Angel/Awakening

Awakening
Season 4, Episode 10
Airdate	January 29, 2003
Production Number	4ADH10
Written by	David Fury & Steven S. DeKnight
Directed by	James A. Contner
← 4x09 Long Day's Journey	4x11 → Soulless
Angel — Season Four

Awakening is the tenth episode of the fourth season of Angel, and the seventy-sixth episode overall. Wesley brings in a mystic to remove the soul from Angel's body.

David Boreanaz (Angel), Charisma Carpenter (Cordelia Chase), J. August Richards (Charles Gunn), Amy Acker (Winifred "Fred" Burkle), Vincent Kartheiser (Connor)

and Alexis Denisof (Wesley Wyndam-Pryce)

Special Guest Star: Andy Hallett (Lorne)

Guest Starring: Vladimir Kulich (The Beast), Roger Yuan (Wo-Pang)

Co-Starring: Larry McCormick (himself)

Plot Overview

Believing bringing about Angelus will reveal information about the Beast, Angel reluctantly agrees to have his soul removed. However, the removal doesn’t occur as expected.

Notes

Monster of the Week

There is no monster of the week in this episode.

Body Count

#	Whom	By Whom	How	Where
1	Wo-Pang	Himself	Stabbed	Basement (Fantasy)
2	The Beast	Angel	Stabbed	The Hyperion (Fantasy)

Music

There is no licensed music in this episode.

Arc Advancement

Characters

• Angel: Angel is transformed into Angelus by a dark mystic. The bulk of this episode is a fantasy created by Angel in order to achieve perfect happiness so that his soul would escape.

Referbacks

• BtVS - 2x13 - Surprise: Angelus' first words before his maniacal laughter was "Buffy." This was also the first thing he said after Angelus was awakened in the second season after Angel and Buffy had sex.

Angelus: Buffy?

Trivia

Behind the Scenes

• Ratings: On its first airing, this episode scored a 3.2/4 in the overnight Nielsen ratings.

Allusions and References

• The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia: "The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia" is a song originally performed by Vicki Lawrence about a man who plots to kill the man his wife had an affair with, only to discover him shot dead by another person. He's caught and wrongly executed for the crime. The song was later covered by Reba McEntire in 1992.

• Indiana Jones: The entire part of the episode in which Angel searches for the sword that will kill the Beast is heavily inspired by the Indiana Jones series of movies. The spike booby traps, the trap activated by taking the sword out of the portal, Angel's "Wood. Why did it have to be wood?" quote, and the scene in which Wesley presses stones to open the door all reflect scenes from the movies.

Goofs

• Just as Wo-Pang kills himself, a red ladder can be seen standing in the cell, which is not seen at any other point.

Quotes

• Gunn: Pretty much the only victory we can claim is that we're not dead yet.

• Connor: It's you. You're the reason my life sucks.

Angel: Get over it.

• Angel: We're not bringing Angelus.

Wesley: You don't have a choice.

Angel: Actually, I do. That was it. You wanna hear it again?

• Angel: Look, I know you like to think that I'm the enemy. But if this works, I will be. I'm gonna become the one thing you were raised to believe I was. The thing I never... never wanted you to see.

Connor: Yeah. I think I can handle it.

Angel: Uh-huh. Well, just keep in mind that whatever Angelus says, whatever he does - remember, he's not your father. I am. No matter what happens or... happened, I... love you.

• Angel: Since I'm gonna be out of commission for a while, I want you to, you know, take care of everybody, keep them safe. That means if anything should go wrong with Angelus, you're gonna have to kill me.

Connor: (not missing a beat) Okay.

Angel: If anything goes wrong.

• Cordelia: Angel, you don't have to do this.

Angel: (lying strapped down, locked in the cage) Now she tells me.

• Lorne: Is there any part of this guy that doesn't have writing all over it? Scratch that - I don't wanna know.

• Gunn: So that's why we couldn't find anything written about Beastie Boy in the books. These jokers are walking around with it written on their asses.

• Angel: Did you hear that? There's a sword. A sword to kill the Beast. And you wanted to turn me into Angelus by having an evil shaman cut off my head! Not that that wasn't a swell plan, too.

• Angel: Was that an apology?

Wesley: I was careless. Made a mistake that almost cost you your life. Would've made pulling you out of the ocean a big waste of my time.

Angel: Yeah, that would've been a drag.

• Cordelia: Who booby traps a dead end? That's just not right.

• Connor: It's your fault. It's all your fault! I shouldn't have been born!

Angel: Grow up! You think you're the only one who ever felt like that? Wished his father were dead?

Connor: Yeah, but mine already is.

• Lorne: Is that it?

Cordelia: The sword of the Bash'ma'ad.

Wesley: Slayer of the Beast.

Gunn: Ooh. Can I play with it?

• The Beast: We could rule this world. Why do you oppose me?

Angel: Rain of fire, blocking out the sun, and you just kinda piss me off.

• Connor: You're right. It is harsh and cruel. She was the only thing that made it hurt less.

Angel: Connor.

Connor: But it's not me. I could feel it in her touch, in her eyes. She loves you. Its always been you.