Starring: David Boreanaz as Angel, Charisma Carpenter as Cordelia, Amy Acker as Fred, Alexis Denisof as Wesley Wyndham-Pryce, J. August Richards as Gunn
Guest starring: Vincent Kartheiser as Connor (Steven), Laurel Holloman as Justine, Mark Lutz as Groo (Groosalugg), Andy Hallet as Lorne, Stephanie Romanov as Lilah, Keith Szarabajka as Holtz
Original air date: May 13, 2002
Written by: Tim Minear
Directed by: Tim Minear
Fred, Gunn, Cordy, and Groo are worried that something else might have come through the portal from Qortoth, and that something might be after Connor. They want to warn Angel (who isnt answering his cell) so that hes prepared, but they dont even know if Angel found Connor. At that moment Angel comes stumbling through the door. Angel tells everyone that he found Connor, whose name is now Steven, and that they talked. And although Angel tells everyone he doesnt know where Steven is, Steven knows where to find Angel so Angel thinks Steven is safe. That is, until Fred drops that bomb that some vengeance-y else thing may have come through the portal before it was closed. Fred is seriously concerned about leaving Steven alone on the streets of L.A. Angel tells her that Steven has to come back on his own when he realizes that he needs his father. Meanwhile Steven gets a room for himself and Holtz at a dive motel.
The next morning Steven assaults a vending machine to get breakfast for himself and Holtz. Holtz, however, is more interested in the newspaper and discovers that he left this reality only a few days ago. Holtz is impressed that his son was smart enough to find a way out of the Qortoth dimension, but Steven didnt want Holtz to follow him. Steven planned to return to the Qortoth after he killed Angel. Steven confesses to Holtz that he had the opportunity to kill Angel, but he couldnt. Holtz understands because Steven doesnt have it in him to kill Angel. Holtz thinks that Steven actually came to this reality to find out more about Angel. Holtz then gives Steven a sermon about Holtz always telling Steven the truth about who his parents (Darla and Angel) really were, how Holtz came to raise Steven, and how Angelus and Darla had killed Holtzs other family. Holtz wants Steven to learn more about Angel so that Steven can fight against the Angel of Stevens nature.
At the hotel Lorne delivers an enchanted Cedrian crystal to Fred. Fred uses the crystal to power a MacGyvered geiger counter to detect any paraplasmic radioactivity left behind by demons from the Qortoth dimension. Cordy is more interested in how Angel is doing. She goes upstairs to talk to him leaving Groo looking a bit concerned. Cordy finds Angel punching the crap out of a punching bag. Cordy tries some chit-chat but Angel wont open up. She finally just tells Angel that he did the right thing. Angel, though, is worried that Steven wont come back. Cordy doesnt have an answer for that.
Downstairs Groo and Lorne talk. Groo is confused - when Connor was stolen Angel tried to move heaven and earth to try to get him back. Now that Stevens back in town Angel is sitting around and waiting. Lorne tries to explain to Groo that sometimes nothing is the best something, and that, if something is meant to be, its better to just let it happen rather than to force it. Groo asks, if something is meant to be, how can it be forced? Lorne replies that, if its meant to be, it cant be forced and, if its not meant to be, then it *really* cant be forced. Lorne also tells Groo that, just because someone jumps an interdimensional portal is no guarantee that things will work out. Groo makes a point of telling Lorne to tell Cordy that hes going for a walk, but only if she asks. In the hotel Cordy and Angel are still talking about Steven. The reality of losing so much of Connors life has really hit Angel. Cordy tries to reassure Angel that Connor will come around, eventually.
Across town, Wes is having himself a microwaved meal when he gets an alert on his computer that hes received some e-mail. Its a message to meet someone at 8:30 that night at a specific address and to come alone.
