A New World (Angel episode)
Encyclopedia
"A New World" is episode 20 of season 3 in the television show Angel
. Written by Jeff Bell
and directed by Tim Minear
, it was originally broadcast on May 6, 2002 on the WB television network
. In "A New World", Angel's son Connor returns from the demon dimension Quor'Toth. Raised by Holtz
to a feral teenage warrior, Connor seeks to kill Angel for his murderous past. Failing to do so, Connor flees from the hotel with Angel one step behind him. Lorne tracks down a sorceress to try to close the dimensional rift to Quor'Toth before other monsters emerge. Also, Wesley
, living as a recluse in his apartment, gets an offer from Lilah
for a job at Wolfram & Hart
.
, Gunn
and Connor. Angel tries to reason with his son and end the violence, but Connor simply knocks Gunn and Groo out of the way and continues to fight with Angel. Focused on the fight, Angel gets the upper hand on Connor, but before he can do anything harmful to Connor, Angel stops himself. Connor takes the opportunity to run, and Angel tries to follow, but the daylight and his friends stop him.
Gunn and Groo chase after Connor as he runs across a busy street and eventually escapes on the top of a city bus. The gang gathers again at the hotel and discusses their plans for following Connor. After Fred
discovers the bus's route, Angel rushes off for the tunnels and tells the rest of the gang to search on the surface. They notice that the Quor-Toth portal is still open and sparking lighting, and decide it would be a great idea to find a way to close the rift before something new shows up. Fred suggests Wesley, but Gunn firmly knocks that suggestion down because he already went to Wesley and they can't go again. Fred eventually realizes that Gunn went to Wesley for information on how to save her from the slugs in "The Price".
Groo and Cordelia
stay to watch the hotel, while Gunn and Fred head out to follow the bus Connor left on top of, and Lorne leaves to hunt down a solution to their portal problem. Meanwhile, Lilah shows up at Wesley's place and invites herself in. She gives him a copy of Dante
's first book of Divine Comedy. Wesley, realizing that Lilah is there to offer him a job, refuses and tells her to get out. She turns and asks about a part of the book where Dante describes the nine circles of hell. Cruelly proving a point, she asks Wesley who is in the ninth circle, to which Wesley whispers "Judas Iscariot
". She smiles, stating that the worst place in hell is reserved for those who betray, so Wesley should stop acting as if he is too good for Wolfram and Hart.
Connor watches the city around him as he rides the bus then jumps off to continue on foot. Angel and Gunn communicate by cell phone and talk about the Connor sightings Gunn is hearing about. Connor stumbles upon a woman named Sunny trying to buy drugs from a man. The dealer, Tyke, starts to hurt Sunny, and Connor shows himself, refusing to leave. Tyke calls his men out, and one knocks Connor out with a crowbar. Tyke steals Connor's necklace of trophy teeth from things he has killed and directs his men to kill Connor. Before the men can carry out the order, Connor wakes up and attacks them. A fight ensues and turns ugly when Tyke tries to shoot Connor and fails. Sunny takes Tyke's jacket and the drugs and money within, while Connor gets his necklace back and cuts off Tyke's ear for a memento.
Groo stands alert waiting for something to fall from the portal, but Cordy distracts him with talk and kisses. While they kiss, a bolt of electricity hits them from above, sending them flying apart. Gunn gets information from the police about the scene where the drug deal went badly and reports back to Fred and Angel in the shadows. Sunny leads Connor around an old abandoned motel and into a deserted room. Sunny pockets some drugs from Tyke's jacket and gives Connor some more normal clothes to change into. She shows him some of the finer things in life like chocolate and then tries to describe the drugs she takes (probably heroin).
Gunn and Fred return to the hotel and find Cordy and Groo unconscious on the floor. Connor and Sunny talk about their families and future plans, then Sunny starts to kiss him, but she stops and leaves for a moment. At his apartment, Wesley works on his laptop and briefly checks out the book Lilah left for him. Connor awakes to the sound of sirens outside and searches the room for Sunny. He finds her dead in the bathroom after she overdosed on drugs. Connor turns and runs into Angel, who immediately checks Connor for drug use. Angel wants to help him and communicate, but Connor isn't interested and would rather hunt and kill Tyke. The father and son begin to fight with each other, and Angel is forced to continuously stop Connor from trying to escape. Connor tells Angel to stop calling him Connor because his name is Steven. Angel tries to accept that.
Desperate for a solution to the portal problem, the gang try to consider options for information, and the only alternative they can think of is Wesley. Lorne finally shows up with a Mistress Meerna who is expected to help close the portal to Quor-Toth. Angel tries to talk to Connor and apologizes for everything that happened, but Connor really isn't interested in talking. He considers Holtz to be his real father and doesn't consider a vampire or Angel to be good. Tyke and his boys show up at the motel with intentions of killing Connor. Angel tries to talk rationally with Tyke and solve the problem without violence. Angry about his ear, Tyke doesn't want to talk; he just wants to kill.
