"Angel" Over the Rainbow (2001)

Director:

Frederick King Keller

Writers:

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

TV Series:

"Angel" (1999)

Original Air Date:

8 May 2001 (Season 2, Episode 20)

Genre:

Action | Drama | Fantasy | Thriller

Plot:

After Cordy is swept through a portal, Angel and Wes are desperate to get her back. They come up with a plan to go to Pylea after her...

Plot Keywords:

Abduction | Bound And Gagged | Sold As Slave | Gagged And Bound | Vampire

Cast

David Boreanaz	...	Angel
Charisma Carpenter	...	Cordelia Chase
Alexis Denisof	...	Wesley Wyndam-Pryce
J. August Richards	...	Charles Gunn
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Amy Acker	...	Winifred 'Fred' Burkle
Susan Blommaert	...	Vakma
Jackson Bolt	...	Pylea Demon
Andy Hallett	...	Lorne
Daniel Dae Kim	...	Gavin Park
William Newman	...	Old Demon
Andrew Parks	...	Priest One
Michael Phenicie	...	Silas
Brian Tahash	...	Constable Narwek
Persia White	...	Agnes 'Aggie' Belfleur
Lee Whittaker	...	HellBeast
Drew Wicks	...	Blix

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Company:

Mutant Enemy

Goofs:

Boom mic visible: When Angel begins to gather brush to cover the car after arriving in Pylea, a boom mic can clearly be seen on the upper-right edge of the screen. Look for it as he takes a deep breath and basks in the non-fatal Pylean sun.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Wesley: Cordy?
Angel: Cordelia? Cordy? Cordy?
Wesley: Oh, no. Oh, my God, no. How could I have let this happen?
Angel: No, she's here somewhere. She's just hiding. Cordy? Cordy?
Wesley: Angel?
Angel: What?
Wesley: She's gone. Cordy's been sucked into the portal. She's in the Host's dimension now.
Angel: [to Lorne] Where's Cordelia?

Movie Connections:

References "Xena: Warrior Princess" (1995)

Angel, Wes, Lorne and Gunn reach Pylea

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

I really love the Pylea story line. It's really creative and fun, with great dialog and a fast moving plot. I don't think the show is ever funnier than it is over the next few episodes. And "Over the Rainbow" really reinforces the bonds of friendship and love that connect Team Angel. It's just a joy to watch. A lot happens in this episode and it's definitely worth a look if you're following the show on DVD.

"Over the Rainbow" picks up right where "Belonging" left off. Cordy has been swept into the alternate dimension of Pylea and Angel is desperate to get her back. He and Wes immediately try to open a portal and go after her, but there are some problems. Karitos' magical portal needs to recharge before it can be used again. Plus, there's no way to ensure that Team Angel will stay together as they jump through dimensions. They could wind up in different places. And even if they do get to Pylea as a group and save Cordy, they're not sure that they can ever get back to earth again. Angel and Wes don't care. But, Gunn and Lorne are more hesitant about the trip. Wes starts investigating how they can get to Cordy, while Angel asks Lorne about Pylea. Lorne insists that it's a hell dimension, with no music and a lot of things who don't like humans very much. Meanwhile, a new Wolfram and Hart lawyer shows up at the Hyperion to cause problems.

In Pylea, things aren't going well for Cordy. In that dimension, humans are "cows." Part slaves parts beasts of burden, they serve the demon creatures. Cordy is soon mucking out stables and hating Lorne's homeland. She meets up with Fred, the woman form LA who fell through a portal five years before. Fred is soon captured by the evil sheriff guy and is slated to be executed. When Cordy has a vision about one of the villagers, she's in trouble, too. The demons want to know if she really has visions. Soon Cordy's undergoing torturous trials and they demons are declaring her the "cursed one." Wes comes up with a plan to get to Pylea. He, Angel, Gunn and Lorne all pile into Angel's car and go through a portal using a magical book. Since Pylea is another dimension, Angel's vampire-ness reacts differently. He can be in the sun and he's just thrilled. Unfortunately, the magic book got left behind in LA, so they're still not sure how to get back to earth. They decide to find Cordy first and then worry about getting home. As they try to find her, though, they're arrested. Angel, Gunn, Lorne and Wes are scheduled to be executed and drug before the ruler of Pylea... Who just happens to be Cordelia, now.

There are some great parts to this episode. I love Angel playing in the sunlight. "Hey, does everybody notice how much fire I'm not on?" He's just so happy and cute. Also, I enjoy Cordy's frustration and disbelief over her servitude in Pylea. She's sold to some demon for "one measly pig" and spends the rest of the episode complaining. And who can blame her? Pylea isn't a great spot to be a human. When Fred shows up, half crazy and rambling off on strange tangents, you can't help but feel bad for her. Poor Fred has been stuck there for five years. Also, this episode introduces Gavin, the Wolfram and Hart Lawyer. He's so sleazy and underhanded that I can't help but like him. Finally, I end up smiling every time the demons use the word "cow" to describe someone. It's just so weird and silly.

On the down side, I think Gunn's old friends are a little hard on him. It's hardly his fault that the one guy got killed by vampires. He can't be responsible for everyone.

My favorite part of the episode: Angel depressed and upset that Cordy is swept into Pylea. "I just got her back."