Ground State - 4ADH02
Written by Mere Smith - Directed by Michael Grossman - First aired on October 13th, 2002
Synopsis -
Creature Feature -
Cool Quotes -
References -
Continuity -
Goofs -
Trivia -
The Morgue -
Cast -
Famous Faces -
Points Of View
Synopsis
The Short: When Wesley advises Angel to visit Dinza, a dark goddess of the lost who has
valuable information on how to find Cordelia, he learns that a certain mystical antiquity called the Axis of Pythia can locate souls across dimensions. Angel, Fred and Gunn break into an auction house to retrieve the Axis only to discover that Gwen Raiden, an electrifying cat burglar, has the same intentions. Gwen gets the Axis, but then Angel uses Lilah Morgan to track Gwen down when she's selling it to her buyer, Elliot. Elliot attempts to kill Gwen and take the Axis for himself, but Angel is able to save her. In return Gwen let's Angel use the Axis, which tells him Cordelia is a higher being on another plan now. Although Angel thinks she's happy there and accepts she isn't returning, Cordelia wants to return home.
The Long: After a ''Previously on Angel'' segment (see Continuity #1) we open in a flashback to October 28th, 1985 in Gills Rock, Wisconsin. Mr. and Mrs. Raiden drop off their young daughter Gwen at Thorpes Academy. Gwen is dressed in a heavy coat, hood and gloves, despite it being warm out. The parents have donated a large sum of money to the school for the girl's ''special needs'' and leave her at the school. Gwen is told she isn't allowed to touch any of the other students. Later Gwen is eating in the yard as other children play. A boy talks to her and hands her a toy. The brief contact between them knocks the little boy to the ground and melts the toy to scrap. (Listen to the teaser here.)
Unfinished.
Creature Feature
Gwen Raiden is a human freak with somewhat controlled powers over electricity. She claims to have been hit by lightning 14 times. She can kill people with a touch, fry electrical systems and bend lasers by ''exciting the subatomic particles with electrical energy and then bouncing them off each other before they hit ground state.'' She is also a high end professional thief.
Dinza is one of the Eleusian mysteries, a dark demigoddess of the lost. Only the dead can approach her. She is incredibly fast, has wings, and knows the location of all lost things.
The Axis of Pythia is an ancient power which allows the user to locate souls or entities across dimensions. It was forged from the tripod of the Dephic Oracle.
Cool Quotes
- Fred: ''I'm still working on a plan, but so far it involves being sent to prison and becoming somebody's bitch.''
Such language Fred!
References
- Angel: ''Really? City of Atlantis? Holy Grail? Jimmy Hoffa?''
The city at Atlantis is...
The Holy Grail is...
Jimmy Hoffa is...
- Gunn: ''Yeah, but if it's an auction house can't we just, you know, ebay it?''
ebay is... They have a web site at http://www.ebay.com/. Also mentioned by Anya in Bargaining Part 1.
- Gunn: ''Damn. This is so much harder than it looks on Batman.''
Batman, a costumed crime fighter from DC Comics that inspired several television shows, cartoons and films.
- Gwen: ''It's fun for a girl and a boy...''
This is the marketing slogan for the Slinky.
- Gwen: ''Please? Are you kidding me? Hey there, Denzel.''
Denzel Washington is... Also mentioned by Gunn in First Impressions.
- Gwen: ''What are you, Lex Luthor?''
Lex Luthor is the evil genius arch nemesis of comic book hero Superman. Also mentioned by Andrew in Two To Go.
- Elliot: ''What do you think? I was gonna stand here and duke it out with Electro Girl?''
Electro Girl is an obscure comic book heroine who first appeared in G-Boy comics back in 1947. Carol Flane was investigating the death of her father in his labratory when she was struck by a bolt of electricity which threw her through the air, after which she discovered she had gained electrical powers. A few weeks later she publicly proclaimed in the newspaper the start of her crime-fighting career, as Electro Girl.
Continuity
- Cordelia: ''Previously on Angel.''
- Angel: ''Okay. Maybe twice, but I'm good at it. I swear!''
Gunn: ''Uh, you're NOT counting the time we stole the crazy making death shroud that nearly killed us, right?''
Choices - Angel helped Buffy steal the Box of Gavrok from the mayor's office.
The Shroud of Rahmon - Angel and Gunn helped steal the Shroud of Rahmon, which drove people insane.
Goofs
- It seems very odd to me that Angel is somehow immune to Gwen's electrical powers, and yet we have seen him be knocked out be hand-held electrical stunners on the show. I know it can't kill him, but he should be knocked out just like everyone else when hit by electricity.
- Although Angel, as a vampire, casts no reflection just before fighting Gwen, we can clearly see it during the fight in the shiny walls and floors.
Trivia
The Morgue
- Anonymous male student: At the Thorpe Academy, electrocuted accidentally by Gwen (in a flashback to 1985).
- Anonymous demon: In an undisclosed location, axed in half by Wesley.
- Charles Gunn: In the auction house vault, heart stopped when he touched Gwen (but he got better).
Cast
Starring:
David Boreanaz as Angel
Charisma Carpenter as Cordelia Chase
J. August Richards as Charles Gunn
Amy Acker as Winifred "Fred" Burkle
Vincent Kartheiser as Connor Angel
Alexis Denisof as Wesley Wyndham-Pryce
Guest Starring:
Stephanie Romanov as Lilah Morgan
Alexa Davalos as Gwen Raiden
Rena Owen as Dinza
Tom Irwin as Elliot
Co-Starring:
Belinda Waymouth as Lydia Thorpe
Heidi Fecht as Mrs. Raiden
Michael Medico as Mr. Raiden
Jessica M. Kiper as Nick
Easton Gage as the Young Boy
Megan Corletto as Young Gwen Raiden
David Denman as Skip (Uncredited, seen in flashback to Tomorrow.)
Famous Faces
Michael Medico, who played Mr. Raiden, played George Winkler in the Roswell episode Ch-Ch-Changes 3.12.
Megan Corletto, who played young Gwen, played little Piper in the Charmed episode That 70's Episode 1.17. She also played Amber Lynn LaPierre in the X-Files episodes Sein Und Zeit 7.10 and Closure 7.11. She has an official web site at http://www.megancorletto.cjb.net//
Points Of View
Mathew:
I like Gwen, and was I the only one who thought this was some attempt by Mere Smith to get a spinoff series of her own? What would we call it? Electro-Girl? I would like to know who got to keep the axis.
Page by Webmaster Mathew - December, 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.
