Airdate: October 20th, 2002
Special Guest Star: Andy Hallett
Guest Starring: Clayton Rohner
Written by: David Fury
Directed by: Marita Grabiak
Teaser
From a rooftop, Angel is watching Connor battling a vampire, talking to himself about Connors moves. Above them, in the higher planes, Cordy knows that Connor can take care of himself, Angel should be concentration on getting her out of there, Angel almost seems to hear that. In the alley, Connor loses the vampire, Angel drops a piece of masonry in front of the fleeing vamp, distracting it long enough for Connor to stake. When Connor looks up theres no one there, he walks away. Angels still on the roof, just out of sight, and knows that Fred and Gunn have been following him. Theyre concerned about him, wondering here hes been skulking off to these past few nights. Gunn says Angel ought to talk to Connor, if thats what he wants. At Angels hesitation, Fred wonders what he does want, he seems distracted: maybe hes not as ready as he thought he was to move on without Connor and Cordy. Gunn says to him may act like hes got a clear agenda, but they dont know where theyre going. Angel finally says that its time they go on a retreat, a spiritual retreat of sorts. Theyre going to Vegas.
ACT I
The gang (Angel, Gunn and Fred) arrive in Las Vegas, driving down the strip at night. Angel says that he feels they need to decompress and he hasnt had a vacation in a while, not counting his recent ocean cruise. Fred wants to make sure he sees Lorne so he can have his future read. Angel wants to do a couple of things too, Vegas has changed since he was there with Bugsy Siegel. The place Lorne is singing is the Tropicana, except the Tropicana is a high profile Casino, so that cant be right. But right there in front of the casino is a giant billboard with Lornes very green and horned face on it.
Inside, its a lavish and extravagant musical number with Lornettes (scantly clad dancers in green makeup and oversized horns), an orchestra, the works. The audience thinks that the green is all part of the act. He finishes his act and butters up the crowd. His next number is Lady Marmalade and has members of the audience sing with him, including Vivian, a woman who just enrolled in a culinary school. He zooms right over the A.I. crew, ignoring them. He wraps up his act.
Backstage, Angel and the gang are waiting with fans as Lorne comes out o sign a few autographs before heading for his dressing room, once again ignoring the A.I. crew. Lornes bodyguard wonders who they were, Lorne says they were just some old fans. In his suite, Lorne is visited by the casino manager, pampering Lorne with all the good things hes done with the show. Lorne wants to do this later, and gets punched in the stomach by his bodyguard for his troubles. The Manager gets out the stage floor plan and Lorne start pointing out peoples futures, the good ones (A senator, a Pulitzer Prize winner, a great chef) but doesnt mention Angel. The Manager leaves, satisfied. He locks Lorne in his suite until the second show.
ACT II
Wesley, in his apartment, is on the phone with Lilah, talking about midnight dinner plans when an associate calls him about taking Angels cases while hes out of town, of course hell take them. And while Wesley cant make it to dinner, though he does get phone sex with Lilah out of it.
At the Tropicana, Angels concerned that Lorne hasnt contacted them by now, Gunn thinks all this celebrity thing has gone to his head, made him forget about the little people. A Lornette comes in and gives Vivian, the future chef, a chip to play in a special promotional game where she could win a million dollar, she jumps at the chance and goes in the back game room. Before the Lornette leaves, Angel gives her a message to give to Lorne. She makes no promises. He walks among the slots, and watches various people, absorbed in their games, almost entranced by them. In the higher plane, Cordy picks up that somethings wrong too, so why cant Angels keen sense or perception pick her up?
At the blackjack table, Fred feels weird about Lorne ignoring them, Gunn still thinks hes on a star trip, and figures, who needs Lorne anyway? Fred says Angel does and that while it was right to send Connor away with Cordelia gone, the loneliness must be unbearable. Gunn thinks with all Angel has had to deal with over the years, hell come out of this fine; in the background, Angel is herded away by security. Fred still wonders about Lorne; Gunn says they should go and find out, besides, hes out of gaming chips.
Outside, Angel is beaten up by security: they dont take kindly to stalkers. He vamps out and takes care of them easily; the place was so much friendlier when the mob ran it. He then rescues Vivian in the parking lot from being hit by a cab. Shes in a daze, ran out of quarters and needed more; she has to play to win.
Noticing the amount of security around Lornes suite, Gunn and Fred start suspecting theres something not quite right with the picture. They see a Lornette coming out of a dressing room and a bit alter, Freds dressed and made up like them, with a martini glass on a tray. She gets though security fairly easily and goes in Lornes suite alone. Lorne is so happy to see her; he thinks she came to rescue him. Fred tells him they didnt know he needed rescuing. But he told her, every time she called, he asked about Fluffy, Fluffy being a pop culture reference to a nonexistent dog meaning Im being held prisoner, send help! The Casino/Hotel Manager, Lee DeMarco, is the one holding him prisoner. A former two-bit lounge magician who got his hands on something mystical and now hes a psycho wand using Lorne to destroy peoples lives.
