Magic Bullet

 

Previously on Angel…..
Various scenes with voice overs from some of the main characters……
Cordelia rubs her very pregnant stomach as Lorne says, "A mystical pregnancy right under my beak."

A bright light shooting from Cordelia's stomach and becoming Jasmine. Then Angel goes to attack her and stops.

Gunn, "You're a power that was?" as they the gang fall to their knees.
Angel, "We've all been saved."
Connor, "She's amazing."
Lorne, "Eternal bliss."
Wesley, "Tell us what to do."
The gang fight vampires and demons.

Fred, "You're hurt."
Jasmine looks at her arm, which has been slashed.
Fred, "I scrubbed till my fingers bled, but I couldn't get out the….." as Fred sees Jasmines real face, all maggoty and horrible.
Jasmine, "Fred?"

Wesley, "I can't believe Fred's evil."

Jasmine, "We'll find Fred, but not tonight. Tomorrow will be easier than today."

Fred is sitting in a diner when Jasmine comes on the television.
Jasmine, "Good morning Los Angeles. Thank you for inviting me." As people fall to their knees in front of the television.

Wesley, "As long as she's out there, she's a threat."
Angel, "We have to kill her."

Continued
The Beach Boys are playing Wouldn't It Be Nice and everyone is walking along in the California sunshine with smiles on their faces, talking to strangers and generally being nice to each other. A driver stops to let some pedestrians cross the road and smiles at them. Fred runs into the side of the car and breaks the scene of tranquillity. She runs on past the car and we see Wesley and Gunn chasing her.

Gunn says he's getting annoyed with Fred and then they see her jacket through the crowd. They grab the woman wearing it, but it's not Fred. They ask her about the jacket and she says a woman gave it to her and told her Jasmine wanted her to have it. She says, "Isn't Jasmine great?" and Gunn and Wesley agree. Then they split up to find Fred.

The camera moves down below street level and we see Fred has taken to the sewers to escape.

Opening credits

Main
The Hotel
Lots of people are milling around the hotel. Lorne is at the reception desk. A man asks if there's a room, but they are fully booked. The man offers his house if he can stay, but Lorne says Jasmine doesn't want his things and neither does he. The man says he saw her on the news and wanted to thank her for the way she made him feel. Lorne says, "You're preaching to the choir. I thought Our Lady of the Perpetual Seabreeze was the real deal 'til the Divine Miss J walked right through that door and into my ass. Which is where my heart is. Physiologically. I could show you an x-ray."
Jasmine walks in flanked by Connor and Angel. Lorne tells the man not to be shy and sends him over to her.

Jasmine thanks them all for coming. Then she stops and speaks to a Chinese woman. Angel asks how she manages to say what they want to hear and Jasmine tells him she looks into their hearts.

Angel sees Gunn and Wesley enter and he excuses himself and takes Connor to the office. Gunn and Wesley tell them they nearly had Fred but she got away. Angel says they have to find her to see why she rejected Jasmines love.

They all go back out to the foyer in time to see Jasmine pick a woman and the man who was speaking to Lorne to go with her. Gunn asks if she'll ever pick them. Wesley says maybe, but not until they catch Fred.

The Magic Bullet Book Shop
Fred goes into the bookshop and speaks to the owner. She had been there three days before looking for books on mass hypnosis but now she needs a book about hypnosis that would affect everyone across the board. The bookshop owner hasn't had any customers since she was last in but he isn't worried since he heard Jasmine on the radio. Fred asks him if he doesn't mind being controlled but he says he knows it's happening, he just doesn't worry about it any more.

A sewer
Angel and Connor are searching for Fred. Angel asks Connor how old he was when he found out he could track by smell. Connor says he was five or six, he didn't really celebrate birthdays in the Quortoth. He tells Angel Holtz used to test him and Angel asks if he would hide things for Connor to find. Connor says, sort of, he would tie him to a tree and he had to escape and get back home. Angel is shocked, even more so when Connor says one time it only took him five days to escape and get back.

Then they both stop and say together, "Jasmine wants us back."

Jasmine's room
Jasmine is looking at a laptop, watching a clip of an interview she did. Wesley tells her the web site will be ready in a few days.

Angel and Connor walk in. They say she called them and ask how she did it. She says they are all becoming connected. She wants to try something to find Fred. They all join hands and she asks them to close their eyes and concentrate on Fred, then she reaches out.

A motel
Fred collects her key. A woman standing nearby looks at her.

(Jasmine, "I see her. I see Fred.")

Fred goes to her room, but other people look at her and she realises something is happening. She turns to leave the motel but people outside try to stop her.

(Jasmine, "There's nowhere to run dear. My love is all around you.")

