Not Fade Away (Angel episode)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Angel episode | |
|---|---|
| “Not Fade Away” | |
 Final scene in Angel as Angel, Spike, Gunn and Illyria make their last stand against the combined demon armies of Wolfram & Hart |
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| Episode no. | Season 5 Episode 22 |
| Guest star(s) | Vincent Kartheiser (Connor) Christian Kane (Lindsey) Dennis Christopher (Cyvus Vail) Sarah Thompson (Eve) Julia Lee (Anne) Leland Crooke (Archduke Sebassis) Stacey Travis (Helen Brucker) Adam Baldwin (Hamilton) |
| Writer(s) | Joss Whedon, Jeffrey Bell |
| Director | Jeffrey Bell |
| Production no. | 5ADH22 |
| Original airdate | May 19, 2004 |
| Episode chronology | |
| ← Previous | Next → |
| "Power Play" | "None" |
Not Fade Away is the 22nd episode of season 5, and the final episode of the series, of the television show Angel. See also List of Angel (series) episodes.
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[edit] Plot synopsis
[edit] Summary
Angel, having regained the confidence and trust of his team, continues feigning loyalty to the Circle of the Black Thorn. When he announces that the time has come to strike back, he tells his team to make the most of what may be their last day on Earth. Gunn visits his old neighborhood, Wesley tends to the wounded Illyria, Lorne spends some time onstage, Spike performs at a poetry slam, and Angel visits his son. When night falls, they move to divide and conquer the demons that wield Wolfram and Hart's power on earth, incurring the wrath of the armies of hell.
[edit] Expanded overview
In a continuation of the previous episode, Angel has joined the evil Circle of the Black Thorn, but at a price of killing Drogyn in order to become a member. Angel now convinces his team, and even his old enemy Lindsey McDonald, that they must take out every member of the Circle of the Black Thorn in a defiant and probably futile stand against the Senior Partners of Wolfram & Hart. Meanwhile Marcus Hamilton, the Senior Partners' liaison and henchman, is not convinced of Angel's loyalties to the Black Thorn and keeps a closer eye on Angel and his group.
At the next meeting of the Black Thorn, the members express their doubts about Angel's loyalties and put them to the final test when they tell Angel that he must sign away his role in the Shanshu prophecy, eliminating any chance for himself to become human once evil on Earth has been vanquished. Izzy the Devil produces the true and original Scroll of Aberjian for Angel to sign, with Angel's blood, therefore relinquishing his claim to the prize. Angel, without hesitation, signs the paper.
Meanwhile, Spike, Wesley, Gunn and Lorne find Illyria bloodied and unconscious in Spike's apartment; Hamilton had attacked her and abducted Drogyn to be killed by Angel. Angel returns from his meeting with the Black Thorn and informs his friends that they are killing the Black Thorn members tonight. All are on board, including Illyria, who seeks to recover from her earlier defeat. Angel advises his friends to spend the rest of the day as if it were their last since it "probably is".
Angel visits his son, Connor, who is at college. Connor reveals that he knows that Angel is his father; his old memories are now "mixed in" with his new ones. Connor tells Angel that he understands why Angel gave him new memories, and that he appreciates it.
Lorne, at a demon karaoke bar, sings "If I Ruled the World". Lorne is on board with Angel's plan, but he clearly has serious reservations, and his mood is dark and somber.
Lindsey spends the day with Eve who expresses suspicion about Angel and his role for him. Lindsey, however, trusts Angel's plan; since he is fighting on Angel's side, he believes that he will receive fair treatment.
Gunn spends his day by helping and getting advice about fighting the good fight from Anne, who still maintains a homeless shelter in Gunn's old neighborhood. He asks her what she would do if she found out that everything she did, everything she fought for, was for nothing, and she told him that she would continue to unload the truck full of supplies for the shelter. Gunn smiles; that was the answer he had been looking for.
Spike goes to a bar and takes innumerable shots of "courage"; he then goes onstage and recites the completed version of a poem that he originally wrote for Cecily, with whom he had been infatuated before his siring, to a crowd of rough motorcyclists and street gang members at a poetry slam. The crowd goes wild, and a triumphant and relieved Spike laughs and announces that his next poem is called "The Wanton Folly of My Mum".
Wesley spends his day tending to Illyria, to help her heal from her wounds. He tells her there is nothing else he wants and nowhere for him to be. She recognizes that the only place he wants to be is with Fred, and she offers to comfort him in Fred's form. He refuses, explaining that because he did not plan to die tonight, he would not accept the "lie" of Illyria in Fred's form.
