"Judgement"
A green, red horned demon guy is on-stage at a Karaoke bar singing "I Will Survive."
Cordelia is in the middle of an acting class. Her acting partner doesn't appreciate her improvisation when, in character, she slaps him hard across the face.
The acting teacher is impressed with Cordy's efforts.
Her her pager goes off. She checks it and sees the display shows "911". She gathers her things and rushes out of the class to respond to it.
Wesley is at a bar playing darts, showing off a bit for a young blonde woman who's watching.
His game is interrupted by the sound of his pager going off. He checks the page, makes his apologies to the patrons he was playing against, collects a pile of cash laying on the table, smiles at the woman and tosses a dart at the board without looking. Someone yells, "Ow!"
Wes rushes out, responding to the "911" page.
Angel, Wesley and Cordelia enter a gym in search of Carnyss demons. Wesley questions whether or not they're in the right place, he doesn't think the surroundings fit the typical environment for a Praetorian sacrifice.
Angel thinks it matches since the profile for this particular species of demon indicates they like muscles and mirrors.
They are followed by an anxious gym employee as they stride toward a large mirror covering the full length of the wall. The gym guy insists the club is for members or their guests only, they really can't be there. The gang pays little attention as they forge ahead with a purpose, heading for the mirrored wall.
The gang comes to a stop in front of the mirror. Gym guy is in the midst of threatening to call the police when he notices that everyone is reflected in the mirror, except Angel.
Angel notes the guy's reaction to his lack of reflection then kicks in the mirror, shattering it, revealing a room behind it where two demons are about to sacrifice a couple of humans.
Angel morphs into vamp face and advises the demons to stop what they're doing.
One of them rushes him, Wesley enters the fray. A brief fight ensues.
Wesley defeats the demon he's fighting, Angel runs the other through with its own sword.
Angel, Wes and Cordy untie the intended sacrifices.
Angel morphs back into human face before they exit the room, gym guy is looking on. He's noticed that one of the guys behind the wall had horns.
Angel suggests it's a result of steroid use as the three depart the gym.
Back at Cordelia's place, which is serving as a temporary base of operations for Angel Investigations, the gang is keeping score of their successes on a large whiteboard. Wesley is thinking that one of the demons they defeated previously was likely what Wolfram & Hart had raised in the box months earlier while Angel was fighting Vocah.
Angel isn't paying attention to the ongoing conversation between Cordy and Wes, he's toying with one of Cordelia's glass figurines, pondering the benefits of joining a gym.
Cordy sees him tossing around her glass figurine, steps over to him and takes it from him, putting it back in its place as she reminds Angel he doesn't need to work out since he's immortal.
Angel is thinking that one day he will be human though and staying in shape will be a concern.
Cordelia walks back over toward the whiteboard, Angel once again picks up the small glass figurine.
Cordelia begins to stagger, Angel thinks vision. He tosses the glass figurine into the air and rushes to Cordelia. The figurine falls to the floor and breaks.
As it turns out, Cordelia's contortions were caused by a a sneeze, not a vision. Angel and Wesley are disappointed. Angel apologizes for breaking the figurine.
Cordy isn't too happy about it and wonders why they can't work out of Wesley's place instead of hers.
Angel assures her he will get them a new office.
Cordelia begins her contortions once again. Angel and Wes think it's another sneeze.
This time it's a sneeze, followed by a vision.
Wes asks what she saw.
Cordy says she saw a large demon, nothing she's ever seen before.
Wesley makes a note of it on the whiteboard.
Lilah is walking down the hall at the offices of Wolfram & Hart. She finishes up some business on her cell phone, then enters Lindsey's darkened office.
Inside, Lindsey is struggling to open a CD case with his new prosthetic hand. He notes "she" has a preference for classical music as the stereo begins to play.
Lilah turns to see Darla, who is standing on the other side of the room, pondering a small globe. Lilah approaches her carefully, speaking to her slowly and simply.
Lindsey reminds Lilah, in an irritated tone, Darla is not a child, she's been around for over 400 years.
Darla begins to hum softly with the music. She recognizes the piece and the composer. She pauses briefly and notes she senses a presence.
Lilah thinks she's talking about the composer of the piece, Chopin.
Lindsey smiles as he realizes what Darla means. She can sense Angel.
Darla says she was always able to.
Lindsey tells her Angel has been a problem for them.
Darla remembers Angel was the one who killed her. She laughs as she recalls he did it "with a soul in his heart."
Lindsey tells her Angel has taken from both of them and when Darla feels ready, it will be payback time.
Darla is looking forward to once again seeing the "boy".
At Cordelia's apartment, Angel is sketching a picture of the demon from Cordy's vision as she describes what she saw.
Angel and Wes think they recognize what general region it comes from based on the sketch.
Wesley heads for a stack of books to research it when one of the books comes flying out of the stack, hitting him in the chest, startling him.
The book falls to the floor as Cordelia chastises Wes for overreacting and hurting Phantom Dennis' feelings. She reminds Wes that he's more human than ghost and he's just trying to help.
As Wes picks up the book and begins flipping through the pages, Cordelia shrieks, startling everyone. She recognizes a picture in it as the demon she saw in her vision.
Wesley reads the identification of the demon from the book, a Prio Motu.
Angel take the book from Wes and reads further, noting it's a vicious killer prone to massacres.
Angel makes notes regarding the Prio on the whiteboard. They now know what they are looking for but they still don't know where to look.
