Angel/Sleep Tight

Sleep Tight
Season 3, Episode 16
Airdate	March 4, 2002
Production Number	3ADH16
Written by	David Greenwalt
Directed by	Terrence O'Hara
← 3x15 Loyalty	3x17 → Forgiving
Angel — Season Three

Sleep Tight is the sixteenth episode of the third season of Angel, and the sixtieth episode overall. What was said by the Lua has come to pass and Wesley attempts to save Connor from his fate.

David Boreanaz (Angel), Charisma Carpenter (Cordelia Chase) (credit only), Alexis Denisof (Wesley Wyndam-Pryce), J. August Richards (Charles Gunn), Amy Acker (Winifred "Fred" Burkle)

Guest Starring: Andy Hallett (Lorne), Stephanie Romanov (Lilah Morgan) Laurel Holloman (Justine Cooper), Jack Conley (Sahjhan), Marina Benedict (Kim)

and Keith Szarabajka (Daniel Holtz)

Co-Starring: Jeff Denton (Lead Guitar), Jhaemi Willens (Drummer), J. Scott Shonka (Commando #1), Robert Forrest (Warrior #2)

Plot Overview

Angel becomes increasingly aggressive, discovering that Wolfram & Hart has been spiking his pigs’ blood with that of his son. Fearing the inevitable, Wesley makes a deal with Holtz to pluck Connor from danger. The entire situation frustrates Sahjahn, who takes drastic actions, leading to a painful and unexpected series of events.

Notes

Monster of the Week

• Wraith-ers: The Wraith-ers are a race of demons who can take humanoid form for a short period of time. After long, their human forms decompose and they slowly transform into their normal selves. Having prolonged contact with Wraith-ers can cause humans to become infected and mutate. This can be cured with the mystical equivalent of Penicillin.

Body Count

#	Whom	By Whom	How	Where
1	Wraith-er	Gunn	Shot in the Throat	Practice Space
2	Wraith-er	Angel	Arm Torn Off	Practice Space

Music

No licensed music was used in this episode.

Arc Advancement

Happenings

• Wolfram & Hart: The plan that Sahjhan had in mind for Angel was to mix the blood of his child in with the pig's blood he usually gets so that he would get a taste for his son's blood and kill him. This doesn't work entirely, but it does send Angel into bizarre mood swings.

Characters

• Lilah: As hinted at in the previous episode, Lilah's mother has a great deal of memory loss, possibly due to Alzheimer's.

• Wesley: After attempting to escape with Connor, Wesley is tricked by Justine into thinking she had been betrayed by Holtz. When close enough, she slits his throat, takes the baby and leaves him for dead.

• Holtz: Faced with several automatic weapons in front of him and a portal to a dark world behind him, Holtz decides to take his chances in the dark world. He leaps into the portal with Connor and it closes behind him.

Trivia

The Show

• M.I.A.: For the second episode in a row, Cordelia does not appear. She is still on vacation with the Groosalugg.

• Final Appearance: This episode marks the final appearance of Connor as a baby.

• Music: The song sung by Kim in the courtyard was written by David Greenwalt for this episode. This makes the third song written for the series by him, including one sung by Linday at Caritas.

Behind the Scenes

• Ratings: On its first airing, this episode scored a 4.0/6 in the overnight Nielsen ratings. It was ranked 2nd out of the 17 WB shows which aired that week.

Allusions and References

• Richard Nixon: The 37th president of the United States, Richard M. Nixon, is most well known for his Watergate scandal, in which he was caught in the center of a scheme to spy on and sabotage Democratic presidential candidates. He is the only sitting president to resign from office and likely would have been impeached had he not stepped down.

Angel: Yeah, and you look like hell. Not the fun one, where they burn you with hot pokers for all eternity, but the hardcore one, you know, Nixon...

• Britney Spears: Britney Spears is a pop singer who enjoyed fame with several chart topping hit songs. After her 15 minutes were nearly up, her fame turned to infamy when she gave birth to a child and was caught several times practising unsafe behavior around the baby, including driving at high speeds with the baby in her arms.

Angel: ...and Britney Spears?

• Mike Tyson: Mike Tyson is a boxer and former heavyweight champion of the world. After he peaked with a 1:31 knockout off his closest contender, Tyson spent time in prison after being convicted of rape and eventually came back into the boxing spotlight with an infamous match against Evander Holyfield. In the 3rd round, Tyson bit off part of Holyfield's ear and was disqualified.

