Season 5, Episode 22
Written by Jeffrey Bell and Joss Whedon
Directed by Jeffrey Bell
Original Airdate: 19 May 2004
“Then let’s make them memorable.”
Gunn
REGULAR CAST
- David Boreanaz as Angel
- James Marsters as Spike
- J. August Richards as Charles Gunn
- Amy Acker as Illyria
- Andy Hallett as Lorne
- Mercedes McNab as Harmony Kendall
- Alexis Denisof as Wesley Wyndam-Pryce
SPECIAL GUEST STARS
- Christian Kane as Lindsey McDonald
- Vincent Kartheiser as Connor Reilly
GUEST CAST
- Dennis Christopher as Cyvus Vail
- Sarah Thompson as Eve
- Julia Lee as Anne Steele
- Leland Crooke as Archduke Sebassis
- Stacey Travis as Senator Helen Brucker
- Adam Baldwin as Marcus Hamilton
CO-STARRING
- Ryan Alvarez as Pee Pee Demon
- David Figlioli as Bartender
- Mark Colson as Izzy
SYNOPSIS
Angel and his team agree to take down the Black Thorn, targeting key members individually. Angel assigns Wesley to infiltrate Cyvus Vail by faking betrayal, Gunn to eliminate Senator Brucker and her vampires, and Spike to rescue Amanda’s baby while wiping out the Fell Brethren. Illyria is tasked with killing three demons who dine together that night. Angel orders them to regroup in an alley afterward, ready to face the wrath of the Senior Partners.
Meanwhile, Harmony seduces Hamilton, pretending to keep him distracted. As the team prepares, Lorne informs Angel that this will be his last mission – after tonight, he’s done.
Wesley meets Vail, playing along before striking. Spike, disguised among the Fell Brethren, follows a baby’s cries. Gunn crashes into Brucker’s office, swiftly taking out her minions. Lindsey fights through the Sahrvin bar, revelling in the violence, while Illyria stands in front of Izzy’s car, preparing her attack. As Angel prepares to leave, Harmony casually reveals her betrayal. Hamilton ambushes Angel, throwing him through the lobby. With Angel weakened, Hamilton taunts him about those he’s lost – Doyle, Cordelia, Fred. Angel retorts that he already killed Archduke Sebassis, poisoning his drink earlier.
At Vail’s mansion, Wesley gets the upper hand but underestimates Vail’s power. At the Fell Sanctuary, Spike fights off Brethren while holding the baby. Gunn kills Brucker with an axe before facing more vampires. Illyria walks away from a burning wreck. In the Sahrvin bar, Lindsey, pleased with his success, is suddenly shot by Lorne – Angel never trusted him. Lindsey is stunned – his fate should have been decided by Angel. Lorne drops the gun and walks away.
At Vail’s, Wesley tries switching to close combat, but Vail impales him. Illyria arrives, cradling Wesley as he fades. She asks if he wishes her to lie – he agrees, and she transforms into Fred, comforting him in his final moments. When Vail rises, Illyria coldly obliterates his head.
At Wolfram & Hart, Connor intervenes in Angel’s fight, distracting Hamilton. Hamilton boasts that Wolfram & Hart’s power courses through his blood. Angel drinks from him, absorbing the power, and turns the tide.
As the building shakes, Angel urges Connor to leave. Connor hesitates, but Angel insists. As Angel runs through the collapsing building, he finds Eve, who realizes Lindsey isn’t returning and accepts her fate.
In the alley, Spike arrives first, uncertain about the others. Gunn follows, bleeding heavily. Illyria drops in, announcing Wesley’s death. The realization hangs heavy, but the moment is short-lived – hordes of demons approach. The exhausted team readies for the final battle and charges forward as Angel tells them to ‘go to work’.
TRIVIA
Joss Whedon said of this episode: “The word ‘cliffhanger’ is really a misnomer here. This was not the final grace note after a symphony, the way the Buffy finale was. We are definitely still in the thick of it [at the end]. But the point of the show is that you’re never done; no matter who goes down, the fight goes on. Did I end it this way so that it could lead into an exciting sixth season? Yes, but this is still a final statement, if that’s what it needs to be.” The series is about redemption, “something you fight for every day, so I wanted him to go out fighting. People kept calling it a cliffhanger. I was like, ‘Are you mad, sir? Don’t you see that that is the final statement?’”
Alexis Denisof made the suggestion to kill Wesley.
The last scene of the series was the last scene filmed.
CONTINUITY
Connor confirms that he can remember his past after the events of Origin.
Eve gives a guilty look when Lindsey claims that Angel never got his hands on her. He’s unaware of the events of Life of the Party when the pair had sex whilst under Lorne’s influence.
Spike reads his poetry for Cecily from Fool for Love to a cheering crowd on his day off. He’s also written another poem, which seems to be about his mother, referencing his flashbacks seen in Lies My Parents Told Me.
Harmony remembers that she was turned on Graduation Day in Graduation Day (Part 2).
Angel tells the gang to meet behind the Hyperion Hotel in the alley if they survive.
Hamilton makes a point of referencing Angel’s fallen team members: Doyle (Hero), Cordelia (You’re Welcome) and Fred (A Hole in the World).
The outcome of the final battle is revealed in After the Fall. Angel does not slay the dragon.
WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?
EPISODE
Power Play / –
STORY ORDER
Power Play / After the Fall: Chapter I
The Watcher's Guide 