Apocalypse, Nowish

Last updated
"Apocalypse, Nowish"
Angel episode
Episode no.Season 4
Episode 7
Directed by Vern Gillum
Written by Steven S. DeKnight
Production code4ADH07
Original air dateNovember 17, 2002 (2002-11-17)
Guest appearances
Episode chronology
← Previous
"Spin the Bottle"		Next →
"Habeas Corpses"
Angel season 4
List of episodes

"Apocalypse, Nowish" is seventh episode of the fourth season of the American television series Angel . Written by Steven S. DeKnight and directed by Vern Gillum, it was originally broadcast on November 17, 2002 on the WB network. The WB referred to this episode as "Rain of Fire" when it was first aired, which DeKnight attributes to "legal issues" over the title's reference to the 1979 film Apocalypse Now . [1]

Contents

In "Apocalypse, Nowish", Angel Investigations deals with a sudden wave of paranormal activity all over Los Angeles, portending the rise of the apocalyptic beast of whom Cordelia has been experiencing visions. As the Beast rises from the bowels of the Earth to bring a rain of fire over the city, Cordelia and Connor make love.

Plot

Cordelia tells Angel that she still loves him, but that during her time as a higher power she saw and felt all the carnage he formerly wrought as Angelus. She now needs him to give her time to sort out her feelings. When Lorne wants to learn what Cordelia remembers about her time as a higher power, Angel insists that they wait.

Connor comforts Cordelia after another nightmare featuring the demon from her visions. Meanwhile, as Angel Investigations is flooded with calls involving paranormal activity all over Los Angeles, Wesley returns home after fighting a bug infestation to find Lilah dressed as Fred for sexual role-playing.

Suddenly, Cordelia starts breathing hard and her eyes turn white as she warns Angel that "he's coming." Cordelia lies down and tells Angel and Connor what she remembers of her vision. Back at the hotel, Lorne picks up on the strained relationship between Fred and Gunn; since they jointly sought revenge on the man who sent Fred to a hell dimension, Fred has not been able to forgive Gunn for their actions. She leaves for the diner where she and Gunn are regulars.

Angel goes to Wolfram & Hart to demand that Lilah return the information the law firm sucked out of Lorne's head about the impending apocalypse. Cordelia and Connor walk to an alleyway that Cordelia recognizes as the place where Connor was born, where Darla staked herself. A large, horned demon bursts from the ground before them, knocking them both down. Connor attacks, but he takes a brutal beating before the demon strides away. Cordelia tends to Connor's wounds and finds that he has broken ribs.

At the diner, a waitress tries to advise Fred on her relationship troubles, until an earthquake shatters the diner's windows. Meanwhile, unable to locate Fred, Gunn is restless and tries to leave to find her, but Wesley appears and interrupts his departure. Aware of all the strange occurrences around town, he offers to work with them to deal with this problem, but Gunn's too angry with Wesley to even consider the idea. Angel stops them all from leaving because he has information from Lilah that they must study to prevent the end of the world. The trio examine the pages containing information stolen earlier from Lorne's brain. Another call is taken by Lorne and Angel instructs him to start mapping the locations from where the calls originate. The pages make no sense until Gunn sees that the pages fit together like a puzzle. Rearranging the sheets reveals a symbol shaped like a square with an "X" inside representing the "Eye of Fire." Lorne makes another discovery: the mapped locations of strange occurrences form the same pattern. Angel and the gang determine that the location on the map that appears at the middle of the X is a popular club on a high rooftop. They arrive at the club to find a mass of dead bodies and the Beast waiting for them.

Angel and the team take on the demon but are overpowered. Crossbows, axes, and swords don't have much impact, so Wesley tries a series of guns that also fail. Angel renews the battle and manages to send the demon to its knees, until the demon stakes him in the neck. The demon sends Angel flying off the roof to the city street. The demon forms the Eye of Fire using the dead bodies and sets them ablaze. Angel rips the stake from his neck and slowly begins to recover.

The fire on the roof rises towards the sky and soon fire starts to rain down as Connor and Cordelia watch. Connor blames himself for the whole situation, but Cordelia comforts and reassures him that he's not to blame. Cordelia kisses Connor and offers him the chance to feel something real. While everyone else watches the fire, fearing the future that awaits them, Connor and Cordelia have sex. Connor is seeking comfort in her arms. Angel is shown to be observing through the window on top of a nearby building.

