Mel's Synopsis

Previously on _Angel_: Angel's son was born. Angel's son was taken by Wes, who thought Angel would kill the boy. Justine, who loves Holtz, took the baby from Wes for Holtz, slashing Wes' throat in the process. Holtz took the baby through a dimensional rip to a Hell dimension; Connor-- now calling himself Stephen (but in this review will only be called Connor)-- punched a hole back to our world thanks to a dark spell Angel performed-- and he's got a mind to kill Angel. He fought against Angel, ran away, fought against Angel some more, fought alongside Angel, then ran off...to see Holtz, who followed Connor, but no one else knows that yet and the portal's been closed. Meanwhile, Wes survives, is nearly murdered by Angel, and is warned/ordered by Fred not to return to the hotel; Wes turned Gunn away, helping him save Fred but telling him that he didn't want to see any of them again. Making matters muddle more, Lilah Morgan has been making a play for Wes' services. Confused yet?

At the Hyperion, Fred reports to Gunn, Cordy, and Groo, that Angel wasn't answering his cell phone. Cordy points out that it'd mean something if Angel actually knew how to use it. Gunn suggests going after Angel; Groo agrees to help. Cordy says no, seeing something out of frame. Fred starts in with the ifs of Angel's finding Connor-- "He did," Cordy breaks in, as Angel enters through the front door, clearly injured. He insists he's okay as the others converge on him, and confirms that he'd found Connor. With prompting, he says that they "talked". He sits painfully, and Cordy comments-- while brushing her finger against Angel's cheek-- that Connor seems to like to talk with his hands. Angel tells them it wasn't Connor, well, mostly not him, and Gunn asks for confirmation that this was, in fact, Connor. "Stephen. His name's Stephen now." after a heavy pause: "Still my son." Fred quietly asks where he is, and Angel says he's not sure, "But he knows where I am. He'll be fine." Fred isn't so sure, and they tell Angel that something else may have come out of the portal before they could close it. Angel denies the possibility, as no one saw anything. "But," Fred asks, "what if it was some vengeance-y else thing that's after Connor?" Angel says that his son survived the Quor'Toth, so he can take care of himself. "Okay, so he survived an unspeakable Hell dimension," Fred points out. "Who hasn't?" She says he can't just leave Connor alone on the LA streets. But Angel maintains that his son has to come home on his own-- and he will, "just as soon as he realises what he needs." (Ed: my vote's for intensive therapy.) Gunn asks for clarification, and Cordy softly replies: "A father."

"A room," Connor demands...for himself, and his aged father, Holtz.

CREDITS

Daytime. Connor's re-entering the hotel, newspaper in hand, and assaults a vending machine. He brings the food he found in the "big metal box outside" in to his father...who seems absent. Thankfully, it seems to have merely been a call of nature, and Holtz enters the main room, interested in the date on the newspaper. Seems they've been gone only days. Connor doesn't like the new world, though-- too many people. "Not like home." Holtz denies that Quor'Toth was their home; it was their prison. He goes on to say, with fatherly pride, that he should've known Connor would find a way out. The youth details how he did it, and Holtz praises him for it. Connor says that Holtz shouldn't have followed him-- he says he'd have come back to his father-- after he'd killed "him". And he's sorry he couldn't. "Of course you couldn't," Holtz says, not unkindly. Seems Holtz knows it's not in him. Connor kills only when he has to-- only to survive. "And that's not the real reason why you worked so hard to get here. You wanted to see him." Connor denies it, but it's true. Holtz says he knew the day would come, and that's why he'd never lied to the boy about what his parents were. He's always told him the truth, and how they came to be together; that God delivered Connor to him, to keep him safe and lavish upon him all the love he'd not been able to give his first children. "Because he took them from you." This is clearly a practiced routine, as Holtz tells him that he's correct, and Connor says he wishes he had killed Angel, but Holtz says that if he had, he'd not have been the boy he'd raised, or the man he'd become. Holtz says that there's much more for "Stephen" to learn-- and the boy wants to. Holtz says good...then the youth must go to "him". Walk in his world, learn to recognise what in Connor is from Angel, so that he can fight against it. But, the boy must be careful, and remember Holtz' teachings. "The Devil will show you bright things. Many colours."

