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.

Sacrifice

• Angel holds back the mob, allowing the rest of the team to get away down the fire escape.
• Once they’re away, Angel bursts through the door and starts beating the crap out of Connor, with Jasmine’s followers closing in.
• On the street, the rest of the gang wait in the car.
• Suddenly, Connor falls onto the hood and Angel jumps down after him, tossing him onto the road.
• Angel gets in the car and tells them to drive away, leaving Connor and Jasmine behind.
• Connor wakes up in Jasmine’s room, just in time to watch as she magically devours a half dozen people.
• She notices he’s awake and heals him.
• Jasmine explains she’s not worried about Team Angel…
• She’s growing closer to her followers and knows that they are many, whereas Angel and his team are few.
• The gang has to stop and get gas and are immediately attacked by people speaking with Jasmine’s voice.
• As they finish getting fuel, they speed away and Jasmine laughs… almost as if she’s enjoying the whole thing.
• They get enough of a lead then abandon the car for the sewer tunnels.
• Jasmine walks in as Connor is sitting with Cordelia.
• They see how Angel was able to get blood to convert the others.
• She asks Connor to leave her to have a moment alone with her mother.
• While wandering through the tunnels, the gang reminisce about how good it felt to be under Jasmine’s thrall.
• Fred talks about Jasmine asking her for a name.
• Wes brings up the point that it’s odd how a creature of immeasurable age never had a name before now.
• Suddnely, Angel falls through a false floor and the gang is confronted by someone new…
• It’s a gang of kids… none of whom are under Jasmine’s control.
• Then they hear… something…
• When Connor returns to Cordelia’s room, she’s gone.
• Jasmine explains that her blood is a danger to them all, so she’s where Jasmine wants her to be.
• That’s not gonna sit right with Connor, whether he’s under Jasmine’s control or not.
• The team follows the group of kids to their underground lair.
• Angel uses their water to wash Connor’s blood off his fists, wiping his hands on one of their towels.
• They decide to help these kids take out the monster they heard out in the tunnels.
• Apparently it’s been picking off their crew one at a time.
• Jasmine gets off the phone with the governor of California.
• He’ll be dissolving his administration tonight, giving full power to Jasmine.
• Jasmine describes the utopia she plans to build and she’s excited to have Connor by her side.
• So… is Connor meant to be her father or her partner?
• Ugh… I really don’t like this season.
• Jasmine is concerned that Connor has not completely given himself over to her.
• He’s holding on to his pain…
• He agrees to give over his pain to her.
• Down in the sewer, the leader of the kids’ gang, Golden, gets snatched up by the monster they’re hunting.
• Angel vamps out in the fight to save Golden and scares one of the kids, Matthew, who runs to the surface.
• In the confusion and chaos, Wesley gets taken by the creature, who throws him against the wall and claims, “We loved her first!”
• Hmm… who could he be talking about?
• Angel wants to track down Wes while Fred and Gunn go after Matthew.
• He tells Lorne to take the others back to the fort, but Golden won’t let Angel go now, knowing he’s a vampire.
• The creature is obviously talking about Jasmine.
• And when Wesley refers to her as Jasmine, the thing seems to be pretty offended.
• But then it says it has to get back to work…
• Fred and Gunn get into it while searching for Matthew.
• And can I just take a moment to express what an amazing actor Amy Acker is?
• She’s incredible.
• They make it topside, avoiding anyone under Jasmine’s thrall… which, at this point, is all of LA.
• Meanwhile, Wes tries to get the creature talking and discovers it’s from another dimension.
• It tells him to go visit, but warns that the air there will burn out his lungs pretty quickly.
• Wes figures out it’s preparing a spell.
• It explains that it’s performing blood magic… older than words.
• Eventually, it’s clear that the creature thinks people are stupid to throw names about all the time… takes power away.
• Wes figures out that Jasmine’s real name is the word she hates… it’s the word that will have power over her.
• Fred and Gunn catch up to Matthew and try to get him back underground.
• He starts to scream for help, so Gunn knocks him out to shut him up.
• Wes tries to get the name from the creature, but it tells him that only the high priest keeps the name.
• Just as it’s about to kill Wes, Angel arrives to save the day.
• Gunn carries Matthew back into the underground lair… but it’s too late.
• Matthew wakes up and begins laughing… Jasmine’s laugh.
• Lorne, Fred, and Gunn take off, but they don’t get far before they’re confronted by the national guard and Connor.
• Angel manages to kill the creature.
• Wes leads Angel to the key to the creature’s homeworld.
• Somehow, Fred, Gunn, and Lorne get away and find their way to Angel.
• They seal off the creature’s lair while Wes figures out how to open the portal… with his blood.
• Angel’s the only one who can go.
• He’s afraid that, by going, he’s leaving his friends to die.
• Connor kicks in the door, leaving them to fight.
• Jasmine, back at the hotel, laughs as she gets cut and heals over and over again.
• In another world, Angel is confronted by dozens of creatures like the one he just killed.
• Body count: Humans – 6; Jasmine Worshiper – 1