"Happy Anniversary"
In his room at the hotel, Angel looks out over the cityscape at night.
Cordelia and Wesley are settling into a new office. Wes looks at the clutter surrounding him and wonders if the previous tenants left it all behind when their business folded.
Cordelia confirms that's accurate and notes that there's a desk as well, they can share it.
Wes figures when they go out of business, they can leave everything behind for the next tenant.
Cordelia tells him not to be so negative, with all their money pooled together they can afford to stay for awhile.
Wes figures their money pooled together shoud buy them about 20 minutes. Cordelia thinks that sounds about right.Wesley wonders if they can make "Angel Investigations" work without Angel. Cordy reminds him she still has the visions, they can go with that. Wesley points out they'll need more than that, they'll need a steady stream of paying clients of their own. Cordelia isn't worried about it. She thinks the future looks bright.
Gunn comes in, announcing he's left flyers on every windshield within a 10 block radius, certain he's irritated a lot of people. He climbs over the clutter and wonders if something smells funny. Cordelia assures him the place will air out and figures now they can sit back and wait for the business to roll in.
Gunn picks up the phone, tries to dial out, tells the others it's not working. Gunn notices there's only one desk. Wesley crawls under the table to see if he can get the phone working. He thinks he found the right wire. He yanks it. The lights go out. Gunn finds the situation amusing, at least.
It's daylight, Angel lays down, closes his eyes to get some sleep. He's awakened by a rousing rendition of the national anthem and gets up to investigate.
The Host is singing in the lobby, loudly, appreciating the acoustics. Angel isn't appreciative of the serenade. He wants to know if there's a reason the Host is in his lobby.
The Host says there is, the world is going to end tomorrow night. He thought Angel might want to know. Angel doesn't seem too interested. The Host tells him not to feel obligated to offer any coffee or Danish. Angel says he doesn't. The Host notes that Angel just gets darker and darker but his "aura is beige." Angel tells him he doesn't have any coffee.
The Host slides his hand across the desk and notes that Angel apparently doesn't have a dustbuster either. He asks why Angel fired his staff, noting that he thinks Cordelia is attractive in an "oh my sizzling loins" kind of way and the "British boy" has an important role to play in -- he doesn't finish that thought. Angel impatiently asks if he's ever going to get to the world ending matter or if he's just going to talk until it happens.
The Host tells him what happened the previous night, meandering into irrelevant details about the Torto demon who was singing and the new bartender's lack of skill in making a Sea Breeze.
Angel is getting impatient and tells him to get to the point. The Host goes on to tell him somebody he hadn't seen before got up to sing. An ordinary looking guy, average in every way. The guy starts singing "All By Myself" (badly) and the Host passed out. He tells Angel that when he came to, the guy was gone.
Angel asks if he didn't wait around to be read. The Host says no. Angel wonders what it is about the guy that knocked the Host out. He says he looked into the guy and saw that he had no future past 10:00 tomorrow night, "and neither does anybody else." He tells Angel that the guy is going to do something, he doesn't know what, but it's going to end the world. They need to find him and keep whatever from happening.
Angel asks why the Host came to him.
The Host thinks that's obvious. Angel is a force for good, a champion. He notes that besides, all the other champions he knows are either "out of town or dead". He wonders if Angel doesn't want to work with him just because he sent him on a couple of missions that didn't turn out well.
Angel dryly notes that they turned out to be "pointless and deadly."
The Host agrees things didn't turn out very well at times, but he sent Angel on those missions in "good faith". He reminds Angel he's talking about "end of the world" here. It's kind of urgent. He thought Angel might be interested.
Angel asks why the kid didn't stick around the club to be read after he sang.
The Host says that sometimes people come in for a reading but they get scared and decide they really don't want to know. He doesn't figure it helps when the psychic passes out and throws up. Not confidence inspiring. He doesn't want to talk about it.
Angel points out that it's possible the guy just likes karaoke, he didn't know anything about the anagogic.
The Host thinks that makes sense, so they should check out the other karaoke bars in the area and see if they can get a lead if Angel isn't too busy "getting lawyers killed and setting girls on fire."
In a university physics lab, the young guy from the karaoke bar, Gene, is working over an elaborate mathematical equation on a whiteboard as two other students, Val and Mike, look on. Mike and Val snipe at each other over levels of intellect (or lack thereof). Val gets up and goes to speak to Gene.
She asks him how things are going. He goes into psychics speak, talking about figuring how to detangle the entangled, space and time. He changes some figures in the equation. His goal is not to freeze time, though it would appear that way, he wants to effect the removal of a tiny moment of time from what surrounds it. From there, growing the event into something that can be measured and controlled. Whatever is the center of the effect would be frozen forever in that place and time. He figures he can prove it with his equipment if he can get the math right. He explains that he can generate a focal point with the accelerator beams and pass liquid mercury through that point. If the calculations are right, the mercury would be suspended in the moment, not fall through the beam.
A young woman enters the lab, Val greets her as Denise. She tells Denise Gene was just explaining the science to her. Denise says that's what attracted her to him. Gene greets Denise, asks how she's doing. He wants to know if their plans are still on for tomorrow night. Denise assures him things are still on, it's an important occasion, being their one year anniversary. Denise and Val leave.
