The third season of Angel originally aired on The WB from September 24, 2001 to May 20, 2002, earlier than the sixth season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Synopsis[]
Even as Angel mourns the death of Buffy, Darla makes her way to L.A. with a mysterious new life growing within her. Now thrust into a role he never imagined, Angel needs the assistance of the Angel Investigations team more than ever. But while Cordelia, Gunn and Fred rally round the new dad, an ancient and deadly prophecy convinces Wesley to commit the ultimate betrayal.[1]
Summary[]
To get over the loss of Buffy, Angel spends three months in a Sri Lankan monastery, where he fights some demon monks. He returns to Los Angeles,[2] as does Darla — now heavily pregnant. This has never happened to a vampire before, and no one — not Angel's gang nor Wolfram & Hart — can understand why it has happened now. Prophecies reveal that a death will take place at the moment of the child's birth; he cannot be born through conventional means.[3] It appears that the unborn boy might perish, but instead Darla sacrifices her life to give birth to Angel's son, Connor.[4]
The gang is willing and eager to care for the infant,[5] but Wesley soon learns of a frightening prophecy that suggests that Angel will murder his son.[6] Fearing that Angel cannot bear the truth and feeling disconnected from the new couple, Gunn and Fred, Wesley does not share this information, and quietly kidnaps Connor. This backfires as he is attacked and the child is seized by an old enemy named Holtz, whose family Angelus and Darla slaughtered two hundred years ago. Holtz escapes through a portal to the dimension of Quor'toth.[7]
Angel feels that his son is lost forever. He attacks Wesley and banishes him from the group. It is later revealed that the prophecy which spurred the kidnapping is false. It was created by a demon, Sahjhan, that is destined to be killed by Connor.[8] Connor eventually comes back as a teenage boy, having been raised by Holtz in a dimension where time moves more quickly and taught by his surrogate father that Angel is still the evil vampire Angelus that Holtz once knew.[9] In order to gain his final revenge on Angel, the now elderly Holtz has his closest follower, Justine, kill him to frame Angel.[10]
The grieving Connor uses his inherited super-strength and his father's unsuspecting love to defeat Angel and imprison him in a casket on the bottom of the ocean. Cordelia, who had planned a romantic rendezvous with Angel, disappears the same night, having been elevated by the Powers That Be to a higher plane. Meanwhile, Lorne leaves for Las Vegas to pursue a singing career. This leaves a very confused Fred and Gunn to carry on at Angel Investigations.[11]
Cast[]
Main[]
- David Boreanaz as Angel (22/22)
- Charisma Carpenter as Cordelia (19/22)
- Alexis Denisof as Wesley (22/22)
- J. August Richards as Gunn (22/22)
- Amy Acker as Fred (22/22)
Recurring[]
- Andy Hallett as Lorne (18/22)
- Stephanie Romanov as Lilah (14/22)
- Keith Szarabajka as Holtz (11/22)
- Daniel Dae Kim as Gavin (8/22)
- Connor, Jake, and Trenton Tupen as Baby Connor (8/22)
- Mark Lutz as the Groosalugg (7/22)
- Jack Conley as Sahjhan (6/22)
- Laurel Holloman as Justine (6/22)
- Julie Benz as Darla (5/22)
- John Rubinstein as Linwood (5/22)
- Vincent Kartheiser as Teenage Connor (4/22)
- David Denman as Skip (3/22)
- Matthew James as Merl (2/22)
Episodes[]
| No. | Image | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | 
|
"Heartthrob" | September 24, 2001 |
| Writer: David Greenwalt | Director: David Greenwalt | ||
| On a routine patrol, Angel stakes a female vampire he recognizes from his past, but a moment too late. Her grief-stricken lover, Angel's old fighting buddy, is out for revenge for the present killing and a betrayal Angelus committed over 200 years ago. | |||
| 02 | 
|
"That Vision-Thing" | October 1, 2001 |
| Writer: Jeffrey Bell | Director: Bill L. Norton | ||
| Angel must team up with the dark side to stop a psychic hacker from killing Cordelia with her own violent visions that are leaving her burned, scaly and frightened for her life. | |||
| 03 | 
|
"That Old Gang of Mine" | October 8, 2001 |
| Writer: Tim Minear | Director: Fred Keller | ||
| Angel comes face-to-face with Gunn's old demon-hunting crew who at one time considered Gunn a hero, but now view him a traitor and want to see Angel dead. | |||
| 04 | 
|
"Carpe Noctem" | October 15, 2001 |
| Writer: Scott Murphy | Director: James A. Contner | ||
| An old man casts a body-switching spell on Angel, and the old man enjoys the many pleasures of being eternally young, handsome and bloodthirsty in Los Angeles while a dying Angel tries to get his body back. | |||
| 05 | 
|
"Fredless" | October 22, 2001 |
| Writer: Mere Smith | Director: Marita Grabiak | ||
| Angel goes into full detective mode when Fred's parents unexpectedly arrive in Los Angeles to bring Fred home, but their appearance inexplicably sends her into a tailspin and on the run. | |||
| 06 | 
|
"Billy" | October 29, 2001 |
| Writers: Tim Minear, Jeffrey Bell | Director: David Grossman | ||
| Violence erupts within Angel's gang as a demonic boy brings primal rage to the surface of men, turning them hateful and murderous towards women. As Wesley and Gunn turn on a frightened Fred, Cordelia fears the onslaught of Angel's dark side. | |||
| 07 | 
|
"Offspring" | November 5, 2001 |
| Writer: David Greenwalt | Director: Turi Meyer | ||
