Groosalugg
Encyclopedia
The Groosalugg, nicknamed Groo, is a fiction
al character
on the WB network
's series
Angel
. He appeared in seasons 2 and 3, and is portrayed by Mark Lutz
.
, a dimension where humans are treated as slaves and called cows. He is part demon and part human, but apparently more human since his only non-human physical characteristic is a pair of darkly colored eyes. Because of his human heritage, he was banished to the "Scum Pits of Ur" where he was to die, but instead defeated every creature that attacked him. This earned him a reputation for bravery and combat skill, and as such he wandered the countryside as an undefeated champion, or Groosalugg. In Pylea there is a prophecy that the Groosalugg will one day com-shuck, or mate, with the entity that has "the curse," which in this case comes to mean Cordelia's
visions. After the two have mated, Cordelia's visions will be passed on to him. Since Pylea is dominated by monks loyal to Wolfram & Hart
, this would put the instrument of The Powers That Be
under the control of evil. Cordelia does not want this, at first because she believes the Groosalugg to be more demon-like, but this objection falls when Cordelia meets him and sees that he is, in fact, very handsome and nearly human. However, Cordelia still does not want to consummate their relationship because she does not want to lose the visions. Groo ends up proving that he is a good man, not a tool of evil, and helps Cordelia and the rest of the characters to escape Pylea. At the end of season 2, Groo is installed as monarch of Pylea, the first to preside over the freedom of the human former slaves.
Midway through season 3, Angel and Cordelia are close to starting a relationship when Groo unexpectedly appears in Los Angeles
. He explains that he had been deposed in a revolution on Pylea, and decided to find Cordelia again. The feelings that Cordelia have for Angel are immediately put on hold, and instead she chooses to rekindle her romance with Groo. She even goes as far as to find a mystical spell which allows her both to have sex with Groo and to retain her visions. Angel is jealous of Groo for many reasons, including that Cordelia has chosen Groo over him and that Groo is just as formidable a fighter as himself. For a time, Angel is concerned that Groo will replace him, due to him possessing equally dangerous combat skills while lacking most of Angel's weaknesses, but Wesley assures Angel that he remains their reason and drive for fighting the good fight in the first place. Despite a victory against a life-sucking tree demon that Groo could never have defeated himself proving his continued worth to the group, unable to withstand being witness to the relationship between Cordelia and Groo, Angel gives them money and asks that they go on an extended holiday.
When Cordelia and Groo return, they find that some terrible things have happened in their absence, such as Connor being stolen by Holtz and Wesley having betrayed the team in an attempt to protect Connor from a prophecy that seemed to foretell Angel killing his son. Cordelia immediately begins to pay more attention to Angel, and Groo starts to realize that Cordelia does not love him but rather Angel. In the last episode of season 3
, Groo finally musters up the courage to tell Cordelia this, and he then leaves Los Angeles for parts unknown.
In mid-2003, Mark Lutz said he was in talks to appear in an "episode or two" in late Angel season four, but for publicly unknown reasons, the character did not return in the series.
is the canonical continuation of the Angel story,written by Brian Lynch with executive oversight from Joss Whedon
. Its story begins immediately after Los Angeles is sent to hell in the Season Five Angel finale "Not Fade Away". The Groosalugg establishes himself in Silver Lake, a corner of the city that has been cleared of demonic influence. He works with Lorne, who had become the freely elected leader of the area. During Angel's visit to Lorne, Groo offers the ex-vampire his services whenever he needs them. He appears riding what appears to be a black pegasus
. The beast's name is Cordelia, the same as Angel's dragon. Groo is one of the members of the Angel Investigations team rallied by Lorne to help Angel fight the Demon Lords, and he helps by breaking the chains on Angel's dragon. The Demon Lords are all destroyed. In issue fifteen, Illyria deciding to end all reality in order to end emotional pain, starts with demolishing what is left of Los Angeles. The Groosalugg is killed while attempting to stop her. He has enough time to bemoan the nature of this death. He is revived later as Angel forces the Senior Partners to rewind time to before Los Angeles was sent to hell. As with everyone who was involved with the After the Fall storyline, the Groosalugg retains all of his memories. The situation leaves Angel a publicly acclaimed hero. Angel leaves his dragon in the care of the Groosalugg as part of an attempt to regain anonymity. In later comics post-After the Fall, the Groosalugg assists Angel and Spike in saving a comic book convention threatened by various mystical dangers.