Fred runs away but a man in a car chases after her. As Fred runs across the road the car smashes into two other cars and bursts into flames. The driver is burning as he gets out of the car and goes to Fred saying, "Fred, don't be afraid."

Jasmine's room
Connor jumps as the heat coming from Jasmine's hand burns him. They want to get her a doctor, but she tells them not to, she just needs to rest. She says she saw Fred as clear as she can see them and that she got away, but it doesn't matter because everyone who loves her now knows what Fred looks like and will catch her or contact the hotel if they see her.

Wesley asks what she wants them to do and she says they already know. Angel says there are lots of people in the hotel and they have needs. Lorne says, "And you know what they say about people who need people?"
Connor answers, "They're the luckiest people in the world."
Everyone turns to look at him as Lorne says, "You been sneaking a peek at my Streisand collection again, kiddo?"
Connor says, "It just popped out."
Jasmine tells them they are becoming connected as Gunn says the water has just gone out on the third floor and Wesley finishes that there's a plumber in the foyer who can fix it. Jasmine says that's what she means.

A country road
Fred is walking along when a car passes her. It goes on for a short distance, then stops and reverses. She steps off the road but misses her footing and rolls down the embankment at the side of the road and falls through the dirt landing in an underground cave on top of a demon. She grabs an axe that is lying nearby and the demon claims he's vegetarian. Fred tells him to sit down or she'll `chop him down like a cherry tree`. When he complains Fred says she's trying to figure something out.

The hotel
Wesley is talking to the people gathered there. He has a picture of Fred and is telling them that she is to be considered armed, dangerous and possibly insane. Then Lorne gets up and declares it's open mike night.

People get up and say what they want about Jasmine including a song from Lorne and a duet of Mandy, changed to Jasmine, from Angel and Connor.

The cave
Fred and the demon are sitting either side of a fire. The demon is complaining about being on the run because of Jasmines followers. Fred tells the demon she's been trying to work out how to stop Jasmine all night and that they'll have to stop her together. The demon says that's fine, but not tonight then he goes to his bed. When he throws back the covers there are severed hands hidden there. He claims they are not his, then he admits they are and attacks Fred who kills him with the axe.

The Magic Bullet Book Shop
Fred is standing outside the bookstore surrounded by people glaring at her. She says, "Here I am, come and get me."

(Jasmine opens her eyes and says, "Fred.")

Fred goes into the bookstore where the owner greets her by name. When she comments on this he tells her she's famous and that they are under strict orders not to hurt her. Then Jasmine walks in. She rewards the bookstore owner for his faithfulness by telling him that Oswald worked alone, there was no second gunman.

Jasmine tells Fred she loves her, and Fred says she's sorry. Jasmine accepts her apology, but Fred says it's not for her, it's for Angel and that she hopes he can forgive her, then she takes the gun from behind the counter and shoots Jasmine. The bullet goes through her and hits Angel, who promptly attacks Fred. He takes the gun from her and says shooting him was a dumb idea but he'll see how bullets work on Fred. Fred tells him to look at Jasmine, which he does and sees the rotten face that Fred sees. He releases Fred as she apologises for doing this to him. Connor moves towards Angel, but Jasmine stops him saying Angel has been infected and is as dead to them as Fred is. Fred says she loved Jasmine so much then shoots her several times. Connor throws Fred across the room and knocks her out then when Angel goes to her, Connor throws him across the room saying he ruins everything. Angel goes to Fred, picks her up and leaves. When Connor goes to stop them Jasmine tells him she needs his help.

The hotel
Lorne, Wesley and Gunn are eating pie. They feel there is something wrong, but because Jasmine isn't about they can't sense what it is. Then Jasmine enters with Connor. They are pleased to see her back, but then they realise Angel should be with them and they hurry to her.

The office
Jasmine tells them Fred infected Angel and he's lost to them. Wesley asks how it happened and Jasmine says it was because of her kindness to Fred, she opened the door to her and lost Angel.

They leave the office and Jasmine picks three people to go with her and she takes them and Connor upstairs.

Lorne says he can't understand how Fred managed to sway Angel to the dark side and Gunn says, "Evil, not evil, evil again. I wish he'd make up his mind."
Wesley says, "Well I guess the good news is it doesn't matter any more. Jasmine says Angel has to die, he dies."

An alley
Fred is lying on the ground and Angel is sitting nearby. She wakes up, sees Angel and asks how he is. He says the bullet feels like a bee sting. She says she doesn't mean that and he says he knows, but he doesn't want to talk about it because he misses Jasmine so much. Fred says she understands, she still cries and she's been free for over a week. Then she starts to cry and tells Angel how alone she's felt, she isn't a champion like him, but he says from where he stands she is. Then they hear voices and Fred kisses Angel. As she pulls away she asks him if he thinks they bought it and he says, "Well I did. I mean I didn't hear anything."
They turn and a group of people are standing looking at them. They say, "Angel. You're dead Fred." Then they attack them.

