Double or Nothing (Angel episode)
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Summary
Gunn and Fred are totally in love with each other. But it's revealed that seven years earlier, Gunn had visited a demon at a casino in order to trade his soul for something. Now, the time has come to pay the debt and the demon wants Gunn's soul before he can give it to Fred.
Angel and the others, including Cordelia and the Groosalugg both back from their sunny vacation in Mexico, go to the casino and kill the demon, saving Gunn right when he was about to pay his debt and give up his life. It is revealed that he gave his soul for a pickup truck (he was young and thought he wouldn't live long).
Expanded overview
Fred and Gunn work at the office searching through files for current cases and try to get by without Wesley. Lorne joins them and a discussion arises about Angel, who is upstairs alone. As they continue to discuss whether Angel would actually kill Wesley, Cordelia returns to the hotel with Groo in tow. The sight of her friends quickly dampens her mood. Upstairs, a depressed Angel watches Connor's crib as Cordelia, having just heard what happened to Angel, comes in and comforts and consoles him. At a demon-populated casino, a demon by the name of Jenoff meets with another, the "Repo-Man." The Repo-Man is given instructions to collect someone's soul and hands over a card to Angel Investigations to guide the collection demon. Back at the hotel, the next day, Angel rests silently in his room while Cordelia sits near him, reading.Lorne packs Wesley's belongings into boxes while Groo tries to carry on a conversation about the recent events affecting the agency and group of friends. Meanwhile, a couple of elderly demons talk with Gunn and Fred about their case. They explain that there is an uninvited demon staying at their lair, then begin to bicker. Gunn recognizes the type of demon, a Skench, and agrees to battle the phlegm projecting demon to rid the couple of their problem. Gunn and Fred admire the couple's long relationship while Groo appreciates Fred and Gunn's concern for each other. Lorne leaves for a private reading while Fred takes the box of Wesley's belongings to him at the hospital. There, she fills him in on the whole story and everyone's knowledge of his true motivations as well as their feelings of betrayal. She reveals that the prophecy was a fake and warns him never to return to the hotel or Angel really will kill him.
Gunn investigates the demon lair and finds the grotesque Skench demon. He fights with the demon and eventually manages to slay it without getting hit by phlegm. His luck changes however when the Repo-Man appears at the lair after receiving directions from Groo at the hotel. Seven years before, Gunn visited Jenoff at the casino and assuming he didn't have a future, sacrificed it in exchange for something he wanted badly. The Repo-Man advises Gunn that since Gunn was preparing to offer his soul to a girl (Fred), Jenoff wanted to ensure he collected before that happened. Gunn is given 24 hours to show up at the casino to pay and any failure to go through with it will not only cost Gunn his soul, but also Fred's.
Back at the hotel, Gunn is disconnected and preoccupied with his thoughts, which Cordelia picks up on. She assumes he's feeling guilty about being happy with Fred when Angel's so down, and advises him to enjoy life and seize the day. The following day, Gunn follows that advice and brings Fred breakfast in bed and announces he has planned the day for them to spend together. A doctor at the hospital informs Wesley that he'll be released soon, and asks if he has anyone who can pick him up. Wesley is left with the stark reality that he has no friends left. Angel muses over Connor while Cordelia sits and listens to him talk.
Gunn treats Fred to a fun day all over town, with excessive amounts of her favorite foods. Fred gets tired and full of food and then realizes that something is wrong with Gunn because he's trying to live the day like it's his last. She pressures him for the truth and he explodes. He throws insults and rudeness at her and ends their relationship brutally, leaving Fred in tears. Back at the hotel, Cordelia offers Angel some encouraging support and advice, but is distracted by crying that she hears out in the hallway. A tearful Fred stands out in the hallway and tells them there's something wrong with Gunn.
