In The Dark - 1ADH03
Written by Douglas Petrie - Directed by Bruce Seth Green - First Aired on October 19, 1999
Synopsis -
Creature Feature -
Cool Quotes -
References -
Continuity -
Goofs -
Trivia -
The Morgue -
Cast -
Famous Faces -
Points Of View
Synopsis
The Short: Spike comes to Los Angeles following his most recent adventures in Sunnydale. He's looking to get the Gem of Amarra, which makes vampires who wear it unkillable. Oz stops by Angel Investigations and leaves the ring with Angel, then catches up with Cordelia. Angel hides the ring rather then using it. Spike makes his presence in Los Angeles known, so Angel goes hunting for him, but Angel falls into a trap. Spike has a vampire named Marcus torture Angel to learn where the ring is, but when that fails Spike tells Doyle and Cordelia to look for the ring is they want to see Angel alive again. Doyle finds the ring, and they make the exchange for Angel. Spike doesn't live up to his part of the bargain, but Doyle has an ace up his sleeve, Oz crashes his van and gets them out. In the commotion Marcus gets the ring and runs off. Although Angel is still wounded from the torture, he insists they track Marcus down. Oz finds him at the beech and Angel rushes Marcus, bursting into flame from
the sunlight. The pair fall into the ocean, then fight beneath a pier. Angel is able to stake Marcus, then pulls off the ring, so that it kills him. Angel takes the rings and walks in the sunlight back to his friends. Later Angel and Doyle watch the sunset from the roof of Angel Investigations. As it sets Angel says that the ring is too dangerous to exist. He takes off the ring and smashes it with a brick.
The Long: We open on the streets as a girl named Rachel is running from her psycho boyfriend Lenny. He pulls a gun on her and Angel pounces on Lenny, saving Rachel. From far above Spike watches and mocks Angel's heroics (see Cool Quotes #1 and Reference #1). As spike watches Angel and Rachel walk off Spike mentions he's here for the Gem of Amarra and Angel's death. (Listen to the teaser here.)
Cordelia and Doyle write up and send off their first invoice for Angel's services (see Reference #2 and Goof #1). Oz has also made a little trip to Los Angeles, and he stops by the office. He came to town primarily for a gig, but also to give Angel something Buffy wanted him to have, the Gem of Amarra. This gem, set in a ring, renders the wearer 100% unkillable, if he's a vampire (see Reference #3). Spike dug up Sunnydale looking for it, but as Oz explains, he got a fist full of Buffy instead and left it behind (see Reference #4 and Continuity #1). Buffy wanted to be sure it was in good hands, so she sent it with Oz to give to Angel. Doyle, Cordelia and Oz head off to have a drink at the pub, but Angel stays behind, and instead of putting on the ring, he hides it, under a brick in a sewer tunnel under his apartment. The next morning Doyle is nursing a hangover (see Reference #5-#6). Angel takes a call from Rachel, and leaves
his apartment to help her, but as he heads to his car, he's greeted by a two-by-four to the head, wielded by Spike. Spike, of course, wants the ring, but Angel's not about to give it up (see Goof #2). Though Spike has the weapon, Angel wins this battle. Doyle and Cordelia show to see Spike go down for the count, but Spike won't go away easily, and Angel, concerned that Spike is out for blood, sends Doyle and Cordelia to stay at Doyle's place, just to be safe.
Doyle starts calling up everyone in his phone book, trying to track down Spike (see Reference #7-#9 and Continuity #2). Angel spends some time trying to get Rachel into a shelter (see Reference #10-#11). Doyle gets a lead and Angel goes to check it out (see Continuity #3). After roughing up several informants Angel is lead to Spike, and Angel chases him down, but Spike's got a friend along, a friend with a chain-link lasso, which is soon around Angel's neck (see Reference #12).
