"
Orpheus" is episode 15 of season 4 in the television show
AngelAngel 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
Mere SmithMere Smith is a television script-writer who wrote a number of episodes of the series Angel. She was also the executive story editor and script coordinator for 66 episodes from 1999-2003...
and directed by
Terrence O'HaraTerrence O'Hara is an American director and actor. He has worked on Smallville, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, and Voyagers! as well as many other programs.-Director:* Sons Of Anarchy * CSI: Crime Scene Investigation...
, it was originally broadcast on March 19, 2003 on the WB
networkA television network is a distribution network for television content whereby a central operation provides programming for many television stations. Until the mid-1980s, television programming in most countries of the world was dominated by a small number of broadcast networks. Many early...
. "Orpheus" concludes the three-episode arc involving guest star
Eliza DushkuEliza Patricia Dushku is an American actress who has appeared in several Hollywood movies such as True Lies, The New Guy, Bring It On, Wrong Turn and Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back...
reprising her role as the Slayer Faith, beginning immediately where the previous episode ended: Angelus starts to feed on Faith. However, she had deliberately poisoned her blood with a
psychedelicThe term psychedelic is derived from the Greek words ψυχή and δηλείν , translating to "mind-manifesting". A psychedelic experience is characterized by the perception of aspects of one's mind previously unknown, or by the creative exuberance of the mind liberated from its ostensibly ordinary fetters...
drug, and the two pass out. In his coma, Angelus is forced to relive his
alter egoAn alter ego is a second self, a second personality or persona within a person. It was coined in the early nineteenth century when schizophrenia was first described by early psychologists...
Angel's good deeds with Faith at his side, as
CordeliaCordelia 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...
attempts to stop
Willow RosenbergWillow Rosenberg is a fictional character created by Joss Whedon for the television series, Buffy the Vampire Slayer. She was portrayed by Alyson Hannigan, who also played the character in three episodes of the show's spin-off, Angel and the pilot for Buffy the Animated Series .Willow is the...
from re-ensouling Angel.
Plot
After drinking from Faith, Angelus pulls away in shock as she flashes back to earlier, when she injected herself with a drug stolen from a vampire junkie at the demon bar. Angelus and Faith both collapse, unconscious.
GunnCharles Gunn is a fictional character created by Joss Whedon for the cult 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...
drags Angelus's body to the
Hyperion HotelThe Hyperion Hotel is a fictional home base for Angel in the television series Angel during the middle seasons of the show. The gang move into the Hyperion at the beginning of the second season, following the destruction of their offices in the finale of season one, "To Shanshu in L.A.".-History:In...
, where he and Connor shackle Angelus securely in the basement cage.
WesleyWesley Wyndam-Pryce is a fictional character created by Joss Whedon for the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel...
brings a barely alive Faith to one of the hotel bedrooms. Knowing Faith injected herself with Orpheus, an enchanted
psychedelicThe term psychedelic is derived from the Greek words ψυχή and δηλείν , translating to "mind-manifesting". A psychedelic experience is characterized by the perception of aspects of one's mind previously unknown, or by the creative exuberance of the mind liberated from its ostensibly ordinary fetters...
drug that poses a serious threat to her life, Lorne yells at Wesley for allowing Faith to purposely get bit by Angelus. Connor updates
CordeliaCordelia 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...
on Faith and Angelus' conditions. Suddenly, Cordelia brutally shoves Connor into a wall in response to his constant talk about Faith. He's shocked and she tries to cover her behavior by blaming it on the pregnancy and crazy hormones.
Downstairs, Connor shouts at
FredWinifred "Fred" Burkle is a fictional character created by Joss Whedon and introduced by Shawn Ryan and Mere Smith on the cult television series Angel. The character is portrayed by Amy Acker.-Character History:...
and Wesley about the need for killing Angelus, when
Willow RosenbergWillow Rosenberg is a fictional character created by Joss Whedon for the television series, Buffy the Vampire Slayer. She was portrayed by Alyson Hannigan, who also played the character in three episodes of the show's spin-off, Angel and the pilot for Buffy the Animated Series .Willow is the...
appears at the door suggesting that she's a better alternative. Fred called Willow for help since she's the only one alive to successfully restore Angel's soul. Willow wants to see Cordelia again and Connor reluctantly takes her upstairs. As Willow talks about the difficulties associated with ensouling Angelus, Cordelia secretly reaches for a large knife under her pillow and tries to get Willow close enough to strike. Willow realizes if they break the jar, they can avoid all the complications and free the soul. Willow rushes out of the room in time to avoid the knife thrown at her, which hits the door instead.
