A New World

 

Standard "Previously on Angel" stuff, wrapping up with a really cool segue from the end of last week's ep with the creature coming through the portal Angel tried to create, the boy dropping down and killing it, and then saying "Hi Dad". Sweet sweeping camera shot. Everything goes all Matrix-bullet-time funky as you see Groo swing into battle mode with his axe, and Gunn runs out of the frame toward the weapons cabinet as the scene spins to face Angel, Connor behind him. Angel has his hand up, is screaming "WAIT!" as Connor fires his forearm shooter. The bolts- sharpened stakes- fly toward Angel; he takes one in the shoulder, twists and swats the second out of the air. (I swear this is the most kick-ass fight scene I've seen on ANYTHING in a LONG time!) Angel is yelling "NO!" as Groo throws his axe; the camera follows the axe's path back to Connor, who deflects it with a sheild/blade on his left arm. The stake Angel deflected clatters to the ground as he straightens; Connor regards him detatchedly. "Interesting." (The way this scene is filmed makes it amazing; the fact that it only lasts a few seconds only seems to sink in after you've watched it a couple of times!)

Cut to opening credits.

Angel and Connor square off- as Angel has finally realized who Connor is. Angel tries to talk to him; Connor attacks with more stakes. Cordy tosses Angel a sword after he rolls to his feet. Connor pulls a funky one-armed backflip and kicks Groo and Gunn out of the way as Cordy- holding her own sword- backs Fred and Lorne out of harm's way. Angel continues trying to talk to Connor as the two lock arms back-to-back. Connor elbows Angel (they're fighting right over the giant red pentagram on the lobby floor), Angel falls, Connor grabs Angel by the ankle and hauls him under and between his legs (stomach down on the floor). Angel rolls to his back, defends himself, gets a good boot to Connor and sends him flying. Connor does one of those cool flips onto his feet from the flat of his back (if that was really Vincent doing that I'm WAAAAAAAY impressed!) and Connor gets to his feet. They circle each other, Angel telling everyone to calm down as Groo tries to join the fight and gets knocked across the lobby for his trouble. He hits the stairs HARD.

Connor attacks Angel again; Gunn gets in a good hit to Connor's back but finds himself flying across the lobby as well. Groo has gotten up and joins the fray again, and Connor fends off both him and Angel at once. Gunn starts to make some comment about "Peter Pan" as Connor kicks him to the floor again. Angel rushes over, pistol-whips Connor with the hilt of his sword, drops the sword, rolls him off Gunn and punches Connor. Angel grabs the shield/blade on Connor's right arm and forces it towards Connor's neck. The tip of the blade touches the skin.... and Angel lets go, ripping the contraption off. He offers a hand up to Connor, who suddenly looks frightened and scurries away.

Connor bolts out the front door of the hotel- into the sunshine. Angel, frantic, tries to follow; Groo and Gunn haul him back into the shade and give chase as Connor rushes headlong into traffic. Groo and Gunn watch helplessly as Connor manages to evade several vehicles, sees them across several lanes of traffic, then catches a bus- literally running after it and leaping onto the roof. Groo and Gunn stare.

The gang heads back indoors to track the bus. Cordy starts rambling about the vision she had yesterday; Angel chides her for not mentioning Connor. "I only saw you." Gunn wonders if it's really Connor, wondering at the obvious age difference, and Cordy mutters "Tell me we don't live in a soap opera." Lorne is more concerned with the "why he came back" part of the question. (Ooo, Lorne in nummy blue shirt.... drool...) Angel insists Connor came back because he could; Lorne is not so quick to jump on the happy family bandwagon. Angel seems to have a one track mind, insisting that if he can just talk to Connor... he gets the buses' destination from Fred and heads for the tunnels, with Groo and Gunn covering the surface streets. "We will not fail- man." Gunn gives Groo a look; Groo looks clueless. Cordy suggests they split up and starts giving orders as the rift in the ceiling above the pentagram begins to spark- again. The rift is still open, and the gang decides it needs to be closed before anything else comes through. Groo suggests Cordy with her new demon powers give it a shot, and she stands in the pentagram and raises her arms. "I command you close!" The rift sparks, and Cordy turns around. "Okay, I got nothin'." Fred tries to say they already know someone who might be able to help, but Gunn shoots that idea down, saying he's already gone to Wes's- they can't do that again. Lorne says he might know a guy who might know a guy... It's quickly decided that Groo and Cordy will stay to watch the rift; Gunn and Fred will hit the streets, and Lorne makes off to find his "guy". Fred realizes that Gunn went to Wes's to save her, and Gunn admits that he did and that Wes made it very clear "that's a door none of us will ever be knockin' on again."

