The 100th episode of the series. Cordelia wakes up from her coma. Lindsey makes a direct move against Angel.
Tropes:
- 10-Minute Retirement: In The Teaser, Angel decides he's quitting Wolfram & Hart. Gunn points out that the Senior Partners won't just let them walk out of their Deal with the Devil. Angel feels a lot better though after talking to Cordelia and beating up a tiny Texan.
- Aesop Amnesia: Lindsey turned his back on the corrupt power of W&H in "Dead End" and now returns jealous of said power been given to Angel.
- Apologetic Attacker: A variation when it becomes clear the Fang Gang's going to need Lorne's arterial blood for Wesley's spell. Wesley apologizes in advance before Gunn breaks out the ritual knife.
- Astronomic Zoom: Inverted — the moment Angel says he's quitting, we get a zoom upwards (presumably to the Powers That Be) then down again to Cordelia waking up in her hospital bed.
- Back for the Dead: From the second it was announced that Charisma Carpenter was returning for the 100th episode, pretty much everyone saw this coming.
- Badass Boast:Angel: All those tattoos, all those new tricks you've learned...doesn't matter what you try. Doesn't matter where I am or how badass you think you've become. 'Cause you know what? I'm Angel. I beat the bad guys.
- Bad Guys Do the Dirty Work: When Team Angel balk at torturing Eve for information, Harmony eagerly takes on the job — she is technically evil, as she points out.
- Berserk Button: Cordelia does NOT react well to finding out that Lindsey has been calling himself Doyle.Angel: But the thing that really, really pisses me off... is that this guy seems to be going by the name of "Doyle".
Eve: Doesn't ring a bell.
Cordelia: It does to me. It rings a big, frickin' gong. And I wanna know who has the nerve to be using that name! - The Big Damn Kiss: Angel and Cordelia share one when she leaves, incidentally it is also their first actual kiss that doesn’t happen under external influence or inside a dream/alternate reality.
- Beyond Redemption: Angel's opinion of Lindsey during their reunion. Throughout Seasons One and Two, Angel watched as Lindsey kept walking back and forth through the Heel–Face Revolving Door time and again. After squandering chance after chance, Lindsey finally committed and walked through through for good after "Dead End". It stuck for over 2 years...only for temptation and envy to rear their ugly heads and now Lindsey's gone and done it again. Combine this with tarnishing Doyle's good name and memory and Angel's done giving Lindsey any more chances. In hindsight, this is really where Lindsey's fate in the series finale get sealed.
- Big "NO!": Lindsey when Cordy shuts down the fail-safe.
- Bittersweet Ending: Lindsey is defeated, the creature remains sealed and Cordelia gives Angel some much needed guidance. However Cordelia's awakening was only temporary to help Angel get back on track, and passes away at the end of the episode after saying goodbye to her friends.
- Blood Magic: The spell requires arterial blood of an unclean. Lorne is snarking over how humans think they're 'clean' as opposed to demons...did you say arterial blood?Lorne: Why don't they ever need the urine of an unclean? I've got plenty of unclean urine.
(Gunn pulls out a dagger; Lorne lets out a nervous chuckle)
Look. Uh... I think I'm making some right now. - Bring My Brown Pants: Lorne finds out that the arterial blood of a demon is required for a spell, and asks if urine could work instead after Gunn produces a knife.
- Buffy Speak: Spike says that Tattoo Boy has an in with The Powers That Whatsit.
- But Now I Must Go: Cordelia comes back for one last guest spot, gets "her man back on track", then basically says "now everything's going to be OK, a pity I won't be here to see it since I must move on".
- Camera Spoofing: Lindsey's magical tattoos mean he doesn't show up on CCTV. He even waves at the camera while passing one.
- Cannot Spit It Out: Cordelia just manages not to say she fell in love with Angel.Cordy: And that's the guy I fell in— That, um... the guy I knew.
- Card-Carrying Villain: The gang are startled when Harmony suddenly starts slapping Eve.Harmony: Is this okay? I mean. I am evil, technically. I don't mind torturing her for the team.
- Catapult Nightmare: Cordelia waking up from her coma/vision.
- Chekhov's Gunman: Izzy, the satanic lawyer who shakes Angel's hand. Sebassis's small slave also makes a non-dialogue appearance. Both Izzy and Sebassis turn out to be important in later episodes.