In their shared coma, Angelus and Faith witness the 1920s-version of Angel rescue a small puppy from an oncoming car. Angelus is infuriated at being subjected to the memory again, and Faith realizes with glee that they're experiencing Angel's good deeds of the past. Next, a hippie Angel walks into a diner and selects "Mandy" on the jukebox, as Angelus complains to Faith about watching Angel's self-induced misery. A man barges into the diner and asks for money, but shoots the cashier when he doesn't react quickly enough. The shooter runs away, and Angel struggles with his desire to feed on the cashier, which wins out. The bite marks on dream-Faith's neck begins to bleed and she realizes Angel could have saved the cashier. Angelus watches on as Angel suffers with the guilt of feeding, enjoying Faith's pain as well.
Before Willow can begin her spell to locate the jar holding Angel's soul, the Beast Master's deep voice screams a warning to stop. Willow's magic overpowers the Master's, and Willow begins her spell as Cordelia works counter-magic from the bedroom. When Connor breaks Cordelia's concentration by trying to enter the bedroom, Willow is able to magically shatter the jar. Using the
Orb of ThesulahIn both Buffy and Angel series, the Orb of Thesulah is used in a Gypsy ritual by the Kalderash clan to restore a vampire's soul, most notably Angel.-Appearances and description:The orb appears in such novels as City of Angel....
, Willow and Fred begin the ritual that will give Angel back his soul. Dream-Faith finds herself in a dirty alley with Angelus again, watching past-Angel feed from a rat. In a twist, past-Angel turns and addresses the twosome. Angelus and Angel face-off and begin to exchange blows, as Angel convinces Faith that life is worth living and she has to wake up. Faith disappears.
When Connor finally breaks into her barricaded bedroom, Cordy smashes a lamp over his head, then pretends not to have known it was him. Cordy deceives Connor into thinking Willow's magic is evil and threatens their unborn child. She tells him he has to kill Angelus to protect their family. Willow completes the restoration spell, pulling Angelus and Angel into one body, while Faith wakes up and rushes downstairs to the basement in time to stop Connor from staking Angel. She begins to beat up Connor until Angel wakes up and stops the fight. Later, Faith tells Angel that she is going back to
SunnydaleSunnydale, California, is the fictional setting for the U.S. television drama Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Series creator Joss Whedon conceived the town as a representation of a generic California city, as well as a narrative parody of the all-too-serene towns typical in traditional horror...
with Willow to
aid Buffy and her allies"Dirty Girls" is the 18th episode of season 7 of the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer.-Summary:A group of Bringers chase a new Potential into the grasp of Caleb, an evil villain in priests' clothing. He brands her, stabs her, gives her a message for the Slayer, and throws her out of the car...
. After they leave, a very pregnant Cordelia comes downstairs and shocks the gang with the serious trouble they still have to deal with.
Production
The WB
networkA television network is a distribution network for television content whereby a central operation provides programming for many television stations. Until the mid-1980s, television programming in most countries of the world was dominated by a small number of broadcast networks. Many early...
cut short the final moments of the first airing of "Orpheus" for an emergency broadcast announcing that
the United States had invaded IraqThe 2003 invasion of Iraq, was led by the United States, backed by British forces and smaller contingents from Australia, Denmark, Poland and Spain. Four countries participated with troops during the initial invasion phase, which lasted from March 20 to May 1...
. The episode was rerun the following Saturday.
Director
Terrence O'HaraTerrence O'Hara is an American director and actor. He has worked on Smallville, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, and Voyagers! as well as many other programs.-Director:* Sons Of Anarchy * CSI: Crime Scene Investigation...
says the fight scene at the end of the previous episode and the beginning of this episode is "probably my favorite just because of the content of the show and the difficulty." The scene was shot in an abandoned bank in downtown
Los AngelesLos Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the municipality of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123.445 inhabitants...
and employed scaffolding to make the fight "more vertical" according to producer Jeffrey Bell. O'Hara explains that due to
Alexis DenisofAlexis Denisof is a Saturn Award nominated American actor who is known for playing Wesley Wyndam-Pryce in the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and its spin-off Angel.-Career:...