Lynch had wanted to use Lorne as part of the supporting cast of his Spike series. However, Lorne is off-limits since the death of likeness Andy Hallett
and the character's send-off in Music of the Spheres. Consequently, Lynch chose Groo for the series, along with the Cordelia dragon and pegasus.
, who played Lorne, called the Groosalugg "Fabio
and Keanu Reeves
' love child." Mark Lutz
says, "He's got such a dichotomy to him where he's all brave and noble on one hand, and so naive and brainwashed on the other. I know a lot of the fans say, 'Oh, he's not the sharpest knife in the drawer,' but I think there's more to him than that." The basis for this character "Groo's a lug" could be attributed to "Groo the Wanderer", a comic-book barbarian that has appeared in numerous publications since 1982.
Angel
Angel: After the Fall
:
Fiction
Fiction is the form of any narrative or informative work that deals, in part or in whole, with information or events that are not factual, but rather, imaginary—that is, invented by the author. Although fiction describes a major branch of literary work, it may also refer to theatrical,...
al character
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
on the WB network
Television network
A television network is a telecommunications network for distribution of television program content, whereby a central operation provides programming to many television stations or pay TV providers. Until the mid-1980s, television programming in most countries of the world was dominated by a small...
's series
Television program
A television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series...
Angel
Angel (TV series)
Angel is an American television series, a spin-off of the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The series was created by Buffys creator, Joss Whedon, in collaboration with David Greenwalt, and first aired on October 5, 1999...
. He appeared in seasons 2 and 3, and is portrayed by Mark Lutz
Mark Lutz (actor)
Mark Douglas Lutz is a Canadian actor, who is best known for playing Groosalugg in the television series Angel and for writing and starring in the two-hour movie on the life and death of Victor Davis....
.
History
The Groosalugg is a native of PyleaPylea
In the fictional universe established by the television series Angel, Pylea is a world in an alternate dimension where demons are the dominant life form and humans are treated as animals to be used as beasts of burden or even food...
, a dimension where humans are treated as slaves and called cows. He is part demon and part human, but apparently more human since his only non-human physical characteristic is a pair of darkly colored eyes. Because of his human heritage, he was banished to the "Scum Pits of Ur" where he was to die, but instead defeated every creature that attacked him. This earned him a reputation for bravery and combat skill, and as such he wandered the countryside as an undefeated champion, or Groosalugg. In Pylea there is a prophecy that the Groosalugg will one day com-shuck, or mate, with the entity that has "the curse," which in this case comes to mean Cordelia's
Cordelia Chase
Cordelia Chase is a fictional character created by Joss Whedon for the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer; she also appeared on Buffy's spin-off series Angel...
visions. After the two have mated, Cordelia's visions will be passed on to him. Since Pylea is dominated by monks loyal to Wolfram & Hart
Wolfram & Hart
Wolfram & Hart − Attorneys at Law is a fictional international, and interdimensional law firm featured in the television series Angel, as well as other extended materials in Joss Whedon's Buffyverse.-Fictional history:...
, this would put the instrument of The Powers That Be
The Powers That Be (Buffyverse)
The Powers That Be is a title for the enigmatic and ancient forces that assist the side of good in the WB television series Angel.The first mention of The Powers That Be comes in season one of Angel, when a half-human, half-demon named Doyle makes contact with Angel and claims that the Powers...
under the control of evil. Cordelia does not want this, at first because she believes the Groosalugg to be more demon-like, but this objection falls when Cordelia meets him and sees that he is, in fact, very handsome and nearly human. However, Cordelia still does not want to consummate their relationship because she does not want to lose the visions. Groo ends up proving that he is a good man, not a tool of evil, and helps Cordelia and the rest of the characters to escape Pylea. At the end of season 2, Groo is installed as monarch of Pylea, the first to preside over the freedom of the human former slaves.
Midway through season 3, Angel and Cordelia are close to starting a relationship when Groo unexpectedly appears in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. He explains that he had been deposed in a revolution on Pylea, and decided to find Cordelia again. The feelings that Cordelia have for Angel are immediately put on hold, and instead she chooses to rekindle her romance with Groo. She even goes as far as to find a mystical spell which allows her both to have sex with Groo and to retain her visions. Angel is jealous of Groo for many reasons, including that Cordelia has chosen Groo over him and that Groo is just as formidable a fighter as himself. For a time, Angel is concerned that Groo will replace him, due to him possessing equally dangerous combat skills while lacking most of Angel's weaknesses, but Wesley assures Angel that he remains their reason and drive for fighting the good fight in the first place. Despite a victory against a life-sucking tree demon that Groo could never have defeated himself proving his continued worth to the group, unable to withstand being witness to the relationship between Cordelia and Groo, Angel gives them money and asks that they go on an extended holiday.
