Starring: David Boreanaz as Angel, Charisma Carpenter as Cordelia Chase, Alexis Denisof as Wesley Wyndham-Pryce, and J. August Richards as Charles Gunn

Guest starring: Melissa Marsala as Judy, John Kapelos as the Hyperion manager, Tommy Hinkley as the Mulvihill the P.I., Brett Rickaby as Denver the bookstore owner, Scott Thompson Baker as the actor, J.P. Manoux as the bellboy

Original air date: October 3, 2000

Written by: Tim Minear
Directed by: David Semel

Angel and Wes are in Cordy’s dining room discussing a local abandoned hotel, the Hyperion, as Cordy walks in with some morning libations: English Breakfast tea for Wes and some O+ for Angel. Angel suspects that the blood may be going bad already, but Cordy tells him that she’s trying something new - it’s cinnamon. Angel thinks the Hyperion may be due to supernatural reasons rather than a decline in the tourist trade, and asks Wes and Cordy to check out who the current owner is. In the meantime Angel is going to check police records for any other information on the hotel. When Wes asks who the client is Angel tells him there is no client. Wes wants to know why Angel has a sudden interest in the hotel Angel evades the question and says he’s going to focus on any court cases and homicide records which mention the Hyperion. Wes speculates that, whatever is connected with the hotel, it’s still there and Angel agrees.

The Hyperion Hotel, ca 1952. The lobby is bustling with employees and guests. At the desk the manager hands a bellboy some things to deliver to some of the guests. When the manager gives the bellboy the weekly bill for #217 the bellboy becomes visibly shaken. The bellboy doesn’t want to deliver a bill and suggests, instead, he delivers an eviction notice because the guest gives him “the heebie-jeebies.” The manager reminds the bellboy that, if they gave guests eviction notices for the heebie-jeebies, the hotel would be empty and the manager sends the bellboy upstairs.

The bellboy exits the elevator on the second floor and, very reluctantly, steps out into the hall, with the bill for the guest in #217 on a silver tray. The bellboy knocks, very quietly, on the door to room 217 and quietly asks if anyone is home. When he doesn’t get an answer, the bellboy leaves the tray and the bill on the floor outside the door. The bellboy can’t seem to move quickly enough to get away from that door. After the bellboy gets back in the elevator the door to room #217. The guest, Angel, opens the door, picks up his bill, and closes the door behind him.

Present day: Angel is walking through the mess in the Hyperion’s lobby. As he does he begins to reminisce about his time there. It’s 1952. Several guests are watching the McCarthy trials on tv. Angel walks in to the lobby carrying a brown paper bag and grabs a newspaper before heading upstairs. At the front desk the manager is telling a family of African-Americans that there are no vacancies, despite what the sign out front says. Angel steps out of the elevator on the second floor and walks down the hall to his room. Angel passes a man in a hat standing in front of one of the other rooms and the man eyes Angel suspiciously. As Angel reaches his room a door a little further down the hall opens and two men step into the hall. One of the men adjusts the collar and hair of the other. The younger of the two men walks towards the elevator as the other man and Angel both enter their rooms.

In his room Angel removes a bottle of human blood from the paper bag then goes in search of some ice. As he approaches the ice machine he sees a man standing in front of him talking to someone Angel can’t see. Angel scoops some ice out of the ice machine, then sees the hat man from earlier in front of a door to his right. As Angel walks by the man with the hat knocks on a door. Angel goes back to his room and puts his blood on ice. Angel hears a noise behind him in the bathroom. When he turns around a young woman leaves the bathroom and tells Angel she’ll be finished shortly, she’s pretending to be a maid. Angel isn’t fooled and tells the woman that she’s not the maid because there’s no cart in front of the door, the sheets on the bed are still dirty, and she’s the wrong color. The young woman tells Angel she wasn’t trying to steal from him and tries to give Angel an explanation, but Angel’s not interested and tells her to go. She tells Angel she can’t leave - her boyfriend is looking for her and he’s the jealous type. She tells Angel that he can’t find her. Angel puts the woman so that, when Angel opens the door, she’s behind it. Angel finds the suspicious man with the hat kneeling in front of Angel’s door with lockpicking tools in his hands. The guy in the hat stands up and demands to know where she is and tells Angel that he knows the young woman is hiding in Angel’s room. Angel denies that there is anyone in the room so the hat man bullies Angel into letting the man in Angel’s room. Of course, the gun the hat man is carrying seems to help. Angel steps back from the doorway and the man in the hat takes two steps forward when Angel slams the door in the hat man’s face, knocking him back into the hallway. The man in the hat tries to draw his gun but Angel disarms him, twists one arm behind the hat man’s back, and walks him down the hall. The elevator doors open and Angel throws the hat man in to the elevator. Angel tells the bellboy standing in the elevator, “he’s going down” before turning around and walking back to his room. The young woman, who is standing in the hallway, thanks Angel profusely and tells him that her name is Judy. Angel pointedly ignores her, walks into his room and slams the door.

