Welcome to Rewatching Angel, the part of the blog where I rewatch the Buffy the Vampire Slayer spin-off: Angel. Each Tuesday evening, you’re invited to join me as I attempt to rediscover what made me love these shows so many years ago.

To Shanshu in LA

• Wesley is working on translating the portion of the scroll that pertains to the vampire with a soul.
• He seems to be stuck on the word “shanshu,” which is pivotal to the prophecy regarding Angel.
• A cloaked figure skulks around outside the office.
• Cordelia sees in the paper that Wolfram & Hart promoted Lindsey.
• Angel hears the cloaked figure outside and approaches him.
• It’s David Nabbit, the super wealthy nerd from a couple episodes back. He just wants to hang out.
• Meanwhile, under the cover of darkness, a couple of druid looking guys cast a spell that calls forth a masked, hooded demon.
• Holland Manners, along with Lindsey and Lilah, are there to greet him on behalf of Wolfram & Hart.
• After David leaves, Wes has an epiphany and discovers that shanshu means death.
• The prophecy says that after the “coming battles” the vampire with a soul will die.
• Angel appears unconcerned with this turn of events.
• Cordelia suddenly gets a vision. She sends Angel after a slime demon that’s attacking a homeless woman.
• She’s tired of the “scratch and sniff” visions. She says that if she ever meets the Powers That Be, she’s gonna punch them in the nose.
• The masked demon is kinda pissed that Angel has the scroll that is needed for the summoning that is meant to bring Angel down.
• They intend to sever all of Angel’s ties to the Powers That Be.
• Detective Lockley shows up where the slime demon attacked the woman and finds Angel comforting her.
• Kate is super antagonistic toward Angel. Kinda seems out of left field after all this time has passed.
• She can’t let go of her father being killed by vampires. Even though those vampires are now dust.
• Wesley is worried about Angel’s lack of reaction to the prophecy. He thinks Angel is cut off. He’s not afraid of death because there’s nothing in life that he wants.
• Does Angel have nothing to look forward to?
• Cordelia is determined to help Angel discover something in life that he could want.
• Wesley suggests that Angel consult the Oracles about the shanshu prophecy.
• The masked demon beats him to the Oracles. And he kills them.
• Cordelia hangs out in an outdoor market area when the masked demon brushes up against her.
• She’s struck by a another massive vision.
• And another. And another… and they’re constant.
• She’s freaking out and is in horrible pain.
• The masked demon waltzes into Angel’s office and downstairs to Angel’s apartment.
• Angel receives a call about Cordelia and rushes off. This gives masked demon a wonderful opportunity to break into Angel’s weapons stash and steal the scroll.
• But he leaves something in its place. Even masked demons know you don’t get something for nothing.
• At the hospital, Angel tries to see Cordelia, and she is still freaking out. The doctors think she’s having a psychotic episode.
• She can’t perceive anything around her because the visions are overwhelming her senses.
• Wesley arrives back at the office and heads down to get the scroll. Whatever he sees in the weapons cabinet causes him to back up.
• Outside, Angel gets pulls back up and parks near his building. As he walks toward the entrance, the building explodes.
• Angel heads into the bombed out office looking for Wes. How he survived the blast, I don’t know.
• Kate, of course, shows up and tries to stop Angel from following Wes to the hospital.
• He finally stops being polite and lets her know that he’s sick of being blamed for everything she can’t handle.
• Back at the hospital, Wes is unconscious and Cordelia is sedated, but still visioning exponentially.
• Angel swears to Cordelia that he’s gonna fix this.
• When he holds her hand, he notices a mark on it. He draws it and takes the drawing to the Oracles.
• He’s granted audience before he even finishes the spell. Because the Oracles are dead.
• The spirit of the female Oracle tells Angel that the masked demon is called Vocah, a warrior of the underworld.
• She tells Angel that part of the scroll, which Vocah now has, is needed to remove his mark and save Cordelia.
• Angel goes to Gunn for a favor. He tells Gunn that Wes and Cordelia need protection at the hospital.
• In a mausoleum, Vocah and the druids begin a summoning spell. Some kind of beast.
• Angel waits outside the entrance to Wolfram & Hart’s offices. He follows the unholy trio of Holland, Lindsey, and Lilah and they lead him to the mausoleum.
• The summoning spell continues and requires the sacrifice of five vampires.
• Angel interrupts and begins fighting Vocah. Lindsey takes over the reading of the spell.
• The five vampires turn to dust, which gets sucked into a crate/cage.
• Holland orders his lackeys to get the box out of there.
• Angel and Vocah continue to fight. When Vocah’s mask is removed, his face is covered with maggots.
• Kind of grosses Angel out, so he kills him.
• Lindsey refuses to give Angel the scroll. So Angel throws a scythe, cutting off Lindsey’s hand.
• He retrieves the scroll and leaves Lindsey writhing in pain.
• Wesley, having regained consciousness, reads the correct spell from the scroll and releases Cordelia from the constant visions.
• I mean, she’ll still get the visions, she just won’t have them 24/7 causing her to go insane in the migraine.
• This experience changes Cordelia. She saw so much pain in the world and she’s convinced they need to help them all.
• Back at Cordelia’s apartment, Wesley is continuing to translate as much of the scroll as he can. But he can’t figure out what Wolfram & Hart raised in that box.
• Wesley discovers that shanshu could mean live instead of die. Or it could mean live and die.
• What it boils down to is that once the vampire with the soul fulfills his destiny, he will become human.
• Guess Angel has something to look forward to after all.
• Wanna know what’s in the box? What did the bad lawyers summon?
• It’s Darla… the vampire who sired Angelus. The vampire who was dusted by Angel way back in the first season of Buffy.
• Body count: Oracles – 2; Vampires – 5; Masked Demons – 1; Evil Lawyer Hands – 1