Episode Trivia
Angel drinks with a soul
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There have been a few occasions where Angel has fed from a human while he has had a soul:
- 3.21 Graduation Day (Part One) - Buffy
- 2.08 Shroud Of Rahmon - Kate
- 4.01 Deep Down - Wesley
- 4.15 Orpheus - The cashier of the diner
- 5.13 Why We Fight - He sires Lawson.
- Although Angel bit Rebecca Lowell in 1.17 Eternity, he did not drink from her.
- In 2.07 Darla, we learn that Angel has been selective in his feeding habits:
Angel: “Look I’ve killed men. You’ve seen it!”
Darla: “Rapists and murderers, thieves and scoundrels. Did you think I wouldn’t notice? - Only evildoers, that’s all you hunt now. You swore to me. You said, if I took you back you’d prove yourself.” - As well, he unknowingly drinks Connor’s blood. A sample is stolen from the doctor’s office in 3.15 Loyalty. In 3.16 Sleep Tight, Angel realizes that Wolfram & Hart has spiked his pig’s blood.
In the Buffy episode 1.07 Angel, Angel tells Buffy that he hasn’t fed off a human since he was cursed:
“You have no idea what it’s like to have done the things I’ve done… and to care. I haven’t fed on a living human being since that day.”
Yeah, right.
Bad eyes
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This line of the vampire Marissa was cut from 4.01 Deep Down due to length:
“I didn’t see nothing. I swear. You know how dark it is down by the bluffs? And hey, my eyes were never that good. Sure, the creature of the night thing helps, but….”
Bitten
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Several main characters have been bitten by vampires and survived:
- Buffy in 1.12 Prophecy Girl, 3.22 Graduation Day (Part Two) and 5.01 Buffy Vs Dracula
- Willow in 4.03 The Harsh Light Of Day
- Cordelia in 3.07 Offspring
- Dawn in 7.01 Lessons
- Wesley in 4.01 Deep Down
- Andrew (by Spike) in 7.09 Never Leave Me
Conan
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When he’s trying to get Andrew to kill the pig in 7.09 Never Leave Me, Warren/The First says:
“You’re Conan. You’re the destroyer. It’s you against nature.”
This is a reference to the 1984 movie Conan the Destroyer, which starred Arnold Schwarzenegger. The movie was the sequel to Conan the Barbarian (1982).
In 4.01 Deep Down, Gunn says of Connor:
“His nickname back in Quor-toth was ‘The Destroyer,’ and unless you put ‘Conan’ in front of that I’m guessing it’s not a good sign.”
Electric tasers
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Drusilla uses an electrical taser to stun Buffy in 5.14 Crush. Dawn also uses one of these on Xander in 7.21 End Of Days. Tasers have also been used in Angel, in the episodes 3.22 Tomorrow and 4.01 Deep Down. A taser is also known as an electroshock gun or stun gun. They send an electric current through a person to incapacitate them, but are supposed to be non-lethal.
Evil Dead
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Sam Raimi’s Evil Dead trilogy, starring Bruce Campbell, is alluded to a few times in Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel.
In 3.10 Amends, the First screams, “Dead by sunrise”, which could be a nod to the subtitle of Evil Dead 2, namely, “Dead by Dawn”.
In 5.14 Crush, Xander says to Spike:
“Hey evil dead you’re in my seat.”
In 7.07 Conversations With Dead People, Buffy says:
“Yeah, what I really need is emotional therapy from the evil dead.”
In 4.01 Deep Down, Gunn says:
“Evil Dead was probably just messing with us.”
The scene in 4.22 Restless, in which Xander is being pursued by the first Slayer down a long corridor (eventually leading to his parents’ basement), is highly reminiscent of a similar scene in The Evil Dead, in which Ash (Bruce Campbell) is being chased by the entity.
Another visual reference to Evil Dead can be seen in 6.03 After Life. The scene in which Anya become possessed is similar to a scene in the movie in which Linda (Ash’s girlfriend) gets possessed by evil spirits.
Sam Raimi was executive producer of Sarah Michelle Gellar’s hit movie The Grudge.
Getting perspective
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Angel says to Connor in 4.01 Deep Down:
“What you did to me - was unbelievable, Connor. - But then I got stuck in a hell dimension by my girlfriend one time for a hundred years, so three months under the ocean actually gave me perspective.”
He’s referring to the Buffy episode Becoming, Part Two, in which Buffy was forced to send him to hell in order to save the world.
Harsh and cruel theme
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A theme present within season four of Angel is that the world is a harsh and cruel place. It’s first presented to us in 4.01 Deep Down:
Angel: “What you did to me - was unbelievable, Connor. - But then I got stuck in a hell dimension by my girlfriend one time for a hundred years, so three months under the ocean actually gave me perspective. Kind of a M. C. Esher perspective - but I did get time to think. About us, about the world. - Nothing in the world is the way it ought to be. - It’s harsh, and cruel. - But that’s why there’s us. Champions. It doesn’t matter where we come from, what we’ve done or suffered, or even if we make a difference. We live as though the world was what it should be, to show it what it can be. - You’re not a part of that yet. - I hope you will be. I love you, Connor. Now get out of my house.”
Connor turns Angel’s words around on him in 4.10 Awakening:
“Why? Nothing in this world is the way it ought to be. It’s harsh and cruel—Because of you!”