Present day: Wes and Cordelia are running through what they know about the Hyperion Hotel. The hotel closed it’s doors in 1979 when the concierge made a “wake up call” with a shotgun. The building is registered as a protected landmark and the company who currently owns it has been trying to unload the Hyperion for ten years. The suspicious deaths in the Hyperion trace back to when the hotel first opened in 1928. Cordy is a little frustrated because neither she nor Wes know *why* they are investigating the hotel and Wes admits he doesn’t understand Angel’s motives. Cordelia is flipping through some photographs taken in the hotel lobby when she tells Wes to look at one picture in particular -- it’s Angel standing in the hotel lobby in a picture taken in 1952. Wes realizes, now, that Angel has a personal connection to the Hyperion Hotel and, when Cordelia asks why Angel didn’t tell them, speculates that Angel may be ashamed to.

1952: Angel is in his room smoking a cigarette. He can hear music coming from the next room (Dean Martin singing the “Whoop-De-Doo Polka”). In the next room is the man Angel saw earlier in the hallway who was talking. The man is responding to a whispered voice, but there is no one in the hotel room with him. The man walks over to a desk and picks up a loaded gun. The man sits on the floor next to his bed, places a pillow next to his head, and brings the gun up towards his ear. Meanwhile Angel is having a drink when he hears the gunshot. Angel is unphased and barely acknowledges that something unusual has happened.

Later the hotel manager and bellboy are walking down the hall. Apparently a maid found the dead man in his room and told the bellboy who, in turn, told the manager. The manager and bellboy are going to check on the body. As the manager opens the door and finds the body he complains that this is the third death in three months and wants to know why people can’t kill themselves in their own homes. The bellboy thinks that they could have predicted it - the guest was pretty depressed, even though he was ‘kinda cheap’ for a death wisher. Suddenly the hotel manager hears whispered voices including one voice that says all of the recent deaths will cause the hotel to be shut down. The bellboy interrupts the voices and asks the manager who should be called first - the carpet cleaners or the cops. The manager tells the bellboy not to call anyone and to store the body in the meat locker.

Down in the lobby three guests are gossping about the death. One of the guests suggests that it’s a good idea that the cops aren’t going to be called. That way the cops or the press won’t be nosing around. As the three guests argue in the background another guest hears a voice ask if the death really *was* a suicide and whether or not the guest will be safe in the hotel.

In another part of town Judy runs across Angel at the planetarium. Judy tries to get Angel to chat with her, but he is only interested in looking out over the lights of L.A. Judy tells Angel that she had to get out of the hotel after what happened and Angel asks if her boyfriend came back. Judy explains about the death of the man in room #215. Judy again tries to thank Angel for his help, but Angel doesn’t acknowledge her thanks and brushes her off.

Present day: Wes and Cordelia are organizing the information they’ve found on incidents at the Hyperion Hotel, including a newspaper clipping of the bellboy who had been arrested for the man’s death and then later executed.

