JASMINE (Gina Torres). Angel Demon/Monster/Villain.
Jasmine is the “child” of Angel’s son Connor and Cordelia, born in a flash of green energy when Cordelia performs a black magic spell using the blood of a virgin, and also a former one of the “Powers-that-Be,” now referred to as a “Power-that-Was.”
Jasmine claims that she was one of the powers and explains the history of the PTB, though her words cannot necessarily be trusted to be gospel. According to Jasmine, in the early stages of the universe there were good and evil entities, but the evil ones grew somewhat stronger. The demons inherited the Earth until man came along. The PTB decided to simply watch as they believed that man would balance out the evil in the world. Jasmine claims to have “arranged” the miracle of Darla’s birth of Connor in order to set the actions in motion required to birth her, as she grew sick of simply watching. She considers the evil that Cordelia does while she pregnant “labor pains.”
Jasmine was nameless, claiming that beings don’t come to the Earth with a name but are named by those who love them. In truth, she is unable to take a new name, and her original name holds the key to her power. She eventually takes the name "Jasmine" based on the scent she is drawn to.
She happily accepts her human form, claiming to once again be able to feel and touch, yet she has a series of non-human qualities, including extremely rapid healing. It is also revealed that Jasmine needs to “eat” people in order to remain alive, something she considers a worthwhile exchange for her more “altruistic” goals. She also enraptures all who see her making them subservient to her. She claims to refuse to take advantage of her power, her mission only to change the world and eliminate all evil from it, bringing about world peace through happiness and connectivity. Jasmine clearly lets the power go to her head as she requests yet another temple being built for her (the previous being built in another dimension she once visited). She is connected to everyone she encounters and wishes to connect them with her “love” to create her vision of peace, fulfilling many people’s desires in the process, making them blissful and peaceful. Using the mainstream media, she eventually puts everyone in the world under her trance. This “trance” is a form of mind control which strips people of any free will and individual choice, breakable only by exposure to either Cordelia’s or Jasmine’s blood.
Fred is the first to break from the trance, eventually doing the same for everyone else. When the trance is broken, Jasmine’s true and grotesque face is revealed, and the individual is no longer connected to the “body” she is creating. This epiphany is immediately followed by depression and anger from being lonely and no longer in a state of pure bliss.
Eventually she is rendered powerless by having her original name spoken by the keeper of her name (her name is not able to be understood), whom Angel captures in another dimension. While her power over others is broken, her superhuman strength remains intact. Breaking the trance on such a wide scale results in chaos in Los Angeles, with near anarchy ensuing for a few days.
Connor eventually kills Jasmine after she successfully fights and nearly beats Angel.
Jasmine is an incredibly complicated character. Many questions remain about her role in the world as a PTB, the truth of her words, and her intent. It appears from the final episode before she is killed that she truly had a desire to make the world peaceful, yet her means to the solution were not “morally” appropriate – killing numerous people for her energy, stripping the world of free will, and eventually having all worship her as a superior being.
Episode Appearances (05):
AtS 4017 Inside Out
AtS 4018 Shiny Happy People
AtS 4019 The Magic Bullet
AtS 4020 Sacrifice
AtS 4021 Peace Out
Multiple assignments possible.