Off screen, a knock. Cut to a door opening- Wesley. A dark head of hair is barely in the frame, and some unnamable expression flies across Wesley's face as he steps back. The shot shifts to his shoulder and we see Lilah. She has foregone calling because she figured Wes would just tell her to go to hell. She wonders if he's going to invite her in; Wesley says very simply "No". Lilah comes in anyway. Wes steps into the hall for a moment- perhaps looking for others?- as she begins to comment on his flat (HELLO, Wesley in jeans- gotta say I'm liking the scruffy look). Wes remains silent, his expression cold- his door is still open. Lilah decides that when his throat was cut so was his sense of humor; Wesley resplies very quietly "Not at all. I find you being here extremely funny." Lilah wants to know why, and Wes replies that she's going to offer him a job. Lilah waxes philosophical about how you dedicate your life to a cause and the the people you've tried to help turn their backs on you; Wesley agrees and tells her to get the hell out. Lilah tries to stroke his ego, entice him with WR&H's library (and benefits); when he refuses to say anything more she shrugs. "Hey, it was worth a shot." She gives him a gift (it's very obviously a book wrapped in red tissue paper), Wes opens it to reveal Dante's Divine Comedy, Part I: The Inferno. In the original Tuscan. From the 1500's. Has he read it? "Several times." Wes tosses the book across the room casually. Lilah mentions how it's a tour of the underworld, and pretends to not remember who is in the place reserved for the worst sinner in all the world, the center mouth of the devil himself, in the ninth concentric ring of hell. Wesley provides her with the answer- "Judas Escariot." "Right- the worst spot in hell is reserved for those who betray." She takes a step past Wes, then pauses and hangs her head over his shoulder, almost seductively. "So don't pretend you're too good to work for us." Lilah leaves, closing the door behind her. Wes's expression is dark.

Cut to Connor riding the roof of the bus. He is taking in the sights and sounds of L.A. He finally jumps off, looks around, and heads off on the ground.

Angel is in the tunnels on his cell phone with Gunn, who is following Connor's "trail" above ground. He is still headed downtown. Angel tells Gunn and Fred to keep on it; there is still too much sunlight for him to join them. He explicitly tells Gunn that Connor is to remain alive no matter what.

Connor is watching a girl beg for a hit (not that he knows yet what that is). Curious, he leaps off the bridge he's on- a good hundred feet or so above the ground- and comes closer as the girl attempts to swap some CDs for her fix. The dealer contemptously tosses the CDs away; Sunny (the girl) calls him a jerk and tries to hit him. The dealer says she'll have to work it off and starts dragging her toward the abondoned car nearby. Connor approaches and the dealer notices him. "Walk away," he cautions Connor, but Connor continues to advance. The dealer shoves Sunny into the car and remarks on Connor's clothes. Connor explains that they are all things he's killed. The dealer breaks into laughter, whistles, and three goons emerge from the concrete pillars behind Connor. One of them lands a hit across Connor's face with a crowbar and he crumples.

The dealer walks around Connor, grabs his necklace of teeth and rips it off. He instructs the goons to get rid of him; when the first tries to strike Connor rolls out of the way. He fights them off one by one; when the dealer tries to take a shot (with a gun), Sunny manages to bump him hard enough that his shot goes wild and hits one of his own men. He swings the gun toward the car, aiming for Sunny, as Connor kicks the pistol from his hand. They fight, Connor eventually body-slamming the dealer onto the roof of the car. One of the goons tries to get up and Connor spears him with a well-thrown knife as Sunny scrambles out of the car and paws through the dealer's bag. Connor comes back knife in hand to slit the dealer's throat; Sunny cries out for him to stop. As they leave, Connor pauses and goes back, slicing off the dealer's ear "So you won't forget me."

