Written By: Douglas Petrie
Directed By: Bruce Seth Green

Cast: David Boreanaz, as Angel, Charisma Carpenter, as Cordelia Chase, Glenn Quinn, as Doyle.

Guest Stars: Seth Green, Oz Osborne, James Marsters, as Spike, Kevin West, as Marcus, Malia Mathis, as Rachel.

Original Air Date: October 19, 1999

A girl is running down a dark alley and hides behind a building. She steps out and glances back down the alley to see if anyone’s following her, but no one is there. Thinking it’s safe, she turns to leave, but a man is standing in her way. “No… Lenny… please,” she says as she backs away from him, but he isn’t listening. He tells her this is the last time she’ll make a fool of him and knocks her against a dumpster. She tells him someone will hear her scream, but he mockingly tells her no one will – no one who cares anyway. “Besides, it will all be over soon,” he says and points a gun at her. A second later, Angel comes around the corner and grabs Lenny. He knocks him around a few times and Lenny finally falls to the ground. Angel asks Rachel if she’s okay and she says she can’t believe he actually showed up. “Well that was the deal, right?” They continue talking in the alley, unaware someone is watching them from a nearby rooftop. It’s Spike, an old “friend” of Angel’s, who’s come to town to pay him a surprise visit.

Back at the office, Cordelia is excitedly typing up an invoice for their first walk in client. Doyle says she shouldn’t be excited just yet because the client hasn’t actually paid the invoice. Cordelia says she has to pay – it’s the rule of our society. Doyle reminds her that default is another popular rule in our society, especially with the down and outs. Their banter continues until the office door opens and Oz, a friend from Sunnydale, walks in. Cordelia is very happy to see him and have a chance to catch up on what’s going on in Sunnydale. He tells her everything is still the same and the gang is fine. She introduces to him to Doyle and says he “works there”. Oz tells her he heard the rumor that they are detectives now. She says Angel is – she’s an actress. He asks if Angel has a cool coat and hat, but she tells him he just has fangs. Oz asks where he is and the three of them head down the elevator to Angel’s apartment.

Walking by with his nose in a book, Angel does a double take when he sees Oz step off the elevator with Cordelia and Doyle. He’s surprised to see him and Oz tells him he’s in L.A. primarily for a gig, but he also has something to give to Angel. He holds up a ring and Doyle asks if that’s what he thinks it is. “The Gem of Amarra,” Angel says, as he takes the ring from Oz. He tells Angel that Buffy wanted him to have it and Cordelia asks if Buffy is still being a brave little slayer or if she’s moping around in the dark like… no one around there. Angel walks away and Oz says she’s good – she’s Buffy. Doyle says they should concentrate on the mother load Angel just hit and tells him to put the ring on now. Cordelia doesn’t understand why they’re getting so worked up about a ring and Doyle tells her it’s because the ring is priceless and renders the wearer invincible if he’s a vampire. Doyle says nothing would be able to kill Angel if he was wearing it – not a stake, fire or even sunlight. Looking down at the ring, Angel asks Oz if it’s from Buffy and he says yes. Apparently Angel’s old buddy Spike dug up Sunnydale looking for it, but he got a fistful of Buffy and left it behind. Buffy wanted Angel to have it, so she had Oz take it to him while he was in LA. “And she didn’t even send a note. Wow – that’s really,” Cordelia says before she sees the look on Angel’s face and decides to be quiet. Doyle tries to cheer Angel up by telling him to put the ring on and he’ll stake him, but Angel doesn’t want to hear it. Doyle tells Angel to have it his way, but he’s going out to celebrate at the pub. Cordelia and Oz decide to tag along and after they leave, Angel goes down and hides the ring in the sewer.

The next morning, Doyle and Cordelia sit in the office talking. He’s nursing a hangover and she’s trying to help him by opening the aspirin bottle and telling him some of the stupid things he said the night before at the bar. Downstairs, Angel is practicing Tai Chi, but a call comes in and interrupts him. It’s Rachel and she tells him Lenny got out of jail on a technicality. Angel tells her he’ll be right there and heads to his car, but Spike hits him with a 2’ x 4’ just as he reaches it. Angel goes flying across the parking garage and Spike says he believes Angel has something that he’s looking for. Angel tells him he may as well go home because the ring is staying with him. A fight begins and they throw each other all over the place in between punches. Cordelia and Doyle come rushing in and Spike leaves, but not before telling Angel that this thing won’t be over until one of them is a pile of dust. Angel thinks Doyle and Cordelia may not be safe now, so he wants them to get out of sight until this is over. Cordelia and Doyle head over to his place while Angel goes out to look for Spike.

