Judgment

Plot

There is a very close shot of a green demon with horns and red eyes. The demon lifts up a microphone, and begins singing “I Will Survive”, by Gloria Gaynor. The demon stops briefly, to list some of the aspects of Los Angeles, including celebrities, heartaches, young lovers, and monstrous demons.

Cordy and Johnny are having a fight. Cordy is begging Johnny not to leave her, and she slaps him. It turns out that Cordy and Johnny were just doing a skit for their acting coach. Cordy’s pager goes off, flashing 911. Cordy leaves.

Wesley is in a bar, beating a pair of men at a game of dart-throwing. A beautiful blonde lady watches Wesley admiringly. Wesley’s pager goes off, flashing 911. Wesley grabs his earnings from beating the two men, throws one last dart at the board without looking, and hits somebody. Wesley leaves quickly.

Angel, Cordy, and Wesley march into a workout gym. An attendant tries to ask them to leave, but is ignored by Team Angel, who keep walking. Angel reveals that he believes a sacrifice is going to take place here, because the quadrants match. Also, the Carnyss demons are known for loving mirrors and muscles, both of which the gym has. Team Angel stop in front of a mirror, and the attendant notices Angel has no reflection. Angel kicks the mirror, revealing a human in a red robe and a demon with a sword, ready to sacrifice two bound and gagged human hostages. Angel vamps out and throws the robed man, before fighting with the Carnyss demon. Wesley punches the robed man, and Cordy knocks him out with a free-weight. Angel disarms the demon and uses the sword to kill the demon. The attendant peeks into the darkly-lit room behind the broken mirror, as Team Angel unbind the hostages. The attendant notes that the demon has horns, and Angel tells him it’s steroid related.

In Cordy’s apartment, there is a white-board divided horizontally into Cases, Leads, Progress, and Status, while each vertical line is for a different demon, which the previous 4 statistics about each different demon. Wesley voices his belief that the creature Wolfram & Hart raised while Angel fought Vocah was the sloth that Team Angel incinerated a month previously. Cordy voices her belief that W&H raised a Vartite monster, because it took two days to kill. Angel voices his belief that he should maybe join a gym. Angel breaks a glass figurine, when it appears that Cordy is about to have a vision. Cordy sneezes. Cordy asks why can’t they work in Wesley’s apartment. Cordy sneezes again, and this time has a vision. Afterwards, Cordy explains that the vision concerned a nasty looking gray demon. Wesley writes it up on the white-board.

In Wolfram & Hart, Lilah is threatening a man named Donald, through her cell phone, that if he doesn’t sign the contract, W&H will kill his children and sue him. Lilah enters a darkened Lindsey’s office, to find Lindsey having trouble opening a jewel CD case with his prosthetic hand. Lindsey tells Lilah that their guest likes the music of Chopin and Brahms, but doesn’t appreciate any work done by Russian composers. Their guest is revealed to be Darla, who is inspecting an old-fashioned globe. Lilah talks down to Darla, and Lindsey reprimands Lilah. Darla and Lindsey begin discussing the music of Chopin, playing in Lindsey’s office. Darla realizes that Angel is nearby, and Lindsey suggests that eventually they can all think up a way to get even with Angel.

In Cordy’s apartment, Angel is doing a character-sketch of the demon from Cordy’s vision, based on her input. Angel and Wesley agree that the demon could be a Hindu Kush or a Tien Shenin. While Wesley is fetching Suleman’s Compendium, phantom Dennis tosses the book into Wesley’s hands, startling him. As Wesley flips through the pages, Cordy yells in excitement, recognizing the demon from her vision as a Prio Moto. Angel questions how do they find the demon, and Wesley reveals that he has made a contact out of a parasite demon called Merl. Wesley offers to take them to a demon safe haven, but warns them that it’s ‘a little outside the box’.

