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There's No Place Like Plrtz Glrb

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"There's No Place Like Plrtz Glrb" is the season finale of the second season of Angel and the forty-fourth episode in the series. Written and directed by David Greenwalt, it was originally broadcast on May 22, 2001, on The WB network.

Synopsis[]

Angel struggles with the inner beast that the demon dimension brings out in him, while Cordelia learns that her role as princess involves mating with a demon, and Wesley and Gunn band with rebel forces to overthrow the government and Her Majesty.[1]

Summary[]

Cordelia cries over the loss of Lorne, only to find out that he is alive: his clan can survive decapitation if the rest of the body remains intact. Silas, pleased to hear that Cordelia is upset, tells the Captain of the Imperial Guard to go after the humans and to kill the "bloodsucker" Angel. After talking with one of the servants about the other cows running free, Silas activates the servant's collar with a handheld device, causing his head to explode. He has a larger machine that can kill all the cows at once.

Wesley and Gunn are imprisoned in stone pillories while they await beheading by the rebels. Suddenly, guards ride in on horseback and attack the camp. After the battle, Gunn and Wesley convince the surviving rebels they are not enemies. They are released and discuss their plans to locate Angel and return home. Wesley offers suggestions for attacking the castle and unintentionally becomes their leader, replacing the previous leader who was killed in the battle.

Angel wakes to a pseudo-oatmeal breakfast made by Fred at her cave. Angel and Fred discuss the words she's written on the walls. Angel recognizes the words and suspects she's unknowingly been opening the portals in Pylea, which is how the Drokken beast previously arrived on Earth. Angel is able to fight off his demonic transformation as the castle guards storm into the cave. Fred knocks the guard captain out with a rock and drops his men in the Drokken gully. Fred tends to Angel's wounds while the captain sits in the corner, tied up. The captain tells of plans to kill Cordelia after she mates with the Groosalugg, also mentioning that Lorne is already dead. He eventually frees himself, attacking the two, but Angel kills him. Angel goes to find his friends, and Fred goes with him to lead the way.

Cordelia summons a servant to take her to the mutilation room that contains Lorne's body. The servant explains she cannot, as Cordelia's presence will bring shame to Pylea. Instead, Cordelia requests the girl's clothes. Disguised as a servant, Cordelia makes her way into the mutilation chamber and finds body parts strewn wearing Lorne's clothes. The Groosalugg arrives and tells Cordelia he hid Lorne's body and put his red suit on another body to fool the guards; Lorne's body is waiting with his family to be reattached. The Groosalugg reveals to Cordelia that their mating will transfer her visions to him from her, but she is unwilling to give them up.

Angel and Fred arrive at the rebel camp, offering their assistance to the efforts. Wesley encourages Angel to take the lead in the fight, but he declines. He is ashamed of how he treated Gunn while a demon, and he doesn't think he can do it again. As Angel is about to break the news about Lorne, Landok arrives with his head in a large basket, explaining that he was bringing it home to the body. Angel, Wesley, and Gunn give a brief and lackluster commiseration of Lorne's apparent death, causing him to express his disappointment at their "attempt" to mourn him; this outburst frightens the trio.

As the gang prepares to leave, Wesley informs Angel that he must challenge and kill the Groosalugg. Angel tells them he does not trust himself to remain human and explains why he fired them: he sensed his darker side rising and did not want them to witness it. He fears that the demon he transforms into is the personification of his darkness, and he will be unable to return to his human form. Wesley has confidence that he can; he's strong enough to do whatever is necessary. When Angel exits, Gunn wonders if Angel is capable. Wesley replies he is unsure, but Angel must believe it to be true.

In the mutilation chamber, Cordelia has visions of the green monster — which she does not realize is Angel — killing the Groosalugg, much to her distress, as she has grown to love him. Everyone departs the camp in preparation for combat. Outside of the castle, Angel plants a torch in the ground and calls out to the Groosalugg for battle. After urging Cordelia to proceed with the com-shuck, Silas takes the Groosalugg outdoors to confront Angel. But not before Silas lies to him about the horrible things that Angel will do to Cordelia if he is defeated.

Led by Wesley and Gunn, the rebels attack the castle. Silas goes to activate the machine that will explode the heads of all of the "cows" wearing collars, but Cordelia decapitates him just before he triggers the device. Despite his wishes, Angel transforms into the beast as he is losing the battle against the Groosalugg. He gains an advantage in demon form and changes back into a human in an effort to call a truce. Suddenly, Cordelia runs out to stop the fight by declaring her love. Angel is taken aback and believes she is referring to him, but she swiftly corrects him, announcing she has fallen in love with the Groosalugg.

Lorne, his head reattached, bids his family farewell the next day. His mother, far more ashamed of him than before, calls him the "the runt of her loins" as Angel rushes him outside. Lorne tells Angel that he is glad he returned; it has allowed him to confirm that he does not belong in Pylea, but rather in Los Angeles, where no one truly belongs. As he and Angel return to the village, Lorne breaks into song, causing nearby Pyleans agony at the noise.

Cordelia's last act as princess is to make a new law abolishing slavery, after which she appoints the Groosalugg the ruler of Pylea. With the help of the priests' books, everyone, including Fred, returns to L.A., where they drive Angel's car right into the bar in Caritas.

