Angel (season 4)
Encyclopedia
The fourth season of the television series Angel
, the spin-off of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, premiered on October 6, 2002 on The WB Television Network
and concluded its 22-episode season on May 7, 2003. The season aired in a new timeslot, Sundays at 9:00 pm ET, and then relocated to Wednesdays at 9:00 pm ET, beginning with "Habeas Corpses".
and Fred
searching for Angel (who had been trapped at the bottom of the ocean by his treacherous son Connor) and Cordelia
(who had been summoned to a Higher Plane of existence) at the end of season three. It turns out that Wesley
(who had been banished from the group for betraying Angel's trust) has been independently searching for them both as well. Using information coerced from Justine, Wesley is able to deduce Angel's location and bring him back to shore and to his friends at Angel Investigations
. After Angel forces Connor to leave the Hyperion Hotel in retribution for what he did to him, Angel does everything he can to find Cordelia whose whereabouts are still unknown. Angel and Co. eventually learn that Cordelia is happy and they decide to leave her in peace (much to Cordelia's chagrin, who, having been watching the events of the world from on-high, wants to return to Earth and be with her friends again). However, after the team goes on a mission to Las Vegas
in order to rescue an indebted Lorne, the gang return to the hotel and find an amnesiac Cordelia waiting for them – with no idea of who she is or how she got there. After Cordelia is made aware of the demonic world that surrounds them, and of her own rather convoluted past, she decides to go live with Connor because of his truthful outlook on life. Meanwhile, Fred and Gunn hit a serious snag in their relationship after Gunn kills Fred's old college professor for sending her to Pylea
, after Fred had intended to kill him herself. Wesley is still sleeping with Lilah Morgan
who, after decapitating Linwood Murrow with the backing of the Senior Partners, was made head of special projects at Wolfram & Hart
. Despite their rather twisted sexual relationship, Wesley and Lilah begin to develop genuine feelings for each other even though they both know that Wesley's true love is, and always will be, Fred.
Using rather unreliable magic, Lorne is eventually able to retrieve Cordelia's long lost memories which brings back everything she felt for Angel and her friends. After telling Angel that the two of them were in love, she runs out of the hotel unable to deal with everything that has happened to her. Later she tells Angel that as soon as she regained her memory she had a vision of a terrifying monster rising up underneath Los Angeles
. This monster would come to be known as The Beast, who, as soon as he is awakened (having been brought forth at the exact place of Connor's birth), brings about an L.A. wide Apocalypse. As the Beast calls down a reign of fire (soon after defeating the entirety of Angel Investigations with little to no effort) Cordelia and Connor look upon what they believe to be the end of the world. Cordelia, perceiving Connor's life as one big sham, decides to sleep with him in order to give him one moment of truth in an otherwise horrible life of lies. Angel, witnessing this after checking to see if they were okay, grows incredibly frustrated and resentful towards the two of them. After Connor contacts Wolfram & Hart to gain information about his true nature, the Beast invades the building and kills everyone inside (except for Lilah who is rescued by Wesley). Angel is informed of this and goes in with his team to rescue his son. Holding back a force of reanimated corpses, Angel and his team make it to the infamous White Room and come face to face with the Beast again who is seen sucking energy from the conduit who resides there. Using her last ounce of strength, the conduit teleports the team away before they are harmed. This event leads to the gang realizing that the Beast is on a quest to kill the five totems of the sun god Ra (known as the Ra-Tet) in order to block out the sun, which he subsequently achieves. In their most recent confrontation, The Beast refers to Angel as if they are old friends (calling him "Angelus"), which leads Wesley to surmise that Angelus may know a way to defeat it and subsequently uses powerful magic to willingly remove Angel's soul, bringing forth the vicious monster at his core.
Angelus tells the team little of value but instead taunts and ridicules each of them by exploiting a weak spot either in their self-esteem or relationships. Lilah returns and offers to free Angelus if he'll help her kill the Beast. The team stop her just in time and bring her back to the hotel along with an ancient text that details knowledge of the Beast. The gang come to realize that the Beast is not a sole agent as they presumed but is in fact working for an even greater entity. With this knowledge they decide to return Angel's soul, but find that its container, the Muo-Ping, is missing. Meanwhile, Fred and Gunn break off their relationship citing the Professor's murder, and Wesley's feelings, as the reason while Connor does his best to beat back the rising demonic hordes in L.A. single-handedly. Angelus eventually escapes his cage and hunts down Cordelia and Lilah in the hotel. They both make a run for it but Lilah is subsequently captured—not by Angelus but by Cordelia who then stabs her in the neck with a dagger, killing her. The gang return to find Lilah dead and Angelus feeding off her corpse. Wesley takes Lilah down to the basement to decapitate her in case she's been turned where he is met with a vision of Lilah who makes him realize what he must do and that the two perhaps did love one another. Wesley then goes to prison to free the rogue Slayer Faith in order to stop Angelus. Faith, Angelus and the Beast compete in a battle wherein Angelus slays the Beast, bringing the sun back. Meanwhile, the Beast's master, whom it turns out is Cordelia, has been communicating with Angelus to try and woo him to her side. During a battle, Angelus sucks Faith's blood but then, both he and Faith, falls into a drug induced coma through the effects of Orpheus—a mystical stimulant which Faith had injected into her blood stream. They share a mystical journey where they see Angel after he was cursed with his soul and came to America. Meanwhile, Willow Rosenberg
is summoned to the hotel by Fred in order to return Angel's soul which she successful does after competing in a magical battle with Cordelia. With all of the team's threats averted Willow takes Faith back to Sunnydale to aid in their fight against The First
while Angel proclaims that they are now stronger than ever. However, Cordelia chooses that moment to come downstairs, revealing that she is pregnant with Connor's child.