- Cleavage Window: Cordelia's blouse shows off her ample bosom nicely.
- Consistent Clothing Style: Downplayed, but Lindsey's Texas roots and his penchant for dressing like an urban cowboy comes back to bite him (as it's part of how Angel and company identify him from Spike's intel).
- Continuity Nod: Loads as both Cordelia and Lindsey remind us of past events. Angel watches the advertisement Cordelia and Doyle made for Angel Investigations in "Hero".
- Cuddle Bug: Everyone gives Cordy a hug. Except Spike.Lorne: Are you huggable?
- Cut His Heart Out with a Spoon: Eve tries to walk out of her Perp Sweating.Cordelia: Get out of that chair and I will feed you those Manolo Blahniks. Which are stunning, by the way.
- Dead All Along: A variant in that Cordelia never actually woke from her coma and died at the very end of the episode, having used a favor from the Powers That Be to visit the gang one last time before she passed on.
- Deus ex Machina: Cordelia says she was owed one by the Powers That Be, so she came back to help her friends one last time. She doesn't just give a morale boost either. It's revealed in "Power Play" that Cordelia passed on a vision to Angel.
- Distracted by the Luxury: Cordelia starts getting stuck into Angel for accepting the job of running the Los Angeles branch of Occult Law Firm Wolfram & Hart.They seduced you with all their fancy facilities, manpower. They threw a whole bunch of money at you, plied you with all these expensive toys and penthouses with spectacular views, and— (looks out his window, admiring the view) ...really spectacular. What was I saying?
- Double Entendre: Eve saunters into Angel's office as usual, despite being banned from the premises.Eve: You honestly think you have any control over my comings and goings? Well, maybe not my goings, but you did have a way with my comings at the Halloween party.
- Dragged Off to Hell: Once Lindsey's mystical protections are stripped and the Senior Partners can get a lock on their former employee, they reel him in to "have a word". Which Hell Lindsey was dragged off to, however, won't be clarified until "Underneath".
- Dramatic Thunder: When the Senior Partners open their portal above Lindsey.
- Easily Forgiven: Wesley tells Cordelia that since it was Jasmine using her and she had no control over her actions, he doesn't blame her for anything that happened, including Lilah's death.
- Elephant in the Living Room: No-one wants to discuss the things Cordelia did while possessed by Jasmine. Cordelia though makes a point of apologising to Wesley for Lilah's death.
- Everything's Deader with Zombies: The fail-safe is guarded by zombie security guards.
- Evil Tastes Good: Spike bites Cordy to see if she's evil from the taste of their blood, explaining that "Demons are more astringent...with a sort of oakie."
- Explain, Explain... Oh, Crap!: Before going after "Doyle" in the climax, Angel asks Spike for any other intel from his interactions so they're not going in blind. Spike obliges, recounting what little else he knows or saw. As soon as he mentions "Doyle" dresses like an urban cowboy and got his hand chopped off once, Angel and company (minus Fred) instantly realize it's Lindsay.
- Feet-First Introduction: Lindsey infiltrating W&H dressed in maintenance overalls.
- Foreshadowing:
- Wesley and Angel enter the hospital room and see a woman lying on a bed, her face hidden by the privacy curtain. They assume it's Cordelia, but she appears and pulls the curtain all the way across before they can get a proper look at the woman.
- Cordelia tells Angel that Doyle used his last breath to keep Angel fighting, and then says "I get that now." Angel doesn't get the hint.
- She also tells Wesley that she's sorry for Lilah's death, and that she wanted to tell him that "before..." She doesn't finish that sentence, but it becomes clear what she meant in retrospect.
- When Spike bites Cordelia in a taste test, he remarks that she doesn't taste evil, and doesn't have the "oaky" or "astringent" taste of a demon. Cordelia did become a half-demon two years ago, but given what we learn later, Spike never gets the chance to find out what exactly she is after this point.
- Additionally, after Spike bites her, there are two holes in her throat but no sign of bleeding.