That night, Angel explains that they are taking a divide-and-conquer approach to the demon killing. Angel gives his assignments to the group: Gunn is to eliminate Senator Bruckner and her vampire bodyguards; Wesley is to attack Cyvus Vail, a powerful demon sorcerer (under the pretense that he is turning on Angel and wishes to join the Black Thorn); Illyria will take out Izzy the Devil and three other members of the Black Thorn; Spike will rescue an infant from, and eliminate, the demonic Fell Brethren; Lorne and Lindsey will fight the Sahvrin demon clan. Angel tells them that he will take out the chairman Archduke Sebassis. He also whispers something to Lorne, and then tells them that once they complete their missions, they are all to meet in the alley north of the Hyperion Hotel for the expected onslaught by the Senior Partners. As they leave, Lorne tells Angel that this is the last thing he's going to do for him, and that they will never see him again.
When Angel goes to the offices of Wolfram & Hart to get weapons, he is confronted by Hamilton, who reveals his knowledge of Angel's plan to kill Sebassis before throwing Angel through his office window, into the building lobby. It is revealed that Hamilton had earlier seduced Harmony, who told him about Angel's plans to meet Sebassis. Angel gets up, fires Harmony (who leaves the building after collecting Angel's pre-written letter of recommendation), and continues his fight with Hamilton. But Hamilton is too strong and literally knocks Angel across the room, asking if Angel really thought he could get away with killing Sebassis. Angel replies that he already has. During the last meeting with the Circle of the Black Thorn, Angel used a finger ring with a mini hypodermic needle tipped with venom to stab Sebassis' demon servant, knowing that Sebassis drinks his servant's blood. Hamilton, amused but not pleased by Angel's ploy, attacks Angel.
Across town in Senator Bruckner's campaign office, Gunn arrives and immediately begins fighting with the senator's vampire workers, while she casually talks on the phone bashing her political opponent. Gunn throws an axe at the senator, hitting her in the head, putting an end to her campaign. Gunn still has to face about a dozen of the senator's vampire bodyguards who surround him. Spike, disguised in a long black robe, sneaks into the Fell Brethren's living quarters and lifts the baby out of a ceremonial bassinet. Faced with several angry demons, he slips off his robe and goes into battle, with a sword in one hand and the baby in the other. Meanwhile, Illyria confronts Izzy and other members of the Black Thorn as they are walking out of a local restaurant and get into their car on a back street. Illyria destroys their car, with all of them still inside. Lorne and Lindsey accomplish their attack against the Sahvrin. As they leave the Sahvrin den, Lorne shoots Lindsey in the chest several times, revealing his one last job for Angel. Lorne tells him, "You're not part of the solution, Lindsey. You never will be." Lindsey dies, stunned and upset that it wasn't Angel himself who killed him, but rather one of his "flunkies". Having had enough of Angel's fight, Lorne leaves the room with his final words, "Good night, folks."
Wesley uses the advantage of surprise in his attack on Cyvus Vail, but Vail quickly recovers and employs his magic to hold Wesley helpless in mid-air. Wesley struggles until Vail disembowels him. Wesley releases a final burst of magic, momentarily stunning Vail, and crashes to the floor. Illyria storms in, and becomes distraught upon finding him mortally wounded. She again offers to lie to him by appearing as Fred, and this time he accepts; he dies in her arms a few moments later. Vail awakens, to find a crying woman holding Wesley's body. He taunts her as she stands before him, calling her a little girl, and tells her to take her best shot. She transforms back into Illyria and shatters Vail's skull with a single blow.
Back at Wolfram and Hart, Angel is losing the battle with Hamilton. Just as Hamilton is about to stake Angel, Connor appears and knocks Hamilton away from his father. Angel and Connor take on Hamilton together, but even with their combined strength, they cannot even inflict a single bruise onto him. Connor is thrown against a wall and knocked out while Angel is again punched and thrown across the room. Hamilton then boasts that the power of the Senior Partners runs through his blood and that Angel cannot stop him. Angel chastises Hamilton by saying: "Can you pick out the one word there you probably shouldn't have said?" Angel assumes his vampire form, rushes at Hamilton, gets one good drink from his neck, and draws from that power. After another minute of combat, Angel gets the upper hand and kills Hamilton by breaking his neck. As soon as Hamilton is dead, the whole building begins to shake. Angel orders Connor to go home, and tries to convince Eve to leave the building. Angel tells her that Lindsey won't be coming for her, and she elects to stay behind; without Lindsey to protect her, she has no place left to go.
