Angel/Redefinition

Redefinition
Season 2, Episode 11
Airdate	January 16, 2001
Production Number	2ADH11
Written by	Mere Smith
Directed by	Michael Grossman
← 2x10 Reunion	2x12 → Blood Money
Angel — Season Two

Redefinition is the eleventh episode of the second season of Angel, and the thirty-third episode overall. Angel has gone off the deep end and the former employees of Angel Investigations attempt to continue their fight for the good of humanity.

David Boreanaz (Angel), Charisma Carpenter (Cordelia Chase), Alexis Denisof (Wesley Wyndam-Pryce), J. August Richards (Charles Gunn)

Guest Starring: Christian Kane (Lindsey McDonald), Stephanie Romanov (Lilah Morgan), Andy Hallett (Caritas Host), Brigid Brannagh (Virginia Bryce), Nicolas Surovy (Hunt Acrey), Julie Benz (Darla), Juliet Landau (Drusilla)

Co-Starring: Matthew James (Merl), Joel Stoffer (Vampire #1), Brad Kalas (EMT), Jamie McShane (Demon), David Wolfson (Bartender)

Plot Overview

Having fired his co-workers, Angel readies himself to engage Darla and Drusilla who set out to rule the city with Wolfram & Hart as support.

Meanwhile, Cordelia, Wesley, and Gunn try to find what to do with themselves.

Notes

Monster of the Week

• There is no monster of the week in this episode.

Body Count

#	Whom	By Whom	How	Where
1/2/3	Vampires	Angel	Staked	Sewer Tunnels
4	Vampire	Angel	Decapitated	Sewer Tunnels
5	Demon	Gunn	Stabbed in the Head	Abandoned House

Music

Music is listed in order of appearance in the episode:

• Patti LaBelle - "Lady Marmalade"

• Queen - "We are the Champions"

• Mark Dold - "Activity"

• Paul Trudeau - "Call It Away"

• Paul Trudeau - "Bleeder"

Arc Advancement

Happenings

• Wolfram & Hart: The massacre in Holland's wine cellar from the previous episode had two survivors: Lindsey and Lilah. Darla kept them alive on purpose so that she has a connection inside Wolfram & Hart. She hopes that one will be spared by the senior partners and be promoted into Holland's job. Instead, they are both promoted to acting co-vice presidents of special projects.

Characters

• Angel: Angel is back to smoking cigarettes, or at least he is temporarily so that he can try to kill Darla and Drusilla with fire. He spent most of the episode training himself and becoming something wholly different from anything that he has been before. He's become exceedingly grim now.

• Drusilla: After being set on fire by Angel, Drusilla leaves Los Angeles for Sunnydale, intending to return with Spike. However, he doesn't want to leave Sunnydale, so she decides to stick with him instead of coming back.

Referbacks

• 2x06 - Guise Will Be Guise: Wesley took on Angel's identity when Magnus Bryce sent armed goons to kill Cordelia if he didn't agree to help him protect his daughter. It turned out that she was supposed to be sacrificed for a demon he worships and the two parted ways from there.

Virginia: You had to impersonate him to rescue me and you're too good an Angel.

• 1x21 - Blind Date: When Lindsey decided that he wanted out of Wolfram & Hart, he stole several disks worth of files for Angel in order to stop a blind assassin from killing a few kids.

Lilah: Look. I've heard the rumors. We both know that it worked for you once before. You knew just what to take.

• 2x08 - The Shroud of Rahmon: While Angel impersonated a flashy Las Vegas vampire named Jay-Don, Gunn disobeyed his orders and decided to impersonate his cousin, who was hired as a driver for a group of demons on a heist for the Shroud of Rahmon.

Wesley: You've never been very supportive of Angel's leadership role. I remember a certain shroud.

• 2x04 - Untouched: A telekinetic woman named Bethany Chaulk, who was tangentially acquainted with Lilah, was driven away when she discovered that the men who attempted to rape her were only hired thugs from Wolfram & Hart, brought in to push her into controlling her powers.

Ms. Morgan, when you drove away the telekinetic Bethany Chaulk, you lost for us a powerful potential assassin.

Trivia

The Show

• Silent Treatment: Angel doesn't speak to anyone in this episode. He only gives an internal monologue that the viewer hears.

Behind the Scenes

• Ratings: On its first airing, this episode scored a 3.9/6 in the overnight Nielsen ratings. It was ranked 5th out of the 17 WB shows which aired that week.

• Rewrite: This episode's script was heavily doctored by Joss Whedon, who used the episode to retool all of the main characters. If there was a pivoting point in the series, this would be the episode. This, of course, fits in well with the title of the episode.

Quotes

• Cordelia: What just happened? Can someone explain to me what just happened here?

Wesley: I believe we were fired.

Gunn: Canned.

Wesley: Let go.

Gunn: Axed.

Wesley: Shown the door.

Gunn: Booted.

Cordelia: All right! I get it. But what just happened?

• Cordelia: Darla. It's all about Darla. One thing you can say about Angel, at least he's consistent - it's always some little blonde driving him over the edge.

• Virginia: He fired you? He can't fire you. You're on a mission to protect the innocent. You can't fire someone on a mission. What did he say, exactly?

Wesley: "You're fired."

Virginia: Oh.

• Virginia: Well, can you file a grievance with the union?

Wesley: Virginia, I’m not in a union. I’m a... I don't even know what the name of my job is. Was.

• Drusilla: He’s got cow-eyes. Big and black. Moo.

• Darla: See, Lindsey, during my stint as Wolfram and Hart's puppet, something occurred to me. I loathe being used. If I recall, I sent you a fifteen-body memo to that effect.

• Wesley: A Bloody Mary, please.

Bartender: You want real blood with that?

Wesley: Uh... no. Bloodless, thanks.

• Wesley: I suppose we're both rather at loose ends, now that Angel's...

Cordelia: Pulled a total wig?

Wesley: Quite.

• Darla: My name’s Darla. This is Drusilla. We're new in town, though some of you know us by reputation.

Demon: I ain't never heard of you before.

(Drusilla rips his ears off)

Darla: Now you never will.

• Lilah: One of is gonna die, Lindsey.

Lindsey: Everybody dies, Lilah.

Lilah: But not everybody ends up in a dog food processing plant in San Pedro.

• Gunn: Was one of his directives "hire pansy-ass British guy"?

Wesley: My ass is not pansy!

• Darla: You know, in a perfect world, Angel would be here right now helping me burn this city to the ground. This is his job I'm doing. But where is he? Probably flogging himself in a church somewhere.

Drusilla: Ooh, flogging. Ooh, churches.

• Drusilla: Ten little soldiers all in a line. A shot rings out – down to nine.

• Drusilla: Dead already? Bad soldiers.