Epiphany

Epiphany is the sixteenth episode of the second season of Angel and the thirty-eighth episode overall. Written by Tim Minear and directed by Thomas J. Wright, it was originally broadcast on February 27, 2001 on the WB network.

Angel has sex with Darla, despite knowing that a moment of true happiness will make him lose his soul. But when he wakes, his soul is intact and he realizes that being evil to combat evil is not the way. He tells Darla she saved him. Now, Angel needs to regain the trust of Wesley, Cordelia and Gunn who have been taken hostage by a group of murderous, revenge-seeking Skilosh Demons who are looking for human hosts to spread their kin. Meanwhile, a jealous Lindsey learns that Darla has had sex with Angel, and goes looking to kill Angel himself. Also, Kate recovers and sees a new light to her life after Angel saves her from a suicide attempt.

Synopsis
Angel pulls on some clothes and struggles to the balcony, falling to his knees in pain as Darla watches on, waiting for him to become Angelus. She thinks his struggle is the bitterness of his soul leaving him. She tells him that she had come there to kill him, but she felt him surrender to her so completely that there was no need. But then Angel tells her that she saved him, and thanks her, and apologizes for not being able to save her; Darla realizes that he still has his soul. Darla can't accept that she failed to rid him of his soul, with the implicit realization that sex with her does not mean true happiness for Angel. But the sex has reawakened the good in Angel, making him realize his recent mistakes. It is as Cordelia said in Reprise--he just needed to get laid. Angel advises Darla to leave, saying the next time they meet, he will kill her. Then he rushes over to Kate's place and revives her from her drug and alcohol induced unconsciousness.

Lindsey returns to his apartment to find Darla, who tells him of her night with Angel. Angel shows up at the bar after hours and wakes the Host for advice. He's confused about his future and the Host warns him that his friends may not be around for much longer as their lives are all in danger. Cordelia arrives at the Sharp home and finds all of the family dead. She receives a vision about a demon attacking her, only to have it actually occur moments later.

Cordelia realizes that the demons have an eye on the back of their heads and they want all of her friends destroyed in retaliation for destroying the spawn they had implanted in Stephanie Sharp. Wesley hears noises in his apartment and just before one of the Skilosh demons attacks, Angel arrives. Wesley invites him inside, and the two manage to kill the two Skilosh demons who were attacking them. He tries to hide his excitement at seeing Angel, and Angel tries to explain the reason for his return to helping his friends. Wesley tells everything he knows about the demons, their reproduction through human hosts, and the destruction of the demon in Stephanie. The two make their way to the office, hoping Cordelia is there. When they arrive, they find the place deserted. Angel speculates that Cordelia is out partying with friends, but Wesley castigates Angel for not noticing the changes in Cordelia over the past months, since she began having visions. Unlike Angel, she could not ignore the visions, and has turned into a serious young woman who has dedicated herself to helping others.

The Skilosh demons are upset about losing two more of their kind so they use Cordelia as bait to bring hosts for more, and they implant their spawn in Cordelia. Wesley lectures Angel about how little he knows about his friends or about helping people. Gunn shows up at the office and after some detective work, the three head to the Sharp's to save Cordelia. After being attacked while driving, Angel leaves the car for Gunn and Wesley and stops to take care of the demons. As Angel's about to start fighting with demons, however, Lindsey arrives in a pickup truck and repeatedly runs Angel down. Lindsey gets out and starts beating Angel with a sledgehammer, all the time demanding to know what happened with Darla. Angel turns the tables on Lindsey, smashing his prosthetic hand and stealing his truck to rescue Cordelia and the others. Gunn and Wesley try to sneak into the Sharp home but are caught. Angel crashes Lindsey's truck through the house, and rescues his friends. But Cordelia is not ready to forgive him. Lindsey returns home to find that Angel has returned his truck, but that Darla has moved out of his apartment.

Angel talks with Kate about his existential epiphany; he has realized that if there is no greater meaning and it's all ultimately futile, then the only thing that exists is each other, and the smallest act of human kindness is everything, because there is nothing else, no plan, no great cosmic force. However, Kate has come to the opposite conclusion: she believes there is a higher power watching out for them, and she has come to this knowledge because she realizes that she never invited Angel into her home yet he still entered to save her. Kate is now at peace and has accepted that her future will not be with the police.

Angel returns to the Angel Investigations office and apologizes to his friends. They tell him they are not ready to go back and work for him. But he says he doesn't want that; he wants to work for them to earn their trust back. The team's doubts are put on hold when Cordelia has a vision, leading them to rush to the rescue.

Continuity

 * This marks the final appearance of Elisabeth Röhm as Kate Lockley in the series. Röhm left the show to join the cast of the NBC drama Law & Order, where she starred until 2004.