Angel/Lineage

Lineage
Season 5, Episode 7
Airdate	November 12, 2003
Production Number	5ADH07
Written by	Drew Goddard
Directed by	Jefferson Kibbee
← 5x06 The Cautionary Tale of Numero Cinco	5x08 → Destiny
Angel — Season Five

Lineage is the seventh episode of the fifth season of Angel, and the ninety-fifth episode overall. Wesley's father comes to Wolfram & Hart to evaluate Wesley regarding re-admittance into the Watchers Council.

David Boreanaz (Angel), James Marsters (Spike), J. August Richards (Charles Gunn), Amy Acker (Winifred "Fred" Burkle), Andy Hallett (Lorne)

and Alexis Denisof (Wesley Wyndam-Pryce)

Guest Starring: Sarah Thompson (Eve), Jonathan Woodward (Knox), Treva Etienne (Emil)

and Roy Dotrice (Roger Wyndham-Pryce)

Plot Overview

Already feeling guilt over letting Fred get hurt, Wesley is further burdened by the sudden appearance of his father.

Notes

Monster of the Week

There is no monster of the week in this episode.

Body Count

#	Whom	By Whom	How	Where
1	Dante	Cyborg Ninja	Hook Through the Neck	Warehouse
2	Philip	Wesley	Shot	Warehouse
3	Emil	Cyborg Ninja	Neck Snapped	Warehouse
4	Cyborg Ninja	Angel	Neck Snapped	Warehouse
5	Cyborg Ninja	Wesley	Impaled	Source Book Room
6	Cyborg Ninja	Wesley	Shot	Wolfram & Hart

Music

No licensed music was used in this episode.

Arc Advancement

Happenings

• The Watchers: Although the cyborg Roger claims that he and the other surviving Watchers are reestablishing the council, it is very likely that the Watchers have been rendered obsolete due to the tapping of all potential Slayers in the world, as per the Buffy the Vampire Slayer series finale.

• Eve makes a remark to Spike regarding the amulet, suggesting it might have been intended for him all along and not Angel.

Characters

• It's made clear that all of Wesley's foibles and insecurities he carried when he was first introduced were the result of his troubling relationship with his father.

Referbacks

• 4x06 - Spin the Bottle: Wesley purchased a collapsible sword that ejected from a mechanism attached to his forearm in the beginning of an episode in which everyone's memories regressed. The device has appeared in later episodes, using different functions, including a grappling hook and a dart gun.

Emil: To think, I used to sell this guy collapsible swords.

• 3x16 - Sleep Tight: Wesley kidnapped Connor, Angel's son, in order to save him from his destiny of being killed by his father. He intended to raise the child on his own, but was instead nearly killed by Justine, who gave the child to Holtz.

Eve: Stealing your son, for instance?

• BtVS - 7x09 - Never Leave Me: The First Evil, the big bad from the final season of Buffy, infiltrated its agents into the Watchers headquarters and planted bombs within the building. As the Watchers geared up to stop the First, the bomb was set off, killing everyone inside including Quentin Travers.

Roger: As you may well know, the Watchers Council was destroyed last year.

• BtVS - 5x18 - Intervention: Spike previously commissioned Warren Meers to build a robot version of Buffy. He had it made anatomically correct so that he could have sex with the Buffy robot. The robot was later salvaged by Buffy for use against the ultimate evil from the fifth season.

Spike: Sex with robots is more common than most people think.

• 4x13 - Salvage: Wesley refers to Lilah Morgan, who was stabbed in the neck by Cordelia (who was being controlled by Jasmine). Fearing that she was a vampire, Wesley was forced to cut off her head before she could possibly reawaken.

Wesley: The last girl I was with I had to chop into little tiny pieces because a higher power saw fit to stab her in the neck.

• 5x04 - Hell Bound: Pavayne, otherwise known as the Reaper, was an occultist who used his powers to attempt to send Spike to hell in his place. He was later caught and locked into the basement.

Spike: You'll never take me to hell, Pavayne!

• BtVS - 7x17 - Lies My Parents Told Me: Spike briefly sums up the story of how he transformed his mother into a vampire and her rejection of him. She attacked him and Spike was forced to kill her, despite caring for her illness over so many years.

Spike: Don't know if you know this, but I killed my mum. Actually, I'd already killed her, and then she tried to shag me.

Trivia

The Show

• Password: The vocal code for Wesley's vault is "Elysium". Elysium is a part of the Greek underworld which fallen warriors rest in. This is similar to the Norse concept of Valhalla.

Behind the Scenes

• Ratings: On its first airing, this episode scored a 4.0/6 in the overnight Nielsen ratings.

Allusions and References

• M.C. Escher: M.C. Escher is an artist most famous for his mathematically based artwork. He makes use of unusual perceptions and patterns to make drawings like "Relativity" and "Drawing Hands" Fred refers to a particular wood carving of his entitled "Day and Night".

Fred: It's like an M.C. Escher picture, but with wires and flesh instead of geese.

• RoboCop: RoboCop is the code name of a police officer who was nearly killed in the line of duty by some dangerous drug runners. In the futuristic dystopia of Detroit, RoboCop fights crime against thugs and murderers, using his durability against them. He was originally played by Peter Weller. The series of movies spawned several television spinoffs including RoboCop: The Series and RoboCop.

Gunn: They're working on RoboCop upstairs. Need your help.

Quotes

• Emil: You're making me so hot right now.

Fred: Wow. Turned on by a woman holding an enormous gun. What a surprise.

• Roger: Your name's proven to be a point of contention. There is some who believe that your tenure as Watcher ranks as our most embarrassing failure.

Wesley: Really? I beat out everybody dying in an explosion as most embarrassing failure.

• Fred: This thing really blurs the line between human and robot.

Spike: Aha! So you're not ruling out that a human being could've boffed a robot. Sex with robots is more common than most people think.

• Spike: Daddy, eh? I always thought Wesley was grown in some sort of greenhouse for dandies.

Roger: Spike.

Spike: You've heard of me.

Roger: No. We've met. 1963. My colleagues and I fell upon you slaughtering an orphanage in Vienna. Killed two of my men before you escaped.

Spike: Oh... How've you been?

• Knox: Do you see a trip mechanism?

Wesley: You mean like the one I just tripped?

• Angel: What happened?

Spike: I can explain. Apparently, when Percy here was younger, he used to be known as "head boy."

Angel: Yeah, I already knew that.

Spike: Right. I have nothing else to report.

• Spike: Oh, uh, Eve's stuck in the elevator.

Gunn: So tell maintenance.

Spike: Right. Well, where the bloody hell is mainten - Oh, to be honest, I don't even care.

• Wesley: I don't know why you're doing all this, but did you ever once consider there might be another way? Did you ever once consider talking to me about it?

Roger: No. You've failed me enough for one lifetime.

• Angel: You know... I killed my actual dad. It was one of the first things I did when I became a vampire.

Wesley: I hardly see how that's the same situation.

Angel: Yeah. I didn't really think that one through.

• Spike: I don't know if you know this, but, uh... I killed my mum. Actually, I'd already killed her and then she tried to shag me so I had to, uh-–

Wesley: Thank you. I'm... very comforted. Right.