''L.A.'s a tough town, but on this night a mysterious force makes everyone a little too friendly.''

Synopsis

The Short: From the

1. Allen: ''That's good. Give yourself permission to open up. What were your parents like?''
   Angel: ''My parents were great. Tasted a lot like chicken.''
   Angel shows his whimsey. Listen to the quote here.

1. Kate: ''Where is Little Tony?''
   Spivey: ''Burbank, Stockholm, the planet Mongo! I have no idea where he is! I'm losing patience with this crap.''
   Burbank is a city in the east side of the San Fernando Valley, where Warner Brothers/Burbanks Studios is. (Thanks to Marsia from the Watcher's Diary for helping with this.)
   Stockholm is the capital of Sweden. It is the nation's largest city and its economic and administrative hub, with an important shipbuilding industry and diverse manufactures. A cultural center, the city has a noted opera house, the Royal Dramatic Theatre, and many museums. Founded in the mid-13th century, it became the official capital in 1634.
   The planet Mongo is the throne world of Emperor Ming, from the 1934 Flash Gorden comic strip.
   
   
2. Cordelia: ''Unspeakable evil is rising the San Fernando Valley. Jar Jar is getting his own talk show.''
   The San Fernando Valley is a valley in Southern California, referred to as the Valley of the Stars, comprising Burbank, Calabasas, Glendale, Los Angeles, and San Fernando. When the Spanish first looked down on the Valley, they saw that the smoke from the Native Americans' fires rose straight up, then flattened out. This was an early view of the notorious inversion layer that helps to trap smog and gases, and contributes to respiratory ailments. (Thanks to Melissa Evans for this information.)
   Jar Jar Binks is a character from the 1999 film Star Wars: Episode One - The Phantom Menace, who is widely held to be rather annoying by most of the adult population of this planet. Plot: When the evil Trade Federation plots to take over the peaceful planet of Naboo, Jedi warrior Qui-Gon Jinn and his apprentice Obi-Wan Kenobi embark on an amazing adventure to save the planet. With them on their journey is the young queen Amidala, Gungan outcast Jar Jar Binks, and the powerful Captain Panaka, who will all travel to the faraway planets of Tatooine and Coruscant in a futile attempt to save their world from Darth Sidious, leader of the Trade Federation, and Darth Maul, the strongest Dark Lord of the Sith to ever wield a lightsaber.
   
   
3. Cordelia: ''You do remember leaving us in the sewer with a giant calamari?''
   Calamari is squid prepared as food.
   
   
4. Cordelia: ''Mr. and Mrs. Spock need to mind meld now.''
   This is of course a reference to the unemotional character of Mr. Spock from Star Trek television and film series played by Leonard Nimoy. A mind meld was a telepathic ability he had to merge his mind with another intelligent being to learn what they thought.
   
   
5. Angel: ''Long Beach, San Pedro, Carlsbad. Pull up the tidal flow charts for the last 10 months. Match them to the dates of these murders.''
   Long Beach is a large city south of Los Angeles. A major shipping port.
   San Pedro is smaller shipping port, but just north of Long Beach.
   Carlabad is somewhere between Long Beach and San Diego. Known for Anderson Split Pea Soup Restaurant. (Thanks to Marsia from the Watcher's Diary for helping with this.)
   
   
6. Angel: ''Herb Saunders, Baltimore.''
   Baltimore, Maryland is a city, north-central Maryland, U.S. It lies at the head of the Patapsco River estuary, 15 miles above Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is Maryland's largest city and economic hub and covers a land area of 81 square miles (209 square km). The city, separated from Baltimore county in 1851, is the only city in Maryland not located within a county.
   
   
7. Angel: ''That's not the boat to Catalina?''
   Santa Catalina Island is an island 22 miles off the Pacific coast of California. It has it's own web site at http://www.catalina.com/. (Thanks to Marsia from the Watcher's Diary for helping with this.)
   
   
8. Kate: ''You've got to cancel your suite in Yerevan? You think you can still get your deposit back?''
   Yerevan is the capital of Armenia. It is situated on the Hrazdan River, 14 miles from the Turkish frontier.
   
