Long Day's Journey (Angel episode)
Encyclopedia
"Long Day's Journey" is episode nine of season four in the television show Angel
. The electro-kinetic cat burglar-for-hire, Gwen Raiden, returns and reluctantly helps Angel and the group after they discover that the Beast is searching for five mystical Totem
s in order to block out sunlight from Los Angeles
so that all demons and vampires can roam freely.
Connor is restless in his warehouse, wondering why they haven't been to the hotel in days. Cordelia gets a vision of the Beast and immediately rushes to talk to Angel. Gunn
and Fred
brainstorm the meaning of the little girl's words, but Gunn's suspicions about Connor leave him with a biased opinion. Wesley
reveals he has discovered the little girl was Wolfram and Hart
's connection to the Senior Partners but she was also an entity named Mesektet. He explains that Mesektet was one of five totems in a group known as the Ra-Tet.
Lorne drops in with news of another killing; a Shaman whose heart was ripped out. Fred finds out it was Ma'at, another totem of the Ra-tet. she felt she was in the body of someone talking to the Beast. Gwen arrives at the hotel to mixed feelings about her presence, but her experience with the Beast proves to be useful to them.
Fred discovers Gwen's client was another Ra-tet member, one composed of light. Needing to find and protect at least one of the two remaining totems, Angel suggests he and Gwen go find Semkhet in Death Valley
. Angel and Gwen sneak into the cave holding Semkhet, but find they're too late and the body has already been destroyed. As Angel wonders about the reason for the Beast killing off the Ra-tet, a rather ordinary man appears and explains that the beast is trying to stop the light of the sun. The man reveals himself to be Manjet, or Manny, the only surviving member of the Ra-tet, and keeper of the orb. Manny explains that the Beast is planning a ritual using the Ra-tet to eventually black out the whole world from the sun and turn the earth into a land for demons.
Angel brings Manny back to the hotel, but the gang quickly realizes the hotel is not the safest place for them to protect Manny. Gwen leads the gang to her surprisingly lavish home in a seemingly rundown building. Angel mentions to Cordelia that Gwen's money came from the Axis of Pythia he used to track Cordelia and then gave to Gwen. She has a panic room
for Manjet to hide in that should be safe for him. The others split up into pairs to guard the entrance. While watching over the entrance to the secret room, Gwen picks up on Gunn's issues with Wesley, but the story's too long for him to tell. Gwen and Gunn depart for some rest, and by the time Gwen and Gunn awake, Manny has been brutally killed.
The gang brainstorm about Manny being an orb keeper, and what could have been taken from him. Gwen reveals that the Beast took something out of the chest of the Shaman she was visiting, despite earlier having claimed to have seen nothing. The timing and stealthiness of the attack and the spiked drinks lead the gang to believe it was an inside job, but no definite suspect can be pinned down. Gwen checks the security tapes of the rooms, but finds the feeds stopped just before Angel and Cordelia began their shift.
They return to the hotel and find information about the ritual from Lorne's research. An orb and two metal wings are three elements of the ritual and Gwen thinks she can help stop the events if she's able to get close enough to melt the metal wings. Wesley and Fred announce they've discovered what seems to be the only way to get rid of the Beast: opening a portal to send it through. Gunn reacts badly to this idea, but Fred reminds him it's their only option. Cordelia gets another vision about the Beast, in which it stands over a group of massacred people. Cordelia also senses she knew the person the Beast was talking to, leading them all to believe Connor is involved.
The Beast finds Connor at his warehouse and promptly throws him out the window. Angel and the gang pull up just in time, charging upstairs to stop the ritual. Wesley and Fred work on opening the portal while the others attack the Beast, who has already started the ritual. While the portal opens behind the Beast upstairs, outside Cordelia gets to see more of her vision and the sun begins to darken. With several consecutive blows, Angel and the others manage to send the Beast through the portal and out of their world. The sun continues to darken. Cordelia's vision continues too, and she sees the person the Beast was talking to: Angelus.
