| "Angel" | |
|---|---|
| Buffy the Vampire Slayer episode | |
| Episode no. | Season 1 Episode 7 |
| Directed by | Scott Brazil |
| Written by | David Greenwalt |
| Production code | 4V07 |
| Original air date | April 14, 1997 |
| Guest appearances | |
| |
"Angel" is the seventh episode of season 1 of the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer . The episode aired on The WB on April 14, 1997. It was written by co-executive producer David Greenwalt and directed by Scott Brazil.
While Buffy grows more and more annoyed with Angel's mysterious disappearing act, she can't deny her growing obsession with him. Meanwhile, it's killing Xander that Buffy doesn't have a clue how he feels about her and, as he vents his frustrations to Willow, she knows all too well how he feels. And in the underworld, The Master is incensed that Buffy has taken the lives of so many members of his family, and he summons warrior vampires to annihilate her. [1]
The Master (Mark Metcalf) is displeased with Buffy's (Sarah Michelle Gellar) recent vampire slayings. Darla (Julie Benz) offers to kill Buffy, but the Master considers her motives too personal and instead sends The Three, a group of warrior vampires, to kill the Slayer.
The Three ambush Buffy as she returns home from the Bronze. Angel (David Boreanaz) arrives to assist but is injured during the confrontation. Buffy and Angel retreat to her house, where Angel explains that vampires cannot enter a residence without an invitation. Buffy acknowledges this but admits she has never had to put it to the test before.
In the kitchen, Angel removes his jacket and shirt so Buffy can bandage his wound, revealing a tattoo on his back. Buffy thanks him and inquires how he happened to be nearby. Suddenly, Joyce (Kristine Sutherland) returns home from work. Buffy secures the front door and tries to coax her upstairs. Angel, now dressed, enters the room, and Buffy introduces him as a college student tutoring her in history. Skeptical, Joyce responds that it is too late for tutoring and goes upstairs.
Buffy pretends to send Angel away but secretly leads him to her bedroom. Angel expresses concern about causing her further trouble, but Buffy insists he stay in case the Three are still nearby. They discuss her single bed, and Buffy offers it to Angel due to his injury, though he chooses to sleep on the floor. Buffy questions Angel's motivation to fight vampires despite not being the Chosen One. She asks Angel how his family feels about his chosen path, and he reveals they are deceased. When Buffy asks whether vampires were responsible, Angel confirms. When she suggests that vengeance may be driving him to hunt vampires, he quickly changes the subject. They settle in for the night, Buffy in her bed and Angel lying beside her on the floor.
The next morning, Buffy tells Xander (Nicholas Brendon) and Willow (Alyson Hannigan) about her night with Angel, describing him as a "perfect gentleman." Xander objects, suggesting Angel is trying to seduce Buffy by saving her life and getting stabbed. Giles (Anthony Stewart Head) identifies the armored vampire trio known as the Three and explains they are no longer a threat, as they must offer their lives in penance for failing their mission. Meanwhile, the Master allows Darla to execute the Three in his underground lair as a demonstration of power for the Anointed One.
Later that evening, Buffy brings food to Angel, who has spent the day waiting in her bedroom. When Buffy asks how he passed the time, Angel replies that he did "a little reading" and a lot of thinking. Buffy notices her diary in the drawer and nervously attempts to explain entries revealing her crush on "A." Angel explains that Buffy's mother moved the diary while cleaning and assures her he did not read it. He admits he shouldn't be around her because all he wants to do is kiss her. As Buffy moves closer, Angel says he is older than her and should leave. They begin to kiss, but Angel suddenly pulls away with a snarl. When he turns back, his demon face reveals that he is a vampire. Buffy screams, and Angel escapes through her window.
The next morning at school, Buffy updates her friends on the previous night and wonders why Angel treated her kindly despite being a vampire. Giles explains that there are no good vampires; although they may retain memories or traits of their former selves, they remain demons "at the core." Xander urges Buffy to kill Angel.
Returning to his apartment, Angel senses an intruder but seems unsurprised to see Darla. She taunts him, saying that although he lives above ground and hunts vampires, he will never be human. When Angel insists he is not like her, Darla warns that he can only suppress his true nature for so long and urges him to tell Buffy about the curse to see if she will accept him.
Meanwhile, Giles and the group research Angel's past, discovering that although Angelus was a sadistic killer, Angel has distanced himself from vampires and stopped hunting humans since arriving in America. Underground, Darla asks for permission to kill Buffy. The Master agrees after hearing her plan to use Angel as a weapon.