Angel and the Host enter a dive of a karaoke bar, pausing briefly to watch the guy onstage who is singing "Greensleeves."
The Host sits at the bar, Angel stands next to him. The Host listens to a guy singing for a minute. He thinks it's too bad about the Cuisineart incident that will happen in the guy's future. But the bright side is, if he and Angel stop the world from ending, the scar won't even be noticeable. Angel just gives him a look. The Host apologizes, he can't help himself.
Angel asks if the guy from Caritas is in this bar. The Host looks around and says no. Angel sits at the bar and notes this is the 17th bar they've been to. He needs to lie down. The Host wonders if they're on the wrong track.
The bartender approaches and notes they don't get many of "your kind." The Host asks what he means. The bartender says they don't get many demons, just an occasional vampire now and then passing for human. The Host says he doesn't pass on anything, especially if it comes in a glass with a little umbrella.
Angel asks if the bartender has worked there long. He says he's been there 11 years. He put in the karaoke machine thinking it would bring in business, but it drove it away instead. They picked up a few regulars to make up for it. Angel asks him about the regulars.
The bartender says they get a lot of grad students. The Host thinks that would fit the guy who sang at the club. Angel describes the guy they're looking for to the bartender. The guy says he sounds like someone who comes in every few weeks, has a fondness for sad songs, but he doesn't know the kid's name.
The Host asks if the bartender can picture the guy in his head. The guy figures he can. The Host asks him to sing a few bars of "For He's a Jolly Good Fellow." The bartender hesitates. Angel suggests he should comply otherwise the demon might talk his ears off. The bartender sings a few notes. The Host tells Angel that's the guy they're looking for. He tells the bartender to keep working on his novel then asks what university the grad student is attending.
In the university lab, Gene is working on his equation. He inputs some information into a computer and begins his experiment generating the focal point. The liquid mercury drops from above but rather than being suspended as it should, it falls through the beam. Gene is disappointed in his results. He leaves the lab.
As Gene walks out, a couple of pasty demon guys emerge from a hiding place behind some equipment. They intend to help Gene with the equation to bring about the end of the world, and humanity.
One of them walks over to the whiteboard, raises a staff with a glowing red orb on the end of it, and part of the equation changes.
Cordelia loads a bunch of candles onto the table in the new office. She figures they can work just fine without lights or computers. Wes and Gunn are seated behind the desk. Gunn tells her she can stop trying. Cordelia appreciates that. She joins them sitting behind the desk. Wes thinks a bit of self-pity is a necessity sometimes.
Virginia Bryce enters the office, bearing a bottle of champagne and a cheese basket to celebrate the new business. She notices the lack of celebratory mood. Wes gets up, greets her with a kiss, tells her she just happened to come in at a bad time. Cordelia snatches the bottle of champagne from Virginia's hand. She pops it open and drinks straight from the bottle.
Virginia says she found them a client, one with money. This perks everyone up. Cordelia wonders why she didn't say that in the first place.
Virginia tells them her friend's family is being harassed by a "big guy", they'd be grateful if someone got rid of the problem. Gunn figures that sounds easy enough. Cordelia asks if the "big guy" is a demon. Virginia says that's true and the clients live in a huge estate and will be willing to pay handsomely for having this problem solved. Cordelia's face lights up at the mention of all that money, she tells Virginia they'll do it, they'll "do anything." Virginia tells her the type of demon they'll be dealing with and that it has already killed the eldest son. The gang aren't quite as eager having heard that bit of news. Virginia says she'll call her friend and tell her they'll take the case. Wes tells her they have no phone. Cordelia points out the lights don't work. Gunn says something smells funny. They all head out.
Gene enters the lab at the university. He sees the new equation and rushes to input it into the computer to run his experiment again. This time the liquid mercury stays suspended within the beam, rather than dropping through it. Gene joyfully runs out of the lab and across campus.
Angel and the Host enter the campus library. Angel asks the Host where he learned to drive. The Host tells him just then and there, driving Angel's car. He figures he did pretty good for a newbie. Angel points out he nearly got them killed more than once. The Host reminds him he was pretty useless huddled in the back seat, under the blanket, hiding from the sun.
A girl walks by, the Host buries his face in the stacks. He figures he should probably figure out something to say if an attractive woman notices. Angel suggests he stay back and if anyone notices, he should tell them he's the new mascot.
Angel heads for the reference desk as the Host buries his nose in a book. Angel brings back a stack of books, student/faculty publications and yearbooks covering the past 5 years. He tells the Host they should be able to find "your little madman bent on destroying the universe." The Host prefers to think of him as "our little madman", he's a team player.
One of the pasty white demons looks on from behind the stacks.
Denise and Val are sitting outside, on campus, talking. Val asks Denise if she's okay. She says she's fine but not perfect. Her friend asks her what's up. Denise tells Val she can't tell anyone what she's about to say.
Gene approaches them from behind, concealed behind an oversized railing. He overhears Denise tell Val that things with Gene aren't going to work out. She says he's a great guy but there's just something missing. It's not a forever kind of thing. She knows she has to break up with him.
Val wonders if she couldn't have done this before the anniversary. Denise says Gene has plans for the occasion, he's making her dinner at his place. Val realizes Denise plans to have dinner with him, "give him the sympathy bone", then dump him. Denise figures she owes him that much, they've been together for a year. She can't just walk out.
