Angel (episode)

↳ Note: This article is about the episode. For other uses, see Angel.

"Angel" is the seventh episode of the first season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and the seventh episode in the series. Written by David Greenwalt and directed by Scott Brazil, it was originally broadcast on April 14, 1997, on The WB network.

Synopsis[]

LOVE STINKS — While Buffy grows more and more annoyed with Angel's mysterious disappearing act, she can't deny her growing obsession with him. Meanwhile, it's killing Xander that Buffy doesn't have a clue how he feels about her and, as he vents his frustrations to Willow, she knows all too well how he feels. And in the underworld, The Master is incensed that Buffy has taken the lives of so many members of his family, and he summons warrior vampires to annihilate her.^[1]

Summary[]

The Master is displeased that Buffy has been slaying his vampires, the latest victim being Zackery. Darla offers to kill Buffy, but the Master believes her reasons are too personal. The Master decides to send the Three, a trio of warrior vampires, to eliminate the Slayer.

The Three ambush Buffy on her way home from a pre-fumigation party at the Bronze. Angel shows up at a critical moment but is wounded during the fight. Buffy and Angel run to her house, and she yells at him to get inside. With the Three on the other side of the door, Angel explains that a vampire can't enter someone's home unless invited in. Buffy recalls hearing that but tells Angel she's never had to put it to the test before.

In the kitchen, Angel removes his jacket and shirt so Buffy can dress his wound. She notices a tattoo on his back. Buffy thanks Angel for his help and asks how he happened to be so close by. Buffy's mother, Joyce, suddenly returns home from work. Buffy hurries to the front door to ensure her safety and that no vampires enter, then tries to coax her upstairs. Angel, now fully dressed, walks into the room. Buffy claims Angel is a college student tutoring her in history. A skeptical Joyce informs Buffy that it is too late for tutoring and goes upstairs.

Buffy pretends to send Angel off but instead sneaks him up to her bedroom. Angel says he doesn't want to get her into any more trouble, but Buffy insists he stays in case the Three are nearby. They discuss her room's single bed, and Buffy offers it to Angel since he is injured, but he insists on taking the floor. Buffy questions Angel's decision to fight vampires despite not being the Chosen One. She wonders what his family thinks of his career choice, but he explains they're dead. Buffy asks if vampires killed his family, and Angel confirms. She theorizes that hunting vampires is a "vengeance gig" for him, but Angel changes the subject. They settle down for the night in their respective spots.

The next morning, Buffy tells Xander and Willow about her night with Angel, calling him a "perfect gentleman." Xander protests that Angel is trying to seduce Buffy by saving her life and getting stabbed. Giles identifies the armored vampire trio and reassures the Three are no longer a threat because they must offer their lives in penance for failing their mission. Indeed, the Master allows Darla to execute the Three in his underground lair as a lesson on power for Collin, the Anointed One.

Returning to the library later that day, Buffy begins weapons training. She is disappointed when Giles requires her to start with the quarterstaff rather than the "cool" crossbow, but she easily defeats her Watcher and progresses to crossbow training.

Later that evening, Buffy brings some food to Angel, who has waited out the day in her bedroom. Buffy asks Angel how he passed the time, and he replies that he did "a little reading" and a lot of thinking. Buffy notices her diary out of the drawer and nervously explains away entries that reveal her crush on "A." Angel stops her and explains that Buffy's mother moved the diary while straightening up and assures her he didn't read it. He confesses that he shouldn't be around her because all he wants to do is kiss her. As Buffy approaches him, Angel explains he is older than her and should go. They move closer to one another and begin to kiss. Suddenly, Angel pulls back with a snarl. When he turns back to her, his demon face reveals the truth — Angel is a vampire. Buffy screams, and Angel escapes through her window. When Joyce rushes into the bedroom and asks what happened, Buffy tells her she saw "a shadow."

Bringing her friends up to speed before school the next morning, Buffy wonders why Angel was good to her despite being a vampire. Giles insists there are no good vampires — they can retain the memories or personality of the person they take over, but they are still demons "at the core." Xander encourages Buffy to slay Angel.

Returning to his apartment, Angel becomes aware of an intruder but seems unsurprised to see Darla. She taunts him, saying that despite living above ground and killing vampires, he will never be human. Angel responds that he is not exactly like her either. Darla tells him that he can only suppress his true nature for so long and he should inform Buffy about the curse to see if she will accept him.