Wesley offers that he may have a way to find out. He's been working on broadening their information base and has a contact named Merl, a parasite demon he thinks may have the information they need. Merl hangs out at a place that's safe for demons. Wes has been meaning to take the others there, he says the place is a bit different.
At the Karaoke bar a green, lizard-like demon is on-stage singing. Everyone who enters has to pass through a metal detector. The rules of the place are "no weapons, no violence."
Angel, Cordy and Wes enter the bar.
Cordelia finds it odd that Wesley's informant would feel safe in a Karaoke bar.
Wes explains it's a sanctuary as they pause to watch the lizard demon on-stage who has now been joined in song by the Host.
Wes breaks away and heads for the bar.
The Host and demon finish their number and move to a position offstage as another demon begins to sing.
Off stage, the Host is about to tell lizard demon what he's read in his "aura".
Wesley walks up and takes a seat next to a demon at the bar. He greets Merl.
Cordelia stands next to Wesley, Angel takes a position on the other side of Merl who is not too happy with the vampire in close proximity.
Wes reminds him he's safe at the bar, Angel can't harm him there.
Wesley shoves an envelope across the bar. Merl opens it revealing a large sum of cash. Wes tells Merl they want to find the Prio Motu.
Merl isn't keen on helping, saying that Prio's are vicious killers. He wants more money for taking the risk of pointing them in its direction.
Wesley reaches into his pocket and pulls out more cash which he sets on the bar, on top of the envelope.
The informant offers Prio's prefer being underground, they can find what they're looking for in the tunnels. He tells them where to look.
As Angel begins to leave, Merl reminds him that Prio's are big and vicious. He doesn't think Angel has much of a chance of defeating it but wishes him luck anyway.
Cordy, Wes and Angel are on the way out of the bar when Angel is intercepted by the Host. He wants Angel to get up on-stage and sing. Angel declines the invitation.
Cordelia asks Wesley about the Host.
Wes tells her he's "anagogic", a spiritual or mystical interpreter of words. He says when someone sings, they bare their soul and the Host can then read it.
The Host is still trying to coax Angel into singing, telling him he can only read him if he sings.
Angel still declines.
Cordy and Wesley join in, trying to convince him to do it.
He remains firm in his resolve, he won't do it. He leaves the bar.
As the Host watches Angel leave he wonders, "How fabulous would I look in that coat?"
Angel is walking cautiously through a dark tunnel when he hears a noise.
A young, pregnant woman comes walking rapidly toward his position. He steps out in front of her and assures her she doesn't have anything to be afraid of.
Suddenly a large, fierce looking demon rushes Angel from behind the woman. It's the Prio Motu.
Angel pushes the woman out of the way as the Prio hits him full force in the chest, sending him flying backward.
The Prio continues its attack. They exchange blows briefly but the Prio is definitely getting the better of the encounter.
Angel finally manages to get behind the demon, wraps his arm around its neck and snaps it. The Prio falls to the ground, dead.
Angel tells the woman everything is okay now.
She kneels beside the dead Prio, crying. She wants to know what Angel thought he was doing.
Angel is clearly taken aback by the sight of the woman grief stricken, not grateful.
Angel realizes he's made a mistake. He tells the woman he thought the demon meant her harm.
She says the Prio was there to protect her.
Angel wants to know what it was protecting her from.
She answers the Tribunal, among other things, things Angel couldn't handle.
Angel wants to help her.
She just wants him to leave her alone.
At Cordelia's, Angel has told the others what happened, the Prio was good, Angel made a mistake.
Cordy thinks the vision must have meant Angel was supposed to help the demon, not kill it.
Wesley thinks the misstep was understandable considering that Prio Motu demons are vicious killers. He doesn't see how they could be expected to believe a vicious killer could change and work for good. He stops mid-sentence when he realizes he's describing Angel, that it is possible for someone to radically change.
Angel says whatever the Prio's duty was has now become his own. The demon was protecting the pregnant woman from the Tribunal, he wants Wes and Cordy to research it and try to find out what it is.
As he heads out the door, Wesley reminds him there was no way he could have known about the Prio being there to protect the woman.
Angel reckons someone knew.
In a dark alley, Angel is roughing Merl up a bit, wanting to know what he knew.
Merl isn't too forthcoming initially, but after a bit more convincing, he offers the woman's unborn child is wanted dead by the forces of darkness because she is supposed to become a powerful force for good. The death of the mother was to be an added bonus but nobody could get close enough to do the job with the Prio Motu protecting her.
Angel demands to know where the Prio was living.
Merl finally offers the information, it was staying underground, somewhere beneath the water and power plant.
On a deserted street, a guy is working to get his car door open when Gunn and a couple of his crew come around the corner. The guy assumes they're there to rob him. He yells at them to take the car and takes off running.
Gunn yells after him to look out.
The guy is intercepted by a vampire who grabs him and tries to bite him.
Gunn knocks the vampire away from the guy, then stakes it.
The guy is left speechless seeing the vampire turn to dust before his eyes.
Gunn suggests he should go home. The guy takes off running full speed down the street.
Angel comes around the corner, onto the street. He and Gunn greet each other. Angel tells Gunn he needs his help.
Gunn sends his two companions to finish sweeping the area.
Angel wonders if Gunn is familiar with the Prio Motu.
He isn't.
Angel tells him it's a warrior demon that was living in the area.
Gunn wants to know what it's up to.
Angel tells him it's dead, it was living underground somewhere near the water and power plant and he wants to find where it was staying.
Gunn is familiar with the territory and thinks he knows where to look.
