From The TV IV

City Of is the first episode of the first season of Angel, and is the first episode overall. Angel's efforts to rid Los Angeles of evil are given focus when "the powers that be" send Doyle to assist him. His first target is a wealthy vampire who preys on unwitting would-be actresses.

Guest Stars: Tracy Middendorf (Tina), Vyto Ruginis (Russell Winters), Christian Kane (Lindsey McDonald)

Co-Stars: Jon Ingrassia (Stacy), Renee Ridgeley (Margo), Sam Pancake (Manager), Josh Holloway (Good Looking Guy), Gina McClain (Janice)

Contents 1 Plot Summary 2 Notes 2.1 Body Count 2.2 Music 3 Arc Advancement 3.1 Happenings 3.2 Characters 3.3 Referbacks 4 Trivia 4.1 The Show 4.2 Behind the Scenes 4.3 Allusions and References 4.4 Memorable Moments 5 Quotes 6 Reviews

[edit] Plot Summary

Angel moves to L.A., unaware of his purpose in the City of Angels. There, he meets Doyle, his half-man, half-demon spiritual advisor, who gives him much-needed direction. Doyle leads Angel to Russell Winters, a rich and powerful vampire, preying on aspiring actresses. When Winters sets his eyes on Cordelia, Angel springs into action and saves her.

[edit] Notes

[edit] Body Count

#	Whom	By Whom	How	Where
1/2	Vampires	Angel	Staked	Alley
3	Tina	Russell	Bitten	Tina's House
4	Russell	Angel	Burst into Flames	Wolfram & Hart

[edit] Music

• Howie Beck - Maybe I Belong
• Gus Gus - Ladyshave
• Gus Gus - Teenage Sensation
• Wellwater Conspiracy - Right of Left Field

[edit] Arc Advancement

[edit] Happenings

• Wolfram & Hart: The supernatural lawfirm is introduced in the first episode of the series. The firm is a source of contention for Angel and would grow to become a major part of the plot over the duration of the series.
• Angel Investigations: Cordelia manages to reform Doyle's attempt to give Angel direction into a money making endeavor that takes form as "Angel Investigations."

[edit] Characters

• Cordelia: After graduating from Sunnydale, Cordelia moved to Los Angeles to become an actress, an endeavour which she has been failing miserably at. By the end of the episode, instead of going back to that life she becomes Angel's secretary.

[edit] Referbacks

• BtVS - 2x13 - Surprise: Angel regained his soul when he had sex with Buffy in the second season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. A clip of this episode is shown during the retelling of Angel's life.

• BtVS - 3x22 - Graduation Day: A clip of the third season finale of Buffy is shown during Doyle's retelling of Angel's life. This episode takes place shortly after that episode.

[edit] Trivia

[edit] The Show

• First Appearance: This episode marks the first appearance of Doyle and Lindsey.
• Phone Call Crossover: In the episode, Angel picks up the phone and calls someone, but hangs up. In The Freshman, it is shown that Angel called Buffy.
• Russell's Face: Joss Whedon has said the as vampires age they look more and more like demons in the facial area. At the time of this episode, Russell was very likely to be one of the oldest vampires alive. This explains why he looks so different from the rest of the vampires that have been seen in the past.
• Angelmobile: The car Angel drives is a 1968 Plymouth GTX Convertable.
• Cameo: Joss Whedon makes a cameo appearance as the man that Cordelia is talking to when she is first introduced.
• Ratings: On its first airing, the series premiere of Angel scored a Nielson rating of 6.2/9. It was ranked 3rd out of the 15 WB shows which aired that week.

[edit] Behind the Scenes

• Irish Origin: Doyle wasn't originally supposed to be Irish, but was written as an Irishman after Glenn Quinn was cast in the role. It was Quinn's first role where he was able to use his natural Irish accent.
• Where's Whistler?: The original scripts for the series featured Whistler, the man who helped guide Angel to the side of good. He appeared in Buffy the Vampire Slayer episodes Becoming (1) and Becoming (2).
• Cross-Show Casting: Christian Kane originally auditioned for the part of Riley Finn on Buffy the Vampire Slayer. He didn't get the part, but Joss Whedon liked him so much that he cast him in the role of Lindsey.
• Change in Makeup: Joss Whedon decided to experiment with the vampire make up to make them look scarier. He decided that they just looked silly and decided to go back to the normal method of makeup.

[edit] Allusions and References

• Batcave: The batcave is the underground lair of Batman, housed beneath Wayne Manor.

Doyle: I like the place. Not much of a view, but it does have sort of a nice batcave air to it.

• Billy Dee: Billy Dee Williams, an actor who is most famous for his portrayal of Lando Calrissian in Star Wars, notably acted as a celebrity spokesperson for Colt 45 malt liquor. Doyle is using Billy Dee as a metaphor for booze.

Doyle: You know I'm parched from all this yakking, man. Let's go treat me to a Billy Dee.

[edit] Memorable Moments

• After Tina is snatched by Russell's goons, Angel leaps into his car for a daring rescue. Except, it's not his car.

[edit] Quotes

• Oliver: You're an actor.
  Angel: No.
  Oliver: That wasn't a question. I'm Oliver. Ask anyone about Oliver. They'll tell you I'm a fierce animal. I'm your manager as soon as you call.
  Angel: I'm not an actor.
  Oliver: Funny. I like the humor. I like the whole thing. Call me. This isn't a come on. I'm in a very serious relationship with a landscape architect.

• Doyle: Wow, you're really going to war here. I guess you, ah - you've seen a few in your time, yeah?
  Angel: Fourteen, not including Vietnam. They never declared it.

• Cordelia: I finally get invited to a nice place, with no mirrors... and lots of curtains? Hey you're a vampire!
  Russell: What? No, I'm not.
  Cordelia: Are too!
  Russell: I don't know what you're talking about.
  Cordelia: Hey, I'm from Sunnydale. We had our own Hellmouth! I think I know a vampire when I'm... alone with him... in his fortress-like home. And you know, I think I'm just feeling a little light headed from hunger. I'm just wacky. And kidding! Ha, ha!

• Russell: (to Angel) You made a big mistake coming here.
  Cordelia: You don't know who he is, do you? Oh, boy! You're about to get your ass kicked!

[edit] Reviews

• Overall Grade: no reviews yet
• Review Breakdown: A+: 0 A: 0 A-: 0 B+: 0 B: 0 B-: 0 C+: 0 C: 0 C-: 0 D: 0 F: 0