   
9. Lee: ''It means that we will open this case to the court of public opinion. It means that we'll shine light into the darkest corners of this precinct and give the people a clear view of the brutality and callousness of this police force that will make Mark Fuhrman look like Gentle Ben.''
   Mark Fuhrman was a lawyer for O.J. Simpson in his double murder trial. He submitted the idea that police planted evidence trying to frame O.J.
   Gentle Ben was the title character (if you can call a bear a character) of the 1960s television show of the same name, about a boy and his tame bear. It starred Clint Howard (you know, Ron Howard's brother). Also referenced by Xander Pangs. (Thanks to the BuffyGuide for this entry.)
   
   
10. Kate: ''God, listen to me, suddenly I'm Dr. Laura.''
    Doctor Laura is Laura Schlessinger, from New York who is an author who hosts a nationally syndicated radio program on which she tries to solve listeners' emotional problems. She has her own web site at http://www.drlaura.com/. Also referenced by Buffy in I Only Have Eyes For You. (Thanks to Starshine from the Watcher's Diary for this picture.)
    
    
11. Cordelia: ''I'm so glad I came down to watch Late Night With Creepy Cop Lady.''
    Late Night With Conan O'Brian is a night time talk show hosted by Conan O'Brian. Among the people he's interviewed are Buffy The Vampire Slayer and Angel stars David Boreanaz, Sarah Michelle Gellar (twice), and Alyson Hannigan.
    
    
    
    
12. Cordelia: ''Can we get you some coffee or Valium, or both?''
    Valium is also known by the generic name diazepam. Diazepam is a member of the benzodiazepine family. Benzodiazepines are sedatives that cause dose-related depression of the central nervous system. They are useful in treating anxiety, insomnia, seizures, and muscle spasms. Diazepam is used for the short-term relief of symptoms related to anxiety disorders. Diazepam is also used for the treatment of agitation, tremors, delirium, seizures, and hallucinations as a result of alcohol withdrawal. Diazepam is also used for relief of muscle spasms in certain neurological diseases. Diazepam is used to abort active seizures and can be combined with other drugs in treating severe recurrent seizures. Diazepam may be taken with or without food. Diazepam is metabolized by the liver and excreted mainly by the kidney. Dosages of diazepam may need to be lowered in patients with abnormal kidney function.

1. Angel: ''Previously on Angel.'''
   Lonely Hearts - Angel met Detective Kate Lockley, she suspected him of a murder, he escapes, then saves her life.
   
   
2. Receptionist: ''Wolfram & Hart?''
   I Fall To Pieces - The law firm of Wolfram & Hart was last mentioned when we discovered they were lawyers for Doctor Ronald Meltzer.
   City Of - Wolfram & Hart were the lawyers for the vampire Russell Winters.

1. During the fight between Kate and Spivey he opens a door on a car that magically closes itself during a camera change.

The song playing in the background while Harlan tells Kate and Trevor about the sensitivity training is Baby by Solomon Burke. At the party they play Everybody Needs Somebody To Love, also by Solomon Burke. You can download clips of the songs here.

You can download audio clips from this episode at http://www.glennquinn.com/multimedia/audio/angel_sense.html.

After Cordelia breaks into the police station, you get another good shot of the tattoo on the small of Charisma's back as she wipes her hands on her pants while facing away from the camera.

There is a bar in Los Angeles called the Blue Bar where policemen hang out.

The memo on sensitivity training is dated November 9th, 1999, setting this episode starting before that date, and ending sometime after it. Since they refer to it being Sunday during the opening scenes, that would probably be Sunday, November 7th.

Doyle's reference to finger pantomime was inaccurate, since pantomime involves non-verbal acting with the use of props. It was more accurately finger mime, due to the implied bottle.

New names for Angel: Herb Sanders (by himself), Mister Spock (by Cordelia), Nancy Boy (by Little Tony), Mister Sensitivity (by Doyle).

New name for Doyle: Mister Humor (by Kate).

Points Of View

Mathew:

A somewhat weak and annoying episode. I kept thinking Allen was just a bad Ethan clone. I did like seeing Angel as Herb Sanders trying to delay Little Tony. Why does a vampire need night vision goggles? And why the heck did the talking stick affect Angel so much more quickly then everyone else anyway? Cordelia was the bright spot with her sci-fi references and the shot of her tattoo.

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