's bad back, the show-motion shot of Wesley carrying Faith was a difficult one. The fight scene between Angel and Angelus, which took two days to film, was something that Bell had "waited to do for four years." It was made possible by a split screen and a camera lock-off, explains O'Hara. "We played back to match shot for shot. He was hitting space."
The scenes of
ChicagoChicago is the largest city in the U.S. state of Illinois, and with more than 2.8 million people, the 3rd largest city in the United States...
in the 1920s were filmed on
Universal StudiosUniversal Studios , a subsidiary of NBC Universal, is one of the six major American movie studios. Its main motion picture production/distribution arm is called Universal Pictures. Its production studios are located at 100 Universal City Plaza Drive in Universal City, California...
' back lot. O'Hara enjoyed the look of the classic cars, although many of the moving cars were actually being pushed by the grips "because they were very noisy," O'Hara says. Additional scenes showing Angel and Faith reliving portions of the episode "Are You Now or Have You Ever Been" had to be cut due to length.
Jeffrey Bell says, "we apologize for the big, stupid floaty head" that appeared during the magical battle between Willow and Cordelia. He explains, "We had really great hopes for it and it just became something you'd see on It's a Small World in Disneyland. Just not quite as scary as we had hoped." During the final shot of Faith and Angel on the terrace, which Bell describes as "a hallmark of a
Joss WhedonJoseph Hill "Joss" Whedon is an American director, executive producer, occasional actor, and creator and head writer of the television programs Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Firefly, and Dollhouse...
show - all the good-byes and the sentiments without anyone ever getting sentimental" - Eliza Dushku came to the set with
laryngitisLaryngitis is an inflammation of the larynx. It causes hoarse voice or the complete loss of the voice because of irritation to the vocal folds . Dysphonia is the medical term for Laryngitis and other vocal disorders....
and could not speak. "This scene was supposed to be first up," says O'Hara. "I begged (show runner) Kelly Manners to keep it to the end of the day and let her recover, and she did."
Acting
Producer
Tim MinearTim 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....
had the idea to bring back actress
Alyson HanniganAlyson Lee Hannigan is an American actress. She is best known for her roles as Michelle Flaherty in three American Pie films, Lily Aldrin on the CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother and Willow Rosenberg on the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer.-Personal life:Hannigan was born in Washington,...
as
Willow RosenbergWillow Rosenberg is a fictional character created by Joss Whedon for the television series, Buffy the Vampire Slayer. She was portrayed by Alyson Hannigan, who also played the character in three episodes of the show's spin-off, Angel and the pilot for Buffy the Animated Series .Willow is the...
to re-ensoul Angel. This episode is Hannigan's third crossover into
Angel; she previously appeared on the phone to Cordelia in "
Disharmony"Disharmony" is episode 17 of season 2 in the television show Angel. See List of Angel episodes for a complete list.-Summary:As the crew of Angel Investigations attempts to track down a gang of vampires in color-coded cloaks, Cordelia's high school pal Harmony arrives from Sunnydale...
", and delivered the news of
Buffy'sBuffy Summers is a fictional character from Joss Whedon's Buffy the Vampire Slayer franchise. She first appeared in the 1992 movie Buffy the Vampire Slayer, before going on to appear in the television series and subsequent comic book of the same name...
death at the end of "There's No Place Like Plrtz Glrb". Hannigan, involved in both
American PieAmerican Pie is a 1999 teen sex comedy film directed by Paul and Chris Weitz, and written by Adam Herz. It was the first film to be directed by the Weitz brothers, and the first film in the American Pie series...
and
Buffy while this episode filmed, was excited to work with her fiance,
Alexis DenisofAlexis Denisof is a Saturn Award nominated American actor who is known for playing Wesley Wyndam-Pryce in the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and its spin-off Angel.-Career:...
, whom she met while the two were on
Buffy. Denisof was also excited. "I feel like it's a play day. I have to keep reminding myself that I'm at work," he said. "My girl is here... really all I want to do is run over and give her a hug."