Cut to Lorne's hand, holding a big piece of what appears to be quartz, which shimmers with swirls of with CGI-- er, magic-- colours. Lorne had to stop and get it enchanted-- quartz-- sorry, Sedrian crystals-- don't normally come that way. But, Fred says it should work-- the crystals store a millennium's worth of magical energy. Plus it's about the size of a D battery. Cordy and Groo then enter, and Cordy comments on the crystal's beauty, and Fred on it's worth-- though Lorne got it free from a six-horned hag who owed him a favour. Fred is currently putting it into an Army surplus Geiger counter, which should track anything that came from the Quor'Toth. Assuming that everything in Nature seeks a relaxed or stable state, of course. (I seem to recall from Physics that it does...) Lorne comments that he does. Cordy comes up to Gunn, asking how Angel is-- Gunn replies that Angel is "still being all mature." Cordy decides to go upstairs to talk to him. A long look at a sad-eyed Groo...

And Angel's beating the crap out of a punching bag. Cordy briefs Angel on Fred's plan. Angel comes out of it just long enough for a "That's good." and resumes staring at the bag, with the occasional punch. Cordy goes onto say that they might get to kill something later, if they're lucky. "You'd like that, wouldn't you?" "Sure." And more punching. Cordy says okay, she just wants Angel to know she's on the clock... and tell him that he's doing the right thing. He doesn't face her, and, with a slightly awkward smile at his back, she turns and begins to leave... "What if he doesn't come back?" She turns back, and he faces her with lost and frightened eyes....

Out in the garden, Groo leans against a wall. Lorne comes in, and asks if there's something troubling him; Groo replies in the affirmative. He's confused about Angel's inaction. "When Connor was taken from him, he moved Heaven and Targna to try and get him back." A sentiment Lorne agrees with. "But now that his son is here," Groo continues. "He does nothing." Lorne tries to explain that "sometimes nothing is the best something" and that the Zen approach of letting things happen is best, and not to force things. "But if a thing is meant to be, how can it be forced?" A good question, as Lorne says he guesses it can't-- and if it's not meant to be, it _really_ can't. "Just because someone hops a dimension or two is no guarantee that things will work out." And meet Groo's real issue. He walks further into the garden, looking up at the sunlight. "It is a beautiful day," he says with a smile that moves the audience to tears. "If my princess asks, tell her I have gone for a walk." He goes to the gate, then turns back, with that same sad smile. "If she asks." And the sweetest man from Pylea exits the field.

In a room, playing with the globe, Angel says to Cordy that Connor feels further away from him than when he'd been taken. In fact, he'd never truly believed he'd lost his son. Then he returns, and Angel knew he had lost him. Cordy says it's temporary, and Angel replies that everything's temporary. "There's just so much I thought we'd be able to do together before he...you know..." "Grew up?" "Hated me." Cordy says he doesn't hate Angel-- he doesn't even know him. But he will. He's going to come back. Because he has to-- he's family.

And speaking of our other prodigal; Wes sits at his table, a glass of red wine essentially empty, and taking the plastic off a tv dinner, nearly burns himself in the process. He then pours another glass of wine, as an email alert sounds from his laptop. A new, anonymous message, telling him a place, a time, and to come alone. Wes appears mildly intrigued...

Fred is using her new gadget in the lobby as she, Cordy, Angel, Gunn and Lorne walk down the stairs (the Host asking if he should be wearing lead). She's getting a strong reading...mainly because she's where the portal was. Which makes sense. She has Gunn mark the spot, then moves away, getting a dramatic increase in her readings...right on the landing, where Connor is. "Angel's son," Fred all but chirps. "Hi! I didn't mean to click at'cha..." Awkward pause...and Fred flees as Angel approaches the boy. More silence, as father and son look uncomfortably at each other. Connor winds up folding his hands over his stomach (reminiscent of Angel's posture in "Forgiving" when he was playacting...) and Angel finally breaks the silence with "Hey." Connor responds in kind. "I, uh," the youth continues, "thought I'd come back, like you said." Angel, with those hopeful eyes that you know are just going to get their hopes dashed, says he's glad Connor did. Angel makes the introductions-- calling Connor "Stephen"-- then asks the others if they're about finished. Fred, via technospeak, says yes, and she and Gunn leave to search outside. Lorne says he has a "thing" and goes, Connor looking unkindly at his back. Cordy says she'll hold all his calls, and to take their time...and leaves the room.