Production

Executive producer Jeffrey Jackson Bell employed the effects shop Almost Human to design Vladimir Kulich's costuming and make-up. Almost Human makeup designer Chris Burdett says it took 2–3 days for four people to sculpt the costume and another 7 hours to fill and shape the huge fiberglass mold; a life cast was made of Kulich so that the suit would fit him exactly. The night before shooting was to begin, the crew finally established the costume's paint scheme. [2] Kulich went through an eight-hour make-up process to transform him into the character of the Beast, including prosthetics and fiberglass body suit, but "The worst part was the contact lenses...[that] cover the entire eyeball," the actor said. However, the isolating nature of the 50 lb costume [3] meant that "I was able to search a little deeper for material while I was in the character because I was cocooned off...It was liberating." [4] Writer Steven S. DeKnight says all the full-suit shots of the Beast feature stunt double Scott Workman. They cut to Kulich only for the close-ups. [5]

According to director Vern Gillum, "J. August Richards is terrified by rats, just like his character. This is the nicest guy in the world and it was just torment for him beyond anything you could imagine." [5] In the final fight scene, which took two full days to film, Charisma Carpenter had to be careful doing her stunts, as she was pregnant. [5]

Arc significance

Continuity

Cultural references

Reception

Writer Steven DeKnight says, "One of the biggest things this year has been the reaction to "Apocalypse, Nowish." Everybody loved the show, basically giving it five stars then taking three away because of the very end." When fans speculated why Cordelia would sleep with Angel's son, DeKnight cautions, "There is a bigger reason for it that will become apparent as well... You have to remember it's a long story arc." [1] Many people were disturbed that Cordelia slept with Connor, and Charisma Carpenter agrees: "I hear a lot of "ewwww," and I agree. It is ewwwy. Only something deplorable and devilish and truly evil could do something so horrid." [6]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cordelia Chase</span> Character in Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel

Cordelia Chase is a fictional character created by Joss Whedon for the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer; she also appeared on Buffy's spin-off series, Angel. Portrayed by Charisma Carpenter, the character appears as a series regular in the first three seasons of Buffy, before leaving the show and becoming a series regular during the first four seasons of Angel. The character made her last television appearance in 2004, appearing as a special guest star in Angel's 100th episode. Cordelia also appears in both canonical and apocryphal Buffy and Angel material such as comic books and novels.

"That Vision Thing" is the 2nd episode of the third season of the American television series Angel. Written by Jeffrey Bell and directed by Bill L Norton, it was originally broadcast on October 1, 2001 on the WB network. In "That Vision-Thing", Cordelia's vision gift grows dangerous when it begins physically affecting her. She is on the verge of death when Angel discovers Wolfram & Hart lawyer Lilah Morgan is sending the painful visions to force Angel to free a man imprisoned in an alternate dimension.

Dad (<i>Angel</i>) 10th episode of the 3rd season of Angel

"Dad" is episode 10 of season 3 in the television show Angel. After Darla sacrifices herself to save her baby, Angel takes the newborn back to the hotel where he tries to be a good father to his child. But Angel and the gang's problems multiply when they are trapped at the hotel by several groups of enemies, including vampire cults, demon cults and satanic humans, bent on kidnapping his infant son. After brushing off Sahjhan, Holtz goes about Los Angeles recruiting new help for his quest to kill Angel by hiring humans whose families were also victims of vampires, starting with one bitter, working-class woman, named Justine Cooper, as his right-hand person and recruiter.

"Through the Looking Glass" is the 21st episode of the second season of the American television series Angel. Written and directed by Tim Minear, it was originally broadcast on May 15, 2001 on the WB network. It is the second episode in a three-part arc.

"Couplet" is the 14th episode of the third season of the American television series Angel.

"The Price" is the 19th episode of the third season of the American television series Angel, originally broadcast on the WB network. In this episode, the Hyperion Hotel is infested with silicone slug-like parasites that dry up their human hosts. When Fred becomes infected, Gunn turns to the angry and reclusive Wesley for help. Angel is stunned when his lost infant son reappears, now an adolescent boy calling himself the Destroyer.

