You're Welcome (Angel)

Last updated
"You're Welcome"
Angel episode
Episode no.Season 5
Episode 12
Directed by David Fury
Written byDavid Fury
Production code5ADH12
Original air dateFebruary 4, 2004 (2004-02-04)
Guest appearances
Episode chronology
← Previous
"Damage"		Next →
"Why We Fight"
Angel season 5
List of episodes

"You're Welcome" is the twelfth episode of the fifth season of the American television series Angel . Written and directed by David Fury, it is the 100th episode of the series, and originally broadcast on February 4, 2004 on the WB network. In "You're Welcome," former series regular Charisma Carpenter returns as a guest star, when the character of Cordelia Chase miraculously awakens from her coma. It is her duty to put Angel, who has recently been feeling ineffective at fighting the powers of darkness, back on the right path. Meanwhile, Angel's old enemy Lindsey McDonald has resurfaced and is plotting revenge. This episode features the death and final onscreen appearance of Cordelia.

Contents

The episode was written to reinforce the show's earlier themes, and examine the evolution of the characters in the show's one hundred episodes. The original plan was for Sarah Michelle Gellar to return as Buffy Summers, but when she could not appear due to the death of her aunt [1] and work obligations, it instead focused on rounding off the character of Cordelia. The episode proved generally popular with critics, who praised Charisma Carpenter's final performance as Cordelia and the sense of resolution for the character.

Plot

Cordelia emerges from her coma after experiencing a vision of the symbols painted on Eve's apartment door and tattooed on Lindsey's chest. After Angel and Wesley collect Cordelia from the hospital, she reveals that the vision which woke her from the coma showed Angel in peril. She finds the symbols from her vision in a book, and Wesley recognizes them as runes to protect and conceal, effective against surveillance. Cordelia apologizes to Wesley for killing Lilah while under Jasmine's control.

Spike complains to Lindsey (who is impersonating Doyle) that the deranged slayer chopped off his hands. Lindsey reveals he also had one of his hands severed. Spike bites Cordelia until Angel fights him off. Spike explains he was tasting whether she was evil, as his source claimed. Angel questions the source, and Spike says it was Doyle. Angel confronts Eve, suggesting she is working with the Doyle impersonator manipulating Spike. Eve confesses that Lindsey is activating a fail-safe left by the Senior Partners to destroy Angel. When Spike mentions "Doyle" had a hand chopped off, Angel deduces that "Doyle" is Lindsey. Angel battles Lindsey, who is strengthened by his runes. While Angel and Lindsey fight, Cordelia disables the fail-safe. Wesley and Fred perform a spell that causes Lindsey's tattoos to disappear, making him visible to the Senior Partners. Lindsey is sucked into a portal.

Angel and Cordelia say their goodbyes and share a kiss. Angel receives a phone call informing him that Cordelia has died. He realizes, with teary eyes, that Cordelia never awoke from her coma.

Production

The fight scene between Lindsey and Angel in the underground chamber, which took three days to film, was written by Steven S. DeKnight. [2] Christian Kane, who went through 2+1⁄2 months of sword training for his role in Secondhand Lions , approached the writers to see if they could work his new skills into the episode; [3] Kane ended up performing his own stunts for the sword fight sequence, including wire work. [4] He also did his own stunts for the scene when Lindsey moves through the lasers in the tunnel, which were not CGI, but actual lasers. [2] During the fight scene between Eve and Harmony, Sarah Thompson says Mercedes McNab slapped her accidentally. "She was... so worried she'd hurt me but it actually worked well for the take because I reacted by really screaming," Thompson says. [2]

David Boreanaz had just had knee surgery prior to filming, so writer David Fury did his best to keep Angel sitting down as much as possible. [5] Fury used tight camera angles during Spike's apartment scene with Lindsey to disguise the fact that the same set was used earlier for the opening teaser. "Everything is a bit contained; the reason is if I turn around, this is where they found the dead nuns," Fury explains. [2]

