Disharmony

Plot

Wesley is explaining to a fidgeting Angel how he needs to change his behavior in order to gain the crew’s trust again. Once Wesley finishes his assessment of the situation, Angel says he will “just sit and absorb it all.” Wesley glances around the room and then at Angel who is sitting in his chair. Angel realizes that he’s sitting at Wesley’s desk and gets up saying he’ll find another place to go since this is now Wesley’s office. Angel opens the door to find that Cordelia and Gunn have set up a small desk for him just outside the office door. Wesley tells him: “I took the liberty of providing you with a new working space. With a less than exuberant expression Angel says: “Great.” Closing the door Wesley adds: “and I’d love a cup of coffee.” Laughing and turning back toward the closing door, Angel says: “That’s very funny.” Cordelia orders her coffee with two sugars and Gunn orders a mocha Cappuccino. Angel sighs and says: “Man, atonement’s a bitch.”

A couple parked in their car in the park at night is kissing. Someone comes to the car window and smashes it. The woman screams.

Gunn, Wesley, and Cordelia are unpacking their supplies after moving the business back to the Hyperion. Angel comes bounding down the stairs but becomes visibly uncomfortable and awkward when he reaches the hotel lobby. He looks at Wesley who gives a small nod in Cordelia’s direction. Angel walks over to Cordelia and starts to talk to her, but she stops him. He says: “I just really wanted to know how you were, I mean, are. We really haven’t had a chance…” Cordelia rolls her eyes and picks up a box of files to walk off with it. Angel tries to help her, but she insists that she’s got the box. He backs away and she puts the box down on the desk as she says: “Ok. You want to know how I am? Tired, mostly, with sweaty running a close second. I’m also jazzed. I can’t wait to get our business up and sputtering again. Ready to help those helpless. But, just so we understand each other, you and I, we’re not friends.” Angel looks at her with a hurt expression as she turns around and picks up the box again. As she starts to walk away with it, she’s hit with a vision. Angel reaches out and grabs her easing her into a chair while calling for Wesley. Gunn and Wesley come over to her and she describes her vision to the three of them. She tells them that she’s seeing a screaming woman being pulled from a car by “guys in robes, blue robes.” She says they are taking people and there’s a big bird. She tells them where the car is and Wesley says: “Right. Let’s move.” Angel pauses before leaving to make sure Cordelia is ok. She says she’s fine shying away from his touch. He grabs his jacket and tells her to “take off the rest of the night off. Go home. Order... order Chinese.” Angel leaves and Cordelia decides to go home. She starts turning off the lights around the hotel desk and as she’s preparing to walk out, she hears a noise. A shadow comes up behind her and she turns around and screams before she realizes that it’s Harmony. They haven’t seen each other since high school graduation and start to catch up on where they are now. The conversation goes on for a bit and Cordelia asks her if she has a place to stay. Harmony asks: “You offering?” Cordelia asks: “Do I have to say it?” Harmony responds: “Yeah.” And Cordelia, not realizing that Harmony is a vampire despite the many clues she’s been given during their conversation, says: “Ok. You’re coming home with me. I hope you don’t mind the couch.” They hug.

Angel, Gunn, and Wesley arrive at the car from Cordelia’s vision but nobody is there and the windows are smashed. As Wesley is giving them directions they hear a woman scream. They run in the direction of the scream and find a vampire in a green robe attacking her. Wesley rescues the woman while Gunn grabs the vampire. Angel and Gunn fight the vampire and Angel stakes the vampire. Gunn looks at the robe with a quizzical expression. He mentions to Wesley that Cordelia said the robes were blue and Wesley says: “It’s dark. Perhaps she was mistaken.” Angel jumps to Cordelia’s defense and Gunn and Wesley look at him like he’s being lost his mind. Wesley notices the symbol on the robe and decides to call Cordelia and have her research it. Angel reveals that he gave her the night off and Wesley looks at him with surprise. Angel asks Wesley if he should buy Cordelia some flowers to thank her and show his appreciation for the pain she endures due to the visions. Wesley becomes annoyed with him and explains to him: “You can’t buy back our trust, Angel, or her affections.” With a hurt expression, Angel says: “She said uh, she said we’re not friends.” Wesley responds: “I know. There’s only one thing you can give her, Angel. That’s time. Cordelia has a lot of pain to work through.”