Gene overhears all of it and walks away.
At the library, Angel and the Host are going through the books. The Host recognizes Gene's picture as the guy who was in the bar. He notes Gene is a physicist and a gifted one, apparently. Angel takes the book, tells the Host he'll find out where the lab is and heads for the reference desk.
Angel shows the picture to the kid at the desk and asks where he can find him. The kid wants to know why Angel is looking. Angel tells him he heads a foundation looking to give Gene a grant. The kid tells him Gene has a lab in the physics dept. He pulls out a diagram of the campus and begins explaining the route to get there.
The kid stops mid explanation and asks "what is that?" Angel doesn't look behind himself, thinking the kid just noticed the Host. He tells him not to worry, it's just a "school mascot."
Angel gets slammed from behind by one of the pasty white demons.
At the lab, Gene looks at a picture of Denise and himself and ponders the suspended mercury particles in his experiment. He'll give Denise a love that lasts.
Back at the library, Angel is battling the demon. The Host shouts something in a foreign language, the demon pauses. The Host throws a large book at it. The demon ducks, Angel gets clocked in the face by the book. The Host has an 'oops' reaction and apologizes as Angel continues fighting with the demon. The demon yells something in the same foreign language, throws a chair at Angel which he deflects, then runs out of the library.
Angel asks the Host what he said to the demon. He replies"we come in peace" but he figures the demon didn't buy it. Angel asks what the demon said. The Host answers that it said they won't stop the "golden child", the one they've been waiting for. He says Lubber demons have a way with words. Basically they're a fanatical sect awaiting the arrival of a Messiah that will bring about the end of humanity. He says this is a fairly popular notion in the underworld.
Angel tries to put the pieces together, these demons are protecting the physicist while he plans to destroy the planet or whatever is going on. He's still not sure. The Host suggests they get to Gene's lab and find out what's what because obviously they are dealing with a master criminal.
Gene is in the basement of his apartment building, setting up his particle accelerators.
Angel and the Host enter the lab and tell the student inside, Mike, they are looking for Gene. Mike says he's looking for Gene as well, someone took his equipment. Angel asks what's missing. Mike starts to explain, turns around and notices the Host. He asks what it is. Angel tells him it's just the new school mascot. Mike doesn't see what that costume has to do with the "Buccaneers". The Host assures him it's another school.
Angel asks Mike what Gene was working on. He explains in terms a physicist would understand meaning Angel doesn't get it. He asks for clarification. The Host boils it down to "stopping time." Angel asks if Gene has found a way to do it, how would he make it happen.
Mike explains the process as Gene sets up the rest of his equipment in his bedroom. Mike says that whatever is in the field of focus would remain frozen forever, in its own space and time. The Host wonders what happens if the process gets out of control. Mike explains that without proper containment the field would spread out and stop everything.
Angel asks who else has access to the lab. Mike says only Gene, not even the maintenance crew has a key. The Host notes no evidence of forced entry. Mike wonders why Gene would want to steal his own equipment.
Angel wants to know where Gene would take the stuff.
At his apartment, Gene lights some candles.
Angel and the Host are driving to Gene's place. The Host is surprised to note there is actually a gear past 2nd. Angel gives him a look. The Host assures him he'll pay for a tune-up if they stop the world from ending. Otherwise, he gets out of paying. Angel says it's probably not a bad thing then if it saves him some money.
The Host is getting irritated with Angel's attitude. He offers that Angel's problem is that his heart isn't in the fight anymore.
Angel points out that since he has no pulse, he doesn't technically have a heart.
The Host notes if someone drives a stake through it, it's over, so Angel's heart counts. He wants to know, if the world were to end, if Angel would really care about it one way or the other. Angel doesn't say anything. The Host figures that's not a fun place to be. Angel suggests he should shut up. The Host says he never shuts up. He goes on to point out that Angel fired his friends and went from helping people to hunting the guilty, blood vengeance is "a luxury of the lesser being." He points out that Angel is a champion, or at least used to be.
Angel wants to know what the Host expects him to tell him. The Host says he wants to hear all of it so he can help him get back on the right path.
Back at his place, Gene lays a gift box on the table and checks his watch.
In Angel's car, the Host is humming, filling the silence left by Angel's lack of sharing. Angel finally tells him that his problem is that no matter what he does, he can't win. He's trying to atone for 100 years of evil and yet he knows he never can. Now he's got W&H harassing him and it's all too much, "200 highly intelligent law school graduates working full time" to drive him over the edge. He doesn't get why people are surprised that it's working. He notes Darla had a chance for redemption but they stole it from her, now he has to hunt her down and kill her. He says he will, and after he does, he'll burn W&H to ashes. He knows his staff couldn't handle that, they're still human. It's better for them to have been fired.
The Host points out that Angel sort of left them out in the cold. Angel responds that it's colder where he is. The Host tells him things change, it won't always be this way unless they don't get to Gene's in time and he shudders to think of Angel stuck in this lousy mood forever.
Angel takes his eyes off the road to tell the Host they will get to Gene's in time. The Host shouts for him to look out as one of the Lubber demons bounces off of the hood.
Angel stops the car, they both get out. They notice Lubber demons coming out from everywhere, they're surrounded.
Gene answers the door at his place and and greets Denise with "Happy Anniversary."