The team deduce that Cordelia's child must be demonic in nature while Angel realizes that Cordelia is the Beast's master (the one who orchestrated everything that happened throughout the season) and sets up an elaborate scheme to catch her in the act. As Cordelia manipulates Connor into kidnapping and murdering a young, female virgin to bring their baby to term, Angel Inc. learn that they are little more than instruments of fate in a far larger plan. Realizing this truth, Angel goes to kill Cordelia but arrives too late and Cordy's baby is born revealing a beautiful Goddess in its stead. Everyone who looks upon immediately fall in love and gain inner peace—including Angel and Connor. Cordelia, meanwhile, is left in a coma. Jasmine, the name chosen by Fred for the fallen power, brings love and peace to the city and begins to end world strife. However, Fred, having accidentally mixed her blood with Jasmine's, realizes the truth—that Jasmine is a hideous creature that is in fact manipulating Earth's inhabitants for her own gain. Fred then goes on the run but bravely returns and confronts Jasmine and Angel Inc. where she is able to bring Angel to her side. The two then infiltrate the hotel and reclaim Wesley, Gunn and Lorne but fail to revert Connor who decides to stand with Jasmine.
The five heroes flee the city and go underground where Wesley is captured by an ancient being who tells of his world where Jasmine once ruled. Wesley figures out a way to said world and as Jasmine's army attempt to capture the team, Wesley opens a portal and sends Angel through telling him to find Jasmine's real name which will break her spell. The team are captured and taken back to the hotel during which Jasmine begins to make her presence known to the world at large. Connor meanwhile becomes dissatisfied with Jasmine's actions and seeks out Cordelia whom he finds resting in a protected church. He then confesses his feelings of pain and inadequacy and unfeeling towards everything that has happened in his life, including Jasmine. Meanwhile, in another dimension, Angel confronts a priest who holds Jasmine's name and brings him back to Earth where he says it out loud, destroying her power. The city is left in ruin as people go from having peace to pain in a matter of seconds. Jasmine blames Angel for this and uses her terrific strength to beat him back. He is saved, however, by Connor who punches a hole through Jasmine's head.
After he runs off, Angel returns to the hotel to find Lilah alive, and the gang perplexed. She has come to offer them the L.A. branch of Wolfram & Hart because of their valiant efforts in ending world peace. They take a trip to the law firm where they are given the full tour including the science division (Fred), the R&D department (Wesley), the entertainment division (Lorne) and the White Room (Gunn). Angel vehemently declines the offer but begins to change his mind after he witnesses Connor strapping explosives to himself, Cordelia and a crowd of innocent people. He goes to his son's aid where Connor tells him that he was a terrible father and that he cannot feel anything in this world. The two proceed to have their final fight where Angel, using a mystically imbued knife granted to him by Wolfram & Hart, slits his son's throat—fulfilling the fake prophecy that stated "The Father Will Kill The Son." In fact, Connor is not dead but instead has been granted an entirely new life by Wolfram & Hart and all knowledge of him has been deleted from his friends memories. Because of this, Angel takes up Lilah's offer to run Wolfram & Hart. Meanwhile, Wesley had attempted to save Lilah's life by burning her eternal contract with the firm, but to no avail. She thanks him for trying however and professes her genuine feelings for him. Angel then takes a trip to Connor's fabricated life and looks on from a distance as his son shares a joyous dinner with his parents and sisters. Angel then walks away into the shadows.
remained as the sole executive producer of the show after David Greenwalt
left at the end of season three to produce the ABC series Miracles
after his contract with 20th Century Fox was up. He stayed on as a consulting producer for the remainder of the series. At the start of the season, David Simkins was made showrunner and executive producer, but after three months, he left the show due to "creative differences" and is not credited in any episodes. Jeffrey Bell was promoted to co-executive producer and assumed the role of showrunner for the season. Tim Minear
also left the series to run Whedon's new series Firefly
but, like Greenwalt, stayed on as a consulting producer, and wrote and directed the season finale "Home". Whedon would write and direct only one episode of the season, "Spin the Bottle", because of his commitments to the first season of Firefly and the final season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Steven S. DeKnight
, who had written for Buffy during seasons five and six, moved over to Angel where he stayed for the remainder of the show's run. He wrote or co-wrote six episodes of the season, including the season premiere and also directed his debut episode; "Inside Out". Buffy writer-producer David Fury
joined as a consulting producer (taking over Marti Noxon
's role) and ended up writing four episodes. Mere Smith
was promoted to executive story editor and wrote or co-wrote four episodes. Elizabeth Craft and Sarah Fain
joined the show as staff writers and wrote or co-wrote five episodes. Firefly writer Ben Edlund
was brought in to write a freelance episode, "Sacrifice", and later joined the writing staff the following season.
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of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. This was the final year in which both shows were on television together.
