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.

A New World

• Once again, picking up where we left off…
• Connor has returned from the Q’ortoth and he’s a teenager.
• His first order of business seems to be to kill Angel, firing several wooden stakes at him.
• He misses, of course…
• Groo tries to toss an ax at Connor, but the kid is able to deflect it easily.
• Connor’s got some moves and seems hellbent on killing his father.
• Angel manages to get the upper hand but stops short of killing him.
• Then he reaches out a hand to help him up, but Connor freaks out and runs into the daylight, where Angel can’t follow.
• The others follow and watch as Connor jumps on top of a bus.
• Lorne is less concerned about how Connor has grown up than with why he came back.
• Angel gets info on the bus and takes off while the others notice that the tear in reality is still active.
• Groo suggests that Cordelia try to use her newfound powers close the tear, but nothing happens.
• Lorne says he knows a guy who might be able to help.
• Fred tries to suggest asking Wesley, but Gunn makes it clear that’s a door that they shouldn’t go knocking on anymore.
• So Lilah knocks on Wes’ door.
• She’s there to offer him a job.
• He turns her down, but then she gives him a copy of Dante’s Inferno, leading to a discussion of hell…
• Lilah points out that, in the book, the worst spot in hell is reserved for those who betray… “So don’t pretend you’re too good for us.”
• Connor rides on top of the bus and seems overwhelmed by the sights and sounds all around him.
• Somewhere near the LA River, Connor finds a girl who seems to be in distress.
• When he tries to stand up to the jerk that’s causing her harm, the jerk’s cronies show up and knock Connor out.
• He wakes up quickly, though, and takes out all the bad guys.
• The girl stops Connor from killing the lead jerk… so he cuts off the guy’s ear instead.
• She grabs a bunch of cash and drugs from the lead jerk and takes off with Connor.
• Cordelia and the Groosalug are keeping an eye on the tear in reality…
• When they let their guard down and start kissing, they’re struck by lightning from the tear.
• Connor’s girl takes him to an abandoned apartment complex where she’s squatting.
• She introduces him to earth food.
• Gunn and Fred return to the hotel and find Cordy and Groo unconscious on the floor.
• Connor and the girl start getting comfortable and then she starts to make out with him.
• Then she excuses herself, claiming she’ll be right back.
• Connor wakes up the next morning and finds that his new girlfriend, Sunny, has overdosed on heroin.
• Angel finds Connor with the girl.
• He tries to talk to him, but Connor is only interested in tracking the jerk that allowed Sunny to die.
• Eventually, the kid demands that Angel stop calling him Connor.
• “My name is Stephen.”
• Back at the Hyperion, there’s concern that something came through the tear while Cordy and Groosalug were unconscious.
• Lorne shows up with a Mistress Myrna who specializes in dimensional magic.
• Angel and Connor/Stephen finally talk… well, Angel talks and Connor/Stephen stares intently.
• The kid says that his “father” told him everything about Angelus.
• And that’s all this kid cares about… what Holtz told him.
• Their father/son chat is interrupted by the lead jerk and a couple of his cronies.
• Mistress Myrna manages to close the tear fairly easily… so mark that off the to do list.
• The police show up looking for lead jerk and the boys.
• A shootout ensues, killing one of the cronies.
• Angel saves Connor from a shotgun.
• Connor seems appreciative of what Angel did for him, but still won’t return to the hotel with him.
• Connor makes his way to a dark alley where a much older Holtz emerges from the shadows.
• Guess we know what came through that tear while Cordelia and Groosalug were knocked out.
• Body count: Humans – 2 (I think… I could have missed someone during that shootout)