Airdate: February 12th, 2003

Special Guest Star: Andy Hallett
Guest Starring: Stephanie Romanov
Vladimir Kulich
Roger Yuan

Written by: Jeffrey Bell & Steven S. DeKnight & Mere Smith
Directed by: Bill Norton

Teaser

There’s fighting out the shaman’s shrine, and a guard is thrown in the shrine proper. Wes, Cordy and Connor come in, and inform Wu-Pang that Angel’s soul has been stolen. He informs them that he has no need for Angel’s soul. Connor asks where is it, the shaman throws some dices: He doesn’t know, but it’s still safe in the container, and there’s no other way known to him to re-ensoul someone. If the container breaks it can either re-enter the body, or be destroyed. All the candles in the shrine blow out.

The Hyperion. Gunn fills up the tank of the flamethrower while on the monitor Angelus is toying with them, Fred thinks Angelus knows that his soul is nowhere to be found. Gunn thinks they never should have brought that shaman, now they have the added problem of Angelus on their hands. Fred says it’s still their best chance against the Beast, Gunn wonders if that’s her talking or Wes. She reminds that he was pushing for it; he admits he may have been wrong. Angelus downstairs picks up on their conversation and starts talking about Wesley’s sexy accent and how he had an Irish brogue back in the day. Gunn turns off he monitor, Fred tell him it’s just words, it’s the only way he can hurt them since he’s never getting out.

In the basement, Lilah walks in, dirty and tired, with a crowbar in hand.

ACT I

After some banter with Angelus, she gets to the point: she wants Angelus to stop the Beast. He’s not sure he wants to and while he’s not a fan of the “horn job” he did bring out permanent midnight. She snaps, she just wants to know if he can do it or not. He wonders why she’s all wound up, she explains that she’s been living in the sewers, the Beast took everything, killed them all and not just at the office: Field Ops, liaisons, people who were sick that day, but not her. She doesn’t know why the Beast is picking on them, they’re the bad guys, Angelus suggests that they weren’t bad enough. She wants that thing destroyed; he’s the only one who can do it. Angelus thinks they can work something out.

Gunn is apologizing to Fred: what Angelus said about him, he didn’t want to hurt her. She knows, but thinks if he hadn’t attacked Wes…Gunn cuts that short, what was Wes doing in the office before he came in? He was kissing her, and tells her not to lie. She says it just happened, he tells her he’s never felt this way for any woman before and would do anything for her but it’s never enough. He can’t do this anymore and tired of her looking everywhere but at him. Wes, Cordy and Connor come in, and she steals a glance, proving Gunn’s point. Connor informs them about what the shaman told them when Gunn turns on the monitor and sees Lilah outside the cage and rushes down with the tranq rifle. The others follow.

Seeing Gunn rush down, Angelus tries to grab Lilah but is again just out of range. Gunn fires at Angelus, and Lilah flees into the sewers, clutching her stomach; Wes pursues her. Connor checks the locks on the cage, and kicks the crowbar aside. Cordy wonders how Lilah knew Angelus was here, Connor supposes she could have stolen Angel’s soul. They start to wonder if Lilah cut a deal with the Beast.

Wes finds Lilah’s sewer hideout, she tries to attack him until she realizes it’s him. She’s still bleeding from where the Beast hit her: she can’t make it stop. Wes wants to take a look at it but she covers up the wound. He asks how she knew they had Angelus, she tells him that it takes powerful magic to remove a champion’s soul: it makes ripples and she knows a few who don’t like ripples. She knew it was his idea to bring forth Angelus but she wasn’t going to release him, she just needed him to believe she was desperate enough to do it, not much of a stretch. He remembers that she always wanted Angelus; she says it was Wolfram & Hart who wanted the vamp, not her. She wants her old life back: beautiful things, salary, them working out. He says there are many reasons they wouldn’t have worked and picks up her copy of Reinhart’s Compendium. She needed tot find a way to make it pay, but he’s already looked at it, until he falls on an unmistakable image of the Beast. He flips through the rest of the book: it’s identical to his copy except for that passage. She says she got it from the pan-dimensional black market. But even so they should be the same, he ponders that there once were other texts on the Beast and they’ve since been removed. But then what would something that powerful have to hide?

Gunn thinks that someone has been doing the Beast’s dirty work and Cordy believes it could explain how it got Manny and the Priestesses. Fred doesn’t see Lilah butchering people like that; Gunn says there could be minions. Angelus, regaining consciousness, tells them the Beast is the minion. There’s something bigger and worse out there, the Beast has a boss.

ACT II

The gang can’t ponder anything worse that the Beast, Angelus wonders how they survived so long by being in the dark. Connor asks him how he knows, Angelus replies that the Beast he knew was big in the smash and slaughter and had the brawn to be really good at it, but not keen tot the big picture. And now he’s all rain of fire, destroying the Ra-Teth, blotting out the sun, those are big moves for someone whose head is made out of rock. Cordy suggests that the Beast could have gotten smart, Angelus is sure there’s something more powerful, more vicious, pulling the strings and he’s just dying to find out what it is.

