Somnambulist

"Somnambulist" is the eleventh episode of the first season of Angel and the eleventh episode overall. It was originally broadcast on January 18, 2000.

Angel worries that he might be sleep-killing when a string of murders turn out to be identical to his dreams.

Synopsis
When Angel starts having dreams of the hunt, dreams that match a string of real murders in every detail, he, Wesley and Cordelia Chase test the theory that he might be somehow sleep-killing by chaining him to the bed for the night. Angel is hardly comforted to learn he's in the clear, however, when he discovers the identity, and the origin, of the killer, a vampire named Penn whom Angelus sired in Ireland over two centuries ago. Devising a plan to protect Kate while making use of her vast LAPD resources, Angel forces Penn into the open, but fails to stop him due in part to Kate's vulnerability. After Kate comes to grips with the reality of L.A.'s supernatural side, educating herself about vampire lore in general and about Angelus in particular, Angel forces her unwilling participation to trap and dust the soulless serial killer. This puts a permanent strain on his own relationship with Kate. Ultimately, Angel fights Penn until Penn grabs him from behind and holds him so that Kate, who is holding a long piece of wood as a stake, will have to stake Angel to kill Penn. Kate rams the board through Angel's stomach and into Penn's heart, killing him but purposely leaving Angel still alive.

Continuity

 * Kate learns that Angel is a vampire, permanently altering their relationship.

Body Count

 * Penn's family (sister, father, brother), drained by Penn
 * Jessica Halprin, drained by Penn
 * Jinny Markem, drained by Penn
 * Reggie Sparks, drained by Penn
 * Unidentified female victim, drained by Penn
 * Penn, sired by Angelus and dusted by Kate Lockley

Production

 * The script was originally called "The Killer I Created", until a detailed summary appeared online, prompting Tim Minear to alter the title. "I went on to the Buffy message board... changed the title and said it was about dreams and about horrible things that you do in your sleep, which completely fooled the fans," says Minear.


 * After writing the first draft, Tim Minear had to rewrite parts of the script to accommodate Wesley's arrival and Doyle's departure; the final scene on the rooftop was originally between Angel and Doyle.


 * Alexis Denisof (Wesley) replaces Glenn Quinn (Doyle) in the opening credit sequence.

Pop Culture References

 * Obi-wan Kenobi: Cordelia refers to Angelus' training of Penn by calling him Psycho-Wan Kenobi after the Star Wars character.


 * Gallagher: Cordelia comments that the comedian has changed his act more times than Penn has in two centuries of performing.


 * Apt Pupil: Cordy refers to this film when she recognizes Penn.


 * Up with People: Penn mocks Angel with the name of the upbeat singing group.


 * Lady Hamilton: Wesley says, "You'd be locked up faster than Lady Hamilton's virtue." Lady Hamilton, wife of Sir William Hamilton, was born Emma Hart (1765-1815), a woman of great beauty and charm who rose from humble origins to international fame. Emma attracted the attention of Lord Horatio Nelson, with whom she had a notorious romantic liaison until his death at the Battle of Trafalgar. Although she inherited money from both Hamilton and Nelson, her extravagance led her into debt, and she died in poverty.

Music

 * Lunatic Calm - "Leave You Far Behind"