Episode 12, Season
4
Title: "Calvary"
Written by: Jeffrey Bell, Steven S. DeKnight & Mere Smith
Directed by: Bill Norton
Original Air Date: 12 February 2003
Teaser:
Cordelia, Wesley and Connor pay an unexpected visit to the Shaman in
their search for Angel's lost soul. Although the Shaman is unable to
tell them who took the soul or where it is, he can tell them one thing.
It still resides in it's container. However, if the soul is released,
it may be lost forever.
Back at the Hyperion, Fred and Gunn aren't getting along any better.
Tensions rise as they bicker over recent events, made even worse by
Angelus' painfully personal taunts broadcast over the monitor. Gunn
angrily silences the TV, unaware that Angelus is not alone.
From the darkened passages downstairs leading to the sewers, Lilah emerges,
crowbar in hand. She's lost everything to the Beast and now it's payback
time. She figures Angelus is the answer to getting rid of the Beast,
and has come to strike up a deal.
Act I:
Upstairs, Gunn complains about having to compete for Fred's attention,
a fact confirmed when she is distracted by Wesley's return. Cordy and
Connor follow and they all begin to discuss their options with little
hope of recovering Angel's soul. Abruptly, Gunn grabs the tranquilizer
and makes a dash for the basement, having finally noticed Lilah on the
monitor. He shoots Angelus on the arm from the top of the stairs, and
Lilah retreats into the sewers. As the others debate over Lilah's motives,
Welsey makes chase, finally catching up to her in what appears to be
her hideout.
Lilah rests uncomfortably, nursing the wound she suffered at the hands
of the Beast. Among the debris, Wesley notices a copy of RhinehardtÍs
Companion and begins thumbing through it. He doubts it will do
her much good as he was unable to find any useful information in his
own copy of the same book, pausing as he turns to a full page illustration
of the Beast. Lilah informs him that her copy was obtained from outside
this dimension, indicating that there may be more information recoverable
from other dimensions.
Back at the Hyperion, a revived Angelus unexpectedly announces that
he believes the Beast is only acting under the guidance of another,
more formidable foe. It's not likely that a being with a head made of
rock is capable of masterminding the destruction of the Ra-tet –
not the Beast he once knew, anyway.
Act II:
The gang leaves Angelus to continue their discussion upstairs and are
soon joined by Wesley with Lilah in tow. He shows them the book she
gave him but there is still much suspicion of her intentions. Gunn escapes
the confusion by assuming his position guarding Angelus.
In the basement, Gun sits stone-faces with flame thrower in hand while
Angelus mockingly commends him for 'playing to his strengths.' Eventually,
his taunts hit home and are answered by a burst of flames into the cell.
In the office above, Wesley begins to apologize to Fred but is silenced
by her admittance that she and Gunn are no longer a couple. Lilah and
Cordy interrupt the increasingly intimate conversation looking for a
progress update. To avoid Lilah's catty remarks, Wesley leaves to take
his turn watching Angelus.
Meanwhile, Lorne returns empty-handed, having uncovered no information
regarding Angel's lost soul. Lilah still thinks releasing Angelus is
their best option against the Beast, but no one else is convinced that
suicide makes for a good plan. It seems to Lilah that they're not looking
at things realistically, while Cordy thinks Lilah's 'realistic' view
is just a mask for her fear. The exchange is cut short as Cordy experiences
a vision telling her how to restore Angel's soul.
Act III:
Fred goes to retrieve Wesley from the basement and inform him of Cordy's
vision. She returns Angelus' threatening banter with a few insults of
her own. When he coolly comments on Wesley's affair with Lilah, however,
she is caught off guard, quietly stammering to Wes that it's really
none of her business as she retreats up the stairs.
Gunn and Connor are sent to dig up the skull of a soul eater, which
according to Cordy's vision is necessary (along with seven talismans and three sacred talons) to return Angel's soul. The
coffin is unearthed, and the soul eater, although assumed dead, attacks
them viciously. It tries to drain Connor's soul, but is decapitated
by Gunn at the last moment.
Elsewhere, the Beast makes an offering forged of his own bone to an
unseen master.
At the Hyperion, Cordelia and Fred assemble the talismans to be used
in the spell while Gunn and Connor return with the fresh demon head.
For accuracy's sake, they are instructed to clean the head so that only
the skull remains.
Lorne joins them for the spell, but bristles at Lilah's unwanted presence.
He hasn't forgotten the joy of being tortured at her command. Wesley
pulls Lilah aside and suggests that she needn't stick around, but she
reminds him that she has no where to go. Fred let's them know that the
spell is ready and waiting.
In the basement, Angelus babbles nervously while the spell is being
set up, but his efforts to discourage them are mostly ignored. Cordy
bids him a not-so-fond farewell as Wesley chants the spell. From the
skull, a white mist rises, circling the group until it ends at Angelus.
Surrounded by the mist, he struggles and is lifted completely off the
floor, until the skull breaks and he is dropped in a heap. Blearily,
Angel begins apologizing for his behavior as Angelus. To insure that
he is truly restored, he sings a few lines for Lorne, who joyfully declares
him whole. As an added precaution, Angel insists on staying locked in
the cell, showing that he can still lead the group by sending everyone
on assignments.
As they all depart, Cordy rebukes his carefulness as cowardess and
refuses to follow orders from a cage. Opening the lock, she convinces
him that he must trust himself if he is going to truly help them in
their fight. Once free, Angel grabs Cordy, showing her his true face
and revealing that the spell hadn't worked at all. She fights back,
running into the cage and closing the door between them, but is knocked
unconscious on the bars. Angel climbs the stairs, replacing his vamp
face with a shroud of Angel-like remorse.
Act IV:
Angelus approaches Fred in the office, telling her that he decided to
leave the cage after all and hoping for a hug to show that all well.
Her discomfort is relieved when the others see that Angelus is among
them. Their reunion is quickly ended, by Angelus who hastily leaves
on a mission to 'save the world.' From the monitor they see Cordy down,
and realize Angelus is still evil and now lose in the city.
Cordy holds a compress to her head as the others arm themselves to hunt
Angelus. All agree to shoot on sight, and they exit the hotel leaving
Cordy with Lilah checking her handgun for readiness.
The streets of LA are madness, but Angelus only finds the dead and undead
everywhere he turns.
Cordelia berates herself to Lilah for having been so easily fooled by
Angelus and questions the divine nature of her vision. From above, Angelus
cuts in, easily avoiding Lilah's shots as he jumps from the second story
balcony to the main floor. Cordelia fires the crossbow, but Angelus
catches her arrow and throws it back, hitting her in the stomach. Lilah
grabs an axe and Angelus gives her a '10 second' running start. A second
arrow hits the wall and Angelus calmly turns to tell Cordelia she 'need
not be jealous, he's saving the good stuff for her.'
On the street, Connor reaches the end of Angelus' scent and realizes
he must have doubled back to the hotel.
The hotel becomes a hunting ground for Angelus as he stalks Lilah through
its halls. She momentarily escapes by flipping him down the stairs followed
by a large chest of drawers. Knowing that won't slow him down for long,
she retreats into the halls. A hand grabs Lilah and Cordy pulls her
into a room. Lilah tells her that Angelus is going to kill them and
Cordy replies, "I know." She then stabs her in the neck with
a large knife and lets Lilah fall to the ground. "Why'd you think
I let him out, you stupid bitch?"
Summary by CoA Council member, DK
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