
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.
Just Rewards
- Flashback to Sunnydale…
- Just a little reminder that Spike and the special amulet destroyed the Hellmouth just before he disintegrated.
- Looked like that was painful…
- He rematerializes in Angel’s office at Wolfram & Hart.
- Seeing Angel, Spike’s face vamps out and he attacks.
- Only to pass right through Angel…
- So Spike is non-corporeal.
- He’s a… ghost?
- Wes picks up the amulet.
- When Spike asks, Angel reveals that Buffy is fine and in Europe when last he heard from her.
- Down in Fred’s lab, they examine Spike to determine what’s going on with him.
- Fred determines that there’s no ectoplasm… so if he’s a ghost, they shouldn’t be able to see him.
- Wes examines the amulet and determines that Spike is connected to it.
- But the amulet was buried with the Hellmouth… how did it wind up back at Wolfram & Hart?
- Out of nowhere, Spike vanishes.
- Then he reappears on the other side of the lab.
- He can’t say where he went…
- Spike lets it slip that he has a soul and the rest of Team Angel wonder why Angel never brought that up.
- Another vampire with a soul…
- Back in the offices, Spike gives Angel a hard time about “fighting evil from the belly of the beast…” saying that, instead, they’re getting digested.
- Spike points out that a demon is getting off the elevator and Angel winds up killing it.
- Turns out, that was his 3:00 appointment.
- Angel was supposed to negotiate with the demon to try and get its clan to stop eating babies.
- But Gunn says it’s all good, that the clan respects a strong opening.
- A lawyer comes in and complains that Internment Acquisitions has been shut down.
- No more graverobbing at Wolfram & Hart.
- But there’s a certain client named Hainsley who will not be happy if the firm stops delivering fresh bodies.
- Spike decides he’s had enough of watching Angel at the firm and takes off.
- Later, Angel and Wes discuss Spike’s position…
- Wolfram & Hart gave Angel the amulet and likely expected him to use it, which means what happened to Spike was supposed to happen to Angel.
- And if that’s the case, why hand him the LA branch?
- Spike comes back… completely unable to leave Wolfram & Hart.
- He’s tied to the place.
- The lawyer from graverobbing who was sent to break the news to Hainsley about the end of fresh corpses returns…
- …In three buckets.
- I guess Hainsley didn’t take the news well.
- Gunn brings in Hainsley’s file… turns out he’s a necromancer, which is why he wants the dead bodies.
- Angel is ready to go and confront Hainsley himself.
- And Spike is going with him.
- Hainsley has a little business going on…
- He charges demons to transfer their essences into dead bodies so they can walk around as humans.
- When Angel and Spike arrive, he orders his butler to kill them.
- Angel kills him by throwing a spoon into the butler’s forehead.
- Spike vanishes during an argument, then Angel kicks in Hainsley’s door.
- Angel tells Hainsley he’s cut off…
- But an undead vampire doesn’t really have much control when a necromancer can dust him without a stake.
- Hainsley decides that would be too much of an insult to the Senior Partners since they apparently have plans for Angel.
- Angel calls Gunn and has him freeze all of Hainsley’s assets, then leaves.
- Spike’s going with him, but then he disappears again.
- This time, though, it’s because he’s summoned by Hainsley, who wants to help Spike out of his ghostly situation in exchange for a little help taking down Angel.
- Back at the office, Wes and Fred break the news that Spike can’t get out of here.
- He’s trapped.
- Spike returns and overhears the team discussing their options of how to deal with him.
- They’re talking about having Spike cross over… eternal rest…
- Destroying the amulet should do the trick.
- Angel wants to sleep on it before making a decision.
- Spike visits Angel just as he’s going to bed.
- He reveals that the necromancer tried to make a deal with him.
- But he’s not going to double cross Angel.
- He just wants this existence to end.
- The amulet has to be destroyed on hallowed ground, so Spike and Angel go to a cemetery and Angel gets ready to smash it.
- But then Angel starts smashing himself in the face…
- Hainsley controls Angel and tosses him into a mausoleum.
- So Spike did decide to double cross Angel.
- The plan, apparently, is to transfer Spike’s essence into Angel’s body.
- Spike talks it all up with Angel real good, too.
- He’ll take over and Angel’s soul will just be off in oblivion.
- But somewhere during the transference, Spike takes over the necromancer’s body.
- Angel is able to fight Hainsley and winds up beheading him, revealing Spike was inside.
- The double cross was part of Spike’s plan the whole time… he told Angel about it off screen.
- Later, Spike visits Fred.
- He clearly makes her nervous…
- Spike reveals to her that he’s slipping away and he doesn’t want to go.
- Whenever he vanishes, it’s like he’s being dragged into hell.
- He asks Fred for help.
- Body count: Demons – 1; Humans – 3