- “When the chips are down, when you're at the end of your rope, you need someone you can count on. And that's what you'll find here. Someone who'll go all the way, who'll protect you no matter what. Don't lose hope. Come on over to our offices, and you'll see there's still heroes in this world.”
- ―Allen Francis Doyle[src]
Angel Investigations,[1] also known as Team Angel,[2] was a detective agency specializing in supernatural cases led by Angel.[1] Under the slogan "We help the helpless"[3] (originally "We help the hopeless"), the agency openly advertised Angel's willingness to assist people who were unfamiliar with the supernatural without specifying the agency's specialization.[1]
The agency provided Angel and his colleagues with a source of income.[3] The group later became known as Team Angel following the demise of Angel Investigations as a business.[2][4][5]
History[]
The agency[]
Angel Investigations calling card.
Angel Investigations was founded shortly after Angel moved to Los Angeles in 1999. He made friends with Doyle, a half-demon who had been given visions by the Powers That Be of people in need of Angel's help. After they successfully rescued former Sunnydale associate and Scooby Gang member Cordelia, she encouraged them to front their operations with a detective agency, with the hope of having a steady paycheck while she attempted to make it as an actress.[6] Cordelia also coined their slogan, "We help the hopeless"[1] (later changed to "We help the helpless"),[3] and designed their business logo, a stylized angel, which, according to Kate and Gunn, resembled a lobster.[7][8]
The original formation of Angel Investigations.
Later that year, Doyle passed his visions on to Cordelia just before his death. Another old Sunnydale friend, self-styled "rogue demon hunter" and former Watcher Wesley Wyndam-Pryce, joined Angel Investigations soon after.[9] The street-tough vampire hunter Charles Gunn also joined the agency, adding much-needed brawn to their group.[10] Angel Investigations originally operated out of Angel's residence, a basement apartment beneath a ground-floor office space, comprised of an inner executive office and an outer reception area.[7] However, an agent of the evil law firm Wolfram & Hart blew up the building as part of a scheme to eliminate Angel.[11]
Cordelia's residence was pressed into service as the Angel Investigations headquarters[12] until they moved to the abandoned Hyperion Hotel.[13] The Hyperion had been abandoned due to a demon that drove the occupants to insanity. The Angel Investigations team killed the demon[14] and took control of the building to use it as their headquarters.[13]
Angel fired his three colleagues after escalating disagreements about his growing moral corruption.[15] While Angel dealt with his private issues, Gunn, Cordelia, and Wesley continued running Angel Investigations without him in a rented office and opted to keep the agency's name.[16]
Eventually, Angel rejoined them,[17] and their base of operations returned to the Hyperion Hotel. As part of his amends, he agreed to work for them, and Wesley acted as the team leader.[18] They spent some time in the demon-dimension Pylea, home to friend Lorne.[19][20] There, they rescued Winifred Burkle,[21] a stranded former physics student, who joined the agency after spending some time recovering from the trauma of her time in Pylea.[22] Angel would fall into his old role as the team's leader in their fight against such opponents as Gunn's former gang[23] or Wolfram & Hart's attempts to abduct the pregnant Darla.[24]
The agency in 2001.
With the birth of Angel's son, Connor, Angel Investigations became determined to make money and created a website to advertise their business. Thanks to this, Angel Investigations' renown and popularity quickly skyrocketed.[3]
After a fallout, Wesley left the agency, and Angel resumed his function as the team leader,[25][26] although he briefly went missing after his then-adult son Connor trapped him at the bottom of the ocean[27] for three months.[28] At the time, Wesley set up his own team, which acted more as a paramilitary mercenary group than a detective agency,[29] and the agency functioned with only Gunn, Fred, and Connor. Wesley eventually managed to rescue Angel[28] and gradually made his way back into his friends' good graces, although Angel remained the de facto leader even after Wesley's return.[30][31][32]
Despite such problems as the need to remove Angel's soul to find more information about the powerful entity known as the Beast[33][34] and the discovery that Cordelia had been possessed by the entity known as Jasmine,[35][36] the Angel Investigations team managed to hold together to overcome these powerful foes. As a "reward" for ending Jasmine's campaign for world peace at the cost of free will, Angel and his team assumed control over the L.A. branch of their former enemy Wolfram & Hart.[2]
Team Angel[]
The team at Wolfram & Hart.
