Offspring (Angel episode)
Encyclopedia
"Offspring" is episode 7 of season 3 in the television show Angel
. Written by David Greenwalt
and directed by Turi Meyer, it was original broadcast on November 5, 2001 on the WB
television network
. While Angel and the crew research a prophecy predicting the imminent arrival of a being who may have a profound impact on the world, Darla, pregnant and angry, arrives at the hotel looking for Angel. Baffled by Darla’s condition, Angel turns to Lorne for some insight on this situation while Darla gets a sympathetic ear from Cordelia
, who forgets in her compassion that Darla is still very evil.
arrives. He appreciates the priest's assistance in capturing and chaining Angelus, then begins to torture the vampire for his murderous crimes against Holtz's family. Holtz continues his torture as he carries on a conversation with Angelus about his family, Darla and their attempts to hide. Darla eventually arrives with more vampires who kill the priests, rescue Angelus and leave Holtz hurt, but alive, as they ride away hidden by a blanket on a cart.
Darla gets off of a bus, leaving behind mostly dead passengers.
Cordelia and Angel continue with their training and Cordelia has now begun to work on fighting without weapons. He says she can't hurt him, but Cordelia hits him in the face and clearly causes a little bit of pain. They talk about Wesley
and Gunn
, who are investigating a Nyazian scroll that could forecast the end of the world.
Meanwhile,Wesley and Gunn enter a guarded building and find a room with countless artifacts and expensive items. An armed man catches them and threatens to call the police, but Wesley and Gunn threaten the artifacts and the man lets them get what they came for.
Fred walks in on Cordelia and Angel's training session just as Cordelia ends the session. After Cordelia leaves, Fred mentions that she thinks there is some kind of physical attraction between Angel and Cordelia, which Angel quickly refutes. Just then, Wesley pulls Fred away from Angel to work on deciphering the scrolls. Fred's math skills are useful but she has some difficulty figuring out the proper date for the world's end. Wesley explains the text and the bringing of a "Tro-klon" being that will end mankind, and with Cordelia's help retells the results of their last scroll investigation for Fred's purpose.
Angel, thinking about his earlier conversation with Fred, watches Cordelia as she works. When she asks him about his strange behavior, he starts awkwardly mentioning their history together. She gets freaked out at first, but then starts a chain of professing love between all of the gang, thinking Angel fears the world ending and wants to express his love to her and all of his friends. Angel uses her misinterpretation as an out of the awkward situation and the subject is dropped. Darla arrives at the hotel and shocks the whole gang with her very pregnant state.
Darla thinks Angel caused this, but he's just as shocked as she is by the possibility of vampires creating some sort of life. He's even more shocked when Darla hits him. Darla wants to find out what's inside of her and how to get rid of it. In need of answers, the gang find Lorne in the process of rebuilding the club and the Furies casting a new spell to prevent all violence in the club. After a brief, but unnecessary line of song from Darla, Lorne reveals that he's just as stumped as the rest of them about the creature inside of her.
Darla starts to cry out in pain and is escorted back to Lorne's room where Cordelia, keeps her company. Angel still denies the possibility of Darla's pregnancy and questions the baby's connection to the prophecy. He doesn't know whether his purpose was supposed to bring forth the evil or destroy it. Cordelia talks to Darla about being pregnant. Cordelia brings up Darla's ability to drink blood, which leads to the vampire attacking Cordelia as she reveals her hunger is constant and uncontrollable.
Cordelia fights back with a few hits, but Darla is stronger and bites her. A powerful vision hits Cordelia which allows her to push Darla away from her neck long enough for Angel to show up and intervene. Darla biting Cordelia has motivated him enough to kill his sire, but she's already gone. Cordy is taken to a safe place to rest where she blames herself for trusting Darla and tells Angel about her vision. She reveals how hungry Darla is and that she might be at a carnival with lots of children to feed from.
