Original Airdate: May 7, 2003

Guest Starring:
Stephanie Romanov
Jim Abele

Written & Directed by Tim Minear.

Teaser

Continuing were we left off in “Peace Out,” Lilah is in the Hyperion lobby with Angel, Wesley, Gunn, Lorne and Fred. She’s seemingly back from hell. Wes can’t believe it’s her it has to be a lie. Angel tells him it’s true; it’s her, but still dead, and not a vampire. She brings down her scarf to show the clear demarcation line were Wes chopped off head. Wesley feels uncomfortable, but she tells him it’s all right, she never felt a thing. She clarifies that she’s the messenger for the Senior Partners at Wolfram & Hart, and once she’s done she’ll get sent straight back to hell. Angel wonders what’s her game, she says they win, she’s been sent to make them an offer of a lifetime, just not hers.

ACT I

The A.I. crew is mulling over carefully and uncomfortably what Lilah has said, she waits patiently. They’re still confused: they are being offered the L.A. branch of Wolfram & Hart. Lorne ask incredulously what does that mean, she says it means that they win, W&H is moving out and is ceding its territory to them. To prove it, they’re giving them controlling interest of the L.A. office: building, assets, personnel, all of it and they can do whatever they want with it. Fred kindly reminds Lilah that the Beast destroyed the L.A. office; Lilah says that they’re back and zombie-free. But the AI team aren’t lawyers, or evil, currently. But what the Senior Partners are offering a fully staffed, multitasking base of operation. The question is why? She thought it was obvious, they earned it: a reward for ending world peace. Wes says that’s not what happened, Jasmine was creating a slave state. Lilah points out that those “slaves” were giddy with joy and love. Angel tells her that Jasmine was eating people, she says that they knew what they were getting into, world peace comes at a price and Jasmine understood that. Lilah puts it in perspective: Jasmine was eating a couple dozen people a day vs. ending the suffering of millions, but they fixed that! Fred admits it, but not in the way Lilah makes it sound. Lilah tells them to think about her proposal and there’ll be a limo outside just before dawn for those interested. She turns around and gives them the thumbs up: “Good Job!” Fred says, somewhat uncertainly, that they ended a nefarious world domination scheme, not world peace. Right?

Connor is out walking in the streets. There’s still looting and rioting and general mayhem, but there’s now at least a police presence. Connor looks up, and sees someone pacing atop of a building. On the rooftop we see Connor approaching the man, a police officer who’s holding a gun, mumbling that he’s lost something. Connor asks him if he’s okay, the cop screams that he can’t find it. Connor tells him he knows and it’s okay, the cop tells him he can help, Connor tells him bluntly he can’t, it’s gone. The policeman, trembling, aims the gun at himself. Connor rushes and points the gun away, telling him that what he’s feeling right now won’t last, and has the man holster the weapon. He tells the cop to go home, and not do anything stupid. This triggers something in the policeman, and he digs out a family photo. Connor is disgusted: the cop was going to leave his family like that? How were they going to feel when he didn’t come back? The cop doesn’t know, and it infuriates Connor, the man has to know! The policeman says he wasn’t thinking, Connor backs off, then beats the cop to a bloody pulp.

In the office, Wesley is trying to figure out where Connor and Cordy are by his last location, when Gunn walks in. Gunn sees that Wes’ technique could take weeks, but it could go a lot faster if they had a few extra employees, or W&H’s resources. Wes says it’s not an option. Gunn thinks otherwise, how long is Wes going to be satisfied doing it that way? He then apologizes; it couldn’t have been easy for Wes to see Lilah like that. Wes sarcastically says it’s awkward when a decapitated loved on comes to visit. Gunn stares at him, loved one? Wes says it’s a figure of speech. Lorne returns from the outside with no news from Connor among the pandemonium outside. Angel asks what Wes has got, but it’s obvious he has nothing and if Connor doesn’t want to be found, chances are he won’t. Angel tells them they won’t stop until they’ve found Connor and Cordy, they’ll do whatever it takes. Gunn asks him then shouldn’t they consider, but Angel stops him, “Consider what?” He tells him if he wants to get in that limo when it gets there, it’s up to him, He can’t make that decision for any of them, but they’ll be corrupted by the time the ride’s over. Angel goes out to see if he can’t pick up Connor’s trail. The others separate and go to their respective rooms and homes for the night.

In the predawn hours, Fred sneaks out of the hotel and sure enough, the limo’s there. Wes is behind her, she thought she’d be alone, he was sure he wouldn’t be, but wasn’t expecting her. Gunn shows up, if they’re up to something, they might as well find out about it. They inch closer, still debating their decision; they’ll do this with their eyes open and wits about. To the surprise of everyone, Angel’s waiting at the gate, and Lorne’s already inside the limo.