And Angel and Connor are alone.

As Angel turns back, both of them wind up folding their arms identically. A long, awkward silence, as Connor looks everywhere but Angel. "So..." Angel tries. After a pause: "You hungry?" "What do you have?" Pause. "We can go out," Angel says. "What?!" Cordy yells, walking into the room. "Where?!" She's not hungry, she's having a vision. She yells that it's a bar a downtown, and a gang of vampires. In her POV, we can see that she's in the bar, and yelling over noise to Angel, being unable to hear his replies. She continues that she sees a lone woman in danger of being jumped. The vision fades, and she recaps, her hearing suddenly unobstructed. "So much for holding my calls, huh?" "Yeah. Sorry." Angel tries to tell Connor he has to go, and Connor tries the soft "Yeah, whatever" approach. Angel goes onto say it might be dangerous, with lots of killing and violence... "You wanna come?" And Connor's got that hunter's gleam in his eye...

COMMERCIAL

It's a techno bar, full of women in tight, short clothing, and lots of glowrods, spotlights, and smoke. We go up to the catwalks...and find Wes pushing his way through to stand against the rail. He's looking about, wary-- clearly he didn't miss the "P.S.: This is a trap." part of the message. Not what he thought, though-- it's Lilah. (Also, clearly not who he was hoping for...) She takes credit for the e-mail-- especially fond of the irony of the "come alone" part. "I mean, how else would you come?" Wes tries to leave, but she stops him, telling him to look "over there". And it's Justine, sitting warily at the bar. Lilah says it took a lot to arrange the little "show" for Wes. He looks at her, says good-bye, and begin to walk away. "Okay, but leave now and you'll miss her big death scene." Wes stops and turns back to the smiling Lilah in confusion. "Don't tell me that you wouldn't like to see the bitch that slit your throat and left you to _die_ get a little of her own back." Wes demands to know what Lilah's talking about-- and Lilah smugly says that someone-- "can't imagine who"-- tipped Justine off about lots of vampires being at the bar that night. And it was-- because, as Wes figures out, the same "source" told the vampires that Justine would be there, and she's rather unpopular among the "undead Americans" demographic. "And you thought I'd enjoy a box seat for her slaughter?" It's not really a question, but Lilah answers "Well, yeah." Wes gives her a small, tight, slightly cynical smile that I've seen on other faces as he replies "You really don't know the first thing about me, do you?" "Probably not." And with that parting shot, he turns and begins to leave... "Like, will he go straight to his car," Lilah asks, stepping up behind him, "or," she continues, standing over his shoulder, "will he stop to warn her first?" Wes says nothing, hesitating and looking down. "He has to think about it," Lilah says. "That's good." He turns to regard her out of the corner of his eyes. "That's all I really needed to know," she says, and moves back to the rail. So...clearly, it _was_ a trap-- just not what Wes had expected... "You can go," she dismisses him. He turns back toward her, and if his eyes shot fire, she'd be nothing but ash. "A test, Lilah?" "Don't look so grim," she tells him. "I just needed to know whether or not I was wasting my time. And, to prove we're still friends," she continues, sashaying closer, "I'll have her pulled out of there before anything really lethal happens. That way, you don't have to torture yourself as to whether you did the right thing." Clearly, she knows him, or his type...but Wes' eyes focus on something below, and he moves around her to the rail as he tells her that he doesn't think it'll be necessary. She looks too...and Angel's making his way through the dance floor, Connor with him.