Terrence points out in the donut shop scene with Angel and Faith that, "The gunman here is actually Eliza's brother Nate."
Charisma CarpenterCharisma Lee Carpenter is an American actress. She is best known for playing the character Cordelia Chase in the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and its spin-off Angel...
is genuinely pregnant in this episode, and has been since Cordelia's return from the "higher plane".
Main cast
- David Boreanaz
David Paul Boreanaz is an American actor, best known for his role as Angel on the supernatural drama series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel, and as Seeley Booth on the television comedy-crime drama Bones.-Early life:...
as Angelus/Angel
- Charisma Carpenter
Charisma Lee Carpenter is an American actress. She is best known for playing the character Cordelia Chase in the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and its spin-off Angel...
as Cordelia ChaseCordelia 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...
- J. August Richards
Jaime Augusto Richards III is an American actor. He played the Charles Gunn on the TV series Angel which he portrayed for 91 episodes and was seen on NBC's short-lived courtroom drama, Conviction that was cancelled after 13 episodes.-Early life and education:Richards' parents emigrated to the...
as Charles GunnCharles Gunn is a fictional character created by Joss Whedon for the cult 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...
- Amy Acker
Amy Louise Acker is an American actress. She is best known for her roles on the television series Angel as Winifred Burkle and Illyria, and on Alias as Kelly Peyton . She currently appears as Dr. Claire Saunders on the TV series Dollhouse...
as Winifred BurkleWinifred "Fred" Burkle is a fictional character created by Joss Whedon and introduced by Shawn Ryan and Mere Smith on the cult television series Angel. The character is portrayed by Amy Acker.-Character History:...
- Vincent Kartheiser
Vincent Paul Kartheiser is an American actor. As a child actor in the 1990s, he starred in The Indian in the Cupboard , Alaska and Masterminds . He later moved on to more mature roles in independent films...
as Connor
- Andy Hallett
Andrew Alcott "Andy" Hallett was an American singer and actor best known for playing the part of Lorne in the television series Angel. He used his singing talents often on the show, and performed two songs on the series' 2005 soundtrack album, Angel: Live Fast, Die Never.-Early life:Andrew Alcott...
as Lorne
- Alexis Denisof
Alexis Denisof is a Saturn Award nominated American actor who is known for playing Wesley Wyndam-Pryce in the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and its spin-off Angel.-Career:...
as Wesley Wyndam-PryceWesley Wyndam-Pryce is a fictional character created by Joss Whedon for the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel...
Special guest stars
- Alyson Hannigan
Alyson Lee Hannigan is an American actress. She is best known for her roles as Michelle Flaherty in three American Pie films, Lily Aldrin on the CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother and Willow Rosenberg on the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer.-Personal life:Hannigan was born in Washington,...
as Willow RosenbergWillow Rosenberg is a fictional character created by Joss Whedon for the television series, Buffy the Vampire Slayer. She was portrayed by Alyson Hannigan, who also played the character in three episodes of the show's spin-off, Angel and the pilot for Buffy the Animated Series .Willow is the...
- Eliza Dushku
Eliza Patricia Dushku is an American actress who has appeared in several Hollywood movies such as True Lies, The New Guy, Bring It On, Wrong Turn and Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back...
as Faith Lehane
Co-stars
- E.J. Callahan as Old Craps Man
- Jeremy Guskin as Cashier
- Peter Renaday
Peter Renaday is an American voice actor.-Film:*The Aristocats as the truck driver*Scooby-Doo and the Witch's Ghost as McKnight-TV series:*Angel as The Beast's Master...
as Master's Voice
Writing
The title refers to the
GreekGreek mythology is the body of myths and legends belonging to the ancient Greeks concerning their gods and heroes, the nature of the world, and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices. They were a part of religion in ancient Greece...
myth of
OrpheusOrpheus is an important figure from Greek mythology, the inspiration for subsequent Orphic cults, much of the literature, poetry and drama of ancient Greece and Rome and, due to his association with singing and the lyre, much dramatic Western classical music.Orpheus was called by Pindar "the...
. A legendary musician, Orpheus followed his dead wife into the
UnderworldIn the study of mythology and religion, the underworld is a generic term approximately equivalent to the lay term afterlife, referring to any place to which newly dead souls go. In most cultures the term refers to a neutral or dystopic realm of the afterlife, instead of a heavenly or paradisiac one...
to beg for her return.
