Dead End (Angel episode)

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“Dead End”
Angel episode

Lindsey's new hand writes 'kill' without Lindsey noticing
The involuntary limb donors kept in storage
Episode no. Season 2
Episode 18
Guest stars Stephen DeRelian
Stephanie Romanov
Dennis Gersten
Written by David Greenwalt
Directed by James Contner
Production no. 2ADH18
Original airdate April 24, 2001
Episode chronology
← Previous Next →
"Disharmony" "Belonging"
List of Angel episodes

"Dead End" is episode 18 of season 2 in the television show Angel. See List of Angel episodes for a complete list.

Contents

[edit] Plot synopsis

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

[edit] Summary

Lindsey receives a gift from his employers: he's going to get a new hand. He undergoes surgery and everything seems fine, but the next day he finds himself writing "kill" in his notepad at a meeting. Freaked out, he goes home and tries to make his hand do it again, but to no avail. Later he goes to Host's bar and plays to everyone's delight. After his performance, The Host tells him he'll have to cooperate with Angel to find out what's wrong with his hand.

They find each other while trying to interrogate the same person, who leads them to an address. They enter the building and discover that Wolfram & Hart uses people to get limbs from and implant them onto whomever they want. Lindsey sees an old friend from the mailroom, who asks him to kill him, which he does. Then Angel and Lindsey save all who they can and destroy the building.

In the end, Lindsey and Angel reconcile to a certain extent; Angel goes home and Lindsey leaves L.A. for good (it seems).

[edit] Expanded overview

Lindsey goes about his daily routine to get ready for work, but in the process, he notices his guitar in the closet, which he cannot play. A man and his family go about their morning business before the wife and kids rush off to their destinations. The man follows moments later, a large kitchen knife in his hand. Cordelia gets a nasty vision about the man that sends her flying about the hotel, landing on the floor in tears and unable to speak.

Lindsey and Lilah speak with their boss, Nathan Reed, about their work and upcoming reevaluation. Later, Nathan privately tells Lindsey that he made a surprise appointment for him and rearranged his schedule so that he could attend. At the office, Cordelia tries to recover from her vision while the rest of the crew try to get information from her. She tells him of a man who stabbed himself in the eye, but little more and the guys worry for Cordelia. The guys split up to call hospitals, check out morgues and the streets for any information on the guy from Cordy's vision.

Lindsey talks with a doctor at a clinic and is informed that Wolfram and Hart has arranged for him to get a new, live hand. During the procedure, a Pockla demon is brought in to perform a brief ritual and complete the attachment of the hand to Lindsey, leaving only a little scar. The next day, Lindsey wakes up, enjoying his new hand. While getting ready, he notices his guitar again, but this time picks it up and plays. Later at the office, Lilah notices Lindsey's new hand and grows very nervous about her job since Wolfram and Hart spent so much money on her "partner." The two lawyers meet with a client, Mr. Irv Kraigle, about his case. During their chat, Lindsey's new hand writes on a legal pad, "kill" repeatedly. At home, Lindsey tries to make his hand do something odd, but it doesn't cooperate.

At the office, Angel has a wide assortment of food delivered as he wanted to get food for Cordelia but didn't want to bother her by asking what she wanted. She appreciates it and as she leaves, she remembers from her vision that the man was happy about his eye before he stabbed it. Wesley and Gunn have found the man's name, Joseph Kramer, home, and information about his family. Still without enough information, the gang is forced to go to Caritas. On stage, the gang is shocked to find Lindsey singing and playing guitar, well. Angel isn't entertained by it, but everyone else is amazed by Lindsey's talents. The host informs them all that Lindsey and Angel need to work together to solve the case but Angel and Lindsey are completely opposed to the idea.

Based on the fact that Lindsey got a new hand and Kramer, a new eye, it's concluded that somewhere body part transplants are being done. At Wolfram and Hart, Lindsey sneaks into Nathan's office, using the computer to look up information on Lilah and Fairfield Clinic, where he got the transplant. He later spots Lilah stealing files. Angel discovers information on Lindsey's hand, finding that it belonged to a Bradley Scott, and Cordy discovers he was employed by Wolfram and Hart. Lindsey visits a parole officer for information about the clinic but the man gets violent when Lindsey doesn't know the code. Before the man can shoot Lindsey in the head, Angel arrives and saves him. Holding the officer by a rope around his neck, Angel demands information.

