''Haunted by memories of his own funeral and the father who tormented him. Even in death he still rules Angel's soul.''

The Prodigal - 1ADH15

Written by Tim Minear - Directed by Bruce Seth Green - First Aired on February 22, 2000
Synopsis - Creature Feature - Cool Quotes - References - Continuity - Goofs - Trivia - The Morgue - Cast - Famous Faces - Points Of View

Synopsis

The Short: From the WB11 home page: Angel has a memory of an altercation between him and his father in 1753, but his mind quickly returns to the present when he kills a demon who escaped from a moving subway train. When Kate enters on the scene, he tells her to cover up the truth to her fellow officers. Though she is disturbed by the demon factor, she becomes distracted after seeing her father enter the station. Later that morning, Wesley identifies the deceased demon as a Kwaini species and remarks it is atypical for this type of demon to be violent. They deduce the demon had an incentive to attack one of the passengers. Angel then tries to obtain a list of passengers from Kate, but she's unwilling to give it to him. Despite this, he manages to locate the passenger in question and follows him on one of his deliveries: to Mr. Lockley's apartment. When Angel confronts Mr. Lockley, he denies any involvement. Angel, reminded of his painful past with his father, has another memory from his past: he meets Darla and is sired. Back at Angel Investigations, Wesley conducts some tests and discovers the Kwaini demon was addicted to a substance similar to street P.C.P. Angel deduces that Kate's father is somehow involved with the drug trafficking. He then has another memory, this time of his own funeral, his first meeting with Darla as a vampire, and his first kill. That afternoon, Kate approaches Angel, gives him a list of the passengers and tells him she wants to be involved with the case. She changed her mind after having a conversation with her father. Suddenly, two Kwaini demons attack Wesley and Cordelia, seeking more of the drug. While this is happening, the drug traffickers pay a visit to Mr. Lockley. Meanwhile, Angel has another memory of killing his entire family. Angel tries to save Mr. Lockley from the traffickers but can't enter his apartment because he was not invited. Standing by the door entrance, he watches the vampires kill Mr. Lockley. After his death, Angel enters in and kills one of them. Kate arrives and is devastated by the death. She obtains the address of the traffickers and manages to slay one of the killers. As the rest of the gang prepares for attack, Angel bursts in and slays the lot of them. He has one final memory from his past: Darla informs him that he will carry the painful memories of his father for a lifetime.

Additional: Kate managed to slay two of the vampires.

Kate

The Long: After a ''Previously on Angel'' segment (see Continuity #1) we see sunrise in Galway, Ireland 1753 where Angel, called Master Liam by a servant girl wakes up with a hangover (see Continuity #2). As he tries to make time with the girl Liam's father reams him out for being such a disappointment. Switch to the present where Angel fights a rag covered demon in a subway tunnel. Kate and a police officer are in the subway. He describes how a crazy homeless guy attacked a train and then was lifted out of the train vent by someone. Kate walks off. As Angel fights the demon it suddenly has a heart attack and dies. Kate walks up and is shocked to see Angel over the dead body. (Listen to the teaser here.)

Kate realizes the demon Angel fought is dead and is a bit taken back by the idea of the ''other-worldly''. Angel advises Kate to cover the death up and let the case go unsolved. She returns to the other police to discover everyone seems to have forgotten most of what they saw. She briefly talks to a delivery man who the suspect attacked before letting him go. Angel notices Kate's father and points him out to Kate. She goes to him and accuses him of checking up on her, he shrugs it off and lets her get back to work. When Angel asks what's going on Kate doesn't like him getting personal with her and lets him know (see Reference #1). In the past Darla sits in a bar watching Angel in a bar fight and asks the barmaid who he is, as she's very impressed with him. The barmaid remarks how he is a sweet talking cad (see Cool Quotes #1). Back in the present Cordelia wakes up a daydreaming Angel with talk of a security system she is having installed. Wesley walks in with books saying he has identified the demon Angel fought, a Kwaini. Strangely the Kwaini is a peaceful balancing demon not known for violence. Angel wonders why a peaceful demon would attack a train full of commuters, perhaps to get to someone. At the police station Angel walks in Kate's office. He explains how the demon wasn't a particularly evil demon. Kate wonders how he got in during the day (see Continuity #3). Angel asks for a list of the names of the people who were on the train. Kate blows it off saying the demons was just evil. Later Angel sits in his car and talks to Wesley on the cell phone about what happened (see Goof #1 & Continuity #4). Wesley and Cordelia are in the subways, where the find and start to take apart the demon's body for examination. Angel is watching the delivery man and wonders why he would be on a train during his shift. The delivery man drives off and Angel follows him to an apartment, where the delivery man meets with Kate's father, who hands the man a package in a heated exchange.

