''One by one Angel's friends are being
sacrificed.''
To Shanshu In L.A. - 1ADH22
Written by David Greenwalt - Directed by David Greenwalt - First Aired on May 23, 2000
Synopsis -
Creature Feature -
Cool Quotes -
References -
Continuity -
Goofs -
Trivia -
The Morgue -
Cast -
Famous Faces -
Points Of View
Synopsis
The Short: From the WB11 home
page: Wesley is searching for the translation of the Scrolls of
Obearsain and the prophesy of the vampire with a soul. He is finding the
process difficult as the scrolls are over 4,000 years old and translated
into a dozen languages. Unfortunately, when Wesley does realize what the
pivotal word, shanshu means, he must tell Angel that the prophesy means the
vampire with a soul will die. Angel greets this news with an uninterested
shrug. Wesley and Cordy believe Angel's non-reaction is a result of not
living, growing and changing as the rest of the world does. The gang
discovers that Lindsey has been promoted to Jr. Partner at Wolfram & Hart.
He made his choice to stay with the dark side.
Meanwhile, the folks at Wolfram & Hart are conjuring up a demon who has come to
separate Angel and the Powers That Be. This of course, means separating
Angel from his friends as well as the Oracles.
The next day, as Cordy walks through a flea-market, the same demon brushes
up against her. She's hit with a vision but it doesn't stop. Screaming in
pain, she collapses on the ground.
The evil demon also pays a visit to Angel's home where he plants a bomb and
easily walks out with the scrolls. Seems he needs the scrolls himself for a
surprise incantation that will further bring woe to our heroes. Wesley
arrives just in time to see the bomb and hightail it around a brick wall
that ultimately saves his life.
While looking after Wesley in the hospital, Angel visits Cordelia and
notices a symbol on her hand. Angel heads to the Oracles to find out what
it means only to find them slain. Lucky for him the spirit of the female
Oracle is able to tell Angel that the mark belongs to a warrior of the
underworld named Vocah, as well as filling him in on how to save Cordy.
Angel enlists his new friend Charles Gunn to watch over his injured friends
while they are in the hospital.
Meanwhile the team from Wolfram & Hart are in a mausoleum, surrounding a crate, and
watching an incantation lead by Vocah. Angel attacks the demon but as the
two brawl, Lindsey takes over with the ritual. Angel kills Vocah but the
ritual is complete. Lindsey attempts to burn the ancient scroll but Angel
slices off his hand before he gets the chance and rushes to save his
friends.
Back at Cordy's apartment, Wesley discovers the real meaning of shanshu
is to live. Angel will eventually become human.
And back at the basement of Wolfram & Hart, the crack team of lawyers
gather around the crate. Holland tells Lindsey they'll even the score with
the very item that sits in the crate. Lilah welcomes the disheveled creature
that turns out to be Darla.
The Long: After a ''Previously on Angel'' segment (see Continuity #1) we see Angel Investigations at night where
Wesley is translating the scroll Angel stole (see Cool Quotes
#1). He is having trouble with the
word Shanshu, saying it is important to the prophecy about Angel. Cordelia
wants to know if the prophecy mentions her (see Reference #1). We see a cloaked figure wandering into Angel Investigations.
Cordelia finds a newspaper story about how Lindsey McDonald was just
promoted by Wolfram & Hart to junior partner (see Reference
#2). Angel senses they have a visitor and they go to see who is there.
It turns out to be David Nabbit, who decided to blow off his board of
directors meeting since it was his night to be Dungeon Master, and hang with the Angel Investigations staff (see Reference
#3 & Continuity #2). David is in awe of all the good works Angel Investigations
does, and how his millions don't compare to it. Switch to an outdoor scene
where two robed figures perform a ritual that raises a masked man, who is
immediately welcomed by Lindsey, Lilah and Holland outside Wolfram & Hart.
At Angel Investigations David makes uncomfortable small talk with Angel, Cordelia and Wesley
then decides to leave. Wesley thinks he knows what the word on the scroll
means, and looks it up in another book, where he finds it means death.
Cordelia is upset that the prophecy is that Angel will die, but Angel seems
unphased by it, so much so it bothers Wesley. Cordelia has a vision of a
homeless woman being attacked by a slime demon and gives Angel the
information he needs to find it (see Reference #4). At Wolfram & Hart the cloaked man is upset
that they let someone steal the prophecy of Aberjian, since without it they
cannot perform the raising. Lindsey claims responsibility. The cloaked man
says he will handle it but learns Angel has the scroll and is even more
upset because the raising was meant to remove Angel from the Powers That Be.
