That Vision-Thing

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That Vision Thing is the second episode of the third season of Angel and the forty-sixth episode overall. Written by Jeffrey Bell and directed by Bill L. Norton, it was originally broadcast on October 1, 2001 on the WB network.

Cordelia's vision gift grows dangerous when it begins giving her physical afflictions based on the visions. Angel investigates where the visions are coming from and finds that Lilah Morgan, not the Powers That Be, are behind the visions. He has to do what Lilah says in order to save Cordelia's life.

Synopsis

Cordelia is concerned because she has not had any visions in awhile.

Gavin Park, a lawyer from Wolfram & Hart, shows up to cause Angel Investigations more trouble regarding their lease. He gives them a list of 57 code violations they are guilty of, in an effort to drive them out of their building.

Then, she gets a new vision and the pains that accompany her vision take a turn for the worse as a vision of a creature with claws causes deep claw marks to appear on her back, stomach, and shoulder. Angel expresses great concern about Cordelia's condition, but she conceals the claw marks from him because she does not want to stop having her visions. The gang heads out to find a magical coin Cordelia saw in the vision. The team relatively easily dispatches a pair of demons disguised as an elderly couple from Cordy's vision, and obtains the magical coin.

At Wolfram & Hart, Gavin Park talks to Lilah Morgan. She is threatened by Park's presence and his offer for her to join "his" team's attack on Angel via code violations, as she feels her position is superior to his.

Cordy has a second vision--this time of a demon covered in boils, and in reaction, boils erupt all over her face, too. The team is troubled, wondering why the Powers That Be would afflict Cordy in this way. At Fred 's suggestion, the team tries to trace the source of her visions--they bring Lorne to investigate, while other members of the team obtain a key from the vision.

At the Hyperion, Gunn and Fred come upon exterminators fumigating, and treat them with suspicion.

Meanwhile, at Wolfram & Hart, the true source of the visions is revealed: Lilah has hired a psychic to send the visions to Cordy. The third vision of the night is the most violent one yet, and Cordelia's skin becomes burned at a vision of fire, while Lorne is thrown across the room by the power of the vision. Cordelia is extremely demoralized and says she doesn't want visions anymore, and that she is frightened all the time, despite her brave attempts to remain stoic, and her selfless embrace of earlier visions because she was happy to be helping people. The gang realizes the source of the visions and Angel confronts Lilah, who explains that Angel must free a man in another dimension who has been "wrongfully imprisoned", using the coin and key to travel there.

Angel travels to the new dimension, but his weapons are prevented from being transported with him. At his destination, there is a cage made of fire, where a being is constantly being burned yet not consumed inside of it, and is being guarded by a frightening demon namedSkip. Angel and Skip speak, realize they are on the same side ultimately, but that Angel must act against Skip in this one instance. Angel defeats Skip and returns with the being to Los Angeles. Angel Investigations meets Wolfram & Hart at a levee in LA, and the prisoner is handed over to Lilah, who then restores Cordy to health. As Lilah turns to leave, she explains that "it's just business." At that, Angel hurls a rebar through the window of Lilah's limo, killing the psychic who was causing the visions. Angel threatens Lilah personally if she ever attacks Cordelia again. Angel and Cordelia talk with each other of their concern that they have freed someone who is evil, and Angel says that Cordy's visions are more important than this person, whoever he is.

In the Yoro Mountains of Honduras, Darla visits a Shaman and asks for help in finding out why and how she is pregnant, and in killing the fetus. The shaman tries but fails to help her, so she decides that now she must visit "daddy", i.e. Angel.

Cast

Starring

• David Boreanaz as Angel
• Charisma Carpenter as Cordelia Chase
• Alexis Denisof as Wesley Wyndam-Pryce
• J. August Richards asCharles Gunn
• Amy Acker as Winifred Burkle

Guest Starring

• Stephanie Romanov as Lilah Morgan
• Andy Hallett as Lorne
• Frank "Sotonoma" Salsedo as Dark Mystic
• Daniel Dae Kim as Gavin Park
• David Denman as Skip

Special Guest Starring

• Julie Benz as Darla

Co Starring

• Justin Shilton as Young Man
• Ken Takemoto as Old Chinese Man
• Alice Lo as Old Chinese Woman
• Mitchell Thomas Gibney as Innocous Man
• Bob Sattler as Masked Man
• Kal Penn as Young Man in Fez

Background Information

Production

• This episode marks Charisma Carpenter's 100th appearance as Cordelia, dating back to Buffy Season One.

References

• Writer Jeffery Bell included a reference to a creature he created for the X-Files episode "Alpha" called a Wanshang Dhole.

Quotes

Lilah - "You're a remarkable man."
Angel - "Yeah, and you're an evil bitch."

Continuity

• This episode re-introduces the character Gavin Park, previously seen in Over the Rainbow, as a lawyer from Wolfram and Hart. He serves as competition for Lilah after Lindsey's departure the previous season.

• This episode also introduces the characters Skip and Billy Blim.
  • Skip re-appears as a friend and guide to Cordelia over the course of the season, and plays an important role in the events of season four. Killed by Wesley in "Inside Out"
  • Billy will appear again as the main threat in the episode "Billy". Later killed by Lilah.