Episode Trivia
Born-again
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On the following occasions, Cordelia mocks Lindsey with a couple born-again nicknames. First in 1.21 Blind Date:
Lindsey: “You’d have to burn your way in.”
Cordy to Angel: “Why are you going in at all? I thought born-again boy was gonna do it.”
Angel: “It’s a two men job. How do I access the vault?”
Then in 1.22 To Shanshu In L.A.:
Cordy: “Hey guys? Remember born-again lawyer-boy who wanted out of Wolfram & Hart so bad?”
Angel: “Lindsey?”
Cordy: “They just promoted him - junior partner.”
Carey Cannon
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Carey Cannon played the female Oracle in 1.08 I Will Remember You, 1.10 Parting Gifts and 1.22 To Shanshu In L.A. She also played Katya in The Secret, as well as numerous stage productions.
Cheerful looks
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Many changes were made to the scene in 1.22 To Shanshu In L.A. with Cordelia, Wesley and the donut, including cutting this exchange:
Wesley: “The end… death… what if the root was proto-Anatolian, say from the Hittite… if it’s Hittite, the root is really more like… close”
Cordy: “Clothes? As in Armani the Hittite?”
Wesley shoots her a look
Cordy: “I try to cheer people up and they give me that look!”
Cordy’s mission
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In 1.22 To Shanshu In L.A., Cordelia is disabled to near madness when she is shown continuous visions of suffering people by the demon Vocah. After she’s saved by Angel and Wesley, Cordy’s outlook on life completely changes, and her determination to help those she’s seen suffering begins in earnest.
David Nabbit
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David Nabbit was a nerdy billionaire software developer who had become rich through his digital pager network. He first sought Angel for help from a blackmailer in 1.20 War Zone. He attempted to befriend the gang at Angel Investigations, bored of his lifestyle, and feeling he wasn’t leading a real life as they were. He provided investment advice to Angel in 2.03 First Impressions and was not seen on screen again.
David Nabbit was supposed to become a recurring character in Angel, but this didn’t work out due to scheduling.
Dungeons and Dragons
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Giles, Xander, Andrew and Amanda play the game Dungeons and Dragons to pass the time before going to battle in 7.22 Chosen. The nerds were playing Dungeons and Dragons when they decided to take over Sunnydale, seen in a flashback in 6.04 Flooded. Xander thought he found the “frost demon” from 6.09 Smashed in a Dungeons and Dragon manual. In 7.11 Showtime, Giles and Anya visit Beljoxa’s eye. This is a reference to Beljoxa - a dangerous Dungeons and Dragons creature which has many eyes.
In 1.20 War Zone, David Nabbit says, “Are you familiar with Dungeons & Dragons?” and in 1.22 To Shanshu In L.A., he says, “Tonight’s my turn to be Dungeon Master”, on his way to a Dungeons and Dragons game.
Feeling the pain
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In 1.22 To Shanshu In L.A., Cordelia has multiple visions of people who are in pain. When Angel and Wesley rescue her, she says that she needs to help everyone. In 6.22 Grave, Willow also feels everyone’s pain, through a powerful spell, but her reaction is not to help, but to destroy the world - essentially getting rid of all the pain and suffering.
Magic 8-Ball
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The Magic 8-Ball, manufactured by Mattel, is a toy used for fortune-telling. Invented in 1946 by Abe Bookman of the Alabe Toy Company, it is a hollow, plastic sphere resembling an oversized, black and white 8-ball. Inside is a white, plastic, icosahedral die floating in a dark blue liquid. Each of the 20 faces of the die has an affirmative, negative, or non-committal statement printed on it in raised letters. There is a transparent window on the bottom of the 8-ball through which these messages can be read.
Wesley references the toy in 1.22 To Shanshu In L.A.:
Wesley: “This is an ancient sacred text, not a magic 8-ball.”
