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| Episode 6, Season 2 Title: "Guise Will Be Guise" Written by: Jane Espenson Directed by: Krishna Rao Original Air Date: 7 November 2000 TEASER
In the basement of Wolfram & Hart, Angel and Gunn enter from a sewer grate. There are people in the hall and Angel advises Gunn not to make eye contact as they head into an elevator. Just as the door closes behind them, a briefcase catches the door and it reopens. Wesley and Cordelia step in dressed in full business attire. Surprised at seeing them Angel asks how they managed to get inside the building. Cordy puts on her executive looking glasses and states, "Hello! Lawyer!" As the door continues to close and open and close and open again upon their debate, we discover Angel has a plan to find and rescue Darla. Cordy accuses him of being obsessed and angry although he denies it. A guard finally catches the door and produces a nightstick/stake gadget which Angel quickly dispatches into the guard’s foot. They abandon the idea and depart as Angel observes, "Maybe I am a little angry."
ACT I
In his car, Angel speeds along the highway up to Ojai. The Hyperion Hotel. Cordy and Wesley discuss Angel’s obsession with Darla and hope visiting the Swami will help. Wes is impressed at the ability of ‘psychiatry through magic’ while Cordy sits and spins in Angel’s chair, "Look! I’m Angel." Wesley observes that Angel usually doesn’t spin that much and Cordy agrees as she picks up a book and begins a brooding mumble of self doom ala Angel. At a wooded, lakeside cabin in Ojai, Angel knocks on the door and a rather, non-Swami-looking Swami answers dressed in jeans and a flannel shirt. "I’m looking for the T’ish Magev?" Angel asks hesitantly. "You’ve found him." Back at the Hyperion, a rough looking guy grabs Cordelia and at gunpoint demands to see Angel. (this is not the man in the Teaser) Wesley hears the struggle from the other room. She tells the man Angel isn’t there but just as the thug points the gun at Cordelia, Wesley walks in dressed in Angel’s long black trench coat. Although the coat catches on the doorframe causing him to trip up, he profoundly states, "I’m Angel, you looking for me?"
ACT II
Meanwhile, back at the Hyperion, Wesley is putting up a nervous and insecure front as ‘Angel’, but when the thug threatens to kill Cordelia, Wes agrees to go along with him. A residential Estate. The thug ‘invites’ Wesley in. As he nearly crosses the threshold and notices robed guards about. Two well dressed businessman step into the main foyer from another room as they conclude talking and one of the men leaves. Wesley recognizes the other as Magnus Bryce. Bryce offers ‘Angel’ a drink, blood, and Wesley, not wanting to blow the charade, drinks it. "Dear God! ... that’s… nummy." Bryce wants ‘Angel’ to protect his daughter. He explains that his software cable network business is a front. His money really comes from Wizardry, custom design work for people with money. But he has a lot of industry rivals such as Briggs from ‘Consolidated Curses’ and the gentleman who just left, Paul Lanier. ‘Angel’ is to be his daughter’s bodyguard and he doesn’t have a choice! The night wanes on back at the cabin, as the Swami explains to Angel that there are, "two yous," the image and the real Angel. "How will you defeat the Soldiers of Darkness when you’re still fighting yourself?" he asks. Angel is perplexed. Back at the Bryce Estate, Magnus introduces ‘Angel’ to his daughter, Virginia. As Wesley passes in front of her bedroom mirror he catches his own reflection and screams out, ordering them to cover it. Wes observes a massive amount of books adorning the walls and Virginia admits to spending a lot of time there and suggests they go shopping. Cordelia and Gunn, back at the Hyperion, decide Wesley is in over his head. Gunn is to go and retrieve Angel while she looks through mug shots to identify their friendly neighborhood thug. Wesley and Virginia are browsing in a very high-end store catering in Wizard supplies. It’s Virginia’s father's 50th birthday and he’s having a big bash for his ‘favorite creepy deity’, the Goddess Yeska. Virginia explains to Wesley that all her life her father has told her stories of ritual, magic and incantations. As she confesses she is no longer interested in such things she notices Wesley’s hand wrapped around a helmet's crucifix. "Doesn’t that hurt?" He feigns a scream as two men approach and attempt to abduct Virginia. When she calls ‘Angel’s’ name the men respond in a frightened manner. Seems Angel’s reputation precedes him. Wes discovers these are Lanier’s men and with a threat they leave them unharmed. Outside the cabin, on the boat dock, Angel and the Swami are fighting with staffs. Magev accuses Angel of holding back and Angel confesses, if he lets loose it will kill Magev. "It?" He tells Angel that the demon is himself and he has to control it. Later, inside the cabin, Magev is on the phone. He is talking to Lanier and we learn that Ramone, at the karoke Bar, helped set Angel up to get him out of the way.
