Angel/Epiphany

Epiphany
Season 2, Episode 16
Airdate	February 27, 2001
Production Number	2ADH16
Written by	Tim Minear
Directed by	Thomas J. Wright
← 2x15 Reprise	2x17 → Disharmony
Angel — Season Two

Epiphany is the sixteenth episode of the second season of Angel, and the thirty-eighth episode overall. Angel has a moment of clarity and attempts to reconnect with his friends, but they're not as eager to see them as he is.

David Boreanaz (Angel), Charisma Carpenter (Cordelia Chase), Alexis Denisof (Wesley Wyndam-Pryce), J. August Richards (Charles Gunn)

Guest Starring: Elisabeth Rohm (Kate Lockley), Christian Kane (Lindsey McDonald), Andy Hallett (Caritas Host), Julie Benz (Darla),

Co-Starring: Marie Chambers (Mother), Kevin Fry (Skilosh Demon)

Plot Overview

Rather than receive a moment of true bliss, Angel’s sexual tryst with Darla has instead brought him to a realisation. No longer hellbent on destroying Wolfram & Hart, Angel finds his friends in trouble and hopes to save them to win back their trust.

Notes

Monster of the Week

• Skilosh: The Skilosh is a tribe of asexually reproducing demons that are notoriously violent. They're recognizable from their third eye in the back of their head. In order to reproduce, the demons inject something into the head of a human host, which causes them to grow a third eye. The human's head later explodes from the expulsion of the demon from their cranium.

Body Count

#	Whom	By Whom	How	Where
1	Skilosh	Angel	Hacked to Pieces	Wesley's Apartment
2	Skilosh	Wesley	Shot	Wesley's Apartment

Music

No licensed music was used in this episode.

Arc Advancement

Happenings

• Angel Investigations: The Angel Investigations team is completed once again when Angel returns to the business. However, this time he's not the boss, he's just an employee.

Characters

• Angel: Despite her best efforts, Darla failed at removing Angel's soul. Instead of turning him evil, all she managed to accomplish was causing him to have a moment of clarity that pushes him towards reconnecting with his ex-employees.

Referbacks

• 2x10 - Reunion: Although Angel didn't really kill the lawyers in Holland's wine cellar, he allowed Drusilla and Darla to go to town on them. He certainly didn't make things easier for the victims by locking them in with the two vampires. Incidentally, the powers did attempt to stop him several times, including waylaying him with a vision at one point.

Host: But you didn't kill those lawyers, Angel. That was slated to happen with or without you.

• 1x12 - Expecting: Cordelia was impregnated by a man she met at a party who happened to be acting as a proxy for a bigger demon. After sleeping sleeping with him, she became eight months pregnant overnight.

Cordelia: Listen, I've been impregnated by demon spawn before. Let's just say, didn't really work out.

• 2x14 - The Thin Dead Line: Wesley attempted to save Gunn from a zombie police officer, but instead of preventing the cop from doing something violent, he wound up getting shot by the very man he was trying to reason with.

Gunn: This man took a bullet for me!

Trivia

The Show

• Final Apperance: This episode marks the last appearance of Elisabeth Rohm as Kate Lockley.

• Déjà Vu: The opening sequence where Angel and Darla have sex is an almost shot for shot remake of when he lost his soul in the Buffy the Vampire Slayer "Surprise".

Behind the Scenes

• Ratings: On its first airing, this episode scored a 5.2/8 in the overnight Nielsen ratings. It was ranked 3rd out of the 17 WB shows which aired that week.

Allusions and References

• Zuzu's Petals: In It's a Wonderful Life, George Bailey is a bank manager who contemplates suicide after all of the money is stolen. But, he is pushed away from suicide when his guardian angel, Clarence, shows him how much worse off the town would be if he didn't exist. After deciding that he wants to live, George pulls the petals of a flower given to him by his daughter Zuzu out of his jacket pocket.

Host: Well, yay you. Zuzu's petals. It's about time.

Quotes

• Darla: But we...

Angel: Yeah.

Darla: ...and you...

Angel: I know.

Darla: Then I...

Angel: Three times.

Darla: You're not evil.

• Darla: I don't understand. Was I - Was it...not good? Well, I don't accept that. You cannot tell me that wasn't perfect. Not only have I been around for 400 years, but I used to do this professionally, and that was perfect. (beat) We'll go again.

• The Host: (answering the door) Keep your pants on. (seeing Angel) Well, I can see we're a little late with that advice.

• Angel: I'm still not sure I understand what happened.

The Host: What's not to understand? You think you're the first guy who ever rolled over, saw what was lying next to him, and went "geeyah!"

• The Host: I think I'm speaking for everyone when I say if all you're gonna do is switch back to brood mode, we'd rather have you evil. Then at least... leather pants.

• Wesley: Angel.

Angel: Invite me in. I've never been here before, Wesley! You have to invite me in!

Wesley: Well, perhaps if you'd shown a bit of interest.

Angel: Wesley!

Wesley: Yes! No! Absolutely! I invite you in! In, I invite you!

• Wesley: In any event. I diagnosed the girl's condition as infection by a Skilosh.

Angel: With your books?

Wesley: Yes.

Angel: Yeah, you were always so good with your books. Made it look so easy. No, it isn't.

• Wesley: You don't know her at all. For months now you haven't cared to. Otherwise you might have realised that our Cordelia has become a very solitary girl. She's not the vain and carefree creature she once was. Well... certainly not carefree.

• Gunn: Gone? Well, yeah, gone, but that don't mean I wasn't coming back. (looks at Angel) What, you didn't think I was gonna abandon you like this guy, did you?

• Gunn: So what's he doing here?

Angel: I went and saw the Host at Caritas. He said my friends were in danger.

Gunn: So what's he doing here?

• Gunn: You checked her pad?

Angel: I stopped by there earlier.

Gunn: You enjoying your visit to 1973? I meant her message pad.

Angel: Oh. Right. Yeah. That's a good idea.

• Angel: Guys, guys. Does it make sense that she would go there in the middle of the night, without calling either one of you?

Wesley & Gunn: They owe us money.

Angel: Let's go.

• Gunn: So, you had an "epiphany," did you?

Angel: Yeah.

Gunn: So, what, you just wake up and bang?

Angel: It was sort of the other way around.

• Angel: (after smashing Lindsey's prosthetic hand) Could've been the other one. Just be glad I had an epiphany.

• Angel: Well, I guess I kind of worked it out. If there’s no great, glorious end to all this, if nothing we do matters... then all that matters is what we do. 'Cause that's all there is. What we do. Now. Today. I fought for so long for redemption, for a reward, and finally just to beat the other guy, but I never got it.

Kate: And now you do?

Angel: Not all of it. All I want to do is help. I wanna help because I don't think people should suffer as they do. Because if there's no bigger meaning, then the smallest act of kindness is the greatest thing in the world.

Kate: Yikes. It sounds like you've had an epiphany.

Angel: I keep saying that, but nobody's listening.

• Kate: I think maybe we're not alone in this.

Angel: Why?

Kate: Because I never invited you in.