Wesley

Angel knocks on Trevor's door and talks to him. Angel lets him know he is on to him and wants to warn him he knows he removed something from the crime scene. Trevor is defensive and warns Angel doesn't know how a father feels. In the past Liam leaves his home at the defiance of his father. The exchange hurtful words and Liam runs off. At the pub Liam dances with woman, meets Darla and is drained and fed Darla's blood. In the present Trevor takes Kate out for a hot dog and talks to her. He asks about Angel and Kate says he's a private investigator and is good at what he does. Trevor says it's not good to be alone. At Angel Investigations Wesley is looking over the demon's remains and confirms it is a Kwaini, but it was on drugs (see Reference #2 & 3). They come to the conclusion that the delivery man was carrying the drug and the demon wanted a fix. Cordelia returns from undercover work with film of the delivery guy. She found where he's getting his packages. At an automotive shop Trevor informs the owners that an investigator named Angel is looking into them (see Goof #2). Trevor is on the take, but he thought it was to avoid auto part tariffs, not anything harmful. They pay him off. Trevor leaves and then a demon comes out from the back and orders them to kill Angel and Trevor.

Suits

In the past a funeral is held for Liam. All his family except his father weep. That night Darla visits the grave and waits for Liam to rise. Liam, now a vampire, climbs from the earth and joins her, a bit confused and hurt (see Goof #3). Liam says he could hear the people at his funeral. A grounds keeper find them and Liam kills and drains him. Darla says he can have anyone and Angel says he'll take the whole village. In the present Cordelia sets their new security system with Wesley. Angel is about to set off to the auto shop by himself, then Kate comes in and talks. She gives him a list of the train passengers he asked for (see Goof #4). She says she wants to be involved in the case. Angel goes off to contact Trevor and hopes to tell him what he's working for. As Angel leaves Cordelia sets the alarm and a Kwaini walks in and attacks her, then a second one comes in the bathroom window. Angel comes back, pins them and pumps them for information. Angel calls Kate to tell her to get her father out of his house, they are after him. Angel heads to Trevor's. In the past Liam's father boards up the windows as Liam sneaks up on him. Seems Liam's little sister invited Liam in, and he killed her and her mother. His father tries to chase him out, but Liam bites and drains his father. At Trevor's the guys from the auto part's place are asking about what Kate knows. Trevor is worried and is about to go for his gun when Angel knocks. Trevor opens the door and Angel tries to get in but he's not invited. The two men vamp out and drain Trevor. As Trevor dies Angel is able to enter the house and he stakes one of the vampires, the other runs past Kate, who breaks down and cries when she finds her dead father.

Angel tries to console Kate, but she is in too much grief. Angel goes back to Angel Investigations and picks up some weapons and plans to go to the auto parts shop and kick ass. At Trevor's Kate finds some money and a business card and figures that's where the vampires who killed her father came from. Kate walks into the auto shop and shoots several vampires, who get back up, then she stakes one. Then the demon walks out and she shoots it, but it shrugs the bullets off. Angel walks in and joins her in the fight against the remaining vampires and the demon. After they stake all the vampires Angel beheads the demon. Angel tries to console her again, but she is defensive. In the past Darla walks in at Liam's home and they talk about how his father can never approve of him now that he's dead. In the present Kate leaves flowers at Trevor's grave as Angel watches from the shadows.

Creature Feature

We see three Kwaini demons in this episode. Kwaini are always female. They are considered a balancing demon that is non-violent, gentle, and very articulate. The ones in this episode were high on a mystical drug that made them less than non-violent and enhanced their strength.

The drug dealers are made up of humans, vampires and lead by a demon of non-specific origin. This demon is large strong, and had an unusual face and voice. The drug seems to be a mystical variant of P.C.P. that affects demons. It's highly addictive and causes them to become stronger and more violent.