Upstairs, the Beast reappears behind the gang and speaks, saying he met Angelus in the past, and again offering a union of their evil. The beast grabs the orb and swallows it whole, then flies out the window. Cordelia figures out her vision was actually a memory from when she was a higher power and saw all of Angelus's actions over time. Angel doesn't remember such a meeting in the past, but Wesley suspects the Beast has been able to control Angel in some ways. Taking the little girl's words to heart, Wesley announces that the only one with power and knowledge to help defeat the Beast is Angelus, so they need him back.
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...
. The electro-kinetic cat burglar-for-hire, Gwen Raiden, returns and reluctantly helps Angel and the group after they discover that the Beast is searching for five mystical Totem
Totem
A totem is a stipulated ancestor of a group of people, such as a family, clan, group, lineage, or tribe.Totems support larger groups than the individual person. In kinship and descent, if the apical ancestor of a clan is nonhuman, it is called a totem...
s in order to block out sunlight from 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...
so that all demons and vampires can roam freely.
Plot synopsis
Lorne brings Angel some blood in his room. Gwen Raiden meets a client, Mr. Ashet, about some protective amulets he wants her to steal, but she respectfully declines. Just as the man suggests not killing her for canceling on him, the Beast shoves a fist through the man's chest, sending Gwen flying. A white light emerges from the dead man as the Beast grabs an object from the man's chest and disappears.Connor is restless in his warehouse, wondering why they haven't been to the hotel in days. Cordelia gets a vision of the Beast and immediately rushes to talk to Angel. Gunn
Charles Gunn
Charles Gunn is a fictional character created by Joss Whedon for the television series, Angel. The character is portrayed by J. August Richards, and was named by Whedon after filmmaker James Gunn and actor Sean Gunn, both of whom had worked with Whedon...
and Fred
Winifred Burkle
Winifred "Fred" Burkle is a fictional character created by Joss Whedon and introduced by Shawn Ryan and Mere Smith on the television series Angel. The character is portrayed by Amy Acker.-Character history:...
brainstorm the meaning of the little girl's words, but Gunn's suspicions about Connor leave him with a biased opinion. Wesley
Wesley Wyndam-Pryce
Wesley Wyndam-Pryce is a fictional character created by Joss Whedon for the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel...
reveals he has discovered the little girl was Wolfram and Hart
Wolfram and 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:...
's connection to the Senior Partners but she was also an entity named Mesektet. He explains that Mesektet was one of five totems in a group known as the Ra-Tet.
Lorne drops in with news of another killing; a Shaman whose heart was ripped out. Fred finds out it was Ma'at, another totem of the Ra-tet. she felt she was in the body of someone talking to the Beast. Gwen arrives at the hotel to mixed feelings about her presence, but her experience with the Beast proves to be useful to them.
Fred discovers Gwen's client was another Ra-tet member, one composed of light. Needing to find and protect at least one of the two remaining totems, Angel suggests he and Gwen go find Semkhet in Death Valley
Death Valley
Death Valley is a desert valley located in Eastern California. Situated within the Mojave Desert, it features the lowest, driest, and hottest locations in North America. Badwater, a basin located in Death Valley, is the specific location of the lowest elevation in North America at 282 feet below...
. Angel and Gwen sneak into the cave holding Semkhet, but find they're too late and the body has already been destroyed. As Angel wonders about the reason for the Beast killing off the Ra-tet, a rather ordinary man appears and explains that the beast is trying to stop the light of the sun. The man reveals himself to be Manjet, or Manny, the only surviving member of the Ra-tet, and keeper of the orb. Manny explains that the Beast is planning a ritual using the Ra-tet to eventually black out the whole world from the sun and turn the earth into a land for demons.