Spike and his vampire friend, Marcus, take Angel to an abandoned warehouse, where they hang him by his arms and prepare to torture him (see Continuity #4). Marcus, a torture expert, goes to work, driving hot pokers through Angel's body (see Reference #13-#14). Spike, meanwhile, heads to Angel's place to look for the ring, and Doyle and Cordelia find him there (see Reference #15). Spike tells them Angel's being tortured, and that as stubborn as he is, he might die before he gives up the ring. If they find the ring and give it to him, he'll let Angel go. They have until sundown to save him. Doyle and Cordelia search Angel's apartment for the ring, to no avail. Then it hits them, he's probably buried it in the sewer tunnels where he gets around during the day. Using his half-human, half-demon sixth sense, Doyle sniffs out the ring, but they don't want to just give it to Spike.
They need a plan. They tell Spike that the ring isn't on them, but they know where it is. Once they see that Angel's alive, they'll give up the ring (see Reference #16). Spike leads them to his little house of pain to show them that Angel's still alive, and demands the ring. Doyle tosses it on the floor, and demands that Angel be set free, but that was never part of Spike's plan. Fortunately for Angel, Oz is in town, he busts into the warehouse in his van, Doyle and Cordelia help Angel down, and they all drive away. Spike, frustrated, looks for the ring, but finds it gone as well. Marcus has picked it up, and he's enjoying its benefits with a walk in the sunlight.
Spike is not a happy vampire. As the van drives away, everyone is worried about Angel, except Angel. He's worried about Marcus (see Reference #17-#18). Oz turns the van around, and heads for the beach (see Goof #3). There Marcus is stalking a pack of Cub Scouts. Oz rams him with the van, but he gets up. Then Oz shoots him with a crossbow (see Goof #4). Marcus pulls out the arrow. After all, he's got the ring. Then Angel steps in. He jumps from the van into the sunlight, bursting into flame, but he tackles Marcus, and they both dive into the ocean (see Goof #5). They surface, and in the shade of a pier, a fierce battle begins. When Angel impales Marcus on a wood beam, it's Marcus who's being tortured. Angel slides the ring from his finger, and Marcus turns to dust. Placing the ring on his own finger, Angel walks out from under the pier and into the daylight, the first he's known in 200 years. Later Angel
and Doyle watch the sunset from the rooftop. Angel says he's not going to wear the ring. He knows he was brought back for a reason, to help the people who need help in the night (see Reference #19 and Continuity #5). He's enjoyed his day in the sunlight, but he has a mission. He crushes the ring, destroying the Gem of Amarra.
Creature Feature
The main villain of this episode is Spike, a reoccurring vampire from Buffy The Vampire Slayer. He was raised in the ways of being a complete bastard by Angel himself during his bad years, and wants the Gem of Amarra.
A new vampire is Marcus, who is also described as a ''torture demon'', although this is probably just a title. He displayed the ability to sense things about his victims by touching them, like the fact that Angel had a soul and had known love.
A unique magic item in this episode is the Gem of
Amarra. It's a magic
ring that makes any vampire who wears it unkillable. Sunlight, crosses
and holy water don't burn them any more, and any wound immediately heals,
including stakes to the heart.
Cool Quotes
- Spike: ''(high voice) How can I thank you, you mysterious, black-clad hunk of a night thing? (low voice) No need, little lady, your tears of gratitude are enough for me. You see, I was once a bad ass vampire, but love and a pesky curse defanged me, and now I'm just a big, fluffy puppy with bad teeth. No, not the hair! Never the hair! (high voice) ...but there must be someway I can show my appreciation. (low voice) No, helping those in need's my job, and working up a load of sexual tension, and prancing away like a magnificent poof is truly thanks enough! (high voice) I understand. I have a nephew who is gay, so (low voice) Say no more. Evil's still afoot and I'm almost out of that Nancy-boy hair-gel that I like so much. Quickly, to the Angelmobile, away!''
Spike has a little fun with Angel's new profession of choice. Listen to the quote here.
References
- Spike: ''Quickly, to the Angelmobile, away!''
The Batmobile is a vehicle used by Batman, a costumed
crime fighter from DC Comics that
inspired several television shows, cartoons and films.
- Doyle: ''All I'm saying is that if we're ever going to take
that cruise to the Bahamas together, we're going to need a lot more clients
of means.''
Cordelia: ''...and an alternate reality in which you are Matthew
McConaughey.''