Angel leaves her to get weapons and find Darla. Wesley is worried about Darla's new and improved strength that's a result of her unborn child, but Angel feels responsible and refuses help. Cordelia gets another vision about Darla's baby and goes to talk to Wesley and the rest of the gang about it. Angel stops Darla from killing a young boy and tries to stake her, but she stops him and taunts him. The two fight viciously and Angel ends up in a position to stake her, but he realizes the baby inside of Darla has both a heartbeat and a soul, which is what's driving her so crazy and making her so hungry for the pure blood of children. Darla denies the truth and Angel does everything he can to comfort her.
Back at the hotel, Darla has returned with Angel and rests in one of the bedrooms. She rejects the animal blood Angel offers her and tells Angel to leave her alone. Downstairs, research on the prophecy continues as Angel instructs the women to stay away from Darla unless he or Gunn are with them. Angel and Cordy discuss the baby and Angel's feelings towards it as Fred finally deciphers the text of the prophecy. She reveals that this being is arriving right then while unbeknownst to the gang, a demon is performing a ritual underground in front of a large stone. The ritual complete, the stone crumbles away, revealing a newly revived Holtz, eager to find Angelus.
technique is used when Cordelia later has a vision about Darla's baby; a lab process called bleach bi-pass, which leaves silver
deposits on the film stock, intensifies the blacks while desaturating the colors. This gives the scene "a creepy uncertainty", Kinsey says. "We do not know whether this is visionary or a daydream, and the shift in formal design elements here enhances the surreal feeling."
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 David Greenwalt
David Greenwalt
David Greenwalt is an American screenwriter, director and producer.He was the co-executive producer of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and co-creator of its spinoff, Angel. He is also co-creator of the short-lived cult television show Profit...
and directed by Turi Meyer, it was original broadcast on November 5, 2001 on the WB
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
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...
. While Angel and the crew research a prophecy predicting the imminent arrival of a being who may have a profound impact on the world, Darla, pregnant and angry, arrives at the hotel looking for Angel. Baffled by Darla’s condition, Angel turns to Lorne for some insight on this situation while Darla gets a sympathetic ear from 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...
, who forgets in her compassion that Darla is still very evil.
Plot
In a flashback to Rome, 1771, Angelus flees through the sewers from a group of priests, but is eventually cornered and then Daniel HoltzDaniel 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...
arrives. He appreciates the priest's assistance in capturing and chaining Angelus, then begins to torture the vampire for his murderous crimes against Holtz's family. Holtz continues his torture as he carries on a conversation with Angelus about his family, Darla and their attempts to hide. Darla eventually arrives with more vampires who kill the priests, rescue Angelus and leave Holtz hurt, but alive, as they ride away hidden by a blanket on a cart.
Darla gets off of a bus, leaving behind mostly dead passengers.
Cordelia and Angel continue with their training and Cordelia has now begun to work on fighting without weapons. He says she can't hurt him, but Cordelia hits him in the face and clearly causes a little bit of pain. They talk about 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...
, who are investigating a Nyazian scroll that could forecast the end of the world.
Meanwhile,Wesley and Gunn enter a guarded building and find a room with countless artifacts and expensive items. An armed man catches them and threatens to call the police, but Wesley and Gunn threaten the artifacts and the man lets them get what they came for.
Fred walks in on Cordelia and Angel's training session just as Cordelia ends the session. After Cordelia leaves, Fred mentions that she thinks there is some kind of physical attraction between Angel and Cordelia, which Angel quickly refutes. Just then, Wesley pulls Fred away from Angel to work on deciphering the scrolls. Fred's math skills are useful but she has some difficulty figuring out the proper date for the world's end. Wesley explains the text and the bringing of a "Tro-klon" being that will end mankind, and with Cordelia's help retells the results of their last scroll investigation for Fred's purpose.
Angel, thinking about his earlier conversation with Fred, watches Cordelia as she works. When she asks him about his strange behavior, he starts awkwardly mentioning their history together. She gets freaked out at first, but then starts a chain of professing love between all of the gang, thinking Angel fears the world ending and wants to express his love to her and all of his friends. Angel uses her misinterpretation as an out of the awkward situation and the subject is dropped. Darla arrives at the hotel and shocks the whole gang with her very pregnant state.