- Forgotten Fallen Friend: Averted with the episode also paying homage to Doyle, the first member of the Fang Gang to die in the line of duty. While half of the group (Gunn, Fred, and Lorne) are not as affected by Lindsey pretending to be him as they never met him, Angel and Cordelia are deeply and furiously roused into action against Lindsey's offensive act, while Wesley, despite never having met the man, is keenly aware of his impact (and was his replacement on the team) and is somber at his good name being tarnished as a result.
- Friendship Moment: While the main thrust of the episode is Cordelia helping Angel to get back on the right path (all the while capping off their Unresolved Sexual Tension), there are also a few moments that highlight her friendship with Wesley.
- Wesley is the only one to join Angel in checking up on Cordelia in the hospital when they're told she's woken up.
- Cordelia tells Wesley to forego using his research team to look up what the symbols in her vision meant, instead preferring that the two pour through the books for it together like they did in the early days of Angel Investigations. While Cordelia then jokes that she regrets the impracticality of this, Wesley says with sincerity that he's missed it.
- While Cordelia and Wesley both know that Jasmine was responsible for everything that happened in Season 4 (including Lilah's death), Cordelia nevertheless apologizes for it as she knows how much it hurt him.
- As the entirety of the gang heads out for drinks at the end of the episode, Cordelia tells them all that she and Angel will catch up with them later (knowing that this is actually the last time she'll see them before she disappears). Since Cordelia knows that saying "goodbye" will likely be a big signal of what is about to happen, she limits her last words to Wesley specifically, saying that he "still works the best mojo in town."
- The Gods Must Be Lazy: Aware that Angel is losing his way, the Powers That Be utilize a projection of Cordelia, complete with a vision of who's causing him the most problems.
- Healing Factor: Angel and Wesley express amazement that Cordelia looks great after being bedridden for nine months.Cordelia: I'm a vision of hotliness, and how weird is that? Mystical comas. You know, if you can stand the horror of a higher power hijacking your mind and body so that it can give birth to itself, I really recommend 'em.
- Heroic Second Wind: After Angel yanks Lindsey's sword out of his chest.
- Human Sacrifice: A W&H client kills five nuns in a ritual sacrifice to open a portal to Another Dimension so he can escape a racketeering charge.
- Hypocritical Humor:Cordelia: They seduced you with all their fancy facilities, manpower. They threw a whole bunch of money at you, plied you with all these expensive toys and penthouses with spectacular views, and— (looks out his window, admiring the view) ...really spectacular. (to Angel) What was I saying?
- I Did What I Had to Do: Angel re Connor.
- I Need a Freaking Drink:Lorne: Well, I'm thinking seabreeze, compadres. I gave up a lot of blood for this gig.Harmony: And I didn't get any. I kept begging Eve to run, but...Spike: Well, I've been prancing around thinking I had a destiny. Love to drown my embarrassment in a few pints.Fred: We should all go get a drink. We haven't done that in...ever.Gunn: I'm in. Cat and Fiddle?
- In a Single Bound: Lindsey leaps onto the top of the Failsafe, saying it's a little trick he picked up in Nepal. Angel does the same. "They sell that crap at the airport!"
- Internal Reveal: The Fang Gang finally learns what the audience has known since "Soul Purpose": That Lindsey has returned to LA and is working with Eve.
- It's Personal: Angel and Cordy are pissed that Lindsey is using the name Doyle.
- Katanas Are Better: Cordy grabs a katana off Angel's Wall of Weapons. She later throws it to Angel when Lindsey magics a medieval longsword out of thin air.
- Kick the Dog: Lindsey stabs a demon scientist In the Back, then casually kicks his body off the catwalk just to remind us he really is a bad guy.
- Killed Off for Real: Cordelia.
- Laser Hallway: Lindsey just walks through them using a magical glamor to prevent detection.
- Let's You and Him Fight: Lindsey tells Spike that Cordelia has been possessed by a Big Bad, in the hope that he'll kill her. He's not bothered when it doesn't work though, as it was a long shot that Spike would do it.
- Locked Out of the Loop: Since Fred was introduced after Lindsay had already left Los Angeles in late Season Two, she's not familiar with the former lawyer or his long, ugly history with Angel Investigations. Cordelia brings her up to speed on the broad strokes after they realize who "Doyle" really is.