Writing

Joss Whedon says he used the 100th episode to reinforce the "mission statement" of the show, [6] as well as assess where the characters are now compared to how they began. Whedon explains this episode presents an ideal opportunity to - through Cordelia, who was "there at the beginning" - ask of Angel, "Where are you now? Where were you when you started and where are you now and how do you feel about that?" [7] The return to the show's "original concerns" is echoed by the flashback to Doyle's first season advertisement; Sara Upstone points out aerial images of Los Angeles reappear at the same time Cordelia tells Angel "You forgot who you are," bringing back the show's link to the city. [8] This episode, written as a stand-alone as per the network's request, also sets up a critical plot-thread for the season arc that "will begin to reveal itself toward the end of the season," Whedon says. [9] The character of Buffy Summers was originally intended to appear in the 100th episode, focusing on the rivalry between Angel and Spike and their feelings for Buffy, but Sarah Michelle Gellar was unavailable. Writer/director David Fury explains that since "we couldn't get Sarah," the episode was instead written for Cordelia Chase. He adds, "This turned out to be a Godsend because Charisma was fantastic." [10] In the original script, Fury wrote a conversation between Wesley and Angel while driving to the hospital that set up Cordelia as a possible vegetable. The scene was never shot because "the shock of seeing her up and around after a 9-month coma was enough. We just didn't want to tip it too soon," says Fury. [2]

Christian Kane was genuinely upset when an addition by Joss Whedon in the script called for Angel to refer to Lindsey as a "tiny Texan." Although born in Texas, Kane identifies as a "Sooner" and "I'm stronger than David, bigger than David, I'm just shorter." Kane says Joss "likes to take shots at me. He's like, 'I can't build this character up too much without cutting his nuts just a little bit.'" [3]

Cast

Carpenter says she was satisfied with the way her character left the show, as she feels Cordelia's story has been fully resolved. [11] Creator Joss Whedon agreed, saying, "In seven years, we'd sort of run through our course of [the] character and didn't want to start just doing hollow riffs on what we'd done." [12] Since Whedon suspected this season would be the last, Carpenter says, "we didn't want to just leave Cordelia in a coma..this would be a very big story left untold." [13] Carpenter says the 100th episode was a momentous time to have her character die, [11] calling it "bittersweet...a love letter to Cordelia" [6] and the story "one of the sweetest they'd ever told." [14] David Fury agrees: "It's a beautiful farewell to Charisma for the series" [2] and it gives "Charisma a send off that was respectful to her and Cordelia Chase. I was very proud to have my name on it." [15]

Actor Christian Kane says he had a difficult time calling himself 'Doyle' because he felt on some level he was masquerading as deceased Glenn Quinn. "It was a very awkward situation for me and David because we were close to Glenn," says Kane. "I didn't know how the fans were going to react to it." [2] Kane says the memory of Quinn upset Boreanaz: "I could see it in his eyes... it’s got to be a tough deal for him." However, Kane thinks that "Joss is brilliant because he used that. How do you turn me and David against each other? You really can’t because we’re such close friends. So to use that for Angel and Lindsey, I think has a little bit of brilliance to it. It’s kind of sick...but it did the job." [16] David Fury adds, "I think [the fans] appreciated it from the standpoint that we were honoring him. That Doyle's not a forgotten piece of this world." [2]

Reception

This episode was rated as one of the series' top five episodes in a poll done by Angel Magazine . [17] TV Guide praised Charisma Carpenter's "blithe comic delivery"; [18] the BBC noted that Carpenter's return elevated the script from "merely great to something close to awesome," but griped because the show's tight budget left Lindsey's activation of the fail-safe an "unfulfilled promise." [12]