In a dark alley two police officers notice Detective Kate Lockley has shown
up and make light of the fact she is there for another ''other
worldly'' case (see Reference #5). Kate walks alone
in an alley and finds Angel helping the homeless woman (see Reference #6). She asks what happened and Angel says it was
a slime demon, but he took care of it. Kate is very hostile and says she is
going to rid the city of his kind, the kind that murdered her father (see Continuity #3). The next morning Wesley says every source
he can find says Shanshu means death, then he talks to Cordelia about
Angel's lack of concern. He says Angel lacks wanting anything from life and
after some talk they decide to try to turn Angel around (see Goof #1). Angel comes up from
downstairs to get a book, Cordelia and Wesley confront him. Wesley decides
he needs reference books from the store to help translate the scrolls and
has Angel lock up the scroll while he is gone. As he leaves Wesley suggests
Angel consult the Oracles, but Angels says he doesn't need to (see Continuity #4). Inside the Oracles' realm we see the Oracles
telling someone that they shouldn't have come to them, and we see the
cloaked man arguing with them. As they talk he slips his hand behind his
back and a bladed weapon forms in his hand. The Oracles say they will speak
no more, and the man agrees with an evil tone in his voice.
Outdoors during the day Cordelia wanders through several sales boothes,
looking for something for Angel. She looks at buying some paints and art
supplies for him, when we see the cloaked man walk through the crowd
unnoticed. As Cordelia pays for the supplies he passes her and brushes her
hand with his. A moment later Cordelia has a vision, causing her to drop her
bags. She recovers and reaches for her cell phone, but as she does she has
another vision, this time the vision doesn't stop.
Passers by call 911. At
Angel Investigations the cloaked man walks in. Inside Angel is reading the scroll, but doesn't
see the man. Angel locks the scroll in the weapon cabinet then gets a phone
call, telling him about Cordelia. Angel rushes out. The man breaks open the
weapons cabinet,
where he takes the scroll and leaves something we can't see. At the hospital
Angel finds Cordelia screaming and restrained to her bed (see Goof #2). The doctors can't
seem to find a reason or be able to sedate her. At Angel Investigations Wesley comes back
with arms full
of reference books. He goes to the cabinet, which he notices is broken. He
opens it then runs. Outside Angel is getting back just as a
massive explosion takes out Angel Investigations.
Angel rushes inside the burning building, where he finds an unconscious
Wesley on the stairs. He takes him outside, where an ambulance takes Wesley
away. Kate approaches Angel and accuses him of causing trouble. When she
tries to stop him from leaving the scene he dares her to stop him. Angel
says he's sorry her father died, but he didn't kill him, so stop blaming
him. Angel and Kate are now enemies. At the hospital Angel visits an
unconscious Wesley and Cordelia, who is still having constant visions.
Cordelia has withdrawn into a non responsive state. Angel holds her hand and
swears he will help her, then he notices a symbol tattooed to her hand.
Switch to the gateway to the Oracles' realm where Angel casts the ritual to
get in. Inside he sees the dead Oracles, with the blade that killed them
resting on top of their bloodied bodies. A ghostly apparition of the female
Oracle appears before him and tell Angel the symbol is that of the one who
did this, Vocah. She says a spell on the scroll can cure Cordelia. The ghost
fades as she tells Angel that Vocah hides behind man's law. Angel takes the
blade and goes. At a place called Milano's Italian Kitchen Gunn and his men load up the
truck with food, which he says is to help people (see Reference #7). Angel pulls up in the car
(see Goof #3). Gunn recalls the last time they met, when
he tossed a vampire in Wolfram & Hart headquarters (see Continuity #5). Angel tells Gunn he needs him to protect
his people in the hospital while Angel tracks down the guy who put them
there. At a cemetery five vampires are chained to a large
box as Vocah and the two robed men prepare a ritual.
At Wolfram & Hart Lindsey, Lilah, Holland and several trucks and limos pull out on
their way to the ritual. Angel hides in the shadows, following them in his
car (see Goof #4). Back in the cemetary the ritual
continues. The lawyers walk in then Vocah pauses and sets down the scroll.
The lawyers wonder what's wrong as Vocah creates another blade in his hands.