In an upscale house, Gunn pulls his homemade ax out of a dead demon. An older guy congratulates him on a job well done.
Wes looks at the dead demon's feet and surmises that it wasn't the mastermind, it was under the control of someone else. There are several other family members in the room, along with Cordelia who's mainly interested in chowing down on the hors d'oeuvres.
Wes reviews what they know, that there was the scent of something intended not to keep the dead demon out but to keep it in so it could do the bidding of its master. He notes that such things would require the skill of an experienced wizard as he gets in the face of the older guy. The older guy responds that he isn't into that sort of thing anymore.
Wes notes the footprints in the dirt outside of the window, too small and unwebbed, they can't be the demon's prints. An elderly woman reminds Wesley that the younger man present, Kevin, already told him those prints were his. The older guy points out the prints were made when Kevin snuck in the night before. Wesley notes that Kevin made a rather loud entrance, more like he wanted people to know he was sneaking in.
Cordelia looks on, sticks her finger in her mouth and picks hors d'oeuvre crumbs from her teeth.
Wesley openly wonders if Kevin could be the real killer since with the eldest son dead, he would be the one to inherit, but he figures he hadn't the opportunity or the smarts to pull it off. He goes on to ponder if Kevin got the money, who would stand to gain by controlling Kevin.
Cordelia, holding the empty hors d'oeuvre tray, wants to know if there's anymore where those came from. Wes gives her a look and clears his throat. She quietly puts the tray down.
Wesley goes through the rest of the list of suspects and finally settles on Aunt Helen, who bolts for the door. Cordelia blocks her escape. Gunn is impressed with Wesley's powers of deduction.
Back on the street, Angel is taking on the Lubber demons as the Host looks on. One of the demons rushes the Host who stops it in its tracks with a harsh, shrill note that breaks glass in the immediate area. He gives the demon a low kick then punches it out.
Back at Gene's, he and Denise are having a conversation over dinner. He asks her if she's finished. She says she wasn't that hungry but the food was good.
Angel finishes off the last of the Lubber demons and he and the Host jump back into the car and head for Gene's.
Gene and Denise have retired to the bedroom where she retrieves a rose he has laid on the bed. He apologizes for the clutter. She doesn't mind, she's used to it. She starts to undress.
Angel and the Host are speeding toward Gene's.
Denise and Gene are in bed, kissing. He tell her he loves her. Things heat up between them.
Angel and the Host arrive at Gene's building. Angel wonders where the machine would be. The Host notes the Lubber demons outside of a section of the building and suggests that's a good place to look.
Back in the bedroom, Gene and Denise are doing the deed. Gene reaches out and flips a switch. The time freeze engulfs them both.
In the basement, one of the Lubber demons is inputting information into the computer to expand the effect. Angel throws one Lubber through the basement window and falls in after it. The effect begins to spread down the outside of the building.
Angel takes on the demons in the basement laundry room. One of them leaps down toward him but is engulfed by the effect, freezing him in midair. Angel manages to get to the machine and switch it off before it reaches him. The effect retreats, leaving the demon to continue his descent, crashing onto the floor. Angel picks up one of the demon's weapons and kills it.
In the bedroom, Gene and Denise unfreeze. Gene realizes it didn't work. Denise, unaware of anything having been amiss, tells him they need to talk.
Gene, Angel and the Host are seated around the table in Gene's apartment. Gene apologizes for the danger he created, he had no idea about the consequences or about the existence of demons who wanted to end the world. He just wanted to find a way to keep Denise from leaving him.
The Host gives Angel a "help the guy out" kind of look. After pausing briefly, Angel says that "love is a fire." Gene feels like Angel knows what it's like, that he understands.
Angel goes on, getting lost in his own thoughts, as he continues, "it burns you alive, down to the bone, then it turns the bone to ash, then ..." The Host interrupts him at this point, noting that Angel is trying to say that things change, sometimes for the better, sometimes for worse, but change is inevitable.
Gene says he just wanted to stop that from happening, but again apologizes for what he almost caused. It was not his intention. The Host points out that things don't work that way. He relates it to a melody, saying he can literally hold a note forever but that's not interesting after awhile. What's interesting is the change of notes, the progression, that people wait to hear. That's what makes it music instead of just noise.
Angel listens, taking it all in. Gene offers them a beer and heads for the kitchen.
The Host notes that Angel connected with Gene. He figures that's a start on the right road but he suggests Angel "go easy on the bone and ash metaphors". Angel notes that Gene is a disaster at love and nearly destroyed the world. He can relate. He acknowledges that he did sort of leave Wes, Cordelia and Gunn in the cold by firing them. He figures he made things difficult for them.
At the new office, the gang have a party going on. They're dancing, having a great time. A guy comes into the office, not sure he's in the right place. He asks if this is Angel Investigations. Wes assures him he's in the right place. Cordelia says they're just having a "new beginnings" celebration. The guy asks which one of them is Angel. There's a brief pause before Wesley says, "it's just a name."
Site design ©2000 TAO Designz
All Rights Reserved
Written by: Joss
Whedon & David Greenwalt
|
Original Air Date: February 6, 2001 |
In his room at the hotel, Angel looks out over the cityscape at night.
Cordelia and Wesley are settling into a new office. Wes looks at the clutter surrounding him and wonders if the previous tenants left it all behind when their business folded.
