This summary is the intellectual property of Loey

Picking up exactly where we left off last week, Illyria is now inhabiting Fred's body and looking to restore its "rightful" place in the universe. This entails finding its original temple and raising a supernatural army to take over the world. Demons are real subtle that way.

So, it (actually, I'll just call it "she" from now on, since it looks like Fred) rescues Knox from Gunn's clutches and uses him to help her find the temple. Turns out, it's actually in L.A., which is why the sarcophagus was shipped to Wolfram & Hart. It's out of phase with this space-time continuum or something, but with Knox's help, Illyria can open the gateway.

Meanwhile, Gunn visits his brain doctor, who informs him that Fred's soul was consumed during Illyria's resurrection, so there's no hope of bringing her back in any form. They also discuss Gunn's culpability in said resurrection, and wouldn't you know it, Wesley overhears the conversation. He knocks the doctor unconscious, then tells Gunn that he can forgive wanting to restore the knowledge Wolfram & Hart gave him, but not hiding it from everyone and pretending he didn't know why Fred was suffering.

And with that, Wesley stabs Gunn in the gut. It doesn't kill him, but it puts him in the hospital, where he has plenty of time to mull over his foolishness.

Angel is fairly pissed off at Wes over this one, but any and all personal grievances have to be set aside to stop Illyria. Angel, Wesley, and Spike find her and Knox just as they're about to enter the temple. Wesley shoots and kills Knox, then follows Illyria into the portal. Illyria is all set to get back into the groove, but that changes quickly when she sees what has happened to her holy place. It's in ruins, completely abandoned and useless. There will be no demonic army to retake the world.

Illyria disappears, leaving a despondent Wesley to go back to W&H and clean Fred's things out of the lab. Strangely, Illyria shows up, lost and confused. She doesn't know where she fits in, if she even can fit in, but she's tied to this body now, and wants to stay and find some way to adapt. Wesley agrees to help her, not really out of pity, but because she looks like Fred.

Illyria gazes forlornly at her sarcophagus, and wonders aloud if there is anything in this world but grief. "There's love," Wes replies. "There's hope, for some. There's hope that you'll find something worthy, that your life will lead you to some joy, that after everything, you can still be surprised."

"Is that enough?" Illyria asks. "Is that enough to live on?"

Wesley doesn't answer.

The episode closes with shots of the main characters, all sitting silently, thinking about Fred (including Spike, who is fully recommitted to working with Angel & Co.). We then see Fred, in a flashback to her saying goodbye to her parents and leaving her home in Texas for the first time. As Kim Richey's "A Place Called Home" plays on the soundtrack, Fred smiles with eager excitement and drives off to her destiny.

Site design Internet Promotion Services