- Similarly, Spike only had one previous interaction with Angel Investigations years before joining the spinoff this Season. While he and Doyle technically met and interacted during the Gem of Amarra incident, Spike also never actually learned Doyle's name. So while Spike has been brought up to speed on the Season Five-era Fang Gang and their then-recent history, he ultimately knows nothing of Doyle's ultimate fate, or the significance or meaning that name has for Angel and company (nor would he have ever thought to ask what had become of the Irishman Angel was associating with at the time). Combined with Spike's natural aloofness and poor relations with the rest of Angel Investigations (and Angel in particular) and it's little wonder Lindsey was able to keep the "Doyle" charade going for as long as he did.
- Look What I Can Do Now!: Lindsey returns from Nepal not just with the concealing tattoos with some cool martial arts tricks, materializing swords out of thin air, and using The Force to...well, close doors. But the point is it looks cool.
- Meaningful Echo: Cordelia quotes Doyle's "I get that now."
- Mind Rape: Cordelia accuses Angel of mind raping his friends to make them forget Connor.
- My Friends... and Zoidberg:Fred: Angel, you're not going down there alone.
Angel: The fail-safe's meant for me. I'm not gonna risk anybody I care about.
Spike: I'll go.
Angel: Okay. - Nice Job Fixing It, Villain: Had Lindsey not shared the details of his own limb loss back in Season One, Spike wouldn't have shared that intel with the Fang Gang and thus they wouldn't have realized Lindsey was behind recent events.
- "No More Holding Back" Speech: Angel had been losing his hero spirit dealing with Wolfram and Hart machinations. Cordelia wakes from her coma to restore that resolve and to warn him of a plot against him by Lindsey. In the climactic mano-a-mano, Angel beats the snot out of him saying, "All those tattoos, all those new tricks you've learned...just don't matter. Doesn't matter what you try. Doesn't matter where I am or how badass you think you've become. 'Cause you know what? I'm Angel. I beat the bad guys."
- Nostalgia Filter: Instead of using the research department, Wesley and Cordelia decide to hit the books just like they did in the days of Angel Investigations, and mutually agree on just how tedious it is.Cordelia: Remember how I said, "Let's not have your department looking for those symbols I saw in my vision. Let's do this like we used to, you and me cracking the books"?
Wesley: Yes.
Cordelia: Well, that was dumb. What'd you ever listen to me for?
Wesley: I don't know. I think I sort of missed this. You and me and the books, kicking it old school, as they say... and I never will again. - Not Helping Your Case: Cordy accuses Angel of having made a Deal with the Devil. Angel is denying this when a Big Red Devil in a suit walks up and shakes his hand over some legal deal they've just made. Cordy walks off in a snit.
- Nothing Is Scarier: We only see the fail-safe monster as a murky shadow with crab-like claws inside its tank.
- Oh, Crap!: Cordelia uses these Exact Words when the fail-safe starts to open, though there are actually a number of such moments — Eve when she discovers Cordelia is awake. Angel when he realises Lindsey has taken a level in badass. Lorne when he realises he's got to donate some arterial blood for the ritual. Lindsey when his power tats vanish.
- "Open!" Says Me: The episode opens with Team Angel kicking down a door.
- Pac Man Fever: Spike is playing a game that's implied to be the original Donkey Kong, making comments such as "Gorilla with barrels" and "Stupid plumber!", yet he is clearly holding an Xbox controller. And we doubt that Joss Whedon has heard of homebrew.
- The sound effects are right for Donkey Kong, and Spike's comments make sense in the contexts of the sound effects (however, Mario was a carpenter in Donkey Kong, not a plumber).
- Passive Aggressive Combat: Cordelia introduces herself to Eve, then curtly says she's not interested when Eve starts to introduce herself.Eve: Oh yeah, Angel talked a lot about you. At first.
- Perp Sweating: Harmony slapping Eve.
- Poor Communication Kills: Again, this is part of how Lindsey kept the "Doyle" charade going as long as he did. Spike and Angel's mutual hostility, combined with Spike's aloofness, meant the Fang Gang wars unaware of "Doyle" (and Spike likewise didn't recognize the significance of the name). It takes Cordelia serving as a de facto intermediary to finally blow the lid off Lindsey's deception.
- Post-Modern Magik: Lindsey's magical tattoos not only shield him from the Senior Partners, they also create a glamour that works against CCTV and other security devices. The fail-safe containment unit also has a combination of tech and crystal magic.