In the Buffy episode "Lies My Parents Told Me", Willow
(Alyson Hannigan
) receives a call from Fred
. She leaves immediately and goes to L.A. without telling why. Willow appears in "Orpheus" to re-ensoul Angel (David Boreanaz
) as she previously did in the Buffy season two finale "Becoming, Part Two". After successfully re-ensouling Angel, she brings Faith (Eliza Dushku
) back with her to Sunnydale to help in the fight against The First Evil
.
In the season four finale, "Home", Angel receives an amulet from Wolfram & Hart
which is important to the final battle in Sunnydale. Angel goes to Sunnydale in the penultimate Buffy episode "End of Days" and also appears in the series finale "Chosen". Angel gives Buffy the amulet (which is later worn by Spike in the final battle) and offers his help, but Buffy declines as she needs him to be the second front if they fail. Buffy and Angel share one final moment in a graveyard where they discuss a possible future.
s – Best Network Television Series, Best Actress in a Television Series (Charisma Carpenter
), Best Supporting Actor in a Television Series (Alexis Denisof
), Best Supporting Actress in a Television Series (Amy Acker
), and David Boreanaz
won for Best Actor in a Television Series. The season was also nominated for four Satellite Awards – David Boreanaz for Best Actor – Television Series Drama, Andy Hallett
for Best Supporting Actor – Television Series Drama, and Amy Acker and Gina Torres
both for Best Supporting Actress – Television Series Drama.
The Futon Critic named "Spin the Bottle" the 33rd best episode of 2002 and "Peace Out" the 25th best episode of 2003.
The fourth season averaged 3.7 million viewers, slightly lower than the seventh and final season of Buffy.
and actor Andy Hallett
; "Spin the Bottle" by writer/director Joss Whedon
and actor Alexis Denisof
; "Apocalypse, Nowish" by writer Steven S. DeKnight
and director Vern Gillum
; "Orpheus" by co-executive producer Jeffrey Bell and director Terrence O'Hara
; "Inside Out" by writer/director Steven S. DeKnight; "The Magic Bullet" by writer/director Jeffrey Bell; and "Home" by writer/director Tim Minear
. Featurettes include, "Angel and the Apocalypse", which details how they depicted the apocalypse on the show; "Unplugged: Season 4 Outtakes", a series of outtakes from the season; "Last Looks: The Hyperion Hotel", a set tour of the Hyperion Hotel; "Fatal Beauty and the Beast", a look at the villains of the season; "Malice in Wonderland: Wolfram & Hart", a look at the law firm and its importance in the show; and "Prophecies: Season 4 Overview", a summary of the season featuring interviews with cast and crew members.
Angel (TV series)
Angel is an American television series, a spin-off of the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The series was created by Buffys creator, Joss Whedon, in collaboration with David Greenwalt, and first aired on October 5, 1999...
, the spin-off of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, premiered on October 6, 2002 on The WB Television Network
The WB Television Network
The WB Television Network is a former television network in the United States that was launched on January 11, 1995 as a joint venture between Warner Bros. and Tribune Broadcasting. On January 24, 2006, CBS Corporation and Warner Bros...
and concluded its 22-episode season on May 7, 2003. The season aired in a new timeslot, Sundays at 9:00 pm ET, and then relocated to Wednesdays at 9:00 pm ET, beginning with "Habeas Corpses".
Season synopsis
The season begins with GunnCharles Gunn
Charles Gunn is a fictional character created by Joss Whedon for the television series, Angel. The character is portrayed by J. August Richards, and was named by Whedon after filmmaker James Gunn and actor Sean Gunn, both of whom had worked with Whedon...
and Fred
Winifred Burkle
Winifred "Fred" Burkle is a fictional character created by Joss Whedon and introduced by Shawn Ryan and Mere Smith on the television series Angel. The character is portrayed by Amy Acker.-Character history:...
searching for Angel (who had been trapped at the bottom of the ocean by his treacherous son Connor) and Cordelia
Cordelia Chase
Cordelia Chase is a fictional character created by Joss Whedon for the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer; she also appeared on Buffy's spin-off series Angel...
(who had been summoned to a Higher Plane of existence) at the end of season three. It turns out that Wesley
Wesley Wyndam-Pryce
Wesley Wyndam-Pryce is a fictional character created by Joss Whedon for the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel...
(who had been banished from the group for betraying Angel's trust) has been independently searching for them both as well. Using information coerced from Justine, Wesley is able to deduce Angel's location and bring him back to shore and to his friends at Angel Investigations
Angel Investigations
Angel Investigations is a fictional detective agency run by the title character Angel previously on the WB television series Angel . It is sometimes abbreviated as AI...
. After Angel forces Connor to leave the Hyperion Hotel in retribution for what he did to him, Angel does everything he can to find Cordelia whose whereabouts are still unknown. Angel and Co. eventually learn that Cordelia is happy and they decide to leave her in peace (much to Cordelia's chagrin, who, having been watching the events of the world from on-high, wants to return to Earth and be with her friends again). However, after the team goes on a mission to Las Vegas
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
in order to rescue an indebted Lorne, the gang return to the hotel and find an amnesiac Cordelia waiting for them – with no idea of who she is or how she got there. After Cordelia is made aware of the demonic world that surrounds them, and of her own rather convoluted past, she decides to go live with Connor because of his truthful outlook on life. Meanwhile, Fred and Gunn hit a serious snag in their relationship after Gunn kills Fred's old college professor for sending her to Pylea
Pylea
In the fictional universe established by the television series Angel, Pylea is a world in an alternate dimension where demons are the dominant life form and humans are treated as animals to be used as beasts of burden or even food...