Angel brings Manny back to the hotel, but the gang quickly realizes the hotel is not the safest place for them to protect Manny. Gwen leads the gang to her surprisingly lavish home in a seemingly rundown building. Angel mentions to Cordelia that Gwen's money came from the Axis of Pythia he used to track Cordelia and then gave to Gwen. She has a panic room
Panic room
A safe room or panic room is a fortified room which is installed in a private residence or business to provide a safe shelter, or hiding place, for the inhabitants in the event of a break-in, home invasion, tornado, or other threat. Safe rooms usually contain communications equipment, so that law...
for Manjet to hide in that should be safe for him. The others split up into pairs to guard the entrance. While watching over the entrance to the secret room, Gwen picks up on Gunn's issues with Wesley, but the story's too long for him to tell. Gwen and Gunn depart for some rest, and by the time Gwen and Gunn awake, Manny has been brutally killed.
The gang brainstorm about Manny being an orb keeper, and what could have been taken from him. Gwen reveals that the Beast took something out of the chest of the Shaman she was visiting, despite earlier having claimed to have seen nothing. The timing and stealthiness of the attack and the spiked drinks lead the gang to believe it was an inside job, but no definite suspect can be pinned down. Gwen checks the security tapes of the rooms, but finds the feeds stopped just before Angel and Cordelia began their shift.
They return to the hotel and find information about the ritual from Lorne's research. An orb and two metal wings are three elements of the ritual and Gwen thinks she can help stop the events if she's able to get close enough to melt the metal wings. Wesley and Fred announce they've discovered what seems to be the only way to get rid of the Beast: opening a portal to send it through. Gunn reacts badly to this idea, but Fred reminds him it's their only option. Cordelia gets another vision about the Beast, in which it stands over a group of massacred people. Cordelia also senses she knew the person the Beast was talking to, leading them all to believe Connor is involved.
The Beast finds Connor at his warehouse and promptly throws him out the window. Angel and the gang pull up just in time, charging upstairs to stop the ritual. Wesley and Fred work on opening the portal while the others attack the Beast, who has already started the ritual. While the portal opens behind the Beast upstairs, outside Cordelia gets to see more of her vision and the sun begins to darken. With several consecutive blows, Angel and the others manage to send the Beast through the portal and out of their world. The sun continues to darken. Cordelia's vision continues too, and she sees the person the Beast was talking to: Angelus.
Upstairs, the Beast reappears behind the gang and speaks, saying he met Angelus in the past, and again offering a union of their evil. The beast grabs the orb and swallows it whole, then flies out the window. Cordelia figures out her vision was actually a memory from when she was a higher power and saw all of Angelus's actions over time. Angel doesn't remember such a meeting in the past, but Wesley suspects the Beast has been able to control Angel in some ways. Taking the little girl's words to heart, Wesley announces that the only one with power and knowledge to help defeat the Beast is Angelus, so they need him back.
Writing
- The episode is dedicated to Glenn QuinnGlenn QuinnGlenn Martin Christopher Francis Quinn was an Irish actor in television and film, known for playing Mark Healy in the American sitcom Roseanne, and Doyle, a half-demon, on the 1999–2004 television series Angel, a spin-off series of the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer.-Early life:Quinn...
, one of Angel original co-stars, who died on December 3, 2002 of a heroin overdose.
Cultural references
- Long Day's Journey Into NightLong Day's Journey Into NightLong Day's Journey Into Night is a 1956 drama in four acts written by American playwright Eugene O'Neill. The play is widely considered to be his masterwork...
: The episode title refers to Eugene O'Neill'sEugene O'NeillEugene Gladstone O'Neill was an American playwright and Nobel laureate in Literature. His poetically titled plays were among the first to introduce into American drama techniques of realism earlier associated with Russian playwright Anton Chekhov, Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen, and Swedish...
play.
Continuity
- Lorne says to a depressed Angel "When all's said and done, Connor will still be your son", referencing Connor's future transition into a new family with new parents at the end of the season.
- It is revealed that the Girl at Wolfram & Hart is actually a totem of the god Ra, one of the five Ra-Tet.