At the hotel Fred is using her paraplasmic counter to find Qortothy things in the lobby and gets a huge reading! When she looks up, she finds Steven. Angel introduces everyone to Steven, but Steven gives Lorne a pretty nasty look. The AI crew gets out of the lobby to give Steven and Angel some alone time. Neither one of them knows how to start the conversation and, before they can really get started, Cordy starts yelling at Angel. Cordy gets a vision - she sees Angel in a bar with lots of people dancing and mingling, but Cordy cant hear Angel. Finally the vision stops and Cordy explains that a gang of vamps is after a woman at a club. Angel tells Steven that he has to go, sorta his job, but there will be some violence and killing, so Steven can come if hed like.
Surprisingly Wes is at the club looking for someone when he hears Lilah ask if he got her invitation. Wes tries to leave but Lilah makes him look at the bar. Its Justine, sitting alone. Lilah arranged it all for Wess benefit. Lilah tipped off Justine that the club would be crawling with vamps and, not coincidentally, tipped off the vamps that Justine would be there. Lilah is trying to get Wes to join up with Wolfram & Hart by showing him how alone he is, and promises Wes that shell pull Justine out of the club before anything bad happens. But Wes doesnt think itll be necessary - he sees Angel enter the club.
Down on the dance floor Angel hands Steven a wooden stake and reminds him there are lots of civilians there who shouldnt be hurt. Steven wants to know why Angel kills his kind, but before Angel can answer he and Justine see each other. Justine gets panicked and tries to leave but the bartender vamps out and throws Justine into a wall. The fight is on! Angel takes on several vamps as Steven saves Justine from being killed. In the balcony Lilah wants to know who the kid is and Wes recognizes him as Connor/Steven. Steven and Angel fight side-by-side and take out a whole lotta vampires. Steven chases a vampire out of the club into an alley. He senses something behind him, spins and tries to stake it. Its Angel, but he stops the stake then hurls Stevens fist, with the stake, into a vampires heart dusting it. Angel tells Steven he was good fighting the vamps and they have a father-son bonding moment sparring in the alley with Holtz looking on.
Steven returns to Holtzs motel room. Steven tells Holtz that he was right about Angel, even though Angel tries to hide it by killing vampires. Meanwhile Angel tells Cordy how much fun he had bonding with Steven. Angel tells Cordy that he wished she was there and she says she was. After Angel and Steven left she went back into her vision and watched the fight in the club. Cordy isnt sure how it happened, but she was able to watch Angel and his son together.
Holtz and Steven are now arguing. Holtz thinks that Steven needs to be with Angel and fight at Angels side but Steven denies it. Holtz wants Steven to go back to be with Angel because Angel can give Steven answers that Holtz cant. In the meantime Fred and Gunn are tracking any stray Qortoth demons that might have come through the portal. Gunn parks his truck outside the motel that Holtz and Steven are staying in. Back in the hotel room Stevens had enough so he leaves, and Gunn sees him. Then Gunn sees Holtz closing the door to the motel room.
At the Hyperion Lornes having himself a cocktail when Steven walks in. Lorne tries to chat with Steven but Steven doesnt want to have anything to do with a demon. Lorne tries to brush the comment off, but Steven doesnt let up and calls Lorne a filthy demon. Lornes finally had enough and wants to have it out with Steven but Cordy intervenes. Cordy tries to convince Steven that Lornes a good guy and that demon doesnt equal evil in this dimension, but Steven is seeing things in a very black/white, good/evil, demon/not demon kinda way. So Cordy points out that shes part demon and she chose to be part demon so she could help people. Steven wigs out completely, grabs Cordys neck and holds up a knife to kill her. The look in Stevens eye makes Norman Bates look like a mild mannered Boy Scout! Before Steven can drive the knife into Cordys chest she grabs his wrist and starts to get all glowy. Pretty soon both she and Steven are glowing. She tells Steven to let it go and he calms down, lowers the knife and, when they stop glowing, he starts to cry on Cordys shoulder,
Both Lorne and Angel saw the whole thing, but Angels not sure what happened. Lorne suggests that Cordy gave Steven a soul colonic and helped to remove the remnants of the Qortoth hell dimension that permeated Steven. Lorne doesnt think that Steven would cause Freds nifty gadget to make a single click now. While she was glowing Cordy felt what Steven felt growing up in Qortoth, and that Steven felt that was where he belonged. Angel leaves the office to talk to Steven, whos still a little shaky. Steven thinks he should leave but Angel asks him to stay the night and that the hotel could be home for him. Steven doesnt think he has a home but Angel tells him its not true. Steven has a home, he just doesnt remember it. Steven tells Angel that he sounds just like his father and Angel figures out that Holtz is back in this dimension. At that moment Fred and Gunn burst into the lobby. Meanwhile Holtz answers the door of his motel room to find Justine. Shes a little surprised to see how old he is.
