Template:Angelepisode
"Sleep Tight" is the sixteenth episode of the third season of Angel and the sixtieth episode overall. Written by David Greenwalt and directed by Terrence O'Hara, it was originally broadcast on March 4, 2002 on the WB network.
Convinced that Angel will soon kill Connor, Wesley conspires with Daniel Holtz to kidnap the child. Wesley steals Connor away, but Holtz and Justine betray him and take the child themselves, planning to raise him as if he were their own child.
Meanwhile, Angel discovers that Lilah and her associates at Wolfram & Hart have spiked his supply of pigs' blood with traces of Connor's blood which they stole from the hospital. As Angel confronts Lilah in a bar, the demon Sahjhan, who summoned Holtz, appears before Angel for the first time.
Synopsis
Wesley takes another look at his notes, where he wrote that, according to the prophecies, "The father will kill the son." He walks over to Connor's crib, where the baby is fussing. With his attempts to prove the prophecy wrong having failed, he begins to consider his next move.
Angel enters, picks Connor up, and walks around the room with him while drinking from a glass of blood. Angel says he feels unusually energetic, despite very little sleep.
In the courtyard, Lorne is listening to a young woman singing a folk tune, trying to read her aura. He says she is "plenty scared."
Angel hands Connor over to Wesley. Noting that Connor will be crawling soon, Angel examines the weapons cabinet and suggests it be chained and locked so it will be baby-proof. Wesley suggests that he might take Connor to a park or beach in the next few days. Angel approves.
Lorne enters and asks the AI team to follow him to the courtyard. Kim, the singer, as she finishes a chorus, seems to transform into a demon and threatens to "hack your eyeballs out and rip your children in two." Kim explains that all the members of her band, which she joined only a few weeks before, seem to be turning into demons. Wesley explains that the band members are not human, but Kim is. Her condition is just an infection. Fred says she can cure i by taking cylenthiam powder, a mystical antibiotic.
While this is going on, Angel appears uncharacteristically loose, as if he were slightly intoxicated. He suggests hunting and killing the demons.
At Holtz's headquarters, Justine and the other soldiers are training to fight vampires. Justine tells Holtz she is reluctant to kill the human members of the AI team. Holtz shows a knife from his cuff, apparently intending to stab Justine. Justine adds, "They chose Angel. That makes them enemy soldiers."
Wesley appears in the doorway. Holtz and Wesley begin to talk.
Angel, Fred and Gunn break into a rehearsal of the demon band. Angel puts on his demon face and attacks the band with unusual fury. At the end, he holds an arm he has torn off a demon body and remarks, "that was fun!"
Wesley returns to Holtz for tense negotiation. Holtz says he does not intend to let an innocent child (Connor) get hurt, and intends to act, but will wait one day.
Angel, Fred and Gunn return to AI headquarters. Fred seems upset with Angel's excessively violent behavior. Angel heads straight for a refrigerator to get more blood, while complaining that Connor is far too needy for his liking. As Connor begins crying, Angel starts to get angrier and yells at his baby son to shut up. When the others argue, Angel violently throws his glass of blood against the wrong. Gunn steps forward ready to fight him, but his own actions make Angel realise there's something wrong with him.
Lorne asks why Angel has been drinking more blood than usual. Angel says the last batch was unusually tasty. Lorne speculates that the blood is spiked.
Wesley is walking at night in a residential neighborhood. He spots Justine tailing him. She says she wants to talk and that Holtz does not know what she is doing. As Wesley walks away, Holtz appears behind Justine.
Fred finds a trace of human blood in the pig's blood Angel has been drinking. Angel says it is Connor's blood; he knows because for the past two days, Connor has smelled like food. They guess that Wolfram & Hart has been feeding Connor's blood to Angel, so he will acquire a taste for it and want more.