- Pre-Asskicking One-Liner: Angel asks Cordelia not to come with him to confront Lindsey.Cordelia: Yeah, save it, Angel. You can order me around all you want, but I know my rights. (unsheathes the katana) And I wanna see a lawyer.
- Properly Paranoid: Going into the climax, Angel wants any and all intel Spike has on "Doyle", no matter how insignificant. Whoever the imposter is, he's managed to run circles around the Fang Gang and the Senior Partners; their opponent is clearly formidable and cunning. So Angel's does not want to go in this fight blind and they need any and all advantages they can get.
- Punctuated Pounding: Angel showing He's Back! by pounding on Lindsey.
- Retail Therapy: Cordy is absolutely delighted when Wes suggests some post-coma shopping.
- The Reveal: The massive
Tear Jerker that ends the episode.Cangel have The Big Damn Kiss*ring ring*Angel: You know, um... I don't...I don't need to get that.Cordelia: That, you have to get. Oh... and you're welcome.Angel: (picks up phone) Hello. Yes, I know. She's... but that's impossible. She's standing right — (He turns around. The room is empty. Beat.) I'm sorry. Yeah. When did she die? Did she, um... she never did wake up? I see. (Hangs up.) Thank you.- A minor one, turns out Sebassis' slave had been surviving on toner ink, explaining the events in "Destiny" when the copy guy had a breakdown over the lack of ink and no-one replacing it.
- Rhetorical Question Blunder: Cordelia reunites with Team Angel after coming out of her coma and sees that Gunn has let his hair grow out slightly, leading to this:
- Cordelia: Oh, my God. Gunn? You have hair.
Gunn: What'd you think, I was Prematurely Bald?
[Cordelia just looks at him, a smile on her face]
Gunn: ...I wasn't.
- The Rival:Lindsey: The Senior Partners gave that eurotrash vampire everything I've worked for. I couldn't let that slide. They didn't see me coming. Maybe they're getting too old for this.Eve: It all comes back to Angel, doesn't it? He's still the center of your universe.
- Rousing Speech: Which then becomes proof that there are times even Cordelia Cannot Spit It Out.Cordy: I naturally assumed you'd be lost without me, but this?Angel: I am lost without you.Cordy: You just forgot who you are.Angel: Remind me.Cordy: Uh, no. That's for you to figure out, bubba. I can tell you who you were. A guy who always fought his hardest for what was right, even when he couldn't remember why. Even when he was miserable, which was, let's face it, a not small portion of the time. He did right. And that gave him something. A light, a glimmer. And that's the guy I fell in— That, um... the guy I knew.
- Series Continuity Error:
- Lindsey holding his phone conversation with Eve despite Spike's vampire super-hearing. Handwaved as Lindsey distracted him enough to take his rage out on video games.
- Spike appears to be unaware of the real Doyle despite having met him in "In The Dark". Probably justified since Spike never learnt his name.
- A Shared Suffering: Lindsey tells Spike he knows what it's like to have a hand cut off.Lindsey: So believe me when I tell you, I can feel your pain.Spike: Well, half of it anyway.
- Ship Tease: Fred casts a Longing Look at Wesley during the spell-casting scene. Guess those spells don't just do it for lesbian witches.
- Shirtless Scene: Lindsey goes shirtless during the fight scene for no apparent reason, while making a penis euphemism. From a Meta and cinematic perspective, of course, it's necessary to show the success of Wesley's ritual and the loss of Lindsey's mystical protection.
- Sole Survivor: With Cordy's death, Angel is now the only surviving member of the Fang Gang's original roster.
- Squee: Harmony catching sight of Cordelia, who is surprised to say the least as the last time she saw her old school friend, they were at crossbow-and-fang-point.
- Spanner in the Works: Cordelia coming out of her coma is one for Lindsey and Eve's campaign and ends up derailing their whole scheme. Before everything goes to hell, Lindsey's actually and ironically glad Cordy woke up. He sees it as a sign that the Powers are getting nervous about Angel and the stakes are now being raised. To use a gambling analogy, Lindsey compares it to no longer being seated at the $5 table.
