''Beneath the streets of Los Angeles the wealthy place their bets on a fight to the death. Angel is forced to kill for his freedom.''

The Ring - 1ADH16

Written by Howard Gordon - Directed by Nick Marck - First Aired on February 29, 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: As Wesley and Cordelia exchange banter, Angel is paid a visit by a strange man, claiming his brother Jack was kidnapped by demons affiliated with a bookie. While Cordy and Wesley consult their demon database, Angel pays a visit to the bookie. The bookie refers him to a place in Beechwood Canyon. Angel goes to the canyon and gets information from the bookie, then begins investigating an underground fight club. We later learn the man who pays a visit to Angel, is the organizer of the fight club, and Wolfram & Hart is a major sponsor. Angel soon discovers he was set up in a trap. He is expected to fight other slave demons to the death. The next morning, after Cordelia and Wesley get suspicious about Angel's whereabouts, Wesley pays a visit to the bookie and obtains the address of the fight club. That night, Angel kills a demon, but his heart isn't into the battle. Wesley and Cordelia spot him in the ring, and Wesley explains the meaning behind the slave bracelets which Angel and the other demons are wearing. They rush back to Angel Investigations to find a way to open the bracelets. Meanwhile, Jack pays a visit to Angel and tells him of his disappointment in his fighting and Angel threatens to kill him unless the slaves are set free. His brother decides to kill Jack, rather than agree to Angel's terms. Angel is knocked out, and later wakes up in the offices of Wolfram & Hart. When he finds out the associate from Wolfram & Hart has ulterior motives, he returns to the fight club and learns his next opponent is Trepkos, the toughest demon in the lot. The next morning, Wesley and Cordelia successfully make a key to unlock the bracelets. That evening, Angel begins to fight Trepkos. The battle is brutal. Cordelia and Wesley break into the slave area with the special key, but it falls into the hands of one of the demons. While Angel and Trepkos continue to fight, the demons set themselves free. After Angel has the opportunity to kill Trepkos, but doesn't take it, Trepkos walks away. The demons burst in and a giant battle ensues. One of the demons slips a bracelet onto the fight's organizer, Trepkos throws him into the air, and he promptly disintegrates. The demons are set free.

Announcer

The Long: We open with Cordelia looking into a new online demon database, although Wesley skeptical of it. They trade quips about their social lives until Angel comes in. A beat up man named Darin MacNamara walks in the office looking to hire Angel for an unusual problem. His brother jack was kidnapped last night, and a severed finger was left in Darin's mailbox. The reason Darin came to Angel Investigations is because the kidnappers were not human. (Listen to the teaser here.)

Jack explains to the crew how Jack had gambling debts that Darin usually pays off, but this time he didn't bail his brother out, but he didn't know this would happen. Creatures dragged Jack away. They as Darin to write down what he saw. Angel goes to meet with Jack's bookie. He bribes the bookie into telling him who took Jack. This leads Angel to the demons lair. Cordelia does research on the database to find the demons, which it says are Howler demons. Angel finds the Howlers and after a fight is able to learn an address where they sold Jack. Angel arrives at a high cost club and sneaks in a window. Inside he runs into a good looking woman at a bar, then finds there are fights to the death being held between demons, where humans are betting one the results. Angel spies Jack across the crowd. Angel follows Jack only to be jumped by both Jack and Darin, who obviously set him up.

Angel wakes up in a cage with a bracelet on his wrist. Other other demons of various types are also in cages. Jack comes in and explains that if Angel crosses the red line on the floor it will disintegrate him. There is only one way out, after killing 21 opponents in the ring. Angel is defiant. Wesley and Cordelia are concerned with where Angel went, they even call Kate, who doesn't care. Angel is gone, Darin is gone, so Wesley decides to go to the bookie Angel went to. In the holding area for the demons Angel helps one demon and with another who is picking on him. As the brothers announce the night's matchups a demon named Lasovic tries to grab Jack and is killed, so the brothers give Angel his place in the ring. At the sports bar Wesley shows up looking for Angel. After some resistance, he shoots the bookie with a crossbow and tortures the information out of him. That night at the club the demons ready for the fight. Angel tries to get the demons to resist the brothers, but fails. Angel and Baker start their fight. Cordelia and Wesley pull a con with a pair of club goers to get their tickets. They get inside in time to see Angel's fight. At first Angel only defends himself, but after Bakes draws blood Angel quickly dispatches him.