After dissolving the agency, the group that formed Angel Investigations became known as Team Angel,[2][4][5] though Angel claimed that they didn't have a name, which Spike thought was for the best because he'd call them "Angel's Avengers or something"; Angel, at first, thought this was ridiculous, but then apparently started to consider it.[37] As a result of their association with Wolfram & Hart, Angel's allies in the Scooby Gang, including Buffy, deemed Angel and his teammates untrustworthy.[38] That year, Cordelia died in her coma,[39] Illyria possessed Fred's form,[40] and Wesley died in the battle against the Circle of the Black Thorn.[41]
During the Fall of Los Angeles, the team seemed to have been disbanded; though the remaining members were still active, they mostly operated independently of each other. The then-human Angel and a ghostly Wesley fought the Demon Lords of Los Angeles from the destroyed Wolfram & Hart building;[42] Spike and a somewhat unstable Illyria posed as Demon Lords to save humans and benevolent demons;[43] a vampiric Gunn antagonized them believing he was the one saving L.A.,[44] Connor headed a safe house for humans and benevolent demons alongside Nina Ash and Gwen Raiden; and Lorne was the neutral Lord of Silver Lake with the Groosalugg as his champion.[45] In Angel's battle with the other Demon Lords' champions, he was soon aided by his old friends, Spike, Illyria, Connor, Gwen, Nina, the Groosalugg, Lorne, and Wesley.[46]
Angel with his allies and enemies in the Fall of Los Angeles.
Following their victory, Team Angel returned to their old base, the Hyperion Hotel, where they resumed their patrols over the city.[47] In a confrontation with Gunn, Angel realized the Senior Partners needed him alive for their plans and provoked Gunn into killing him. As a result, the Senior Partners reset the timeline to the last point Angel was alive, the moment before Los Angeles was sent to Hell, and Angel rescued Gunn before he was sired.[48] Angel kept using his Angel Investigations card.[49]
Legacy[]
After the Twilight crisis, Angel relocated to London, working with Faith to complete the unfinished work of Rupert Giles and find a way to bring him back to life. Proceeding the end of magic, it would appear the team had indeed disbanded; Kate had returned to the L.A.P.D., Nina had gotten married, Connor had returned to college,[50] and Illyria had joined the Magic Council.[51]
In the following years, Angel acted in the Magic Town allied with Faith, Sophronia Fairweather, Lavinia Fairweather, Alasdair Coames,[52] Fred, Illyria, Nadira Kureishi, and Eldre Koh.[53] However, Angel eventually found himself closer to the Scooby Gang once again in the battle of the Reckoning.[54]
Team members[]
In chronological order:
Angel — Angel was the founder[55] and leader of Angel Investigations, and thus he generally had final say in regard to the course of action the team took; he was also commonly the team's strongest fighter due to his vampiric powers.[citation needed] He was the most consistent member,[55][41] only leaving the group for brief intervals.[16][17][28]
Allen Francis Doyle — Doyle was a founding member of Angel Investigations and the team's original connection to the Powers That Be via visions.[6] Immediately prior to his death, he passed the visions to Cordelia.[9]
Cordelia Chase — Cordelia was a founding member[55] and originally the team's secretary and primary researcher, though Wesley takes over this role when he joined the team.[citation needed] Originally only working with Angel while she tried to become a successful actress,[55] she became a good fighter and acted as Angel's connection with the Powers That Be.[citation needed] She died after entering a mystical coma,[39] although she reappeared as a higher power, contacting Angel when he was in a near-death state.[citation needed]
Wesley Wyndam-Pryce — As an ex-Watcher, he had a wide knowledge of the demonic world. Despite his general loyalty to Angel — once rejecting the Watchers Council's offer to take him back because he trusted Angel more than them — he was not averse to working against him if it proved necessary; it was understood that he would kill Angel if Angelus resurfaced,[citation needed] and he kidnapped Angel's son when he suspected Angel would kill him.[56] He died in the last stand against the Circle of the Black Thorn,[41] although he aided Angel for a time as a "ghost" while Los Angeles was in Hell.[citation needed]