Giles and the gang spend time in the library researching Angel's past. They discover that, despite his century-long reputation as the sadistic killer Angelus, he has shunned the company of other vampires since coming to America and has apparently stopped hunting humans. Meanwhile, in the Master's lair, Darla insists on being allowed to kill Buffy. The Master agrees upon hearing Darla's plan to use Angel as her weapon.

That evening in the library, Willow is having a hard time tutoring Buffy in history since they are both distracted by gloom over boys; Buffy doesn't want to slay Angel, and Willow wants to attract Xander. Lurking upstairs in the shadows, Darla eavesdrops on their conversation.

Darla arrives at Buffy's house and deceives Joyce into inviting her in by claiming to be a friend of Buffy. Lurking outside, Angel hears Joyce's scream and rushes in just as Darla begins to drink from her. Daring him to have a taste, Darla shoves the now unconscious Joyce into Angel's arms and escapes out the back door.

Buffy arrives home and finds a vamped-out Angel holding her bleeding mother in his arms. Buffy throws him through a window and calls for an ambulance. At the hospital, the gang tries to help Joyce remember what happened. Joyce recalls inviting Buffy's "friend" inside. Buffy misunderstands, believing she is talking about Angel instead of Darla. Buffy races to the library, takes the crossbow from the weapons locker, and storms out into the night.

In Angel's apartment, Darla tells him that Buffy is out hunting him right now and that the Slayer could never look at his "true face" and kiss him. Meanwhile, Giles talks further with Joyce and learns that it was Darla, not Angel, who bit her. With Xander and Willow in tow, he rushes to find Buffy.

Buffy tracks Angel to the deserted Bronze and engages him in combat. Angel tackles and disarms Buffy, but she retrieves her crossbow and fires at him, the bolt hitting the wall beside his head. Buffy demands an explanation, and Angel tells her the story of the Kalderash girl he once killed, whose family cursed him as retribution. They restored his soul, condemning him to eternal torment and guilt for his past sins. Angel denies that he bit Joyce, though he admits to having the desire to do so as well as wanting to kill Buffy. The Slayer lays aside her crossbow and offers her throat to Angel.

Suddenly, Darla emerges from the shadows, boasting that she is the vampire who sired Angel and the two were together for "generations." Darla tells Angel that he could've ruled with her in the Master's court but instead chose to love someone who hates vampires. When Buffy aims her crossbow, Darla pulls out a pair of handguns and fires. Angel crumples to the floor after being shot. Buffy dives for cover behind the bar and shoots a bolt that misses Darla's heart. Hearing gunfire, Giles, Willow, and Xander rush in and distract Darla, shouting to Buffy that it was Darla who bit Joyce, not Angel.

As Darla shoots at Buffy, Angel approaches from behind and stakes her in the heart. Turning around in shock, Darla says his name before crumbling into dust. Underground, the Anointed One consoles the Master over the loss of Darla at Angel's hands. He tells the Master that Darla was weak and promises to deliver the Slayer to him.

During the Post-Fumigation Party at the Bronze, Buffy notices Angel across the crowded room and goes over to greet him. Angel tells her they can never work, and Buffy agrees. Instead of walking away, they kiss. Buffy mentions how painful it is, telling him, "I'll see you around." As Angel watches Buffy leave, his chest has a burn in the shape of her cross necklace.

Continuity[]

