Waiting in the Wings (Angel episode)
Encyclopedia
"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
. In "Waiting in the Wings", Angel takes the gang out for an evening at the ballet but becomes suspicious when the prima ballerina (Summer Glau
) is the same one he saw dance more than 100 years ago. When Cordelia
and Angel sneak backstage to investigate, they are consumed by overwhelming passion for each other as they are possessed by spirits of unrequited ballet lovers held captive by the sinister ballet troupe leader. Also, Fred
finds that both Wesley
and Gunn
have feelings for her too, but she must eventually choose one of them.
, by the same company he witnessed perform in 1890.
At the theater, the company's owner, Count Kurskov, promises the theater manager an unforgettable show while a shadowed figure watches from above the stage and laughs. In preparation for their glamorous night at the ballet, Fred and Cordelia shop for new dresses, which they intend to return after wearing them for the night. Subtly, Cordelia broaches the subject of Fred's romantic interests, but Cordelia thinks Fred's mind is on Wesley, when it's really on Gunn.
Compliments are directed to everyone as their attire is revealed at the hotel, and they depart together. At the theater, Cordelia is literally bored to sleep while the others enjoy the show. Angel finds the dancers familiar since he saw the same people perform the first time he saw the show. During intermission, Angel tells his friends about his revelation. He and Cordelia sneak backstage to investigate, where they discover they are mystically trapped in a maze of corridors.
Looking through the prima ballerina
's dressing room, Angel observes that the dressing room hasn't changed in two hundred years as Cordelia examines a cross necklace from a table. Both feel the room warm, and Cordelia suddenly asks Angel to undress her. Soon they find themselves possessed by spirits in love and are unable to keep their hands off each other, until Cordelia accidentally burns Angel with the cross. Both come to their senses and leave the dressing room before things go too far.
Worried, Fred encourages the guys to help her look for the missing Angel and Cordelia. The Count directs his demon minions to deal with those sneaking around backstage. While trying to escape the backstage halls, Cordelia recalls an element of fear she felt while possessed. She convinces Angel to reenter the dressing room so that they can break the spell holding them backstage, where they are possessed by the spirits again with wild passion for each other. Cordelia calls Angel "Stefan" and confesses her fears of another man who is controlling her life. They kiss, and "Stefan" offers to take her away, but she wants him to help her deal with the problem instead. As Fred tends to a wound Gunn received in the battle with the Count's minions, he jokes about his injury, and Fred gets emotional because she thought he was seriously hurt. The two kiss as Wesley quietly discovers them and walks away sadly.
The ballet continues on stage as the gang gathers backstage. Wesley explains that the Count was a wizard who discovered the prima ballerina whom he adored had a lover. To repay her for her betrayal, the count forced her into a temporal shift where she would dance for only him, forever. As Angel searches for the Count's power center, he finds the prima ballerina waiting in the wings, resigned to perform the same dance for the rest of eternity. Angel tells her to break the magic holding her prisoner, she has to change the dance. She dances on stage using her own steps. Angel attacks the Count and, guessing the power center is in a medallion the count wears, smashes it with a powerful punch, finally releasing the ballet dancers. Wesley dresses Gunn's injury and watches on in emotional agony as Fred and Gunn exchange loving looks.
Angel and Cordelia agree that they are embarrassed about what happened between them while they were possessed. As Angel is about to declare his feelings for Cordelia, the Groosalugg
from Pylea
appears on the stairs, drawing Cordelia's attention. Groo and Cordelia kiss as Lorne comes downstairs to inform Angel that Pylea has formed a republic; with no need for a monarch, Groo returned for his true love, Cordelia. Angel goes upstairs to check on Connor while Fred and Wesley watch on. Wesley realizes the path of love is not something that can be foretold.
revealed that the main impetus for this episode was learning that Amy Acker danced ballet for fifteen years, although he also was excited to see the group dressed up.
Whedon filmed a scene in which Amy Acker and Alexis Denisof dance in the ballet. The scene, which was ultimately cut, was a fantasy of Wesley's during the performance. In the scene, Amy Acker - who danced fifteen years - dances properly, while Alexis Denisof dances farcically. The scene is included on the DVD as a bonus feature.
This episode was shot on location at the Orpheum Theater in downtown Los Angeles.
in her first acting role as a Prima Ballerina cursed to carry out the same performance over and over again. Summer, who is also a classically trained ballerina, would go on to star in Angel co-creator Joss Whedon
's Firefly
later that year as River Tam, and later have a recurring role in his show Dollhouse
.