When Cordelia and Groo return, they find that some terrible things have happened in their absence, such as Connor being stolen by Holtz and Wesley having betrayed the team in an attempt to protect Connor from a prophecy that seemed to foretell Angel killing his son. Cordelia immediately begins to pay more attention to Angel, and Groo starts to realize that Cordelia does not love him but rather Angel. In the last episode of season 3
Tomorrow (Angel episode)
"Tomorrow" is episode 22 of season 3 in the television show Angel. The episode was written and directed by executive producer David Greenwalt. The narrative of the season three finale deals with Angel's complex relationship with his son . The episode and season is left on a cliffhanger of Angel...
, Groo finally musters up the courage to tell Cordelia this, and he then leaves Los Angeles for parts unknown.
In mid-2003, Mark Lutz said he was in talks to appear in an "episode or two" in late Angel season four, but for publicly unknown reasons, the character did not return in the series.
After the Fall
Angel: After the FallAngel: After the Fall
Angel: After the Fall is a comic book published by IDW Publishing. Written by Brian Lynch and plotted with Joss Whedon, the series is a canonical continuation of the Angel television series, and follows the events of that show's final televised season...
is the canonical continuation of the Angel story,written by Brian Lynch with executive oversight from Joss Whedon
Joss Whedon
Joseph Hill "Joss" Whedon is an American screenwriter, executive producer, director, comic book writer, occasional composer and actor, founder of Mutant Enemy Productions and co-creator of Bellwether Pictures...
. Its story begins immediately after Los Angeles is sent to hell in the Season Five Angel finale "Not Fade Away". The Groosalugg establishes himself in Silver Lake, a corner of the city that has been cleared of demonic influence. He works with Lorne, who had become the freely elected leader of the area. During Angel's visit to Lorne, Groo offers the ex-vampire his services whenever he needs them. He appears riding what appears to be a black pegasus
Pegasus
Pegasus is one of the best known fantastical as well as mythological creatures in Greek mythology. He is a winged divine horse, usually white in color. He was sired by Poseidon, in his role as horse-god, and foaled by the Gorgon Medusa. He was the brother of Chrysaor, born at a single birthing...
. The beast's name is Cordelia, the same as Angel's dragon. Groo is one of the members of the Angel Investigations team rallied by Lorne to help Angel fight the Demon Lords, and he helps by breaking the chains on Angel's dragon. The Demon Lords are all destroyed. In issue fifteen, Illyria deciding to end all reality in order to end emotional pain, starts with demolishing what is left of Los Angeles. The Groosalugg is killed while attempting to stop her. He has enough time to bemoan the nature of this death. He is revived later as Angel forces the Senior Partners to rewind time to before Los Angeles was sent to hell. As with everyone who was involved with the After the Fall storyline, the Groosalugg retains all of his memories. The situation leaves Angel a publicly acclaimed hero. Angel leaves his dragon in the care of the Groosalugg as part of an attempt to regain anonymity. In later comics post-After the Fall, the Groosalugg assists Angel and Spike in saving a comic book convention threatened by various mystical dangers.
Lynch had wanted to use Lorne as part of the supporting cast of his Spike series. However, Lorne is off-limits since the death of likeness Andy Hallett
Andy Hallett
Andrew Alcott "Andy" Hallett was an American singer and actor best known for playing the part of Lorne in the television series Angel. He used his singing talents often on the show, and performed two songs on the series' 2005 soundtrack album, Angel: Live Fast, Die Never.-Early life:Andrew Alcott...
and the character's send-off in Music of the Spheres. Consequently, Lynch chose Groo for the series, along with the Cordelia dragon and pegasus.
Concept and creation
Andy HallettAndy Hallett
Andrew Alcott "Andy" Hallett was an American singer and actor best known for playing the part of Lorne in the television series Angel. He used his singing talents often on the show, and performed two songs on the series' 2005 soundtrack album, Angel: Live Fast, Die Never.-Early life:Andrew Alcott...