"The House Always Wins" is the third episode of the fourth season of the American television series Angel. Written by David Fury and directed by Marita Grabiak, it was originally broadcast on October 20, 2002 on the WB television network.

"Supersymmetry" is the 5th episode of the fourth season of the American television series Angel. Written by Elizabeth Craft and Sarah Fain and directed by Bill L. Norton, it was originally broadcast on November 3, 2002, on the WB network.

"Spin the Bottle" is the 6th episode of the fourth season of the American television series Angel. Written and directed by series creator Joss Whedon, it was originally broadcast on November 10, 2002 on the WB television network. In "Spin the Bottle", Lorne performs a magic spell on Cordelia to help her regain her memory, but instead the spell causes all the Angel Investigations members to revert to their teenage personae.

"Soulless" is the 11th episode of the fourth season of the American television series Angel. Written by Elizabeth Craft and Sarah Fain and directed by actor Sean Astin, it was originally broadcast on February 5, 2003 on the WB network. In "Soulless", Angel’s soul has been locked away in an office safe so that his alter ego Angelus can be interrogated about the Beast. After taunting Wesley, Gunn, and Fred about their faults and revealing damaging secrets he, as Angel, knew, Cordelia strikes a deal with Angelus so that he will share information about the Beast.

"Salvage" is the 13th episode of the fourth season of the American television series Angel, originally broadcast on the WB television network. After discovering Lilah’s dead body, a grieving Wesley breaks rogue slayer Faith out of prison so she can help track down Angelus. Meanwhile, Lorne performs a sanctuary spell to keep Angelus out of the hotel while Cordelia—secretly revealed to be the big evil controlling the Beast—confides in Connor that she is pregnant.

"Release" is the 14th episode of the fourth season of the American television series Angel.

"Slouching Toward Bethlehem" is the 4th episode of the fourth season of the American television series Angel. Its title derives from a line from the W. B. Yeats poem "The Second Coming".

"Players" is the 16th episode of the fourth season of the American television series Angel. Gwen Raiden returns to ask Gunn to help her rescue a young girl from a wealthy and powerful tycoon. Meanwhile, Angel and the rest of his team are researching Cordelia’s sudden pregnancy.

"Shiny Happy People" is the 18th episode of the fourth season of the American television series Angel. Written by Elizabeth Craft and Sarah Fain, and directed by Marita Grabiak, it was originally broadcast on April 9, 2003 on the WB network. As Cordelia lies in a coma following her demonic delivery, the rest of the gang becomes enchanted by her unexpected offspring - a full grown woman, whom Angel names Jasmine, who hypnotizes anyone she meets by mere sight. Jasmine tells the gang that she is a former higher being who wants the world clean of all evil. But when Fred has a sudden vision of Jasmine as something other than good, or human, she must find the root to Jasmine’s true nature on her own. The episode's title is derived from the R.E.M song of the same name.

"Sacrifice" is the 20th episode of the fourth season of the American television series Angel.

"Peace Out" is the 21st episode of the fourth season of the American television series Angel.

"Home" is the 22nd episode of the fourth season of the American television series Angel. Written and directed by Tim Minear, it was originally broadcast on May 7, 2003 on the WB network. In the Season Four finale, Connor – having defeated Jasmine in the previous episode – plans to blow himself up with a comatose Cordelia and other hostages, while an undead Lilah Morgan offers Angel Investigations control of the Wolfram & Hart L.A. branch.

References

  1. 1 2 DiLullo, Tara, Inside Out: An Exclusive Interview with Writer Steven S. DeKnight, archived from the original on 2007-11-06
  2. ↑ Bratton, Kristy, The Monster's Bash: Behind the Makeup with the Artists of Almost Human and Angel, archived from the original on 2007-11-10, retrieved 2007-09-15
  3. ↑ "RON MEETS THE BEAST: A Conversation with Vladimir Kulich", Slayage.com, 24 December 2002
  4. ↑ DiLullo, Tara, The Big Vlad: an Exclusive Spotlight on Vladimir Kulich, archived from the original on 2007-08-25, retrieved 2007-09-15
  5. 1 2 3 Bratton, Kristy, ANGEL Season Four DVD Collection REVIEW, archived from the original on 2007-12-18
  6. ↑ Sex Scenes, Babies..., E! News, 2003-02-28, archived from the original on 2007-10-24

Further reading

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.