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Episode 22, Season 5 Title: "Not Fade Away" Written by: Jeffrey Bell & Joss Whedon Directed by: Jeffrey Bell Original Air Date: May 19th, 2004 Teaser: 
The episode opens where we left off last week as Angel asks if they are in.They are all agreed and Gunn asks if the plan is to take them out in one swoop but Angel says they can't because the Circle of the Blackthorn as one body are the most powerful group on earth but separated they are just demons. Angel says they will make their move soon but in the meantime it is important that they keep up the infighting. Gunn thinks it would be good to have Illyria on board but Angel is not sure they can trust her and Lorne tells him she is babysitting Drogan. Angel orders them to get over there straight away and confesses he killed Drogan as an angry Spike punches him. Angel strikes back just as Marcus enters the office and he tells Marcus the meeting is over before ordering Wesley to take care of Illyria as they all leave. Angel closes the door behind them and Marcus tells him the Blackthorn have concerns and want to see him now. Act I: 
The gang find Illyria bloodied and beaten in Spike's apartment and she confirms that Marcus was responsible and he took Drogan. Lorne thinks Angel has lost the plot and they could be next, he still doesn't trust him. Gunn tells him they don't need to but they should pray that the Circle does.Around a rectangular table, embossed with symbol of the Blackthorn, the members chant their opening ceremony as Angel watches. At the head of the table, Arch Duke Sebassis tells Angel that he embarrassed them when his people tried to kill him. Vail reminds Angel he has ascended but just then he begins to wheeze as Sebassis's slave becomes entangled with his IV line and Angel pushes the slave away asking Sebassis to clarify which of his people has not made the cut. Vail tells him Wesley is unstable, as the senator adds that Gunn on the other hand is not. Sebassis confirms Spike is also no threat to them; it is Angel they are worried about. Izzy produces the Shanshu prophecy as Sebassis, aware that hope is stronger than his loyalty to them, asks Angel to sign it thereby giving up any right to ever return to his human state. Angel tells them he has no desire to be human and agrees to sign as Izzy stabs his hand; the signature must be in blood. 
Angel gazes through his office window and as Harmony enters, he asks if she misses being human and she confesses that part of her always knew life would be over after high school. He doesn't remember what being human was like because it is so long ago and Harmony tells him it wasn't so great but she does remember the way her heart would thump when she kissed a boy. She asks if something is going down adding that she should be a part of it but he wants her out of it. Angels has things to do and he needs to keep Hamilton out of the loops so he asks Harmony to keep him distracted for as long as possible.In Angel's office, Lindsey wonders if Angel is joking as they can never trust each other. Angel reminds him it is not about them, it is about The Wolf, The Ram and The Hart whom they have both been fighting against forever. Lindsey tells him he can't beat them and Angel knows this but maybe they are just there to be fought; maybe fighting them is what makes humans remarkably strong. Lindsey tells him he is talking about a huge power and they will mow him down to which Angel says maybe but he can't help but notice that the world was once theirs and now it's not. He knows how bad things are, how much sway the demons hold, that there will always be power and corruption so again Lindsey is wondering why he came to him and Angel confirms that suppose they take them on and tear up the firm, Lindsey would be the person he would want to step in. Better the devil you know guesses Lindsey, who adds that the twist is he's in. Angel asks why and he says that, win or lose, Angel is about to pick the nastiest fight since mankind kicked the last demon out of this dimension and he's is not doing it without him, he is on the team. In Spike's apartment Wesley says he needs to get some supplies to take care of Illyria and Spike is worried in case Marcus comes back. Angel arrives; he didn't know Hamilton had hurt Illyria, confirming he also brought Drogan to the Circle at which point Wesley realises Angel had to kill Drogan to prove he had turned. He states he didn't have a choice, which they understand, and he assures them Marcus won't be back because they are going to kill the Circle tonight. Act II: 
Angel asks the gang to take the day off and Gunn wonders if they shouldn't be preparing. Angel tells them they will be ready but he wants them to live the day like it's their last as it may well be.Lorne sings "If I Ruled the World" on stage in a bar somewhere. Angel walks up to a table in a coffee bar and says, "Hi". Connor looks up at him surprised. Spike downs one shot after another in a seedy bar. 