The team happily returns to the Hyperion Hotel. However, their good mood dissipates when they encounter Willow in the lobby with a crestfallen expression. Cordelia begins to ask what happened, but Angel already knows: "It's Buffy."

Continuity[]

  • The Groosalugg says that Cordelia, as a human, is not meant to have the visions, reiterating what Wesley and Angel said. As a half-demon, Doyle could cope with the visions, but as a human, Cordelia is becoming increasingly sick as a result of the visions ("Birthday").
  • When Angel mistakenly believed Cordelia said she loved him, she angrily retorts, "Not you, dumbass!" Cordelia will realize she's in love with Angel in the episode "Tomorrow."
  • Fred's saying "Maybe not in that order" was also used when Harmony's minions turned on her in "Real Me."
  • Fred's travel to and from Pylea is one factor in the eventual rise of Jasmine, as it'll be explained in "Shiny Happy People."
  • Willow comes to tell Angel that Buffy has died, as seen in "The Gift."

Appearances[]

Individuals[]

Organizations and titles[]

Species[]

Events[]

Locations[]

Objects[]

Death count[]

  • One human, head exploded by Silas.
  • Captain of the Imperial Guard, killed by Angel.
  • Pylean army, killed by rebels.
  • Silas, beheaded by Cordelia.

Behind the scenes[]

Production[]

  • The title of this episode, like the two previous episodes "Over the Rainbow" and "Through the Looking Glass," all reference children's stories in which the protagonist travels from their world into a wondrous, mystical one. "There's No Place Like Plrtz Glrb" is a paraphrase of the refrain "There's no place like home" from the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz.
  • Whitney Dylan, who portrays Marelda in this episode, also portrayed Lysette Torchio in the episode "The Zeppo."

Broadcast[]

  • "There's No Place Like Plrtz Glrb" had an audience of 3.2 million households upon its original airing.[2]

Pop culture references[]

  • There are several references to the The Wizard of Oz:

Goofs[]

  • When Wesley, Gunn, and the rebels storm the palace, Wesley and a rebel grab a battering ram to break down the door. Wesley is clearly on the left, and the other person on the right when they got for the first hit. In the next shot, Wesley is on the right, and the other person is on the left.
  • When the Groosalugg places his hand over the flaming torch, after being challenged by Angel, the flame-retardant gel covering it is clearly visible.

Music[]

  • Robert J. Kral — "Castle Attack"
  • Robert J. Kral — "Princess Cordelia"
  • Robert J. Kral — original score

International titles[]

  • Czech: "Dlouhá cesta domů" (Long Way Home)
  • Finnish: "Ainutlaatuinen Plrtz Glrb" (Unique Plrtz Glrb)
  • French: "Fin de règne" (End of the Reign) 
  • German: "Home, Sweet Home"
  • Hungarian: "Otthon, édes otthon" (Home, Sweet Home)
  • Italian: "Si torna a casa" (To Go Back Home)
  • Portuguese (Brazil): "Não Há Lugar como o Outro Lado" (There's No Place Like the Other Side)
  • Russian: "Нет места похожего на…" (There Is No Place Like…)
  • Spanish (Latin America): "No hay lugar como Plrtz Glrb" (There's No Place Like Plrtz Glrb)
  • Spanish (Spain): "Al otro lado del portal" (On the Other Side of the Portal)
  • Turkish: "Plrtz Glrb Gibi Yer Başka Yoktur" (There's No Place Like Plrtz Glrb)

Adaptations[]

Gallery[]

Behind the scenes[]

[]

Quotes[]

Gunn: "I got a plan."
Wesley: "Oh, thank God! What is it?"
Rebel: "One..."
Gunn: "We die horribly and painfully, you go to Hell and I spend eternity in the arms of Baby Jesus."
Wesley: "Why do people keep putting me in charge of things?"
Gunn: "I have no idea."
Angel: "Every family's got its problems."
Lorne's Mom: "Numfar, do the dance of shame."
Angel: "Yours more than most."
Lorne: "My psychic friend told me I had to come back here. I didn't believe her. Then I realized I did have to come back here, because... I really always thought I had to come back here, deep down inside, you know? I had to come back here to find out I didn't have to come back here. I don't belong here. I hate it here. You know where I belong? LA. You know why? Nobody belongs there. It's the perfect place for guys like us."
Angel: "That's kind of beautiful."
Lorne: "Ain't it? I'm very moved, if I do say so myself."
Angel: "Please do."
Lorne: "You know, I feel a song coming on."
Angel: "Yeah, I thought you might."
Lorne: "Somewhere over the rainbow. Way up high..."
Cordelia: "This is just pretty unsettling for me."
Lorne: "Oh, I'm sure it must be. And after all, I only lost my head! Technically, my body."
Angel: "Can I say it? I wanna say it."
Wesley: "Say what?"
Angel: "There's no place like... Willow?"
Cordelia: "What's...?"
Angel: "It's Buffy."

References[]

  1. ↑ "angel: There's No Place Like Plrtz Glrb." TheWB.com. Archived from the original on November 3, 2004.
  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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