In 4.17 Inside Out, Connor speaks to Cordelia:
Connor: “I wanted to see you again. I had to, to know that you’re still here… with me. I’m sorry I haven’t— It’s started, Cordy. The new beginning. Just wish you’d wake up and see it. Just what you wanted. I mean… it is what you wanted, right? Why you came to me? You know…what this was all about? Protecting our baby—Jasmine—so she can…be, and make this world the… the kind of place you wanted. And it is better. Not harsh and cruel—the way that angel likes it so he has a reason to fight. ‘Cause you know that’s what he’s about, him and the others. Finding reasons to fight. Like that’s what gives their lives any meaning. The only damn thing! I’m not like them. I just… I want to stop. Stop fighting. I just want to rest. God, I want to rest. But I can’t. It’s not working, Cordy. I tried. I tried to believe. I wanted it. Went along with the… the flow. Jasmine, she’s…she’s bringing peace to everyone, purging all of their hate and anger. But not me. Not me! I know she’s a lie. Jasmine. My whole life’s been built on them. I just… I guess I thought this one was better than the others.
And finally, in 4.22 Home:
Lilah: “Again, your choice. Think of what you can do with the resources of Wolfram & Hart at your fingertips, the difference that would make. Nothing in this world is the way it ought to be. It’s harsh, and it’s cruel, but that’s why there’s you, Angel. You live as if the world were as it should be. With all this, you can make it that way. People don’t need an unyielding champion. They need a man who knows the value of compromise and how to beat the system from inside the belly of the beast.”
Justine Cooper
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Justine’s twin sister Julia was killed by vampires, leaving her to seek vengeance for her loss. She was recruited by Holtz in his war against Angel, and became his right-hand woman, though he treated her roughly. Utterly devoted to Holtz, Justine aided him to kidnap Connor, even slitting Wesley’s throat in the process. She was devastated when Holtz escaped to a hell dimension with Connor without her, but aided him when he returned an old man. On his request she killed Holtz, making it look like a vampire bite, to set up Angel. She helped Connor to send his father to the bottom of the sea, but Wesley forced her to help him to find the vampire.
Laurel Holloman
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Laurel Holloman played vampire hunter Justine Cooper in Angel. Born on May 23, 1971 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina she is probably best known for playing the role of Tina Kennard on The L Word. Holloman made her film debut in Maria Maggenti’s The Incredibly True Adventure of Two Girls in Love and appeared in The Myth of Fingerprints and Boogie Nights.
She is married to Paul Macherey since 2002; they have a daughter, Lola, who was born in November, 2004.
M. C. Escher
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In 4.01 Deep Down, Angel says:
“…three months under the ocean actually gave me perspective. Kind of a M. C. Escher perspective - but I did get time to think.”
In 5.07 Lineage, Fred says:
“Oh, we’re taking the cyborg apart in the lab right now. You should see how intricate it is. It’s like an M.C. Escher picture, but with wires and flesh instead of geese.”
Maurits Cornelis Escher (1898 – 1972) was a Dutch graphic artist known for his mathematically inspired, seemingly impossibly constructed works such as Relativity and Waterfall, as well as his Metamorphosis works.
Miracle-Ear
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In 4.01 Deep Down, Lorne says:
“Not a peep. But if I Miracle-Ear anything I’ll send up a smoke signal.”
He’s referring to the hearing aid that is advertised as being so small it’s almost invisible.
Moby Dick
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Xander dresses as a pirate in 6.06 All The Way. Giles calls him “Ahab” after the captain in the novel Moby Dick by Herman Melville. In 4.01 Deep Down, Gunn says that Wesley has “been playing a little Ahab”.
Mr. Suvarta
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In 4.01 Deep Down, we learn the name of one of Wolfram & Hart’s Senior Partners, Mr. Suvarta. Lilah goes over Linwood’s head and talks with him. The conversation results in Linwood’s decaptitation and her promotion.
Linwood: “Oh. I’m hurt. Is that really what you think of me?”
Lilah: “Yes. And Mr. Suvarta agrees with me.”
Linwood: “You spoke to a Senior Partner?”
Lilah: “He was really very helpful. He had some great hints on office furniture.”
Noel Gugliemi
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Noel Gugliemi, who played Vince in 6.05 Life Serial, also played “Driver Vamp” in the Angel episode 4.01 Deep Down. He can also be seen in Duck, Party Animalz, Wrong Turn (starring Eliza Dushku), S.W.A.T., Bruce Almighty, Old School, Training Day, The Fast and the Furious, The Animal, Price of Glory (as Angel), 24 and The X Files.
Pippin
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In 4.01 Deep Down, Linwood tells Lilah, “This is my corner of the sky”. This is an in-joke as John Rubinstein (who plays Linwood) starred in the original Broadway production of the musical Pippin, in which one of the songs he sang was titled ‘Corner of the Sky’.
Toasting family
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The scene of Connor’s happy new life in 4.22 Home, in which he toasts his new family, is similar to the dream Angel had when he was underwater in 4.01 Deep Down. The life Connor has now is the life Angel wanted for himself, his son and his colleagues.
Wayne Newton
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Wayne Newton is a popular entertainer in Las Vegas. In fact, he’s referred to as “Mr. Las Vegas”. One of his most notable songs is “Danke Schoen”.
The following is Fred talking about Lorne in 4.01 Deep Down:
Fred: “Mr. Big-hit-in-Vegas is too busy danke schoening the tourists to care about us.”