Long Day's Journey

"Long Day's Journey" is episode nine of season four in the television show Angel. The electro-kinetic cat burglar-for-hire, Gwen Raiden, returns and reluctantly helps Angel and the group after they discover that the Beast is searching for five mystical Totems in order to block out sunlight from Los Angeles so that all demons and vampires can roam freely.

Plot

Lorne brings Angel some blood in his room. Gwen Raiden meets a client, Mr. Ashet. Just as the man suggests not killing her for canceling on him, the Beast shoves a fist through the man's chest, sending Gwen flying.

Connor is restless in his warehouse. Cordelia gets a vision of the Beast and immediately rushes to talk to Angel. Gunn and Fred brainstorm the meaning of the little girl's words. Wesley reveals he has discovered the little girl was Wolfram and Hart's connection to the Senior Partners but she was also an entity named Mesektet. He explains that Mesektet was one of five totems in a group known as the Ra-Tet.

Fred finds out it was Ma'at, another totem of the Ra-tet. she felt she was in the body of someone talking to the Beast. Gwen arrives at the hotel to mixed feelings about her presence, but her experience with the Beast proves to be useful to them.

Fred discovers Gwen's client was another Ra-tet member, one composed of light. Needing to find and protect at least one of the two remaining totems, Angel suggests he and Gwen go find Semkhet in Death Valley. Angel and Gwen sneak into the cave holding Semkhet, but find they're too late and the body has already been destroyed. As Angel wonders about the reason for the Beast killing off the Ra-tet, a rather ordinary man appears and explains that the beast is trying to stop the light of the sun. The man reveals himself to be Manjet, or Manny, the only surviving member of the Ra-tet, and keeper of the orb. Manny explains that the Beast is planning a ritual using the Ra-tet to eventually black out the whole world from the sun and turn the earth into a land for demons.

Angel brings Manny back to the hotel, but the gang quickly realizes the hotel is not the safest place for them to protect Manny. Angel mentions to Cordelia that Gwen's money came from the Axis of Pythia he used to track Cordelia and then gave to Gwen.

The gang brainstorm about Manny being an orb keeper, and what could have been taken from him. Gwen reveals that the Beast took something out of the chest of the Shaman she was visiting, despite earlier having claimed to have seen nothing. The timing and stealthiness of the attack and the spiked drinks lead the gang to believe it was an inside job, but no definite suspect can be pinned down.

They return to the hotel and find information about the ritual from Lorne's research. Wesley and Fred announce they've discovered what seems to be the only way to get rid of the Beast: opening a portal to send it through. Gunn reacts badly to this idea, but Fred reminds him it's their only option. Cordelia also senses she knew the person the Beast was talking to, leading them all to believe Connor is involved.

The Beast finds Connor at his warehouse and promptly throws him out the window. Angel and the gang pull up just in time, charging upstairs to stop the ritual. Wesley and Fred work on opening the portal while the others attack the Beast, who has already started the ritual. While the portal opens behind the Beast upstairs, outside Cordelia gets to see more of her vision and the sun begins to darken. With several consecutive blows, Angel and the others manage to send the Beast through the portal and out of their world.

Upstairs, the Beast reappears behind the gang and speaks, saying he met Angelus in the past, and again offering a union of their evil. The beast grabs the orb and swallows it whole, then flies out the window. Cordelia figures out her vision was actually a memory from when she was a higher power and saw all of Angelus's actions over time. Angel doesn't remember such a meeting in the past, but Wesley suspects the Beast has been able to control Angel in some ways. Wesley announces that the only one with power and knowledge to help defeat the Beast is Angelus, so they need him back.

Writing

• The episode is dedicated to Glenn Quinn, one of Angel's original co-stars, who died on December 3, 2002 of a heroin overdose.

Cultural references

• Long Day's Journey Into Night: The episode title refers to Eugene O'Neill's play.

Continuity

• Lorne says to a depressed Angel "When all's said and done, Connor will still be your son", referencing Connor's future transition into a new family with new parents at the end of the season.
• It is revealed that the Girl at Wolfram & Hart is actually a totem of the god Ra, one of the five Ra-Tet.

External links

Wikiquote has quotations related to: Long Day's Journey

• "Long Day's Journey" at the Internet Movie Database
• "Long Day's Journey" at TV.com