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

• Mercedes McNab as Harmony Kendall
• Danielle Nicolet as Tamika

CO-STARRING

• Jennifer Haworth as Brittany
• Stacy Reed as Charlotte
• David Gangler as Danny
• Christopher Gehrman as Rudy
• Brendan Hines as Eli
• Bryce Mouer as Hot Guy
• Olga Vilner as Vinji Leader
• Nick Jaine as Sahrvin Leader

SYNOPSIS

A Wolfram & Hart advert plays, highlighting the company’s history and Angel’s new leadership. Harmony wakes up, going through her morning routine before arriving at work. She grabs Angel’s morning blood, bumps into an employee – spilling their coffee – but realizes she has no real friends at the office. Angel soon arrives, going over his schedule with her while muttering a demon language he’s struggling to learn for an upcoming summit. Frustrated, he dismisses Harmony, ignoring her entirely.

Rudy checks Harmony’s blood for human traces – she’s clean. Eli, another employee, is called into a meeting with Angel and Gunn, assuming it’s good news. However, when Harmony delivers Angel’s blood, she finds him beheading Eli – he was killing virgins for fun, violating Angel’s zero-tolerance policy. Meanwhile, Spike emerges from the lift, enjoying life as a corporeal being. He announces plans to leave for Europe to find Buffy, saying his goodbyes – excluding Harmony, leaving her miffed.

In Angel’s conference room, the team discusses the upcoming demon summit between the warring Vinji and Sahrvin clans. Harmony listens from the sidelines, unnoticed. Once the plan is finalized, Wesley assigns her an errand – fetching lunch. In the employee break room, Harmony overhears gossip about Fred and attempts to join in, but is quickly snubbed. Danny, Lorne’s assistant, hands out muffins – excluding Harmony. Frustrated, she insists she’s vital to Angel, his right-hand woman. Just then, Angel calls, demanding she get to the lobby.

There’s a camel in the lobby. Harmony assumed it would be a good centrepiece for the summit’s meal, but Angel orders its removal. Feeling unappreciated, Harmony bursts into tears. Fred consoles her, suggesting Angel just doesn’t know her well. Out of nowhere, Harmony asks Fred about her plans for the night. That evening, they bond over drinks, with Fred encouraging Harmony to put herself out there. Harmony awkwardly approaches a man at the bar, but he seems interested.

The next morning, Harmony wakes up beside the man, only to find him dead – vampire puncture wounds on his neck. Panicked, she shoves the body down the trash chute before her landlady sees. At work, she struggles to act normal, her nerves fraying when Rudy arrives for blood testing. Angel demands his blood ahead of the summit, warning nothing better go wrong. Harmony drinks from her own stash – it tastes better than usual.

Then, a detective calls. The body she dumped has been found – he was Tobias Dupree, liaison for the warring clans. Harmony listens, absorbing the details. Angel receives a call from the Vinji, furious over Dupree’s death. Angel promises to find the killer. Meanwhile, Fred examines the body in the lab, prompting Harmony to rush down.

In the lab, Harmony and Fred chat about the previous night before Harmony abruptly decides to flee the country. On her way out, Rudy tests her blood – it comes back positive for human blood. Without hesitation, Harmony knocks him out and shoves him into a cupboard. Turning the corner, she runs into Lorne, asks where the blood tests go, then knocks him out too when he overhears Rudy’s muffled sounds. Harmony rushes to the lab but realizes it’s too late – Fred already knows.

Harmony insists she’s being framed, but Fred prefers to involve Angel. Desperate, Harmony knocks Fred out and crams her into the cupboard with Rudy and Lorne. Determined to prove her innocence, she heads to the fridge to check her thermos for fingerprints. Danny, handling her thermos, catches her attention. Harmony loses control, vamps out, and assumes he’s behind it – until another employee knocks Danny out.

It’s Tamika. She resents Harmony’s position and wants it for herself. A fight breaks out, spilling into the hallway. Meanwhile, the summit turns volatile – the clans demand blood in exchange for the loss of their liaison. Harmony crashes in, killing Tamika. The clans deem the blood sufficient, allowing the meeting to proceed.

That night, Harmony sulks in a bar. Spike returns, sitting beside her. He confesses he reconsidered his journey to find Buffy. Instead, he reassures Harmony that she matters – enough for Tamika to try to destroy her. Harmony’s self-esteem, for once, is restored.

TRIVIA

CONTINUITY