Back at the Hyperion Angel tells Steven that Gunn and Fred are going to take him out and spend some time with him. Angel tells Gunn and Fred to take Steven someplace where this world isnt as ugly as it seems. Angel tells Gunn and Fred not to tell Steven where hes going. Cordy tries to talk Angel out of this. She doesnt mind if Angel kills Holtz, but she doesnt think that lying to Steven is any way to build trust.
Meanwhile Justine and Holtz are talking. Justine cant believe that they survived and Holtz tells her that his hate kept them alive. Holtz tells Justine that, in the unbelievable ugliness and hell that was Qortoth, his hate turned to love for a song, and that love was more powerful than hate. Holtz wants Justine to do him a favor so that he can be done with vengeance. Fred and Gunn have taken Steven to the beach. Its the first time hes seen an ocean. Stevens still shocked from his encounter with Cordy. Fred tries to reach him by telling her experience in Pylea. Steven walks down to the shoreline to be alone and Gunn and Fred talk about Angel confronting Holtz. Suddenly Steven turns around and looks at Gunn. Neither Fred nor Gunn think that Steven heard them talking, but Steven did and he takes off running.
At the hotel Cordy is getting ready to leave for the day when she sees Angel walking down the stairs. Shes thrilled! She asked Angel not to confront Holtz and he didnt. Angel walks into the light and, ooops!, its Groo. Not Cordys best moment.
At the motel Holtz has just finished a letter when Angel arrives and doesnt need an invitation to enter the room. Angel yells at Holtz for stealing Connor, and Holtz counters that he kept Steven alive when Angel killed his son. Angel tries, again, to explain that he was different then. Holtz is surprised that Angel feels remorse, not remorse for killing Holtzs son, but remorse for being unable to say that hes sorry. Angel doesnt think apologizing wouldnt mean a thing, but Holtz says it would mean a little. So Angel says he is sorry. Holtz does an apology, too. Holtz tells Angel that he thought that stealing Connor would give him a sense of justice, but he was wrong. Angel tells Holtz that taking Connor wasnt justice, it was vengeance. Holtz wants to give back what he took. Holtz believes that Angel can give Steven a sense of purpose, something that Holtz cant. But, Holtz reminds Angel that every time he looks at Steven or hears Steven say father, Angel will remember what he took from Holtz and can never give back.
Holtz gives Angel an unsealed envelope for Steven. Holtz plans on leaving and the letter is his good-bye to Steven. Angel takes the envelope and leaves. In his car Angel reads the letter Holtz wrote to Steven. Holtz tells Steven how much he loves him and asks his forgiveness for leaving him. Holtz writes that he had to let Steven go and that if he didnt, Steven would come to hate him. Holtz also writes that Stevens destiny is with Angel and that Steven will find his purpose with Angel. Holtz only hopes that hes prepared Steven for his future.
As Angel is reading the letter, Steven is running toward the motel. Holtz and Justine are behind the hotel and Holtz is trying to get Justine to follow through on a promise she made to him. Holtz tells Justine he doesnt expect Justine to follow him to hell, just to send him there. Justine is crying and holding an ice pick. Holtz takes her hand and forces the ice pick up into his neck piercing a blood vessel. Justine takes the ice pick out of Holtzs neck, moves it down a few centimeters and pierces his neck again. Holtzs last word is, Steven. As Holtz is bleeding to death, Justine sobs over his body. Steven finds Justine cradling Holtzs lifeless head in her lap. Steven sees the wounds in Holtzs neck and says, Angelus.
Summary by Kirsten.
|