Cordelia is laughing uproariously as she and Harmony reminisce and drink wine. The conversation turns more serious as Cordelia tries to convey the pleasure she gains from her work. She asks Harmony how she’s doing and tells her that she doesn’t look well. Harmony says she’s just hungry so Cordelia decides to order a pizza. Harmony morphs into her vampire self as Cordelia leans across her lap to grab the telephone. She morphs back to her human form as Cordelia leans back onto the couch to call for the pizza.

While Cordelia is sleeping in her room, Harmony quietly comes in and sits on the foot of the bed. The door slams shut and wakes Cordelia. Harmony says she didn’t do it and Cordelia tells her she has a ghost. She asks Harmony what she’s doing in her room. Harmony tries to explain that she’s a vampire, but Cordelia misunderstands and thinks Harmony is making a pass at her. She tells Harmony that it’s ok, but calls Willow the next morning about it. She wants to know why they didn’t tell her about Harmony and recounts the events to Willow. Willow tells her Harmony is a vampire and she says: “all this time I thought she was a great big lesbo.” Her tone changes and she has an embarrassed expression as she says: “Oh yeah, really? Well, that’s great. Good for you” into the phone. Right after she tells Willow she’ll call her when she gets somewhere safe, Harmony walks up behind her and with a menacing expression asks her where she’s going.

A restless Angel is pacing behind the counter trying to find something he can do to help with the case. The phone rings and Wesley tells him he can answer it. It’s Willow.

Angel and Wesley kick open the door of Cordelia’s apartment and race in to save her. Wesley points a loaded crossbow at Harmony and tells her to get away from Cordelia. They tell Cordelia that Harmony is a vampire and she tells them she already knows that. She’s angry with them for breaking down her door and coming in to shoot her friend who has come to them for help. Angel says they should respect her wishes and not kill Harmony. Cordelia and Wesley look at him as if he’s gone mad and Wesley backs up while pointing the crossbow at Angel instead. Angel gently pushes the crossbow aside and Wesley tells Cordelia they need her at the office. She gets up to leave and they argue about her decision to leave Harmony alone in her apartment. As they turn to leave, Harmony says doesn’t want to stay alone in the apartment with the ghost.

At the hotel, they’re doing research to determine what the symbol on the robe means. Wesley’s reading a book and Harmony plops down on a stool next to him blowing bubbles with her chewing gum. Wesley turns to her annoyed and says: “Do you mind?” She responds with: “Well, I’m kinda’ bored, but go ahead.” They start discussing the red bird from Cordelia’s vision instead but Harmony interrupts the conversation as she laughs aloud at the idea of duck worshippers. Wesley continues telling them that he’s “not aware of any red bird statuary in downtown Los Angeles, so I suggest… (he’s interrupted by Harmony popping a bubble loudly)…someone put a stake through that woman’s heart if she persists in popping her bloody chewing gum!” Harmony agrees to get rid of the gum, rips a page out of Wesley’s book, and wads it up into a ball with the gum inside. Wesley walks over, grabs the book, and explains in an incredulous tone that the book is “12 centuries old!” Harmony doesn’t understand what the big deal is and says: “Ok, so it’s not like I messed up a new one.” Wesley grabs a stake from the desk drawer and lunges toward Harmony, but Cordelia holds him off while Angel takes Harmony to the refrigerator to get her some blood. She says it tastes funny and Angel tells her it's pig’s blood. She asks him how he can deprive himself of “the sensation of rich warm human blood flowing into your mouth, bathing your tongue, caressing your throat with its sweet sticky…” Gunn comes in and interrupts her tantalizing monologue by saying: “I’m back.” Angel says: “Me too” and walks away from Harmony shaking himself out of his reverie. Gunn flirts with Harmony and Wesley makes the snide remark that “It’s alright to speak freely in front of her. She’s a vampire.” Gunn asks: “Don’t we kill ‘em anymore?” Gunn tells them that within the last month a lot of people have disappeared but no bodies are being found. They all come to the conclusion that the people are being turned rather than eaten.

An auditorium of vampires wearing robes like the ones from Cordelia’s vision are listening to a motivational speaker who is also a vampire. Doug Sanders is explaining his pyramid scheme. They each bring back one person as food and turn two others in order to “buy into the co-op.”