Staying with Angel and Connor, the vampire tells his son the finer points of Slaying, handing him a stake. Connor says he knows about vamp-killing; his father taught him. Angel says he's sure Holtz did, then tells Connor about not staking until he sees the game face-- which will look like his own. Connor asks why he kills vampires, if they're like him...as Angel recognises Justine. And it's mutual. Angel, keeping up the conversation, insists "They're not like me, Connor." Connor rejects the name, but Angel's distracted by Justine's being about to leave...only, it turns out the bartender and the guy next to her are both severely lacking in pulses. "She thinks she's a Slayer," one jeers, and Justine's suddenly outnumbered. A fight ensues; Angel jumps in and stakes two at the outset, as Justine winds up smashing into a bottle-laden wall. Angel's taking them on at all sides...

...and from the catwalk, his face etched with sadness and concern, Wesley watches.

On the floor, Justine is grabbed by the hair, and at her cry, Connor enters the fray. Angel tries to offer advice, but Connor's doing just fine without direction.

From above, Wes and Lilah watch. "Who's the boy wonder?" she asks, as Connor stakes the vampire. "He moves just like--" "His father." And as Lilah looks at him, a grim cast comes over Wes' eyes....

On the floor, Connor helps a stunned Justine to her feet...and they're interrupted by a flying body. They move around the bar, and Justine stares at Connor, until Angel pulls the boy behind him, ordering Justine to go. She flees, and father and son take on the remaining vampires as a team.

"Now tell me you're not interested..." Lilah says, turning to the space where Wes no longer is. She turns back to watch the show...

...as Angel and Connor finish cleaning the place out. Except one, who escapes, and Connor goes off in hot pursuit.

Into an alley he creeps...but there's only Angel behind him. He grabs the stake Connor is plunging before it can get him, and then Angel hits his hand, forcing the stake into the vampire sneaking up behind the boy. "They don't need to breathe, or make any sound," Angel instructs mildly, not looking at the youth. He says that Connor needs to be careful...and praises his fighting ability-- though, saying he would normally have taken him to a ball game or a museum or something. Angel pretends to move at his son-- a bit of play-fighting--and there's smiling on both sides. It's something Angel is also glad to see. More play-fighting, which Connor initiates...and it looks as though there may even be bonding going on.

And above the happy scene, half-cast in shadow...Holtz is watching.

Back at Holtz' hotel room, Connor is eating oreos when Holtz returns. Connor says that Angel was everything Holtz said, calling Angel's saving people a deceit, and saying that he'd seen Angel's true face. "And I've seen yours."

"The kid was born for it," Angel tells Cordelia, as we change back to his room at the Hyperion. He's exulting about Connor's innate fighting skills just like...well, a proud father. He tells Cordy she should've seen them together...and she says she did. It seems she went back into her vision, and watched-- though she's not certain exactly how. But seeing them together was beautiful.

"Stop saying that!" Connor refuses to accept what Holtz has been telling him; that the youth was meant to be with his father. That he needed him, and that need was what drove him across the dimensions. Holtz tells Connor to go back to him, but Connor demands to know why. "God gave me to you," he says, with restrained tears in his voice and eyes. "Yes," Holtz agrees. "It was God's plan for us to be together. Nothing will ever persuade me otherwise. But now it's time for me to give you back." Connor protests that Angel's a demon, and Holtz reminds him, kindly, that he's the bastard son of two demons. "Then I'm a demon." But Holtz says no. He doesn't know exactly what Connor is, but he's not a demon. But Holtz can't give Connor answers-- which there are. And he wants his son to find them. Connor takes that with a look of disgust and rage on his face....

And outside their hotel, Fred and Gunn are in his truck, picking up readings. Other than the ones at the Hyperion, these are the strongest. But they're not really sure where to go from there...

In Holtz' room, Connor pulls away, saying that Holtz has let himself be deceived. Holtz says he'd stop things if he could, but that they'd been brought there by forces beyond their control...and Connor fiercely leaves the table and stalks out, saying that Holtz is wrong...

Outside, Fred and Gunn see Connor's exit, and think they've been tracking him. But Fred thinks that's good, because it means no "big scary" came out of the portal... "How `bout a short scary?" Gunn asks, as Holtz appears in the doorway...and shuts the door.