Cordelia confirms that's accurate and notes that there's a desk as well, they can share it.
Wes figures when they go out of business, they can leave everything behind for the next tenant.
Cordelia tells him not to be so negative, with all their money pooled together they can afford to stay for awhile.
Wes figures their money pooled together shoud buy them about 20 minutes. Cordelia thinks that sounds about right.Wesley wonders if they can make "Angel Investigations" work without Angel. Cordy reminds him she still has the visions, they can go with that. Wesley points out they'll need more than that, they'll need a steady stream of paying clients of their own. Cordelia isn't worried about it. She thinks the future looks bright.
Gunn comes in, announcing he's left flyers on every windshield within a 10 block radius, certain he's irritated a lot of people. He climbs over the clutter and wonders if something smells funny. Cordelia assures him the place will air out and figures now they can sit back and wait for the business to roll in.
Gunn picks up the phone, tries to dial out, tells the others it's not working. Gunn notices there's only one desk. Wesley crawls under the table to see if he can get the phone working. He thinks he found the right wire. He yanks it. The lights go out. Gunn finds the situation amusing, at least.
It's daylight, Angel lays down, closes his eyes to get some sleep. He's awakened by a rousing rendition of the national anthem and gets up to investigate.
The Host is singing in the lobby, loudly, appreciating the acoustics. Angel isn't appreciative of the serenade. He wants to know if there's a reason the Host is in his lobby.
The Host says there is, the world is going to end tomorrow night. He thought Angel might want to know. Angel doesn't seem too interested. The Host tells him not to feel obligated to offer any coffee or Danish. Angel says he doesn't. The Host notes that Angel just gets darker and darker but his "aura is beige." Angel tells him he doesn't have any coffee.
The Host slides his hand across the desk and notes that Angel apparently doesn't have a dustbuster either. He asks why Angel fired his staff, noting that he thinks Cordelia is attractive in an "oh my sizzling loins" kind of way and the "British boy" has an important role to play in -- he doesn't finish that thought. Angel impatiently asks if he's ever going to get to the world ending matter or if he's just going to talk until it happens.
The Host tells him what happened the previous night, meandering into irrelevant details about the Torto demon who was singing and the new bartender's lack of skill in making a Sea Breeze.
Angel is getting impatient and tells him to get to the point. The Host goes on to tell him somebody he hadn't seen before got up to sing. An ordinary looking guy, average in every way. The guy starts singing "All By Myself" (badly) and the Host passed out. He tells Angel that when he came to, the guy was gone.
Angel asks if he didn't wait around to be read. The Host says no. Angel wonders what it is about the guy that knocked the Host out. He says he looked into the guy and saw that he had no future past 10:00 tomorrow night, "and neither does anybody else." He tells Angel that the guy is going to do something, he doesn't know what, but it's going to end the world. They need to find him and keep whatever from happening.
Angel asks why the Host came to him.
The Host thinks that's obvious. Angel is a force for good, a champion. He notes that besides, all the other champions he knows are either "out of town or dead". He wonders if Angel doesn't want to work with him just because he sent him on a couple of missions that didn't turn out well.
Angel dryly notes that they turned out to be "pointless and deadly."
The Host agrees things didn't turn out very well at times, but he sent Angel on those missions in "good faith". He reminds Angel he's talking about "end of the world" here. It's kind of urgent. He thought Angel might be interested.
Angel asks why the kid didn't stick around the club to be read after he sang.
The Host says that sometimes people come in for a reading but they get scared and decide they really don't want to know. He doesn't figure it helps when the psychic passes out and throws up. Not confidence inspiring. He doesn't want to talk about it.
Angel points out that it's possible the guy just likes karaoke, he didn't know anything about the anagogic.
The Host thinks that makes sense, so they should check out the other karaoke bars in the area and see if they can get a lead if Angel isn't too busy "getting lawyers killed and setting girls on fire."
In a university physics lab, the young guy from the karaoke bar, Gene, is working over an elaborate mathematical equation on a whiteboard as two other students, Val and Mike, look on. Mike and Val snipe at each other over levels of intellect (or lack thereof). Val gets up and goes to speak to Gene.
She asks him how things are going. He goes into psychics speak, talking about figuring how to detangle the entangled, space and time. He changes some figures in the equation. His goal is not to freeze time, though it would appear that way, he wants to effect the removal of a tiny moment of time from what surrounds it. From there, growing the event into something that can be measured and controlled. Whatever is the center of the effect would be frozen forever in that place and time. He figures he can prove it with his equipment if he can get the math right. He explains that he can generate a focal point with the accelerator beams and pass liquid mercury through that point. If the calculations are right, the mercury would be suspended in the moment, not fall through the beam.
A young woman enters the lab, Val greets her as Denise. She tells Denise Gene was just explaining the science to her. Denise says that's what attracted her to him. Gene greets Denise, asks how she's doing. He wants to know if their plans are still on for tomorrow night. Denise assures him things are still on, it's an important occasion, being their one year anniversary. Denise and Val leave.
Angel and the Host enter a dive of a karaoke bar, pausing briefly to watch the guy onstage who is singing "Greensleeves."