Then Angel crashes in through the window and the two
fight. Lindsey picks up
the scroll and completes the ritual as Vocah and Angel fight. As he does a
wind storm picks up that destroys the vampires and creates a blinding flash
of light in the box, knocking Lindsey out. The lawyers pick up and leave
with the box as the fight continues. Eventually Angel is able to unmask and
kill Vocah just as Lindsey wakes up (see Goof #5 & 6).
Lindsey grabs a large cross and the scroll, threatening to destroy the
scroll in a fire. Angel throws the blade and severs Lindsey's arm, saving
the scroll (see Goof #7). Angel leaves a bleeding Lindsey, taking the scroll
(see Goof #8). At the hospital a wounded but awake
Wesley reads from the scroll and removes the curse from Cordelia.
Cordelia slowly awakens and says they have to help the people she saw.
At Cordelia's place Cordelia prepares food as Welsey translates more of
the scroll (see Reference #8). Although he can't
figure out what the Wolfram & Hart people raised, Welsey realizes that
Shanshu in it's oldest form means to live and die, in a cycle
(see Goof #9). Therefore
the prophecy says after Angel stops the coming darkness he will become
alive then live a normal life and death. Cordelia is happy for him
(see Reference #9). In the Wolfram & Hart safe Lindsey, Lilah
and Holland talk about their coming plans for getting revenge on Angel,
starting on what is in the box. Lilah leans down and tells
Darla, who is inside, that things will be all right
(see Continuity #6).
Creature Feature
Vocah, Warrior of the Underworld is a extradimensional killer with a serious
grim reaper style going for him. He is strong, fast, can place curses on
people with a touch and can call his weapon in his hand at will.
Wolfram & Hart employ a pair of robed men who aid them in magic rituals.
They are probably some type of magic practitioners for hire.
Angel fights a slime demon who was attacking a bag lady. Little of it was
seen, but it did resemble the demon Buffy fought in the beginning of The
Wish.
We have the third and possibly last appearance of the Oracles, as well
as the ghost of the female Oracle.
Cool Quotes
- Cordelia: ''Are you still trying to figure out that word?
What's taking so long?''
Wesley: ''Gee, I don't know, Cordelia. The prophecies of Aberjian
were only written over the last 4000 years, in a dozen different languages,
some of which aren't even human! Why don't we just get a phalangoid demon in
here, suck the brain out of my skull. Maybe that would speed things
up.''
Cordelia: ''He sure gets testy when he's translating.''
I'm getting a little tired of them trying to give Wesley some backbone.
You go Cordelia!
References
- Welsey: ''It's an ancient sacred text, not a magic 8
ball.''
A magic 8 ball is a toy the looks like an enlarged 8 ball from pool that
is filled with liquid and has a floating piece in the middle with various
answers written on the piece. You ask the ball a question that can
be answered with yes or no and turn it over so a small window becomes
visible where the piece floats into view and gives a random answer.
- Welsey: ''After all you did for him, he sells his soul for
thirty pieces of silver.''
Thirty pieces of silver refers to the price paid to Judas Isacariot for the
betrayal of Jesus Christ according to modern versions of the bible.
''Then one of the twelve, who was called Judas Iscariot, went to the
chief priests and said, "What will you give me if I deliver him to you?" And
they paid him thirty pieces of silver. And from that moment he sought an
opportunity to betray him.''
- David: ''Me? No. I just popped by to hang. I blew off my board
of directors because tonight it's my turn to be Dungeon Master. What do you
think of my cape?''
In the game of Dungeons & Dragons a Dungeon Master is the player who
referees the game and controls the story being told. Also referenced by
David in War Zone.
- Cordelia: ''I smelled something awful, that would be the slime
demon, yuck! who lives behind a waste treatment plant in El Segundo.''
The Hyperion Waste Treatment Plant is near El Segundo on Pacific Coast
Highway in Playa Del Rey. It is the only sewage treatment plant for all of
Los Angeles The sewage is dried into a highly flammable powder and used to run
generators, so the sewage treatment plant has a surplus of power and feeds
electricity back into the power grid. It has it's own web site at
http://www.cityofla.org/BOE/wcmd/htp.htm.
(Thanks to Marsia from the Watcher's Diary for helping find this information.)
- Uniform #2: ''...or a Ouija board?''