They arrive at the grand Wolfram & Hart lobby, everyone passing by paying their respects to “Mr. Angel.” They walk, taking stock of their surroundings.

ACT II

Lilah leads four other W&H employees to meet the Angel squad. She’s not surprised to see them all there. They all have guides, to which Angel objects to, even if they’re tailored to each of their interests and areas of expertise. Gunn just wants to know if he gets the beautiful girl. Lilah says that if she wanted to harm then, she could have had the limo blown up. She has an aide bring up an assortment of weapons: She’ll have no objections if they prefer to be armed. Lilah says that just because they tried to kill or corrupt each and every one of them doesn’t mean they can’t be trusted. Wes agrees, Gunn still wonders if he gets the beautiful woman, Fred arms herself with a silenced submachine gun. Lorne is introduced to Preston, head of the Entertainment Division, and the latter immediately begins kissing ass. He shows him the talent they represent, and immediately Lorne is hooked. Gunn gets the beautiful woman, Stacy Shepherds; Lilah believes they’ll have nothing in common. Fred gets the labcoat, Knocks, and after an awkward handshake with the submachine gun, move off. Angel gets Lilah, who tells hi, “Come on Charlie, let me show you around the chocolate factory.”

Gunn is commenting to his guide about separating them to get Angel alone; getting a champion would be a big coup for W&H. She tells him Angel is a priority, but he doesn’t see what he has to offer, but gets an inkling as they stop by security. But they have much grander plans for him; he’s almost giddy at the prospect as they head towards the elevator.

Fred and Knocks, the latter who’s an R&D guy and manages the Science Department, arrive outside the lab. She comments that he’s a bit young to head the Science Dept., but he just manages it, she’d be the head of it. He shows her the fully equipped, state of the art, multimillion-dollar laboratory (replete with laser tests, experimental surgeries, PDAs that hack into electronic equipment, etc.).

Wes and Sirks enter a classic definition of an English Stuffy Study. It’s their Ancient Prophecies wing, all of it in one row of books. Sirks assures Wes that it’s the most comprehensive collection of prophecies around, and asks him to pick something to read, something rare. He chooses a Sanskrit Codex, Sirks picks the first book, repeats the request and hands it to Wes. He opens it and the writing appears: The template he holds provides access to anything in the firm’s locked archives (prophecies, omens, revelations). He asks Sirks if the Watcher’s Council knows that he stole the only known copy to exist. Sirks tells him that there is no more council, and that in these complicated times, lines become blurred, and he asks Wes how he knew. He tells him there’s something about Watchers and libraries before knocking Sirks out. He unfolds a grappler gun from his arm, fires it at the ceiling and goes up.

Lilah shows Angel his office, but he’s clearly not impressed. Even with his own private elevator that leads to the motor pool, to stay mobile and save the day. But what’s he going to do with 12 cars? She says anything he wants, that’s the point. He starts leaving, and she opens the blinds and daylight pours in. he doesn’t burst into flames because of the necro-tempered glass, fitted throughout the building. He soaks it in for a second the asks her to close them, he’s not taking the job. She says it’s an opportunity, he could do anything with the resources at his disposal and throws back at him the speech he gave Connor (“Deep Down”), that “nothing in the world is as it ought to be, it’s harsh and it’s cruel.” But that’s why there’s him, with all of those resources at his fingertips he could make the world as it should be. She goes on that people don’t need an unyielding champion, they need someone who knows the value of compromise. And while he’s been indecisive sixteen people have died but thousands more can be saved, even in a town called Sunnydale. She hands him a amulet apparently “crucial for some final battle.” Angel puts the amulet back in the folder, he knows that Buffy can handle herself, and he’s not interested. Lilah teases him, maybe he’s here looking for missing persons. He asks what she knows, unfortunately she knows nothing, yet, but all he has to do is pick up the phone and he could find out in ten seconds. He doesn’t bite, he’s sorry about what happened to her and says he and his friends will be leaving. The phone rings and Lilah picks it up, after a quick exchange she hangs up and shows the wall HDTV, and there on the news is Connor, captured by video surveillance as a hostage taker.

ACT III

Angel grabs Lilah by the throat but she warns him that the head comes off kind of easy. He wants them to stop what they’re doing, she tells him they had nothing to do with it, he did. He raised him, or rather didn’t. He lets go, Lilah comments that looking at the dad, it’s no wonder Connor went postal, he says she doesn’t know a thing about Connor. She tells him it’s a one-time offer, if he stays, its all his. He says that it’s people like her and places like these that are wrong with the world. Then he cuts a new deal.