• Buffy invites Angel into her house for the first time; she'll revoke it in the episode "Passion."
• Angel tells Buffy he killed his family as a vampire. Flashbacks from the episode "The Prodigal" will show him doing so.
• Angel tells Darla: "The last time I saw you, it was kimonos." The last time he saw her was during the Boxer Rebellion, when she was wearing a Chinese garment instead ("Darla").
• Giles states that Angel has been a vampire "two hundred and forty years or so." His facts are fairly accurate since Angel was turned two hundred and forty-four years before ("Becoming, Part One").
• The Master says he "misses" Angel. In the episode "Darla," it's revealed that their first encounter was a violent one and nearly resulted in Angelus being killed. In "Destiny," Angelus explains disdainfully that Darla's "precious Master called for [her]." While these scenes do not engender the idea of any kind of fondness between the two, in "missing" Angel, the Master might be referring to the destruction and terror he caused while soulless.
• The Master says "out of the mouths of babes" after a comment made by the Anointed One, and in the episode "Two to Go," Xander repeats the line after a comment by Dawn, both of which relate to murder.
• The Kalderash cursing Angel with his soul is seen in "Becoming, Part One."
• Angel being a vampire with a soul will be a major plot point. In "Surprise," Angel loses his soul after a night of "perfect happiness" with Buffy, becoming a villain for the rest of the season until Willow restores his soul once more ("Becoming, Part Two"), an act that propels her into an interest in witchcraft.
• While Angel tells Buffy that he hadn't fed on another living being since his soul was restored, he has fed on at least two dying humans: Sam Lawson in 1943 ("Why We Fight") and a gunshot victim in the 1970s ("Orpheus").
• After Buffy finds out Angel is a vampire with a soul, they kiss, and we see the cross Angel gave her, searing his chest. Years later, in "Beneath You," after Buffy realizes Spike has a soul, he drapes his body on a large cross as it burns him. Additionally, Angel tells her: "I wanted to kill you," and Spike uses the words: "I dreamed of killing you."

Appearances[]

Individuals[]

• Angel
• Collin
• Cordelia Chase
• Darla
• Dino
• Rupert Giles
• Alexander Harris
• Kathy (Only mentioned)
• Master
• Willow Rosenberg
• Joyce Summers
• Buffy Summers
• Annie Vega
• Zackery (Only mentioned)
• Kalderash girl (Only mentioned)
• Liam's father (Only mentioned)
• Liam's mother (Only mentioned)
• Unidentified girl (Angel)

Organizations and titles[]

• Anointed One
• Kalderash (Only mentioned)
• Order of Aurelius
• Scooby Gang
• Slayer
• Sunnydale Razorbacks
• The Three
• Watcher

Species[]

• Human
• Vampire

Events[]

• Earthquake (Only mentioned)
• Fumigation Party
• Post-Fumigation Party

Locations[]

• Hungary (Only mentioned)
  • Budapest (Only mentioned)
• Ireland (Only mentioned)
• United States
  • Sunnydale
    • Angel's apartment
    • Bronze
    • Church (Order of Aurelius)
    • Gallery (Only mentioned)
    • Harris residence (Only mentioned)
    • Revello Drive
      • 1630 Revello Drive
    • Sunnydale High School
      • Sunnydale High School library

Objects[]

• Angel's tattoo
• Blood
• Buffy Summers' cross necklace
• Buffy Summers' diary
• Soul (Only mentioned)
• Stake
• Watchers Diaries

Rituals and spells[]

• Ritual of Restoration (Only mentioned)

Death count[]

• One cockroach, squashed by Willow at the Bronze.
• Zackery, dusted by Buffy (only mentioned).
• The Three, dusted by Darla at the church.
• Darla, staked by Angel at the Bronze.

Behind the scenes[]

Production[]

• This is the first episode to feature the show's opening prologue used to explain the Slayer mythology.
• During the production of this episode, it took the makeup department 60 to 90 minutes to apply the vampire prosthetic on David Boreanaz.^[2]
• Angel's Hugo Boss duster is worth over $1,000.^[2]
• The episode, which first reveals the character Angel's true nature and origins, is written by David Greenwalt, who would later be known for co-creating the spinoff Angel.

Broadcast[]

• "Angel" had an audience of 2.3 million households upon its original airing.^[3]

Deleted scenes[]

• Joyce and Buffy would talk about Angel during dinner:^[4]

  Joyce: "I have to call the exterminator, I heard mice or something upstairs today..."

  Buffy: "I bet they'll go away in a day or so — are those new curtains?"

  Joyce turns to look. Buffy empties most of her chicken, etc. into a large plastic baggie in her lap. Joyce turns back.

  Joyce: "Aunt Lolly made those when you were five."

  Buffy: "What am I thinking? I know what I'm thinking, more protein. Your chicken rocks, Mom."

  Buffy gets up, serves herself some more.

  Joyce: "We have an appetite tonight. So tell me about this young man Angel. When are you going to see him again?"

  Buffy: (small glance upwards) "Soon..."

  Joyce: "He's doing more than helping you with your history, isn't he?" (nothing from Buffy) "I mean you've got Willow for that, plus I saw the way you looked at each other. We've talked about taking these things slowly. You know how a glacier moves a few feet every year? That kind of slowly."