Darla thinks Angel caused this, but he's just as shocked as she is by the possibility of vampires creating some sort of life. He's even more shocked when Darla hits him. Darla wants to find out what's inside of her and how to get rid of it. In need of answers, the gang find Lorne in the process of rebuilding the club and the Furies casting a new spell to prevent all violence in the club. After a brief, but unnecessary line of song from Darla, Lorne reveals that he's just as stumped as the rest of them about the creature inside of her.
Darla starts to cry out in pain and is escorted back to Lorne's room where Cordelia, keeps her company. Angel still denies the possibility of Darla's pregnancy and questions the baby's connection to the prophecy. He doesn't know whether his purpose was supposed to bring forth the evil or destroy it. Cordelia talks to Darla about being pregnant. Cordelia brings up Darla's ability to drink blood, which leads to the vampire attacking Cordelia as she reveals her hunger is constant and uncontrollable.
Cordelia fights back with a few hits, but Darla is stronger and bites her. A powerful vision hits Cordelia which allows her to push Darla away from her neck long enough for Angel to show up and intervene. Darla biting Cordelia has motivated him enough to kill his sire, but she's already gone. Cordy is taken to a safe place to rest where she blames herself for trusting Darla and tells Angel about her vision. She reveals how hungry Darla is and that she might be at a carnival with lots of children to feed from.
Angel leaves her to get weapons and find Darla. Wesley is worried about Darla's new and improved strength that's a result of her unborn child, but Angel feels responsible and refuses help. Cordelia gets another vision about Darla's baby and goes to talk to Wesley and the rest of the gang about it. Angel stops Darla from killing a young boy and tries to stake her, but she stops him and taunts him. The two fight viciously and Angel ends up in a position to stake her, but he realizes the baby inside of Darla has both a heartbeat and a soul, which is what's driving her so crazy and making her so hungry for the pure blood of children. Darla denies the truth and Angel does everything he can to comfort her.
Back at the hotel, Darla has returned with Angel and rests in one of the bedrooms. She rejects the animal blood Angel offers her and tells Angel to leave her alone. Downstairs, research on the prophecy continues as Angel instructs the women to stay away from Darla unless he or Gunn are with them. Angel and Cordy discuss the baby and Angel's feelings towards it as Fred finally deciphers the text of the prophecy. She reveals that this being is arriving right then while unbeknownst to the gang, a demon is performing a ritual underground in front of a large stone. The ritual complete, the stone crumbles away, revealing a newly revived Holtz, eager to find Angelus.
Production
In an essay examining cinematic effects on Angel, Tammy Kinsey points out how this episode uses "several excellent examples of cinematic experimentation", such as when Darla attacks Cordelia while she is having a vision. Although the scene only lasts about twenty seconds, Kinsey argues that the use of slow motion and repetition "makes it seem to go on much longer." The flashes of light and movement "press the viewer into a space of anxiety and terror", Kinsey writes, "reminiscent of the paintings of Francis Bacon". Another avant-gardeAvant-garde
Avant-garde means "advance guard" or "vanguard". The adjective form is used in English to refer to people or works that are experimental or innovative, particularly with respect to art, culture, and politics....
technique is used when Cordelia later has a vision about Darla's baby; a lab process called bleach bi-pass, which leaves silver
Silver
Silver is a metallic chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal...
deposits on the film stock, intensifies the blacks while desaturating the colors. This gives the scene "a creepy uncertainty", Kinsey says. "We do not know whether this is visionary or a daydream, and the shift in formal design elements here enhances the surreal feeling."
Continuity
- Lorne acts surprised as he finds out that Angel slept with Darla, even though Angel went to see him afterwards and said, "Okay keep your pants on (Angel walks into Lorne's view). Well I think we're too late for that." This does not necessarily indicate that Lorne knew whom Angel had slept with, merely that he had recently had sex.
Arc significance
- Holtz is brought into the present time.
- Sahjhan appears for the first time.
- Darla returns to Angel Investigations to bring Angel the news that he is going to be a father.
- The Angel Investigations not only learn about Darla's pregnancy but also finally discover Angel and Darla slept together recently.
- Lorne starts rebuilding Caritas and the Furies once again turn it into a sanctuary.
- Fred points out for the first time the mutual attraction between Angel and Cordelia. This attraction will continue to develop throughout the series till Cordelia's departure.