The Cautionary Tale of Numero Cinco (Angel episode)
Encyclopedia
"The Cautionary Tale of Numero Cinco" is episode 6 of season 5 in the television show Angel
. Written and directed by Jeffrey Bell, it was originally broadcast on November 5, 2003 on the WB network
.
, Angel has a run-in with a masked Wolfram and Hart
employee. He is connected to an Aztec
warrior demon named Tezcatcatl, who preys on the hearts of heroes. This leads Angel to wrestle with some personal issues when he learns about 'Los Hermanos Numeros', a family of five Mexican
luchadores who helped the helpless until one day four were slain by Tezcatcatl. Angel helps the last member 'Number Five', the aforementioned employee, to discover the hero inside, which he lost when his family were killed. Angel, Five and his four brothers, temporarily back from the dead, battle and kill the demon. Unfortunately, this leads to the death of Number Five, who is escorted into the afterlife by his brothers.
Meanwhile, Spike researches the Shanshu Prophecy
about a vampire becoming human and thinks that he, not Angel, may be the vampire who will become human.
into one of his The X-Files
scripts, but it wasn't until he pitched the idea to creator Joss Whedon
that he was able to realize his "lifelong dream - to tell a story about Mexican wrestlers." The inspiration for the episode came partly from the real life Mexican wrestler Santo
whose career included film roles as masked "luchador" fighting vampires and other supernatural foes, one of whose films was used in the Mystery Science Theater 3000
episode "Samson vs. the Vampire Women".
When Number Five is in the bar and Holland Manners holds out a Wolfram and Hart
business card, there is a grammatical error on the multi-dimensional law-firm's calling card. It reads 'Attorney's at Law' as opposed to 'Attorneys at Law.'
The Wilhelm scream
can be heard approximately one minute into the episode.
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 and directed by Jeffrey Bell, it was originally broadcast on November 5, 2003 on the WB 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...
.
Plot
On the Mexican Day of the DeadDay of the Dead
Day of the Dead is a Mexican holiday celebrated throughout Mexico and around the world in many cultures. The holiday focuses on gatherings of family and friends to pray for and remember friends and family members who have died. It is particularly celebrated in Mexico, where it attains the quality...
, Angel has a run-in with a masked Wolfram and Hart
Wolfram and 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:...
employee. He is connected to an Aztec
Aztec
The Aztec people were certain ethnic groups of central Mexico, particularly those groups who spoke the Nahuatl language and who dominated large parts of Mesoamerica in the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries, a period referred to as the late post-classic period in Mesoamerican chronology.Aztec is the...
warrior demon named Tezcatcatl, who preys on the hearts of heroes. This leads Angel to wrestle with some personal issues when he learns about 'Los Hermanos Numeros', a family of five Mexican
Mexican people
Mexican people refers to all persons from Mexico, a multiethnic country in North America, and/or who identify with the Mexican cultural and/or national identity....
luchadores who helped the helpless until one day four were slain by Tezcatcatl. Angel helps the last member 'Number Five', the aforementioned employee, to discover the hero inside, which he lost when his family were killed. Angel, Five and his four brothers, temporarily back from the dead, battle and kill the demon. Unfortunately, this leads to the death of Number Five, who is escorted into the afterlife by his brothers.
Meanwhile, Spike researches the Shanshu Prophecy
Shanshu Prophecy
The Shanshu Prophecy is a prophecy that appears in the fictional universe of the television series Angel. Contained in the Scrolls of Aberjian, the prophecy first appears in the episode "Blind Date" and is more fully revealed in the season finale of the show's first season, "To Shanshu in L.A."...
about a vampire becoming human and thinks that he, not Angel, may be the vampire who will become human.
Production
Writer/director Jeffrey Bell explains that he always wanted to work Mexican wrestlingLucha libre
Lucha libre is a term used in Mexico, and other Spanish-speaking countries, for a form of professional wrestling that has developed within those countries...
into one of his The X-Files
The X-Files
The X-Files is an American science fiction television series and a part of The X-Files franchise, created by screenwriter Chris Carter. The program originally aired from to . The show was a hit for the Fox network, and its characters and slogans became popular culture touchstones in the 1990s...
scripts, but it wasn't until he pitched the idea to creator Joss Whedon
Joss 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...
that he was able to realize his "lifelong dream - to tell a story about Mexican wrestlers." The inspiration for the episode came partly from the real life Mexican wrestler Santo
Santo
Rodolfo Guzmán Huerta , more widely known as El Santo , was a Mexican Luchador enmascarado , film actor, and folk icon....
whose career included film roles as masked "luchador" fighting vampires and other supernatural foes, one of whose films was used in the Mystery Science Theater 3000
Mystery Science Theater 3000
Mystery Science Theater 3000 is an American cult television comedy series created by Joel Hodgson and produced by Best Brains, Inc., that ran from 1988 to 1999....
episode "Samson vs. the Vampire Women".
When Number Five is in the bar and Holland Manners holds out a Wolfram and Hart
Wolfram and 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:...
business card, there is a grammatical error on the multi-dimensional law-firm's calling card. It reads 'Attorney's at Law' as opposed to 'Attorneys at Law.'
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 approximately one minute into the episode.
Continuity
- In the non-canonical comic Spike: Old Wounds, Spike reveals that he actually met Los Hermanos Numeros in 1947, and chose not to tell the others.
- While explaining why he no longer believes in the Shanshu prophecy, Angel mentions the fake prophecy made by Sahjhan that caused Wesley to betray Angel Investigations in season 3. Due to having his memory altered in the fourth season finale, Wesley doesn't understand what Angel is talking about.
- Number Five can be seen in several previous episodes but this is the first time he has any dialogue. This episode also marks Number Five's last appearance.
- When Number Five is approached by a Wolfram & Hart employee at the bar after his brothers' deaths the business card shows that the employee is actually Holland Manners.