Angel/The Prodigal

The Prodigal
Season 1, Episode 15
Airdate	February 22, 2000
Production Number	1ADH15
Written by	Tim Minear
Directed by	Bruce Seth Green
← 1x14 I've Got You Under My Skin	1x16 → The Ring
Angel — Season One

The Prodigal is the fifteenth episode of the first season of Angel. When a demon attacks a train, Angel connects it to a demon drug smuggling ring. But what he discovers could destroy Kate's life.

David Boreanaz (Angel), Charisma Carpenter (Cordelia Chase), Alexis Denisof (Wesley Wyndam-Pryce)

Guest Starring: Elisabeth Rohm (Kate Lockley), Julie Benz (Darla), John Mahon (Trevor Lockley), J. Kenneth Campbell (Angel's Father), Henri Lubatti (Suit #1)

Co-Starring: Frank Potter (Uniformed Delivery), Eliza Szonert (Chamber Maid), Bob Fimiani (Grounds Keeper), Christina Hendricks (Bar Maid), John Maynarnd (Uniformed Worker), Glenda Morgan Brown (Angel's Mother), Mark Ginther (Head Demon Guy), John Patrick Clerkin (Black Robed Priest), Mike Vendrell (Suit #2)

Plot Overview

Investigating a demon attack on a subway car, Angel finds that Kate’s father maybe tied to something illegal. This stirs memories of Angel’s own father and the rough relationship they had.

Notes

Monster of the Week

• Kwaini: The Kwaini are as close to a proper monster of the week as this episode gets. They are a peaceful race of demons who are, according to Wesley, very articulate and gentle. However, in the episode the demons are high on a drug created from adrenaline which heightens their strength and sends them into a state of delirious rage.

Body Count

#	Whom	By Whom	How	Where
1	Kwaini	Angel	Snapped Neck	Train Station
2	Liam/Angelus	Darla	Vamped	Alley (1753)
3	Grounds Keeper	Angelus	Blood Drained	Cemetary (1753)
4	Angel's Sister	Angelus	Blood Drained	Angel's Home (1753)
5	Angel's Father	Angelus	Blood Drained	Angel's Home (1753)
6	Angel's Mother	Angelus	Blood Drained	Angel's Home (1753)
7	Trevor Lockley	Vampire	Blood Drained	Trevor's Apartment
8	Vampire	Angel	Staked	Trevor's Apartment
9/10	Vampires	Kate	Staked	Kel's Exotic Autos
11/12	Vampires	Angel	Staked	Kel's Exotic Autos
13	Head Demon	Angel	Decapitated	Kel's Exotic Autos

Music

There is no licensed music in this episode.

Arc Advancement

Characters

• Angel: Much of Angel's past is explained in this episode. He was born in 1727 and transformed into a vampire in 1753. For much of his life, he lived in Galway, Ireland with his father. After being transformed by Darla, he went home and killed his family. It is presumed that he took the name Angelus when his sister took him for an angel just before he killed her.

• Cordelia: If Cordelia did, in fact, make good on changing the PIN number for the security system to her birthday, then her birthday is May 22nd.

• Kate: Just as Kate starts to trust Angel again, her father is killed by vampires. She distances herself even further from him, even after getting vengeance.

Referbacks

• 1x06 - Sense and Sensitivity: Trevor Lockley, Kate's father, retired from the police force several episodes ago. It was there that he met Angel and figured that he and Kate were dating.

• 1x11 - Somnambulist: Kate discovered the seedy underbelly of demons and vampires when she was attacked by Penn, a vampire sired by Angel in the late 1700s. She drove a piece of wood through him and into Penn's heart, killing Penn but sparing Angel.

Trivia

The Show

• First Appearance: This episode marks the first appearance of Darla in Angel. It is also the first time she has appeared in the Buffy universe since "Angel", the seventh episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, in which she was killed.

Behind the Scenes

• Ratings: On its first airing, this episode scored a 5.2/8 in the overnight Nielsen ratings. It was ranked 4th out of the 15 WB shows which aired that week.

Allusions and References

• The Prodigal Son: The title of the episode refers to the Parable of the Prodigal Son, a story about a boy who goes off on his own, squanders his fortune and returns to his father. The term has taken on a form more closely related to "a son who doesn't live up to the expectations of his father." Of course, in this episode, fathers are the key theme.

Memorable Moments

• Angel arrives at Trevor's apartment too late to help him. Despite Angel's pleas for an invitation, Trevor refuses to let him help and is killed by one of the vampire drug peddlers in his apartment.

Quotes

• Kate: Sorry. I guess I'm still having a little trouble with this otherworldly stuff.

Angel: Right. Although demons aren't technically otherwordly. I mean, in fact, they were here... first.

• Kate: No, you don't get to do that.

Angel: What?

Kate: Kill a demon in front of me and then act like we're going to have a cappuccino together. It doesn't work that way.

Angel: How does it work?

Kate: I'm not sure it does.

• Wesley: What happened to calmly, cautiously, and deliberately investigating before rushing in?

Angel: That was plan A. We've since moved on to plan B.

Wesley: And plan B is?

Angel: (twirls a battle ax) Do I really have to explain it to you, Wesley?