| Angel comes face-to-face with the consequences of his night of passion when Darla arrives on his doorstep inexplicably pregnant. While Angel tortures himself over the decision whether or not to destroy the demon seed, the gang uncovers a prophecy that predicts the arrival of a great evil which will bring about the ruination of mankind. | |||
| 08 | 
|
"Quickening" | November 12, 2001 |
| Writer: Jeffrey Bell | Director: Skip Schoolnik | ||
| Angel must do everything in his power to protect Darla and their unborn child when Wolfram & Hart launches a full attack to take mother and baby, in addition to a vampire cult who believe the baby is The Miracle Child. | |||
| 09 | 
|
"Lullaby" | November 19, 2001 |
| Writer: Tim Minear | Director: Tim Minear | ||
| As Darla violently begins childbirth, Angel faces the responsibility of becoming a father and the possibilities of what miracle or destruction this new being may bring to the world. | |||
| 10 | 
|
"Dad" | December 10, 2001 |
| Writer: David Goodman | Director: Fred Keller | ||
| Angel discovers how hard it is being a new dad — especially when the demon underworld is after your newborn son. | |||
| 11 | 
|
"Birthday" | January 14, 2002 |
| Writer: Mere Smith | Director: Michael Grossman | ||
| On her birthday, Cordelia's visions become so painful that they propel her into an astral state and a life-threatening coma. Visited by a demon guide, astral Cordy is mystically granted the opportunity to live her dream of a rich and famous actress if she is willing to give up her history with Angel and her visions. | |||
| 12 | 
|
"Provider" | January 21, 2002 |
| Writer: Scott Murphy | Director: Bill L. Norton | ||
| Cordelia worries that Angel has lost sight of their mission to help the helpless when he becomes obsessed with making money in order to provide for the baby's future and takes on too many cases. | |||
| 13 | 
|
"Waiting in the Wings" | February 4, 2002 |
| Writer: Joss Whedon | Director: Joss Whedon | ||
| Angel takes the gang out for an evening at the ballet, but becomes suspicious when the prima ballerina is one he saw dance more than a century ago. When Angel and Cordelia sneak backstage to investigate, they find themselves consumed with an overwhelming passion for one another as the spirits of unrequited lovers take over. | |||
| 14 | 
|
"Couplet" | February 18, 2002 |
| Writers: Tim Minear, Jeffrey Bell | Director: Tim Minear | ||
| Angel feels isolated, obsolete and even a bit jealous when Groosalugg arrives in town from Pylea and immediately saves the gang in battle and is welcomed into the loving arms of his former princess, Cordelia. | |||
| 15 | 
|
"Loyalty" | February 25, 2002 |
| Writer: Mere Smith | Director: James A. Contner | ||
| Angel is concerned about Wesley's erratic behavior when the book man's greatest fears are secretly confirmed — the prophecy is true and he is given the three signs to look for before Angel devours his own son. When an earthquake shakes Los Angeles, all three signs come true. | |||
| 16 | 
|
"Sleep Tight" | March 4, 2002 |
| Writer: David Greenwalt | Director: Terrence O'Hara | ||
| Angel's angry behavior and sudden cravings for human blood frighten Wesley enough for him to kidnap the baby to keep him safe. Unfortunately, Wesley's plan to protect Connor falls apart when Holtz takes the child for revenge against Angel. | |||
| 17 | 
|
"Forgiving" | April 15, 2002 |
| Writer: Jeffrey Bell | Director: Turi Meyer | ||
| Angel is a man out for revenge to get back at Wesley for kidnapping Connor and turning him over to their enemies. While Fred and Gunn try to reason with him, Angel conjures dark magic and risks ripping right through the fabric of reality to find his lost son. | |||
| 18 | 
|
"Double or Nothing" | April 22, 2002 |
| Writer: David Goodman | Director: David Goodman | ||
| Angel puts his soul on the line when a repo man comes to collect on Gunn's past deal to sell his soul. Meanwhile, Cordy is back from vacation and tries to console Angel over the loss of the only child he will ever have, and Fred tells Wesley that the prophecy was a fake and all was lost for nothing. | |||
| 19 | 
|
"The Price" | April 29, 2002 |
| Writer: David Fury | Director: Marita Grabiak | ||
| Angel must pay for using powerful dark magic in his failed attempt to bring back his son, and the hotel becomes infected with deadly slug-like creatures who invade Fred's body, leaving Wesley as Gunn's only hope to turn to save her. Meanwhile, Cordelia experiences a new and shocking power and they learn of the coming of The Destroyer determined to kill Angel. | |||
| 20 | 
|
"A New World" | May 6, 2002 |
| Writer: Jeffrey Bell | Director: Tim Minear | ||
| Angel's son Connor is brought back from the Hell dimension a feral teenage warrior, and is hellbent on vengeance against his father for his evil past. | |||
| 21 | 
|
"Benediction" | May 13, 2002 |
| Writer: Tim Minear | Director: Tim Minear | ||
| After a violent reunion, Angel finds himself battling vampires with his now teenaged son Connor by his side. Meanwhile, Fred and Gunn distract Connor so Angel can confront Holtz for stealing his son. | |||
| 22 | 
|
"Tomorrow" | May 20, 2002 |
| Writer: David Greenwalt | Director: David Greenwalt | ||
| The joyful reunion between Angel and his now teenage son Connor is short-lived when the enraged Connor comes seeking revenge against Angel for murder. Meanwhile, just at the moment when Cordelia and Angel are finally ready to face their feelings for each other, she is sent a message that it's time for her to leave this world and to move on to another. | |||
Behind the scenes[]
Collections[]
- The season was collected in 2004 on the DVD set Angel Season Three on DVD.
References[]
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