A demon is singing “I’m So Excited”, by the Pointer Sisters, to an audience of both demons and humans. A sign tells patrons that there is no violence or weapons allowed, and a bouncer uses a doorway metal-detector to enforce the no weapons rule. The green demon who sang “I Will Survive” at the beginning is walking around, mingling with the patrons. Cordy questions why the stool pigeon Merl would ever feel safe in a Karioke bar, and Wesley explains that it is a Sanctuary. The green demon joins the singing demon on the stage, and together they end the piece. The green demon reveals the other demons name is Liz, who is excited about eating his young. It is also revealed that the green demon can read auras.

Team Angel approach the demon Merl, who is nervous of Angel, even under the protection of the Sanctuary. Wesley offers Merl an envelope full of money, and asks about the Prio Moto. Merl barters up for some more money, before revealing that the vicious Prio Moto is currently in the sub-tunnels of the Rodondo line. Angel, turning to leave, runs into the green demon, who is revealed to be the Host of the Sanctuary. The Sanctuary is also revealed to be named Caritas. The Host asks Angel to sing a song, but Angel refuses. Cordy asks Wesley about the Host, and Wesley explains that the Host is psychic. When a person sings in front of the Host, he can see into their soul. Cordy, the Host, and Wesley all ask Angel to sing, but Angel refuses again and leaves.

In an underground tunnel, Angel runs into a pregnant woman, and both parties are startled. The Prio Moto comes charging out, and Angel begins fighting the demon. After a battle, Angel grabs the demon from behind and snaps it’s neck. The pregnant woman cries out, stroking the dead demon’s face, and asks Angel what has he done.

The woman is crying now, as she closes the Prio Moto’s lifeless eyes. Angel tries to explain that he was sent here to kill the Prio Moto, who was supposed to be dangerous. The pregnant woman explains that the Prio Moto was her guardian and friend. Now, she has to fend off The Tribunial by herself. She tells Angel to stay away from her, and she leaves.

Angel explains to Cordy and Wesley that the Prio Moto was a good demon, and the vision was probably intended to tell Angel to help the demon, not kill it. Wesley asks how Angel was supposed to know that a malicious creature could turn good all of a sudden, accidentally insinuating Angel, who was also a malicious creature, that suddenly turned good. Angel explains that he must now protect the pregnant woman, while Cordy and Wesley research The Tribunial. Wesley tells Angel that there was no way Angel could have known that the Prio Moto was good, but Angel thinks somebody did. Angel leaves.

Outside, Angel starts beating up Merl, for misleading Angel into killing the Prio Moto. Merl explains that there is bounty on the heads of the pregnant woman and her unborn baby. Now, with the demon no longer protecting the woman, Merl hopes to reap the woman and reap the rewards. Angel discovers that the demon and the pregnant lady might have been hiding in Boyle Heights, underground, near water and power. Angel throws Merl into a fence and leaves.

A man is trying to enter his car, when he is approached by four men, two of them hooded. The man starts running, and runs into a vampire. Quickly, one of the men dis-hoods, revealing himself to be Gunn, and Gunn stakes the vampire. Gunn tells the man to go home, and the man leaves. Angel appears, and Gunn tells his three friends to go sweep for more vampires, and they leave. Gunn reveals that Gunn’s crew are living somewhere for free, as long as Gunn’s crew remove the baddies from the neighbourhood. Angel asks Gunn to help him find the dead Prio Moto’s underground lair.

Gunn asks about the Prio Moto, and Angel confesses to being the scumbag that killed the protector of a young pregnant woman. They find a vent, that turns out to be an entrance to the dead demon’s home. The dead Prio Moto demon’s name is revealed to be Kamal. Angel finds a round metal disk, and asks Gunn to deliver it to Cordy and Wesley, at Cordy’s apartment. Gunn leaves. Angel is reflecting on the fight with Kamal, when somebody enters the home. Angel is ready with a sword, when the pregnant woman arrives. The pregnant woman explains how things have gotten really complicated in the last 6 months, with demons hunting her, and Kamal protecting her. Angel explains that he doesn’t care who the daughter is, but he just wants to make sure that the daughter and mother are safe from demons. The woman explains that if the coat of arms is found, The Tribunial might stop hunting her. Angel understands that the coat of arms is the bronze talisman, or round metal disk that he just gave to Gunn. Angel tells the woman that it will be at Cordy’s apartment soon enough, and the woman tries to leave the home, when she is attacked by a demon. Angel fights the demon, throws it into the door, and tells the woman that it’s time to leave.