Mark Lutz's name was placed at the end credits to keep his appearance at the end of the episode a surprise.
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...
. Written and directed by series creator 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...
, it was originally broadcast on February 4, 2002 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...
. In "Waiting in the Wings", Angel takes the gang out for an evening at the ballet but becomes suspicious when the prima ballerina (Summer Glau
Summer Glau
Summer Lyn Glau is an American actress, known for playing River Tam in the science fiction series Firefly and follow-up film Serenity, and for playing Cameron in the series Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles.-Early life:...
) is the same one he saw dance more than 100 years ago. When Cordelia
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...
and Angel sneak backstage to investigate, they are consumed by overwhelming passion for each other as they are possessed by spirits of unrequited ballet lovers held captive by the sinister ballet troupe leader. Also, 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:...
finds that both 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...
and 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...
have feelings for her too, but she must eventually choose one of them.
Plot
Wesley researches a demon from one of Cordelia's visions while Cordelia questions Wesley about his romantic feelings towards Fred. After Gunn and Fred return from breakfast, Angel announces he is taking them all to a ballet production of GiselleGiselle
Giselle is a ballet in two acts with a libretto by Jules-Henri Vernoy de Saint-Georges and Théophile Gautier, music by Adolphe Adam, and choreography by Jean Coralli and Jules Perrot. The librettist took his inspiration from a poem by Heinrich Heine...
, by the same company he witnessed perform in 1890.
At the theater, the company's owner, Count Kurskov, promises the theater manager an unforgettable show while a shadowed figure watches from above the stage and laughs. In preparation for their glamorous night at the ballet, Fred and Cordelia shop for new dresses, which they intend to return after wearing them for the night. Subtly, Cordelia broaches the subject of Fred's romantic interests, but Cordelia thinks Fred's mind is on Wesley, when it's really on Gunn.
Compliments are directed to everyone as their attire is revealed at the hotel, and they depart together. At the theater, Cordelia is literally bored to sleep while the others enjoy the show. Angel finds the dancers familiar since he saw the same people perform the first time he saw the show. During intermission, Angel tells his friends about his revelation. He and Cordelia sneak backstage to investigate, where they discover they are mystically trapped in a maze of corridors.
Looking through the prima ballerina
Ballerina
A ballerina is a title used to describe a principal female professional ballet dancer in a large company; the male equivalent to this title is danseur or ballerino...
's dressing room, Angel observes that the dressing room hasn't changed in two hundred years as Cordelia examines a cross necklace from a table. Both feel the room warm, and Cordelia suddenly asks Angel to undress her. Soon they find themselves possessed by spirits in love and are unable to keep their hands off each other, until Cordelia accidentally burns Angel with the cross. Both come to their senses and leave the dressing room before things go too far.
Worried, Fred encourages the guys to help her look for the missing Angel and Cordelia. The Count directs his demon minions to deal with those sneaking around backstage. While trying to escape the backstage halls, Cordelia recalls an element of fear she felt while possessed. She convinces Angel to reenter the dressing room so that they can break the spell holding them backstage, where they are possessed by the spirits again with wild passion for each other. Cordelia calls Angel "Stefan" and confesses her fears of another man who is controlling her life. They kiss, and "Stefan" offers to take her away, but she wants him to help her deal with the problem instead. As Fred tends to a wound Gunn received in the battle with the Count's minions, he jokes about his injury, and Fred gets emotional because she thought he was seriously hurt. The two kiss as Wesley quietly discovers them and walks away sadly.
The ballet continues on stage as the gang gathers backstage. Wesley explains that the Count was a wizard who discovered the prima ballerina whom he adored had a lover. To repay her for her betrayal, the count forced her into a temporal shift where she would dance for only him, forever. As Angel searches for the Count's power center, he finds the prima ballerina waiting in the wings, resigned to perform the same dance for the rest of eternity. Angel tells her to break the magic holding her prisoner, she has to change the dance. She dances on stage using her own steps. Angel attacks the Count and, guessing the power center is in a medallion the count wears, smashes it with a powerful punch, finally releasing the ballet dancers. Wesley dresses Gunn's injury and watches on in emotional agony as Fred and Gunn exchange loving looks.
