Airdate: April 16th, 2003.

Guest Starring:
Gina Torres
Danny Woodburn
Patrick Fishler

Written and Directed by: Jeffrey Bell

Teaser

It’s the idyllic view of Los Angeles: beautiful sunshine and palm trees, beach tunes, civility, kids getting ice cream, And Fred running from Gunn and Wes near downtown. They lose her for a second and spot her walking away. They catch up except it isn’t her; it’s someone she gave her cardigan to. They split up, we see Fred hiding in the sewers then running away.

ACT I

The Hyperion is filled with people waiting to see Jasmine. Every room and space has been rented out. Lorne is sorting through people waiting for rooms in the lobby. One man is so desperate he wants to give his house to Lorne. But neither Lorne nor Jasmine wants possessions. The man just wants to be close to her, to thank her for making him feel good when she showed up on TV. Jasmine arrives and Lorne encourages him to go see her. She steps down from the balcony with Angel and Connor flanking her. She goes to a pregnant Chinese woman, and in Mandarin, tells her that her child will lead a healthy and loving life. Angel asks Jasmine how she always knows what to say. She simply looks in their hearts. Wes and Gunn return without Fred, and Angel and Connor excuse themselves.

In the office, Gunn tells them she escaped, but they’ll catch Fred. Connor just wants to bring back her scalp, but Angel reminds him that Jasmine wants her alive, to find out why she rejected her love and straighten her out. Angel and Connor walk back out to the lobby as Jasmine selects people, including the desperate man from earlier to come with her. She blesses them all and goes to her suite. Gunn wonders if she’ll ever pick them.

Fred enters the Magic Bullet Bookshop, the owner remembers her from three days ago, on the possibility of Mass Hypnosis. The books she bought all have flawed theories and she’s looking for one that could affect everyone across the board. She’s been his only customer since the last time, his type of literature (Satan’s Dictionary for example) isn’t in huge demand in this utopian society, and he’s never been happier. Not that it shows, but Fred goes with it. He’s a new man since hearing Jasmine’s broadcast. He used to be obsessed with mind control, and still believes in it, but now he doesn’t worry about it with Jasmine around. Then he guesses what she’s up to, opens a drawer, digs out a revolver and several other items before pulling out a book: Making mind control work for you. He tells her she doesn’t need that book to fight ‘The Man’ but to trust that Jasmine’s love will reach the rest of the world. “Oh happy day” she moans

Angel and Connor are tracking Fred’s scent down the sewers, Connor telling his father that Holtz thought him to use his tracking skills, tying him to a tree and escaping, then locating Holtz, which is how he became a good tracker. Angel is horrified and both receive Jasmine’s summons in their minds and return to the hotel.

The A.I. team and Jasmine are watching a web broadcast of Jasmine’s love. Wesley will have the site up and running in a few days. Angel and Connor enter her suite, she explains that they are all becoming connected, that’s how she was able to summon Angel and Connor back. She has them all joins hands, herself included, in this circle, so that they can find Fred. She can’t do it alone yet. They close their eyes and picture her. Fred meanwhile is checking in at a motel and is spotted by several people and knows it. She walks away then runs, pursued by a driver. In the circle we hear Jasmine: There’s nowhere to run my dear. My love is all around you. Fred is nearly hit by another car; she keeps running, dodges behind a broken down Camaro and the driver crashes in it. The gasoline from the parked car ignites and reaches the other car. The driver steps out, on fire, walking towards Fred telling her not to be afraid.

ACT II

In the circle, Jasmine’s hand begins to crisp in Connor’s hand. They quickly sit her down. She’s been badly burned; but refuses to see a doctor, insisting she just needs rest. She saw Fred, but she managed to get away. But everyone within Jasmine’s love knows now what Fred looks like and knows to catch her or call them. She wants them for now to manage the hotel and they already know this as they’re becoming more connected. She mentions a pair of twins in the lobby, they already know whom and that she wants to see them. This is only the beginning of Jasmine’s plan; no one will ever feel lonely again.

Fred is walking on a deserted hill road; a SUV passes her by, stops and reverses. She goes off the road and trips, falling down the hill and going through the ground landing on a small demon. They struggle, until Fred grabs hold of an axe and he screams he’ s a vegetarian. She looks dubiously at his teeth, he also eats fish and some vermin he admits. She lets him up but not out of her site.

At the hotel lobby, Wesley is giving a conference to attendees on Winifred Burkle: she’s insane, a siren trying to lure them away from Jasmine. Lorne then has the floor, going through the hotel announcements and then the surprise: open mike night for those who want to share their love of Jasmine. We see a diverse group with different stories or just emotions, including Angel and Connor singing a song to Jasmine to the tune of Mandy.