1952: Four guests are talking about the death, and three of them are trying to convince the fourth that the man’s death wasn’t a suicide. Angel returns to his room and Judy asks him to come to her room. Judy tells Angel that the man was murdered but Angel disagrees. Judy is clearly concerned about the possibility that the police might be by asking questions. Judy told Angel to repay his help earlier. Judy wants to know if leaving now would look suspicious and Angel answers that it might, especially if it has anything to do with the PI that Angel tossed into the elevator earlier. Judy is surprised that Angel recognized the man as a PI and not her boyfriend. Judy tells Angel that the PI probably works for her former employers and that the employers may want the huge bag of money Judy is hiding back. Judy was a teller at a bank and the bank found out that Judy had been “passing for white” since the age of 15 and fired her and, when her fiancé found out, he broke off his engagement with Judy. Judy was angry and frustrated with her “tainted blood” so she took a bag of money from the bank and ran to L.A. Angel tells Judy that blood is just blood, but Judy tells Angel that no one really believes that, even her mother’s family. Judy believes she’s nothing because she isn’t one thing or the other, and Angel sympathizes. Judy suddenly recants and says she is something -- a thief -- in part because of the horrible things Judy was called when people realized she wasn’t Caucasian or African-American. Angel tells Judy that fear makes people, especially Judy’s employers, do stupid things. Judy feels trapped. If she stays the police might find the money, but if she goes she might look suspicious. Angel grabs the bag of money and tells Judy he’s going to help her.

Present day: Cordelia is trying to figure out where to put some information about Judy. They know that Judy was being tracked by the federal authorities for bank robbery and that she was in the Hyperion Hotel the same time Angel was. But after 1952 Judy was never heard from again.

1952: Angel and Judy are going to the basement. She thinks she’ll be safe there, at least until the police go away. Angel hides the money in the basement and, when he hears some whispered voices, tells Judy to go back to her room. Angel realizes that the “something” in the hotel is making people crazy. Judy asks Angel if the bank might give up the search on her if the money were to make it back to the bank. Judy thinks that if the bank realized that none of the money had been spent her employers might forgive her.

Present day: Angel is the the basement of the Hyperion and finds the money that he hid for Judy - intact. He also hears the whispered voices.

In Cordelia’s apartment Wes is on the brink of determining what caused the deaths at the Hyperion. But Cordy has the answer - a Thesulac demon. The Thesulac whispers to victims causing paranoia and feeds on the victim’s insecurities. Wes is a little dumbfounded with Cordy’s analysis, that is until Cordy hands Wes the phone and tells Wes that Angel wants to talk to him. Angel’s still at the Hyperion trying to restore electrical power to the hotel lobby. Apparently Angel wanted Cordy and Wes to find out more about the hotel to figure out where the Thesulac demon might have gone after it left the Hyperion, but the demon is still there. Angel asks Wes and Cordy to come down to the hotel, with Gunn, so that they can fight the Thesulac. Angel wants to recorporealize the demon so that they can kill it.

1952: Angel talks to Denver, a local bookstore owner. Angel asks Denver for books on demons, especially books to cleanse demons out of an area. Denver tells Angel to try “this” book and tosses Angel a copy of the Bible. As Angel grabs the Bible his hands start to smoke and he vamps out. Angel turns and runs away and Denver runs out of the shop with a cross and stake. As Denver is standing outside the shop screaming at no one Angel steps out of the shadows behind Denver and grabs Denver by the throat. Angel tells Denver it’s been a long time since Angel opened a vein but he’s more than willing to if Denver pulls “any more of that Van Helsing, Jr. crap.” Angel is at the shop because he needs and expert, and Denver is it. Angel tells Denver to show him all the books in the back. . . now.

At the hotel the bellboy tells the manager that he had to make the body fit into the meat locker. Apparently there wasn’t quite enough room and the body had to be wedged in. Meanwhile the four guests are still arguing about the man’s death. The guests are beginning to turn on each other and believe that each killed the man from room #215. Upstairs, Judy starts to hear the whispers of the Thesulac. The demon is telling Judy that the others know about her and will send her to prison.