The Host sits at the bar, Angel stands next to him. The Host listens to a guy singing for a minute. He thinks it's too bad about the Cuisineart incident that will happen in the guy's future. But the bright side is, if he and Angel stop the world from ending, the scar won't even be noticeable. Angel just gives him a look. The Host apologizes, he can't help himself.
Angel asks if the guy from Caritas is in this bar. The Host looks around and says no. Angel sits at the bar and notes this is the 17th bar they've been to. He needs to lie down. The Host wonders if they're on the wrong track.
The bartender approaches and notes they don't get many of "your kind." The Host asks what he means. The bartender says they don't get many demons, just an occasional vampire now and then passing for human. The Host says he doesn't pass on anything, especially if it comes in a glass with a little umbrella.
Angel asks if the bartender has worked there long. He says he's been there 11 years. He put in the karaoke machine thinking it would bring in business, but it drove it away instead. They picked up a few regulars to make up for it. Angel asks him about the regulars.
The bartender says they get a lot of grad students. The Host thinks that would fit the guy who sang at the club. Angel describes the guy they're looking for to the bartender. The guy says he sounds like someone who comes in every few weeks, has a fondness for sad songs, but he doesn't know the kid's name.
The Host asks if the bartender can picture the guy in his head. The guy figures he can. The Host asks him to sing a few bars of "For He's a Jolly Good Fellow." The bartender hesitates. Angel suggests he should comply otherwise the demon might talk his ears off. The bartender sings a few notes. The Host tells Angel that's the guy they're looking for. He tells the bartender to keep working on his novel then asks what university the grad student is attending.
In the university lab, Gene is working on his equation. He inputs some information into a computer and begins his experiment generating the focal point. The liquid mercury drops from above but rather than being suspended as it should, it falls through the beam. Gene is disappointed in his results. He leaves the lab.
As Gene walks out, a couple of pasty demon guys emerge from a hiding place behind some equipment. They intend to help Gene with the equation to bring about the end of the world, and humanity.
One of them walks over to the whiteboard, raises a staff with a glowing red orb on the end of it, and part of the equation changes.
Cordelia loads a bunch of candles onto the table in the new office. She figures they can work just fine without lights or computers. Wes and Gunn are seated behind the desk. Gunn tells her she can stop trying. Cordelia appreciates that. She joins them sitting behind the desk. Wes thinks a bit of self-pity is a necessity sometimes.
Virginia Bryce enters the office, bearing a bottle of champagne and a cheese basket to celebrate the new business. She notices the lack of celebratory mood. Wes gets up, greets her with a kiss, tells her she just happened to come in at a bad time. Cordelia snatches the bottle of champagne from Virginia's hand. She pops it open and drinks straight from the bottle.
Virginia says she found them a client, one with money. This perks everyone up. Cordelia wonders why she didn't say that in the first place.
Virginia tells them her friend's family is being harassed by a "big guy", they'd be grateful if someone got rid of the problem. Gunn figures that sounds easy enough. Cordelia asks if the "big guy" is a demon. Virginia says that's true and the clients live in a huge estate and will be willing to pay handsomely for having this problem solved. Cordelia's face lights up at the mention of all that money, she tells Virginia they'll do it, they'll "do anything." Virginia tells her the type of demon they'll be dealing with and that it has already killed the eldest son. The gang aren't quite as eager having heard that bit of news. Virginia says she'll call her friend and tell her they'll take the case. Wes tells her they have no phone. Cordelia points out the lights don't work. Gunn says something smells funny. They all head out.
Gene enters the lab at the university. He sees the new equation and rushes to input it into the computer to run his experiment again. This time the liquid mercury stays suspended within the beam, rather than dropping through it. Gene joyfully runs out of the lab and across campus.
Angel and the Host enter the campus library. Angel asks the Host where he learned to drive. The Host tells him just then and there, driving Angel's car. He figures he did pretty good for a newbie. Angel points out he nearly got them killed more than once. The Host reminds him he was pretty useless huddled in the back seat, under the blanket, hiding from the sun.
A girl walks by, the Host buries his face in the stacks. He figures he should probably figure out something to say if an attractive woman notices. Angel suggests he stay back and if anyone notices, he should tell them he's the new mascot.
Angel heads for the reference desk as the Host buries his nose in a book. Angel brings back a stack of books, student/faculty publications and yearbooks covering the past 5 years. He tells the Host they should be able to find "your little madman bent on destroying the universe." The Host prefers to think of him as "our little madman", he's a team player.
One of the pasty white demons looks on from behind the stacks.
Denise and Val are sitting outside, on campus, talking. Val asks Denise if she's okay. She says she's fine but not perfect. Her friend asks her what's up. Denise tells Val she can't tell anyone what she's about to say.
Gene approaches them from behind, concealed behind an oversized railing. He overhears Denise tell Val that things with Gene aren't going to work out. She says he's a great guy but there's just something missing. It's not a forever kind of thing. She knows she has to break up with him.
Val wonders if she couldn't have done this before the anniversary. Denise says Gene has plans for the occasion, he's making her dinner at his place. Val realizes Denise plans to have dinner with him, "give him the sympathy bone", then dump him. Denise figures she owes him that much, they've been together for a year. She can't just walk out.
Gene overhears all of it and walks away.
