Buffy Logo 'Angel'
Story Code '4V07'

by David Greenwalt
Buffy

The Master sends The Three - a trio of vampire super-warriors - after Buffy. She is about to be overpowered by them when Angel arrives, and between them they manage to ‘dust’ the vampires. However, Angel is injured and so Buffy insists that he come back to her house so that she can tend to his wounds; he agrees, but gallantly spends the night on her floor. The next day at school a jealous Xander grills Buffy on the propriety of allowing Angel into her room. Angel is still in her room when she returns from school, and he tells her he had to hide from her mom; he reveals that he is attracted to her, and they kiss. However Angel inadvertently reveals his true nature when his face turns into that of a vampire! Buffy is so shocked that she screams, and Angel hastily leaves through the window. When Buffy then rushes to tell Giles, Willow, and Xander, the latter can hardly contain his glee at discovering his ‘rival’s true nature, and is all for leaving immediately to stake Angel. Giles consults his records and discovers that Angel is in fact Angelus, one of the most vicious vampires that has ever existed, who over the years has murdered thousands of victims in a bloody swathe across Europe. However, upon arriving in America eighty years ago he has spent his time in solitude, choosing not to kill humans anymore. Giles and Xander urge Buffy to go after Angel and kill him, as it is her destiny as the Chosen One. Meanwhile, Angel meets up with Darla, who taunts him and tells him that he should inform Buffy of his ‘curse’. Darla goes to Buffy’s house and tricks Joyce into letting her in; she attacks the woman and is about to drain her blood when Angel bursts in and stops her. Darla leaves, but when Buffy then arrives and sees her mom unconscious in Angel’s arms, she leaps to the conclusion that he is the attacker, causing him to flee. Once her mom is safely in hospital, Buffy goes hunting after Angel; she tracks him to ‘The Bronze’, where they engage in a too-evenly matched fight. Angel manages to get a chance to tell her that he is not evil - he has had his soul returned to him under a gypsy curse, and is now haunted by all of the terrible crimes he once committed. Suddenly Darla emerges from hiding and shoots Angel with a crossbow; he turns on Darla, and kills her. Buffy and Angel realise that they have strong feelings for one another, but it is unrealistic for them to pursue any kind of relationship. A recovered Joyce exhibits the first signs of a mom-in-denial, claiming that the wounds on her neck are the result of her fainting and collapsing on a barbeque fork. Wryly Buffy comments that they don’t even own such an implement.

Sarah Michelle Gellar (Buffy Summers), Nicholas Brendon (Xander Harris), Alyson Hannigan (Willow Rosenberg), Charisma Carpenter (Cordelia Chase), Anthony Stewart Head (Rupert Giles), Mark Metcalf (The Master), David Boreanaz (Angel), Kristine Sutherland (Joyce Summers), Julie Benz (Darla), Andrew J. Ferchland (The Anointed One), Charles Wesley (Meanest Vamp)
Directed by Scott Brazil

TX (US): 14th April 1997
TX (UK - Sky One): 14th February 1998
TX (UK - BBC 2): 17th February 1999

Notes:
*Featuring Buffy, Xander, Willow, Giles, Cordelia and Angel