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"Over the Rainbow" is the twentieth episode of the second season of Angel and the forty-second episode in the series. Written by Mere Smith and directed by Fred Keller, it was originally broadcast on May 8, 2001, on The WB network.

Synopsis[]

Cordelia is accidentally sucked through a magical portal and transported to a demon dimension, finding herself all alone in a strange new land where humans are considered inferior and sold into slavery. Angel, Gunn, Wesley and the Host jump through the portal in search of her and end up shackled by an angry mob of villagers and sentenced to death.[1]

Summary[]

Cordelia finds herself in a new dimension, where she is chased down by a green demon who captures and declares her a "cow," or human slave. She is sold in a market, and her demon owner forces her to wear a collar that can shock her if she refuses to obey. As she later shovels dung from a stable, wondering aloud if she can remove the collar. A runaway slave warns her through a hole in a wall that she shouldn't bother fighting. Cordelia is unable to see that the woman is Fred from her visions. Before any more information can be exchanged, Fred is caught and taken away. Later in the day, Cordelia follows her owner, carrying purchases from the market. Suddenly her visions causes her to fall and drop everything. She reveals a villager is being attacked by a Drokken beast, and a crowd gathers and declares her to be cursed. Cordelia is brought before Constable Narwek and explains she has precognitive visions.

Meanwhile, in Los Angeles, Angel and Wesley realize Cordelia has been sucked into the Host's home dimension of Pylea. The Host says he was glad to leave and will never go back to. He says because his journey to Earth was accidental, he does not know how to get back. Caritas, the bar he runs, was once the abandoned building where the portal from Pylea deposited him. Angel, desperate to save Cordelia, reads from the book to reopen the portal, but nothing happens. Wesley discovers that portals can only be opened so many time before they become "cold," so they must find a new hot spot to open the portal.

The Host seeks help from a psychic friend in order to find a hot spot, but she won't provide the information until he agrees to go with the others to finish his business in Pylea. Wesley finds out that the portal scatters multiple people who go through, and they realize that Cordelia didn't arrive in Pylea with Landok.

Gavin Park, a lawyer from Wolfram & Hart, appears at the Hyperion Hotel with a colleague and informs Angel that the law firm plans to buy the hotel when the current lease expires. Angel vamps out, and Gavin promises to make Angel's life difficult before leaving. Angel leaves a message on an answering machine for Gunn, who has elected to make amends with his former gang, with key information in case they don't make it back from Pylea.

Angel pulls his car up to the gate of Paramount Studios, following the Host's information that it is a psychic hot spot. Wesley's research revealed that, if they use the car to travel through the portal, it should allow them to stay together. Although Gunn had initially stated that George's death made him realize he's needed on Earth, Angel's distressing phone message persuaded him to join the mission. Wesley reads from the book, and with final good-byes to L.A., Angel drives his car through the portal. However, the book is left behind after falling out of the car.

As the car arrives in daytime Pylea, Angel scrambles to cover himself. He soon realizes the two suns are not fatal to vampires. Enjoying the opportunity to be in sunlight, Angel goes off to gather branches to hide the car. After the automobile is hidden, they notice the book is missing, which horrifies Lorne. Wesley realizes the book must be bound to Earth, and Angel points out they won't be returning home until they've found Cordelia, therefore finding another way to make a portal will have to wait until she is rescued.

Cordelia is taken before a tribunal to see if she is afflicted with a curse. They test her using hot pokers and sharp needles. They unanimously decide she is indeed cursed and take her away.

In town, the Host instructs Wesley, Angel, and Gunn to keep in the shadows since humans are regarded as slaves. He tries to get help from an old friend but is met with a hostile reception, as he is considered to have deserted his people. Chased by villagers, the gang fights the crowd but is eventually caught and tied up in the middle of town. They are brought to a dungeon and chained up, eventually taken to be sentenced to death by the monarch. After attempting to battle their way out, they discover a cheerful Cordelia perched on a throne, dressed in a crown, sequined bikini, and jewels.

Continuity[]

  • This episode marks the first appearance of Gavin Park, who will act against Angel Investigations for over a year until "Habeas Corpses."
  • When the gang is surrounded, the declaration, "I'll take the 20 on the left, you take the 50 on the right," is very similar to when they are up against impossible odds in the battle of the alley in "Not Fade Away."

Appearances[]

Individuals[]

Organizations and titles[]

Species[]

Locations[]

Objects[]

Death count[]

  • None.

Behind the scenes[]

Production[]

Broadcast[]

  • "Over the Rainbow" had an audience of 3.2 million households upon its original airing.[2]
  • The first few moments of the opening sequence of the crew searching Caritas for Cordelia from the broadcast version is missing on the DVD.

Pop culture references[]

  • Cordelia taps her heels three times in an attempt to return home, something the main character does in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.
  • Lorne reminisces when he first heard Aretha Franklin.
  • Listing hypothetical unpleasant experiences, Lorne mentions watching a junior high school production of the musical Cats.
  • Cordelia says she wants to read the latest issue of the women's magazine Marie Claire.
  • Lorne mentions the then couple formed by the actors Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston.
  • Gunn compares Angel with being "the captain of the Titanic getting ready to go down with the ship," referring to the sinking disaster in 1912.
  • Lorne quotes the opening song for Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, saying: "It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood all right."
  • When Wesley comments on Pylea's suns, Lorne calls him "Copernicus" in reference to the astronomer who formulated the heliocentric model in the Renaissance.
  • Gunn misunderstands xenophobia as fear of the character Xena, who he thinks is "kinda fly."

Goofs[]

  • When Angel is in the patch of sunlight gathering brush, the microphone boom can be seen on the right side of the screen.

Music[]

  • Robert J. Kral — "Welcome to Pylea"
  • Robert J. Kral — "Cordy Meets Fred"
  • Robert J. Kral — original score

International titles[]

  • Czech: "Tam, za duhou" (There, Over the Rainbow)
  • Finnish: "Sateenkaaren taa" (Over the Rainbow)
  • French: "De l'autre côté de l'arc-en-ciel" (Over the Rainbow)
  • German: "Gefangene der Dimension" (Prisoners of the Dimension)
  • Hungarian: "Túl a fellegeken" (Over the Clouds)
  • Italian: "Ritorno a Pylea" (Return to Pylea)
  • Portuguese (Brazil): "A Outra Ponta do Arco-Íris" (The Other End of the Rainbow)
  • Russian: "За радугой" (Over the Rainbow)
  • Spanish (Latin America): "Otra dimensión" (Another Dimension)
  • Spanish (Spain): "Otra dimensión" (Another Dimension)
  • Turkish: "Bilinmeyene Gidiş" (Going into the Unknown)

Adaptations[]

Gallery[]

[]

References[]

  1. "Angel Season 2." Craig's BuffyVERSE 4ever. Retrieved on March 19, 2023.
  2. "Nielsen Ratings for Angel's Second Season." Nielsen Ratings for Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, & Firefly. Archived from the original on July 19, 2008.
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