Back at the Hyperion, Lorne is in the lobby, and drinking what would appear to be a martini (shaken, not stirred) when Connor shows up. Lorne greets him, and tells him that his dad's upstairs. Lorne tries to show him, but in a low, scary voice, Connor says "I'm not going anywhere with you, _demon_." Which brings Lorne up short. "I'll tell you what," he says, anger tinging his voice. "Since you were raised in a Hell dimension by a psychopath, and since that happens to be a topic I know a little something about, we'll just let that slide. Now I'll fetch your pop for you." He gets perhaps a step before: "Filthy demon." Lorne turns back, and now, he's ticked off. "Actually, that's _Uncle_ filthy demon, to you. And," he continues, coming closer, "it wasn't that long ago-- like, a week-- that I was changing your diapers you little pri--" "Hey!" Cordy breaks in, over Lorne's final word. "What's the problem?" Both are silent and glaring. Cordy pulls Connor down to sit beside her on the circular couch. Cordy says that she knows things were "pretty wild-west-y" where he was from, but that Lorne's a good guy. "It's a demon." Which Cordy can't deny about him. But demon doesn't always mean evil. After all she's part demon. By _choice_, so that she could help people. "And," she goes on, glancing at Lorne, "so the back of my head wouldn't--"

And in a swift, violent move, Connor's got her pinned, a knife poised over her, ready to strike.

COMMERCIAL

Back where we left, Connor's still atop Cordelia-- who begins to glow. The luminescence travels up her arm, into Connor's, causing the knife's blade to dissipate. The glow then continues to suffuse him utterly, and we hear echoes of his lifetime of suffering, as she breaks down a barrier and manages to touch the little boy who'd been taken from his home at such an early age. He begins to cry in her arms... and from the landing above, Angel watches them.

A short time later, in the lobby, Lorne offers a glass to Connor, who accepts. He later joins Angel and Cordy in the office, where Cordelia is describing how Connor was toxic with Quor'Toth-- seems her energy managed to wipe out the emanations that he'd acquired from growing up in the Hell dimension. Angel thanks her for doing it, and she shares with him that she felt what it was like for Connor there-- darkness and confusion, and that Connor had felt it was where he'd belonged.

Angel goes out into the lobby, asking how Connor's doing. "I tried to kill your friend." Angel says she's used to it, but Connor still thinks he should go. Angel, sitting down beside him, wants him to stay. It can be home for him. "I don't have a home." Angel says that's not true-- Connor just doesn't remember. His home was there-- where he was supposed to be. " You speak as though you're my father. He said the same thing. He said we came back for a reason." And the gentleness is gone from Angel's features, replaced by hard anger... "Did he."

Which is when Fred and Gunn return...

And a knock on Holtz' door reveals that Justine's come calling. They share a long meaningful look... "Daniel..."

And back to the Hyperion. Angel tells Fred and Gunn to take Connor out-- to spend time with him. Connor seems okay with that; and Angel wants the youth to see something of the world that isn't ugly. And, they're not to tell him where Angel's gone. Fred and Gunn leave. Cordy then asks if she and Angel would be doing their "thing"-- where she tells him to not do something and to think, and he ignores her and goes off anyway. Angel recalls their thing...then asks if they're done. "Angel, please think about this. In fact, don't go there at all." He says he has to. "I know, but don't." "I'm not going to kill him. Even though he deserves it." "Oh. I don't care if you kill him." Angel looks at her in surprise. "He stole Connor's childhood, so kill him. But don't lie to your son." He says he's not lying to his son, and Cordy says no, he's just being distracted while Angel confronts the man Connor thinks of as his father. "I'm his father." End of discussion. And Angel leaves.

Justine and Holtz talk in his room. She says he gave her a reason to live-- even if it was all lies. He assures her it wasn't...and she says she thinks she'd still do anything for him. "I'd have followed you into Hell if you'd let me." He's glad she didn't. He tells her his hate kept Connor and himself alive...but then his hate turned while in the Quor'Toth-- turning into love for a son. "I've found that love is far more powerful." He just has one more thing for Justine to do, and he'll be done with vengeance...