, after Fred had intended to kill him herself. Wesley is still sleeping with Lilah Morgan
Lilah Morgan
Lilah Morgan is a fictional character from the television series Angel, played by Stephanie Romanov. She is first introduced in the episode "The Ring," and appears in the show's first and second seasons. After Lindsey McDonald leaves Los Angeles, Lilah becomes the primary face of Wolfram & Hart,...
who, after decapitating Linwood Murrow with the backing of the Senior Partners, was made head of special projects at Wolfram & Hart
Wolfram & Hart
Wolfram & Hart − Attorneys at Law is a fictional international, and interdimensional law firm featured in the television series Angel, as well as other extended materials in Joss Whedon's Buffyverse.-Fictional history:...
. Despite their rather twisted sexual relationship, Wesley and Lilah begin to develop genuine feelings for each other even though they both know that Wesley's true love is, and always will be, Fred.
Using rather unreliable magic, Lorne is eventually able to retrieve Cordelia's long lost memories which brings back everything she felt for Angel and her friends. After telling Angel that the two of them were in love, she runs out of the hotel unable to deal with everything that has happened to her. Later she tells Angel that as soon as she regained her memory she had a vision of a terrifying monster rising up underneath Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. This monster would come to be known as The Beast, who, as soon as he is awakened (having been brought forth at the exact place of Connor's birth), brings about an L.A. wide Apocalypse. As the Beast calls down a reign of fire (soon after defeating the entirety of Angel Investigations with little to no effort) Cordelia and Connor look upon what they believe to be the end of the world. Cordelia, perceiving Connor's life as one big sham, decides to sleep with him in order to give him one moment of truth in an otherwise horrible life of lies. Angel, witnessing this after checking to see if they were okay, grows incredibly frustrated and resentful towards the two of them. After Connor contacts Wolfram & Hart to gain information about his true nature, the Beast invades the building and kills everyone inside (except for Lilah who is rescued by Wesley). Angel is informed of this and goes in with his team to rescue his son. Holding back a force of reanimated corpses, Angel and his team make it to the infamous White Room and come face to face with the Beast again who is seen sucking energy from the conduit who resides there. Using her last ounce of strength, the conduit teleports the team away before they are harmed. This event leads to the gang realizing that the Beast is on a quest to kill the five totems of the sun god Ra (known as the Ra-Tet) in order to block out the sun, which he subsequently achieves. In their most recent confrontation, The Beast refers to Angel as if they are old friends (calling him "Angelus"), which leads Wesley to surmise that Angelus may know a way to defeat it and subsequently uses powerful magic to willingly remove Angel's soul, bringing forth the vicious monster at his core.
Angelus tells the team little of value but instead taunts and ridicules each of them by exploiting a weak spot either in their self-esteem or relationships. Lilah returns and offers to free Angelus if he'll help her kill the Beast. The team stop her just in time and bring her back to the hotel along with an ancient text that details knowledge of the Beast. The gang come to realize that the Beast is not a sole agent as they presumed but is in fact working for an even greater entity. With this knowledge they decide to return Angel's soul, but find that its container, the Muo-Ping, is missing. Meanwhile, Fred and Gunn break off their relationship citing the Professor's murder, and Wesley's feelings, as the reason while Connor does his best to beat back the rising demonic hordes in L.A. single-handedly. Angelus eventually escapes his cage and hunts down Cordelia and Lilah in the hotel. They both make a run for it but Lilah is subsequently captured—not by Angelus but by Cordelia who then stabs her in the neck with a dagger, killing her. The gang return to find Lilah dead and Angelus feeding off her corpse. Wesley takes Lilah down to the basement to decapitate her in case she's been turned where he is met with a vision of Lilah who makes him realize what he must do and that the two perhaps did love one another. Wesley then goes to prison to free the rogue Slayer Faith in order to stop Angelus. Faith, Angelus and the Beast compete in a battle wherein Angelus slays the Beast, bringing the sun back. Meanwhile, the Beast's master, whom it turns out is Cordelia, has been communicating with Angelus to try and woo him to her side. During a battle, Angelus sucks Faith's blood but then, both he and Faith, falls into a drug induced coma through the effects of Orpheus—a mystical stimulant which Faith had injected into her blood stream. They share a mystical journey where they see Angel after he was cursed with his soul and came to America. Meanwhile, Willow Rosenberg
Willow Rosenberg
Willow Rosenberg is a fictional character created for the fantasy television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer . She was developed by Joss Whedon and portrayed throughout the TV series by Alyson Hannigan...
is summoned to the hotel by Fred in order to return Angel's soul which she successful does after competing in a magical battle with Cordelia. With all of the team's threats averted Willow takes Faith back to Sunnydale to aid in their fight against The First
First Evil
The First Evil is a fictional character created by Joss Whedon for the TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The First Evil first appeared in the third season episode "Amends", and became the main antagonist of the 7th and final season.A being manifested from all evil in existence, the First is an...
while Angel proclaims that they are now stronger than ever. However, Cordelia chooses that moment to come downstairs, revealing that she is pregnant with Connor's child.