  Buffy: "Okay, so slower than you and Dad took it."

  Joyce: "Touché. Do you want to hear the lecture or do you know it by heart?"

  Buffy: "You were young, you were in love, what you weren't was through with college, focused on a career and... no help from the audience, please, in possession of your own identity."

  Joyce: "That pretty much covers it." (notes Buffy's plate) "You cleaned your plate again?"

• Xander would linger outside class:^[4]

  Willlow: "Oh boy, time for geometry." (off Xander and Buffy's looks) "It's fun if you make it fun."

  They move off. The last of several kids enter rooms and the hall is quiet. Except... for Xander at a drinking fountain. Drinking up a storm. A nearby class door opens, Willow exits.

  Willow: "Geometry's starting."

  Xander: "Yup."

  Willow: "But you're out here drinking."

  Xander: "Again I say, yup."

  Willow: "Something's bothering you. Buffy."

  Xander: "Buffy? Why would Buffy be bothering me?"

  Willow: "Cause you kinda got a thing there and she kinda has a thing... elsewhere."

  Xander: "It's just... this guy Angel, the research is in, he's a vampire — still she likes him better than me."

  Willow: "She doesn't like him 'cause he's a vampire, I know she's not down with that part."

  Xander: "Love sucks. Ever since I was in grammar school, it's the same old dance… you dig someone, they dig someone else. And then that someone else digs someone else."

  Willow: "That's the dance."

  Xander: "I mean, I'm right for her. I'm the guy. I know it. She's so stupid! She's not stupid. But… it's too much. We're such good buds, I'm this close to her, and she doesn't have a clue how I feel. And wouldn't care if she did. It's killing me."

  He exits into class. She stands alone a moment.

  Willow: "Gee, what's that like?"

Pop culture references[]

• Xander's line "fish gotta swim, birds gotta fly" is a line from the song "Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man" from the 1929 musical Show Boat.
• The Master says that "with great power comes great responsibility," quoting from the origin story of Spider-Man.
• Cordelia wears a dress from the designer Todd Oldham.
• Cordelia rails against another student wearing the same dress as hers, decrying it as a knockoff and the result of "free trade agreements," a reference to the recently enacted North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).

Goofs[]

• When Buffy and Angel are being chased by the Three, one of the vampires manages to get his hand into Buffy's house as she's closing the door, despite not having an invitation to enter. This is inconsistent with the vampire barriers on people's homes in later episodes, where no part of a vampire can enter a home uninvited.
• In the final scene, in between when Buffy leaves Xander and Willow then talks to Angel, her hair and lipstick have changed.
• When Darla is spying on Willow and Buffy's conversation in the library, her reflection can be seen on the bookshelf next to her, despite the fact that vampires don't have reflections. 
• Angel mentions to Darla that the last time he had seen her, "it was kimonos," referring to their time in China during the Boxer Rebellion. However, the kimono is a form of Japanese traditional clothing that closely resembles, and is in fact based off of, the Chinese hanfu.

Music[]

• Sophie Zelmani — "I'll Remember You"
• Walter Murphy — original score

International titles[]

• Armenian: "Հրեշտակ" (Angel)
• Czech: "Angel"
• Finnish: "Tuhon enkeli" (Angel of Doom)
• French: "Alias Angelus"
• German: "Angel — Blutige Küsse" (Angel — Bloody Kisses)
• Hungarian: "Angel"
• Italian: "L'Angelo Custode" (The Guardian Angel)
• Japanese: "エンジェル" (Angel)
• Polish: "Anioł ciemności" (Angel of Darkness)
• Portuguese (Brazil): "Angel"
• Romanian: "Angel"
• Russian: "Ангел" (Angel)
• Spanish (Latin America): "Ángel" (Angel)
• Spanish (Spain): "Ángel" (Angel)
• Swedish: "Ängel" (Angel)

Adaptations[]

• This episode is included in The Slayer Pack VHS collection.
• This episode is collected in The Slayer Collection: Angel DVD.
• The script for this episode is included in The Script Book: Season One, Volume 2.
• The book The Angel Chronicles, Volume 1 includes a novelization of this episode.

Gallery[]

Promotional stills[]

Advertisement[]

"Angel" promo

"Destiny has brought them together… Tonight, evil will tear them apart."

"The event continues: Tonight, a dark Angel is revealed. The most dangerous romance on television."

Quotes[]

References[]