Mistress Meerna explains that it's not a portal, but a tear in reality, and it concerns her. She repairs it though and leaves quickly to avoid meeting anything else that may have escaped. The police gather around the motel as Angel and Connor take on all of Tyke and his men. Tyke holds Connor as a hostage for a moment, but Angel volunteers to take his son's place, and the police distract Tyke enough for Connor to get free. The police fire numerous shots into the room, and Angel and Connor dodge them on the floor.
An officer enters the room and aims for Connor, but Angel takes the shot in his back. Connor pauses in his escape out of a window as Angel struggles to get up, and finally the two escape together. While hiding from the police on the streets, Angel tells Connor he has somewhere to go if he needs it, and he will always be there whenever Connor needs him. Connor knows he's not alone: he runs off down an alleyway where he greets a much older Holtz - the only father he has ever known.
explains his decision to instantly bring Connor to adulthood
: "What are you going to do? Have a baby running around? I don't think so...That's the beauty of it being a fantasy show."
The Wilhelm scream
can be heard when Connor throws a knife into the arm of one of Tyke's henchmen.
Keith Szarabajka's name was placed at the end credits to keep his appearance 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 by Jeff Bell
Jeffrey Jackson Bell
Jeffrey Bell is a writer/producer best known for his work on television. He began his career writing for The X-Files, where he stayed for three seasons, then became a writer/director/producer on Angel, becoming its showrunner for the final two seasons.He served as executive producer on the pilot...
and directed by Tim Minear
Tim Minear
Tim Minear is an American screenwriter and director. He was born in New York, grew up in Whittier, California, and studied film at California State University, Long Beach....
, it was originally broadcast on May 6, 2002 on the WB television 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 "A New World", Angel's son Connor returns from the demon dimension Quor'Toth. Raised by Holtz
Daniel Holtz
Daniel Holtz is a fictional character on the television series Angel. He was played by Keith Szarabajka.-Character history:Holtz was an 18th century English vampire hunter who chased Angelus and Darla through much of Europe and North Africa. He had connections to an elite order of Inquisitors...
to a feral teenage warrior, Connor seeks to kill Angel for his murderous past. Failing to do so, Connor flees from the hotel with Angel one step behind him. Lorne tracks down a sorceress to try to close the dimensional rift to Quor'Toth before other monsters emerge. Also, 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...
, living as a recluse in his apartment, gets an offer from Lilah
Lilah Morgan
Lilah Morgan is a fictional character from the television series Angel, played by Stephanie Romanov. She is first introduced in the episode "The Ring," and appears in the show's first and second seasons. After Lindsey McDonald leaves Los Angeles, Lilah becomes the primary face of Wolfram & Hart,...
for a job at Wolfram & Hart
Wolfram & 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:...
.
Plot
Connor fires stakes at Angel, but Angel dodges them. Everyone takes on a defensive position, and a fight breaks out between Angel, the GroosaluggGroosalugg
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:...
, 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 Connor. Angel tries to reason with his son and end the violence, but Connor simply knocks Gunn and Groo out of the way and continues to fight with Angel. Focused on the fight, Angel gets the upper hand on Connor, but before he can do anything harmful to Connor, Angel stops himself. Connor takes the opportunity to run, and Angel tries to follow, but the daylight and his friends stop him.
Gunn and Groo chase after Connor as he runs across a busy street and eventually escapes on the top of a city bus. The gang gathers again at the hotel and discusses their plans for following Connor. After 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:...
discovers the bus's route, Angel rushes off for the tunnels and tells the rest of the gang to search on the surface. They notice that the Quor-Toth portal is still open and sparking lighting, and decide it would be a great idea to find a way to close the rift before something new shows up. Fred suggests Wesley, but Gunn firmly knocks that suggestion down because he already went to Wesley and they can't go again. Fred eventually realizes that Gunn went to Wesley for information on how to save her from the slugs in "The Price".
Groo and 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...
stay to watch the hotel, while Gunn and Fred head out to follow the bus Connor left on top of, and Lorne leaves to hunt down a solution to their portal problem. Meanwhile, Lilah shows up at Wesley's place and invites herself in. She gives him a copy of Dante
DANTE
Delivery of Advanced Network Technology to Europe is a not-for-profit organisation that plans, builds and operates the international networks that interconnect the various national research and education networks in Europe and surrounding regions...
's first book of Divine Comedy. Wesley, realizing that Lilah is there to offer him a job, refuses and tells her to get out. She turns and asks about a part of the book where Dante describes the nine circles of hell. Cruelly proving a point, she asks Wesley who is in the ninth circle, to which Wesley whispers "Judas Iscariot
Judas Iscariot
Judas Iscariot was, according to the New Testament, one of the twelve disciples of Jesus. He is best known for his betrayal of Jesus to the hands of the chief priests for 30 pieces of silver.-Etymology:...