A Ouija board is a board marked with letters of the alphabet, numbers, and a
few words. People rest their fingers on the planchette, ask the board a
question, and the planchette will supposedly move around, pointing to
letters and such, to indicate the answer (participants are not supposed to
push the planchette). It is thought by many to be obtaining answers from
spirits and other worldly powers. Also referenced by Xander in The Initiative.
(Thanks to the BuffyGuide for this entry.)
- Homeless woman: ''Yeah, you killed him. Sliced him up real
good. He saved me from one of their spies. And by the way, I don't
appreciate the dental association watching me like that.''
The American Dental Association is ''the professional association of
dentists dedicated to serving both the public and the profession of
dentistry. The A.D.A. promotes the profession of dentistry by enhancing the
integrity and ethics of the profession, strengthening the patient/dentist
relationship and making membership a foundation of successful practice. The
A.D.A. fulfills its public and professional mission by providing services and
through its initiatives in education, research, advocacy and the development
of standards.'' They have a web site at http://www.ada.org/.
- Angel finds Gunn behind Milano's Italian Kitchen
Milano's Italian Kitchen, a restaurant chain based in California, offers
California-style Northern Italian cuisine at an average price of $14 for a
meal. Its specialty dish is zebra panzottini, which is pasta stuffed with
ricotta cheese and spinach.
- Wesley: ''The beast of Amalfi, a razor toothed six-eyed
harbinger of death. No, wait, that's due to arise in 2003 in
Reseda.''
Angel: ''I would have guessed Tarzana.''
Tarzana and Reseda neighborhoods are located in the San Fernando Valley area
of Los Angeles which is a suburban area just north of the west side of Los Angeles,
just over the hill. Even though the city is Los Angeles, locals use
each neighborhood name on their return addresses instead of Los Angeles They
consider the Westside to be the city.
(Thanks to Marsia from the Watcher's Diary for this information.)
- Cordelia: ''Yeah, break out the champagne, Pinocchio. This
is a big deal!''
Pinocchio is a story about a puppet of the same name who became, after many
adventures, a real living boy.
Continuity
- Angel: ''Previously on Angel.''
Five By Five - Angel gets his soul back and is
rejected by Darla.
Somnambulist - Kate discovers Angel is a
vampire.
City Of - Angel meets Lindsey, who threatens
to bring him into the light of day.
Blind Date - Lindsey says he needs Angel's help.
Holland offers Lindsey the world. Angel steals the scroll from Wolfram &
Hart. Wesley finds a passage in the scrolls about Angel.
- Angel: ''Mister Nabbit?''
War Zone - Angel Investigations recovered some
pictures of David Nabbit and the demon woman Lena having sex that were being
used to blackmail David.
- Kate: ''Your kind. The kind that killed my father? Did you
think I would just forget about that? I don't forget anything.''
The Prodigal - A vampire drug runner drained
Kate's father, Trevor Lockley. Angel was unable to save him.
- Wesley: ''Angel, I hope I'm wrong about all this but, it might
be a good time to consult the Oracles.''
Parting Gifts - We last saw the Oracles when
Angel visited them trying to get them to turn back the clock so he could
save Doyle from the Scourge. They refused.
- Gunn: ''Yeah, well, if it's tossing a vampire in with them
lawyers, I'm in. Because that was my idea of a good time.''
Blind Date - Gunn did a favor for Angel,
tossing a vampire inside the Wolfram & Hart headquarters so Angel could
sneak in undetected.
- Lilah: ''We are all very pleased you're here. I know it's a
bit confusing, but it's going to be better soon, a lot better,
Darla.''
Angel - Darla, Angel's sire, was killed by Angel three
years ago in the Bronze, when she was trying to kill Buffy Summers.
Goofs
- When Cordelia takes the donut she eats quite a bit from it, but when
Wesley grabs it there seems to be more left then a moment earlier. When they
switch the camera back between Cordelia and Wesley the amount of donut
left changes several times.
(Thanks to talula from the Watcher's Diary for finding this.)
- When Angel gets to the hospital and runs down the hall following
Cordelia's screams, he runs passed a glass wall where you can see his
reflection, despite the fact that he is a vampire and should cast no reflection.
- As Angel pulls up to Milano's to speak to Gunn, you can see his
reflection in the rear view mirror of the car.
- As Angel pulls out following the Wolfram & Hart crew we see his reflection in the
rear view mirror again!
- During the fight Vocah's hood is knocked off then suddenly appears on
his head again, then is knocked off a second time.