Charles Gunn — Gunn led a street gang who fought vampires. Angel managed to win Gunn's trust,[57] and Gunn helped the team on numerous occasions[11][10] before properly joining the team when they traveled to Pylea.[19] He was regarded as the "muscle" of the team[22][35] and eventually gained a perfect knowledge of both human and demonic legal systems.[58] Gunn became a vampire in the Fall of Los Angeles and betrayed the team,[44] but he returned to their side once he was restored to human form[59] and continued to act in L.A.[50]
Lorne — First meeting the team in his demon karaoke bar Caritas,[12] Lorne became increasingly affiliated with the group during Angel's dark phase after Darla's resurrection.[60][17] He stayed with the team after the destruction of Caritas[61] and became a more permanent member after his attempt to start a career in Las Vegas fell apart.[62][63] He joined the team in Wolfram & Hart as the head of Entertainment Division,[2] but left his friends after Fred's death,[37] helping in the fight against the Circle of the Black Thorn as his "one last job."[41]
Winifred Burkle — The team met Fred in the dimension of Pylea, where she had been stuck for 5 years.[64] She came back to L.A. with them[21] and became a valuable member of the team due to her excellent mind.[22] She died when Illyria consumed her,[40] but Fred returned to life with the restoration of magic, sharing her form with Illyria and joining Angel's new team in Magic Town.[65] She stayed by his side until the battle of the Reckoning.[54]
Connor — The miracle son of Angel,[24] the Angel Investigations team raised and protected Connor in his first months of life.[61] One of Angel's enemies, Holtz, kidnapped Connor[56] and spent eighteen years[30] in another universe with him, teaching Connor to become a demon hunter and to hate Angel. Connor returned to this world in what seemed days after leaving and quickly attempted to kill Angel,[66] but they eventually formed a complicated bond.[67] Connor spent three months as part of Angel Investigations while messing with their attempts to find Angel,[28] whom Connor had imprisoned at the bottom of the ocean.[27] Once Angel returned, he expelled his son from the team,[28] but Connor continued connected with them through the amnesiac Cordelia, who preferred his company.[63] Connor was reintegrated into the team while they were under Jasmine's influence.[68] However, afterward, Angel agreed to assume the L.A. branch of Wolfram and Hart in return for Connor having a new family with no memories of his previous life.[2] Connor's memories were eventually restored, and he became a capable and reliable ally during the Fall of Los Angeles.[41][45]
Spike — He was vampire who traveled and killed with Angelus,[69][4] but he eventually got a soul as well. Originally a member of the Scooby Gang, Spike was sent to Los Angeles as a "ghost" after the destruction of the Hellmouth,[70] remaining with the group after he regained his body[4] to eventually become a full-time member after Fred's demise.[71] After the Fall of Los Angeles, Spike moved on from the team[72] and then rejoined the Scooby Gang.[73]
Illyria — The Old One took over the body of Fred and stayed with the team as she adjusted to the new world, seeing first Wesley and then Angel as her guides on humanity,[71] but staying with them in the last stand against the Circle of the Black Thorn.[41] After her eventual death[74] and resurrection, Illyria began to share her form with Fred and joined Angel's new team in Magic Town,[65] staying by his side until the battle of the Reckoning.[54]
Relationship/comparison with the Scooby Gang[]
Angel, Cordelia, and Wesley first met in Sunnydale.
As some members of Angel Investigations first met in the Scooby Gang,[75][76] Team Angel shared numerous similarities and conflicts with their Sunnydale counterparts.
