Angel/Supersymmetry

Supersymmetry
Season 4, Episode 5
Airdate	November 3, 2002
Production Number	4ADH05
Written by	Elizabeth Craft & Sarah Fain
Directed by	Bill Norton
← 4x04 Slouching Toward Bethlehem	4x06 → Spin the Bottle
Angel — Season Four

Supersymmetry is the fifth episode of the fourth season of Angel, and the seventy-first episode overall. Fred re-emerges as a dazzlingly brilliant physicist, but her rise to fame calls up painful memories and an explanation for her disappearance.

David Boreanaz (Angel), Charisma Carpenter (Cordelia Chase), J. August Richards (Charles Gunn), Amy Acker (Winifred "Fred" Burkle), Vincent Kartheiser (Connor)

and Alexis Denisof (Wesley Wyndam-Pryce)

Special Guest Star: Andy Hallett (Lorne)

Guest Starring: Stephanie Romanov (Lilah Morgan), Randy Oglesby (Professor Seidel)

Co-Starring: Jerry Trainor (Jared), Jennifer Hipp (Laurie)

Plot Overview

Following her physics paper being published in a scientific journal, she is asked to speak at a symposium where is attacked by a creature from an open portal. Shaken, she soon discovers the horrible truth behind her disappearance years ago and seeks out none other than Wesley for help.

Meanwhile, Cordelia stays at Connor’s while she hopes to recover her memories.

Notes

Monster of the Week

There was no monster of the week in this episode.

Body Count

#	Whom	By Whom	How	Where
1	Vampire	Cordelia	Staked	Tunnel
2	Seidel	Gunn	Snapped Neck	Lab

Music

There is no licensed music in this episode.

Arc Advancement

Characters

• Fred: Fred wasn't sent to Pylea because of a book she was reading, she was sent there by her professor who was threatened by her intelligence. She was only one in a string of several students who were sent away.

Trivia

Behind the Scenes

• Ratings: On its first airing, this episode scored a 3.2/4 in the overnight Nielsen ratings.

• First Draft: In the original draft of this episode, Fred was meant to kill the professor. However, this scene was rewritten by Tim Minear so that Gunn would kill him.

Allusions and References

• Nomar Garciaparra and Sammy Sosa: Fred references two baseball players who are considered to be two legends of the game that are still playing. At the time the episode aired, Garciaparra played shortstop for the Boston Red Sox. He hit a league-leading 56 doubles in the 2002 season. Sammy Sosa played Right Field for the Chicago Cubs and led the league in home runs in that season.

Fred: Think Nomar Garciaparra and Sammy Sosa.

• Gidget: Gidget is the star of several films, novels and a television series. Originally played by Sandra Dee, Gidget is the nickname of Frances Lawrence, a teenage girl living in Malibu Point. The film was later given a television sequel of the same name in which the title character was played by Sally Field.

Lilah: Tragedy struck Gidget? Really?

• Hulk: Lilah uses the catchphrase of the Incredible Hulk, created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in May 1962. Bruce Banner was a scientist experimenting with gamma radiation when he was transformed into a giant green beast. In his Hulk form, his intelligence is (usually) diminished heavily to the point where he speaks monosyllabically.

Lilah: Yeah. Hulk smash.

• Daredevil #181: Daredevil #181 is the infamous issue of the first Daredevil series published by Marvel in which Elektra is killed by Bullseye when he stabs her through the chest with her own sais. The issue was written and drawn by Frank Miller, the creator of Sin City and other popular comic book franchises.

Gunn: Think Daredevil one eighty one. I'm Bullseye, you're Electra. One wins one dies.

• Dark Horse: The rack of comics behind Jared was filled with comic books published by Dark Horse Comics. Dark Horse is the third largest comic book publisher and holds the rights to publish Buffy the Vampire Slayer comics. They also published two miniseries based on Angel, but the rights have since transferred to Oni Press. Much of the store's decorations are Dark Horse as well (particularly posters of Hellboy and other signature characters) and Angel can be seen reading an issue of Ghost in one scene.

Jared: But we're kind of crushing the Dark Horses.

Quotes

• Wesley: Oh look, a bribe. How thoughtful.

• Gunn: All these people here to see you?

Fred: I'm just a minor speaker. (sees the agenda posted outside the auditorium) Oh, God! I'm between Ed Witten and Brian Greene? (Angel and Gunn don't react) Think Nomar Garciaparra and Sammy Sosa.

• Gunn: Listen, man, I'm gonna need simultaneous translating on this thing. You know, like the president with the Russians, but just give me the highlights.

Angel: No problem. Of course, I have no idea what she's talking about.

Gunn: Will you tell Fred that? She thinks we're both stupid, I won't stand out as much.

• Lilah: You know, Angel, coming from you, idle threats are so... well, idle.

Angel: Do you remember when I ripped your car in half?

Lilah: Yeah, yeah. Hulk smash.

• Angel: They talk about me in the chatty rooms?

• Fred: How about a flail whipping? Would that take a nice long time?

Angel: Hours, if you do it right. Not that you should do it at all. Ever.

Fred: He's a killer. And he's just sitting there smiling, telling me I'm so gifted and how he wants to teach me. Oh, there's gonna be a lesson all right.

• Fred: You know what they say about payback? Well, I'm the bitch.

• Angel: (as Voynok demon gets back up) Come on, I'm holding your head!

• Fred: It's kind of funny, thinking how threatened you were by me back when I was a grad student. That's why you sent me and the others away, isn't it? You couldn't handle the competition.

Professor Seidel: Fred...

Fred: That's why Laurie's still around. She's not smart enough to overshadow you, is she? Not like me. I'm special! Special on a Pylean platter with a side of you-make-me-sick.

• Angel: Run-in with a Voynok demon. Turns out they have nine lives.

Cordelia: Like a cat?

Angel: Only less standoffish.

• Cordelia: So no more lies.

Angel: No more lies.

Cordelia: Good. Because there's something I need to know... were we in love?