Gunn arrives at Cordy’s apartment, and after some confusion, Cordy and Wesley let him in. Charles Gunn is introduced, followed by Cordelia Chase and Wesley Wyndham-Price introducing themselves. Gunn reveals that he watched over both Cordy and Wesley after Angel Investigations HQ blew up. Gunn explains that Angel sent him, to give Wesley the coat of arms, and to say it has something to do with The Tribunal. Wesley takes the coat of arms, assuming it to be an amulet. Gunn notes that their white-board helps to keep Angel Investigations a well-oiled machine.

Angel is leading the pregnant woman through the sewers. Angel stops, and tells the woman to go this way.

Angel and the pregnant women come up through a grate, into the basement of an abandoned hotel. The woman asks Angel to go before The Tribunal court, and plead her case. The woman changes her mind, deciding to leave town. Angel tells her not to flee, but to go to Cordy’s apartment. Two demons attack Angel, and the pregnant woman leaves speedily.

Angel arrives at Cordy’s apartment, to find that the pregnant woman didn’t show up. Angel realizes that he had become cocky, feeling his destiny of becoming human was nearly fulfilled, and he forgot that it’s still a long way away. Wesley explains that the coat of arms must be presented before going before the Cahair Binse, or the chair of judgement of The Tribunal. Angel will then fight to the death, to defend the pregnant woman’s life.

In Caritas, Angel is singing Barry Manilow’s “Mandy”, while the Host reads him. Angel’s singing gets worse as he notes the reactions of the demon audience. Afterwards, the Host tells Angel that it’s not really his fault that he murdered Kamal. The Host also reveals that The Tribunal will appear wherever the pregnant woman is, which will be Forth and Spring.

In the street, the pregnant woman is walking, when three stone thrones rise out of the ground, with three dark robbed figures sitting upon them. A dark knight on a black horse blocks off the pregnant woman’s only escape path. The knight throws down a bronze disk. The judges ask the pregnant woman where her champion is, and she reveals that Kamal is dead. The Judge explains that two must meet in battle, the victor winning the spoils. If there is no champion, there is no battle, and the pregnant lady dies. Angel appears, and throws the coat of arms towards the knight’s coat of arms, and tells the Judge that he will be her champion.

The pregnant woman asks if Angel knows what he’s doing, and he claims he does. Both Angel and the dark knight, ride on horses at full speed towards each other, each carrying a lance. The first run, Angel hits the knight, but doesn’t knock him off. The second run, Angel is knocked off his horse by the knight, and the third run has Angel on foot, knock the knight off his horse with a mace. Both combatants fight each other on foot, with swords. Eventually, the knight turns Angel’s sword against him, right into Angel’s stomach. The Judge announces that the pregnant woman is now property of the dark knight, who hastens to cut the woman’s throat. Angel pulls the sword out of his own stomach, and slices off the dark knight’s head. The Judge announces that now the pregnant woman is under their protection, as is her daughter. The three thrones of The Tribunal disappear. Angel seems injured by the sword wound, but it’s not fatal.

At Cordy’s apartment, Angel takes down the white-board. Angel explains that they shouldn’t be keeping score, and it’s not a race. Angel leaves.

Angel is using phone in a prison visitor booth, talking to Faith. Faith recounts how one of her inmates tried to kill Faith with a homemade knife, and how Faith had to ‘disarm’ her. In return, Faith was beaten by the guards. Angel reveals he had to sing Barry Manilow in front of people. Both Angel and Faith consider their rocky road to redemption, and whether or not they’ll ever make up for their previous indiscretions.