Unfinished.

Creature Feature

We see Cordelia has access to a database of demons, possibly an on-line resource.

The first demons we see are a pair of Howler demons. They are white skinned slimy humanoids with no hair and clawed hands. They have a sulfuric smell and make an eerie high pitched howl when they fight.

The next two demons we see are Tom Cribb and his opponent in the ring. Tom has green skin, no hair and strange amphibian-like features. He has a long sticky tongue and exceptional strength. His opponent is a red skinned demon with horns.

The next demon we see is Val Trepkos, who is a large strong demon with a bone-like crest on his head. The announcer says he comes from the barren wastelands of Trevyok, and describes him as the menace of Venice, the titan of terror and the avatar of agaony.

Angel's cell mate is Lasovic, a large muscular horned demon who doesn't speak much.

Yet another fighter demon is named Mellish, who seems to be almost human, except for a row of small horns and some wrinkles on his face.

Angel's first opponent is Baker, another human-like demon with a small pair of horns on his forehead and wrinkles on his face. There are about two dozen assorted demons, most of which seem to be humanoids with odd faces or skin color. The names on the match-up suggest one is named Grador and another is Siru. Darin mentions a demon named Kafka.

The bracelets used by the Macnamara brothers are similar to the restraint devices used in the 1987 film The Running Man, killing anyone wearing one who goes out of a certain area.

Of course the real monsters of the show are the Macnamara brothers and the Wolfram & Hart lawyer Lilah Morgan. The brothers enslave demons for their fights, and make money from admission and betting on the fights. Lilah is a gambler who tried to purchase Angel from the brothers, so he will work for the benefit of Wolfram & Hart.

Cool Quotes

Cordelia: ''Sir, madam, I'm detective Andrews and this is detective Yelsew. Show them your badge and write down their license plate number four three niner, Peter, Charley, Edward.''
Matthew: ''What are you doing? Why are you writing down...''
Cordelia: ''Sir, if you could just calm down and give us your name?''
Matthew: ''My name is Matthew Winslow, as in Winslow Multimedia? And I happen to be a personal friend of your boss, Chief Tyler?''
Cordelia: ''We'll give him your best. Could I see your tickets please?''
Matthew: ''You'll be hearing from my lawyer tonight.''
Cordelia: ''Are you aware that you've purchased tickets to an unlicensed sporting event?''
Wesley: ''Answer the detective.''
Matthew: ''Well, if it's illegal, what are all these people doing here?''
Cordelia: ''We're trying to do you a favor, Mr. Winslow.''
Wesley: ''Something is going down tonight. Something with the man.''
Matthew: ''A raid?''
Cordelia: ''We're not at liberty to say.''
Matthew: ''...but we could just, go on home?''
Cordelia: ''I think that would be a wise thing to do, sir.''
And they say Cordelia can't act! Listen to the quote here.

References

Cordelia: ''Oh, I know. Every night it's Jeopardy, followed by Wheel of Fortune and a cup of hot cocoa. Look out girls, this one can't be tamed!''
Jeopardy is quiz show where the answers are revealed and the contestants must guess the questions. The answers appear on a grid, in various trivia categories, graded by difficulty. Hosted by Alex Trebek. They have an official web site at http://www.jeopardy.com/.

Wheel Of Fortune is a television game show, where contestants guess letters in mystery words and phrases. They win prizes based on results of spinning a wheel and guessing correctly to solve the mystery. Hosted by Pat Sajak and with Vanna White as the letter turner. Also referenced by Cordelia in Angel #1.
Ernie: ''There is a place, in Beechwood Canyon. Well, not exactly in Beechwood Canyon, under it actually.''
Beachwood Canyon is in the Hollywood hills. Goes from Franklin Avenue south to the top of the Hollywood Hills. (Thanks to Marsia from the Watcher's Diary for helping with this.)
Cordelia: ''This is why I don't gamble. You make a small wager one day and a bigger one the next, and before you know it Beetlejuice the albino comes a knocking!''
Beetlejuice is a 1988 film starring Michael Keaton. Plot: After Barbara and Adam Maitland were killed in a car crash, they find themselves trapped as ghosts in their beautiful New England farmhouse. Their peace is disrupted when a yuppie family, the Deetzs, buy their house. The Maitlands are too nice and harmless as ghosts and all their efforts to scare the Deetzs away are unsuccessful. They eventually turn to another ghost 'Beetlejuice' for help.