At Doyle’s apartment, Cordelia is pacing the floor while he makes phone calls to see if anyone’s seen Spike. She comments on how he keeps his apartment, but he tells her he never lived liked that until he saw her place. Doyle wonders if he should be worried about Spike and Cordelia tells him he is as bad as he seems.

Angel, in the meantime, has made his way over to Rachel’s apartment. He suggests she go stay in a shelter for a while, but she isn’t sure she can do it. She’s scared, more of herself than of Lenny. He tells her she’s at a crossroads and she can either go with the easy fix and take the consequences or take the hard road and go with faith in herself. Then maybe, just maybe, she’ll find the kind of love she deserves.

Back at Doyle’s, Cordelia is munching on some chips and giving Doyle the scoop on Spike. “Spikes nearly done Buffy in a few times,” she says. “Did I mention that he’s killed two slayer’s already?” He says she did, so she tells him some other stories. The phone rings and its Angel on the line. Doyle tells him about a guy he talked to that said he hadn’t seen Spike, but he told him that before Doyle ever mentioned him. Doyle gives Angel the location of the bar and they hang up. Angel then heads down to the bar, and after some not-so-gentle persuasion, he finds out Spike is out back in the alley. Angel goes out there and finds Spike attacking a girl. He tells Spike to let her go and Spike takes off running down the alley. Angel thinks he has him trapped when they run into a dead end, but a guy comes up behind Angel and throws a chain around his neck. The whole thing was a setup and Angel’s just fallen into Spike’s trap.

The next morning, Cordelia and Doyle are still at his place and she’s worried because they haven’t heard from Angel. Despite his pacing the floor, Doyle tries to reassure her by saying that Angel has the ring and he’s probably down at the beach enjoying the day.

Meanwhile, Spike and his partner, a vampire named Marcus, are preparing to torture Angel in the abandoned warehouse where they’re holding him. Hanging from the ceiling by his arms, Angel can do nothing but listen as Spike talks about how much Marcus enjoys inflicting pain and watch as Marcus prepares his torture devices while music plays in the background. Spike tells Angel that Marcus loves children, eating them that is, and Marcus comes over to open Angel’s shirt. He’s amazed at how good his skin still is for someone who’s lived so long. Marcus says that Angel is in love and he has a soul, which means he has something to lose. Spike wants him to stop talking and start the torture, so Marcus asks Angel what he wants and the torture begins.

Driving hot pokers through different parts of Angel’s body, Marcus continuously asks him what he wants, but Angel never gives him a serious answer. Spike gets frustrated and wants to know why he keeps asking him that and why they have to listed to the music while he’s doing it. All he wants is his ring and if he doesn’t get it soon, he’s going to stake Angel. Marcus says Angel knows he’s lying because Spike won’t kill him until he gets the ring, but he knows Marcus isn’t and soon he’ll be willing to tell him everything. Angel tells Spike he’s an idiot for hiring a vampire to help him find the ring, but Spike says he already thought of that. He hired a guy that doesn’t care about the ring or anything else on the earth – just about the pain. He says it’s called addiction, something they all have, even Angel. “Speaking of little Buff,” he says and proceeds to tell Angel that she’s moved on already with someone who used her shamelessly. Spike says she’s cute when she’s hurting, but Angel thinks she’s cuter when she’s kicking Spike’s ass. Marcus comes over with the poker he just heated on the fire and Spike says he thinks he’ll go get some fresh air. Marcus stabs Angel with the poker, causing him to wail in pain and Spike says “now that’s music,” as he walks away. Marcus decides to change torture tactics and starts shooting at the ceiling above Angel’s head, allowing rays of sun to beam in all around him. Marcus says he has to wonder what he wants if not the ring. It’s through the pain that they find out truth of who they are because it strips them of their defenses and makes them innocent like children. He likes children and he’s ready to help Angel find that innocence again.

In the meantime, Spike’s made his way to Angel’s apartment where he looks for the ring. He has no luck finding it and decides to go, but Cordelia is standing there aiming a crossbow at him. Doyle is with her and they want to know where Angel is. Spike tells them he’s having the living hell tortured out of him, but they know how stubborn Angel can be – he might be die before he gives up the ring. He tells them if they find the ring for him, he’ll let Angel go. They have until sundown.

Back at the warehouse, Marcus is keeping up the torture, but Angel finally tells Marcus what he wants – forgiveness. While Marcus is rambling, Angel manages to get a broken piece of wood between his feet and when he gets close enough, Angel tries to stake him. Unfortunately, Spike shows up just as he promises to kill Marcus and says staking the torturer isn’t allowed. Marcus gets angry and goes at Angel but Spike pulls him off and says they still need that ring. Marcus tells him it won’t be long now. Spike reaches over to pick something up off the table and says he’ll grab a pair of needle-nose pliers and give him a hand. Outside the warehouse, we hear Angel scream in pain.

