- A record store clerk with psychotic tendencies is granted unspeakable powers by a magical pendant, which he abuses to fulfill his dream of meeting a beautiful rock star.
- A acne-ridden record store clerk, Howard, finds Mesmer's Bauble, which lets him get close to his pop star obsession Angelica. But Howard soon realizes that he wants much more than just Angelica's love, and uses the Bauber to get what he wants while Micki and Ryan try to stop him.—Gislef
- Record store clerk Howard collects everything he can about pop singer Angelica, hangs up everything in his apartment, and uses makeup to cover his acne. He watches her perform on video recordings, looks at the posters of Angelica on his walls, and sighs wistfully as he cries about what he can't have.
Later at the Vinyl Museum Record Depot where Howard works, Howard is unpacking boxes for the store's promotion of Angelica that he's created on his own. The store's manager, Mrs. Burns, comes over and tells Howard that Angelica's advance agent is coming to the store the next day. Burns suggests that the agent will be impressed with Howard's efforts, and might convince Angelica to come by for publicity.
Once Burns walks away, Howard overhears two girl customers talking about Angelica and offers them a remastered copy. They're creeped out by Howard and quickly leave. Later, Howard walks home and looks at his face in a display window's reflection. Two robbers pull over nearby and break into the front of Pinkman's Pawnshop nearby, and start grabbing things. One of them sees Howard, and the two robbers get into their car and drive off. Howard goes over and sees a Bauble lying on the sidewalk that the thieves dropped. He picks it up and when a passing jogger grabs Howard and assumes he is one of the thieves.
Howard tells the man to drop dead, and the Bauble glows. Entranced, the jogger walks off and collapses as his heart beats out of control. As the police respond to the alarms, Howard peers at the body. The officers get out, draw their guns, and tell Howard to put his hands up.
Later, Howard returns to his apartment and studies the Bauble. He wonders if it can fix his skin, and the Bauble glitters and fixes Howard's acne. Howard looks at his reflection in the mirror in astonishment.
At Curious Goods, Ryan shows off to Micki the two tickets that he got to an Angelica TV studio performance. Jack has never heard of her, and Micki explains that Angelica's is Ryan's most recent heartthrob. In the manifest, Jack finds a reference to Mesmer' Bauble, and a police stolen property report showing it was taken from the pawnshop. Mesmer was the first hypnotist, and used the Bauble to induce trances. Ryan and Micki go to the station to see if the police have any leads on the thieves.
At the club, The Copa, Angelica's fans gather outside. Howard is among them, and tries to get Angelica's attention as she arrives in a limo. She signs autographs on the other side of the crowd, and her manager directs her inside. Disappointed, Howard goes back to the record store and Burns introduces him to Anita Devon, Angelica's advance agent. Anita tells Howard that she knows Angelica when he asks, and gives Howard an autographed 8x10 of Angelica.
Burns has Anita show them their back order, and notices Howard's changed countenance. In the back office, Howard shows off his knowledge of Angelica's career. He insists that he's Angelica's "best fan", and peppers Anita with questions about Angelica. Howard notices Anita's back stage performance to the studio performance, and asks Anita some personal questions about Angelica.
Anita is soon disgusted by Howard, a "wacko fan". He insists that he needs to know what kind of man Angelica likes, and when Anita tries to leave, Howard takes out the Bauble and entrances Anita with it. Howard says that he'll have to get the answer to his questions on his own, and doesn't need Anita because he'll have Angelica. He takes Anita for a walk and they go out through the store. Howard tells Anita to say goodbye to Burns, when Burns asks if they're done.
Outside, Howard tells Anita to play in traffic. She walks out into the street and is hit by a truck. Burns comes out, tells Howard to call an ambulance, and goes to the body. Howard goes back into the store and makes the phone call.
That night, Howard returns to his apartment and tells the Bauble to make him someone Anita will notice. Howard screams in pain as his face warps and changes.
The next day at the club, the now-handsome Howard uses Anita's pass to get past the backstage security guard. Howard goes to the upstairs seating and watches as Angelica conduct a sound check. Howard goes down, and approaches Angelica as her manager Roger Zimmerman escorts her back to her dressing room. He claims that he's replacing Anita, and briefly shakes Angelica's hand. Angelica stares him in awe, and Roger ushers her off and tells Howard that the dressing rooms are off-limits.
A guard says that Angelica's fans are blocking the load docks, and asks her to sign a few autographs. Roger refuses, but Angelica says that she'll do it and goes with the guard. Howard overhears them talking and goes to Angelica's dressing room while she's away.
Later, Angelica and Zimmerman go to Angelica's dressing room and she goes to change outfits. Angelica defends her fans but Roger isn't impressed. Howard is hiding behind some plastic sheets and watches Angelica undress. Roger fondles Angelica and says that he's "looking out for her interests", and flirts with her. Howard looks on as Angelica flirts back at Roger.
The next day, Micki and Ryan go to the pawnshop from the police report, and talk to the owner, Henry Pinkman. Ryan says that the police caught the thieves and recovered most of the stolen merchandise, and they're looking for the Bauble. Pinkman says that Howard, the reported witness, reported that the thieves took everything and the jogger who had a heart attack.