Angel says he'd like to scope out the area now.
Gunn and Angel enter an underground area beneath the water and power plant. Gunn and his crew cleared out some vamps from the area awhile ago and have been sweeping it every now and then since.
Gunn asks what the Prio was doing.
Angel tells him that it was the protector for a pregnant woman.
Gunn wonders if Angel has found the scum that killed it.
Angel informs him that he's the one who killed it.
Gunn notices a grate in the wall that wasn't there before. They check it out. Gunn notes that it looks like a vent, yet there's no air coming out of it.
They pull off the grate and find the Prio's room concealed behind it.
The Prio's room is sparsely appointed; a bed, candles (some still burning), a mattress on the floor, a few personal belongings. Angel picks up a book and looks through it. He finds the Prio's name within, Kamal.
Gunn has picked up and is examining a sword.
Angel seems bothered by that and gives Gunn a look that says so as he touches the scabbard and gently pushes it back toward where it came from.
Gunn lays the sword back where he found it.
Angel notices a small wooden chest and opens it. He pulls on a section of it which pops out a hidden drawer from the side, revealing an engraved metallic amulet.
Angel gives the amulet to Gunn and asks him to take it to Cordy's. He hands him a business card and tells him to deliver it to the address written on the back. He wants them to see if they can figure out what it has to do with the Tribunal.
Gunn agrees and leaves as Angel remains behind in the Prio's room.
Angel examines a mortar and pestle sitting on the table. He notes the candles and a small altar. He picks up one of the candles and lights it, placing it on the altar. A noise gets his attention.
He arms himself with the sword and waits for the door to open. When it does, the young pregnant woman is standing behind it. Angel lowers the sword, relieved to see she's safe.
She begins going through Kamal's things, looking for something.
Angel tells her Kamal's duty is his now.
The woman doesn't want his help. All she wants to do is protect her child.
Angel wants her to let him help, he tells her it's his job. He offers her one of his business cards.
She says maybe he can help if they can find the "coat of arms". She has to present it to the Tribunal, she thinks maybe she can stop things if she does this. She continues looking for it.
Angel describes the amulet he had given to Gunn and asks if that's what she's looking for.
The woman says it is, and is relieved he's apparently found it.
He tells her he knows where it is but it's not there at the moment.
The woman is distressed over this turn of events. Once again she thinks Angel is doing nothing but messing things up. She tells him she doesn't want his help and opens the door to leave. She finds herself confronted by a big, nasty demon standing on the other side.
Angel attacks it as it slashes across his chest with sharp claws, shredding his shirt and drawing blood. As the battle goes on, Angel asks the woman if she's sure he can kill this one.
She tells him to just do it.
Angel manages to throw the demon to the ground, then slams the door on its head. He suggests to the woman they should run for it.
Wes and Cordy are sitting at the table at her apartment. There's a knock on the door. Cordy gets up from the table and asks who it is. A voice answers, "Gunn."
Wes joins Cordy as she nervously tells him the person said something about a gun.
Wes wonders if it's a demon with a gun. He starts to issue a warning to whoever is standing on the other side of the door.
Gunn tells them his name is Gunn, Angel sent him.
Cordelia opens the door and reminds Wes Angel had mentioned Gunn before. She thinks Gunn is a street name.
Gunn informs her it's his name, Charles Gunn, spelled with two n's. He tells Cordy he's seen her before.
She's flattered, thinking he saw her in a commercial she'd done.
Gunn clarifies, saying he'd seen her in bed.
Wes reckons this is a good time to make himself scarce.
Gunn adds he's seen Wes in bed as well. He clarifies, he saw them both in the hospital after the office had been blown up ("To Shanshu in LA"). Angel had asked him to keep on eye on them while he dealt with the situation.
He gives the amulet to Wesley, telling him Angel sent it, he thinks it might have something to do with the Tribunal.
Wes takes it and leaves the room to do some research on it.
Angel and the woman are running through the tunnels. Angel suddenly stops and takes a new direction, leading to an overhead door. They climb up through it, into a large abandoned building. The woman asks where they are.
Angel doesn't answer, just directs her to keep moving.
They exit into a large furnished lobby, the furniture is covered over with sheets. The place has obviously been abandoned for a long time. Angel looks around.
The woman notices it's familiar to him, that he's been there before. The place gives her the creeps.
Angel asks her about the Tribunal.
She says it's some kind of mystical court that supposedly can protect her and her child. She must go before them with the amulet but she doesn't know how it works. Kamal had told her he would be her "champion." She's tired of all of this and decides she'll be responsible for taking care of herself and her baby and starts to leave.
Angel stops her, telling her she can't escape, they will find her wherever she goes. He wants her to come with him to Cordy's. He'll protect her and make things right. There's an exit in the back.
As he's leading her toward the exit, he hears a noise. He directs her to go to the address on the back of the business card he had given her earlier.
She departs just as two demon bounty hunters attack Angel.
Angel arrives at Cordelia's, she notices the bloody gash on his chest and asks if he's all right. Angel just wants to know if the woman showed up at the apartment.
Cordy tells him she didn't. She mentions Gunn brought the amulet.
Wes says he's still working on it and goes back to his research.
Angel is frustrated the woman didn't trust him enough to do what he had asked her to do but he understands she really has no reason to at this point. He slams his hands against the whiteboard.
Cordelia tries to tell him he can't always expect to have all the answers.
Angel moves to sit on the couch. He realizes he let the prophecy of becoming human one day overtake his priorities ("To Shanshu in LA"). He thought it was something he could make happen sooner rather than later.