We see a number of vampires in this episode working as lackeys for the Big-Ugly-Drug-Runner demon, they all seem fairly normal. An interesting vampire fact is that Angel complains about garlic to his father, but doesn't seem affected by it's presence, other than it making him uncomfortable.

Cool Quotes

Bar maid: ''Oh, his lies sound pretty when the stars are out. But he forgets every promise he's made when the sun comes up again.''
Darla: ''That wouldn't really be a problem for me actually.''
Am I the only one who really missed Darla? Listen to the quote here.

References

Kate: ''No, you don't get to do that.''
Angel: ''What?
Kate: ''Kill a demon in front of me and then act like we're going to have a cappuccino together. It doesn't work that way.''
Cappuccino starts out with one espresso brewed in a larger cup, then milk, which is steamed into a thick froth, is poured on top of the espresso. Chocolate is sprinkled on top to give it a finishing touch. Also referenced by Cordelia in Halloween.
Wesley: ''Think of it as the creatures adrenal gland. Normally it would be the size of a walnut.''
An adrenal gland is either of two small and virtually identical triangular endocrine glands, one at the upper end of each kidney. The adrenal glands show considerable species variation in size, shape, and nerve supply. In humans each gland averages a weight of about 4.5 grams and measures about 1 inch wide, 2 inches long, and 0.2 inches thick.
A walnut is the nut of any of about 20 species of deciduous trees constituting the genus Juglans of the family Juglandaceae, native to North and South America, southern Europe, Asia, and the West Indies. The trees have long leaves with 5 to 23 short-stalked leaflets; male and female reproductive organs are borne in different, petalless flower clusters on the same tree; the twigs contain a many-chambered pith; and the fruit is a woody nut enclosed in a thick husk.
Wesley: ''It seems to contain properties not unlike street P.C.P., though more metaphysical in nature of course.''
Phencyclidine, commonly referred to as P.C.P., was developed in 1959 as an anesthetic and was later used in veterinary medicine as a powerful tranquilizer. Use of P.C.P. in humans was discontinued in 1965, as it was found that patients often became agitated, delusional, and irrational while recovering from the anesthetic affects of P.C.P.. P.C.P. is illegally manufactured in clandestine laboratories. P.C.P. is a white crystalline powder which is readily soluble in water or alcohol. It has a distinctive bitter chemical taste. P.C.P. can be mixed easily with dyes and turns up on the illicit drug market in a variety of tablets, capsules, and colored powders. It is normally snorted or smoked. When it is smoked, P.C.P. is often applied to a leafy material such as tobacco, mint, parsley, oregano or marijuana. P.C.P. was first introduced as a street drug in the late 1960s and quickly gained a reputation as a drug that could cause bad reactions and was not worth the risk. Many people, after using the drug once, will not knowingly use it again. Yet others use it consistently and regularly. The reasons that are often cited by users as factors in their continued P.C.P. use are: feelings of strength, power, invulnerability, and a numbing effect on the mind that often results in anger, rage, and in the disappearance of unpleasant memories.

Continuity

Angel: ''Previously on Angel.''
Sense And Sensitivity - Angel meets Kate's father Trevor.
Somnambulist - Kate learns Angel is a vampire.
Galway, Ireland 1753.
Becoming Part 1 - The scenes of Angel meeting Darla and becoming a vampire were first shown, although this episode expanded on the story.
Kate: ''Right. Sorry. Hey, anyway, how did you get in here? It's like the middle of the day. Don't you have to...''
Angel: ''Sewer system leads up to the parking garage.''
Kate: ''Ah, right. Of course. I remember.''
Somnambulist - Kate is referring to the sewers Penn dragged her into.
Angel: ''I guess so. I don't know. Ever since she ran me through with a two by four things have been different.''
Somnambulist - Angel mentions when she nearly killed him in order to stake Penn.

Goofs

When Angel is staking out the delivery guy and talking on the phone, you can see the frost on his breath as he talks, even thought supposedly vampires generate no body heat and don't breath.
When Trevor talks to the guys at the auto shop, they walk past a car where you can briefly see their reflections in the car's paint, but since we later learn they are vampires, they shouldn't have reflections.
We see more breath from Angel and Darla in the scene where he rises from the grave.
When Kate gives Angel the list in his office you can see his reflection in his desk, even though he is a vampire and should cast no reflection.