Coredelia and Doyle are still at Angel’s apartment looking for the ring, but they can’t find it anywhere. They decide to head down to the sewers to see if they can find it and when Cordelia’s back is turned, Doyle turns into his demon self and smells the air. They find the ring and they decide they need a plan. They go to meet Spike and he asks for the ring. They tell him they don’t have it with them, but they know where it is. They tell him to take them to Angel, show him he’s still in one piece and they’ll tell him where to find the ring.

He takes them to the warehouse and Cordelia and Doyle try to rush to Angel’s side, but Spike says they’re deal was for the ring and won’t let them near him. Spike says they’ve wasted enough of his time – he wants the ring and he wants it now. Doyle pulls the ring out of his pocket and says if he wants it, go get it, then tosses it across the floor. Cordelia and Doyle start moving toward Angel, saying Spike has the ring so now they can have Angel. Cordelia says Spike is going to leave them alone and they’re going to leave. “Come on, you don’t really think we’re going to do that do you,” he says as he reaches over to try and get the ring. They say not really and a van comes busting through the side of the warehouse. It’s Oz and he holds a crossbow on Spike while Cordelia and Doyle get Angel. When they drive away, Spike gets up and goes to get the ring, but it’s gone. Realizing Marcus took it, Spike trashes the warehouse and says he will never work with a partner again.

In the van, Doyle, Cordelia and Oz are trying to figure out the best place to take Angel so someone can patch him up, but Angel tells Oz to turn around. Marcus is on the loose and he has a thing for children, so Angel wants to go stop him. They drive to the beach, right onto the boardwalk, where Marcus is walking freely in the sun. He heads to where a group of children are standing and Cordelia jumps out of the van and tells them to run. Oz shoots Marcus with the crossbow while Doyle goes over to attack him. Marcus knocks Doyle to the ground just as Oz opens the van door and Angel jumps out. Burning in the sunlight, Angel runs at Marcus and the two of them go over the side of the boardwalk into the water. Fighting under the shade of the boardwalk, Angel manages to push Marcus into a piece of wood and pulls the ring off his finger. Marcus turns into a pile of dust. Slipping the ring on his finger, Angel walks out onto the beach in the sun, where he finds Cordelia, Doyle and Oz waiting for him. Cordelia wants to take him home, Doyle tells her to give Angel a minute. Angel walks along the beach and basks in the sun.

Later in the day, Angel and Doyle are on the rooftop watching the sunset. Doyle asks him how long it’s been between sunsets and Angel tells him 240 years, give or take. Doyle says he must be feeling pretty good because he has the ring and everything has changed. Angel doesn’t say anything and Doyle says the sunset is spectacular but there will be another one tomorrow. “Not for me,” he replies. Doyle asks if they are going to be hit by a meteor or something and when Angel doesn’t answer, he says he can’t even bring himself to say the other reason why he might not see it. “I’m not going to wear the ring,” Angel says and Doyle tells him that was it. He says Angel has a real addiction to the brooding part of life and he thinks the ring is his redemption. Angel says it may look like it, but it isn’t. He says he thought of it from every angle and he did a lot of damage in his day. Doyle wants him to think about all the people he could save in the daylight if he wears the ring. Angel says they have help – it’s the ones after dark that need him. He was brought back for a reason and he doesn’t think eighteen rounds of golf is it. They stand in silence as the sun goes down and then Angel slips off the ring and smashes it. Doyle tells him that Rachel called and wanted him to tell Angel thanks and that she found a little faith. Angel says he doesn’t know about Doyle but he had a nice day – except for the bulk of it where he was nearly tortured to death. Doyle said he stood up to it and Angel confesses that if he would’ve been stuck with one more hot poker, he would’ve given Marcus everything, including Doyle’s mom. “How is your mom,” he asks, and the two of them head back downstairs.
DVD Guide

Chapter 1: Saving the Night
Chapter 2: Main Titles
Chapter 3: Welcome to Oz
Chapter 4: Be Like Spike
Chapter 5: Addicted to Love
Chapter 6: Angel Trap
Chapter 7: Brahms Butcher
Chapter 8: King of Pain
Chapter 9: Ultimatum
Chapter 10: Serious Sewer Search
Chapter 11: Hot Head
Chapter 12: Child’s Play
Chapter 13: Under the Boardwalk
Chapter 14: Day Dream Beliver
Chapter 15: End Credits