"Angel" Dad (2001)

User Rating:

7.8/10   

Director:

Frederick King Keller

Writers:

Joss Whedon (creator) &
David Greenwalt (creator) ...

TV Series:

"Angel" (1999)

Original Air Date:

10 December 2001 (Season 3, Episode 10)

Genre:

Action | Drama | Fantasy | Thriller

Plot:

With the birth of Angel's son, the gang returns to the Hyperion to regroup. There are countless demons...

Plot Keywords:

Reference To John Wayne | Vampire | Vampire Slayer | Redemption | Actress

Cast

David Boreanaz	...	Angel
Charisma Carpenter	...	Cordelia Chase
Alexis Denisof	...	Wesley Wyndam-Pryce
J. August Richards	...	Charles Gunn
Amy Acker	...	Winifred 'Fred' Burkle
John Rubinstein	...	Linwood Murrow
Andy Hallett	...	Lorne
Stephanie Romanov	...	Lilah Morgan
Daniel Dae Kim	...	Gavin Park
Jack Conley	...	Sahjhan
Laurel Holloman	...	Justine Cooper
Keith Szarabajka	...	Daniel Holtz
Kira Tirimacco	...	Doctor
Stephanie Courtney	...	Gwen, Files & Records

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Company:

Mutant Enemy

Goofs:

Continuity: When Lorne slips Angel the note, his left hand is fussing with the baby. Later, when the lawyers are watching the scene on video, his left hand is down by his side.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Cordelia Chase: [to Angel, Wesley, Fred and Gunn] We'll need to make some little changes for safety. Covers for the outlets, kid proof the locks on the weapons cabinet... Right after we gut and remodel the entire hotel.

Movie Connections:

References Assault on Precinct 13 (1976)

Not a bad episode, but also not great

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

This isn't a bad episode and a part of me WANTS to like it more than I do. Angel is really sweet as he adjusts to fatherhood and the rest of Team Angel is adorable, trying hard to help him. (I LOVE that high-five between Wes and Gunn as they choose what bad ass movie characters to impersonate during their battle.) Still, there's something sort of "Meh" about the episode. I blame Holtz. We've always have the crew at Angel Inc. and Wolfram & Hart. A lot of episodes cut between the law offices and the Hyperion, usually with a 1/3 of an episode going to Wolfram & Hart and 2/3 going to Team Angel. So, there are story lines unfolding on two, mostly separate, fronts. With the addition of Holtz, we now have to follow him around, too. That means there are three separate plot lines happening in different places, all edited together in this episode. So, it becomes 1/3 Holtz, 1/3 Wolfram & Hart, and only 1/3 left for Team Angel. It seems like we waste time with Holtz, and the Angel storyline, which I actually care about, looses out. It just doesn't get enough time. Anyway, "Dad" is still worth a look if watching the show on DVD. It introduces Justine, who'll be a recurring character and shows Angel's love for his new son.

Basically, "Dad" revolves around Angel's first hours of fatherhood. He's having some problems adjusting. First of all, Conner has a long list of people wanting him dead. Secondly, Angel's not sure what to do with an infant besides entertain the kid with his vampire game face. Thirdly, he's scared to let the baby out of his sight. Angel promised Darla that he'd look after Conner and now he doesn't even want to let the others hold the baby. All in all, Angel's under a lot of stress. Meanwhile, Holtz kills his demon minions and sets out to recruit an army of people who hate vampires as much as he does. His first volunteer is a woman named Justine, whose twin sister was murdered by vampires and who also wants revenge.

Over at Wolfram & Hart, Lilah finally puts together Holtz's identity and everyone is surprised to have a time-traveler tossed into the mix. Wolfram & Hart still wants the baby for themselves. Their using the bugs in the Hyperion to spy on Team Angel, waiting for a chance to steal Conner. Little do they know that Lorne can hear the secret cameras' high pitched frequency. He warns the others and Team Angel sets a trap. Angel leads most of Conner's enemies away and blows them up. Then he warns Linwood that if anything that happens to Conner he'll make sure that the same fate befalls Linwood. Conner's safety temporarily assured, Team Angel heads back to the hotel... But their enemies aren't giving up so easily.

There are some really great parts to this episode. I love Lorne moving into the Hyperion. He's such a great character and having him in the hotel gives him more screen time. Plus, he and Angel signing "Baby, Baby," to Conner just makes me laugh every time. I also really like the Files and Records Lady at Wolfram & Hart. It's cool how her eyes get all "flip-y" when she accesses files. And Linwood's pretty darn funny as he admits that he likes kids. "The Senior Parteners took mine before I really got to know them." Also, the scene with Angel and Cordy in the courtyard is pretty intense. She's trying to convince him to share some of the baby responsibilities, pointing out that he can't exactly do everything on his own. As a vampire, he can't even take Conner out on the daylight. What if there's an emergency? Angel sticks his hand right into the sunlight. As his skin smolders, he vows that if Conner needs to get to a hospital at noon on the sunniest day of the year, than he'll get there... Even if Angel doesn't. I just get this "Woah!" feeling every time I see it. Finally, I really like that last shot, with Gunn, Fred, Wes, Cordy and Angel all leaving the hospital with Conner. The five of them will have a lot of problems in the episodes to come and that one scene just reinforces the bond between them.

On the downside, I think Angel should have tried signing "Mandy" to Conner. He's obsessed with that song, so it seems like it would be his first choice. Also, I don't like Justine. Watching her and Holtz do their pseudo-Slayer training is just flat-out fast forward time for me.

My Favorite Part of the Episode: Conner's enemies list. "Holtz, More Ninja Guys, Wolfram & Hart, The Scourge, Frank..."