The Pacific crashes onto the shore next to the Santa Monica pier. Connor asks what it is-- he's never seen an ocean before, but his father told him about them. "Never said it was so..." "Big?" Fred offers. "Empty." Fred says it's all subsurface-- "a whole other world, actually." Connor says everything's so different there...Fred can relate. She tells him she got lost too, and coming back, she was looking up at everything from the bottom of the ocean. Connor says he doesn't remember being lost. He then walks into the surf. Behind, Fred and Gunn talk, wishing that Angel were there. Fred doesn't like the idea of distracting Connor while Angel confronts Holtz... and neither does Connor, who hears them and takes off running...

COMMERCIAL

At the Hyperion, Cordy is turning out the lights, when Angel enters. She's so happy that he's followed her request to not go...that she doesn't realise it's not Angel. It's Groo. "Hi..."

At Holtz' room, he's just finishing putting a piece of paper in an envelope. He senses a presence at the door, and asks Angel if he can enter without an invitation-- he can. "Public accommodation," he says, as he steps inside. Holtz says he'd have thought he'd remember such things; they'd have seemed important once. "Details begin to escape me," he says, rising. Angel slams the door shut, grabs Holtz by the throat and throws him against the wall. "You stole my son!" Holtz says he kept his son alive, when Angel murdered his. And Angel backs away. They agree that they were both different then. "You feel remorse," Holtz observes. "You feel remorse, yet you can't express it." "You want me to say I'm sorry? How can I? It wouldn't mean a thing." Holtz says it would mean a little. "Not much. But it would be something." A long pause...and a sigh. "Then I'm sorry. For whatever little it might mean. It's all I've got." Holtz says that's not all. He had a son. He thought by depriving Angel of his son, he'd be achieving some justice-- but, as Angel points out, taking Connor was never justice-- it was vengeance. Holtz says maybe vengeance is what he does now; giving back what he took. Angel can give Connor what the aged Holtz can't. "But, everytime you look upon his face, everytime he calls you father, you'll be reminded of that which you took and can never give back. And, if that is vengeance, I find I have no taste for it." He asks only that Angel give Connor a letter from him. It's unsealed-- and Angel should read it. Angel asks why, and Holtz says it's because he loves his son, and it's the only way to ensure he'll continue loving Holtz. After a long, silent moment, Angel turns to leave. As he gets to the door, Holtz says Connor won't accept it at first; he'll try to find him. "But he never will." And Angel leaves.

Down the dark alleyways of Los Angeles, Connor races back to Holtz' room...

And on a bluff, overlooking the ocean, Angel parks his car to read Holtz' letter.

"Dearest Stephen," it begins in Holtz' voice, as we watch Connor run. "This is a most difficult letter for me to write. You mean more to me than anything in this world, or any other. But your best interests must come first. Which is why, by the time you receive this,"

A shot of Holtz: "I will be gone."

Back to Connor running down streets. "I hope one day you will be able to forgive an old man's weakness...."

Back to Holtz "...which compels him to say these in a letter." And we see a tearful Justine there, as well.

More running... "But to attempt a good-bye in your presence would be impossible for me. I fear I would never let you go. And I must let you go. I know that if I didn't,"

Back to Angel, reading: "you would only end up hating me. And that, I could not bear."

In an alley beside Holtz' hotel, Justine has Holtz against the wall. "Don't make me do it," she begs. He insists, though she says she can't. He says they all ready know she can, and that she promised. He grabs her wrist, and we can see she's holding a slim, sharp, pointed note-holder, like the one Angel threatened Linwood with in "Forgiving". "Come on, Justine!" he urges. "I'm not asking you to follow me into Hell; just help send me there!" And holding her wrist, he forces the point into his neck, as she sobs, trying to resist...

Angel is still reading. "Your destiny lies with Angel. I know that now."

Justine and Holtz collapse together. "You will have a better life with him." And Justine is crying in earnest now, blood all over her hands...as she drives the spike in again at his order, just below the first wound...

...and Connor is still running... "I'm comforted by that certainty. And in the knowledge that with him, you will discover your true purpose."