- When Angel unmasks Vocah, they switch to a view behind Vocah as Angel
delivers the killing blow. From that angle it looks like the mask is still
on him.
- The blade Angel took from the Oracles was covered with blood, but it is
clean when he arrives at the crypt. After he kills Vocah it is covered in
blood again, but when he throws it at Lindsey it's clean while flying in the air,
but lands covered in blood again.
- When Angel throws the blade to cut off Lindsey's hand, you can briefly
see that it lands behind Lindsey with the blade pointing towards Lindsey, but
when they close up the blade is facing away from Lindsey.
- When Welsey is reading from the book trying to translate the scroll in
Cordelia's dining room the page the book is open to is different in the
close and far shots. There is in illustration in the close shots, but not in
the far ones. Even more interesting is that the picture is the one with the
Ethros Box we saw back in I've Got You Under My
Skin.
Trivia
The Morgue
- Anonymous slime demon: In an alley, stabbed with a sword by Angel.
- Male Oracle: In the Oracles realm, stabbed by Vocah.
- Female Oracle: In the Oracles realm, stabbed by Vocah.
- Anonymous vampire: In the tomb, disintegrated by a spell cast by Vocah, Lindsey and his helpers.
- Anonymous vampire: In the tomb, disintegrated by a spell cast by Vocah, Lindsey and his helpers.
- Anonymous vampire: In the tomb, disintegrated by a spell cast by Vocah, Lindsey and his helpers.
- Anonymous vampire: In the tomb, disintegrated by a spell cast by Vocah, Lindsey and his helpers.
- Anonymous vampire: In the tomb, disintegrated by a spell cast by Vocah, Lindsey and his helpers.
- Vocah: In the tomb, stabbed by Angel.
Cast
Starring:
David Boreanaz as Angel
Charisma Carpenter as Cordelia Chase
Alexis Denisof as Wesley Wyndham-Pryce
Guest Starring:
Elizabeth Rohm as Detective Kate Lockley
Christian Kane as Lindsey McDonald
Stephanie Romanov as Lilah Morgan (Right)
Sam Anderson as Holland Manners (Middle)
Todd Stashwick as Vocah
Carey Cannon as the Female Orcale (Right)
Randall Slavin the Male Oracle (Left)
David Herman as David Nabbit
J. August Richards as Charles Gunn
Co-Starring:
Julie Benz as Darla
Louise Claps as the Homeless Woman (Left)
Daren Rice as Uniform #1
Jon Ecklund as Uniform #2
Lia Johnson as the Vendor
Robyn Cohen as the Nurse
Susan Savage as the Doctor
John Eddins as Monk #1
Gerado O'Donnel as Monk #2
Turner Brahman as the Young Tough Guy
Grant Langston as the Market Guitarist (Uncredited)
Jeremy Renner as Penn (Uncredited, appeared in flashback to Somnambulist.)
Famous Faces
Susan Savage, who played
the doctor, played a part in the Charmed episode called Pardon My Past 2.14. She also played the alien woman in the Star Trek: Voyager episode Memorial 6.14.
Grant Langston, who played the Market Guitarist, played the Strolling Minstrel in the 2001 film Chance. He is a professional musician who has his own web site at http://www.grantlangston.com/.
Points Of View
Mathew:
First off I have to say of the two season finales broadcast tonight, I
enjoyed this one much more. It was a little predictable, except for the
shocker at the end, which I only figured out a few moments before they
showed Darla. This episode does seem to borrow elements from a number of
other season finales. We have ancient lost prophecies that say the star of the
show is going to die, which came from Prophecy Girl. We have the star
losing all his support crew like in Becoming Part 2. We have ceremonies that allow nasty past vampires returned from the dead like in When She Was
Bad. I'm absolutely sure I won't like the new Cordelia as much. I enjoyed
her ''the bitch is back'' attitude. So what's with Kate and Gunn? Kate has
gone off the deep end and Gunn has become Angel's step and fetch it man?
Those two characters could be so much more. I think we will see more of
David in season 2, perhaps as a financial backer. Can you imagine the damage
this crew could do with a multimilliondollar budget? Won't the scoobies be
jealous... I wonder if Darla had dreams about meeting aliens in
New Mexico while she was dead?
Page by Webmaster Mathew - October, 2002
Special thanks to The Complete Buffy Episode Guide for
inspiration and technical help, as well as Buffy episode links and all the
readers of the Watcher's Diary for their feedback in making this page what
it is.
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