Cordy acknowledges they all got a bit cocky and it will be a long road to the end destination for Angel, but she knows he'll get there and assures him she'll be beside him until he does. Of course, that doesn't mean she's giving up her hopes of stardom, after all, the girl needs a day job.
Wesley comes rushing into the room with the fruits of his research on the amulet. It's a medieval piece that has to be presented when one goes before the panel of judges that is the Tribunal, a mystical court that settles grievances by presiding over a fight to the death.
Angel now realizes why the young woman needed a champion. Now he has to find the Tribunal with little time to do it. Angel wants to know where to look.
Wes says it's a mystical thing, it can appear anywhere in this reality, at any time.
Angel realizes there's only one way to find the answer.
Angel is on-stage at the Karaoke bar singing Barry Manilow's "Mandy," really, really badly.
Cordelia and Wes are sitting at a table in the audience, looking on in horror.
The Host moves up on-stage and takes the microphone from Angel as he's still singing. He introduces the next singer and turns the microphone over to the demon. He and Angel leave the stage and take a seat at one of the tables in a dark corner of the bar.
Angel wants to know what the Host can tell him.
The demon knows of Angel's guilt, he knows he killed the woman's protector by accident which means the woman will face the Tribunal with no champion and that leaves her with no chance.
Angel wants to know where he can find the Tribunal.
The Host tells him wherever the woman is, the Tribunal will be. She can't escape them.
Angel asks where the woman is.
The Host has one question for Angel first, why choose "Mandy". He advises him he wants the truth, he can read auras, he'll know.
Angel reluctantly admits he knows the words, leans in and whispers he thinks the song is kind of pretty.
The demon congratulates him for confessing his appreciation of Manilow. He gives Angel the address where the woman can be found.
Angel wants to know more details but the Host has told him all he can. The rest is up to Angel.
Angel asks if he can save her.
The Host replies, "Try, and find out." Angel departs.
The woman is running down the middle of a street.
Suddenly, the ground rumbles as a carved stone platform emerges from it. On the platform are three ornate chairs, each occupied by a ninja looking being.
A demon knight on horseback appears at the end of the street, carrying a shield and lance. He rides the horse up to a position in front of the Tribunal, next to the woman. He tosses down his amulet.
The Tribunal leader asks the woman where her champion is.
She says he's dead.
The leader notes she has no champion and no coat of arms.
The woman begs for asylum.
The leader says it's not theirs to give, it must be won or lost through the challenge and she has no one to fight for her so her life is forfeit. Those are the rules.
Angel comes up to take a position in front of the Tribunal, behind the woman, and tosses down the amulet. He says he will be her champion.
The Tribunal accepts Angel's bid to be the woman's champion and orders the contest to begin.
Angel is accompanied by the woman as he walks over to his horse which is also equipped with a shield, sword and lance. She appreciates his offer, but wonders if he really knows what he's doing, considering all he's done so far is mess things up.
Angel tells her he can handle it, he grew up around horses.
She wonders how long it's been since he's actually ridden one.
He says it's something you don't forget.
The woman walks away to a position in front of the Tribunal where she can view the contest.
Angel asks the horse not to make him look stupid, mounts and picks up the shield and lance as the demon knight awaits at the other end of the street.
The Tribunal leader drops a red scarf, signifying the participants to begin the contest.
Angel and the demon knight charge toward each other.
As they pass, Angel tags the demon knight on the chest, hard, with his lance, throwing him backward but not knocking him off of his horse. They line up for another pass.
This time the demon knight tags Angel, sending him flying backward off of his mount, landing on his back on the street. Angel runs to his horse and retrieves a sword from its scabbard as the demon knight charges.
Angel slashes at the knight with the sword, knocking him off of his mount.
They continue fighting in the street, battling sword to sword. The demon manages to wrap Angel up, turns and drives his sword into him, leaving Angel to collapse to the street.
The demon approaches the Tribunal.
The leader tells him as the victor, the woman is his.
The demon pulls a knife and is about to slit the woman's throat when Angel comes up behind him and decapitates him.
Angel wants to know if the woman is safe now.
The Tribunal leader assures him since her champion won, she and her child will be protected until the child is of age. The Tribunal disappears.
Angel slumps but stays on his feet.
The woman moves to him and asks if he's all right.
He tells her it's part of the job as they depart together.
Back at Cordelia's apartment, Angel takes down the whiteboard. He thinks it's best not to use it anymore.
Wes agrees, noting their job is to help people, "one soul at a time", not keep score.
Angel tells Wes and Cordy he has to be somewhere.
Angel is in a prison visiting area, awaiting the person he's come to see.
Faith enters and takes a seat across from him. They are separated by a Plexiglas panel, communicating through phone handsets.
He asks Faith how things are for her.
She says she had a bad day. One of the inmates attacked her with a knife.
Angel hesitantly wonders if Faith killed her.
Faith says she wanted to, but she didn't. She got the knife away from her and put a bit of a hurt on her but it ended there. Faith was beaten by the guards though.
Angel offers his genuine sympathy for her situation.
Faith figures she's earned worse.
Angel tells her he had to sing "Mandy", publicly. He'd prefer not to dwell on it.
Faith is sympathetic. She thinks that's far worse than anything she's been through and notes the redemption road is full of obstacles. She wonders if they'll both succeed.
Angel thinks they have a chance.
