emile: You're making me so hot right now.
  Fred: Wow, turned on by a woman holding an enormous gun. What a surprise.
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- Roger: Your name's proven to be a point of contention. There is some who believe that your tenure as watcher ranks as our most embarrassing failure.
  Wesley: Really? I beat out everybody dying in an explosion as most embarrassing failure.
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- Angel: What happened?
  Spike: I can explain. Apparently, when Percy here was younger, he used to be known as "head boy."
  Angel: Yeah, I already knew that.
  Spike: Right. I have nothing else to report.
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NOTES (14)
ADD NOTES
- This episode received a 4.0/6 in the overnight ratings.
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- When Wesley and his father are in the standoff on the roof, his father calls Angel a puppet. Is this foreshadowing of "Smile Time" (5x14) when Angel is actually turned into a puppet?
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- Wesley's safe password, "Elysium" refers to Greek mythology. Elysium was a part of the underworld which was the final resting place of the souls of soldiers.
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- One of Wesley's first words to his father is "Father." Roy Dotrice played a character known only as Father on the TV show "Beauty and the Beast."
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- Nice bit of continuity: As also mentioned in the episode "Spin the Bottle'"(4x06), Wesley was "Head Boy" at the Watchers Acadamy. Everyone seems to get a kick out of this, especially Spike.
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- When the lights went off Spike shouted "You'll never take me to Hell, Pavayne!" This is a reference to the recent episode "Hell Bound" (5x04) in which the ghost of Pavayne was trying to send Spike into Hell, and Spike is clearly still frightened by him.
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- Spike shares with Wesley the story of his mother's demise, as seen in the Buffy the Vampire Slayer episode "Lies My Parents Told Me'"(7x17), which is ironic because in this episode Wesley's supposed parent is also telling him a host of lies.
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- Spike punches his first enemy since becoming a "ghost" and knocks him out cold at that.
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- Eve hints that the amulet given to Angel, and used by Spike, might not have been intended for Angel after all, and that Spike is possibly the person they have grand plans for.
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- The arms dealer mentions that he used to sell "collapsible swords" to Wesley. This is a reference to the episode 'Spin the Bottle' (4x06), in which Wesley purchases and used a collapsible sword.
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- Wesley has a voice and handprint activated vault where he keeps all the rare and dangerous occult items, including the reference books when they're not being used.
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- We are told the Watcher's Council is being reformed, but seeing as it was not the real Wesley's father, this could all just be lies.
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- This episode marks Drew Goddard's debut for writing for "Angel." He Previously worked on "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," before joining "Angel" when "Buffy" ended.
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- This episode marks the only appearance of Roger Wyndam-Pryce, if you can consider it that even.
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ALLUSIONS (5)
ADD ALLUSIONS
- Fred: It's like an M.C. Escher picture, but with wires and flesh instead of geese.
  
  Maurits Cornelis Escher (1898-1972) was a Dutch graphic artist known for his often mathematically inspired woodcuts, lithographs and mezzotints which feature impossible constructions, explorations of infinity, and tessellations.
  A number of his works feature geese.
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- Lorne: ...and Judi Dench starts screaming, "oh, that's way too much to pay for a pair of pants!"
  Judi Dench is an Academy Award-winning English actress, who has played many roles including "M" in the recent James Bond movies.
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- Gunn: They're working on RoboCop upstairs.
  Gunn makes reference to RoboCop a 1987 science fiction action movie that featured a cyborg as the lead character.
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- Lorne: It's like Winston Churchill and a young Richard Harris had a beautiful love child, which, according to my sources, may not be as ridiculous as it sounds.
  Lorne makes reference to two famous Europeans. Winston Churchill is best remembered as the Prime Minister of the UK during the Second World War. Richard Harris is an actor of Irish descent who has appeared in numerous films including the first two Harry Potter films.
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- Spike: Apparently, when Percy here was younger, he used to be known as Head Boy.
  Percy is a rather old (and has thus lost much threat) insult in England simply meaning a nerdy scrawny kind. It is used by children normally. It is also a British colloquialism - a pet name for penis.
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