The team deduce that Cordelia's child must be demonic in nature while Angel realizes that Cordelia is the Beast's master (the one who orchestrated everything that happened throughout the season) and sets up an elaborate scheme to catch her in the act. As Cordelia manipulates Connor into kidnapping and murdering a young, female virgin to bring their baby to term, Angel Inc. learn that they are little more than instruments of fate in a far larger plan. Realizing this truth, Angel goes to kill Cordelia but arrives too late and Cordy's baby is born revealing a beautiful Goddess in its stead. Everyone who looks upon immediately fall in love and gain inner peace—including Angel and Connor. Cordelia, meanwhile, is left in a coma. Jasmine, the name chosen by Fred for the fallen power, brings love and peace to the city and begins to end world strife. However, Fred, having accidentally mixed her blood with Jasmine's, realizes the truth—that Jasmine is a hideous creature that is in fact manipulating Earth's inhabitants for her own gain. Fred then goes on the run but bravely returns and confronts Jasmine and Angel Inc. where she is able to bring Angel to her side. The two then infiltrate the hotel and reclaim Wesley, Gunn and Lorne but fail to revert Connor who decides to stand with Jasmine.
The five heroes flee the city and go underground where Wesley is captured by an ancient being who tells of his world where Jasmine once ruled. Wesley figures out a way to said world and as Jasmine's army attempt to capture the team, Wesley opens a portal and sends Angel through telling him to find Jasmine's real name which will break her spell. The team are captured and taken back to the hotel during which Jasmine begins to make her presence known to the world at large. Connor meanwhile becomes dissatisfied with Jasmine's actions and seeks out Cordelia whom he finds resting in a protected church. He then confesses his feelings of pain and inadequacy and unfeeling towards everything that has happened in his life, including Jasmine. Meanwhile, in another dimension, Angel confronts a priest who holds Jasmine's name and brings him back to Earth where he says it out loud, destroying her power. The city is left in ruin as people go from having peace to pain in a matter of seconds. Jasmine blames Angel for this and uses her terrific strength to beat him back. He is saved, however, by Connor who punches a hole through Jasmine's head.
After he runs off, Angel returns to the hotel to find Lilah alive, and the gang perplexed. She has come to offer them the L.A. branch of Wolfram & Hart because of their valiant efforts in ending world peace. They take a trip to the law firm where they are given the full tour including the science division (Fred), the R&D department (Wesley), the entertainment division (Lorne) and the White Room (Gunn). Angel vehemently declines the offer but begins to change his mind after he witnesses Connor strapping explosives to himself, Cordelia and a crowd of innocent people. He goes to his son's aid where Connor tells him that he was a terrible father and that he cannot feel anything in this world. The two proceed to have their final fight where Angel, using a mystically imbued knife granted to him by Wolfram & Hart, slits his son's throat—fulfilling the fake prophecy that stated "The Father Will Kill The Son." In fact, Connor is not dead but instead has been granted an entirely new life by Wolfram & Hart and all knowledge of him has been deleted from his friends memories. Because of this, Angel takes up Lilah's offer to run Wolfram & Hart. Meanwhile, Wesley had attempted to save Lilah's life by burning her eternal contract with the firm, but to no avail. She thanks him for trying however and professes her genuine feelings for him. Angel then takes a trip to Connor's fabricated life and looks on from a distance as his son shares a joyous dinner with his parents and sisters. Angel then walks away into the shadows.
Main cast
- David BoreanazDavid BoreanazDavid Boreanaz is an American actor, television producer, and director, known for his role as Angel on the supernatural drama series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel, and as Special Agent Seeley Booth on the television crime drama Bones....
as Angel - Charisma CarpenterCharisma CarpenterCharisma Lee Carpenter is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Cordelia Chase in the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and its spin-off Angel, for which she was nominated for four Saturn Awards. In her most recent film she starred opposite Sylvester Stallone and Jason...
as Cordelia ChaseCordelia ChaseCordelia Chase is a fictional character created by Joss Whedon for the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer; she also appeared on Buffy's spin-off series Angel... - J. August RichardsJ. August RichardsJaime Augusto Richards III is an American actor. He is perhaps best known for his portrayal of vampire hunter Charles Gunn on the WB cult television series Angel.-Early life and education:...
as Charles GunnCharles GunnCharles Gunn is a fictional character created by Joss Whedon for the television series, Angel. The character is portrayed by J. August Richards, and was named by Whedon after filmmaker James Gunn and actor Sean Gunn, both of whom had worked with Whedon... - Amy AckerAmy AckerAmy Louise Acker is an American actress. She is best known for her roles on the television series Angel as Winifred Burkle and Illyria and on Alias as Kelly Peyton. She is also known for her role as Dr. Claire Saunders/Whiskey on Dollhouse.-Early life:Acker was born and raised in Dallas, where she...
as Winifred "Fred" BurkleWinifred BurkleWinifred "Fred" Burkle is a fictional character created by Joss Whedon and introduced by Shawn Ryan and Mere Smith on the television series Angel. The character is portrayed by Amy Acker.-Character history:... - Vincent KartheiserVincent KartheiserVincent Paul Kartheiser is an American actor known for playing Connor in Angel and Pete Campbell in Mad Men.-Early life:Kartheiser was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the son of Janet Marie and James Ralph Kartheiser...
as Connor - Andy HallettAndy HallettAndrew Alcott "Andy" Hallett was an American singer and actor best known for playing the part of Lorne in the television series Angel. He used his singing talents often on the show, and performed two songs on the series' 2005 soundtrack album, Angel: Live Fast, Die Never.-Early life:Andrew Alcott...
as Lorne (From "Release" onward; recurring previously) - Alexis DenisofAlexis DenisofAlexis Denisof is an American actor who is known for playing Wesley Wyndam-Pryce in the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and its spin-off Angel.-Early life:...
as Wesley Wyndam-PryceWesley Wyndam-PryceWesley Wyndam-Pryce is a fictional character created by Joss Whedon for the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel...