At the library, Angel and the Host are going through the books. The Host recognizes Gene's picture as the guy who was in the bar. He notes Gene is a physicist and a gifted one, apparently. Angel takes the book, tells the Host he'll find out where the lab is and heads for the reference desk.
Angel shows the picture to the kid at the desk and asks where he can find him. The kid wants to know why Angel is looking. Angel tells him he heads a foundation looking to give Gene a grant. The kid tells him Gene has a lab in the physics dept. He pulls out a diagram of the campus and begins explaining the route to get there.
The kid stops mid explanation and asks "what is that?" Angel doesn't look behind himself, thinking the kid just noticed the Host. He tells him not to worry, it's just a "school mascot."
Angel gets slammed from behind by one of the pasty white demons.
At the lab, Gene looks at a picture of Denise and himself and ponders the suspended mercury particles in his experiment. He'll give Denise a love that lasts.
Back at the library, Angel is battling the demon. The Host shouts something in a foreign language, the demon pauses. The Host throws a large book at it. The demon ducks, Angel gets clocked in the face by the book. The Host has an 'oops' reaction and apologizes as Angel continues fighting with the demon. The demon yells something in the same foreign language, throws a chair at Angel which he deflects, then runs out of the library.
Angel asks the Host what he said to the demon. He replies"we come in peace" but he figures the demon didn't buy it. Angel asks what the demon said. The Host answers that it said they won't stop the "golden child", the one they've been waiting for. He says Lubber demons have a way with words. Basically they're a fanatical sect awaiting the arrival of a Messiah that will bring about the end of humanity. He says this is a fairly popular notion in the underworld.
Angel tries to put the pieces together, these demons are protecting the physicist while he plans to destroy the planet or whatever is going on. He's still not sure. The Host suggests they get to Gene's lab and find out what's what because obviously they are dealing with a master criminal.
Gene is in the basement of his apartment building, setting up his particle accelerators.
Angel and the Host enter the lab and tell the student inside, Mike, they are looking for Gene. Mike says he's looking for Gene as well, someone took his equipment. Angel asks what's missing. Mike starts to explain, turns around and notices the Host. He asks what it is. Angel tells him it's just the new school mascot. Mike doesn't see what that costume has to do with the "Buccaneers". The Host assures him it's another school.
Angel asks Mike what Gene was working on. He explains in terms a physicist would understand meaning Angel doesn't get it. He asks for clarification. The Host boils it down to "stopping time." Angel asks if Gene has found a way to do it, how would he make it happen.
Mike explains the process as Gene sets up the rest of his equipment in his bedroom. Mike says that whatever is in the field of focus would remain frozen forever, in its own space and time. The Host wonders what happens if the process gets out of control. Mike explains that without proper containment the field would spread out and stop everything.
Angel asks who else has access to the lab. Mike says only Gene, not even the maintenance crew has a key. The Host notes no evidence of forced entry. Mike wonders why Gene would want to steal his own equipment.
Angel wants to know where Gene would take the stuff.
At his apartment, Gene lights some candles.
Angel and the Host are driving to Gene's place. The Host is surprised to note there is actually a gear past 2nd. Angel gives him a look. The Host assures him he'll pay for a tune-up if they stop the world from ending. Otherwise, he gets out of paying. Angel says it's probably not a bad thing then if it saves him some money.
The Host is getting irritated with Angel's attitude. He offers that Angel's problem is that his heart isn't in the fight anymore.
Angel points out that since he has no pulse, he doesn't technically have a heart.
The Host notes if someone drives a stake through it, it's over, so Angel's heart counts. He wants to know, if the world were to end, if Angel would really care about it one way or the other. Angel doesn't say anything. The Host figures that's not a fun place to be. Angel suggests he should shut up. The Host says he never shuts up. He goes on to point out that Angel fired his friends and went from helping people to hunting the guilty, blood vengeance is "a luxury of the lesser being." He points out that Angel is a champion, or at least used to be.
Angel wants to know what the Host expects him to tell him. The Host says he wants to hear all of it so he can help him get back on the right path.
Back at his place, Gene lays a gift box on the table and checks his watch.
In Angel's car, the Host is humming, filling the silence left by Angel's lack of sharing. Angel finally tells him that his problem is that no matter what he does, he can't win. He's trying to atone for 100 years of evil and yet he knows he never can. Now he's got W&H harassing him and it's all too much, "200 highly intelligent law school graduates working full time" to drive him over the edge. He doesn't get why people are surprised that it's working. He notes Darla had a chance for redemption but they stole it from her, now he has to hunt her down and kill her. He says he will, and after he does, he'll burn W&H to ashes. He knows his staff couldn't handle that, they're still human. It's better for them to have been fired.
The Host points out that Angel sort of left them out in the cold. Angel responds that it's colder where he is. The Host tells him things change, it won't always be this way unless they don't get to Gene's in time and he shudders to think of Angel stuck in this lousy mood forever.
Angel takes his eyes off the road to tell the Host they will get to Gene's in time. The Host shouts for him to look out as one of the Lubber demons bounces off of the hood.
Angel stops the car, they both get out. They notice Lubber demons coming out from everywhere, they're surrounded.
Gene answers the door at his place and and greets Denise with "Happy Anniversary."
In an upscale house, Gunn pulls his homemade ax out of a dead demon. An older guy congratulates him on a job well done.