Matthew McConaughey
is an actor who appeared for example in the 1997 film Amistad along with
Harry Groener, who played
Mayor Richard Wilkins in season 3 and 4 of Buffy The Vampire Slayer.
The Bamahas are...
- Cordelia: ''Okay, you're getting weird about this ring. Since
when did you go all Versace about accessorizing?''
Versace is a brand of clothing, named after it's late designer.
(Thanks to Poppedijn for the Versace logo.)
- Oz: ''Yeah. Your buddy Spike dug up Sunnydale looking for it.
He got a fist full of Buffy and left it behind. She wanted to be sure it was
in good hands.''
A Fist Full of Dollars was a
1964 film starring Clint Eastwood.
Plot: An anonymous, but deadly man rides into a town torn by war between
two factions, the Baxters and the Rojo's. Instead of fleeing or dying, as
most other would do, the man schemes to play the two sides off each other,
getting rich in the bargain.
- Cordelia: ''I think the trick is laying off the ale before you
start quoting Angela's Ashes and weeping like a baby man.''
Angela's Ashes is a 1996 book
by Frank McCourt about an Irish family moving from Ireland to America, seen
through the eyes of a child. In 1999 it was made into a film of the same
name starring Emily Watson.
(Thanks to Starshine of the Watcher's Diary for the picture.)
- Cordelia: ''...but I doubt that the main characters are Betty and
Barney Rubble as you so vehemently insisted last night. Also I don't think
Oz appreciated being called my little Bam-bam all night.''
Betty and Barney Rubble are the neighbors of Wilma and Fred Flintstone in
the cartoon The Flintstones, their son, who is very strong, is Bam-bam.
(Thanks to Poppedijn for the picture.)
- Cordelia: ''Please. I couldn't get comfortable in here if the
floor was lined with mink. I mean, how can you live like this?''
A mink is small animal known for it's high quality fur, often used in fur
coats and other clothing.
- Cordelia: ''No way! My apartment is nowhere near this yucky.
It smells like bong water in here.''
A bong is drug paraphernalia used to smoke Marijuana, it uses water.
(Thanks to Matt Cyran for the picture.)
- Doyle: ''Hey, Kizzy. Yeah, vamp named Spike. No? Okay. What, a
C note? I absolutely paid that back, man! Hey, no, sorry, there goes my
other line.''
A C note is another name for a hundred dollar bill. In Roman numerals C
stands for 100.
- Rachel: ''I just start to jones for him. The way he jones for
rock.''
Rock is another name for crack cocaine, an illicit and highly addictive narcotic.
(Thanks to Starshine from the Watcher's Diary for this picture.)
- Rachel: ''You mean the kind of love that comes without 911 calls?''
911 is a phone number reserved for emergency calls for help in most of the United States. Also referenced by Willow in Teacher's Pet, by Cordelia in Never Kill A Boy On The First Date, dialed by Buffy in Angel, referenced by the hooker in Innocence, dialed by Xander in Revelations and referenced by Buffy in Bad Girls.
- Spike ''Caught me fair and square, white hat. I guess there
is nothing to do now but to go quietly and pay my debt to society.''
The term white hat, meaning good-guy or hero, stems from the tradition that
heroes in western films always wore white hats. Also used by the vampire
Willow in The Wish.
(Thanks to Matt Cyran for the picture.)
- Spike: ''Why do you keep asking him that? and why
do you keep playing that bleeding Brahms?''
Johannes Brahms (1833-1897) was a German composer and pianist of the
Romantic period, who wrote symphonies, concertos, chamber music, piano
works, choral compositions, and more than 200 songs. Brahms was the great
master of symphonic and sonata style in the second half of the 19th century.
He appeared for the last time at a concert in March 1897, and in Vienna, in
April 1897, he died of cancer.
- Marcus: ''Actually it's Mozart. Symphony 41. I find it very
effective.''
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) was an Austrian
composer, widely recognized as one of the greatest composers in the history
of Western music. With Haydn and Beethoven he brought to its height the
achievement of the Viennese Classical school. Unlike any other composer in
musical history, he wrote in all the musical genres of his day and excelled
in every one. His taste, his command of form, and his range of expression
entitle him to be considered the most universal of all composers.