Site design ©2000 TAO Designz
All Rights Reserved
Written by: Joss Whedon
& David Greenwalt |
Original Air Date: September 26, 2000 |
A green, red horned demon guy is on-stage at a Karaoke bar singing "I Will Survive."
Cordelia is in the middle of an acting class. Her acting partner doesn't appreciate her improvisation when, in character, she slaps him hard across the face.
The acting teacher is impressed with Cordy's efforts.
Her her pager goes off. She checks it and sees the display shows "911". She gathers her things and rushes out of the class to respond to it.
Wesley is at a bar playing darts, showing off a bit for a young blonde woman who's watching.
His game is interrupted by the sound of his pager going off. He checks the page, makes his apologies to the patrons he was playing against, collects a pile of cash laying on the table, smiles at the woman and tosses a dart at the board without looking. Someone yells, "Ow!"
Wes rushes out, responding to the "911" page.
Angel, Wesley and Cordelia enter a gym in search of Carnyss demons. Wesley questions whether or not they're in the right place, he doesn't think the surroundings fit the typical environment for a Praetorian sacrifice.
Angel thinks it matches since the profile for this particular species of demon indicates they like muscles and mirrors.
They are followed by an anxious gym employee as they stride toward a large mirror covering the full length of the wall. The gym guy insists the club is for members or their guests only, they really can't be there. The gang pays little attention as they forge ahead with a purpose, heading for the mirrored wall.
The gang comes to a stop in front of the mirror. Gym guy is in the midst of threatening to call the police when he notices that everyone is reflected in the mirror, except Angel.
Angel notes the guy's reaction to his lack of reflection then kicks in the mirror, shattering it, revealing a room behind it where two demons are about to sacrifice a couple of humans.
Angel morphs into vamp face and advises the demons to stop what they're doing.
One of them rushes him, Wesley enters the fray. A brief fight ensues.
Wesley defeats the demon he's fighting, Angel runs the other through with its own sword.
Angel, Wes and Cordy untie the intended sacrifices.
Angel morphs back into human face before they exit the room, gym guy is looking on. He's noticed that one of the guys behind the wall had horns.
Angel suggests it's a result of steroid use as the three depart the gym.
Back at Cordelia's place, which is serving as a temporary base of operations for Angel Investigations, the gang is keeping score of their successes on a large whiteboard. Wesley is thinking that one of the demons they defeated previously was likely what Wolfram & Hart had raised in the box months earlier while Angel was fighting Vocah.
Angel isn't paying attention to the ongoing conversation between Cordy and Wes, he's toying with one of Cordelia's glass figurines, pondering the benefits of joining a gym.
Cordy sees him tossing around her glass figurine, steps over to him and takes it from him, putting it back in its place as she reminds Angel he doesn't need to work out since he's immortal.
Angel is thinking that one day he will be human though and staying in shape will be a concern.
Cordelia walks back over toward the whiteboard, Angel once again picks up the small glass figurine.
Cordelia begins to stagger, Angel thinks vision. He tosses the glass figurine into the air and rushes to Cordelia. The figurine falls to the floor and breaks.
As it turns out, Cordelia's contortions were caused by a a sneeze, not a vision. Angel and Wesley are disappointed. Angel apologizes for breaking the figurine.
Cordy isn't too happy about it and wonders why they can't work out of Wesley's place instead of hers.
Angel assures her he will get them a new office.
Cordelia begins her contortions once again. Angel and Wes think it's another sneeze.
This time it's a sneeze, followed by a vision.
Wes asks what she saw.
Cordy says she saw a large demon, nothing she's ever seen before.
Wesley makes a note of it on the whiteboard.
Lilah is walking down the hall at the offices of Wolfram & Hart. She finishes up some business on her cell phone, then enters Lindsey's darkened office.
Inside, Lindsey is struggling to open a CD case with his new prosthetic hand. He notes "she" has a preference for classical music as the stereo begins to play.
Lilah turns to see Darla, who is standing on the other side of the room, pondering a small globe. Lilah approaches her carefully, speaking to her slowly and simply.
Lindsey reminds Lilah, in an irritated tone, Darla is not a child, she's been around for over 400 years.
Darla begins to hum softly with the music. She recognizes the piece and the composer. She pauses briefly and notes she senses a presence.
Lilah thinks she's talking about the composer of the piece, Chopin.
Lindsey smiles as he realizes what Darla means. She can sense Angel.
Darla says she was always able to.
Lindsey tells her Angel has been a problem for them.
Darla remembers Angel was the one who killed her. She laughs as she recalls he did it "with a soul in his heart."
Lindsey tells her Angel has taken from both of them and when Darla feels ready, it will be payback time.
Darla is looking forward to once again seeing the "boy".
At Cordelia's apartment, Angel is sketching a picture of the demon from Cordy's vision as she describes what she saw.
Angel and Wes think they recognize what general region it comes from based on the sketch.
Wesley heads for a stack of books to research it when one of the books comes flying out of the stack, hitting him in the chest, startling him.
The book falls to the floor as Cordelia chastises Wes for overreacting and hurting Phantom Dennis' feelings. She reminds Wes that he's more human than ghost and he's just trying to help.
As Wes picks up the book and begins flipping through the pages, Cordelia shrieks, startling everyone. She recognizes a picture in it as the demon she saw in her vision.
Wesley reads the identification of the demon from the book, a Prio Motu.
Angel take the book from Wes and reads further, noting it's a vicious killer prone to massacres.
Angel makes notes regarding the Prio on the whiteboard. They now know what they are looking for but they still don't know where to look.