". She smiles, stating that the worst place in hell is reserved for those who betray, so Wesley should stop acting as if he is too good for Wolfram and Hart.
Connor watches the city around him as he rides the bus then jumps off to continue on foot. Angel and Gunn communicate by cell phone and talk about the Connor sightings Gunn is hearing about. Connor stumbles upon a woman named Sunny trying to buy drugs from a man. The dealer, Tyke, starts to hurt Sunny, and Connor shows himself, refusing to leave. Tyke calls his men out, and one knocks Connor out with a crowbar. Tyke steals Connor's necklace of trophy teeth from things he has killed and directs his men to kill Connor. Before the men can carry out the order, Connor wakes up and attacks them. A fight ensues and turns ugly when Tyke tries to shoot Connor and fails. Sunny takes Tyke's jacket and the drugs and money within, while Connor gets his necklace back and cuts off Tyke's ear for a memento.
Groo stands alert waiting for something to fall from the portal, but Cordy distracts him with talk and kisses. While they kiss, a bolt of electricity hits them from above, sending them flying apart. Gunn gets information from the police about the scene where the drug deal went badly and reports back to Fred and Angel in the shadows. Sunny leads Connor around an old abandoned motel and into a deserted room. Sunny pockets some drugs from Tyke's jacket and gives Connor some more normal clothes to change into. She shows him some of the finer things in life like chocolate and then tries to describe the drugs she takes (probably heroin).
Gunn and Fred return to the hotel and find Cordy and Groo unconscious on the floor. Connor and Sunny talk about their families and future plans, then Sunny starts to kiss him, but she stops and leaves for a moment. At his apartment, Wesley works on his laptop and briefly checks out the book Lilah left for him. Connor awakes to the sound of sirens outside and searches the room for Sunny. He finds her dead in the bathroom after she overdosed on drugs. Connor turns and runs into Angel, who immediately checks Connor for drug use. Angel wants to help him and communicate, but Connor isn't interested and would rather hunt and kill Tyke. The father and son begin to fight with each other, and Angel is forced to continuously stop Connor from trying to escape. Connor tells Angel to stop calling him Connor because his name is Steven. Angel tries to accept that.
Desperate for a solution to the portal problem, the gang try to consider options for information, and the only alternative they can think of is Wesley. Lorne finally shows up with a Mistress Meerna who is expected to help close the portal to Quor-Toth. Angel tries to talk to Connor and apologizes for everything that happened, but Connor really isn't interested in talking. He considers Holtz to be his real father and doesn't consider a vampire or Angel to be good. Tyke and his boys show up at the motel with intentions of killing Connor. Angel tries to talk rationally with Tyke and solve the problem without violence. Angry about his ear, Tyke doesn't want to talk; he just wants to kill.
Mistress Meerna explains that it's not a portal, but a tear in reality, and it concerns her. She repairs it though and leaves quickly to avoid meeting anything else that may have escaped. The police gather around the motel as Angel and Connor take on all of Tyke and his men. Tyke holds Connor as a hostage for a moment, but Angel volunteers to take his son's place, and the police distract Tyke enough for Connor to get free. The police fire numerous shots into the room, and Angel and Connor dodge them on the floor.
An officer enters the room and aims for Connor, but Angel takes the shot in his back. Connor pauses in his escape out of a window as Angel struggles to get up, and finally the two escape together. While hiding from the police on the streets, Angel tells Connor he has somewhere to go if he needs it, and he will always be there whenever Connor needs him. Connor knows he's not alone: he runs off down an alleyway where he greets a much older Holtz - the only father he has ever known.
Production
Series creator 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...
explains his decision to instantly bring Connor to adulthood
Soap Opera Rapid Aging Syndrome
Soap Opera Rapid Aging Syndrome is a term used to describe the practice of accelerating the age of a television character in conflict with the timeline of a series and/or the real-world progression of time. Characters unseen on screen for a time might reappear portrayed by an actor several years...
: "What are you going to do? Have a baby running around? I don't think so...That's the beauty of it being a fantasy show."
The Wilhelm scream
Wilhelm scream
The Wilhelm scream is a film and television stock sound effect first used in 1951 for the film Distant Drums. The effect gained new popularity after it was used in Star Wars and many other blockbuster films as well as television programs and video games...
can be heard when Connor throws a knife into the arm of one of Tyke's henchmen.
Keith Szarabajka's name was placed at the end credits to keep his appearance a surprise.
Continuity
- Connor uses the name Steven, given to him by Holtz in "Sleep Tight".
- When Sunny brings Connor to the abandoned motel, they enter a room that has "GIO" spray-painted on the wall, a reference to the character Gio from the previous episode "That Old Gang of Mine".
Cultural References
- Lilah gives Wesley the book Dante's "Inferno" and they have a small discussion about the ninth circle of hell.