Dad

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"Dad" is the tenth episode of the third season of Angel and the fifty-fourth episode overall. Written by David Goodman and directed by Fred Keller, it was originally broadcast on December 10, 2001 on the WB network.

After Darla sacrifices herself to save her baby, Angel takes the newborn back to the hotel where he tries to figure out how to be a good father. But Angel and the gang's problems multiply when they are trapped at the hotel by several groups of enemies, including vampire cults, demon cults and satanic humans, bent on kidnapping his infant son. After brushing off Sahjhan, Holtz goes about Los Angeles recruiting new help for his quest to kill Angel by hiring humans whose families where also victims of vampires, starting with one bitter, working-class woman, named Justine Cooper, as his right hand person and recruiter.

Synopsis

The gang returns with the baby to find the hotel a mess. Lorne announces he'll be moving in on account of Caritas being destroyed...again. Although everyone wants to hold the baby, Angel holds his son protectively and keeps everyone at bay. Angel struggles with the father role when he cleans a cut on his son's face while the rest of the gang plan to keep the baby safe from the inevitable attackers looking to steal and kill him. A demon barges into the hotel but is quickly killed by Gunn and Wesley. Angel realizes his son is crying because he needs to be changed and attempts to change the diaper on Wesley's desk. Back at the underground lair, Sahjhan complains about Holtz's refusal to kill Angel, but Holtz is content with his behavior. They discuss Darla's pregnancy and suicide, and Holtz goes on about his plans despite Sahjhan's insistence that Angel just be staked quickly to stick with the prophecies. Sahjhan's temper rises as he discovers that Holtz poisoned all of his demon minions, as Holtz explains that he doesn't want paid lackeys but dedicated soldiers to follow him into his coming battles.

While the Furies set up a mystical barrier around the Hyperion Hotel, Angel continues to care for his fussy child and Cordelia and Fred investigate the demon websites offering bounties for the baby. Cordelia informs Angel that the newborn needs to see a doctor, and that he can't do everything for his child - for example, be outside in the sun - and needs to accept their help.

While watching the hotel via their spy cameras, the lawyers at Wolfram & Hart ponder how Angel's baby could have been born despite the prophecy's translation stating it would not happen. Meanwhile, Angel can't get his son to stop crying until he changes to his vampire visage, which fascinates the baby enough to stop him from crying. In attempts to discover Holtz's identity, Lilah has "Files and Records" retrieve information about how Angelus and Darla killed Holtz's entire family back in the 18th century. Holtz tracks a young woman named Justine, whose twin sister was recently killed by a vampire. She had been killing vampires on her own since then, and Holtz offers to be her mentor.

Gunn returns with weapons and news of the crowd forming outside waiting to break the barrier and claim the child. The Lilliad demons outside chant and break down the barrier around the hotel while inside, the gang prepares to defend themselves and retreat if necessary. Angel decides to leave with the baby, as Wolfram & Hart watch on television screens. They send their teams out to get the baby from him. The gang ready themselves for the attack as the barrier is broken down and demons are free to enter. Angel escapes through the sewers and drives away in his car. While the gang disposes of the demons and vampires who enter the hotel with a flame-thrower, Angel drives to an abandoned mine shaft. His pursuers demand the child, and surprisingly Angel throws it to them as he escapes to the surface. The demons unwrap the child to find that it's actually a teddy bear with a ticking time bomb strapped to it - the bomb destroys them and the mine shaft, as Cordelia, Wesley and Fred take the baby to the hospital for care.

At Wolfram & Hart, Linwood examines footage from the hotel and discovers a moment when Lorne slipped Angel a note into his coat and in the conversation, identifies a location where Angel could read the note without being seen by the cameras. Earlier, Lorne heard a humming noise and concluded that the gang was being spied upon. The vampire alarm goes off, and Angel barges in and attacks Linwood with a knife, giving him a cut equal to the one on his child's cheek. Angel promises that any harm that comes to his son will be equally repaid to Linwood. As appointed "godfather," Linwood is given the job of keeping everyone and everything away from the vampire's child unless he looks forward to revenge at Angel's hands. At the hospital, the doctors report that the baby is healthy, and Angel shows up in time to announce the name of his son, Connor. Gunn arrives with a stroller, and the gang head home where they hope to be safe for a while.

Continuity

• The meeting between Holtz and Justine calls back that between Merrick and Buffy in "Becoming, Part One" . The only difference is that it bases itself on the vengeance and not on the justice.
• Gunn refers to his cousin although we never meet him/her, contradicting his previos remark that his sister was his only family.
• Although he will not become a regular character for a considerable time afterwards Lorne's moving in to the hotel creates what most fans consider to be the definite Angel Investigations line-up, Angel, Cordelia, Wesley, Gunn, Fred and Lorne. 

Body Count

• A demon, killed by Gunn and Wesley at the same time
• Grappler demons, poisoned by Holtz
• Julia Cooper, killed by a vampire
• a vampire, dusted by Holtz helping Justine
• Connor's enemies, killed by Angel with a bomb

Behind the Scenes

Goofs, Bloopers & Continuity Errors

• When Lorne slips Angel the note, his left hand is fussing with the baby. Later, when the lawyers are watching the scene on video, his left hand is down by his side.
• Angel pushes a round manhole cover off of a square manhole.
  
  

Pop Culture References

• Wesley imagines himself as John Wayne in Rio Bravo.
• Gunn imagines himself as Austin Stoker in Assault on Precinct 13.
• Holtz offers to teach Justine how to fight. She asks whether it is "some kind of Karate Kid, Mr. Miyagi groove thing", adding "Wax on, wax off.
• Lilah makes an allusion to William Shakespeare's play, Macbeth, where the character Macduff was from his mother's womb "untimely ripped."

Music

• Robert J. Kral - original score