The survivors meet in the back alley of the Hyperion Hotel in the pouring rain. Angel arrives to find Spike already waiting, having successfully rescued the baby and destroyed the Brethren. Gunn shows up next, having completed his own mission; however, he is seriously injured. Illyria arrives seconds later and informs them of Wesley's death, saying that she grieves for Wesley and wishes "to do more violence". Suddenly, the vast armies of the Senior Partners begin their charge on the four survivors. Demons of all sizes, including a 100-foot tall giant and a flying dragon, advance on Angel and his team. Spike wonders how to even begin, and Angel says that he doesn't know about the rest of them, but he would kinda like to slay the dragon. As the demon army approaches, Angel ends the series with the line, "Let's go to work."
[edit] Writing and acting
[edit] Production details
[edit] Music
- Regina Belle - "If I Ruled The World" - Lorne chooses to sing knowing that the day may be his last.
[edit] Quotes and trivia
- Joss Whedon discussed the final battle in SFX Magazine.
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- "Gunn is dead. Illyria keeps fighting. Angel loses an arm. Spike gets Shanshu. And Xander loses another eye, which is funny, because he isn't even there."
- This is all said in humor.
- Despite many rumors, this episode was written some time after the series had been confirmed as cancelled. It is not a cliffhanger. However, it is still down to the viewers to decide whether or not Angel, Spike, Gunn, and Illyria actually survive the final battle. Non-canonical comics have since depicted these characters' survival.
- This is the 254th and final episode of Buffy/Angel.
- The poem that Spike reads is a completed form of the poem that was originally introduced in Buffy Season 5's "Fool for Love". In that episode, only the last two lines were revealed. The completed poem reads:
- My soul is racked in harsh repose
- Midnight descends in raven colored clothes
- But soft, behold! A sunlight beam
- Cutting a swath of glimmering gleam
- My heart expands, 'tis grown a bulge in't,
- Inspired by your beauty effulgent
[edit] Continuity
[edit] Arc significance
- This is the last episode of Angel and, barring any future series or TV movies, the last Buffyverse TV appearance.
[edit] Timing
- Stories that take place around the same time in the Buffyverse:
| Location, time (if known) |
Buffyverse: Spring 2003 – 2004 (non-canon = italic) |
|---|---|
| Sunnydale, Cleveland, Italy, Summer 2003-2004 | Buffy book: Queen of the Slayers |
| L.A., 2003 | A5.01 Conviction |
| L.A., 2003 | A5.02 Just Rewards |
| L.A., 2003 | A5.03 Unleashed |
| L.A., 2003 | A5.04 Hell Bound |
| L.A., 2003 | A5.05 Life of the Party |
| L.A., 2003 | A5.06 The Cautionary Tale of Numero Cinco |
| L.A., 2003 | A5.07 Lineage |
| Europe, 2003 | Tales of the Vampires: Antique |
| L.A., 2003 | Angel comic: Spike vs Dracula #5 |
| L.A., 2003 | Angel comic: Wesley: Spotlight |
| L.A., 2003 | A5.08 Destiny |
| L.A., 2003 | A5.09 Harm's Way |
| L.A., 2003 | Angel comic: Spike: Old Wounds |
| L.A., 2003/4 | A5.10 Soul Purpose |
| L.A., 2003/4 | A5.11 Damage |
| L.A., 2003/4 | Angel comic: Spike: Lost and Found |
| L.A., 2003/4 | Angel comic: Gunn: Spotlight |
| L.A., 2003/4 | A5.12 You're Welcome |
| L.A., 2003/4 | A5.13 Why We Fight |
| L.A., 2004 | A5.14 Smile Time |
| L.A., 2004 | A5.15 A Hole in the World |
| L.A., 2004 | A5.16 Shells |
| L.A., 2004 | Angel comic: Illyria: Spotlight |
| L.A., 2004 | A5.17 Underneath |
| L.A., 2004 | A5.18 Origin |
| 2004 | Connor Spotlight |
| L.A., 2004 | A5.19 Time Bomb |
| L.A., 2004 | A5.20 The Girl in Question |
| L.A., 2004 | A5.21 Power Play |
| L.A., 2004 | A5.22 Not Fade Away |
| Romania, 2004 | Angel graphic novel: The Curse |
| L.A., 2004 | Angel graphic novel: Old Friends |
| 2004/5/6 | Spike movie |