At the club, Angelica is rehearsing when Howard comes over. Once she finishes, Roger leads her off past Howard. Howard tries to express his appreciation for Angelica, but Roger leads her off, figuring that Howard is just sexually interested in Angelica.
At the record store, the cousins talk to Burns. She says that Howard called that morning and said he was quitting, without saying why. Burns mentions that kids razzed Howard about his looks, and then he saw Anita die. Micki and Ryan figure that Anita died under the Bauble's influence.
In his apartment, Howard lie on his bed and stares at the ceiling, listening to a video of Angelica singing. He mutters to "Angelica" that Roger has no right to keep them apart, and tells himself that he knows what Angelica wants. Ryan and Micki arrive at Howard's door and knock, and when he opens the door they ask about if he saw the Bauble at the robbery. Micki notices all of the posters of Angelica hanging up behind Howard, and claims the Bauble is a family heirloom. Howard claims that he didn't see it and excuses himself. Micki tells Ryan that Howard isn't an ugly man like Burns described him, and figures he stole the Bauble. She mentions the Angelica posters, and suggests that they watch Angelica for when Howard goes after her.
Inside his apartment, Howard looks contemplatively at the Bauble.
Roger is in his hotel bathroom shaving when there's a knock at the door. He answers it and finds Howard there. Howard shows Roger the Bauble, entrancing him, then tells Roger to finish his shave. The former clerk follows Roger in and tells him to shave close without water. Roger does so and Howard tells him to shave closer until Roger cuts his skin and finally his throat. The manager finally dies, and Howard holds up the Bauble and tells his reflection in the mirror that he wants to be Angelica's lover.
When Micki and Ryan arrive in the hotel lobby, they find the police there. A bystander tells them that Roger apparently killed suicide, and he was Angelica's manager. The cousins see Howard come out consoling Angelica, and he leads the singer out past the press.
Later at the shop, Jack checks the article about Roger's death. It notes that there was no suicide note from Roger, and Howard claimed he was a close personal friend Roger's. The trio figure that Howard used the Bauble to kill Roger, and he is using the Bauble to practically become Angelica's manager. Jack has done some research and discovered that since Lewis got hold of the Bauble, it's had two owners and it fulfills the owners' deepest desires. He warns that whoever is close to Angelica isn't safe, and the cousins head to the club.
Howard comes to see Angelica In her dressing room, and he gives her a rose and says that he took care of Roger's funeral arrangements. Angelica falls into Howard's arms, crying, and says that she can't do her show without Roger. Howard says that her fans need her, and Roger didn't die so she would quit. He tells Angelica that she makes people's lives worth living, and they need her just like she needed Roger... and Howard.
One of the roadies, Kirk, comes in and asks if Angelica is going to postpone the show. She says that she'll continue with it, and Howard backs her. Once Kirk leaves, Howard takes Angelica to his apartment and shows her his "shrine" to her. She asks Howard if he wants "her", and undresses.
The cousins arrive at the club, but the guard won't let them backstage. The guard says that she just left with her new manager
In Howard's apartment, Howard and Angelica stroke each other and Howard looks at his powers of Angelica. He touches the Bauble hanging around his neck and looks away, and Angelica asks him what's wrong. She lays down on the floor with Howard on top of her, and he says that it isn't what he wants. Howard tells Angelica that she isn't what he wants, holds up the Bauble, and says that he wants to be Angelica. He merges with Angelica, who screams in pain and horror.
Afterward, Howard looks at his transformed self in a mirror. He is now Angelica, and laughs in triumph as he looks at the Bauble around his/her neck.
Later at the club, Kirk knocks on Angelica's door and tells him/her that the show will be starting in a few minutes. Howard admires his new body in the mirror, and the Bauble hanging around his/her neck.
The cousins go to Howard's apartment and Ryan pounds on the door. When there's no answer, they break in. They find liquid from Howard's transformation on the floor, but have no idea what it is. They figure Howard went to club and head there.
At the club, the fans chant Angelica's name. Howard/Angelica is in her dressing room and listens to them chant "her" name. Outside, the cousins arrive and Micki figures Angelica is safe since the technicians are there and figure she's there. Micki and Ryan push themselves to the front of the crowd.
Howard/Angelica takes the stage and sings, as her performance goes out on simulcast. Micki sees the Bauble around Howard/Angelica's neck and points it out to Ryan, and figure they have to get it. When Howard/Angelica bends down on the edge of the stage, Micki manages to grab the Bauble without Howard/Angelica noticing.
When Howard/Angelica's voice changes in mid-song, he realizes that he's lost the Bauble. He screams in pain as he starts to transform back into his original Howard form, and the fans scream in horror. Back to "normal," Howard sees his real face in the monitors and hears the voices of his tormentors in his head. He screams in horror at his own face and falls into a pit of lights, electrocuting himself.
The next day at the shop, Ryan listens to one of Angelica's songs on the radio and looks at the torn-up tickets he had of her club show. Jack tells him not to try to find an explanation because it's too bizarre. Micki returns from the vault after putting the Bauble away, and she and Ryan tell Jack that they didn't figure out what was going with the Bauble in time. Jack notes that what they were up against didn't fit any strict pattern or predetermined goal, and neither of them could have known what was in Howard's mind. He figures that Howard was so twisted by his own fantasy, even Howard didn't know what he wanted... until it was too late.
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