Back at the hotel the rift continues to spark. Groo remains on guard but nothing has come through- apparently he's been standing there like that all day. Cordy wonders if his neck is stiff. Groo tells her that Pylean warriors are trained for such endurance. Cordy muses that Angel does all that "don't move a muscle" stuff too; she wouldn't last ten mintues. Groo dryly observes that he's sure Angel has regaled her with the many tales of his exploits, and Cordy sighs that she gets bored with all that "days of yore" crap- and quickly assures Groo that they are nothing like the tales of his many adventures, that she is impressed with Groo just being Groo. He mentions that she seems to talk about Angel a lot, and Cordy insists it's just because the last few weeks have been so hard for him. Tender moment follows, with Cordy telling Groo he's the only creature from another dimension she's interested in (heck, *I'M* interested in him too!). As they kiss, Groo admits he was afraid her affection for him had waned; suddenly a nasty bolt of energy from the rift strikes them, sending Cordy flying one way and Groo another. They're both knocked out.

Gunn and Fred are at the scene under the bridges; Angel is lurking in the shadows. They confer briefly over several reports and rumors; Angel knows Connor was there. When Gunn brings up the fact that a guys ear was sliced off, Angel awkwardly makes an excuse- "He was raised in a Hell dimension, okay?" Noting the impending night, Angel instructs Gunn and Fred to head back to the hotel.

Sunny and Connor are wandering through an abandoned hotel, looking for an empty room. Sunny is trying to find out more about Connor, asking him what he did for fun, how he spent his time. They find a room and Sunny lights candles and starts looking through the dealer's bag. She finds something and tucks it in her pocket as she invites Connor to stay. Finding some clothes, she indicates for Connor to "lose the whole dead animal thing" as she breaks out the junk food. At some point in the conversation she looks up over her shoulder at Connor- who is standing naked behind her. She invites him to join her eating- they share a cupcake. At one point Connor picks up a spoon to eat with; Sunny explains that it isn't for food, and tries to explain why she uses it for her "medicine".

Back at the hotel Gunn and Fred enter to find Cordy and Groo still unconscious on the floor.

Sunny and Connor are still talking, and Connor tells her that he came to LA to find his father. She admits she came to get away from hers. They share a moment, and a kiss or two; Sunny breaks it off to go to the bathroom.

Wes is in his apartment on the computer. He looks over and picks up the book Lilah left, opens it to the page illustrating Judas Escariot in the devil's mouth- and slams it shut again.

A sleeping Connor awakes with a start, knives in hand. Sunny is nowhere to be seen. He gets up and goes down the hall to the bathroom, opening the door to find Sunny dead on the floor, propped up against the bathtub. The needle is still in her arm, her hair is across her face. He tries to wake her, finds the packet of her "medicine", stands up, and backs into Angel. Angel sees Sunny and immediately flips out, searching Connor's arms for tracks. When Connor denies it and pushes him away Angel calms down. Angel apologizes and tries to get Connor to talk to him. Connor picks up the dealer's jacket and Angel immediately recognizes that he's trying to track someone; when Connor tries to get it back they scuffle. Angel pushes Connor against a wall; Connor retaliates in kind. Angel refuses to let Connor leave, and more blows are exchanged. Connor seems to give up; then takes a sucker punch at Angel; Angel catches him easily and tosses him to the floor with an immediate apology. Finally, from the floor, Connor demands that Angel stop calling him Connor- "My name is Steven." Angel looks stricken.

Gunn and Fred have roused Cordy and Groo. Both are at a loss as to whether anything else came though the portal. In the meantime Fred has found the creature that Connor killed on coming though the portal and says that they usually have a mate. The rift sparks and flickers again. Cordy wonders where Lorne is; Fred hesitantly brings up "that other expert"... Cordelia, after figuring out who she means, doubts that Angel would go for that. Groo dryly remarks "Yes, we must always consider Angel, Angel is our leader, we must obey his wishes." Cordelia shoots him a look. Fred decides that its stupid to sit around and do nothing when they know someone who can help; just as she goes to call, Lorne comes in with Mistress Myrna. As he's talking, she vanishes and appears on the steps coming downstairs. "One of the nasty side effects of specializing in dimensional magic."