Wes and Lilah come in through the frond door, Wes assuring the gang that Lilah didn’t take the soul. Gunn doesn’t believe her, lying is her job. Lilah admits he has a point, and opens her coat revealing the bloodstain on her shirt. Anyone up for a search? Wes explains that she was injured on the attack on W&H. Gunn wonders how she got out of that slaughterhouse, she says it was luck, Cordy thinks it was more than that and asks what she was doing down there. Wes answers for her that she was gathering information, Gunn doesn’t believe that: she’s the only W&H survivor and shows up when Angel’s soul went missing. When one of them mentions that she may know the Beastmaster that gets her attention, Gunn tells her Angelus thinks the Beast is the muscle, not that Gunn trusts the source. Cordy adds that there’s something worse than the Beast concocting the plan. Wes sees that that’s what it’s been hiding, and explains about the other dimension’s copy or Reinhart’s Compendium, and how all references to the Beast have been erased in this dimension. And that’s why Angel doesn’t remember, his memory was wiped clean too, but Angelus wasn’t here when that erasure took place. Wes suggests to Fred to compare the passages from Reinhart’s with the info W&H extracted from Lorne, and Gunn storms out: someone needs to keep an eye on Angelus. Fred goes after him but Cordy stops her: it’s hard but they need to focus on what they’re doing, figure what’s coming and figure out how to get Angel back, they’ll need him for the coming events.

Angelus keeps teasing Gunn, about how he knows his place. That’ll earn him the love of a good woman, until she dumps him for someone with a bigger horizon. Gunn says it’s her life, Angelus feigns shock, he’s already missed it and adds it’s not like he didn’t see it coming, especially after what happened to her old professor. Gunn looks at him, Angelus says that even Angel’s not that stupid: the changes between the couple were obvious, her first murder, but he won’t tell anyone. Gunn admits it wasn’t her, Angelus is enjoying this: Gunn stepping up being the man! Gunn says he did what he had to, Angelus guesses it Fred didn’t see it that way and after all that, she went for the mysterious and tortured Wes, Gunn wasn’t dark enough. Gunn loses it and fires the flamethrower at Angelus; the latter backs away in the nick of time, laughing. He says there may be hope for Gunn yet.

Fred’s research on soul restoration turns up nothing useful for their situation. Wes explains to her that what happened between him and Gunn isn’t what he wanted and wonders if she can tell Gunn that, she tells him that they aren’t together anymore and it’s been a long time coming. He’s trying to feel sorry about it but can’t. Lilah (cleaned up) and Cordy come in, looking for progress, Wes says they’ve only made some headway in cross referencing, Lilah says it sure looks like he’s trying (while looking at Fred). Wes leaves to relieve Gunn and see if he can get anything else out of Angelus. Lorne comes in; he hasn’t gotten anything out of his contacts on Angel’s soul. Lilah says to forget about Angel, Angelus could kill the beast and give its boss a run for its money. Angelus would also kill them all, but Lilah says it would be worth it for the greater good. Cordy says they’ll find another way, Lilah tells them holding hands and singing Kumbaya isn’t the answer and storms out. Cordy is pitying her that she can never hope or believe in anything, and really getting sick of her. Lilah says she doesn’t have her head in the sand, when the Beastmaster comes it’ll end life as we know it and no one is coming to save them, not Angel, not anybody. Cordy suddenly gets a vision, her eyes turning white. She knows how to re-ensoul Angel.

ACT III

Fred informs Wes downstairs about Cordy’s vision. Angelus laughs, the Powers must have seen how bad they suck, Fred retorts that they’re better off than him. Angelus admires her spunk, now the same “bitch-cow” they brought back from Pylea, going on that she can now go for the prize: Wes the intelligent, rugged, handsome all-around perfect guy. Except for that part of banging Lilah for the past six months. Fred laughs at that until she sees Wes’ face. She tells him it’s none of her business and runs off. Angelus is satisfied with himself.

Gunn and Connor are digging up in a wooded area for the corpse buried demon, its skull being a main piece of the spell they have to do. They hit the old coffin, and clear it up, a demon arm shoots up and grabs Gunn’s throat, Connor, stabs at the coffin, and they both reel back. When they both look in the coffin is already empty. It rushes back at superhuman speeds and hits Gunn and zooms off to Connor dodging sword thrusts, and punches Connor. It starts draining something out of him and Gunn hacks off the arm, then the head. The head turns it’s eyes, the body convulses, and Gunn keeps hacking at it until it stops. They’re both beat, but alive.

The Beast, alone in a chamber with torches, converses with his master. He’s rained fire, death and darkness in it’s name and offers a token forged of its “unworthy” bones, a tribute to it’s power. It’s a dagger.