Meanwhile, Gunn shows up at the casino to pay his debt to Jenoff. Fred tries to explain the situation with Gunn, but her story is confusing to the others. Trusting Fred's judgment, Angel assures his friends that they will rescue Gunn as the gang will not be losing another member. As they plan to search for Gunn, Groo reveals a business card from the Repo-Man and tells the gang about the demon's visit. Just before Jenoff can suck Gunn's soul, Angel and the gang break into the casino and start fighting the demons. Gunn is detained and dozens of demons surround the gang.
Angel puts his soul on the line along with Gunn's in order to get Jenoff to agree to a challenge. Angel instructs Cordelia to stake him quickly if he loses, and she assures him she will. Jenoff allows Angel to pick the game and he suggests the winner be determined by cutting the deck for a high card. His plan doesn't work however and he loses the game. Cordelia reacts quickly and stakes Jenoff's hand to the table while Angel decapitates him. Gunn breaks free, but he knows the terror is not over as the parasitic soul-sucking creature within Jenoff's body emerges from where his head was and starts emitting horrible, high-pitched screams.
Thinking quickly, Angel questions whether anyone else in the crowd is in Jenoff's debt and the customers all jump on Jenoff while the Angel Investigations team escapes. In his truck, Gunn apologizes repeatedly to Fred for breaking up with her and she accepts after many repetitions. With her prompting, he reveals that he traded his soul not for a girl, but for his truck. At the hotel, Cordelia watches as Angel begins to dismantle the crib in his bedroom and leaves him in peace.
Writing and acting
Production details
Music
- Coolio - "Gangsta's paradise". - Used alongside a flashback to Gunn's past in 1996.
Quotes and trivia
Continuity
Timing
Arc significance
- Stories that take place around the same time in the Buffyverse:
| Location, time (if known) | Buffyverse chronology: January 2002 - Spring 2002 (non-canon = italic) |
|---|---|
| Sunnydale, 2002 | B6.13 Dead Things (Buffy episode)>Dead Things |
| L.A., 2002 | Angel book: Fearless (Angel novel)>Fearless |
| L.A., 2002 | A3.13 Waiting in the Wings (Angel episode)>Waiting in the Wings |
| Sunnydale, 2002 | B6.14 Older and Far Away (Buffy episode)>Older and Far Away |
| L.A., 2002 | A3.14 Couplet (Angel episode)>Couplet |
| Sunnydale, 2002 | B6.15 As You Were (Buffy episode)>As You Were |
| L.A., 2002 | A3.15 Loyalty (Angel episode)>Loyalty |
| Sunnydale, 2002 | B6.16 Hell's Bells (Buffy episode)>Hell's Bells |
| L.A., 2002 | A3.16 Sleep Tight (Angel episode)>Sleep Tight |
| Sunnydale, 2002 | B6.17 Normal Again (Buffy episode)>Normal Again |
| L.A., 2002 | A3.17 Forgiving (Angel episode)>Forgiving |
| L.A., 2002 | Angel comic: |
| Sunnydale, 2002 | B6.18 Entropy (Buffy episode)>Entropy |
| L.A., 2002 | A3.18 Double or Nothing (Angel episode)>Double or Nothing |
| Sunnydale, 2002 | B6.19 Seeing Red (Buffy episode)>Seeing Red |
| L.A., 2002 | A3.19 The Price (Angel episode)>The Price |
| Sunnydale, 2002 | B6.20 Villains (Buffy episode)>Villains |
| Sunnydale, 2002 | Buffy books: Wicked Willow (Buffy novel)>Wicked Willow |
| L.A., 2002 | A3.20 A New World (Angel episode)>A New World |
| Sunnydale, 2002 | B6.21 Two to Go (Buffy episode)>Two to Go |
| Sunnydale, 2002 | B6.22 Grave (Buffy episode)>Grave |
| L.A., 2002 | A3.21 Benediction (Angel episode)>Benediction |
| L.A., 2002 | A3.22 Tomorrow (Angel episode)>Tomorrow |
| Buffyverse | ||
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| Key Terminology | "Demon" | "Slayer" | "Vampire" | "Watcher" | "Werewolf" | "Witch" "Child of Senior Partners" | Shanshu | Sunnydale Syndrome | Tro-Clon | |
External links
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