Angel confronts Lilah in a bar. Lilah describes her life, including her mother who no longer recognizes her. Sahjahn appears, and upbraids Lilah for drinking with his enemy. Angel does not recognize him and has no idea what his grudge is, but Sahjhan promises revenge anyway.
Wesley goes to AI headquarters where he prepares to take Connor away. Lorne appears. Wesley picks up Connor and, just before Lorne can inform him about what Wolfram & Hart spiking Angel's blood, hums a lullaby. Lorne immediately knows what Wesley plans to do. Wesley chases Lorne, tackles him and knocks him out. Angel comes in. Wesley fools him with a story about taking Connor to a park. Fred and Gunn also come back. Wesley manages to talk his way past all of them and leaves with the baby.
Holtz and his soldiers, not including Justine, enter AI headquarters. Battle commences, but Holtz does not take part. As soon as it is clear the Holtz forces will lose, Holtz himself slips out. Lorne awakens and explains what Wesley did and plans to do.
Wesley is about to put Connor into his car when Justine staggers toward him holding her midsection. She claims Holtz betrayed her and his other soldiers. When Wesley tries to carry her to his car to take her to a hospital, Justine cuts his throat, takes Connor and runs.
At Angel Investigations, the gang are beyond shocked at Wesley's actions, yet Lorne's reading and Wesley's response proves what he is telling them is true. Angel realises that Holtz knew walking in that Connor wouldn't be there, as he wouldn't have left without him otherwise. The 'attack' was just a distraction. By now Angel is desperate to get Connor back, even if he has to tear through Holtz and Wesley to do it. Angel threatens one of Holtz's soldiers and learns where their lair is.
Wolfram & Hart already have a commando team at Holtz's lair. Lilah arrives. She learns that Holtz is not there. The commander of the Wolfram & Hart forces learns by radio that Holtz has been spotted near the Sixth Street Bridge. As the commandos leave to go there, Angel hijacks one of their jeeps.
Justine picks up Holtz. Holtz tells Connor that his (Connor's) name is Steven Franklin Thomas, that he (Holtz) and Justine are his parents, and that he (Connor) will grow up on a ranch in Utah. They drive off.
Angel, in his jeep, overtakes them and forces off the road near the Sixth Street Bridge. The Wolfram & Hart commandos arrive just a few seconds later, led by Lilah who intends to take Connor for the firm. Holtz leaps out of his car holding Connor and threatening to snap Connor's neck if anyone gets too near. Sahjahn materializes and demands that Connor die. Lilah tells her men to ignore him, since he's impotent in this dimension. Angel agrees to let Holtz take Connor, since that seems to be the only way to save his life.
Sahjahn recites a spell that opens a portal to Quor'toth, a hell dimension. He threatens to open the portal wider, so it will swallow everyone, unless Holtz kills Connor. Lilah immediately commands that Connor be killed, so Holtz runs for the portal, carrying Connor, with Angel at his heels. Holtz and Connor make it through, but a blast of lightning throws Angel back. Sahjahn, considering Connor as good as dead, closes the portal.
Lilah, more than happy to let Angel suffer, withdraws herself and her troops from the area. Angel is left alone with his grief.
Continuity
- Charisma Carpenter does not appear, but is credited. Her character, Cordelia, is said to be on vacation with Groo in Mexico.
Behind the Scenes
Production
- On the Season 3 DVD featurette, it is explained that Wesley did not tell anyone about the prophecy for Angel to kill baby Connor because he felt there was nobody to whom he could tell. Angel would not believe such a prophecy and Cordelia was on vacation with Groo. Wesley felt uncomfortable talking with Gunn and Fred (due to their new romance) so he took matters into his own hands.
- Sahjhan says "have a good summer" before disappearing, as the series went on hiatus for six weeks before airing the next episode, Forgiving.
Quotes
| Angel: "You look like Hell. And not the fun one where they burn you with hot pokers for all eternity, but, the hardcore one ... you know, Nixon and Britney Spears." |