Knox was a scientist at Wolfram & Hart who turned out to be a worshipper of Illyria, and killed Fred by indirectly putting Illyria's essence in her body.
Biography
Knox gave Fred a tour of Wolfram & Hart's science lab. Fred became Knox's boss, although the two seem to work mostly as partners, and Knox quickly develops a crush on her. Fred rejects Knox's advances at first, but the two date for a while, sharing a drink after the office Halloween party. Fred eventually decides that they had best remain friends and co-workers, and pursues a relationship with Wesley.
However, Knox was, like most of W&H's rank-and-file employees, severely lacking in morality. When the firm took a bunch of cows and put them in a giant wicker effigy of Krishna, then doused it with sambuca during a Halloween party, Knox enjoyed the sacrilegious spectacle, one of the few outward signs of his inner malevolence.
Unknown perhaps even to the firm, Knox was a worshiper of Illyria, one of the Old Ones, and the mastermind behind the demon's resurrection in Fred's body. Once Illyria has taken over Fred's body and returned to Wolfram & Hart to recuperate her full powers, Knox reveals himself as her Qwa'ha Xahn, her High Priest. Knox had worshiped Illyria since he was eleven and confessed to spending hours staring at illustrations that represent the demon. Illyria took Knox to her former site of worship, hoping to break the lock on the portal to her temple. Before she could jump through the portal, she and Knox were confronted by Angel, Spike and Wesley. In his grief for Fred, and rage at Knox's betrayal, Wesley shot Knox dead. Ironically, Wesley only did so after Angel makes a heroic speech about the sanctity of all human life, even Knox's, and how their willingness to save Knox despite what he had done to them was what made them better than demons. As Knox fell to the ground, dead, Angel turned to Wesley and, slightly annoyed, asked, "Were you even listening?"
However, Illyria openly stated that she didn't care about Knox's death (she had earlier expressed minor disappointment at Knox's unimpressive stature), and even used his body as a projectile weapon against Wesley in the ensuing fight.
Behind the Scenes
- He was portrayed by Jonathan M. Woodward.
- Jonathan M. Woodward previously appeared as Holden Webster on Buffy.
- Woodward said Knox is "a complete indulgence in all of the parts of myself that I am most shy about." After reading the script for "Smile Time" in which it was clear that Knox and Fred were not going to be falling in love, Woodward says he was "very sad but I think it was nice, because it took Knox from all of the ways you thought Knox would be." He had tried to predict the character's arc, he says, but "they picked the one I couldn't even think of. You know something is going happen but they pick the thing you know nobody had been able to figure out."
Appearances
| Season Five: | ||||||||||
| Conviction
Appears |
Just Rewards | Unleashed
(mentioned) |
Hell Bound | Life of the Party
Appears |
The Cautionary Tale of Numero Cinco | Lineage
Appears |
Destiny | Harm's Way
(mentioned) |
Soul Purpose | Damage |
| You're Welcome | Why We Fight
(mentioned) |
Smile Time
Appears |
A Hole in the World
Appears |
Shells
Appears (Killed) |
Underneath | Origin | Time Bomb | The Girl in Question | Power Play | Not Fade Away |