Anne [Blood Money] loads supply boxes into a truck and as Gunn approaches she greets him, she is moving to a new shelter. He asks after Rondell and his old crew and she says they should be around to help her move the furniture. She fills him in on details of life at the shelter as Gunn asks what she would do if he told her none of it helps and that everything is controlled by powerful forces who will never allow things to get better. She tells him she would get the truck packed before the new stuff arrives and she asks him to help her load it.In Spikes apartment, Wesley prepares a salve for Illyria's wounds. Illyria tells him she doesn't understand and he says it will help her heal faster so she can join them in the fight. She points out that it is Wesley she doesn't understand, he could do whatever he wanted today and yet he is with her and she is not what he wants. He admits that's true but there is no perfect day for him, there is nothing that he wants. She knows he wants to be with Fred and he says he would be there if he could so she offers to assume her shape. He refuses as it would be a lie, the truth is that Fred has gone and he doesn't intend to die tonight anyway. He asks if her wound feels better and she confirms it does. 
Spike has moved to the stage in the bar where, drink in hand, he recites poetry to rapturous applause.
Back at the coffee shop, Angel is talking to Connor about Nina when suddenly Connor tells him he knows he's his father. He has his memories back but they are all mixed in with the new ones, like a bad dream. Angel asks if he has any questions and Connor assures him he understands what he did, he is grateful but he doesn't want to discuss it further.
Back at the law firm Lindsey and Eve are kissing when Eve stops, admitting she is thinking of Angel, she doesn't think he trusts Lindsey. He tells her it is not about that, Angel needs every hand he can get and if Lindsey is on his side, Angel will play fair and when the smoke clears they will see what happens. He asks Eve to stay well away from it all as he doesn't want anything happening to her.At Spike's apartment Angel and the gang go over the plan. Angel says one of them will betray him; Spike volunteers but he turns to Wesley and tells him Vail believes he will make a play for Angel's spot and this will get him in the door. Illyria is to take out Izzy and three other members who dine together every night. Gunn is to take on Senator Brucker who has an office in West L.A and Angel reminds him she is pure hell spawn and surrounds herself with vampires. As Angel looks at Spike he stands up making it clear he will not wear any amulets, or bracelets or any other jewellery but Angel tells him he just needs a rattle as he is to return the baby to its mother and dismember the foster family, the Fell Brethren. 
Sebassis is the strongest power and the most feared so Angel will be handling him. He turns to Lorne who confesses he is not a fighter but Angel says he just wants him to back up Lindsey. Wesley can't believe he brought him in but Angel is adamant that Lindsey is a part of this and he will be facing as much danger as everyone else on the team.Harmony lies on her bed clad in her underwear as an unknown hand wipes blood from the corner of her mouth and she licks it off. Sitting up she picks up her glass of blood and leans into Marcus who wraps his arm around her as she says, "Anyway, about Angel's secret plan." Act III: 
Back at Spike's apartment Angel asks them, if they make it through, to meet at the alley north of The Hyperion. Lorne steps up to Angel and tells him he will do this last thing but then he is out and he makes it clear he doesn't want to be found afterwards. As they all leave, Angel and Wesley stare at each other for a moment, each nodding in respect. Spike asks how the Shanshu will pan out, wondering if one of them will get to be a real boy but Angel thinks they won't even make it through.At Vail's house, he asks Wesley why he shouldn't kill him. Wesley says he is smart enough to have doubts about Angel and he's right, Angel is unpredictable and has a conscience. Vail admits he has a persuasive argument as Wesley tells him it gets better then opens his hand to reveal a glowing swirling light in his palm. Shrouded in a hooded cloak, Spike follows two of the brethren along a corridor, stopping when he hears a baby cry. As Senator Bruckner talks on the phone in her campaign office, the door bursts open and Gunn strolls in, punching out the first vampire to get in his way. The Sahrvin are gathered in a bar when the door is split open by a large sword and Lindsey knocks it down. Izzy and his companions climb into their car and as the engine starts, the headlights illuminate on Illyria who blocks their path. Marcus is back and after Angel punches his stomach to no effect, Marcus lifts him by the neck up off his feet. Angel asks if it hurt at all and Marcus confesses it did a little bit but it is all part of the job. He throws Angel across the room and he crashes into the wall on the balcony, falling to the floor. Act IV: 
