''An assassin without sight searches for her next victim.''


Angel Blind Date - 1ADH21

Written by Jeannine Renshaw - Directed by Tom Wright - First Aired on May 16, 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: Angel agrees to help legal but not so ethical whiz kid Lindsey McDonald crack the secret files of Wolfram & Hart to save a group of children from a demonic assassin. Said assassin also happens to be legally blind, quite the lethal weapon and on the Wolfram & Hart's payroll. Angel asks vampire hunter, Gunn to help him break into the Wolfram & Hart building and along with the assistance of Lindsey, our undead hero makes it in successfully even though the firm is full of traps. Along his journey through the law firm's secret vaults Angel finds himself attracted to an ancient scroll and he grabs it as he runs out the door. Little does Angel know, the scroll holds a prophesy about the vampire with a soul. Ultimately, Lindsey isn't quite sure if he can stick by his decision to betray the firm and sabotage the deadly mission. In the end, he chooses to stay with the firm, getting himself a nice raise and a much bigger office.

Walk The Long: After a ''Previously on Angel'' segment showing Angel meeting Lindsey McDonald (see Continuity #1), we go to the street at night where a toy vendor sells motorized army guys to some kids as a blind woman with a cane walks by. He clears the sidewalk for her. Somewhere in a warehouse Angel fights two vampires. He stakes one then wraps a chain around the neck of another, lifting him up and impaling him. Angel then goes to save a bleeding man when the blind woman jumps him from nowhere and proceeds to beat the hell out of Angel. During the fight her sun glasses are knocked off and Angel sees she has all-white eyes. Angel is knocked down and when he gets up the woman is gone and the bleeding man is dead.

Pair At Angel Investigations Wesley is perplexed at his inability to find a blind demon (see Reference #1). They figure maybe she's a human with extrasensory powers. Cordelia looks up the L.A.P.D. On Line web site and is able to find the records of Vanessa Brewer, a blind woman who has been accused of multiple crimes, but never has been convicted (see Goof #1). Cordelia also notices that Wolfram & Hart are defending her. In the court room Vanessa sits as Lindsey McDonald defends her. Angel walks in and throws Vanessa her glasses, which she catches without looking. As the judge protests Angel quickly exits. At Angel Investigations Wesley concludes she can see, just not the way they do (see Reference #2). Angel walks in and says Wolfram & Hart are volunteering their services for her. At the Wolfram & Hart office Lindsey and Lee Mercer talk as Vanessa talks with some other Wolfram & Hart officials (see Continuity #2). Lindsey greets Vanessa and she thanks him for getting her off the charges. A Wolfram & Hart big wig talks privately with Lindsey, asking is everything is okay. They mention Lindsey's failure with sending Faith against Angel. The executive tells him he's happy with Lindsey's recent work, and tries to give him some advice about life (see Reference #3). He then tells Lindsey to start working on a defence for Vanessa's next crime, which will be assassinating some children who threaten Wolfram & Hart. Lindsey seems shaken by the idea of killing children. At Angel Investigations Angel throws a fit when he learns Vanessa was acquitted because of a hung jury. He rants that he can't testify against her last murder because he can't go to court. Angel likens the pure evil of Wolfram & Hart to his old bad vampire days, which he misses. Lindsey then walks into Angel's office asking for help, saying he wants out.

Gunn Angel talks to Lindsey about why he is doing this. Angel says Lindsey made his choice, but Lindsey describes his destitute childhood, saying how he swore how he would never let that happen again. Angel doesn't care why he choose to be evil. Lindsey tells him about Vanessa's next job, killing some children. He has no details, but says they would be in the vault at Wolfram & Hart. Angel tells him to go get them, but Lindsey says he can't return because Wolfram & Hart employ mind readers, and he would be killed. Angel, Lindsey, Cordelia and Wesley plan to get Angel access to the vault. They have a demon guarding it, and shamans who can tell when a vampire enters the building. Angel says that won't be a problem. On the street that night Angel talks to Gunn about helping him. After telling how dangerous it will be Gunn agrees. The next day Lindsey goes to work as Angel begins to cut into the sub basement with a torch from the sewers. Lindsey bumps into Lilah Morgan and they talk briefly (see Continuity #2). Lindsey leaves a key card for Angel to pick up as Angel finishes cutting the hole in the floor to enter the building. Lindsey goes to the security office and makes small talk with the guard watching the monitors. Gunn enters the office lobby and starts to put on a show of words (see Cool Quote #1 & Reference #4). He checks his watch and has his men bring in a vampire under blankets and in ropes, entering right as Angel enters from the sewers. The shaman in the guard office starts to squeal to the guard, who informs security there is a vampire on the premises, as Lindsey secretly changes a monitor that shows Angel near the vault. The vampire runs panicked through the offices. Security guards chase the vampire and stake him. Angel opens the vault and is jumped by the demon. He merely blows a powder in it's face and the demon collapses, he quietly thanks Wesley for that trick. Lindsey makes his way out the office, watching over his shoulder and running into Lee. Angel gets the documents from the vault, then sees a scroll case on a display, which he feels compelled to grab. Alarms sound and he runs for the closing doors, barely escaping. Angel tells Lindsey to get out on the cell phone as Angel makes his escape, but security start to round up people on the floor for a random sweep. Lindsey, Lee and Lilah end up together seeing the mind readers being ushered in.