- Cordelia: ''When you are done giving the place the Johnny Depp
over, I hope you have the cash to pay for all of this.''
Johnny Depp is a photogenic
Hollywood enigma renowned for turning down commercial scripts. Depp came to
Hollywood with his Florida rock band The Kids, but ended up becoming a teen
idol via Fox televisions fluffy teen-detective drama 21 Jump Street. While staying
at New York's Mark hotel in September 1994 he trashed $9,767 worth of
furniture and was carted off before television news cameras to spend a night in
jail. Damages were paid for, no charges were brought.
- Spike: ''Lucy, I'm home.''
This is a famous quote from Desi
Arnaz (1917-1986) as Ricky Ricardo in the 1951 comedy television series I Love Lucy, which he would often
call to his wife Lucy as he walked into their home.
- The theatre Oz passes after they save Angel is called the
Orpheum, the marque says it is playing The Sixth
Sense and Deep Blue Sea.
The Orpheum was constructed in 1926 at is on 842 South Broadway.
The Sixth Sense is a 1999
film starring Bruce
Willis as Malcolm Crowe. Plot: A boy who communicates with dead spirits
that don't know they're dead seeks the help of a disheartened child
psychologist.
(Thanks to Starshine of the Watcher's Diary for the picture.)
Deep Blue Sea is 1999 film
starring Thomas Jane as
Carter Blake. Plot: Searching for a cure to Alzheimer's disease a group of
scientists on an isolated research facility become the bait as a trio of
intelligent sharks fight back.
- Cordelia: ''It's daylight and you're ringless. Unless you're changing the act to human torch, I don't think so.''
A human torch is a circus performer who sets himself on fire. It's also the name of two superheroes from Marvel
Comics. The first Human Torch was a flaming android hero of World War II who fought the Axis as a member of the Invaders. The second was a man named Johnny Story who was exposed to cosmic rays while on an experimental rocket mission and gained the ability to burst into flames. He helped form the Fantastic Four. Also referenced by Xander in The Witch. I wrote a conversion of Human Torch and Human Torch II for Champions 4th edition role playing game at http://mathew.fcpages.com/cshumantorch.html and http://mathew.fcpages.com/cshumantorch2.html.
- Angel: ''I was brought back for a reason, Doyle, and as much
as I would like to kid myself, I don't think it was for 18 holes at
Rancho.''
The Rancho Range and Golf Shop is a golf shop located in Los Angeles. It is said
to be a bit of an inside joke since David is actually an avid golfer.
Continuity
- Oz: ''Yeah. Your buddy Spike dug up Sunnydale looking for it.
He got a fist full of Buffy and left it behind. She wanted to be sure it
was in good hands.''
The Harsh
Light of Day - Events in this episode directly follow this Buffy The
Vampire Slayer episode which first aired right before In The Dark.
- Cordelia: ''Please. I couldn't get comfortable in here if the
floor was lined with mink. I mean, how can you live like this?''
Doyle: ''Well, I didn't until last week. Then I saw what you did
with your place and I just had to call my decorator.''
Lonely Hearts - Doyle stayed the night at
Cordelia's apartment.
- Cordelia: ''Oh, and this one time he and Dru raised this demon
that burned people from the inside. It was this whole weird thing with an
arm in a box.''
Surprise / Innocence - Cordelia's reference to an arm in a box and a demon who burns people from the inside were to the Judge, who Drusilla and Spike brought back after he was torn to pieces by an army centuries ago.
- Marcus: ''He's known love.''
Spike: ''Yeah, and with a Slayer no less. How is that for perversion?''
Surprise - Angel and Buffy made love on the night of her seventeenth birthday, after fighting The Judge.
- Angel: ''I was brought back for a reason, Doyle, and as much
as I would like to kid myself, I don't think it was for 18 holes at
Rancho.''
Becoming
Part 2 - In order to save the world from being sucked into hell, Buffy
had to send Angel there instead.
