Somnambulist (Angel episode)
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| “Somnambulist” | |
|---|---|
| Angel episode | |
 Angel wakes up from another dream |
|
| Episode no. | Season 1 Episode 11 |
| Guest stars | Jeremy Renner Elisabeth Röhm |
| Written by | Tim Minear |
| Directed by | Winrich Kolbe |
| Production no. | 1ADH11 |
| Original airdate | January 18, 2000 |
| Episode chronology | |
| ← Previous | Next → |
| "Parting Gifts" | "Expecting" |
| List of Angel episodes | |
"Somnambulist" is episode 11 of season 1 in the television show Angel. See List of Angel episodes for a complete list.
Contents |
[edit] Plot synopsis
[edit] Summary
Angel worries that he might be sleep-killing when a string of murders turn out to be identical to his dreams.
[edit] Expanded
A girl is running away when she runs right into the vampire that was chasing her. He drains her and then is revealed to be Angel. Angel wakes up in his bed, the dream he just woke from too real for comfort. Kate enters a crime scene where the girl Angel killed in his dream really is dead, with a cross carved into her cheek.
Cordelia practices lines on an empty chair, but is interrupted by Wesley when he appears at the office to see if anything is afoot. An article on the front page of the morning paper catches Wesley's attention and he leaves quickly, just as a surly Angel comes upstairs, looking even deader than usual. After going down to the police station to ask Kate to check out a license plate number, Angel sees photos from the predawn crime scene and recognizes the M.O. of the cross carved into the victim's face. Kate briefs other officers on the situation, trying to prepare them for what this killer is capable of and how to catch him. Her expert profiling matches Angel with uncanny accuracy.
Having realized the murders resemble a streak of killings Angelus committed in the late 1700s, Wesley returns to the office to stake Angel. Cordelia is not convinced until Angel, who had been listening to the conversation, confirms Wesley's information. Angel reveals that while his dreams have, regrettably, been just the opposite of nightmares, he has no waking memory of making the kills. That night, Cordelia and Wesley chain Angel to his bed to ensure that he isn't committing these crimes. Angel dreams about his past, about a young woman in 18th century dress running terrified down dark, cobbled streets, only to be caught, cut and drained. The next morning, the newspaper reports another killing. Despite the fact that being chained to the bed and monitored by Wesley all night gives Angel a solid alibi, he nevertheless tells both Cordelia and Wesley that he is responsible for the murders.
He is speaking of moral responsibility, however, since additional dream details and a look at other victim photos leave no doubt that the grisly murders are actually being committed by a vampire named Penn, whom Angelus sired and trained 200 years ago. Worried about how they're going to stop this vampire, Angel gives Kate a drawing of Penn and tells her that the next victim will follow a pattern. Sure enough, a teenage boy soliciting people to purchase beer for him is lured into an alleyway by Penn. The teen is bitten but not drained, his cheek marred by a cross only half-incised, before police cars surround Penn and he is forced to leap high (appearing to fly) through a boarded up window of an abandoned building.
Having stolen a police radio, Angel and Wesley arrive at the scene around the same time as Kate and many other officers. Inside the building, Penn approaches Kate and she fires at him. The bullets don't harm him much, and he throws her bodily across the room. Angel drops down from the ceiling and engages his former protege. After the fight, Penn gets away and Kate is shocked to see Angel's demon face. Angel talks to Kate but, despite the evidence of her trained senses, she is not yet willing to admit that vampires are real.
Penn shows up at Angel Investigations, and pumps Cordy for information before she realizes who he is. Just as Cordelia opens the blinds on Penn, Angel shows up, but the beam of sunlight prevents him from closing with his former student. Penn uses Wesley's arrival to cover his escape and retreats to his lair to devise a new plot. Kate finds evidence in the police files of previous killing sprees of similar type. Growing more and more convinced, she finds books of vampire lore in an ancient shop. When Angel shows up to try again to talk with her, she refuses to invite him into her apartment, bitterly explaining exactly why she no longer trusts him. Angel's team locates Penn's lair by reasearching the cities and dates provided by Kate. Angel and Wesley go to Penn's lair, but he's not there. They find photos and maps indicating Penn plans to kill a schoolbus full of children next. However, at the station while Kate leads another briefing, Penn shows up and attacks. He kidnaps Kate and drags her down into the sewers. Not fooled by Penn's attempt to distract him, Angel tracks them underground and confronts Penn. The two fight until Angel, who never vamps up, allows Penn to grab and hold him as a shield. With a length of broken lumber, Kate stabs Angel through the abdomen, angling the wood up so that she pierces Penn's heart and dusts him, while Angel, undusted, gasps in agony.