Wesley offers that he may have a way to find out. He's been working on broadening their information base and has a contact named Merl, a parasite demon he thinks may have the information they need. Merl hangs out at a place that's safe for demons. Wes has been meaning to take the others there, he says the place is a bit different.
At the Karaoke bar a green, lizard-like demon is on-stage singing. Everyone who enters has to pass through a metal detector. The rules of the place are "no weapons, no violence."
Angel, Cordy and Wes enter the bar.
Cordelia finds it odd that Wesley's informant would feel safe in a Karaoke bar.
Wes explains it's a sanctuary as they pause to watch the lizard demon on-stage who has now been joined in song by the Host.
Wes breaks away and heads for the bar.
The Host and demon finish their number and move to a position offstage as another demon begins to sing.
Off stage, the Host is about to tell lizard demon what he's read in his "aura".
Wesley walks up and takes a seat next to a demon at the bar. He greets Merl.
Cordelia stands next to Wesley, Angel takes a position on the other side of Merl who is not too happy with the vampire in close proximity.
Wes reminds him he's safe at the bar, Angel can't harm him there.
Wesley shoves an envelope across the bar. Merl opens it revealing a large sum of cash. Wes tells Merl they want to find the Prio Motu.
Merl isn't keen on helping, saying that Prio's are vicious killers. He wants more money for taking the risk of pointing them in its direction.
Wesley reaches into his pocket and pulls out more cash which he sets on the bar, on top of the envelope.
The informant offers Prio's prefer being underground, they can find what they're looking for in the tunnels. He tells them where to look.
As Angel begins to leave, Merl reminds him that Prio's are big and vicious. He doesn't think Angel has much of a chance of defeating it but wishes him luck anyway.
Cordy, Wes and Angel are on the way out of the bar when Angel is intercepted by the Host. He wants Angel to get up on-stage and sing. Angel declines the invitation.
Cordelia asks Wesley about the Host.
Wes tells her he's "anagogic", a spiritual or mystical interpreter of words. He says when someone sings, they bare their soul and the Host can then read it.
The Host is still trying to coax Angel into singing, telling him he can only read him if he sings.
Angel still declines.
Cordy and Wesley join in, trying to convince him to do it.
He remains firm in his resolve, he won't do it. He leaves the bar.
As the Host watches Angel leave he wonders, "How fabulous would I look in that coat?"
Angel is walking cautiously through a dark tunnel when he hears a noise.
A young, pregnant woman comes walking rapidly toward his position. He steps out in front of her and assures her she doesn't have anything to be afraid of.
Suddenly a large, fierce looking demon rushes Angel from behind the woman. It's the Prio Motu.
Angel pushes the woman out of the way as the Prio hits him full force in the chest, sending him flying backward.
The Prio continues its attack. They exchange blows briefly but the Prio is definitely getting the better of the encounter.
Angel finally manages to get behind the demon, wraps his arm around its neck and snaps it. The Prio falls to the ground, dead.
Angel tells the woman everything is okay now.
She kneels beside the dead Prio, crying. She wants to know what Angel thought he was doing.
Angel is clearly taken aback by the sight of the woman grief stricken, not grateful.
Angel realizes he's made a mistake. He tells the woman he thought the demon meant her harm.
She says the Prio was there to protect her.
Angel wants to know what it was protecting her from.
She answers the Tribunal, among other things, things Angel couldn't handle.
Angel wants to help her.
She just wants him to leave her alone.
At Cordelia's, Angel has told the others what happened, the Prio was good, Angel made a mistake.
Cordy thinks the vision must have meant Angel was supposed to help the demon, not kill it.
Wesley thinks the misstep was understandable considering that Prio Motu demons are vicious killers. He doesn't see how they could be expected to believe a vicious killer could change and work for good. He stops mid-sentence when he realizes he's describing Angel, that it is possible for someone to radically change.
Angel says whatever the Prio's duty was has now become his own. The demon was protecting the pregnant woman from the Tribunal, he wants Wes and Cordy to research it and try to find out what it is.
As he heads out the door, Wesley reminds him there was no way he could have known about the Prio being there to protect the woman.
Angel reckons someone knew.
In a dark alley, Angel is roughing Merl up a bit, wanting to know what he knew.
Merl isn't too forthcoming initially, but after a bit more convincing, he offers the woman's unborn child is wanted dead by the forces of darkness because she is supposed to become a powerful force for good. The death of the mother was to be an added bonus but nobody could get close enough to do the job with the Prio Motu protecting her.
Angel demands to know where the Prio was living.
Merl finally offers the information, it was staying underground, somewhere beneath the water and power plant.
On a deserted street, a guy is working to get his car door open when Gunn and a couple of his crew come around the corner. The guy assumes they're there to rob him. He yells at them to take the car and takes off running.
Gunn yells after him to look out.
The guy is intercepted by a vampire who grabs him and tries to bite him.
Gunn knocks the vampire away from the guy, then stakes it.
The guy is left speechless seeing the vampire turn to dust before his eyes.
Gunn suggests he should go home. The guy takes off running full speed down the street.
Angel comes around the corner, onto the street. He and Gunn greet each other. Angel tells Gunn he needs his help.
Gunn sends his two companions to finish sweeping the area.
Angel wonders if Gunn is familiar with the Prio Motu.
He isn't.
Angel tells him it's a warrior demon that was living in the area.
Gunn wants to know what it's up to.
Angel tells him it's dead, it was living underground somewhere near the water and power plant and he wants to find where it was staying.