At the bookstore Angel is researching the Thesulac. Denver tells Angel he has two options: give the Thesulac something to feed on or raise the demon. Neither is pretty. A book has the incantation but Angel will need an Orb of Ramjarin which, luckily, Denver has. Angel coerces Denver into giving Angel the orb for free. Denver also gives Angel some herbs and divining powders for the incantation. Denver tells Angel that he’ll need something big to kill it with, but a lightening strike might be helpful. Denver gives Angel a large axe to (hopefully) kill the demon. Denver tells Angel that a vampire trying to kill a demon to help humans doesn’t make sense and Angel agrees.

Back at the hotel the argument has escalated. The four guests, the manager, and the bellboy are accusing each other of murdering the guest from room #215. Several other guests join the arument but they are interrupted by the PI, Mulvihill, who is looking for Judy. One of the guests thinks that Mulvihill is suspicious and may have killed the guest in room #215. Later Angel returns to the Hyperion and finds the lobby empty.

Present day: Cordelia is spreading the divining powder, Gunn is moving furniture to make space, and Wes is reciting the incantation to raise the Thesulac. Wes pauses and tells Gunn to give Wes the Orb of Ramjarin, but Gunn insists that Wes say “please.” Wes caves and says ‘please,’ then cautions Gunn that ancient orbs are very fragile. Of course, Gunn then lobs the Orb at Wes who has to drop his book to catch it. Angel tells both Wes and Gunn to ignore the Thesulac but Cordy tells Angel that Wes and Gunn were carrying on like this during the drive over to the hotel. Wes finishes the incantation and the Thesulac demon begins to materialize.

1952: Angel exits the elevator on his floor to find everyone at the hotel accusing Judy of murder. Angel tries to help Judy but, before he can do anything, Judy accuses Angel of the murder. Everyone in the hotel starts to beat up Angel and he is helpless. The mob takes Angel to the lobby and lynches Angel, hanging him off a beam into the lobby. As Angel hangs there limp and, apparently dead, the mob quiets and dissapates. Judy is sorry for what she did, as is the hotel manager, but the bellboy isn’t remorseful in the least. AFter everyone leaves the lobby area, Angel takes the noose off of his neck. The Thesulac demon appears behind Angel and tells Angel that he’s “stuffed” - the fear and paranoia of the mob has been quite a feast for the Thesulac. The Thesulac taunts Angel - Angel thought he’d made a friend and he did, for awhile. Angel gave Judy hope and belief in others, and when the hope turned to paranoia and fear it made Judy a “nummy morsel” for the Thesulac. The Thesulac tells Angel that there are a lot more people at the Hyperion who could use Angel’s help. Angel tells the Thesulac to, “take ‘em all.” The Thesulac laughs as Angel leaves the hotel.

Present day: Wes has successfully raised the Thesulac, who immediately starts to taunt Angel. Angel tells the Thesulac that it should have left the Hyperion when it had the chance but the Thesulac doesn’t see why - especially when the paranoia at the hotel gets better with age. Angel yells to Gunn who shoots one of the Thesulac’s tentacles with a crossbow. Angel dives across the lobby and grabs another of the Thesulac’s tentacles which he shoves into an electrical outlet and the Thesulac starts to fry. The electrical power kills the Thesulac.

Angel goes upstairs to room #214 - Judy’s old room. Judy is still there, but unlike Angel, Judy has aged. Judy tells Angel that she doesn’t hear the voices anymore and asks if they are gone. Judy recognizes Angel and tells him that he looks the same, but Angel tells her he’s not. Judy tells Angel that the mob killed Angel because of her, that Judy killed Angel, but Angel disagrees. Apparently the Thesulac kept the mob from the door which kept Judy in the room all these years. Judy is ready to leave the room, finally, but wants to take a little rest. Angel helps Judy over to the bed and Judy asks for Angel’s forgiveness. Judy tells Angel she’s going to rest before she goes out. Judy quietly dies as Angel watches.

Angel comes down the lobby stairs and Cordy asks him if they are done there. Angel tells her that they are and Cordy’s happy - the hotel gives her the heebie-jeebies. Gunn’s glad, too, because there’s a weird order. Angel then announces that they are moving in. Wes isn’t too sure it’s a good idea. After all, the Hyperion housed a malevolent spirit and some very bad examples of humanity for nearly 100 years. But Angel tells Wes that the hotel isn’t evil anymore.