Later, on the roof of their building, Cordelia tells Angel to stop obsessing about the demon inside him. She knows he's good now, and he's fighting for the right team and if he ever does become evil, she'll stake him in a heartbeat. Surprised by Cordy's grit, Angel also seems oddly gratified, even reassured.
[edit] Writing and acting
[edit] Cast
- David Boreanaz - (Angel)
- Charisma Carpenter - (Cordelia Chase)
- Alexis Denisof - (Wesley Wyndam-Pryce)
[edit] Production details
[edit] Music
- Lunatic Calm - "Leave You Far Behind"
[edit] Quotes and trivia
The script was originally called "The Killer I Created", until a detailed summary appeared online, prompting writer Tim Minear to alter the title.
Alexis Denisof (Wesley) replaces Glenn Quinn (Doyle) in the opening credit sequence.
Somnambulist is another word for sleepwalker.
[edit] Translations
- German title: "Schatten der Vergangenheit" ("Shadows of the past")
- Italian title: "Il pupillo" ("The pupil")
[edit] Continuity
[edit] Arc significance
Kate learns that Angel is a vampire, permanently altering their relationship.
[edit] Timing
- Stories that take place around the same time in the Buffyverse:
| Location, time (if known) |
Buffyverse chronology: Fall 1999 - December 1999 (non-canon = italic) |
|---|---|
| L.A. 1999 | Angel comic: Doyle: Spotlight |
| L.A. 1999 | A1.01 City of |
| Sunnydale, 1999 | B4.01 The Freshman |
| Sunnydale, 1999 | B4.02 Living Conditions |
| L.A. 1999 | |
| L.A. 1999 | A1.02 Lonely Hearts |
| L.A. 1999 | A1.00 Unaired Angel pilot |
| L.A. 1999 | Angel book: Not Forgotten |
| Sunnydale, 1999 | B4.03 The Harsh Light of Day |
| L.A. 1999 | A1.03 In the Dark |
| Sunnydale, 1999 | B4.04 Fear, Itself |
| Sunnydale, 1999 | Buffy graphic novel: Blood of Carthage |
| L.A. 1999 | Angel graphic novel: Surrogates |
| L.A. 1999 | Angel comic: Strange Bedfellows story, Angel #4 |
| Sunnydale, 1999 | Buffy video game: Buffy the Vampire Slayer (Game Boy Color) |
| Sunnydale, 1999 | Tales of the Slayer: All That You Do Comes Back.. |
| L.A. 1999 | A1.04 I Fall to Pieces |
| Sunnydale, 1999 | B4.05 Beer Bad |
| L.A. 1999 | A1.05 Rm w/a Vu |
| Sunnydale, 1999 | Buffy books: Lost Slayer series |
| Sunnydale, 1999 | B4.06 Wild at Heart |
| Sunnydale, 1999 | Buffy graphic novel: Oz |
| Sunnydale, 1999 | Buffy book: Oz: Into the Wild |
| L.A. 1999 | A1.06 Sense & Sensitivity |
| Sunnydale, 1999 | B4.07 The Initiative |
| L.A. 1999 | A1.07 Bachelor Party |
| L.A. 1999 | Angel book: Close to the Ground |
| L.A. 1999 | Angel book: Soul Trade |
| L.A. 1999 | Angel graphic novel: Earthly Possessions |
| L.A. 1999 | Angel book: Redemption |
| L.A. 1999 | Angel book: Shakedown |
| L.A. 1999 | Angel book: Hollywood Noir |
| L.A. 1999 | Angel book: Avatar |
| L.A. 1999 | Angel book: Bruja |
| L.A. 1999 | Angel book: The Summoned |
| Sunnydale, 1999 | B4.08 Pangs |
| L.A. 1999 | A1.08 I Will Remember You |
| Sunnydale, 1999 | B4.09 Something Blue |
| L.A. 1999 | A1.09 Hero |
| Sunnydale, 1999 | B4.10 Hush |
| L.A. 1999 | A1.10 Parting Gifts |
| Sunnydale, 1999 | B4.11 Doomed |
| L.A. 1999 | A1.11 Somnambulist |
