Heartthrob

"Heartthrob" is the season premiere of the third season of Angel and the forty-fifth episode overall. Written and directed by David Greenwalt, it was originally broadcast on The WB television on September 24, 2001, two weeks later than intended due to the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

In this episode, Angel's former vampiric traveling companion James seeks revenge against Angel for staking his lover.

Synopsis
Wesley, Cordelia and Gunn discuss their recent addition at the Hyperion Hotel, Winifred "Fred" Burkle, who has spent the last three months in her room (except when she enters the lobby for a few seconds before scurrying back). They note her bravery at surviving five years in Pylea. Also cause for concern is Angel, who has spent the summer at a monastery in Sri Lanka in order to help him cope with Buffy's death. Wesley notes that all Angel needs is peace and quiet. Angel's mourning, however, is anything but peaceful as the monks turn out to be Shur-hod Demons and Angel must kill them all.

Angel returns to Los Angeles and is eagerly greeted by his friends. He gives Cordelia a necklace, Wesley a 16th century dagger and Gunn a shrunken head (all three gifts are greatly appreciated). Angel asks after Fred, and despite Cordelia's attempt to cover, Angel guesses she hasn't left her room. He decides to go and talk to her; upon hearing a knock at the door, Fred tries to get rid of whoever is on the other side until she hears it's Angel, then she rushes joyfully to the door to see him. Invited into Fred's room, Angel finds the walls covered in writing, similar to Fred's cave in Pylea. She has both arcane mathematical formulas and different phrases. Upon seeing a section with the words "LISTEN LISTEN LISTEN," Angel asks what she's listening for, and Fred responds, "The click in my head when everything makes sense." Angel invites her downstairs, but a scream from Cordelia shatters her sense of security. Cordelia's visions (which have grown increasingly painful over the last few months) send the guys to intercept a party crashed by vampires. They find the vampires with two kidnapped humans in a car, and Angel stakes the female vampire. As she is dying, the vampire says "Angelus?" and then turns to dust. Angel stares at the locket in his hand that he had ripped off her neck, and recognizes her as Elisabeth. Meanwhile, Cordelia recovers from her vision with the help of her ghost, Dennis, a relaxing bath, and some powerful painkillers.

A flashback to Marseille, France, in 1767 reveals that Darla and Angelus once spent time with Elisabeth and James. Angelus is annoyed with the cutesy, loving relationship between the other couple. James steals a locket from a store window for Elisabeth--the same locket she was wearing at her staking. Angelus is also concerned with escaping the vampire hunter, Daniel Holtz, who has been tracking him since Angelus killed the man's entire family.

In the present, James learns about Elisabeth's death, and that Angel was responsible. He charges into the office of a special demon doctor, demanding a special treatment of some kind. The demon, a skin-molting creature named Dr. Gregson, questions James's ability to accept the price, but agrees. James says he has already paid the price. At Caritas, Lorne sings, while Wesley and Gunn grill Merl for information. Merl reveals James visited Dr. Gregson earlier.

At the Hyperion Hotel, Cordelia tries to get Angel to talk about losing Buffy. She tells him it wasn't his fault, but he misunderstands and thinks she is telling him that it wasn't his fault that he killed Elisabeth. Angel doesn't want to talk about Buffy. Then, James emerges from the basement and attacks Angel, demanding to know why he took Elisabeth from him. Fred chooses that moment to emerge, and Angel yells at her to stay in her room, causing the girl to lose what little confidence she had gained. The two continue to fight, and Cordelia manages to hit James hard with a fire extinguisher, then tosses Angel a stake. Angel manages to stake James, but to no effect. Then Angel throws James outside into the sun, but he is similarly unharmed. Angel and Cordelia run for the sewers, and Angel throws James off temporarily with the scent of his blood, but James eventually finds them in a subway train. A call from Wesley reveals that James has been made invincible by Dr. Gregson by having his heart removed, but it's not permanent and he will die when it wears off, though that part of the phone call is unclear as reception is poor in the sewers. As they fight inside the subway train, James questions Angel's knowledge of true love. Angel tells him that he had one true love, but recently lost her. He assures James he understands what it is like to lose someone he loves. James disputes that this was true love, as he thinks that if Angel loved and lost, then he, too, would not want to go on anymore. Soon, the effects of the cure wear off, and James crumbles into dust. Angel allows James' comments about not being able to exist after losing the person he loved to upset him, but Cordelia convinces him that he honors Buffy by going on, as that is what she would want.

At a cantina in Puerto Cabezas, Nicaragua, a man presents contact information for a shaman to Darla, who quickly turns to sink her teeth into him. As he falls to the floor, Darla turns to leave the bar, revealing that she is in a very advanced state of pregnancy.

Continuity

 * This episode contains a subtle metaphorical allusion to Buffy the Vampire Slayer leaving for UPN, while Angel the series was remaining on The WB. Angel states how Buffy leaving did not kill him, and that he would continue to survive in order to honor her. Similarly, the show Angel would remain independent from Buffy the Vampire Slayer as the two shows were now on competing networks. A similar allusion was used in Sanctuary, in which Angel tells Buffy she is no longer part of his life, meaning the show Angel is strong on its own without Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Production

 * Amy Acker joins the regular cast and opening credits as of this episode.


 * Returning actress Julie Benz is now billed as a Special Guest Star.


 * This episode marks David Boreanaz's 100th appearance as Angel, dating back to Buffy Season One.

Goofs, Bloopers & Continuity Errors

 * Darla's location is identified by a subtitle as "Puerto Cabazas, Nicaragua". There is no actual Nicaraguan city by that name, but there is one named Puerto Cabezas.


 * Despite being a vampire, James's reflection can be seen on the subway windows as it passes him by.


 * In the scene were Wesley, Gunn and Angel are attacking the vamps near the entrance to the parking garage, Wesley and Gunn seemingly stake their vamps but if you look closely behind Angel in the scene were he stakes the blonde, you can see their body's clearly undusted