Jasmine's room
Jasmine tells Connor to stand guard, and then she goes inside with the three people. She tells them to take off their clothes then she goes to a mirror and heals the gunshot wound in her shoulder.

Cordelia's room
Two people are looking at Cordelia then they leave. The window opens and Angel falls in followed by Fred. Fred tells him Cordelia is brain dead and Angel says it makes what he has to do a little easier. Then he goes over to Cordelia and kisses her on the forehead and says, "I'm so sorry."
He takes out a knife and as he's about to cut her Cordelia grabs his wrist. Angel thinks she's awake, but Fred tells him people in comas sometimes do things, it doesn't mean they are waking up. Then she says that maybe they should get this over with.

Outside Jasmine's room
Connor is basking in the bright glow seeping around the edges of the door.

Cordelia's room
Angel and Fred are collecting some of Cordelia's blood. The door opens and Lorne walks in. He doesn't realise who they are until he sees the blood coming from Cordelia's wrist. Angel grabs him.

Outside Jasmine's room
Connor is still basking in the glow when the door opens and Jasmine steps out. She is glowing so brightly he cannot look at her. The glow dies away and he tells her she is the most beautiful thing he has ever seen. Then he asks what she has done with the people she took into the room with her and she says she's eaten them. Connor says, "Cool."

Cordelia's room
Lorne is sitting looking very dejected. Angel asks him if he can do this and he takes a drink from his hip flask and says he can.

The hotel foyer
Lorne is walking through the foyer talking to guests. He goes to Wesley and Gunn and tells them Jasmine wants to see them ASAP. They say they haven't felt anything, then Wesley notices the cut on Lorne's wrist. They go with Lorne who leads them to one of the rooms, lets them go in then takes a baseball bat from behind the door as he follows them in.

A room in the hotel
Wesley and Gunn are sitting very depressed. Lorne says he knows how they feel. Wesley can't take in that everything they believed was a deception. Fred asks how they can fight something as powerful as this and Angel says he doesn't know yet, but he's not leaving the hotel without his son. Wesley says he'll get him as he's kidnapped him before.

A corridor in the hotel
Wesley brings Connor to the room. He can't understand what they want, but Angel grabs him from behind and holds him. Wesley cuts Connor's chest and smears Cordelia's blood on it. Then Gunn asks if he's back with them. Connor calms down and Angel apologises for what he's just done and releases Connor. They tell Connor the sadness will get better after a while, then Angel asks if he understands why they are there. Connor moves away from them, then goes to the door and shouts, "They're here. Come quick, they're here."

Closing credits

Rating and Comments:
Poor Fred! There is nobody she can turn to for help because everyone is under Jasmines spell, but she soon realises how to get a few people, the most important ones to her, back on side. And of course the first one is Angel, her champion from Pylea and her friend. Once she has him on side, the others are soon brought back into line as well.

A major question from this episode is why doesn't the blood cure Connor? Is he under some different spell? Is he acting as he would anyway, in other words not under a spell at all, but just clinging to whatever he can find to give him the family he so badly craves. He seems intent on ignoring the fact he was so loved by his mother that she killed herself so that he could live, and his father would do anything for him. Or is there something else about him to do with Jasmines claim that she chose him to be her father?

Also, why do I think that the powers we have seen from Jasmine are only the tip of the iceberg? She's obviously not up to full strength yet (as she says, she needs them to find Fred, she can't do it herself, yet). Even without being a higher power, her mother is part demon and her father is a super being. And what is the connection with light? She was born in a pillar of light, she heals herself with light, one of the Beasts first acts was to create a pillar of light up to the sky and block out the sunlight, Cordelia rose up to be a power in a beam of light, and one of Cordelia's powers involved light pouring from her and curing/destroying whoever she was dealing with. I am probably going off at a complete tangent with this, but it will be interesting to see if there is a connection.

And why does she need to eat people? And more to the point, why was Connor's only reaction to this revelation, "Cool"? As someone who was brought up by a puritanical bible quoter like Holtz, shouldn't he have been at least a bit unhappy about this, rather than finding it cool?

On a lighter note, I think Angel and Connor's karaoke duet of their version of Mandy (renamed Jasmine) has to be one of the funniest scenes of the series so far! Now we know not only has Connor inherited his fathers brooding technique, he's also inherited his singing voice!
Rating 8/10
Written By: Staff Writer - Rusty

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