Angel in the car, reading: "And come to know who it is you are meant to be." And Angel folds the letter carefully back into its envelope...

And the boy still runs...

"Stephen," the dying Holtz whispers.

"Connor..." Angel murmurs with a smile.

"Dad!" Connor cries, rushing into the room. "Dad?"

Silence.

He backs out of the room...and hears Justine sobbing. He follows the sound, as the letter continues. "My only prayer is that I've prepared you well enough for whatever lies ahead. I trust I have. Be brave."

And he is in the alley, watching as Justine strokes the hair on Holtz' still body... "Lovingly, your father."

Connor runs to them, sees the tears on Justine's cheeks...and the two, neat puncture marks on Holtz' neck.

"Angelus."

And the hatred cuts deep...

THE END

Mel's Review

THE BOTTOM LINE

Holtz is a sneaky little bastard. And Connor is in desperate need of therapy-- more than just Cordy knocking down one emotional wall. It's a bridge ep, largely plot-driven and setting up the season finale, but still a great one, with character work threaded in.

Continuity: Wes and Lilah now know Connor's back. They probably don't know about the name change...but she's making a very strong play for him, and he's not running fast enough.

Justine still loves Holtz, and he still uses that to get revenge on Angel.

Connor is still screwed up emotionally.

Vengeance vs. justice gets another plug-- of course, it's been a constant since Angel's soul was first returned.

This is the first ep since "Sleep Tight" where no one has wanted to contact Wes for something.

The pointy note-holder thing gets another new use...

Relationships: Connor and his Dads...Holtz has taught him with practiced routines, and has warped his mind against Angel. Connor and Angel, though, seem to be birds of a feather-- they fight alike, and they began to bond. That's just been blown to bits now, but...

Cordy and Groo...*sigh* He knows she loves another, but she's in heavy denial. He's taking it well, though-- sad and sweet, any woman's dream.

Justine and Holtz. Well...given that he's dead-- RIP you twisted nut. We'll miss you-- she's going to be pretty screwed up herself. Maybe there's a therapist who'll give group rates.

Wes and Lilah...run faster, Wes. _Much_ faster.

Characters: Justine...poor, screwed up Justine. Taking out her anger on vampires, probably not knowing that Wes isn't dead, and now being forced to kill the man she loves. Sheesh.

Lilah needs to stop so aggressively pursuing Wes. She's...disturbing me. Not much for her to do this ep besides that-- oh, and find out that Connor's back.

Wesley is in a bit of a dark grey area, shading to charcoal and heading to soft black anytime now. He's alone, trying desperately to retain normalcy, and seems to be making wine his friend. (because alcohol works so well...) The email...I got the impression that he was half-hoping it was someone from AI who wanted to talk to him. Too bad it wasn't-- it was, in fact, the last person he wanted to see, i.e. Lilah. And her comments from last week are still stinging him-- in fact, his knowledge of his own innate goodness has been shaken since "Billy". He almost got away with it-- in most any other series, the scene would've ended on Wes leaving. Not here, though, as the question that I don't think any of us would've even thought to ask gets brought up. So...would Wes have left, or would he have warned Justine? And what would've happened if he'd left a little sooner, and encountered Angel? Still, his innate intuition serves him well here-- he's got my vote for a naturally high psi ability-- and he figures out who Connor is...and, no doubt, what most likely happened to him. And, given the decidedly Angel-like tendencies Wes has been expressing, I can only imagine what he'll do...

Lorne mainly gets the brunt of Connor's prejudice on this one-- and for once, we see him really start getting angry. Plus, he's in his usual Counselor role-- he knows that Groo knows, and is aware of the box Groo's in. He tries to help, but not much on his plate here.

Gunn and Fred are still cute together, but largely serve as plot advancement and distraction for Connor.

Groo..."poor thing" about says it. He loves his princess, she loves Angel but can't or won't admit it...but he's such a sweetheart that he's not angry. Poor thing...

