Forgiving (Angel episode)
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Summary
Shortly after baby Connor is abducted to Quor toth, a Hell dimension, by Daniel Holtz, Fred, Gunn and Lorne try to sort out why Wesley betrayed them and how to get Connor back.
Angel is not interested in sympathy or pity, however. When it proves impossible to open a portal to Quor Toth, he abducts Linwood, a lawyer with Wolfram & Hart to force him to tell where Sahjhan is and how to open a portal to Quor Toth. Angel ends up using dark magic with Lilah‘s help; the end up ripping a tear in the fabric of reality.
We learn that Sahjhan was once a demon knight who had been made non-corporeal by an ancient curse hundreds of years ago, and who is now able to wander through time at will. When Sahjhan uncovered a prophecy that he would be killed by a ‘human son of a vampire couple’ he brought vampire hunter and Angel's old nemesis Daniel Holtz to the 20th century to kill Angel, Darla and the baby. However, Holtz did not play along with Sahjhan's plan, so Sahjhan altered the prophecy to trick Wesley into believing that Angel would kill Connor. Wesley, fearing for the baby's safety, planned with Holtz to kidnap Connor; however, Holtz and his team betray Wesley, and Justine leaves him for dead in a deserted park.
In the final confrontation, Angel makes Sahjhan corporeal once again to fight him, but discovers that he is more physically powerful than any of them had anticipated.
Meanwhile, Wesley struggles to regain strength to seek help. Justine takes over Holtz’s gang to complete their original objective: killing Angel and his friends.
Expanded overview
At the hotel, Angel looks over the burned remains of his bedroom and Connor's crib. Fred and Gunn check Wesley's apartment for any signs of where Wesley went as they question Wes's motivations for taking Connor. They head back to the hotel as Fred continues to call Wesley's cell phone. As they drive away, the phone rings from the park where Wesley lies, bleeding to death. Justine returns to the lair and takes over command, directing Holtz's minions to continue the plan of killing Angelus.
Lorne informs Gunn and Fred about Connor's disappearance with Holtz and the familiar departure by portal frightens Fred. Angel comes downstairs, on a mission to retrieve his son. He directs Lorne to research the portal's destination Quor-toth and begins plans to get to Sahjan and reopen the portal, without Wesley's help. Linwood drops in on Lilah and gets caught up on her activities with Holtz, Sahjan and Angel. Angel, Gunn and Fred research as best as they can. Fred tries to call Cordelia for help in finding helpful files but Angel stops her, determined not to ruin Cordelia's holiday or accept the fact that his son is gone. Upset, Angel leaves office, but his comments lead the others to sudden worry for Wesley's safety.
A homeless man stumbles upon Wesley's body, but instead of helping him, the homeless man robs Wesley and drags him behind a bush. Angel looks through his weapon cabinet as Lorne returns with bad news about Quor-toth: it's a dark dimension and it's nearly impossible to get into. Upstairs, Angel opens his bedroom door and reveals Linwood, tied to a chair. Angel prepares a table of torture implements while Lorne expresses his concern for Angel's actions and Linwood tries to talk his way out of the situation. Threatened with a sharp implement, Linwood has Angel call Lilah and instructs her to cooperate with Angel completely.
Gunn and Fred find Justine at Holtz's lair and ask for information on Wesley's whereabouts. Holtz's men show up as backup and a fight begins, but when one holds a knife to Gunn's throat, Justine flashes to cutting Wesley and orders the fight to stop, letting Gunn and Fred leave. Lilah accompanies Angel through the Wolfram and Hart offices, into an elevator where Angel punches a series of buttons and gains access to the White Room. There, the two encounter a young girl who sarcastically describes the history of Sahjan's demon and how his kind became immaterial. She tells Angel about an urn that can capture the demon and gives him instructions on how to make Sahjan corporeal.
Outside of Wesley's apartment, Fred searches through the trash and finds Wesley's journals. Gunn discovers the translation to the prophecy and the two are relieved to find the real source of Wesley's supposed betrayal. At the hotel, Angel paints a pattern onto the floor as Lilah explains the steps of the ritual. Lorne tries to talk him out of it, but Angel is determined to go through with the ritual. When the instructions call for human blood, Lilah cuts into her own hand and then Angel recites the necessary words. Sahjan doesn't appear at the hotel, but he does materialize in the middle of a street. A truck hits him and Sahjan retaliates by tossing the truck effortlessly aside.
Angel drags Linwood upstairs for more inspiring torture, but Lilah stops him with news that there was a disturbance elsewhere in LA that she suspects is Sahjan. Fred and Gunn return to the hotel and Fred forces Angel to hear the truth behind Wesley's actions. It seems to affect Angel a bit, but he knows he'd never hurt someone he loved and Fred's attempts don't deter him from the mission of finding Sahjan. Justine and Holtz's minions try to attack Angel outside of the hotel, but Angel quickly disposes of them and leaves. Fred and Gunn go outside in time to see Justine drive off in Wesley's car and they follow.
Angel talks to the driver of the truck that hit Sahjan and investigates the scene himself. Justine explores Sahjan's underground lair, but is interrupted by Gunn and Fred. Realizing that Holtz lied to her, Justine is depressed and confesses to cutting Wesley's throat and leaving him for dead. Fred hits her and Gunn steps in when Justine strikes back. Before Gunn can force Justine to take them to Wesley, Sahjan appears and knocks Justine around. Angel arrives and suggests that Sahjan take him to Quor-toth, but Sahjan explains that he cannot open the portal ever again. He reveals that the prophecy that stated Angel would kill Connor was actually his own creation, a protective measure to ensure that Connor didn't kill him as the scrolls actually prophesied. A fight breaks out between Angel and Sahjan and before Sahjan has the opportunity to kill Angel, Justine reappears with an urn to capture Sahjan.
Justine reveals where she left Wesley and the gang go to search for him. Angel returns to the hotel because of the sun and Lorne tries to reason with the vampire about how he should deal with the situation. Lorne takes a call from Fred that reveals that Wesley is alive and at a hospital recovering. Angel shows up at the hospital and goes in to talk with Wesley alone. Wesley can't talk because of his injury, but he is awake. Calmly, Angel tells Wesley he understands what was done with Connor and sympathizes with Wesley's situation. Assuring Wesley that he is not evil, Angel rips the pillow out from under Wesley's head and smothers the injured man while shouting threats of death and retribution for Wesley's betrayal. Orderlies and Gunn rush into the room and drag the screaming vampire off of Wesley and out of the room.
Continuity
Arc Significance
Angel's search for redemption seems to have taken a back seat as he seeks vengeance on Holtz and on Wolfram and Hart for conspiring to kidnap his son. Taunted by the little girl in the White Room, Angel's anger grows, and he nearly kills Lilah in cold blood when the little girl orders him to. His relationships with the other members of his team fall apart. Redemption seems farther away than ever.
Timing
- 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 |
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