Reaction to the death of long-time character Cordelia was generally positive. After being disgusted by Cordelia's fourth season arc, which she claims "destroyed Cordy's character and viewer trust", author Jennifer Crusie applauds this episode. "The writers play fair," she says, "foreshadowing the Gotcha to come" - Cordelia is in a private room, yet hastily draws the curtains around a bed-ridden roommate, and remarks to Angel that she understands why Doyle used his "last breath to make sure [Angel] kept fighting." Rather than undercutting the emotional impact of the story, the twist of Cordelia's tragic ending reinforces and honors her character. "She is...our Cordy again," Crusie says. [19] Cordelia exits the series "needed, loved, and wanted"; her final words are "You're welcome," Janine R. Harrison argues, because "she knows her worth." [20]

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Buffy Summers</span> Lead character of Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Buffy Anne Summers is the title character of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer franchise. She first appeared in the 1992 film Buffy the Vampire Slayer before going on to appear in The WB/UPN 1997–2003 television series and subsequent 1998–2018 Dark Horse and 2019–present Boom! Studios comic series of the same name. The character has also appeared in the spin-off series Angel, as well as numerous expanded universe materials such as novels and video games. Buffy was portrayed by Kristy Swanson in the film and by Sarah Michelle Gellar in the television series. Giselle Loren has lent her voice to the character in both the Buffy video games and an unproduced animated series, while Kelly Albanese lent her voice to the character in the Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight motion comics.

Spike (<i>Buffy the Vampire Slayer</i>) Character in Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel

William "Spike" Pratt, played by James Marsters, is a fictional character created by Joss Whedon and David Greenwalt for the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel. Spike is a vampire and played various roles on the shows, including villain, anti-hero, trickster and romantic interest. For Marsters, the role as Spike began a career in science fiction television, becoming "the obvious go-to guy for US cult [television]." For creator Whedon, Spike is the "most fully developed" of his characters. The character was intended to be a brief villain, with Whedon originally adamant to not have another major "romantic vampire" character like Angel. Marsters says "Spike was supposed to be dirty and evil, punk rock, and then dead." However, the character ended up staying through the second season, and then returning in the fourth to replace Cordelia as "the character who told Buffy she was stupid and about to die."

Angel is an American supernatural television series, a spinoff of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The series was created by Buffy's creator, writer and director Joss Whedon, in collaboration with David Greenwalt. It aired on The WB from October 5, 1999, to May 19, 2004, consisting of five seasons and 110 episodes. Like Buffy, it was produced by Whedon's production company, Mutant Enemy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charisma Carpenter</span> American actress

Charisma Carpenter is an American actress. She played Cordelia Chase in the supernatural drama series Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997–1999) and its spin-off series Angel (1999–2004). She also starred as Kyra in Charmed (2004), Kendall Casablancas in Veronica Mars (2005–2006), Rebecca Sewell in The Lying Game (2012–2013), and Lacy in The Expendables film series (2010–2012).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Allen Francis Doyle</span> Character in the television series Angel

Francis Allen Doyle is a fictional character created by Joss Whedon for the television series Angel. The character was portrayed by Glenn Quinn. Doyle is a seer who receives prophetic visions from The Powers That Be, usually of people in peril. Half-human, half-demon, his demon heritage allows him to manage them without suffering any permanent damage. His half-Brachen demon physiology grants him the ability to shift from normal human to demonic appearance, in which he has heightened sense of smell and superior strength, speed, stamina, and dexterity, the last of which allows him to twist his head around in such a manner as to fake a broken neck. However, Doyle rarely used his Brachen powers, preferring to remain human, thus limiting his usefulness in a fight.

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

Harmony Kendall is a fictional character created by Joss Whedon for the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and its spin-off Angel. The character is portrayed by Mercedes McNab. Originally cast as a minor character, McNab's credited status elevated to guest star and ultimately series regular over the course of her tenure in Buffy and Angel.

