Sacrifice (Angel)

"Sacrifice" is episode 20 of season 4 in the television show Angel.

Plot synopsis

Connor, unaffected by Jasmine's blood (which enabled Angel and his gang to discover the truth about Jasmine), threatens them all, but Angel shuts the door on him, letting the others escape through the fire escape. Connor pounds on the door while he proclaims how he won't give up the opportunity he has now—being a part of something. Angel barges out into the hall and begins to pound Connor into unconsciousness, then as Fred and the others bring the car around on the street, Angel and Connor come flying out of the window. Angel gets in the car and orders Wesley to drive, even as Jasmine and her followers approach. They listen to a radio announcer reporting that the mayor has named L.A. a “citadel of Jasmine.” In addition, all Catholic churches in L.A. are removing “false idols” and replacing them with images of Jasmine. The gang discuss the fact that the universe owes them a break. Upstairs in Jasmine's suite, Jasmine has several of her followers undress and then come to her while a badly-beaten Connor wakes from his unconsciousness. Restored by feeding on her followers, Jasmine heals Connor then reassures him that they'll deal with Angel and the others.

Wesley pulls up at a gas station and the gang talk about their plan to get the gas quickly and avoid the bystanders. Gunn knocks out a man getting ready to fill his car with gas and steals the pump while Wesley backs the car into place. While Gunn fills the car with gas, the others are attacked by people at the station speaking with Jasmine's voice. Once the car is filled, they all take off, but police cars and other followers chase after them. Leaving the car behind, Angel leads the others down into the sewers and lets them have a minute to rest. Fred remembers that they left Cordelia behind, but Angel tells her and the others to forget about Cordelia and let go of their emotions that Jasmine controlled them through. The gang continues through the sewer tunnel, unaware that something with red eyes watches them.

Connor sits by Cordelia's side and talks with Jasmine about what the others did to Cordy. Jasmine asks him to leave her alone with Cordelia and he does. As they walk through the sewers, the gang talk about Cordelia and how easy life was when they were blind followers to Jasmine. Angel and Wesley suddenly fall through the floor, but Wesley's caught by Gunn before he can hit the ground. A group of young kids point sticks and makeshift spears at the gang. Connor goes to check on Jasmine, but finds that Cordelia's no longer on the bed. Jasmine explains that Cordy's in a safe place where her blood can't be used as a threat. Angel flies out of the hole and the others disarm the kids, but Angel calls off any efforts to hurt them. One of the kids recognizes Gunn and turns out to be Golden, the younger brother of one of Gunn's former crew members. Something causes their surrounding to shake and the youngest of the crew, Matthew, warns that it's back.

The kids guide Angel and the others to their hideout, which is secured by bars and makeshift gates. Matthew tries to befriend Angel, but the vampire's cold to him. Angel notices the blood on his hand, Connor's blood, and rushes to wash it off quickly. Still hard and determined, Angel grabs a weapon and directs his team to go out and help get rid of this unidentified monster. Jasmine gets off the phone with the Governor and talks with Connor. He wants to go out and find Angel and the others, but Jasmine won't let him yet. Jasmine gouges her nails into Connor's hand as she demands that he let go of his pain and give it to her. As she releases his hand and Connor releases his pain, the wounds on his hand appear on hers as well. While searching for the creature in the sewers, Golden is grabbed and pulled up into a high tunnel, but Angel flies up after him and saves him. Angel returns, but in vamp face and he scares Matthew into running away. Fred and Gunn chase after him while Angel realizes that Wesley has been taken while they weren't looking.

A demonic crab-like creature approaches Wesley, proclaiming that his kind loved "her" first. Angel tells Lorne to stay with the others while he goes to find Wesley, but in light of Angel's newly discovered demon side, Golden and the others are not keen on the idea of letting Angel out of their sight alone. The insect-demon praises the one he loves, but once Wesley realizes that the demon is talking of Jasmine, the demon scolds Wesley for giving her a name. A splatter of blood and flesh falls on the ground beside Wesley, reminding the demon of his project. It scurries off to work on a web-y mass of flesh and bone against a wall. Fred and Gunn chase after Matthew as they talk about feelings. They start to talk about when they killed the professor and how much that it hurts them both.

With spears pointed at him, Angel doesn't bother trying to defend his nature, saying he wouldn't be able to, and instead points out that if he chose, he could kill them all without difficulty. Fred and Gunn arrive on the surface and carefully scour the streets for Matthew. Meanwhile, the demon works on project, cutting and stitching together the body of a vampire. Wesley questions where the demon is from and he points out a blue sphere that's the key to his dimension, but warns that the dimension is not one a human can survive. The demon explains that he's working on blood magic, not magic that consists of words. The vampire trapped in the sadistic web asks to just be killed, but the demon rips its tongue out to stop it from talking. Wesley realizes that there is a word that can hurt Jasmine—her name—but the demon refuses to provide it and instead threatens to kill Wesley for speaking of it at all.

Fred and Gunn find Matthew in an alley and try to convince him to return with them. He refuses, and to stop him from screaming, Gunn knocks the boy unconscious. Fred is stunned by the action, but helps Gunn carry the boy back anyway. Back in the demon's lair, Wesley is cornered by the demon as it prepares to kill him, but Angel arrives in time to stop it. Lorne lectures the rest of the gang about hurtful words just before Gunn and Fred return with Matthew. Golden doesn't like the situation as it unfolds, but Gunn defends Matthew's unconscious state as a matter of necessity. Matthew begins to laugh in Jasmine's voice, interrupting the fight, and confirming Matthew's exposure to Jasmine. Jasmine's voice turns the others on Gunn, Lorne and Fred and the three run for their lives. Before they can get far though, they run into Connor and a group of military men to back him up.

Angel and the demon fight, but ultimately Angel stabs the demon in the neck with one of its own claws, killing it. Wesley grabs the blue orb and explains the other dimension to Angel while he ponders a way to make it work for them. Angel senses danger and Connor's presence. As Connor and Jasmine sense Angel in return, Angel signals the others to him and Wesley. Wesley figures blood magic is the answer to working the orb and uses a cut on his head as the source. A portal opens before them and while the others hold the door against Connor and the soldiers, Angel is given the undesirable task of going through the portal. Reluctantly, Angel takes the orb from Wesley and moves through the portal as the others finally release the door and prepare for battle. The battle however is not easy because all the damage they make to Connor and the soldiers turns to Jasmine's body, who heals them instantly, making her followers practically immortal. As the fight breaks out, Angel finds himself in another dimension, surrounded by the Spider Demons.

Continuity

Arc Significance

• The Angel Investigations team discovers that by discovering Jasmine's true name, they will be able to defeat her.

External links

Wikiquote has quotations related to: Sacrifice

• "Sacrifice" at the Internet Movie Database
• "Sacrifice" at TV.com