Wes looks at the dead demon's feet and surmises that it wasn't the mastermind, it was under the control of someone else. There are several other family members in the room, along with Cordelia who's mainly interested in chowing down on the hors d'oeuvres.
Wes reviews what they know, that there was the scent of something intended not to keep the dead demon out but to keep it in so it could do the bidding of its master. He notes that such things would require the skill of an experienced wizard as he gets in the face of the older guy. The older guy responds that he isn't into that sort of thing anymore.
Wes notes the footprints in the dirt outside of the window, too small and unwebbed, they can't be the demon's prints. An elderly woman reminds Wesley that the younger man present, Kevin, already told him those prints were his. The older guy points out the prints were made when Kevin snuck in the night before. Wesley notes that Kevin made a rather loud entrance, more like he wanted people to know he was sneaking in.
Cordelia looks on, sticks her finger in her mouth and picks hors d'oeuvre crumbs from her teeth.
Wesley openly wonders if Kevin could be the real killer since with the eldest son dead, he would be the one to inherit, but he figures he hadn't the opportunity or the smarts to pull it off. He goes on to ponder if Kevin got the money, who would stand to gain by controlling Kevin.
Cordelia, holding the empty hors d'oeuvre tray, wants to know if there's anymore where those came from. Wes gives her a look and clears his throat. She quietly puts the tray down.
Wesley goes through the rest of the list of suspects and finally settles on Aunt Helen, who bolts for the door. Cordelia blocks her escape. Gunn is impressed with Wesley's powers of deduction.
Back on the street, Angel is taking on the Lubber demons as the Host looks on. One of the demons rushes the Host who stops it in its tracks with a harsh, shrill note that breaks glass in the immediate area. He gives the demon a low kick then punches it out.
Back at Gene's, he and Denise are having a conversation over dinner. He asks her if she's finished. She says she wasn't that hungry but the food was good.
Angel finishes off the last of the Lubber demons and he and the Host jump back into the car and head for Gene's.
Gene and Denise have retired to the bedroom where she retrieves a rose he has laid on the bed. He apologizes for the clutter. She doesn't mind, she's used to it. She starts to undress.
Angel and the Host are speeding toward Gene's.
Denise and Gene are in bed, kissing. He tell her he loves her. Things heat up between them.
Angel and the Host arrive at Gene's building. Angel wonders where the machine would be. The Host notes the Lubber demons outside of a section of the building and suggests that's a good place to look.
Back in the bedroom, Gene and Denise are doing the deed. Gene reaches out and flips a switch. The time freeze engulfs them both.
In the basement, one of the Lubber demons is inputting information into the computer to expand the effect. Angel throws one Lubber through the basement window and falls in after it. The effect begins to spread down the outside of the building.
Angel takes on the demons in the basement laundry room. One of them leaps down toward him but is engulfed by the effect, freezing him in midair. Angel manages to get to the machine and switch it off before it reaches him. The effect retreats, leaving the demon to continue his descent, crashing onto the floor. Angel picks up one of the demon's weapons and kills it.
In the bedroom, Gene and Denise unfreeze. Gene realizes it didn't work. Denise, unaware of anything having been amiss, tells him they need to talk.
Gene, Angel and the Host are seated around the table in Gene's apartment. Gene apologizes for the danger he created, he had no idea about the consequences or about the existence of demons who wanted to end the world. He just wanted to find a way to keep Denise from leaving him.
The Host gives Angel a "help the guy out" kind of look. After pausing briefly, Angel says that "love is a fire." Gene feels like Angel knows what it's like, that he understands.
Angel goes on, getting lost in his own thoughts, as he continues, "it burns you alive, down to the bone, then it turns the bone to ash, then ..." The Host interrupts him at this point, noting that Angel is trying to say that things change, sometimes for the better, sometimes for worse, but change is inevitable.
Gene says he just wanted to stop that from happening, but again apologizes for what he almost caused. It was not his intention. The Host points out that things don't work that way. He relates it to a melody, saying he can literally hold a note forever but that's not interesting after awhile. What's interesting is the change of notes, the progression, that people wait to hear. That's what makes it music instead of just noise.
Angel listens, taking it all in. Gene offers them a beer and heads for the kitchen.
The Host notes that Angel connected with Gene. He figures that's a start on the right road but he suggests Angel "go easy on the bone and ash metaphors". Angel notes that Gene is a disaster at love and nearly destroyed the world. He can relate. He acknowledges that he did sort of leave Wes, Cordelia and Gunn in the cold by firing them. He figures he made things difficult for them.
At the new office, the gang have a party going on. They're dancing, having a great time. A guy comes into the office, not sure he's in the right place. He asks if this is Angel Investigations. Wes assures him he's in the right place. Cordelia says they're just having a "new beginnings" celebration. The guy asks which one of them is Angel. There's a brief pause before Wesley says, "it's just a name."
| *** DISCLAIMER: The characters of "Angel" and "Buffy the Vampire Slayer", as well as all related materials, are TM (trademarks) and/or © (copyright) of Twentieth Century Fox Television and related entities. No other claims are expressed or implied. This site is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, any of the aforementioned entities. No infringement is intended. The site design is © 2000 TAO Designz/Angel's Acolyte. No part of this site may be reproduced or redistributed in any way. |
Site design ©2000 TAO Designz
All Rights Reserved