ACT III
The Bryce Estate. Wesley and Virginia have returned from shopping. They are attacked by the hooded guards, but Wesley puts up a fierce fight and they run off. Sitting on the dock at the cabin, Angel tells the Swami about Darla. Magev asks why Angel thinks W&H brought her back. He tells Angel he is obsessed with her, she triggers his inner struggles and Angel blames her and wants to punish her, but he also wants to thank her. The Bryce Estate. Wesley and Virginia are sitting on her bed. She expresses her wish to be able to escape her life but the knowledge that if she moved out it would kill her father keeps her there. She rests her head on Wesley’s shoulder and they kiss. Meanwhile, back at the cabin, Angel tells the Swami about his curse. In Virginia’s room, Wes is still kissing her and she stops him, telling him she knows about his curse. Wesley states that the curse is ‘widely misinterpreted’ but when he tries to confess that he isn’t Angel, she silences him with more kisses. The Cabin, it’s morning and Gunn pulls up in his truck. The Swami greets him and then knocks him out. Angel witnesses the act and figures out that the real Magev is dead. This imposter taunts Angel, thinking he is safe in the sun, but Angel is quite the fly fisherman and with one cast snags him in the mouth, reels him onto the porch of the cabin and vamps out! Virginia’s room. Wesley, lying next to a sleeping Virginia, contently watches her. Later, as he leaves her room, Cordelia comes bursting through the house. Running into Wes, she is amazed she was just let in after mentioning Angel’s name. Hearing the commotion, Virginia steps into the hall. Cordy wants to get Wes out of there but he insists that he must protect Virginia just as her father and Benny appear. Seems Bryce got a phone call and the jig is up. When Virginia discovers the truth about Wesley she is truly hurt and Bryce has Wes and Cordy escorted out. Bryce can’t kill Benny for his blunder because it’s just ‘a few hours till the sacrifice and he needs him.
ACT IV
The Bryce Estate. The party is in full swing. As Virginia mingles among the guests Magnus raises his glass in a toast. Benny and a guard grab Virginia and place her on an altar, shackling her in as Magus begins the incantation for Yeska. He anoints Virginia as she pleads to him. Just then, Angel and the gang arrive and Wesley calls out, "Release her or die!" "Don’t I say that?" Angel asks and the fight ensues. Wesley defeats one of the guards and moves to release Virginia as Magnus continues to chant. Yeska is brought forth but as she reaches for the sacrifice she senses Virginia is ‘impure’ and vanishes. When the fight has ceased, Magnus is shocked to discover that his daughter is not a virgin after protecting her all these years and blames Wesley. His sole purpose in securing Angel was because he was a Eunuch and Virginia would have been guarded from this happening. "I’m no Eunuch!" Angel protests. Virginia is a bit upset that her father tried to kill her and decks Magnus. Days later at the Hyperion, Angel is sitting at his desk when Cordy bursts in with the new issue of Bio. Seems Virginia has a new ‘bodyguard to the stars’ and Wesley is getting some quality press time, something Cordy so muchly deserves. "Damn skippy!" As Angel reads on, he comments to himself, "There’s no Wyndam-Pryce Agency."
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Angel Investigations, Wesley is in the office going through files and, well, being his bumbling self as he pulls a file drawer from the cabinet and it crashes to the floor. A man suddenly appears at the counter in front of Wes - he's looking for Angel. Asking if he is Angel, Wesley, after slipping and falling to the floor, replies he isn’t, but offers his services. As Wes is not a ‘creature of the night’ the man departs. Just then, Cordelia comes downstairs rather distraught and informs Wesley that they have to go save Angel and asks Wes if he has any other clothes that a man would wear.
The karoke Bar. Cordelia, Wesley and Gunn are sitting at a table as Angel talks at the bar with the Anagogic MC. Gunn wonders how he’s lived in LA this long and never noticed the weird-ass stuff going on, such as the bar. Cordy replies, "Oh, the ass is even weirder than you think," as she explains to him that by singing, your fate can be revealed to the demon MC who helps to guide you on your appointed path. Angel confesses to the Anagogic that he is feeling ‘rocky’ and doesn’t trust the feelings that are going on within him. Angel gets a reprieve when he is told he doesn’t have to sing this time, sparing himself and the audience. As Ramone brings the MC a much needed drink, he tells Angel to travel to Ojai and visit the T’ish Magev, a very powerful swami who will enlighten Angel to his inner troubles. Angel informs a much elated Cordy that he doesn’t have to sing and they leave.
Inside the cabin, Angel and the T’ish Magev are talking in a relaxed and common manner as the Swami ties fishing flies. The Swami makes Angel aware of obvious things regarding his exterior nature, leading Angel to analyze their inner meanings. His car: a vampire living in a city known for it’s sun who drives a convertible. His clothes: all dark in nature, obviously image is important to him though he has no reflection. But Angel has retorts to all the Swami’s claims, "the top goes up," "I don’t have to worry about matching." Yet, the Swami disagrees, stating that Angel does have a reflection, in the people around him, and asks Angel how he thinks he is perceived.
Angel Investigations. Cordelia looks through the criminal mug shots on the computer searching for the identity of Wes's abductor. She is distracted by her latest issue of Bio Magazine and starts to flip though it. Suddenly she notices a picture of Bryce, Virginia and Benny, their man.
The Hyperion hotel. Wesley and Cordelia arrive just minutes before Angel and Gunn enter. Angel is curious as to why Wes is wearing his coat. Wesley is still in ‘Angel’ mode as he deciphers the whys and whats of the situation. Angel figures Lanier wanted him out of the way to easily abduct Virginia. But at the mention of the Goddess Yeska, Angel informs them that she’s no Goddess but rather a Davric demon who eats live sacrifices and in return grants huge powers to the offerer on their 50th birthday. *light bulb*