Cordy and Fred have finished making the talismans when Gunn and Connor come back with the “fresh” skull. Cordy thinks back to her vision and sees only the skull; Wes orders them to remove the excess. Lilah comments on how it’s almost like being back at the office. Lorne warns her that while he tolerates her presence, he hasn’t forgotten what she’s done to him and, if necessary, will smack her down. Wes thought she would have escaped discreetly by now, but she has nowhere to go and wants to see if the spell work. When you look out for yourself, you usually end up on the winning team. Fred comes in but stops short when she sees Lilah, and tells Wes that Cordy has a question for him

The now cleaned and empty skull is in the middle of a circle of twigs and candles. Angelus wonders if they’ve lost their minds using black magic to restore Angel’s soul, smells of desperation. Lilah thinks that the hotel will be sucked into hell, Angelus thinks they’re grasping: no jar, no soul. Connor says it’s Angelus that sounds desperate, Angelus tells them that even if they get Angel back, eh can’t stop the apocalypse, they’re going to lose. He goes on that the reason Angel agreed to have his soul removed was that they were too weak and selfish to stop it, he gave up on them. Cordy throws something in the cage, Angelus is thrown across the cell. Wes starts the incantation, the lit candles energize, the ground shakes and wisps of smoke and light emerge from the skull, the tendrils envelop and lift Angelus. The skull explodes, releasing Angel. Cordy looks at him, Angel’s so sorry. Cordy thinks it’s him, but Gunn and Wes want Lorne to read him. Wes asks angel if he’s aware of what happened, still dazed, Angel remembers, especially that there’s something worse than the Beast out there. Wes tells him they need his help, but first he has to sing to Lorne to prove it’s him. He sings “raindrops are falling on my head”, Lorne is positive it’s Angel. Angel however insists on staying in the cage, there’s no guarantee that the spell is permanent. He’ll give the orders from the cage and the main thing is: they have to get out of this alive; he hasn’t and will never give up on them. He hands out various assignments for them, and when it’s just him and Cordy, she tells him she won’t take orders from someone who’s too afraid of getting out of his own cage. He says he’s making the call, that way everyone stays safe. He hates that she swam him like that, she guesses it’s fair, he saw her when she wasn’t at her best either. She tells him they get he’s not Angelus, he wonders if the spell doesn’t work but she says that the Powers need a champion. She opens the cage and takes his hand, reminding him again he’s not Angelus. He grabs it forcefully and vamps out: “Guess Again!”

ACT IV

Cordy kicks Angelus and locks herself in the cage, Angelus grabs her head and smashes it against he bars. He strides away, unvamping. He sneaks behind Fred and when she notices him he explains that Cordy let her out, he asked her to. When there’s a crashing sound, Fred turns around and “Angel” is gone. Lilah dropped a coffee mug, “Angel” passes by the rest of the gang: he’s got a mission, too dangerous for anyone else and makes a dramatic pause: he has to save the world. The he scurries out, Fred wonders if anyone’s seen Cordy, and on the monitor, plain as day, she’s lying inside the cage. A bit later they’re arming themselves: Gunn, Wes and Fred will follow Connor in Gunn’s truck. Cordy, with a compress on her head, assures them that Lilah and her will be fine, Lilah cocking her gun. Cordy warns them that Angelus will want to feed, a lot. Wes tells them that bringing him alive isn’t an option anymore, they agree, and he tells them to take any shot available.

Angelus is walking through the Permanent Midnight L.A. mayhem: Fires, frenzied feeding, bodies everywhere, vamps from all walks of life. But not a drop to drink.

Cordy tells Lilah what happened downstairs and now with the Beast and the Beastmaster, there’s Angelus on the loose. She thought it was the PTBs sending her the vision, it makes her question. Angelus, on the upper level finishes that thought for her before jumping down, Lilah shooting at him in vain. Cordy fires her crossbow, Angelus grabs the arrow and shoots it back at her leg. Since Lilah tried to get him out of that cage, he’ll give her a ten second head start. She runs, with a battleaxe in hand Cordy fires again, missing him. He’s saving the “good stuff” for later.

The gang arrives at the trail’s end, the scent stopping in the middle of nowhere. They concluded that he doubled back on them.

Angelus is stalking Lilah in the hotel corridor. She hides nearby, axe on the ready. He walks by, whistling, she sneaks a peek, he’s gone. She walks away but he knocks her down. Angelus ponders at what a team they could have made but with the big scary out there she’s not looking so tough anymore. She kicks him and he falls down the stairs, she pushes some furniture on him and runs. Cordy grabs her by the throat, Lilah pleads that Angelus will kill them. Cordy pulls out the dagger, the one made out of the Beast’s bones, and tells her she knows. She stabs Lilah in the neck and tells her “Why do you think I let him out?”

Summary by Dannyboy