Angel and Cordelia agree that they are embarrassed about what happened between them while they were possessed. As Angel is about to declare his feelings for Cordelia, the Groosalugg
Groosalugg
The Groosalugg, nicknamed Groo, is a fictional character on the WB network's series Angel. He appeared in seasons 2 and 3, and is portrayed by Mark Lutz.-History:...
from Pylea
Pylea
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...
appears on the stairs, drawing Cordelia's attention. Groo and Cordelia kiss as Lorne comes downstairs to inform Angel that Pylea has formed a republic; with no need for a monarch, Groo returned for his true love, Cordelia. Angel goes upstairs to check on Connor while Fred and Wesley watch on. Wesley realizes the path of love is not something that can be foretold.
Production
In the DVD commentary, writer/director Joss WhedonJoss 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...
revealed that the main impetus for this episode was learning that Amy Acker danced ballet for fifteen years, although he also was excited to see the group dressed up.
Whedon filmed a scene in which Amy Acker and Alexis Denisof dance in the ballet. The scene, which was ultimately cut, was a fantasy of Wesley's during the performance. In the scene, Amy Acker - who danced fifteen years - dances properly, while Alexis Denisof dances farcically. The scene is included on the DVD as a bonus feature.
This episode was shot on location at the Orpheum Theater in downtown Los Angeles.
Acting
This episode features Summer GlauSummer Glau
Summer Lyn Glau is an American actress, known for playing River Tam in the science fiction series Firefly and follow-up film Serenity, and for playing Cameron in the series Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles.-Early life:...
in her first acting role as a Prima Ballerina cursed to carry out the same performance over and over again. Summer, who is also a classically trained ballerina, would go on to star in Angel co-creator 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...
's Firefly
Firefly (TV series)
Firefly is an American space western television series created by writer and director Joss Whedon, under his Mutant Enemy Productions label. Whedon served as executive producer, along with Tim Minear....
later that year as River Tam, and later have a recurring role in his show Dollhouse
Dollhouse (TV series)
Dollhouse is an American science fiction television series created by writer and director Joss Whedon under Mutant Enemy Productions. It premiered on February 13, 2009, on the Fox network and was officially cancelled on November 11, 2009. The final episode aired on January 29, 2010...
.
Mark Lutz's name was placed at the end credits to keep his appearance at the end of the episode a surprise.
Continuity
- Cordelia reminds Wesley that he once considered her to be "the loveliest thing in the world," referring to the events of the third seasonBuffy the Vampire Slayer (season 3)- Crew :Series creator Joss Whedon served as executive producer and showrunner, and wrote and directed five episodes of the season including the season premiere and the two-part finale. David Greenwalt was promoted to executive producer, and wrote two episodes and directed another. Marti Noxon was...
of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Their mutual flirting, beginning with their first meeting in "Bad Girls", continued throughout the season before culminating in a pair of awkward kisses in the finale "Graduation Day, Part TwoGraduation Day (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)"Graduation Day" is the season finale of the WB Television Network's third season of the drama television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, consisting of the twenty-first and twenty-second episodes. They are also the fifty-fifth and fifty-sixth episodes of the show overall...
", the final Buffy appearance for both characters. - More broadly, Cordelia claims to have been the "ditziest bitch in SunnydaleSunnydaleSunnydale, California is the fictional setting for the U.S. television drama Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Series creator Joss Whedon conceived the town as a representation of a generic California city, as well as a narrative parody of the all-too-serene towns typical in traditional horror...
" while in high school, a description which fits her characterisation throughout much of the first three seasons of Buffy. - Angel mentions that he has been possessed by the spirits of dead lovers before, a reference to the events of the Buffy Season Two episode "I Only Have Eyes for You" in which he and Buffy SummersBuffy SummersBuffy Summers is a fictional character from Joss Whedon's Buffy the Vampire Slayer franchise. She first appeared in the 1992 film Buffy the Vampire Slayer before going on to appear in the television series and subsequent comic book of the same name...
are possessed by the spirits of Grace Newman and James Stanley respectively.
Arc significance
- Gunn and Fred begin their relationship.
- The Groosalugg returns. He and Cordy begin their relationship.
- This episode begins Wesley's withdrawal from the group, caused by Fred and Gunn's romance, which will contribute to the events of "Sleep Tight".
- Cordelia comments that the only action she's getting is from a "ghost who's really good with a loofah", hinting to a deeper relationship between her and Denis, the ghost who haunts her apartment.