REGULAR CAST

• David Boreanaz as Angel
• James Marsters as Spike
• J. August Richards as Charles Gunn
• Amy Acker as Winifred ‘Fred’ Burkle
• Andy Hallett as Lorne
• Alexis Denisof as Wesley Wyndam-Pryce

GUEST CAST

• Sarah Thompson as Eve
• Simon Templeman as Pavayne
• Dorie Barton as Claire

CO-STARRING

• Willow Geer as Glass Woman
• Peter Kanetis as Lawyer #1
• Judson Pearce Morgan as Bloody Lawyer
• Elliott Gray as Hanging Man
• Allison Barcott as Armless Woman

SYNOPSIS

At the end of the day, Fred walks into her lab, startled when Spike appears – though she’s only pretending to be scared to lift his spirits. Spike asks if there’s been progress in making him corporeal. Fred remains hopeful, believing she has a plan. As Spike leans against a table, he suddenly falls through it, plunging into the basement of Wolfram & Hart. Hearing a strange sound, he investigates. A man sits in a chair, chopping off his own fingers. He turns to reveal a scarred face before vanishing, leaving Spike shaken.

Meanwhile, Lorne manages his entertainment division. Fred, passing by, heads to Wesley’s office, handing him a list of materials she needs for Spike’s restoration. Wesley agrees to help but worries about Fred – she hasn’t been sleeping or eating much. As she leaves, she runs into Eve, who wants to talk. In Angel’s office, Eve informs Fred that her spending in the science department has exceeded the budget. Fred insists she’s only trying to help Spike, shocking Angel – he had only hoped to get Spike out of Wolfram & Hart. Fred is firm in her belief that Spike is worth saving, and Angel leaves the decision to her.

Spike returns to the lab, following flickering lights down the hall. He spots a young woman in nineteenth-century clothing – armless – who lunges at him before vanishing. Meanwhile, Angel settles in his apartment with a glass of blood when Spike materializes. Angel wants him gone, but Spike refuses to leave. The Shanshu prophecy comes up, and Angel dismisses it, saying all prophecies are false, and both of them are doomed to hell for their sins. They exchange jabs until Angel unexpectedly admits that he liked Spike’s poetry – while Spike mocks him for his fondness for Barry Manilow. Suddenly, Spike sees a man hanging from the ceiling – Angel, however, sees nothing.

They go to the lobby and meet Fred and Wesley, neither of whom can see the ghosts Spike is seeing. Gunn and Eve arrive, reporting that the mystics only detect Spike’s presence as the sole ghost in the building. Then, Spike vanishes – though he hasn’t fully disappeared like before. Fred suggests finding him.

Spike is led upstairs. When the elevator opens, he steps inside cautiously. The lift takes him back to the basement. Wesley, Gunn, and Fred discuss Spike in Wesley’s office – it seems evident he’s been slipping into hell each time he vanishes. Meanwhile, in the basement, Spike encounters another ghost – a young woman with a shard of glass in her eye. She pulls it out, warning him about the Reaper before vanishing again.

Fred works in the lab, Spike watching closely. She almost figures something out, but it fails. As Spike leans forward, a spark passes between them – a sensation they both feel. Before Fred can react, Angel appears, startling her.

The team gathers in a conference room, where Eve introduces a psychic to help locate Spike. As she begins her reading, she senses a dark soul but stops abruptly – something unseen tries to attack her. Angel suspects Spike, but it isn’t him. Things take a grim turn as the psychic is killed, blood splattering onto Fred. Wesley and Gunn conclude that something else lurks in the room.

Later, Fred showers. Spike watches, testing his ability to touch things. He writes a message on the glass. Upstairs, Angel, Gunn, and Wesley research the dark soul. When Fred finishes her shower, she sees Spike’s message: Reaper. As she reads, the glass shatters – but doesn’t break – and Spike is violently thrown back into the basement. Alarmed, Fred rushes upstairs to inform the team. They quickly identify Matthias Pavayne, whose blood was used to deconsecrate the ground for Wolfram & Hart’s construction.

In the basement, Pavayne confronts Spike, stripping him of everything and preparing him for the descent into hell. But something Pavayne says sparks a realization – if Spike desires something enough, he can make it happen. He wills his clothes back and then wills himself the ability to fight, which he does.

Back in the office, Fred devises a way to make Spike corporeal. Angel and Gunn retrieve magic from the conduit in the White Room. After assembling the machine, they power it on, drawing ghostly entities toward it—including Pavayne and Spike. Just as Spike is about to step inside and restore himself, Pavayne grabs Fred, forcing Spike to choose. Spike chooses Fred, and Pavayne is made corporeal instead. Angel beats him down and locks him away in permanent storage.

The next morning, Spike reassures Fred that he’s okay and shows off his new trick – he can hold things.

CONTINUITY