Episode Reviews   

"Quickening," Monday, November 12, 2001

by Anne

Episode Summary

In York, England, in 1764, Angelus and Darla kill Holtz’ family while he is searching for them in the wrong place. In the present, Holtz is catching up on world history. He asks Sahjhan, the demon that resurrected him, how with all this new technology no one has managed to kill Angelus or Darla. Sahjhan replies that Holtz’ fates and theirs are entwined; there are rules and timetables. At the hotel, Darla begins to have contractions. At Wolfram & Hart Lilah learns that Gavin has been watching Angel and the others for several weeks by using hidden videocameras. Looking at an old tape, Lilah sees that Darla is pregnant. The A-team takes Darla to the hospital so they can use an ultrasound and see what’s inside of her; the test shows that the baby is a human boy. Before this news can sink in to Angel, they are surrounded by vampires who want to worship the miracle kid, which will require killing the humans. The A-team fights with the vamps and escapes. At the hotel, the “doctor” that W&H hired to dissect the miracle baby breaks in and sets up shop. Holtz walks in and asks the doctor about Angelus. A fight ensues which ends with the doctor and the W&H commando team dead. Angel parks in an alley several blocks from the hotel; he will go on foot and get the scroll that tells about the vampire pregnancy. He tells them to leave and go somewhere safe if he isn’t back in five minutes. At the hotel, Angel sees the carnage and is confronted by Holtz. Back at the car, the others wonder what’s keeping Angel as Darla begins screaming. This time it isn’t false labor.

Episode Review

This episode explained why Holtz only wanted to torture Angelus in the previous episode: it wasn't time for Angelus to die. However, as we often are on this show, we are left with more questions. For one, why does Holtz need to know world history? For another, why does Holtz need a gang? Is the fate of the gang also entwined with the fates of Angel and Darla? Let me guess: they are part of the rules/timetable that Sahjhan mentioned to Holtz.

Speaking of Sahjhan, he is quite a character. He reminds me of Lorne because he tries to be witty. He wants Angel dead, but he doesn't seem out for vengeance like Holtz. He seems pretty casual about the whole ordeal, like he is just a worker doing his job.

After seeing their baby on the ultrasound, Angel seemed to bond a bit with Darla; he bragged to her about their "special" child, tried to protect her from having to fight, and asked her twice if she was okay. She mostly seemed to be her old self because she wasn't going to fight the vampires until she knew they were going to kill her too.

Since W&H and their reaction to the news were a big part of this episode, I wonder if W&H is somehow connected to the "entwined" fates of Holtz, Darla, and Angel. One could argue that they already are involved, since it was Angel's discovery of their home office that drove him to the point where he "wanted to feel something besides the cold." Someone else could rebut that W&H is trying to be involved but they really aren't, so all of their attempts keep failing.

Poor Lilah. This season alone she's made out with and been attacked by that old man in Angel's body, been threatened by Angel, been assaulted by Gavin, and now she's in danger of being made the scapegoat for the latest W&H problem. (Not to mention her funky new hairdo.) Could this be a subtle message that evil doesn't pay?

Miscellaneous Thoughts

* Now we know why Lilah feared being "sacked" by W&H. (Recall last season she told Lindsey, "They used real sacks.")

* The mystery of the midnight exterminators - from "That Vision Thing" - was solved, but I still wonder how the exterminators explained their presence at the hotel to Gunn.

* By making the baby human, the writers answered my question of "How does a vampire baby grow?"

* When Sahjhan visited Holtz for the first time, his shadow on the wall reminded me of Alfred Hitchcock's in those old shows.

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