We see Lorne use the toy in 4.16 Players:
Cordelia: “Angel…”
(She turns to run but Wesley and Fred appear out of the shadows and surround her. Wesley racks his shotgun and Fred aims a trank gun at her. With nowhere to go, Cordelia turns back to Angel and stares icily at him as Lorne slides a toy Magic 8-Ball out from under his altar and shakes it.”
Lorne: “Has Cordy been a bad, bad girl?”
(He turns the ball over and the cube inside rises to the surface with the answer: DEFINITELY)
Office explosion
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The explosion of Angel Investigations’ first office is referenced twice during 2.01 Judgement. First, by Angel:
Angel: “Yeah. Look! I got cards - and an office. Well, the office kind of blew up, but we’re working out of this other apartment in Silverlake, temporarily.”
And later by Gunn:
Gunn: “In the hospital - after Angel’s building blew? He sent me there to keep an eye on you two.”
The explosion was caused by a bomb placed by Vocah in 1.22 To Shanshu In L.A.
Pinocchio
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In 6.07 Once More, With Feeling, when he notices the strength of one of Sweet’s henchmen, Spike says:
“Strong. Someday, he’ll be a real boy.”
This is a reference to Italian author Carlo Collodi’s children’s novel The Adventures of Pinocchio which features an animated marionette whose dream is to become human. The story was made famous by Walt Disney’s film Pinocchio.
In 1.22 To Shanshu In L.A., Wesley realises that the Shanshu prophecy means that Angel will become human after fulfilling his destiny. The gang have the following conversation:
Wesley: “Well, it’s saying that it won’t happen tomorrow or the next day. He has to survive the coming darkness, the apocalyptic battles, a few plagues, and some - uh, several, - not that many - fiends that will be unleashed.”
Angel: “So don’t break out the champagne just yet.”
Cordy: “Yeah, break out the champagne, Pinocchio. This is a big deal!”
In 5.04 Hell Bound, Spike says, “To making me a real boy again?” - an echo of the comment he made in the Buffy musical. It’s also a Pinocchio reference.
In 5.10 Soul Purpose, Freds says that Spike, “Deserves to become a real boy.”
In 5.14 Smile Time, Lorne says of the injured puppet-Angel:
“Medic! Doctor! Is there a Gepetto in the house?”
Gepetto was Pinocchio’s wood-carver father.
Randall Slavin
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Randall Slavin played the male Oracle in 1.08 I Will Remember You, 1.10 Parting Gifts and 1.22 To Shanshu In L.A. He has also been in Zoolander, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, The Sleepy Time Gal, Auggie Rose, Shakespeare in… and Out, The Practice, Beverly Hills, 90210, Cybill and Beethoven’s 2nd. Randall was Kevin Spacey’s assistant for Swimming with Sharks. Randall was a friend of Glenn Quinn, and they appeared in Roseanne together.
Shanshu Prophecy
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For reasons unknown, even to himself, Angel stole the Scrolls of Aberjian whilst in Wolfram & Hart and gave it to Wesley to translate. Wesley discovered in 1.22 To Shanshu In L.A. that the scrolls contained a prophecy about a vampire with a soul who would be restored to a human, after fulfilling his destiny.
The Shanshu prophecy tells that the vampires will play a major role in the Apocalypse. Wesley realises that “Shanshu” means both to live and to die - so the vampire will become human and, as all mortals, eventually die. The trials the vampire would have to endure are unclear, but they would clearly be hard and numerous. No indication of time was given to the prophecy, but it filled Angel with a new hope that he would be redeemed.
Wesley: “Ah, the vampire with a soul, once he fulfills his destiny, will Shanshu. Become human. - It’s his reward.”
Cordy: “Wow. Angel a human.”
Angel: “That’ll be nice.”