Gunn is familiar with the territory and thinks he knows where to look.
Angel says he'd like to scope out the area now.
Gunn and Angel enter an underground area beneath the water and power plant. Gunn and his crew cleared out some vamps from the area awhile ago and have been sweeping it every now and then since.
Gunn asks what the Prio was doing.
Angel tells him that it was the protector for a pregnant woman.
Gunn wonders if Angel has found the scum that killed it.
Angel informs him that he's the one who killed it.
Gunn notices a grate in the wall that wasn't there before. They check it out. Gunn notes that it looks like a vent, yet there's no air coming out of it.
They pull off the grate and find the Prio's room concealed behind it.
The Prio's room is sparsely appointed; a bed, candles (some still burning), a mattress on the floor, a few personal belongings. Angel picks up a book and looks through it. He finds the Prio's name within, Kamal.
Gunn has picked up and is examining a sword.
Angel seems bothered by that and gives Gunn a look that says so as he touches the scabbard and gently pushes it back toward where it came from.
Gunn lays the sword back where he found it.
Angel notices a small wooden chest and opens it. He pulls on a section of it which pops out a hidden drawer from the side, revealing an engraved metallic amulet.
Angel gives the amulet to Gunn and asks him to take it to Cordy's. He hands him a business card and tells him to deliver it to the address written on the back. He wants them to see if they can figure out what it has to do with the Tribunal.
Gunn agrees and leaves as Angel remains behind in the Prio's room.
Angel examines a mortar and pestle sitting on the table. He notes the candles and a small altar. He picks up one of the candles and lights it, placing it on the altar. A noise gets his attention.
He arms himself with the sword and waits for the door to open. When it does, the young pregnant woman is standing behind it. Angel lowers the sword, relieved to see she's safe.
She begins going through Kamal's things, looking for something.
Angel tells her Kamal's duty is his now.
The woman doesn't want his help. All she wants to do is protect her child.
Angel wants her to let him help, he tells her it's his job. He offers her one of his business cards.
She says maybe he can help if they can find the "coat of arms". She has to present it to the Tribunal, she thinks maybe she can stop things if she does this. She continues looking for it.
Angel describes the amulet he had given to Gunn and asks if that's what she's looking for.
The woman says it is, and is relieved he's apparently found it.
He tells her he knows where it is but it's not there at the moment.
The woman is distressed over this turn of events. Once again she thinks Angel is doing nothing but messing things up. She tells him she doesn't want his help and opens the door to leave. She finds herself confronted by a big, nasty demon standing on the other side.
Angel attacks it as it slashes across his chest with sharp claws, shredding his shirt and drawing blood. As the battle goes on, Angel asks the woman if she's sure he can kill this one.
She tells him to just do it.
Angel manages to throw the demon to the ground, then slams the door on its head. He suggests to the woman they should run for it.
Wes and Cordy are sitting at the table at her apartment. There's a knock on the door. Cordy gets up from the table and asks who it is. A voice answers, "Gunn."
Wes joins Cordy as she nervously tells him the person said something about a gun.
Wes wonders if it's a demon with a gun. He starts to issue a warning to whoever is standing on the other side of the door.
Gunn tells them his name is Gunn, Angel sent him.
Cordelia opens the door and reminds Wes Angel had mentioned Gunn before. She thinks Gunn is a street name.
Gunn informs her it's his name, Charles Gunn, spelled with two n's. He tells Cordy he's seen her before.
She's flattered, thinking he saw her in a commercial she'd done.
Gunn clarifies, saying he'd seen her in bed.
Wes reckons this is a good time to make himself scarce.
Gunn adds he's seen Wes in bed as well. He clarifies, he saw them both in the hospital after the office had been blown up ("To Shanshu in LA"). Angel had asked him to keep on eye on them while he dealt with the situation.
He gives the amulet to Wesley, telling him Angel sent it, he thinks it might have something to do with the Tribunal.
Wes takes it and leaves the room to do some research on it.
Angel and the woman are running through the tunnels. Angel suddenly stops and takes a new direction, leading to an overhead door. They climb up through it, into a large abandoned building. The woman asks where they are.
Angel doesn't answer, just directs her to keep moving.
They exit into a large furnished lobby, the furniture is covered over with sheets. The place has obviously been abandoned for a long time. Angel looks around.
The woman notices it's familiar to him, that he's been there before. The place gives her the creeps.
Angel asks her about the Tribunal.
She says it's some kind of mystical court that supposedly can protect her and her child. She must go before them with the amulet but she doesn't know how it works. Kamal had told her he would be her "champion." She's tired of all of this and decides she'll be responsible for taking care of herself and her baby and starts to leave.
Angel stops her, telling her she can't escape, they will find her wherever she goes. He wants her to come with him to Cordy's. He'll protect her and make things right. There's an exit in the back.
As he's leading her toward the exit, he hears a noise. He directs her to go to the address on the back of the business card he had given her earlier.
She departs just as two demon bounty hunters attack Angel.
Angel arrives at Cordelia's, she notices the bloody gash on his chest and asks if he's all right. Angel just wants to know if the woman showed up at the apartment.
Cordy tells him she didn't. She mentions Gunn brought the amulet.
Wes says he's still working on it and goes back to his research.
Angel is frustrated the woman didn't trust him enough to do what he had asked her to do but he understands she really has no reason to at this point. He slams his hands against the whiteboard.
Cordelia tries to tell him he can't always expect to have all the answers.