Cordelia finds information about Doug Sanders on the Department of Justice web site. They discover that he was under investigation for a defunct pyramid scheme but he disappeared. She finds his picture on the site and as Harmony leans over to see it, she spills her mug of blood on the keyboard and shorts out the computer. An angry Wesley tells Cordelia to get Harmony out of there. She says: “Come on Harm” and Wesley says: “Such a fitting nickname.”

Cordelia and Harmony talk in the lobby of the Hyperion for a few moments. She decides to take Harmony to Caritas for some help. Cordelia asks Lorne what he thinks and he tells her that “I think your friend should reconsider the name Harmony.” Lorne tells Harmony that she’s already on her path and that Cordelia is her guide. The crew comes to get Cordelia because they’ve determined that the kidnappings have occurred within a 10 block radius and they want to drive around to see if Cordelia recognizes anything from her vision. She asks Harmony if she’s ok with staying at Caritas while they go work and Harmony is. The crew leaves but as they are walking to the car, Harmony appears beside them. She’s decided that her path is being a good guy with Cordelia and the crew.

In the car, Harmony is prattling about her new job and purpose much to everyone’s chagrin. Cordelia tells Angel to stop the car because she sees a bird that looks similar to the one in her vision but it’s not red. Angel discovers that the electronics store next to the theatre didn’t have its sign turned on and once the sign is on, the bird is bathed in red light and Cordelia recognizes it as the one from her vision. Wesley doles out the responsibilities to everyone except Harmony. She asks what her job is and he tells her to guard the car. She says that she’ll kill anyone who comes near it and they tell her no. She says she’ll just maim anyone then and they tell her not to do that either. Cordelia tells Gunn and Wesley to go ahead and she’ll talk to Harmony. Angel pulls her aside and tells her that Harmony “can’t work with” them and Cordelia says she knows that. He tells her that Harmony will turn on her because she’s evil and doesn’t have a soul. Cordelia argues that he betrayed them and he has a soul. Gunn and Wesley return and say they can’t get into the theater because it’s locked. After some debate, they all decide to send Harmony in because the vampires might either recognize Angel or sense his soul.

Harmony enters the theater and a robed vampire gives her a copy of Doug Sanders’ book “Collective Slaughter” and directs her to a seat. The crew is waiting outside for her and starts to worry that something’s gone wrong just when she returns. She tells them there are about 100 vampires inside and a cage filled with people. They follow her to the back door and enter a seemingly empty building. Wesley asks her where the vampires are and she says they are “right behind you.” She informs the crew that she belongs with Doug’s group now and the lights come on as Doug Sanders walks in and says: “Now that is what I call an impressive display of Potential Actualization. A member of our organization for less than 20 minutes and look what she’s delivered. Two to turn and one for food, and, as a bonus, the infamous Angel.” She is awarded her blue robe and the crew start fighting the vampire cult. Wesley goes over to the cage to let the people out while Angel fights with Doug Sanders, Cordelia fights with Harmony, and Gunn fights another vampire. Harmony punches Cordelia which sends her flying through the air across the stage. She goes over to Cordelia who is lying face down on the floor. As Harmony reaches to touch her, Cordelia turns over and points a loaded crossbow at her throat. Harmony laughs and accuses Cordelia of being stupid because that won’t kill her. Cordelia points another crossbow at her heart and says: “this is the one that’ll kill you.” Gunn kills a vampire who attacks Wesley and helps him up so he can continue letting the people out of the cage. Angel and Doug continue fighting and Angel decapitates him with an axe. Cordelia tells Harmony they aren’t friends and that she needs to get out of Los Angeles. She tells Angel not to say a word about the situation with Harmony turning on her.

The sun rises over the Hyperion. Angel opens the door to Wesley’s office and says: “You wanted to see me?” Wesley says: “Yes, please come in. Oh, close the door.” He motions for Angel to sit and he starts offering Angel advice about how to handle the strained relationship with Cordelia. Angel stops him and says that he’s “willing to give her the room she needs.” Wesley looks pleasantly surprised and talks some more about the situation. Suddenly, Cordelia squeals and opens the office door. She comes in with new clothes hanging over her arms and is so excited that Angel has bought her new clothes. She kisses him on the check and hops in place. Angel starts hopping in place with her and smiling. As Angel leaves Wesley’s office, Wesley looks after him pursing his lips.