Recurring cast
- Stephanie RomanovStephanie RomanovStephanie A. Romanov is an American model and actress, best known for playing Lilah Morgan on Angel.-Career:She first began modeling in Europe and was discovered at 15 by Elite Model Management founder, John Casablancas. Her first professional modeling job was in Europe, shooting fashion layouts...
as Lilah MorganLilah MorganLilah Morgan is a fictional character from the television series Angel, played by Stephanie Romanov. She is first introduced in the episode "The Ring," and appears in the show's first and second seasons. After Lindsey McDonald leaves Los Angeles, Lilah becomes the primary face of Wolfram & Hart,...
(10 episodes) - Vladimir KulichVladimir KulichVladimir Kulich is a Czech-Canadian actor.He is best known for his roles as Buliwyf in the film The 13th Warrior and as The Beast in the television series Angel. In 1995 he appeared as Olafsson in the X-Files episode "Død Kalm."...
as The Beast (8 episodes) - Gina TorresGina TorresGina Torres is an American television and movie actress. She is known for her roles in science fiction and fantasy. She has appeared in many television series, including Hercules: The Legendary Journeys , Xena: Warrior Princess , the short-lived Cleopatra 2525, as well as Alias , Firefly Gina...
as Jasmine (5 episodes) - Alexa DavalosAlexa DavalosAlexa Davalos is an American actress. She has appeared in several Hollywood films, including Feast of Love, The Chronicles of Riddick, The Mist, Defiance, and Clash of the Titans.-Early life:...
as Gwen Raiden (3 episodes) - Eliza DushkuEliza DushkuEliza Patricia Dushku is an American actress known for her television roles, including recurring appearances as Faith on Buffy the Vampire Slayer and its spinoff series Angel. She starred in two Fox series, Tru Calling and Dollhouse...
as Faith (3 episodes) - Daniel Dae Kim as Gavin Park (3 episodes)
- Julie BenzJulie BenzJulie M. Benz is an American actress, best known for her roles as Darla on Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel and as Rita Bennett on Dexter, for which she won the 2006 Satellite Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television...
as Darla (1 episode) - David DenmanDavid DenmanDavid Denman is an American film and television actor.-Education:After graduating from Fountain Valley High School, Denman attended the summer training congress at American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco before receiving his B.F.A. from Juilliard.-Career:He made his film debut with Keanu...
as Skip (1 episode) - Alyson HanniganAlyson HanniganAlyson Lee Hannigan is an American actress. She is known for her roles as Willow Rosenberg in the cult classic television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Michelle Flaherty in three American Pie films, and Lily Aldrin on the CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother.-Early life:Hannigan was born in...
as Willow RosenbergWillow RosenbergWillow Rosenberg is a fictional character created for the fantasy television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer . She was developed by Joss Whedon and portrayed throughout the TV series by Alyson Hannigan...
(1 episode) - Laurel HollomanLaurel HollomanLaurel Holloman is an American actress, best known for her roles as Randy Dean in the 1995 indie film The Incredibly True Adventure of Two Girls in Love, Justine Cooper on Angel, and Tina Kennard on the Showtime series The L Word.-Career:Laurel attended the University of North Carolina and...
as Justine Cooper (1 episode) - John RubinsteinJohn RubinsteinJohn Arthur Rubinstein is an American film, Broadway, and television actor, a composer of film and theatre music, and a director in theatre and television.-Early life:...
as Linwood Murrow (1 episode) - Jonathan M. WoodwardJonathan M. WoodwardJonathan Mark Woodward is an American actor. He was born on November 20, 1973 in Moscow, Idaho, the younger of two sons of an architect and his wife, a literacy specialist...
as Knox (1 episode)
Crew
Series creator Joss WhedonJoss Whedon
Joseph Hill "Joss" Whedon is an American screenwriter, executive producer, director, comic book writer, occasional composer and actor, founder of Mutant Enemy Productions and co-creator of Bellwether Pictures...
remained as the sole executive producer of the show after David Greenwalt
David Greenwalt
David Greenwalt is an American screenwriter, director and producer.He was the co-executive producer of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and co-creator of its spinoff, Angel. He is also co-creator of the short-lived cult television show Profit...
left at the end of season three to produce the ABC series Miracles
Miracles (TV series)
Miracles is an American drama television program starring Skeet Ulrich and Angus Macfadyen. Created by Richard Hatem and Michael Petroni, the series has sometimes been dubbed a "spiritual version of The X-Files" by its creators...
after his contract with 20th Century Fox was up. He stayed on as a consulting producer for the remainder of the series. At the start of the season, David Simkins was made showrunner and executive producer, but after three months, he left the show due to "creative differences" and is not credited in any episodes. Jeffrey Bell was promoted to co-executive producer and assumed the role of showrunner for the season. Tim Minear
Tim Minear
Tim Minear is an American screenwriter and director. He was born in New York, grew up in Whittier, California, and studied film at California State University, Long Beach....
also left the series to run Whedon's new series Firefly
Firefly (TV series)
Firefly is an American space western television series created by writer and director Joss Whedon, under his Mutant Enemy Productions label. Whedon served as executive producer, along with Tim Minear....
but, like Greenwalt, stayed on as a consulting producer, and wrote and directed the season finale "Home". Whedon would write and direct only one episode of the season, "Spin the Bottle", because of his commitments to the first season of Firefly and the final season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Steven S. DeKnight
Steven S. DeKnight
Steven S. DeKnight is an American television screenwriter, producer, and director. He is best known for working on Smallville, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and Angel. He has also written "Swell", a story in the Buffy the Vampire Slayer season eight comic series, and served as a consulting producer...