Angel moves to sit on the couch. He realizes he let the prophecy of becoming human one day overtake his priorities ("To Shanshu in LA"). He thought it was something he could make happen sooner rather than later.
Cordy acknowledges they all got a bit cocky and it will be a long road to the end destination for Angel, but she knows he'll get there and assures him she'll be beside him until he does. Of course, that doesn't mean she's giving up her hopes of stardom, after all, the girl needs a day job.
Wesley comes rushing into the room with the fruits of his research on the amulet. It's a medieval piece that has to be presented when one goes before the panel of judges that is the Tribunal, a mystical court that settles grievances by presiding over a fight to the death.
Angel now realizes why the young woman needed a champion. Now he has to find the Tribunal with little time to do it. Angel wants to know where to look.
Wes says it's a mystical thing, it can appear anywhere in this reality, at any time.
Angel realizes there's only one way to find the answer.
Angel is on-stage at the Karaoke bar singing Barry Manilow's "Mandy," really, really badly.
Cordelia and Wes are sitting at a table in the audience, looking on in horror.
The Host moves up on-stage and takes the microphone from Angel as he's still singing. He introduces the next singer and turns the microphone over to the demon. He and Angel leave the stage and take a seat at one of the tables in a dark corner of the bar.
Angel wants to know what the Host can tell him.
The demon knows of Angel's guilt, he knows he killed the woman's protector by accident which means the woman will face the Tribunal with no champion and that leaves her with no chance.
Angel wants to know where he can find the Tribunal.
The Host tells him wherever the woman is, the Tribunal will be. She can't escape them.
Angel asks where the woman is.
The Host has one question for Angel first, why choose "Mandy". He advises him he wants the truth, he can read auras, he'll know.
Angel reluctantly admits he knows the words, leans in and whispers he thinks the song is kind of pretty.
The demon congratulates him for confessing his appreciation of Manilow. He gives Angel the address where the woman can be found.
Angel wants to know more details but the Host has told him all he can. The rest is up to Angel.
Angel asks if he can save her.
The Host replies, "Try, and find out." Angel departs.
The woman is running down the middle of a street.
Suddenly, the ground rumbles as a carved stone platform emerges from it. On the platform are three ornate chairs, each occupied by a ninja looking being.
A demon knight on horseback appears at the end of the street, carrying a shield and lance. He rides the horse up to a position in front of the Tribunal, next to the woman. He tosses down his amulet.
The Tribunal leader asks the woman where her champion is.
She says he's dead.
The leader notes she has no champion and no coat of arms.
The woman begs for asylum.
The leader says it's not theirs to give, it must be won or lost through the challenge and she has no one to fight for her so her life is forfeit. Those are the rules.
Angel comes up to take a position in front of the Tribunal, behind the woman, and tosses down the amulet. He says he will be her champion.
The Tribunal accepts Angel's bid to be the woman's champion and orders the contest to begin.
Angel is accompanied by the woman as he walks over to his horse which is also equipped with a shield, sword and lance. She appreciates his offer, but wonders if he really knows what he's doing, considering all he's done so far is mess things up.
Angel tells her he can handle it, he grew up around horses.
She wonders how long it's been since he's actually ridden one.
He says it's something you don't forget.
The woman walks away to a position in front of the Tribunal where she can view the contest.
Angel asks the horse not to make him look stupid, mounts and picks up the shield and lance as the demon knight awaits at the other end of the street.
The Tribunal leader drops a red scarf, signifying the participants to begin the contest.
Angel and the demon knight charge toward each other.
As they pass, Angel tags the demon knight on the chest, hard, with his lance, throwing him backward but not knocking him off of his horse. They line up for another pass.
This time the demon knight tags Angel, sending him flying backward off of his mount, landing on his back on the street. Angel runs to his horse and retrieves a sword from its scabbard as the demon knight charges.
Angel slashes at the knight with the sword, knocking him off of his mount.
They continue fighting in the street, battling sword to sword. The demon manages to wrap Angel up, turns and drives his sword into him, leaving Angel to collapse to the street.
The demon approaches the Tribunal.
The leader tells him as the victor, the woman is his.
The demon pulls a knife and is about to slit the woman's throat when Angel comes up behind him and decapitates him.
Angel wants to know if the woman is safe now.
The Tribunal leader assures him since her champion won, she and her child will be protected until the child is of age. The Tribunal disappears.
Angel slumps but stays on his feet.
The woman moves to him and asks if he's all right.
He tells her it's part of the job as they depart together.
Back at Cordelia's apartment, Angel takes down the whiteboard. He thinks it's best not to use it anymore.
Wes agrees, noting their job is to help people, "one soul at a time", not keep score.
Angel tells Wes and Cordy he has to be somewhere.
Angel is in a prison visiting area, awaiting the person he's come to see.
Faith enters and takes a seat across from him. They are separated by a Plexiglas panel, communicating through phone handsets.
He asks Faith how things are for her.
She says she had a bad day. One of the inmates attacked her with a knife.
Angel hesitantly wonders if Faith killed her.
Faith says she wanted to, but she didn't. She got the knife away from her and put a bit of a hurt on her but it ended there. Faith was beaten by the guards though.
Angel offers his genuine sympathy for her situation.
Faith figures she's earned worse.
Angel tells her he had to sing "Mandy", publicly. He'd prefer not to dwell on it.
Faith is sympathetic. She thinks that's far worse than anything she's been through and notes the redemption road is full of obstacles. She wonders if they'll both succeed.
Angel thinks they have a chance.
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