In the Spin to Win room, Angels forced his way in. DeMarco lets him in, throws a chip at him, Angel randomly tosses it on the board: hes not here to play games, hes here about a girl that came here (in the meantime the chip goes on to an empty spot on the gaming table). DeMarco assures him he doesnt know what hes talking about. Angel starts threatening him when the wheel stops: house wins! That stops Angel and the gaming chips are collected. DeMarco hands everyone some quarters to play at the slots, Angel in a trance-like state thanks him.
ACT III
Fred gives to the guards some cock-and-bull story about Lorne escaping down the toilet, they fall for it. they go in, Lorne comes out in a trench coat and fedora, and Gunn helps them lock the door. They flee, Fred taking off her horns.
In the destinies trading room, DeMarcos just gotten back Angels identity, including the part about him playing a major part in the apocalypse. DeMarco has the brokers get the word out and a call placed to Wolfram & Hart.
Gunn, Fred (still in the dress but without makeup) and Lorne find Angel at the slot machines. Guards are coming and Gunn asks Angel to hold them off and grabs his car keys. Angel switches slot machines while the trio runs. But they reach the wrong exit: theyre on Glitter Gulch, an outdoor mall with Viva Las Vegas blaring in the background. They try to make a discreet exit, Lorne explains how DeMarco was using him to read members of his audience for valuable destinies: power, wealth, etc. The ones he picked got chose to play the Spin to Win game, their destinies imprinted on the gaming chips and the black magic wheel tricked to never pay off. And the futures are traded on a black market, to anyone wanting to change his/her life. And the peoples whose destinies are taken have no purpose or direction and are unable to ever succeed at anything again. Most stick at the slot machines, some never even leave the casino, like Angel. Gunn realizes that they got to him, but now the guards have spotted them. Lorne takes a nearby microphone and hits a high note: everybody squirms, lights bursts, creating a panic. Theyre able to escape in it. they run to the car, but Gunn is pissed off at Lorne on how he sold Angel out: he wants to know why Lorne never said no, was he so bathed in luxury that he couldnt hear his conscience screaming? Lorne says of course he refused, so DeMarco blew a girls brains out right in front of him: thats what he could except each time he said no. Gunns sorry, no more than Lorne though. A bit later they drive back to the Casino main entrance. Gunn is going to find Angel and then theyre going to drive out. Fred, says they cant leave without Angels destiny, Lorne reminds her that when you lose in Vegas, you dont get it back.
Gunn finds Angel, still at the slots, absorbed in his game. Gunn explains that they hijacked his destiny, and they have to leave, Angel doesnt want to. But the security guards arrive, with Fred and Lorne: theyre not leaving. They take them away, Ignore Angel who resumes his game.
ACT IV
The destinies trading room. DeMarco was so worried about Lorne, and the inconvenience of cancelling the second show. Lorne says he gives up, hell be his monkey, but DeMarco will get nothing out of him if he hurts anybody else. DeMarco says Lorne will be the only one hurting, his friends will be dead so quick they wont feel a thing.
Cordy, on the higher plane is exasperated: whats the point of being an all-powerful being if she cant intervene. Her friends are going to die. She sees the purposeless Angel at the slots, and manages to influence the outcome of the game. Angel wins with his last quarter, drawing people around him.
DeMarco has Gunn and Fred take to the desert to be executed and to have Lorne brought to watch when Spencer, his head minion, says they have a winner. The security camera is focused on Angel. DeMarco is baffled, its impossible, bur Angels won $300 000 and a car. A good haul for someone with no destiny. DeMarco has Angel brought in. He wants answers, and if theyre not the right ones, hes dead. Angel knows the room, Spencer punches him, DeMarco wants to know how hes won. Angel says that he put a quarter in the slot and then pulled the lever. He wonders if Angels playing games with him, Angel says he has to play to win. DeMarco sees theres nothing there, he has the winnings given to Angel in quarters and send the others on their ways. Gunn and Fred try to defend themselves, Gunn is punched and Fred has a gun pointed at her head. Angel watches all of this and vamps out. He attacks the guards, Gunn and Fred follow suit. Angel lifts a guard who accidentally shoots Spencer. Lorne grabs a nightstick and heads for the Futures Sphere in the centre of the room. DeMarco runs in front of it, maybe they can cut a deal, Lorne doesnt hear of it and breaks the sphere. The futures return to their rightful owners (incidentally scorching DeMarco), including Vivian at the slots and Angel. Angel still feels theres something familiar about the room but assures his friends that hes back. In the lobby he remembers: it was Elvis and Priscillas wedding reception in 1967, he was a drunk and surly party crasher and they thought he was in the band.
Los Angeles. The gang return to the hotel, no more road trips for them. Angel still wonders how he won, a glitch, lady luck? And he just doesnt know why he fought when he had no reason or destiny. Lorne says he was fighting for his friends future: the people he cares about are his destiny. Angel, Fred and Gunn enter the lobby and Cordys there, in her white robes from when she left. She asks them who they are.
Summary by Dannyboy
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