Cordy's main role is to glow and gain the experiences that Connor had, plus try and get Angel to not lie to his son. What interests me most about her part this week was that she thinks Holtz deserves to die. In large part due ( probably) to the fact that she'd just seen what he went through, but, if that feeling had preceded that...I'm wondering if this isn't why she wouldn't go and see Wes previously, since everyone seems to think that Wes was stealing Connor _for Holtz_. Her reluctance may have been due to her fear of her own reaction. Her powers are growing exponentially, and if she got angry with Wes...she might've hurt him, or worse. Still, she might be Wes' best chance for someone finding out the truth, since none of them would listen to him...

Holtz...twisted, yes. He's warped Connor's mind, but he also managed to keep him alive in a hell dimension. And...I believe he really did love Connor, in his own way. The letter he wrote was from the heart, and was true...more or less. But still, he had no right to force Justine to kill him, and using her and his own child to get revenge on Angel... ::shakes head:: Still, he played everyone brilliantly, and his legacy will be felt well into next season.

Angel...you've gotta feel for the guy. His son is taken, then returned to him but with a mind to kill him...they reach detente, they begin to bond...then Angel gets mad at the kidnapper, lies to his kid-- which you never ever ever EVER _EVER_ do-- and is framed for murdering Holtz. ::shakes head:: Not much to say that hasn't all ready been said-- Angel's screwed. I do highly respect his restraint at not killing Holtz-- with the throat grab and the "You stole my son!" I was expecting it...maybe Wes has a chance of surviving their next encounter after all. And his faith in his son is beautiful-- and the play-fighting, and his paternal pride...fatherhood should've been wonderful for him. Thanks to Holtz, though...*sigh*

Connor needs therapy. He's torn between two fathers, one whom he was taught to hate, but who he finds himself bonding with. The other kept him alive in a hell dimension, but who now says he needs to go with the "evil dad". Torn in two directions, it's no wonder he tries to attack what he thinks of as "evil" (i.e. Angel's friends) to prove he's "good" (like Holtz.) Cordy's breaking the block removed some emotional pressure, and readjusted him to his home dimension as far as physics goes...but he needs a LOT more than that. He's like Wes-- trying to figure out what's good and what's evil when the moral compass has been magnetized. But, Holtz' suicide-- and the set-up-- forces him to think that the evil one won. And, given that Holtz' main philosophy is based on vengeance...I think we know where this is going.

Best Moments:

"The big metal box outside"...that'll teach the machine to eat change...

Groo and Lorne in the garden. So sad...

Lilah and Wes, the entire scene. But especially when he tries to leave the first time, after saying she doesn't know him. It _was_ a trap-- and he fell into it, just when he thought he was winning. Like the song goes "Sometimes, I think it's a sin/When I feel like I'm winning when I'm losin' again."

The play-fighting. So familial that it hurts when you know what follows...

Connor and the oreos. It was just cute.

Lorne's getting mad at Connor's slurs. Admirable restraint, and great chemistry between them.

Cordy thinking Groo is Angel. _Pain_...

The entire end of the ep, beginning with Angel and Holtz in his hotel room. Marvelously done.

Questions and Comments: If Cordy's visions come from the Powers, and, we assume for the moment that these Powers are good...why did they send her that one? Or, perhaps a better question is, who were they trying to save? Justine? Or Wes? Lilah wants him to fall to the dark side, and he's not in a good headspace right now-- the choice of warning Justine or not was taken out of his hands by Angel and Connor arriving. But, that still is an important question: would Wes have warned Justine about the attack?

Is anyone ever going to find out definitively that Wes _wasn't_ in league with Holtz?

The place that Fred and Gunn took Connor was the exact same place I was taken when I visited LA some years ago. It was the first time I ever saw an ocean, too. Strange...

Originally, according to Andy Hallett (said at CreepCon in June) he originally ended the line about "Uncle filthy demon" with "you little prick." It was allowed to stand, initially, then altered so Cordy spoke over him.

Who's going to be screwed up most by the resolution of this whole arc?

How did Wes get his car back? Does that mean Justine knows he's not dead? Or did Fred and Gunn take it in "Forgiving", and leave it for him somewhere?

If Lilah's name is from or based on Delilah, I worry about her pursuit of Wes...

SunSpeak