Faith, Hope and
Trick - Angel mysteriously returned to Earth several months later, but
for him hundreds of years passed in hell.
Goofs
- When Cordelia prints an invoice, the printer seems to have paper
in it from the front shots, but from the back the paper tray seems to be
empty.
- When Angel and Spike are fighting around his car there are several times
you can see either of their reflections in the car's finish or windows, but since they are both vampires they should have no reflection.
- When Oz is about to pull a 180 degree turn in the can you can clearly
see a large wall with billboards outside the van, but when they switch to
an outside view there is nothing but palm trees as far as the eye can see.
- When the van arrives on the pier Cordelia gets out, then Doyle, then
Oz readies himself at the passenger door with a crossbow as Doyle gets
out of the van again behind him!
- When Angel runs out of the van to push Marcus into the ocean, you can
clearly see he is covered with gel the moment the fire starts.
Trivia
The Morgue
- Marcus: On the beach, staked by Angel.
Cast
Starring:
David Boreanaz as Angel
Charisma Carpenter as Cordelia Chase
Glenn Quinn as Allen Francis Doyle
Guest Starring:
Seth Green as Daniel ''Oz'' Osborne
James Marsters as Spike
Kevin West as Marcus
Malia Mathis as Rachel
Co-Starring:
Michael Yavneili as Lenny
Ric Sarabia as the Sunglass Vendor
Thomas Rosales Jr. as Manny the Pig
Gilbert B. Combs as the Bouncer
Buck McDancer as the Dealer
Jenni Blong as the Young Woman
Famous Faces
Seth Green, who played Oz, is a famous actor who has had a number of roles in comedy films like Can't Hardly Wait and Idle Hands. He played Emil the X-Files episode Deep Throat 1.01. Seth has an official web site at http://www.sethgreenonline.com/.
James Marsters, who played Spike, is of course a regular villain on Buffy The Vampire Slayer. He would go on to play Mitch in an episode of Strange Frequency, Charlemange Bolivar in an episode of Andromeda and Simon in the 2002 film Chance.
Malia Mathis, who played
Rachel, is a singer with the Brian Faith Band and has her own web site at http://www.geocities.com/maliamathis/home.htm.
Ric Sarabia, who played the sunglass vendor, played the prison trustee in the X-Files episode Three Words 8.16.
Gilbert B. Combs, who played the Bouncer, played the second assassin in the Kindred: The Embraced episode The Kindred 1.01.
Jenni Blong, who played
the young woman Spike was feeding on, has her own online acting resume at http://www.actorsbone.com/ActorPgs/ActressResumes/BlongJenni.htm.
Points Of View
Mathew:
Spike was a total riot, and I loved watching Angel get tortured. Too bad
he had to be stupid and destroy the ring. Lucky for us they show Doyle
slipping the ring for a duplicate right before it was smashed.
LovelyAly:
I love this episode. Oz is in it! And lookin' good!! Hehe. This is just a
great episode, a growing point for all characters, especially Angel and
Cordelia. Angel realizes it's not gonna be so easy for him to get redemption
for his past, and Cordelia starts to learn that there really is more
important things then being rich. I love the Angel/Spike interaction. It
doesn't matter if they're on the same side (Innocence-Becoming, BtVS) or
opposing sides, they hate each other no matter what! I sorta like that
dynamic. There's some good quotes in this one.
Spike: (talking about Buffy) "She's cute when she's mad."
Angel: "She's cuter when she's kicking your ass."
Angel: (to Oz) "Thanks man, couldn't have done it without you."
Oz: "You're... very pale. Paler then most people."
Love how Oz states the obvious. The best scene has to be when Oz drives
through the warehouse with his van and saves the day! See, Oz is important,
now why can't Joss see that?! Sigh Also, I love the last scene at the end
with Doyle and Angel, when Angel destroy's the Gem of Amarra. It's Angel's
revelation scene, also it shows that Angel and Doyle were kinda close.
Another really great part is when Angel puts on the ring and walks into the
light for the first time in 200 some years. I think it was good for Angel to
see the sun set after so many years.
Page by Webmaster Mathew - November, 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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