Angel (<i>Buffy the Vampire Slayer</i>) Character in Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel

Angel is a fictional character created by Joss Whedon and David Greenwalt for the American television programs Buffy the Vampire Slayer and its spin-off series Angel. The character is portrayed by actor David Boreanaz. As introduced in Buffy in 1997, Angel is a love interest for heroine Buffy Summers, a young woman whose destiny as "the Slayer" is to fight the forces of evil, such as vampires and demons. However, their relationship is complicated by the fact that Angel is himself a vampire cursed with remorse and a human soul, which motivates him to assist Buffy in her duties as Slayer. The character's popularity led to the production of the spin-off Angel, which follows the character's struggle towards redemption after moving to Los Angeles. In addition to the two television series, the character appears in the comic book continuations of both series, as well as much other expanded universe literature.

Connor (<i>Angel</i>) Character in the television series Angel

Connor is a fictional character created by Joss Whedon and Tim Minear for the television series Angel. The character is portrayed as an infant by the triplets Connor, Jake, and Trenton Tupen and as a teenager by Vincent Kartheiser. Connor has a recurring role in season three, becomes a regular in season four, and has his last television appearance in the series finale as a guest star. He continues his story in the canonical comic book series Angel: After the Fall.

"Not Fade Away" is the 22nd and final episode of the fifth season and the series finale of the American television series Angel. Written by series creator Joss Whedon and directed and co-written by Jeffrey Bell, it was originally broadcast on May 19, 2004 on the WB network. In "Not Fade Away", Angel convinces his team that they must take out every member of the Circle of the Black Thorn in a defiant and probably futile stand against the Senior Partners of Wolfram & Hart. He tells his team to make the most of what may be their last day on Earth: Gunn visits his old neighborhood; Wesley tends to the wounded Illyria; Lorne spends some time onstage; Spike performs poetry at an open mic, and Angel visits his son. When night falls, the team divides and sets out to eliminate the members of the Black Thorn, incurring the wrath of the armies of hell.

"City Of" is the premiere episode of the first season of the American television series Angel. Written by co-creators Joss Whedon and David Greenwalt and directed by Whedon, it was originally broadcast on October 5, 1999 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.

"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.

"Conviction" is the first episode of the fifth season of the American television series Angel, originally broadcast on The WB network. In this episode, Wolfram & Hart C.E.O. Angel and the rest of the group cope with their new, morally ambiguous lifestyle. Their client - an unsavory, violent gangster - threatens to unleash a virus if they fail to keep him out of jail. Biological warfare is averted when Gunn uses the knowledge of the law that Wolfram & Hart mystically bestowed upon him to prevent the gangster from being incarcerated.

"Destiny" is episode 8 of season 5 in the television show Angel. Co-written by David Fury and Steven S. DeKnight and directed by Skip Schoolnik, it was originally broadcast on November 19, 2003 on the WB network. In the episode, Angel and Spike duel over a mystical grail to decide which one will be the champion, as flashbacks show the complex relationship between the two vampires. Guest star Juliet Landau reprises her role as Drusilla, and Christian Kane makes an uncredited appearance at the end of the episode playing Lindsey McDonald. The episode is notable for its large scale battle between the two vampires, as well as for being the focus of an indecency complaint by the Parents Television Council for sexual situations.

"Welcome to the Hellmouth" is the series premiere of the American supernatural drama television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. It originally aired on The WB on March 10, 1997 in a two-hour premiere along with the following episode, "The Harvest". The episode was written by the series creator and executive producer Joss Whedon and directed by Charles Martin Smith. "Welcome to the Hellmouth" received a Nielsen rating of 3.4 upon its original airing and received largely positive reviews from critics.

<i>Buffy the Vampire Slayer</i> season 2 Season of television series

The second season of the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer premiered on September 15, 1997, on The WB and concluded its 22-episode season on May 19, 1998. The first 13 episodes aired on Mondays at 9:00 pm ET, beginning with episode 14 the series moved to Tuesdays at 8:00 pm ET, a timeslot the series would occupy for the rest of its run.

<i>Angel</i> season 1 Season of television series

The first season of the television series Angel, the spin-off of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, premiered on October 5, 1999, on The WB and concluded its 22-episode season on May 23, 2000. The season aired on Tuesdays at 9:00 pm ET, following Buffy.