An albino is any animal with no pigment for color, resulting in white skin and hair and pink eyes.
Jack: ''How about Captain America here?''
Captain America is a superhero from Marvel Comics. A frail man who was given a super soldier serum during World War II, he is the peak human athlete. He wears the colors of the United States flag, and carries an indestructible shield. I wrote a conversion of Captain America for Champions 4th edition role playing game at http://mathew.fcpages.com/cscaptainamerica.html.
Ernie: ''What are you, Robin Hood?''
The Robin Hood of modern folk-mythology is a creature built up, generation by generation, to meet the needs and desires of his audience. The earliest Robin Hood was a yeoman, not a wronged nobleman, who haunted Barnsdale Forest, not Sherwood; he didn't become a Saxon or mere Englishman fighting the Norman oppressor until Sir Walter Scott dressed him up for his walk-on in Ivanhoe.
Tom: ''Idiot! He thinks he can get out of this by pulling a Gandhi!''
Mohandas K. Gandhi (1869-1948), also known by the title ''Mahatma,'' was an Indian activist and spiritual leader. His creed of satyagraha, or passive resistance to injustice (the Indian word means ''truth force''), was adopted later by Martin Luther King, Jr. among others. His tireless and peaceful efforts on behalf of the underprivileged led to the independence of India in 1947 after centuries of unjust British rule. Also referenced by Buffy in Anne. (Thanks to the BuffyGuide for this entry.)
Cordelia: ''Couldn't they have just done Westside Story?''
Westside Story is a play that is a musical adaption of Romeo and Juliet, set in New York city. It was made into a film in 1961.
Darin: ''Who do you think you are? Moses?''
Moses is a Hebrew lawgiver. The prototype of the prophets, in the 13th cent. B.C. he led his people out of bondage in Egypt to the edge of Canaan. According to the Bible (EXODUS; LEVITICUS; NUMBERS; DEUTERONOMY), he lived in constant touch with God, who promulgated the Law (often called Mosaic law) through Moses' mouth. Moses never entered the Promised Land but only saw it from Mt. Pisgah before he died. Authorship of the first five books of the Bible-the Pentateuch or TORAH-has traditionally been ascribed to him; hence they are called the Books of Moses.
Cordelia: ''You'd think people get enough gratuitous violence watching Jerry Springer.''
Jerry Springer is the host of a self-titled daytime talk show, with a reputation for violent guests and outrageous topics. Their official web site is at http://www.universalstudios.com/tv/jerryspringer/.
Cordelia: ''From Keanu, my Palomino, before the I.R.S. took him away.''
A Palomino is a type of horse distinguished by its cream, yellow, or gold coat and white or silver mane and tail. The color does not breed true. Horses of proper color, of proper saddle-horse type, and from at least one registered parent of several light breeds can be registered as Palominos. This color is popular for pleasure and parade classes.
The I.R.S. is the Internal Revenue Service, who are the agency under the Department of The Treasury in charge of collecting income taxes in the United States. The Internal Revenue Service has a web site at http://www.irs.gov/. Also referenced by Cordelia in City Of.

Continuity

Wesley: ''Do they have the Vigories of Oden Tal?''
She - Angel Investigations became involved with Jheira and her fight with the male Vigories of Oden Tal.
Cordelia: ''Cop-lady hasn't talked to him?''
Wesley: ''No, and she seemed like she didn't much care either.''
The Prodigal - Cop lady is probably Detective Kate Lockley, last seen when her father was killed by demons and Angel helped her kill his killers.
Angel: ''You're a fight fan, and a lawyer. Let me guess. Wolfram & Hart?''
Parting Gifts The lawyers of Wolfram & Hart were last seen when one tried to purchase Cordelia's eyes at an auction.
Sense And Sensitivity - Wolfram & Hart lawyer Lee Mercer hired Allen Lloyd to disrupt the L.A.P.D. to help one of his clients escape, but Angel assisted in stopping him.
I Fall To Pieces - Wolfram & Hart were the lawyers for Doctor Ronald Meltzer, who was stalking Angel's client.
City Of - Wolfram & Hart lawyer Lindsey McDonard represented the vampire Russell Winters, who Angel fought.
Cordelia: ''From Keanu, my palomino, before the I.R.S. took him away.''
The Prom - Cordelia first revealed to Xander Harris that her parents were broke due to the I.R.S. taking everything they had.