Angel is still talking to Connor/Steven, trying to get him to talk and not run away. Connor still looks as though he's about to bolt. Angel continues to talk, almost babbling in his desperation. (LOVE the camera work; the shots keep going in a circle, and just as they get to one character they switch to the opposite- as soon as you see the back of Angel's head you're suddenly seeing him again almost from Connor/Steven's point of view. It did, however, make me a bit dizzy as I kept envisioning the camerperson walking in continuous circles around David and Vincent.) Angel tries to convince Connor/Steven that he tried to rescue him, tries to find a way in- and Connor/Steven throws back "I found a way out." Angel is still babbling, saying he should have tried harder. When he tries to get COnnor/Steven to talk, he refuses, saying his father told him everything. When Angel- incredulous- says something about his father, Connor/Steven hauls off and hits him HARD, saying Angel doesn't get to say or even think that name, that he knows everything, that Holtz told him all about Angel and what he is. He demands that Angel show him his second face. Connor/Steven keeps pushing, keeps hitting at Angel until the vampire gives in and vamps out. Angel quietly hopes that he can accept that its part of who he is someday. Connor/Steven is staring, hostile. "You'll have to kill me first."

The dealer (Tyke, wearing a large bandage on his left ear- or what's left of it) and his thugs meander in, saying that shouldn't be a problem. He pulls a gun on them and Connor/Steven bristles- Angel holds him back as Tyke demands to know where Sunny is. Angel thinks quickly. "Would that be the dead girl in the bathroom?" The thugs go to check as Tyke demands to know who Angel is. Angel insists he's Connor/Steven's father despite the young man's denials; when Connor/Steven starts to move toward Tyke Angel hold him back again. "Would you let me handle this?" Connor/Steve backs off. Angel tries to convince Tyke there's no need for violence; Tyke flips out over his missing ear. The two exchange quips ("You can get me a new ear?" "Well- maybe you can wear a hat.") AS Tyke demands his coat and whatever drugs are left back, one of the tugs comes in with news of the cops surrounding the place.

Mistress Myrna is trying to figure out the portal. "I hope this pentagram wasn't a dark attempt to close the fissure." Gunn- "Uh, no- it was a dark attempt to OPEN one." She looks at him. "DIFFERENT one. Long story." Myrna and Fred talk briefly, and Myrna tells Fred that it isn't really a portal- it's a tear in reality. "Big Cosmic no-no." Fred backs off. Myrna observes that something punched it's way through- something she really doesn't want to meet. At which point she comes striding around from behind the group, startling Cordy and Gunn. Cordelia yelps and Myrna apologizes. Lorne comes bearing a bowl of something, and Myrna puts on some safety glasses; worried, Lorne wonders if they should leave, or get behind something. Myrna reassures him that glasses are only to avoid getting schmutz in her eye. She performs a very short incantation and tosses some of the contents of the bowl; the portal sparks and flashes and is closed. When Cordy asks if anything else came through, Myrna shrugs. "Not sure, and not hanging around to find out. Bye!"

Back at the abandoned hotel, Angel is taunting Tyke. Mid sentence he attacks, and Angel and Connor/Steven take out the thugs. As Tyke gets back up Angel wails him in his ear (or rather, where his ear WAS) Tyke screams and drops as the cops are shown surrounding the place. Tyke grabs Connor/Steven as a hostage; as Angel convinces him to let Connor/Steven go and use HIM as a hostage (bigger, better shield) the cops bust in shooting. Angel and Connor/Steven hit the floor. A firefight follows. Angel urges Connor/Steven toward an open window; as he leaps, a cop takes aim and fires. Angel jumps up and takes the bullet. Connor/Steven stares as Angel falls, then slowly gets up. "GO!" he urges Connor/Steven as he hurls both of them out the window.

On the street below, the two are running. They hide behind a van and Angel takes a second to recover. Connor/Steven seems to have a new respect for Angel, but declines Angel's offer to stay at the hotel. He runs off and leaves Angel alone in the street.

Connor/Steven is running through an alley and pauses as a figure emerges from the shadows. It's Holtz, looking VERY aged. "Hello, Son." "Hi Dad."

Cut to end credits.
Rating and Comments:
The fight scenes rocked, Angel's scenes with Connor/Steven are amazing, Mistress Myrna was a hoot (loved the jumping around and the blue hair- we need to see more of this character, IMHO), and Sunny was tragic (her name only intensified the irony of her existence)- the only real letdown was Tyke the dealer (for some reason he didn't seem believable) and at the very end, Holtz's makeup to make him look old just did NOT look very authentic in the lighting used in the alley. I LOVED LOVED LOVED the camera work in this eppy
Rating 9/10
Written By: Staff Writer - Shelbel

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