<i>Angel</i> season 5 Season of television series

The fifth and final season of the television series Angel, the spin-off of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, premiered on October 1, 2003 on The WB and concluded its 22-episode season and its television run on May 19, 2004. The season aired on Wednesdays at 9:00 pm ET. This is the only season of Angel to air following the finale of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

References

  1. ↑ Gary Susman (March 5, 2004). "Gellar may appear in Angel's final episodes". Entertainment Weekly. She backed out of a proposed appearance earlier this year, though she says she wasn't trying to distance herself from her signature role; rather, she was mourning the death of an aunt.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Bratton, Kristy, ANGEL Season Five DVD Collection REVIEW, archived from the original on 2007-10-20, retrieved 2007-10-16
  3. 1 2 O'Hare, Kate (May 7, 2004), 'Angel's' Kane Rocks Chicago, Zap2It, retrieved 2007-10-16
  4. ↑ Christian Kane - About his Career - Globalpop.com Interview, GlobalPop.com, 2006-03-26, retrieved 2007-10-16
  5. ↑ Fury, David, "You're Welcome" (Commentary with David Fury), Angel: Season Five on DVD, Twentieth Century Fox, 2004.
  6. 1 2 Lee, Patrick (February 2, 2004), At 100 (episodes), Angel bites into a new future while remembering the past, Sci Fi Weekly, archived from the original on 2007-11-26, retrieved 2007-09-26
  7. ↑ Pierce, Scott D. (Feb 4, 2004), Don't miss Angel, Deseret Morning News, archived from the original on 2007-11-26, retrieved 2007-10-04
  8. ↑ Upstone, Sara (2005), ""LA's got it all": Hybridity and Otherness in Angels Postmodern City", in Stacey Abbott (ed.), Reading Angel: The TV Spin-off With a Soul, I.B.Tauris, p. 110, ISBN   1-85043-839-0 , retrieved 2007-10-11
  9. ↑ Villanueva, Annabelle (Jan 30, 2004), Angel 100th episode: Hell's Angel, Hollywood Reporter, retrieved 2007-10-29
  10. ↑ Jozic, Mike, "Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Post Mortem Week 6; David Fury" Meanwhile... (September, 2004).
  11. 1 2 "Interview with Charisma Carpenter", E! News, 2004-02-06, archived from the original on 2004-07-16, retrieved 2007-09-26{{citation}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  12. 1 2 Angel Season Five Episode Guide: You're Welcome, BBC, retrieved 2007-09-26
  13. ↑ Coleridge, Daniel R. (2004-02-05), "Why Angel Lacks Charisma", TV Guide , archived from the original on 2007-10-13, retrieved 2007-09-26
  14. ↑ "SMGFAN.com's Exclusive Interview with Charisma Carpenter". January 13, 2004. Archived from the original on July 16, 2005.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  15. ↑ "EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: DAVID FURY IS NOT GAY!". January 22, 2009.
  16. ↑ Christian Kane - Horror-web.com Interview, 2004-04-18, retrieved 2007-09-20
  17. ↑ Top Angel episodes, BBC, 18 January 2005, archived from the original on 2005-03-19, retrieved 2007-10-16
  18. ↑ Roush, Matt, "Roush Dispatches", TV Guide , retrieved 2007-09-26
  19. ↑ Crusie, Jennifer (2004), "The Assassination of Cordelia Chase", in Glenn Yeffeth (ed.), Five Seasons of Angel , Dallas: Benbella Books, pp. 194–196, ISBN   1-932100-33-4
  20. ↑ Harrison, Janine R. (2005), "Gender Politics in Angel: Traditional vs. Non-Traditional Corporate Climates", in Stacey Abbott (ed.), Reading Angel: The TV Spin-off With a Soul, I.B.Tauris, p. 128, ISBN   1-85043-839-0 , retrieved 2007-10-08

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.