Asked how prison has changed the angry, aggressive Faith, Eliza Dushku says, "How would prison change anyone? There was something about the fact that she's a Slayer, so she wouldn't really be there unless she wanted to be, because she's got superhuman strength. She could have busted out of that joint if she really wanted to. But she and Angel developed this relationship. He was leading her down the road to redemption, kind of facing the things she's done and recovering from that, and hopefully being a better her. She's been in there, doing the time, thinking. She's still a tough girl, but she really has to suppress her demons a little more. In these past few shows, that's what we're seeing -- her teetering on the line between the old her and the new her."
"It's a big arc for us," says David Boreanaz. He explains that Faith and Angel "really get along well together. They owe each other... That's why, when she hears Angelus is out, she automatically breaks out of prison. She doesn't even think it, she's out. Because of what he's done for her. And they share that common bond." He adds, "It's going to be interesting to see how Angelus relates to Faith, because he's never met her before and this is going to be fun for him."
Willow and [evil] Cordelia's conversation about what they've been up to since they last communicated, is similar to a conversation
Buffy SummersBuffy Summers is a fictional character from Joss Whedon's Buffy the Vampire Slayer franchise. She first appeared in the 1992 movie Buffy the Vampire Slayer, before going on to appear in the television series and subsequent comic book of the same name...
and
Amy MadisonAmy Madison is a fictional character, a witch played by Elizabeth Anne Allen in the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. She made appearances in every season of Buffy except Season Five .Amy is a witch...
have in the 6th season of Buffy.
Willow How've you been?
Cordelia: Higher power. You?
Willow: Ultimate evil. But I got better.
Buffy: Hi.
(awkwardly) How've you been?
Amy: Rat. You?
Buffy: Dead.
Amy: Oh.
Arc significance
- Crossover with Buffy: Willow received Fred's phone call in "Lies My Parents Told Me". Several references to past events in Buffy the Vampire Slayer are mentioned by Willow including being gay, dating Kennedy, and Willow's turn to the dark side at the end of Season 6. Faith will now accompany Willow back to Sunnydale
Sunnydale, California, is the fictional setting for the U.S. television drama Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Series creator Joss Whedon conceived the town as a representation of a generic California city, as well as a narrative parody of the all-too-serene towns typical in traditional horror...
in "Dirty Girls" to aid in the battle against The First Evil.
- Willow restores Angel's soul for the second time, and magically battles Jasmine (in Cordelia's body).
Music
- Donna Summer
Donna Summer is an American singer and songwriter who gained prominence during the disco era of music, earning the title "The Queen of Disco"....
&/or Richard HarrisRichard Saint John Harris was an Irish actor, singer-songwriter, theatrical producer, film director and writer...
- "MacArthur Park"
- Barry Manilow
Barry Manilow is an American singer-songwriter, musician, arranger, producer, conductor, entertainer, and performer, best known for such recordings as "I Write the Songs", "Mandy", "Weekend in New England" and "Copacabana"....
- "Mandy"
Translations
- German
German is a West Germanic language, thus related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. It is one of the world's major languages and the most widely spoken first language in the European Union. Around the world, German is spoken by approximately 105 million native speakers and also by...
title: "Orpheus"
- Italian
Italian is a Romance language spoken by about 60 million people in Italy, and by a total of around 70 million in the world. In Switzerland, Italian is one of four official languages. It is also the official language of San Marino, as well as the primary language of Vatican City...
title: "Orpheus"
Reception
The Faith trilogy (beginning with "Salvage" and ending with this episode) was generally well received. UGO Networks called this arc "truly the high point of the entire season," although was disappointed in the frequent silences on the director's commentary. However, webzine
PopMattersPopMatters is an international webzine of cultural criticism that covers many aspects of popular culture. PopMatters publishes reviews, interviews, and detailed essays on most cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, films, books, video games, comics, sports, theater,...
complained about the rapid resolution of seemingly unsolvable problems in the last quarter of this episode. "We're left thinking none of them is so terrible as they seemed," the reviewer wrote. "'Apocalypse' can only be uttered so many times before it starts to lose its urgency.