, who had written for Buffy during seasons five and six, moved over to Angel where he stayed for the remainder of the show's run. He wrote or co-wrote six episodes of the season, including the season premiere and also directed his debut episode; "Inside Out". Buffy writer-producer David Fury
David Fury
David Fury is an American television Screenwriter and Producer, best known for his work on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Lost, 24, and Fringe.Fury was a Co-executive producer and Writer for the first season of Lost...
joined as a consulting producer (taking over Marti Noxon
Marti Noxon
Martha Mills "Marti" Noxon is an American television and film writer first known for writing and producing Buffy the Vampire Slayer.- Production :...
's role) and ended up writing four episodes. Mere Smith
Mere Smith
Mere Smith is a American television script-writer who wrote a number of episodes of the series Angel. She was also the executive story editor and script coordinator for 66 episodes from 1999 to 2003....
was promoted to executive story editor and wrote or co-wrote four episodes. Elizabeth Craft and Sarah Fain
Elizabeth Craft and Sarah Fain
Elizabeth Craft and Sarah Fain are American television screenwriters and producers, mostly working together as partners. They have also written two young-adult fiction novels together.Craft is married to producer Adam Fierro.- Angel :...
joined the show as staff writers and wrote or co-wrote five episodes. Firefly writer Ben Edlund
Ben Edlund
Ben Edlund is a comic book artist and writer and television screenwriter. Prior to his involvement in TV, he was best known as the creator of the satirical superhero character The Tick. He is currently an executive producer and staff writer for The CW series Supernatural.-Background:Edlund was...
was brought in to write a freelance episode, "Sacrifice", and later joined the writing staff the following season.
Episodes
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Crossovers with Buffy the Vampire Slayer
The fourth season of Angel coincided with the seventh and final seasonBuffy the Vampire Slayer (season 7)
- Crew :Series creator Joss Whedon served as executive producer, and wrote two episodes – the season premiere and finale – and directed the finale as well. Marti Noxon also served as executive producer and was the showrunner, but only co-wrote one episode. Noxon was originally due to write the...
of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. This was the final year in which both shows were on television together.
In the Buffy episode "Lies My Parents Told Me", Willow
Willow Rosenberg
Willow Rosenberg is a fictional character created for the fantasy television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer . She was developed by Joss Whedon and portrayed throughout the TV series by Alyson Hannigan...
(Alyson Hannigan
Alyson Hannigan
Alyson Lee Hannigan is an American actress. She is known for her roles as Willow Rosenberg in the cult classic television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Michelle Flaherty in three American Pie films, and Lily Aldrin on the CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother.-Early life:Hannigan was born in...
) receives a call from Fred
Winifred Burkle
Winifred "Fred" Burkle is a fictional character created by Joss Whedon and introduced by Shawn Ryan and Mere Smith on the television series Angel. The character is portrayed by Amy Acker.-Character history:...
. She leaves immediately and goes to L.A. without telling why. Willow appears in "Orpheus" to re-ensoul Angel (David Boreanaz
David Boreanaz
David Boreanaz is an American actor, television producer, and director, known for his role as Angel on the supernatural drama series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel, and as Special Agent Seeley Booth on the television crime drama Bones....
) as she previously did in the Buffy season two finale "Becoming, Part Two". After successfully re-ensouling Angel, she brings Faith (Eliza Dushku
Eliza Dushku
Eliza Patricia Dushku is an American actress known for her television roles, including recurring appearances as Faith on Buffy the Vampire Slayer and its spinoff series Angel. She starred in two Fox series, Tru Calling and Dollhouse...
) back with her to Sunnydale to help in the fight against The First Evil
First Evil
The First Evil is a fictional character created by Joss Whedon for the TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The First Evil first appeared in the third season episode "Amends", and became the main antagonist of the 7th and final season.A being manifested from all evil in existence, the First is an...
.
In the season four finale, "Home", Angel receives an amulet from Wolfram & Hart
Wolfram & Hart
Wolfram & Hart − Attorneys at Law is a fictional international, and interdimensional law firm featured in the television series Angel, as well as other extended materials in Joss Whedon's Buffyverse.-Fictional history:...
which is important to the final battle in Sunnydale. Angel goes to Sunnydale in the penultimate Buffy episode "End of Days" and also appears in the series finale "Chosen". Angel gives Buffy the amulet (which is later worn by Spike in the final battle) and offers his help, but Buffy declines as she needs him to be the second front if they fail. Buffy and Angel share one final moment in a graveyard where they discuss a possible future.