In the hole, the diminutive demon is getting cold, but Fred still won’t let him out of her sight. He used to be an executive but, thanks to Jasmine and her demon Jihad, he’s in this hole with Fred. Even if she’s a Jasmine fugitive he’s still angry with her because she hasn’t let him go to the bathroom and now he’s wet himself. They have to stop Jasmine but not tonight, and as he lifts his blankets to go to sleep Fred sees several severed hands. He tries to bluff his way out but quickly abandons that and jumps on her, knocking her to the ground. She struggles, he bites her several time, she lays a hand on the axe and brings it on the demon’s head, killing him. Looking at the wound, she has a revelation.

Fred’s now in front of the Magic Bullet, facing many Jasmine believers. At the hotel, Jasmine is aware of her. Fred enters the bookstore, axe in hand, the shopkeeper assures her they’re under strict orders not to harm her and confirms that Jasmine’s on her way. She moves behind his desk as Jasmine comes in, flanked again by Angel and Connor. She rewards the shopkeeper’s faith by telling him there that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone in Kennedy’s assassination. Jasmine moves closer to Fred and tells her she still loves her, and that nothing will stop that. Fred’s so sorry, Jasmine forgives her, but she was talking to Angel. Fred pulls out the revolver and fires, the bullet hits Jasmine’s shoulder, comes out and hit’s Angel’s shoulder. He vamps out, grabs Fred and pushes her against the desk and presses the revolver on her neck.

ACT III

Angel, still holding the gun ready to shoot Fred when she tells him to look at Jasmine. He does and once again it’s maggot face. He stumbles away, human guise again. Fred’s sorry, but she had to show him. Connor is at a loss on this one but Jasmine understands: it’s the blood. She tells Connor that Angel’s been infected; he’s as dead to them as Fred. Fred picks up the gun, she loved her, and empties it out on Jasmine. Connor takes the gun from Fred and throws her aside, knocking her out. Angel is still in shock. Connor has to get Jasmine out of here and throws Angel aside “You’ve ruined everything” he screams. Angel picks up Fred and runs away, Jasmine’s needs Connor’s help right now. She tells Connor and the shopkeeper to stay away from the blood, and asks the latter to burn the shop down to the ground. The shopkeeper lights up a book as the other two walk out.

A Banquet is being held in the hotel, the remaining A.I. boys feeling empty with Jasmine away, and when she returns huddled in a blanket with only Connor at her side, something is definitely wrong. When they see her alone she tells them bluntly that Angel’s been infected, and that they must eradicate their hate. She comes back out and takes three people from the banquet and Connor. Gunn just wishes Angel would make up his mind, evil, not evil, Wesley tells him it doesn’t matter, he gets to die.

Fred wakes up in an alley next to Angel, who’s brooding for lost time. He misses her so much, it’s been a week for her and she still cries, sometimes wanting to believe the lie. Jasmine’s blood, mixed with theirs, broke the hold she had on them. He tells her she did the right thing, but she cries that she’s been so alone and scared; she’s not a champion like him. Everything he sees tells him otherwise. They need more of Jasmine’s blood to help the others; Angel has an idea, but a horrible one. Hearing people pass by, they kiss. The passers by didn’t buy it and attack.

Jasmine brings the strangers in her suite, and has Connor stand guard in the hallway. She has the others disrobe as she concentrates and a wound of hers heals.

In Cordy’s room, she’s still lying there comatose, Angel and Fred sneak in. He pulls out a knife, it’s of small comfort that she won’t feel it. He kisses Cordelia’s forehead and her arm extends and grabs his.

ACT IV

He grabs her, hoping she’s awake, but Fred says it’s probably a reflex. Even though stranger things have happened, he shouldn’t get his hopes up. Connor stands guard dreamily as a green light emanates from Jasmine’s room. Angel has drained some blood from Cordy as Lorne comes in to pay his respects. They grab him, muzzle him, and Fred brings up the knife. Jasmine comes out of her room, the green glow quickly diminishing in front of her. Connor tells her she’s the most beautiful thing he’s ever seen and asks her where the others are. She ate them, it doesn’t bother him. Lorne is now recruited into the anti-Jasmine camp and goes into the lobby, to find Wes and Gunn. He tells them Jasmine wants to see them, even if they haven’t felt it, he dodges the question of his bandaged wrist and brings them to an empty room and beats them with a bat

Now Wes and Gunn are Jasmine-free and depressed beyond belief. It’s Angel who figured out that Cordy and Jasmine share a blood bond, as well as a mystical one, but there’s no way to reverse this on several million people. Angel doesn’t know what to do yet, but he’s not leaving without his son. Wes volunteers and brings back Connor to the room. Too late he realizes that Angel is there, he holds him back while Wes cuts him dabs some of Cordy’s blood on him. He stops struggling, Angel lets him go. They all feel the sadness and Fred tells him it gets better after a while. He understands why they’re here and why they did what they did. He stumbles backward nearer to the hallway and shouts “they’re here!”


Summary by Dannyboy