They had similar goals and morals, though the members of Angel Investigations would intentionally seek the death of humans if they considered the situation required it, including Ronald Meltzer,[1] Vanessa Brewer,[77] Wolfram & Hart agents,[61][70] McManus,[78] Magnus Hainsley,[58] and Knox.[71] The Scoobies preferred to leave their human enemies alive to face human justice for their crimes,[79] regarding killing humans as a reprehensible and corrupted action.[76][80][81] Notably, the Scoobies' enemies were primarily demons and vampires,[82] while Angel Investigations often dealt with human enemies, mostly from Wolfram & Hart.[41] Additionally, the human members of the Scooby Gang always outnumbered the non-humans (with at most one vampire at a time),[83][82] in contrast to the proportion in Team Angel in its first[6] and final years.[41]
Oz from the Scooby Gang reunites with Angel and Cordelia.
Their combat skills also differed. Team Angel regularly employed the usage of firearms,[84][85][41] while the Scoobies had a strong distaste for them.[86][87][88] The Scooby Gang was somewhat mystically superior, thanks to Willow's magical talent,[89] while Angel Investigations tended to have superior fighters[13] and focus on physical training.[90]
While the Scoobies tended to handle more urgent enemies who intended to act on a large scale,[80][82] Angel Investigations' enemies were traditionally more long-term planners who had a particular interest on Angel. Wolfram & Hart constantly attempted to subvert and corrupt Angel due to his prophesied role in "the Apocalypse,"[15][37] Daniel Holtz waited for centuries and the rest of his lifetime to exact vengeance on Angel,[91][67] and the entity known as Jasmine planned for years to manipulate the team into a position in which she could be reborn.[68] Angel Investigations also counted with guidance from the Powers That Be[55] and people who hired them to help with supernatural problems,[92] while the Scooby Gang acted with no financial compensation[93] and became aware of their latest threats through patrolling[94][95][96] and questioning institutions.[97][98][99]
Willow from the Scooby Gang assists Team Angel.
Another key difference between the Scoobies and the Angel Investigations team was the exact way their groups operated. While Angel Investigations operated as a private detective agency, publicly offering their services to others and thus granting themselves a semi-legal reason for their actions, the Scoobies largely remained underground as a vigilante force, with few people besides their closest friends and family members even knowing of their existence. Another difference was how others viewed them once their actions became widely known; while Team Angel was hailed as celebrities and heroes for their actions in the Fall of Los Angeles, the Slayer Organization was viewed and denounced as a terrorist group.[citation needed]
The Scoobies and the Angel Investigations team met each other on occasion. Fred called Willow for help against Angelus, and Willow was aware of Connor's existence and relation to Angel before meeting him.[89] Additionally, Oz and Buffy knew the location of the original Angel Investigations offices when they visited Angel,[100][101] whereas Willow visited the Hyperion Hotel to inform Angel of Buffy's death;[21] Cordelia also called Willow's dorm room for advice and tips when attempting to hack encrypted computer files.[77]
List of members[]
Teammates[]
- Angel[6]
- Cordelia Chase[6]
- Allen Francis Doyle[6]
- Wesley Wyndam-Pryce[9]
- Charles Gunn[10]
- Winifred "Fred" Burkle[21]
- Krevlornswath "Lorne" of the Deathwok Clan[61]
- Spike[58]
- Illyria[71]
Allies[]
- Kate Lockley[citation needed]
- Lindsey McDonald[citation needed]
- Anne Steele[citation needed]
- Groosalugg[citation needed]
- Gwen Raiden[citation needed]
- Faith Lehane[102]
- Connor[citation needed]
- Lilah Morgan[citation needed]
- Harmony Kendall[18]
- Nina Ash[citation needed]
- Cordelia (dragon)[citation needed]
- Betta George[citation needed]
Headquarters[]
The Angel Investigations team had had many different headquarters throughout the years:
- Angel Investigations offices (1999–2000)[6][11]
- Pearson Arms apartment 212 (2000)[12][14]
- Hyperion Hotel (2000–2003,[13][2] 2004)[47]
- Angel Investigations offices II (2001)[8][17]
- Wolfram & Hart Los Angeles branch (2003–2004)[70][42]
Gallery[]
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