Reception
The fourth season was nominated for five Saturn AwardSaturn Award
The Saturn Award is an award presented annually by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films to honor the top works in science fiction, fantasy, and horror in film, television, and home video. The Saturn Awards were devised by Dr. Donald A. Reed in 1972, who felt that films within...
s – Best Network Television Series, Best Actress in a Television Series (Charisma Carpenter
Charisma Carpenter
Charisma Lee Carpenter is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Cordelia Chase in the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and its spin-off Angel, for which she was nominated for four Saturn Awards. In her most recent film she starred opposite Sylvester Stallone and Jason...
), Best Supporting Actor in a Television Series (Alexis Denisof
Alexis Denisof
Alexis Denisof is an American actor who is known for playing Wesley Wyndam-Pryce in the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and its spin-off Angel.-Early life:...
), Best Supporting Actress in a Television Series (Amy Acker
Amy Acker
Amy Louise Acker is an American actress. She is best known for her roles on the television series Angel as Winifred Burkle and Illyria and on Alias as Kelly Peyton. She is also known for her role as Dr. Claire Saunders/Whiskey on Dollhouse.-Early life:Acker was born and raised in Dallas, where she...
), and David Boreanaz
David Boreanaz
David Boreanaz is an American actor, television producer, and director, known for his role as Angel on the supernatural drama series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel, and as Special Agent Seeley Booth on the television crime drama Bones....
won for Best Actor in a Television Series. The season was also nominated for four Satellite Awards – David Boreanaz for Best Actor – Television Series Drama, Andy Hallett
Andy Hallett
Andrew Alcott "Andy" Hallett was an American singer and actor best known for playing the part of Lorne in the television series Angel. He used his singing talents often on the show, and performed two songs on the series' 2005 soundtrack album, Angel: Live Fast, Die Never.-Early life:Andrew Alcott...
for Best Supporting Actor – Television Series Drama, and Amy Acker and Gina Torres
Gina Torres
Gina Torres is an American television and movie actress. She is known for her roles in science fiction and fantasy. She has appeared in many television series, including Hercules: The Legendary Journeys , Xena: Warrior Princess , the short-lived Cleopatra 2525, as well as Alias , Firefly Gina...
both for Best Supporting Actress – Television Series Drama.
The Futon Critic named "Spin the Bottle" the 33rd best episode of 2002 and "Peace Out" the 25th best episode of 2003.
The fourth season averaged 3.7 million viewers, slightly lower than the seventh and final season of Buffy.
DVD release
Angel: The Complete Fourth Season was released on DVD in region 1 on September 7, 2004 and in region 2 on April 1, 2004. The DVD includes all 22 episodes on 6 discs presented in anamorphic widescreen 1.78:1 aspect ratio. Special features on the DVD include seven commentary tracks—"The House Always Wins" by writer David FuryDavid Fury
David Fury is an American television Screenwriter and Producer, best known for his work on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Lost, 24, and Fringe.Fury was a Co-executive producer and Writer for the first season of Lost...
and actor Andy Hallett
Andy Hallett
Andrew Alcott "Andy" Hallett was an American singer and actor best known for playing the part of Lorne in the television series Angel. He used his singing talents often on the show, and performed two songs on the series' 2005 soundtrack album, Angel: Live Fast, Die Never.-Early life:Andrew Alcott...
; "Spin the Bottle" by writer/director Joss Whedon
Joss Whedon
Joseph Hill "Joss" Whedon is an American screenwriter, executive producer, director, comic book writer, occasional composer and actor, founder of Mutant Enemy Productions and co-creator of Bellwether Pictures...
and actor Alexis Denisof
Alexis Denisof
Alexis Denisof is an American actor who is known for playing Wesley Wyndam-Pryce in the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and its spin-off Angel.-Early life:...
; "Apocalypse, Nowish" by writer Steven S. DeKnight
Steven S. DeKnight
Steven S. DeKnight is an American television screenwriter, producer, and director. He is best known for working on Smallville, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and Angel. He has also written "Swell", a story in the Buffy the Vampire Slayer season eight comic series, and served as a consulting producer...
and director Vern Gillum
Vern Gillum
Vern Gillum is an American television director.His most notable directorial work includes a number of episodes from each of the television series The Big Easy, The Untouchables, Miami Vice, Angel, Profiler, Law & Order and Pros and Cons...
; "Orpheus" by co-executive producer Jeffrey Bell and director Terrence O'Hara
Terrence O'Hara
Terrence O'Hara is an American director and actor. He has worked on Smallville, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, and Voyagers! as well as many other programs.-Director:* Dollhouse ** The Unit * Sons Of Anarchy...
; "Inside Out" by writer/director Steven S. DeKnight; "The Magic Bullet" by writer/director Jeffrey Bell; and "Home" by writer/director Tim Minear
Tim Minear
Tim Minear is an American screenwriter and director. He was born in New York, grew up in Whittier, California, and studied film at California State University, Long Beach....
. Featurettes include, "Angel and the Apocalypse", which details how they depicted the apocalypse on the show; "Unplugged: Season 4 Outtakes", a series of outtakes from the season; "Last Looks: The Hyperion Hotel", a set tour of the Hyperion Hotel; "Fatal Beauty and the Beast", a look at the villains of the season; "Malice in Wonderland: Wolfram & Hart", a look at the law firm and its importance in the show; and "Prophecies: Season 4 Overview", a summary of the season featuring interviews with cast and crew members.