This hope remained with Angel until the fifth season, when he began to doubt himself. Having taken over the L.A. branch of Wolfram & Hart, another vampire with a soul suddenly comes on the scene - his old nemesis, Spike. Spike had fought to regain his soul and had died saving the world, making Angel jealous on a basic level, and deeper, feeling the prophecy may in fact regard Spike. Spike was first told about the prophecy in 5.04 Hell Bound. Angel acted disinterested in the prophecy, but it was revealed that it would be the vampire who drinks from the Cup of Perpetual Torment that will become human. After a race to the cup, and a huge fight, Angel was defeated by Spike, who drank from the cup, only to discover that the story was a hoax.
Angel began to lose his way, but was finally put back on track by Cordelia, seemingly ressurected, who gave him a final vision, showing him the Circle of the Black Thorn, agents of the Senior Partners. Deciding to perform what would most likely be a suicide mission, Angel and his team assassinated each member of the Circle, thereby delaying the Apocalypse for an untold amount of time. In order to learn of the identities of the Circle members however, Angel had to infiltrate the group. To prove his loyalty, Angel was forced to sign his name, with his own blood, on the Shanshu Prophecy, thereby revoking his part in it.
Spike: “What do you think all this means for that Shanshu boogaboo? If we make it through this, does one of us get to be a real boy?”
Angel “Who are you kiddin’. We’re not gonna make it through.”
The Oracles
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The Oracles were one of the channels through which the “Powers That Be” communicated with “lesser” beings. The Oracles were difficult to locate and expected gifts in exchange for answers. They enabled Angel to turn back time in 1.08 I Will Remember You, in order for him to stay a vampire. Slain by the demon Vocah, the female Oracle spirit offered a final guidance for Angel towards his prophetic destiny - the Shanshu prophecy.
To Live and Die in L.A.
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In the episode 1.22 To Shanshu In L.A., Wesley explains that the word “shanshu” means “to live and die” (in other words, to live a mortal life). The episode’s title can then be translated “To Live and Die in L.A.” This is the title of both a rap song by Tupac and a 1985 film directed by William Friedkin.
Todd Stashwick
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Todd Stashwick, who played the M’Fashnik demon in 6.04 Flooded, also played Vocah in the Angel episode 1.22 To Shanshu In L.A. He has been in Along Came Polly, The Rundown, Scream at the Sound of the Beep, Lucid Days In Hell, Whacked, CSI: Miami, Malcolm in the Middle, Dharma & Greg, Dark Angel, Will & Grace, Providence and Law & Order.
Tossing vamps
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In 1.21 Blind Date, Angel needed help getting past Wolfram & Hart’s vampire detection system. Gunn created a distraction by bringing a vampire into their offices. He referenced this stunt in 1.22 To Shanshu In L.A.
Gunn: “Yeah, well, if it’s tossing a vampire in with them lawyers, I’m in. Because that was my idea of a good time.”
Vocah
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Vocah was summoned by Wolfram & Hart to perform a ritual using the scroll of Aberjian to resurrect Darla, as well as ensuring that Angel’s ties with the Powers That be were destroyed. His maggot-ridden face was obscured by a bronzed mask, and he wore a long cape. Vocah killed the Oracles, made Cordelia go insane with constant images of suffering people, and blew up the offices of Angel Investigations - seriously injuring Wesley. Angel was told by the dead female Oracle’s soul what had happened and killed Vocah using his own scythe in 1.22 To Shanshu In L.A..
Vocah’s mask
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In the special features for Angel’s first season, David Greenwalt explains how Joss drew the design for the mask worn by Vocah in 1.22 To Shanshu In L.A.
[Goof] Cordelia’s CAT scan
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In 1.22 To Shanshu In L.A., Angel arrives at the hospital and sees Cordelia driven to madness by the visions. She is thrashing about uncontrollably and the doctor says they can’t sedate her, but they’ve done a CAT scan. This isn’t possible - a person has to be completely still for a CAT scan. Compare this to Joyce Summers when she was having hers in 5.08 Shadow.
[Goof] Vocah’s mask
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Just before Angel kills Vocah in 1.22 To Shanshu In L.A. he takes his mask off, but when Vocah falls down dead you can see the mask is still attached to his face.