Computer In a Wolfram & Hart office the employees are lined up and the mind readers walk past each silently. They go past then return to Lindsey and then tell the executive something. The executive nods to a security guard and then looks to Lindsey, then to Lee. He apologizes to Lee and says Lee has been in secret talks with another law firm. The guard shoots Lee in the back of the head, and blood spurts all over Lindsey. As the people leave, the executive tells Lindsey to hang around. Angel returns to Angel Investigations and he gives the files, some computer backups, to Cordelia and the scrolls to Wesley. Cordelia puts a disk into her drive. Wesley says he'll decipher the scrolls as Cordelia discovers the files are encrypted. At the Wolfram & Hart office they remove the body of Lee as the executive confronts Lindsey with what he did. Lindsey says he didn't want to betray Wolfram & Hart, he just wanted out. The executive says he is impressed with his cool, but says he needs direction. He lets Lindsey go to think about it. At Angel Investigations Cordelia talks on the phone to Willow about the computer files (see Continuity #3 & Goof #2). She helps Cordelia get in through a back door and they read the personnel files for Vanessa. In the records they learn Vanessa lost her sight on purpose, spending five years with monks learning to see with her heart. The look up the job to kill three blind children before they can meet with their mentor. The three blind children can see into the heart of things. Lindsey shows up and pretends he escaped. Wesley and Cordelia are sent to intercept the mentor as Angel and Lindsey go to protect the children. At the children's safe house the children eat as Vanessa shows up and kills the man watching over them (see Goof #3 & Reference #5).

Fight At the safe house Angel and Lindsey attack Vanessa as she is about to kill the children. Vanessa seems to have Angel out classed until Angel falls to the floor and she can't seem to spot him. Angel realizes she can only see him while he moves so he moves quickly and then stand still until he has a good shot, hitting her hard. He does this repeatedly until he shoves her walking cane into her, killing her. Lindsey reassures the children that all is all right. At Angel Investigations Wesley tells Angel the kids are with their mentor and then tells Angel the scroll is an ancient lost prophecy that mentions the children and Angel. At the Wolfram & Hart headquarters Lindsey confronts Holland, the executive. He returns the disks, but says he has copies to keep him safe from Wolfram & Hart. Holland tells Lindsey he has potential and is impressed with his nerve (see Reference #6). He says he needs people like that working for Wolfram & Hart. He offers Lindsey a promotion, saying he can have the executive's job, as he was promoted upstairs. Lindsey thinks about it and seems to decide to take the offer. Outdoors Angel looks over the city at night but says nothing.

Creature Feature

Shaman Eyes The main villain in this episode is Vanessa Brewer, a blind assassin with mystical powers. She seems able to sense movement around her, as well as being stronger and faster then the average human. According to the personnel files of Wolfram & Hart she lost her sight at the age of 21, she spent five years with cave dwelling monks reaching enlightenment.

Among the employees of Wolfram & Hart are shamans who monitor the threshold of their office building for vampires entering.

Mind Readers Demon In the vault of Wolfram & Hart is a Preggothian demon which guards it from intruders.

Wolfram & Hart employ a staff of mind readers to insure the loyalty of their members. These mind readers a reminiscent of the Psi-Corps from the television series Babylon 5.

Cool Quotes

  1. Gunn: ''Whoo-whoo! My god! They told me it was true, but I didn't believe them. Damn, here it is! Evil white folks really do have a Mecca. Now, now, girls, don't get all riled up. OW! Did you just step on my foot? Is that my foot you just stepped on? Are you assaulting me, up in this haven of justice? Somebody get me a lawyer, because my civil rights have seriously been violated. Oh, I get it, I get it. You all can cater to the demon, cater to the dead man, but what about the black man! I'd love to stay and chat, but, yo, fellows!''
    Maybe Gunn should take up acting?