Darla arrives at Buffy's house and convinces Joyce to invite her in by claiming to be one of Buffy's friends. Outside, Angel hears Joyce scream and rushes in as Darla begins feeding on her. Darla dares Angel to join her, then places the unconscious Joyce in his arms and flees out the back door. Moments later, Buffy returns home and finds Angel, in vampiric form, holding her injured mother. Believing he is responsible, she throws him through a window and calls for an ambulance. At the hospital, Joyce recalls inviting in Buffy's "friend," which Buffy misinterprets as a reference to Angel. Convinced he attacked her mother, Buffy retrieves a crossbow from the library and sets out to confront him.
In Angel's apartment, Darla informs him that Buffy is now hunting him and claims the Slayer could never accept his "true face." Meanwhile, Giles speaks with Joyce at the hospital and discovers that Darla, not Angel, was responsible for the attack. Realizing the misunderstanding, he rushes to find Buffy with Xander and Willow.
Buffy tracks Angel to the empty Bronze and confronts him. During their fight, Angel tackles and disarms her, but she recovers her crossbow and fires a bolt that lands near his head. Demanding answers, Buffy listens as Angel recounts the tale of a Kalderash girl he killed, whose family cursed him by restoring his soul — leaving him tormented by guilt for his past sins. Angel denies biting Joyce but admits he wanted to and also confesses his desire to kill Buffy. In response, she lowers her weapon and exposes her neck.
Suddenly, Darla steps out of the shadows, revealing herself as the vampire who sired Angel, claiming they were together for generations. She taunts Angel, saying he could have ruled alongside her in the Master's court but instead chose to love someone who hates vampires. When Buffy raises her crossbow, Darla draws two handguns and opens fire, wounding Angel. He collapses, and Buffy dives behind the bar, firing a bolt that narrowly misses. Giles, Willow, and Xander arrive moments later and distract Darla, shouting to Buffy that it was Darla — not Angel — who attacked Joyce. As Darla fires at Buffy, Angel approaches from behind and stakes her through the heart. In shock, Darla turns and says his name before disintegrating into dust. Underground, the Anointed One consoles the Master, who mourns her loss. He declares that Darla was weak and vows to deliver the Slayer himself.
At the Bronze, Buffy spots Angel and approaches him. He tells her their relationship cannot work, and she agrees. Despite this, they share a kiss. As Buffy walks away, she tells him, "I'll see you around." Angel watches her leave, wincing as he notices a burn on his chest shaped like the cross necklace he gave her.
During the production of this episode, it took the makeup department 60 to 90 minutes to apply the vampire prosthetic on David Boreanaz. [2]
Xander's line "fish gotta swim, birds gotta fly" is a line from the song "Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man" from the 1929 musical Show Boat .
The Master says that "with great power comes great responsibility," quoting from the origin story of Spider-Man.
Cordelia wears a dress from the designer Todd Oldham.
"Angel" was first broadcast on The WB on April 14, 1997. It earned a Nielsen rating of 2.3 on its original airing. [3]
Vox ranked it at #39 on their "Every Episode Ranked From Worst to Best" list of all 144 episodes (to mark the 20th anniversary of the show), saying, "No one would ever accuse young David Boreanaz of being a great actor... but he and Sarah Michelle Gellar have chemistry compelling enough to keep the audience feeling every bit of their pain." [4]
Noel Murray of The A.V. Club gave "Angel" a grade of A, calling it the best episode thus far. He praised how Buffy inviting Angel into her home was used as a metaphor, how that "ambiguity" was used to tease the audience, and the "multitude of character touches, funny bits of dialogue, and milieu-enriching moments". [5] DVD Talk's Phillip Duncan called the episode "excellent", highlighting the "well-crafted" dialogue-heavy part and the "poignant ending". [6] A review from the BBC praised the way the episode was constructed and noted the importance of it character-wise, but called it "rather mundane." [7]
Rolling Stone ranked "Angel" at #52 on their "Every Episode Ranked From Worst to Best" list, writing that after Buffy finds out Angel is a vampire, "we basically get the wider arc of Season Two writ miniature in this excellent episode. There’s the love and romance, the emergence of the dark side, their confrontation and opposition, and finally, reconciliation. Season Two would expand it to much greater effect, but this little amuse-bouche of an episode whets the appetite for what is to come." [8]
"Angel" was ranked at #41 on Paste Magazine's "Every Episode Ranked" list [9] and #50 on BuzzFeed's "Ranking Every Episode" list. [10]