- Eve was also supposed to get out of W&H before Lindsey activated the fail-safe. They misjudged how quickly Cordelia, Spike, and Angel would be able to compare notes and corner her.
- Stealth Hi/Bye: Cordelia after Angel is informed she's been Dead All Along.
- Stock Phrases: "Harmony, guard Eve. If she moves, eat her."
- Suspiciously Similar Substitute: Cordelia calls Eve "Lilah Junior".
- Sword Fight: Angel and Lindsey
- Tantrum Throwing: Spike attacks his Xbox after losing at Donkey Kong.
- Tempting Fate: Cordy is understandably nervous about walking into Wolfram & Hart. Angel assures her that it's just an ordinary office, with nothing scary popping out at you—Cordy shrieks as she comes face-to-face with Pee Pee.
- There Is No Kill Like Overkill / Properly Paranoid: The Senior Partners have a 'fail-safe', some kind of monster in the basement of Wolfram & Hart with the sole purpose of killing Angel if he gets out of control.
- This Is the Part Where...: Lindsey finding himself face-to-face with Angel."Is this the part where I get all weak in the knees? Promise I'll never do it again?"
- Title Drop: Cordelia's last words."Oh, and you're welcome."
- Twisted Echo Cut: Angel asks "What did I do?" (in response to Cordy's snarking). Cut to Spike saying, "You made the biggest mistake of your life, and I'm gonna make you pay. Oh, yeah!" Turns out he's playing Donkey Kong.
- Took a Level in Badass: Angel thinks he can easily kick Lindsey's ass.Angel: I guess some people, they just never change.Lindsey: (backhands Angel across the room) I did.
- Uncertain Doom: A variation with Lindsey following the climax. Angel and the others know he's most definitely doomed now as a prisoner of the Senior Partners. Rather, it's what their doom entails exactly that's left up in the air (and won't be revealed until "Underneath").
- Use Your Head: Spike headbutts Angel, hurting both their noggins.
- Verbal Backspace: Fred says it will take years to track someone into Another Dimension, then quickly changes it to months (weeks?) when a frustrated Angel announces his 10-Minute Retirement.
- Walk-In Chime-InLindsey: (patting the fail-safe) Bye-bye, Angel.Angel: (from behind him) Hello, Lindsey.
- Walking Shirtless Scene: Lindsey goes shirtless during the fight scene. For no apparent reason, while making a penis euphemism.
- Wham Episode: Subverted; pretty much everyone knew Cordelia would die here.
- Wham Line:Cordelia: That...you have to get. Oh, and you're welcome.Angel: [picks up phone] Hello? Yes, I know, she's...But that's impossible, she's standing right...I'm sorry. Yeah. Did, um, so when did she die? Did, she, um... She never did wake up? I see. [hangs up] Thank you.
- What the Hell, Hero?: Cordelia calls Angel on his decision to join with Wolfram & Hart.
- Wham Shot: Connected to the Wham Line as a confused Angel turns while on the phone to see Cordelia has suddenly vanished.
- Xanatos Gambit: Lindsey turning Spike loose on Cordelia by making him think she's still Jasmine. Best case scenario, he kills her before the deception can be exposed and it preserves Lindsey's cover (while also leaving a pissed off Angel to go gunning after Spike). Worst case scenario, it fails, but at least it'll buy time for Lindsey to infiltrate W&H and hijack their fail-safe against Angel (an outcome which will also happen regardless even if Plan A works). Interestingly, Lindsey knew going in Plan A was a Hail Mary Pass and isn't surprised it failed. But he and Eve still had to roll the dice anyway (and, again, it bought them the time Plan B required).
- Xanatos Speed Chess: Cordelia's awakening and recovery is an x-factor neither Lindsey or Eve anticipated. They spend the episode scrambling to stay ahead of Cordelia's visions before they expose their scheme. They fail.
- Yank the Dog's Chain: Cordelia returns and just when it looks like she and Angel will finally be together, she's Dead All Along.
- You Can't Fight Fate: Angel tells Cordy that maybe they were never meant to be together, or that people like them don't get to have that sort of thing.Cordelia: Angel, there are no people like us.
- Your Door Was Open: Eve to Angel, and 'Doyle' to Spike.Spike: (to Lindsey) Really should knock on a bloke's door... especially one that's got no qualms about killing trespassers.