Gunn and his guide are still in the elevator, when she tells him it’s time, and the White Room button appears. She tells him that the answers he seeks are within the Room. He tries to stop the elevator but it’s no use, and he ends up in the White Room. He’s sure they’ve got the wrong guy when a black panther appears; the little girl was better. It gently approaches him, and Gunn is entranced in its eyes, they communicate.

The police have surrounded the store Connor has taken his hostages in. He’s lost it, having strapped explosives everybody, and snapping at “bad” parenting. He finishes hooking up the explosives, and senses Angel, who’s at the back of the store on the upper level.

Wes is in the file room, having knocked out the security guard. He searches the files when Lilah comes to him; it took him longer than she expected. He made it behind the façade and in here is where the firm’s dirty little secrets are store, Lilah tells him to think all that he could accomplish with those. She knew he’d make it here, who knows him better than her? He intends to surprise her and pulls out her standard perpetuity clause and with his lighter, burns it. She’s suffered enough he says, it’s time she got some peace. But while it’s a gallant act, there’s another copy of it that has appeared in the drawer. But it means something to her that he tried.

At the store, Angel is slowly approaching Connor, who’s now strapping himself. Angel triggers a nearby explosive that, thankfully, wasn’t on a person. Connor tells him gently he may not want to step closer, as all the people are rigged, and Angel can’t save them all. Any one of them could be next, even his son, or Cordy, who’s strapped too, and still comatose.

ACT IV

Angel is shaken, he thinks it’s about Jasmine, about the perfect love and having to let go of it. Connor screams that he didn’t feel any of it, he can’t feel anything at all. Like his father, he’s dead. Angel tells him he’s just starting his life, but Connor tells him he just wasn’t there before, and he doesn’t want to hear that Angel’s sorry, it doesn’t fix anything. Angels says he loves him, Connor thinks it’s a lie, like everything else, his own mother couldn’t even love him. Angel tells him that Darla sacrificed herself because she did love him; Connor only believes that Angel tried to love him, but it wasn’t enough to hang on. Connor looks at Cordelia; she swore she loved him, where is she now? Angel tells him that he has to believe people love him, Connor says Jasmine believed Angel loved him, but that that was another lie. Angel says that Jasmine was the lie, Connor whips around and says she knew if Angel saw what she really looked like he’d turn against her and that’s just what happened. Connor continues that people like Angel, like his hostages, didn’t deserve her, she wanted to give them everything. Angel knows how it feels, he wants to take back the mistakes, help him start over. Connor says that they can’t start over; Angel believes that they can change things, but in Connor’s view the only thing that can change things is death. Angel is saddened, but his son says he can’t be saved by a lie: he can’t be saved at all. He reaches for the button, Angel is now close enough to punch him and disconnect him from the bomb. They fight, using various items from the sporting goods department (weights, bats). Angel swings Connor far enough to have time to free the hostages, but not Cordy. They keep fighting, and as Connor trashes Angel and heads for the bomb, Angel throws a knife at his son’s leg. He rushes and stops Connor before he limps to the trigger, and grabs him by his shirt. They lock eyes intensely; Angel really did love Connor. His son asks him what he’s going to do about it. Angel will prove it and slashes his son’s chest.

Lorne is singing in the W&H lobby as Fred returns, leaving the weapon on the tray, then dances with Lorne, who’s clearly dazzled by what he’s seen. Se swivels into Wes, who seems more reserved, it’s a lot to take in for him. Gunn’s elevator arrives at the lobby, he seems to be at peace and a new man. He’s doing this, hopefully with them but if not, he’ll do it alone. Fred is stunned: should they take the deal? Angel, coming in with Lilah, already has as an executive decision. Lilah is impressed with the lot of them. Angle asks if Cordy is being taken care of; she is, and is receiving a manicure. She’s still in a coma, but at least she’ll look her best, and she’s receiving the best medical and metaphysical care. If there’s a way to wake her up, they’ll find it. Angel wants to see Connor, Lilah says it wasn’t part of the deal. He reminds her the value of compromise and she accepts, handing him the amulet; the limo will take him to him. Angel thanks her and leave, leaving a confused A.I. team: who’s Connor?

Angel is driven to the countryside and arrives at night at a country house. He looks from the outside at the scene of a family dinner with Connor. Connor is living a dream: a loving family, a normal life, high scores, his choice of college, a girlfriend, and no apparent memory of being anything else than a regular teen. Angel watches, seemingly satisfied, he’s given to Connor what he needed.

Summary by Dannyboy