Goofs

During Angel's second fight, the gunshot wound on Angel's right upper chest changes sides several times, seemingly because they flipped the film over.

Trivia

During the first broadcast of this episode, they showed the Discover Card commercial with Ian Abercrombie, who played the German guy's boss in Homecoming.

We learn Angel speaks Spanish, Russian and Italian.

Many pictures on the ''Demons, Demons, Demons'' database were sketches by Joss Whedon used to create the monsters for the show. The front page of the search engine included his sketches of the demons from Gingerbread and The Wish. While it was searching we could see sketches for a Kailiff demon from Rm w/a Vu, a Kawaini demon from The Prodigal, and a Brachen demon from City Of among the pictures.

Cordelia: ''I don't know. How about, Demon Database?''
Wesley: ''Ahh! A name rife with single entendre.''
A double entendre is a phrase with two meanings, usually one of them indecent.

Scott William Winters and Juan A. Riojas worked together before in the 1996 film The Rock.

Howard Gordon, who wrote this episode, also wrote the X-Files episode, Firewalker, which featured a villain named Daniel Trepkos. (Thanks to the Ness from the Watcher's Diary for pointing this out.)

Tom Cribb is the name of an English boxer who lived from 1781 to 1848. To find out more about him go to http://cyberboxingzone.com/boxing/cribb.htm.

New name for Angel: Captain America (by Jack).

New name for Cordelia: Detective Andrews (by herself).

New names for Wesley: Mister Grouchy-Pants (by Cordelia) and Mister Don't-Talk-To-Me-Until-I've-Had-My-Flagon-Of-Oat-Bran-In-The-Morning (by Cordelia), Detective Yelsew (by Cordelia).

The Morgue

Anonymous demon: In the ring, throat slit by Tom Cribb.
Lasovic: In the holding area, disintegrated by his bracelet when he attempts to escape.
Baker: In the ring, stabbed by Angel.
Mellish: In the ring, neck broken by Val Trepkos.
Jack Macnamara: In the holding area, shot by Darin Macnamara.
Guard: In the ring, neck snapped by a demon.
Darin Macnamara: In the ring, disintegrated when Tom Cribb puts a bracelet on him and Val Trepkos throws him out of the ring.

Cast

Starring:

David Boreanaz as Angel

Charisma Carpenter as Cordelia Chase

Alexis Denisof as Wesley Wyndham-Pryce

Guest Starring:

Markus Redmond as Tom Cribb

Douglas Roberts as Darin Macnamara

Scott William Winters as Jack Macnamara

Stephanie Romanov as Lilah Morgan

Co-Starring:

Anthony Guidera as Ernie Nellims

Chris Flanders as Matthew Winslow

Marc Rose as Mellish

David Kallaway as the Doorman

Juan A. Riojas as Val Trepkos

Michael Philip as the Announcer

Mark Ginther as Lasovic

Famous Faces

Markus Redmond, who played Tom Cribb, also played the demon Griff in the episode Rm w/a Vu.

Stephanie Romanov, who played Lilah Morgan, has appeared in an Old Spice commercial. She also has a very good fan web site at http://mysticmyst.net/sromanov/.

Anthony Guidera, who played Ernie Nellims, played the part of a Cardassian in the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode The Circle 2.02.

Chris Flanders, who played Matthew Winslow, played the part of Chef Moore in the Charmed episode Something Wicca This Way Comes 1.01.

Michael Philip, who played the announcer, played the part of Stefan in the Charmed episode I've Got You Under My Skin 1.02.

Mark Ginther, who played Lasovic, also played the drug runner demon in The Prodigal.

Points Of View

Mathew:

I have to say I liked this episode. Angel gets beat up, Wesley gets insulted a lot and Cordelia isn't a bimbo this week. The only parts I had a hard time accepting were how Angel grabbed Jack over the red line (it should have been harder) and how Cordelia grabbed a bond off camera, I would have liked to have seen how she did it. The demons were mostly cookie-cutter wrinkle faced Trek-aliens, except for Tom Cribb, who was original. It would have been nice to see the demons have actual powers they used in the ring. Maybe I'm too much a Mortal Kombat fan for my own good, but I would have liked to have seen fire breathing, spike shooting, etc., but I guess those kind of demons would have been harder to keep as slaves, so it's realistic they didn't have those. A boat load of references this week, which kept me very busy.

Page by Webmaster Mathew - May, 2003

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