Trivia

We learn Angel's first name is Liam and he was born in 1727. He had a little sister named Kathy.

Angel's sister Kathy isn't the first Kathy we've seen in the Buffyverse. Buffy's demonic roommate in Living Conditions was Kathy Newman.

Angel gets invited into his home back in 1758 by his little sister.

It is implied in this episode that Cordelia had her 19th birthday two weeks earlier This would be later slightly contradicted in Birthday, which sets her birthday in the second week of January.

Trevor Lockley was born in 1938.

Trevor Lockley is the 6th reoccurring non-star character on Angel. He was last seen in Sense And Sensitivity.

New name for Angel: Mister I-Can't-Tail-The-Suspect-During-The-Day-Because-I'll-Burst-Into-Flames-Private-Eye (by Cordelia).

The Morgue

Kwaini demon #1: In the subway, had a heart attack while fighting Angel.
Angel: In an alley in Galway, drained by Darla. (in flashback)
Grounds keeper: In the graveyard, drained by Angel. (in flashback)
Angel's father: In his home, drained by Angel. (in flashback)
Trevor Lockley: In his home, drained by vampire suit #1.
Vampire suit #2: In Trevor's home, staked by Angel.
Vampire suit #1: At Kel's Exotic Auto, staked by Kate.
Drug-runner vampire: At Kel's Exotic Auto, staked by Kate.
Drug-runner vampire: At Kel's Exotic Auto, staked by Angel.
Drug-runner vampire: At Kel's Exotic Auto, staked by Angel.
Big-ugly-drug-runner demon: At Kel's Exotic Auto, beheaded by Angel.

In the flashbacks Angel's mother and sister Kathy are drained by him off camera, we see the bodies, and they imply Angel killed many people of his home town.

Cast

Starring:

David Boreanaz as Angel

Charisma Carpenter as Cordelia Chase

Alexis Denisof as Wesley Wyndham-Pryce

Guest Starring:

Elisabeth Rohm as Detective Kate Lockley

Julie Benz as Darla

John Mahon as Trevor Lockley

J. Kenneth Campbell as Liam's Father

Henri Lubatti as Suit #1

Co-Starring:

Frank Potter as Uniformed Delivery

Eliza Szonert as Chamber Maid (Anna)

Bob Fimlani as Grounds Keeper

Christina Hendricks as Bar Maid

John Maynard as Uniform Worker

Glenda Morgan Brown as Angel's Mother

Mark Ginther as Head Demon Guy

John Patrick Clerkin as the Black-robed Priest

Mike Vendrell as Suit #2 (Right)

Jeremy Renner as Penn (Uncredited, appeared in flashback from Somnambulist.)

Famous Faces

Julie Benz, who played Darla, auditioned for the part of Buffy when they were casting Buffy The Vampire Slayer for television. You might recognize her from 1996 sci-fi film Darkdrive or as a regular on the first season of Roswell, where she played Kathleen Topolsky. She has an official web site at http://www.celebrityblvd.com/juliebenz/.

J. Kenneth Campbell, who played Liam's father, played Elias Lundy in the Charmed episode Reckless Abandon 2.11. He also played the Marquis de Sade in the 1988 horror film Waxworks.

Henri Lubatti, who played Suit #1, played Ethan Novakovitch in the Enterprise episode Strange New World 1.04.

Bob Fimlani, who played the grounds keeper, played Mr. Ward in season 4 of Buffy The Vampire Slayer.

Mark Ginther, who played the drug running demon, also played Lord Zedd in 1995's Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie and Rahzar in 1991's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze.

Points Of View

Mathew:

This episode addressed a good question: If demons are so common in the world, how come no one seems to remember them? Kate, an experienced detective, should have at least suspected. It is a little odd that she gets called in on a case Angel is working on, but that's destiny I suppose. I'm still glad to see her giving him the cold shoulder. Yeah for Darla being there, but I wish she did more, I liked her in season one of Buffy.

Page by Webmaster Mathew - October, 2002

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