Ascending the stairs, Marcus tells Angel that the Senior Partners should not have bothered wasting resources on him. He thinks Angel is gutter trash and he should have stayed that way, living his unremarkable life, but the fates stepped in and made him a vampire and with a soul too and yet he failed everyone around him and it is about time he followed. Picking Angel up off the floor, he asks if he really thought he could kill the Arch Duke Sebassis.Sebassis reclines in his bath drinking his slaves blood which he realises tastes strange and glancing across he sees his slave lying dead on the floor. As Angel tells Marcus how he spiked his drink we see how Angel injected the slave with something using a point on his ring when he pushed him away at the earlier Circle meeting. Sebassis is already dead. At the Fell residence, Spike picks up the baby but as he turns to leave he is faced with the three members of the brethren who demand he places the holy vessel back in the bassinet. Spike throws of his cloak and rushes them, prepared to fight. Back at Wolfram & Hart, Angel and Marcus continue their fight. Marcus beats Angel down and grabs a piece of wood preparing to stake him but is suddenly punched from the side by Connor. Angel asks why he is there and Connor says he knew that something was wrong when he stopped by for coffee. Illyria walks away form Izzy's car which is practically destroyed. 
At the Sahrvin bar, Lindsey washes the blood from his hands as Lorne surveys the bodies and compliments Lindsey on his swordsmanship. Lindsey admits he couldn't have done it without the high note in Macarthur Park and asks if there is any news on the team, adding that he likes the feeling of being on the team whereas Lorne plans on leaving them as it isn't his kind of work anymore. Lindsey asks if he doesn't trust him but Lorne states it isn't about what he thinks, this is Angel's plan, so Lindsey offers to sing for him. Lorne says he's heard him sing and then shoots him twice in the chest telling him this was his last job as Lindsey is not part of the solution. Lindsey is really shocked; in his mind it should be Angel who kills him not a flunkie. He slumps to the floor dead and Lorne looks at him sadly before saying, "Goodnight folks."
At Vail's, Wesley is suspended in the air with magic and Vail scoffs at his attempt to beat him. Wesley produces a knife but Vail grabs it and calls a large dagger from the wall which he then plunges into Wesley's stomach twisting it around. Wesley manages to produce the swirling energy of light in his palm once more and blasts Vail across the room, breaking the magic. As he falls to the floor Illyria arrives and, inspecting his wound, she informs him it is mortal. He tells her it was good that she came and she confesses she felt concerned adding that he will be dead in a few moments and asking if he is ready for her to lie to him now. As she changes into Fred she strokes his face and he tells her he misses her. She kisses him, telling him the pain will be gone soon and then they will be together and as he tells her he loves her, she cries and holds him as he dies. Standing up she faces Vail who mistakes her for human and asks her to take her best shot. She punches her fist clear through his head, changing back to Illyria once more.
In the alley by The Hyperion it is pouring with rain as Angel meets up with Spike and Gunn, who has a bleeding wound on his torso. Gunn asks after Wesley as suddenly Illyria arrives to inform them of his death. She is feeling grief for him and is unable to control it; she says she needs more violence. Her wish is about to come true as a huge army of demons approaches along the alley, growling and shrieking in anger as a dragon flies overhead. Illyria looks at Gunn, he is fading and she says he has 10 minutes at most; he thinks he should make them memorable. Angel says the plan is they fight and as Spike asks him to be specific he looks up and says, "Well I kind of want to slay the dragon." The demons charge and the battle commences with the clash of swords.
Summary by Staff Writer, Raven
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