References

    Helen Keller
  1. Wesley: ''Perhaps Angel has discovered a new species?''
    Cordelia: ''What? Helen-Kelleris Homocidilus?''
    Helen Adams Keller (1880-1968) was an American author and educator who was blind and deaf. Her education and training represent an extraordinary accomplishment in the education of persons with these disabilities. Also referenced by Cordelia in
    Invisible Girl.

    TV3
  2. Wesley: ''If Brewer was somehow equipped to see outside that range...''
    Cordelia: ''She'd be Superman''.
    Superman is a costumed crime fighter from DC Comics that inspired several television shows, cartoons and films. He was seen on Angel's television in Sanctuary. Among his powers are the ability to see through objects, which he calls his x-ray vision. I wrote a conversion of Superman for Champions 4th edition role playing game at http://mathew.fcpages.com/cssuperman.html. Superman was also referenced by Buffy in Never Kill A Boy On The First Date, by Xander in Helpless and The Zeppo and by Forest in The Initiative and Doomed. Superman was seen on televisions in Angel's home in The Sanctuary.

  3. Holland: ''Ah. Well, that's a big part, the perspiration, but the other part, the inspiration, you've had kind of a rough year on that end.''
    Holland is referencing a quote by Thomas Alva Edison: ''Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration.''

  4. Gunn: ''Whoo-whoo! My god! They told me it was true, but I didn't believe them. Damn, here it is! Evil white folks really do have a Mecca. Now, now, girls, don't get all riled up.''
    Mecca is a city in western Saudi Arabia, located in the Sirat Mountains, inland from the Red Sea coast. It is the holiest of Muslim cities. Muhammad, the founder of Islam, was born in Mecca, and it is toward this religious centre that Muslims turn five times daily in prayer. All devout Muslims attempt a pilgrimage, or hajj, to Mecca at least once in their lifetime. Because it is sacred, only Muslims are allowed to enter the city.

    Etch-A-Sketch
  5. The center blind child plays with an Etch-A-Sketch, which has it's own web site at http://www.etch-a-sketch.com/.

  6. Holland: ''I handpicked you when you were a sophomore at Hastings, not because you were smart, not because you were a poor kid who had to do better than anyone else, but because you had potential, potential for seeing things as they are.''
    University of California Hastings College Of Law is a located in San Francisco was founded in 1878. They have a web site at http://www.uhastings.edu/.


Continuity

    Ambush
  1. Angel: ''Previously on Angel.''
    City Of - Angel meets Lindsey, who threatens to bring him into the light of day.
    Five By Five - Faith asks who she is supposed to kill. Angel meets Lindsey in his office.
    War Zone Angel tells Gunn he'll be around. Gunn surprises a vampire.

    Lawyers
  2. The Sanctuary - Lindsey McDonald, Lee Mercer and Lilah Morgan, the trio of lawyers from Wolfram & Hart, were last seen when they hired an assassin to kill the assassin they hired to kill Angel.

  3. Cordelia: ''Okay, I'm back to desktop Willow, what do I do now? Okay, done that, back to file list, yeah... yes...''
    Welsey: ''Any luck?''
    Angel: ''She been on the phone for an hour and 45 minutes.''
    Cordelia: ''Hey, guess what they've been doing all day?''
    Wesley: ''Ahhh... saving the world?''
    Cordelia: ''Well yeah, but they've been breaking encrypted computer files too!''
    Angel: ''What are they odds huh?''
    The Yoko Factor and Primeval - Willow was working on breaking files Spike supposedly stole from The Initiative.


Goofs

  1. When researching Vanessa's history they say she was born on July 19, 1967 and at the age of 21 joined a group of blind monks in another country for five years, but her police record says she was arrested for driving without a license on July 12, 1993, which was only a little over four years after she joined the monks. It is possible she left them to visit the U.S., but this seems like a mistake.

  2. There is a bit of a problem with the timeline when you consider Cordelia calling Willow and saying Willow spent the day breaking encrypted files. If these are the same files Spike gave Willow in The Yoko Factor, Angel was in Sunnydale that night. Willow decrypted those files the next day, but then Angel came back to Los Angeles where several days passed in Warzone before Cordelia got the files. So when Cordelia called, Willow would have already broken the files days earlier.