Wesley and Gunn worry about Cordelia as she seems to be suffering from the visions for as long as the problem remains. Angel and Lindsey head for a building and talk briefly before Angel confirms their location with the parole officer tied up in the trunk. Angel and Lindsey take care of the security guards inside then they head downstairs through a trap door to the place where the body parts are harvested. Lindsey spots Bradley Scott and the man begs to have his life taken. It's decided to save those still fully intact and kill the rest before the building is blown up.

The guys feel bad for Cordelia as they realize how much the visions are hurting her and she tries to remain tough through it. At Wolfram and Hart, Lindsey takes full advantage of his new "evil" hand, shooting a security guard, firing shots at Nathan, and even copping a feel of Lilah's ass. He knows he was the one chosen to take over, but he suggests Lilah take the job as he's got other issues to deal with. Lindsey encounters Angel outside by his truck and reluctantly talks to him. Angel offers a friendly warning about cops, then as Lindsey drives away, a "Cops Suck" sign is spotted on the back of his vehicle.

[edit] Production details

[edit] Music

[edit] Quotes and trivia

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:

[edit] Translations

  • German title: "Die Hand des Bösen" ("The hand of evil")
  • Italian title: "Vicolo cieco" ("Dead end", literally "Blind alley")

[edit] Continuity

[edit] Arc significance

Lindsey gets a surprising amount of character insight in this, his last appearance for over two years. It is revealed that not only is Lindsey an accomplished guitarist, he used to be a regular at Caritas, implying that he socialized with demons and vampires simply because he enjoyed their company, which no other Wolfram and Hart employee is ever depicted doing. He also seems to get along fairly well with Lorne and respect his prohibition against violence in Caritas, making Lindsey's ultimate fate at Lorne's hands all the more ironic.

Moreover, parts of Lindsey's song (presumably written by Lindsey himself within the TV universe, as it was written by Christian Kane in the real world) can be interpreted as referring to the apocalypse Wolfram and Hart hopes to bring about and Lindsey's seeming indifference to it:

"The sky's gonna open. People gonna pray and crawl. It's gonna rain down fire. It's gonna burn us all. The sky's gonna open. People gonna pray and sing. I can't feel a thing."

This perspective is consistent with Lindsey's earlier reply to a threatening Darla, in "Reunion," that although he cares about whether he will die, he doesn't really mind doing so.

Final episode to feature Lindsey until the 5th season.

Lilah is promoted in this episode and becomes a more prominent player over the next few years.

[edit] Timing

  • Stories that take place around the same time in the Buffyverse:
Location, time
(if known)
Buffyverse chronology: January 2001 - Spring 2001
(non-canon = italic)
Sunnydale, 2001 B5.12 Checkpoint
L.A., 2001 A2.12 Blood Money
L.A., 2001 A2.13 Happy Anniversary
Sunnydale, 2001 B5.13 Blood Ties
L.A., 2001 A2.14 The Thin Dead Line
L.A., 2001 A2.15 Reprise
Sunnydale, 2001 B5.14 Crush
L.A., 2001 A2.16 Epiphany
Sunnydale, 2001 Buffy book: Wisdom of War
Sunnydale, 2001 B5.15 I Was Made to Love You
L.A., 2001 A2.17 Disharmony
L.A., 2001 Angel book: Vengeance
Sunnydale, 2001 B5.16 The Body
L.A., 2001 A2.18 Dead End
L.A., 2001 Angel book: Haunted
Sunnydale, 2001 B5.17 Forever
L.A., 2001 A2.19 Belonging
Sunnydale, 2001 Buffy graphic novel: Ugly Little Monsters
Sunnydale, 2001 Buffy comic: 'Chaos Bleeds' prequel
Sunnydale, 2001 Buffy video game: Chaos Bleeds
L.A., 2001 Tales of the Slayer: Again, Sunnydale
Sunnydale, 2001 B5.18 Intervention
Sunnydale, 2001 Buffy book: Tempted Champions
Sunnydale, 2001 Buffy book: Little Things
Sunnydale, 2001 Buffy book: Crossings
Sunnydale, 2001 Buffy book: Sweet Sixteen
Sunnydale, 2001 B5.19 Tough Love
L.A., 2001 A2.20 Over the Rainbow
Sunnydale, 2001 B5.20 Spiral
L.A., 2001 A2.21 Through the Looking Glass
Sunnydale, 2001 B5.21 The Weight of the World
Sunnydale, 2001 B5.22 The Gift
L.A., 2001 A2.22 There's No Place Like Plrtz Glrb
Sunnydale, 2001 Buffy graphic novel: Death of Buffy: Lost & Found’
Sunnydale, 2001 Buffy graphic novel: Death of Buffy

[edit] External links

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