Angel/Release

Release
Season 4, Episode 14
Airdate	March 12, 2003
Production Number	4ADH14
Written by	Steven S. DeKnight & Elizabeth Craft & Sarah Fain
Directed by	James A. Contner
← 4x13 Salvage	4x15 → Orpheus
Angel — Season Four

Release is the fourteenth episode of the fourth season of Angel, and the eightieth episode overall. Faith and Wesley attempt to track down Angelus while Angelus attempts to track down the person pulling the Beast's strings.

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

and Alexis Denisof (Wesley Wyndam-Pryce)

Guest Starring: Christopher Neiman (Frotor Demon)

and Eliza Dushku (Faith)

Co-Starring: Darren Laverty (Lackey Vamp #1), Sam Stefanski (Lackey Vamp #2), Catalina Larranaga (Vamp Waitress), Peter Renaday (Master's Voice), Becka Linder (Drugged Girl #1), Chris Huse (Drugged Vamp #2), Ian Anthony Dale (Drugged Vamp #3), Randall Rapstine (Reg), Andrew McGinnis (Mullet Head Vamp)

Plot Overview

Faith and Wesley regroup and return to track Angelus. While the Beast has been destroyed, Angelus tries to find information on its anonymous master, as it temps him into servitude.

Notes

Monster of the Week

There is no monster of the week in this episode.

Body Count

#	Whom	By Whom	How	Where
1	Vampire	Wesley	Staked	Bar

Music

Music is listed in order of appearance in the episode:

• Vast - "Here"

Arc Advancement

Happenings

• Big Bad: Evil Cordelia finally manages to wrangle Angelus into her plans, but his role is not yet revealed.

Characters

• Connor: When attempting to fight Angelus in the hotel, Connor is tossed aside by the anti-demon violence spell. That seems to answer the question of if he's really human or not.

Referbacks

• 4x01 - Deep Down: Fred used a taser to subdue Connor when she found out that he and Justine trapped Angel in a steel box and sunk him to the bottom of the ocean.

Connor: Thought you were more of a taser girl.

• 1x18 - Five by Five: Faith kidnapped Wesley and tortured him to drawn Angel out into the open. She only did just enough to keep him alive so that Angel would put up a good fight.

Wesley: I remember what you did to me, Faith. The broken glass, the shallow cuts... so I would remain conscious.

• 1x18 - Five by Five: After being confronted by Angel, the two fought each other in the alley outside the apartment she stole the keys to. Eventually she breaks down and begs Angel to kill her because she can't stand who she's become.

Angelus: Hey, you remember that time you tried to get Angel to kill you because you felt all weepy over being such a bad little girl?

Trivia

The Show

• The bar that Faith and Wesley stumble into is very similar to the vampire brothel that Riley went to in the fourth season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Although he didn't shoot up first, he did go to get a high off being fed on.

Behind the Scenes

• Credits Change-Up: Andy Hallett becomes a billed actor on the series beginning with this episode. This is the first time an actor has been added to main cast mid-season since Alexis Denisof replaced Glenn Quinn in the first season.

• Ratings: On its first airing, this episode scored a 3.4/5 in the overnight Nielsen ratings.

• Crew Change: In order to prepare for his directorial debut in "Inside Out", Steven S. DeKnight directed Faith's shower scene as part of the 2nd unit.

Allusions and References

• Minnie Mouse: Minnie Mouse is a fictional Disney character created by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks in 1928. Minnie is often seen as Mickey's better half and, more often than not, the damsel in distress that Mickey must save from a villain like Beppo, a big ape.

Gunn: Then next time Minnie will take a chunk out of his cheese.

• GQ: Originally titled Gentleman's Quarterly, GQ is a men's fashion and style magazine aimed at more upscale readers than its counterparts Maxim and FHM. The title can also be used as an adjective to describe someone who dresses and acts suavely.

Faith: Save the head-trip, GQ.

Quotes

• Master's Voice: Playtime's over. You've been a bad boy. Killed my favourite pet.

Angelus: Yeah, well, thought that might get your attention.

• Angelus: Hey, you're preaching to the guy who ate the choir.

• Angelus: Hello! Hey, I got places to go, friends to kill. Well, not actually my friends, but you get the idea.

• Lorne: Did I mention the only shots I'm good at involve tequila?

• Connor: (to Fred) Thought you were more of a taser girl.

• Angelus: Half of this crap is written in some archaic proto-demon-cuneiform and I don't want to be rude, but I think the other half they just doodled.

• Faith: So what, torturing humans part of the new makeover?

Wesley: I did what I had to because you couldn't.

Faith: I hit her.

Wesley: You think that's something new to her?

Faith: You crossed it back there, Wes. What'd you do--

Wesley: Oh, you have a problem with a little torture now? I seem to recall a time when you rather enjoyed it.

• Fred: I let Angelus walk with Lilah's book and everything Wolfram and Hart suckered out of your brain.

Lorne: And I was going to have those framed.

• Angelus: Uh-oh! Vampire with a gun. (shoots at Faith) See why he likes this thing.

• Angelus: Now this is disappointing. You never used to bleed so easy.

Faith: Screw you!

Angelus: Mm. Maybe after. I like my girls to lie still.