Episode Trivia
Indiana Jones
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Warren calls Jonathan “Short Round” in 7.07 Conversations With Dead People and 6.18 Entropy. He was Indiana Jones’ partner, played by Jonathan Ke Quan, in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.
In 6.06 All The Way, Zach says to Janice:
“Pumpkins, very dangerous, you go first”.
This is a reference to Raiders of the Lost Ark in which Indiana Jones sees snakes in his way. His friend Salla says “Asps, very dangerous, you go first”.
In 4.10 Awakening, after he sets off the booby trap, Angel says:
“Wood. Why did it have to be wood?”
This is a paraphrase of Indiana Jones’s famous line “Snakes. Why did it have to be snakes?” from the 1981 film Raiders of the Lost Ark.
Much of the action in Angel’s fantasy in 4.10 Awakening is inspired by Indiana Jones movies. In 4.11 Soulless, Angelus says to Wesley,
“Here’s one for you. What’s the deal with Angel and Raiders of the Lost Ark?”
Lorne’s foody nicknames
details | 4 comments | suggested by Meghann
Lorne is fond of giving people nicknames. Many of these nicknames have been of the edible variety. He has called Angel:
- “A big hunk of hero sandwich” to Angel in 2.09 The Trial
- “Angelcakes” to Angel in 2.15 Reprise, 5.03 Unleashed and 5.14 Smile Time
- “Crumb cake”, “big corn muffin”, “strudel” and “cinnamon buns” to Angel in 3.13 Waiting In The Wings
- “Sugar pie” to Angel in 4.05 Supersymmetry
- “Angel food” to Angel in 4.09 Long Day’s Journey
- “Milk Dud” and “Sweet tart” to Angel in 5.05 Life Of The Party
- “Pumpkin” to Angel in 5.14 Smile Time and 5.03 Unleashed
- “Cupcake” to Cordelia in The Price
- “Perky love muffin” to Cordelia in 4.07 Apocalypse, Nowish
- “Sweet potato” and “Honey buns” to Cordelia in 4.11 Soulless
- “Honey” to Cordelia in 4.12 Calvary
- “Sugar” to Fred in Double or Nothing
- “Peach pie” and “Crumb cake” to Fred in 4.03 The House Always Wins
- “Peanut” to Fred in 4.08 Habeas Corpses
- “Sugarplum” to Fred in 4.11 Soulless and 4.20 Sacrifice
- “Peaches” and “Honey” to Fred in 4.14 Release
- “Kiwi” and “Moon pie” to Gunn in 4.11 Soulless
- “Cupcake and her icing” to Fred and Gunn in 4.07 Apocalypse, Nowish
- “Peach pie” to Vivian in 4.03 The House Always Wins
- “The little peanut” to Connor in 3.11 Birthday
- “Chicken Little” to Eve in 5.17 Underneath
- “Cheap fortune cookie” about himself in 4.16 Players
Oedipus Rex
details | 3 comments | suggested by Jess
At the end of 1.09 The Puppet Show, Xander, Buffy and Willow nervously performed a piece from the Greek tragedy Oedipus Rex, written by the Greek playwright Sophocles (496-406 B.C.). Xander played Oedipus, Willow played the Priest of Zeus, and Buffy played Jocasta, Oedipus’ mother/wife.
Willow suddenly ran off the stage in fright - which was not part of the script. Alyson thought it seemed right that Willow would have stage fright. This fear was taken up by writers and showed in several future episodes, such as 1.10 Nightmares.
In 4.11 Soulless, Angel references the play to Connor when he says:
“And now my boy’s in love. All hearts and flowers. But doesn’t it freak you out that she used to change your diapers? I mean, when you think about it, the first woman you boned is the closest thing you’ve ever had to a mother. Doing your mom and trying to kill your dad… Hmm, there should be a play.”
Sean Astin
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The Angel season four episode 4.11 Soulless was directed by Sean Astin. Sean is a film actor and director, best known for his film roles as Mikey Walsh in The Goonies, the title character of Rudy, Samwise Gamgee in The Lord of the Rings trilogy, and Drew Barrymore’s brother in 50 First Dates. He also appeared as Lynn McGill on the fifth season of the television series 24.
Svea Priestesses
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The Svea Priestesses, also known as The Svear, were a powerful mystical order of women. Descendants of a powerful Nordic priestess called Svea, they attempted to banish the Beast, who turned to Angelus for help. When Angelus told the Angel Investigations team of his association with the Beast, they went to contact the Svea, only to discover that they had been slaughtered.
Teddy Bear’s Picnic
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At the beginning of 4.11 Soulless, Angelus sings,
“If you go into the woods tonight,
You won’t believe your eyes.
If you go into the woods tonight,
You’re in for a big surprise…”
This is a paraphrase of the lyrics for the childrens’ song Teddy Bear’s Picnic, the lyrics of which are:
“If you go out in the woods today
You’re sure of a big surprise.
If you go out in the woods today
You’d better go in disguise.
For every bear that ever there was
Will gather there for certain, because
Today’s the day the teddy bears have their picnic.”
Tranq gun
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In the scene in 4.11 Soulless where Wesley saves Fred by shooting Angelus with the tranquiliser gun, the stage directions were as follows:
Then, PPHHHHTT! A tranquilliser dart pierces Angelus’s shoulder. A flash of annoyance passes across his face. Then, woozy, he STAGGERS back releasing Fred.
REVEAL Wesley, halfway down the stairs, tranq gun still levelled as, PPHHHHTT! Wesley shoots another dart - this one into Angelus’s neck. Angelus goes slack and hits the ground with a THUD.
Vladimir Kulich
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Vladimir Kulich played The Beast during season four of Angel. Born in Prague, he began his acting career at the State Theatre of Czechoslovakia. Kulich speaks several languages fluently. He moved to to Canada and then the US, where he was cast in guest-starring television and feature roles. His most notable performance to date is as Buliwyf in The 13th Warrior.
[Goof] Connor
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When Cordelia looks at the monitor at the scene in the basement in 4.11 Soulless, we see Connor walking towards the left side of the cage (on the screen), but when the shots cuts to the basement, Connor’s position is completely different.