Gunn: You were all hyped this morning. Then you went all Tyson on those demons.

• Southern Comfort: Southern Comfort is a liqueur flavored with fruit, spice and whiskey. The drink was created by M.W. Heron in New Orleans, but was not patented until Heron moved to Memphis. The alcohol ranged between 70 and 100 proof and is notable for its popular use in cocktails.

Fred: Just like my aunt Viola and her Southern Comfort.

Memorable Moments

• Wolfram & Hart, Angel, Holtz and Sahjhan have a Mexican standoff where the only possible ending involves the deaths of some or all of people involved. The standoff ends when Sahjhan opens a portal to Quortoth and Holtz leaps into it with Connor.

Quotes

• Wesley: I didn't sleep very well.

Angel: Yeah and you look like hell. Not the fun one where they burn you with hot pokers for all eternity, but the hardcore one - you know, Nixon and Britney Spears?

• Angel: (passing Connor to Wesley) Take him. Yeah, it's alright. It's your Uncle Wes. Yeah, he loves you bunches. He's just... English.

• Lorne: Hey, Angel, I think Connor needs some papa love.

Angel: He needs a lot of things. All day, every day.

Lorne: Yeah, that's kinda how kids--

Angel: Connor needs a bath, Connor needs a bottle. What Connor needs is to grow up.

Lorne: Something wrong?

Angel: Gosh, you know, Lorne, everything's just great. I got a kid that cries, pees, and moans and never gives me a moment to myself.

Lorne: (to Connor) Shh, shh, shh. Oh, it's all right.

Angel: It's really not. Connor, shut up!

Fred: Don't yell at him. He's just a baby.

Angel: He keeps it up, he's not gonna be a baby for long! (throws glass of blood)

Gunn: You better get a grip right now.

• Justine: What you're about to do to your friend? I imagine it's easier to hate Holtz than yourself.

Wesley: There's enough to go around for both him and me.

• Lilah: How'd you find me?

Angel: Your assistant.

Lilah: I'll have his arms broken.

Angel: Already taken care of.

• Angel: You know, Lilah, there are so many things I could do to you. With transfusions I could keep you alive indefinitely. I do have some expertise in this area.

• Angel: Don't you ever get tired of the whole femme fatale act? (to bartender) Whiskey, straight, lots of it. (to Lilah) How about just once you talk to me like a person?

Lilah: Look, I've been doing this a long damn time. I've had to be better, smarter, quicker than every man in Wolfram and Hart.

Angel: So, it's a feminist thing. (to bartender as he sets down Angel's drink) It's on her.

Lilah: It's a survival thing. I made a lot of devil's bargains and I stuck to them. As a result, I live somewhat dangerously, and *quiet* comfortably. My mother, who no longer recognises me, has the best room at the clinic. I get up every morning, put on my game face and do what I have to.

Angel: Thing about a game face, Lilah, you wear it long enough, it stops being something you can put on and take off.

Lilah: Wow. We have spent so much time and money on you. You're so pivotal to the coming cataclysms, that I sometimes forget how dense you can be. The game face - the one I worked so hard to get - I became that years ago. Just like you've become simpering and good from yours. You're the new poster boy for human. Thank you very much. I don't want it.

Angel: Hmm, speaking as one non-human to another: I’m sorry if I hit a nerve.

Lilah: You think you can awaken some buried spark of decency in me? Is that the way you "help your helpless"? I am not helpless. I'm glad you came along, because I was sitting here "what's it all about" and now I know. It is all about making the rest of your eternal life miserable. Shall we drink to that?

• Sahjhan: I have a lot of work to do. I can't be in every time/space at once, and here I find you drinking with my sworn enemy.

Angel: Sworn enemy? Really? Have we met? Because I don't remember swearing.

• Angel: So you all are in cahoots. Ethereal time-travelling demon. You're the screwball that brought Holtz back. How's that working out? He's not very fond of demons, is he?

Sahjhan: You will learn nothing from me.

Lilah: Other than you're his sworn enemy, who brought Holtz back, and when that didn't work out, you came to me. Idiot.

Sahjhan: Hey! You think my life is easy? I'm jumping from one dimension to another. I don't always have sound. Sometimes it's just a visual. I saw you two sitting here all chummy.