, who played Lorne, called the Groosalugg "Fabio
Fabio Lanzoni
Fabio Lanzoni ; born March 15, 1959), widely known simply as Fabio, is a famous international Italian fashion model, spokesperson and actor who appeared on the cover of hundreds of romance novels throughout the 1980s and 1990s....
and Keanu Reeves
Keanu Reeves
Keanu Charles Reeves is a Canadian actor. Reeves is perhaps best known for his roles in Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure, Speed, Point Break and the science fiction-action trilogy The Matrix...
' love child." Mark Lutz
Mark Lutz (actor)
Mark Douglas Lutz is a Canadian actor, who is best known for playing Groosalugg in the television series Angel and for writing and starring in the two-hour movie on the life and death of Victor Davis....
says, "He's got such a dichotomy to him where he's all brave and noble on one hand, and so naive and brainwashed on the other. I know a lot of the fans say, 'Oh, he's not the sharpest knife in the drawer,' but I think there's more to him than that." The basis for this character "Groo's a lug" could be attributed to "Groo the Wanderer", a comic-book barbarian that has appeared in numerous publications since 1982.
Canonical appearances
The Groosalugg has 16 canonical Angel appearances overall.Angel
Angel (TV series)
Angel is an American television series, a spin-off of the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The series was created by Buffys creator, Joss Whedon, in collaboration with David Greenwalt, and first aired on October 5, 1999...
- Season 2 (2000, 2001) - "Through the Looking GlassThrough the Looking Glass (Angel episode)"Through the Looking Glass" is episode 21 of season 2 in the television show Angel. Written and directed by Tim Minear, it was originally broadcast on May 15, 2001 on the WB network. It is the second episode in a three-part arc....
", "There's No Place Like Plrtz Glrb"
- Season 3 (2001, 2002) - "Waiting in the WingsWaiting in the Wings (Angel episode)"Waiting in the Wings" is the thirteenth episode of season 3 in the television show Angel. Written and directed by series creator Joss Whedon, it was originally broadcast on February 4, 2002 on the WB network...
", "CoupletCouplet (Angel episode)-Plot synopsis:At her apartment, Cordelia changes into something comfortable while Groo explains how he was dethroned in Pylea. They kiss, but after Cordelia sees a demon in Groo's place as a vision painlessly hits her, she's no longer in the mood....
", "Double or NothingDouble or Nothing (Angel episode)"Double or Nothing" is episode 18 of season three in the television show Angel.-Plot synopsis:Fred and Gunn work at the office searching through files for current cases and try to get by without Wesley. Lorne joins them and a discussion arises about Angel, who is upstairs alone...
", "The PriceThe Price (Angel episode)"The Price" is episode 19 of season 3 in the television show Angel, originally broadcast on the WB network. In this episode, the Hyperion Hotel is infested with silicone slug-like parasites that dry up their human hosts. When Fred becomes infected, Gunn turns to the angry and reclusive Wesley for...
", "A New WorldA New World (Angel episode)"A New World" is episode 20 of season 3 in the television show Angel. Written by Jeff Bell and directed by Tim Minear, it was originally broadcast on May 6, 2002 on the WB television network. In "A New World", Angel's son Connor returns from the demon dimension Quor'Toth. Raised by Holtz to a feral...
", "BenedictionBenediction (Angel episode)"Benediction" is episode 21 of season 3 in the television show Angel.-Plot synopsis:Unable to contact Angel, the gang starts to plan a search, but it's unnecessary as he returns to the hotel. He informs them that he found Connor and they talked, but Angel's battle wounds tell a much more violent...
", "TomorrowTomorrow (Angel episode)"Tomorrow" is episode 22 of season 3 in the television show Angel. The episode was written and directed by executive producer David Greenwalt. The narrative of the season three finale deals with Angel's complex relationship with his son . The episode and season is left on a cliffhanger of Angel...
"
Angel: After the Fall
Angel: After the Fall
Angel: After the Fall is a comic book published by IDW Publishing. Written by Brian Lynch and plotted with Joss Whedon, the series is a canonical continuation of the Angel television series, and follows the events of that show's final televised season...
:
- Angel: After the FallAngel: After the FallAngel: After the Fall is a comic book published by IDW Publishing. Written by Brian Lynch and plotted with Joss Whedon, the series is a canonical continuation of the Angel television series, and follows the events of that show's final televised season...
#4, #5, #9, #10, #14, #15, #17 - Boys and Their Toys pt.1 #26-27Angel: After the FallAngel: After the Fall is a comic book published by IDW Publishing. Written by Brian Lynch and plotted with Joss Whedon, the series is a canonical continuation of the Angel television series, and follows the events of that show's final televised season...