  3. Okay, I realize this might not be a mistake, but one of the blind kids can clearly be seen playing with an Etch-A-Sketch! Then again they did have mystical powers.

  4. The credits for this episode say Jennifer Badger Martin played the part of Vanessa Weeks, but they clearly call her Vanessa Brewer all throughout the episode and we see that name on the computer screen several times, so obviously the credits are in error.


Trivia

  • Although they only ever call the character Holland in the show, the Buffy The Vampire Slayer magazine revealed his full name was Holland Manners.

  • In the commercials for this episode Vanessa was humming Three Blind Mice when she was about to attack the children, but in the actual episode she wasn't.

  • According to the computer records Cordelia accesses, Vanessa Brewer was born on July 18, 1967. She was arrested for driving without a license on July 12, 1993, aggravated assault on April 23, 1995, and homicide on October 6, 1999. This last arrest is about the same time The Freshman and City Of were supposed to take place.

  • The web site Cordelia accesses is http://lapd.gov/ which doesn't exist. Their actual web site is at http://www.lapdonline.com/ but it's nothing like the site Cordelia went to.

  • Lee Mercer seems to have healed nicely from the last time we saw him, when Faith left him in a cast and neck brace.

    Ambush
  • Charles Gunn is the 13th reoccurring non-star character on this show. He was last seen in Warzone.

  • The files on Vanessa Brewer's assignment say that the kids will come in to town on April 28, 2000. Since Wesley says they came into town that day that sets this episode starting before this date and ending that night.


  • The Morgue

      Dying Man
    1. Anonymous vampire: In a warehouse, staked by Angel.
    2. Anonymous vampire: In a warehouse, staked by Angel.
    3. Anonymous man: In a warehouse, killed by Vanessa Brewer.
    4. Anonymous vampire: In the Wolfram & Hart office, staked by a security guard.
    5. Lee Mercer: In the Wolfram & Hart office, shot in the back of the head by a security guard.
    6. Man taking care of the children: In the safe house, stabbed with a cane by Vanessa Brewer.
    7. Vanessa Brewer: In the safe house, stabbed with her cane by Angel.


    Cast

    Starring:
    Angel David Boreanaz as Angel
    Cordelia Charisma Carpenter as Cordelia Chase
    Wesley Alexis Denisof as Wesley Wyndham-Pryce

    Guest Starring:
    Lindsey Christian Kane as Lindsey McDonald
    Lee Thomas Burr as Lee Mercer
    Lilah Stephanie Romanov as Lilah Morgan
    Holland Sam Anderson as Holland Manners
    Charles Gunn J. August Richards as Charles Gunn

    Co-Starring:
    Vanessa Jennifer Badger as Vanessa Brewer (Credited as Jennifer Badger Martin as Vanessa Weeks.)
    Mind Readers Keilana Smith as Mind Reader #1
    Mind Readers Dawn Suggs as Mind Reader #2
    Coming soon! Charles Constant as the Security Center Guard (Howard)
    Vendor Scott Berman as the Vendor
    Dying Man Derek Anthony as the Dying Black Man
    Children Rishi Kumar as Blind Child #1 (Center)
    Children Karen Lu as Blind Child #2 (Left)
    Children Alex Buck as Blind Child #3 (Right)
    Faith & Angel Eliza Dushku as Faith (Left, uncredited, seen in flashback from Five By Five.)
    Ty Sven Holmberg as Ty (Uncredited, seen in flashback from War Zone.)


    Famous Faces

    Mover #2 Vendor Scott Berman, who played the vendor, later played the part of mover #2 in Buffy vs. Dracula. It is unknown is this was supposed to be a different character or the same one.

    Manager Holland Sam Anderson, who played Holland Manners, played the part of the assistant manager in the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode The Royale 2.12.

    Vanessa Jennifer Badger, who played Vanessa Brewer, played the part of bridesmaid #1 in the Charmed episode The Wedding From Hell 1.06. She worked as a stunt double for Cordelia, Willow, Jenny, Anya, Faith, Drusilla and the Inca Princess on Buffy The Vampire Slayer. One particular stunt of note she did was the fall Faith made in Graduation Day Part 1. Jennifer has an online stunt resume at http://www.stuntnet.com/women/jenniferbadger.htm.

    Points Of View

    Mathew:

    I am really enjoying the development of Wolfram & Hart. They really have their act together. Shamans, mind readers, technology, all working together to make a powerful company. The minor crossover to Buffy was wonderful, if somewhat badly done. Too bad Vanessa had to die, it's rare that Angel kills human foes.

    7 out of 10




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