Through the looking glass

Plot

The crew is brought into the throne room for sentencing and discovers that Cordelia has been made ruler of Pylea.

Jokingly, she declares: “Off with their heads!” She orders everyone to leave and Gunn, Lorne, and Wesley hurry past her to the food. Lorne tells them that the priests of the Covenant of Trombli ascribe to a prophecy that tells of a coming messiah who has a direct link to the Powers That Be. Cordelia’s visions are the reason she was made ruler. They explain how they got there and that they don’t have the book to use to return home. Cordelia tells them that the priests have books and Wesley wants to see them. Angel is distracted by his reflection in the mirror and Wesley has to pull him away from it so he and Lorne can go try to find a dimensional hot spot.

Barshon and Silas argue over Cordelia being declared ruler. Silas says that she is only needed until the comshuk takes place. Silas tells Barshon that he can have her head if she survives the comshuk.

Angel and Lorne arrive at the Deathwok Clan family farm. Lorne’s mother is not pleased to see him and Lorne questions her about the portal but gets no information about it. Landok comes from inside the house, pushes Lorne out of the way, and greets Angel. He tells the family how Angel saved his life during the Drokken fight in Los Angeles and they make him a guest of honor at the town feast. Lorne’s mother tells his brother, Numfar, to do the dance of honor and he does. Everyone leaves except Numfar (who continues dancing) and Lorne. Lorne watches them leave, glances at the dancing Numfar, and sighs as he says: “Why it’s the homecoming I always dreamed of.” He walks away leaving the still dancing Numfar alone.

Wesley is studying the Covenant’s books and realizes that they are written in “Trionic” which means that all 3 books are necessary to decipher the text. He hasn’t found any references to portals but he’s found several to the cursed one. The mention of this piques Cordelia’s interest and she wants to know what is said about “messiah me.” Wesley tells them that is says something about a comshuk with a groosalug. Gunn thinks it’s something dirty, but none of them understand the reference. Wesley notices a Hart on the cover of one of the books and Gunn mentions that there are animals on the covers of the other two as well. Wesley closes the other 2 books and arranges all 3 on the table revealing a wolf, a ram, and a hart. Immediately, they relate it to the evil law firm of Wolfram and Hart in Los Angeles. Wesley says that he’s “not sure the priests can be trusted.”

In the center of the town square, Angel recounts the tale of cutting off the “evil lawyer beats hand” as Lorne sits near by drinking. Lorne tries to convince Angel to return to the palace but Angel is reluctant to leave. A wooden chopping block is brought to the center of the square and placed on the platform there. Landok comes over and tells Angel that he will be the first to swing the “crebbil” and Angel happily follows Landok. Lorne chokes on his drink and tries to stop Angel.

Wesley is telling Cordelia she has to listen to him about going home, but she refuses. They argue over returning to Los Angeles when Silas interrupts to see if everything is ok. She says it is at the same time as Wesley says it’s not. Gunn asks about the comshuk with the groosalug and Silas asks if she’s had a vision. Wesley tells him she has so he needn’t lie or she’ll know. Silas tells her that she must’ve had the vision because the groosalug “has been summoned from “the scum pits of Ur.” Cordelia tells Silas to explain the comshuk to Gunn and Wesley because they don’t know what it is. Silas tells them it’s a mating ritual which makes Cordelia nervous. Cordelia gets up and tries to walk out but is blocked by two priests. Silas insists that she stay and tells her that the palace guard has been doubled due to rebel rumblings. She excuses the priests and once they’ve left the room, she tells Gunn and Wesley she wants to leave.

Agitated, Lorne tries to get Angel’s attention as he’s hoisted onto two demon’s shoulders and carried up to the chopping block on the platform. Two others bring Fred to the platform. An axe if foisted into Angel’s hands and he looks down and sees Fred with her head on the chopping block. The crowd encourages him to swing the “crebbil” and Landok tells him to “strike quickly and true, Angel, then we can eat.” Angel wonders aloud if they expect him to kill her and the crowd continues shouting for him to do it. He refuses and the crowd rushes him. As he fights them off, Lorne breaks into song. As he continues singing Stop! In The Name Of Love, the crowd falls to the ground covering their ears and writhing in pain. Angel picks Fred up and whisks her away. They jump on a horse and ride off just as two guards approach the square on a chariot. One of them holds out an axe and Lorne’s eyes widen as he sees them approaching.

Cordelia, Gunn, and Wesley make their way through the palace corridors searching for an escape route. Wesley opens a trap door in the floor and they all step back as the stench from the sewer wafts over them. Cordelia protests about getting into the mucky liquid and asks why they can’t use the front door. Gunn asks her: “Do you really think you can get your booty through the front door?” and she takes exception to the remark. He explains that he meant the jewels and gold she is carrying. Gunn and Wesley jump into the fowl liquid first and Cordelia drops something from her armload. She bends down to retrieve it and as she begins to get up, Silas walks up to her and tells her they’ve been looking for her and that someone should speak to the servants about leaving the trap door open. Silas eyes the contents of Cordelia’s armload suspiciously and tells her the groosalug approaches.

Gunn and Wesley exit from a tunnel opening in the side of the castle wall and Wesley tells Gunn that Cordelia didn’t make it.

Angel and Fred get off the horse and Angel shoos it away telling her that they should continue on foot to avoid being tracked. Fred stares at him in silent shock and he asks if she’s ok. She taps her head with her hand and responds: “Handsome man saved me from the monsters. Bye.” She runs off and Angel hurries after her. Angel follows her into a cave where she’s been living and sees her writing on the back wall. He starts talking to her and she tells him that she doesn’t want to talk to him because she’s certain that she lost her head in the town square and that he’s a figment of her imagination. He looks around the cave, finds her California driver’s license, and realizes she’s the girl from Cordelia’s vision. Angel convinces Fred that he’s real and she worries about Cordelia. Angel tells her Cordelia’s fine and that they made her a princess. Fred is surprised and says: “Really? Oh, when I got here, they…they didn’t do that. Well, that’s nice for her.”

Cordelia is being groomed and dressed by servants in preparation for the arrival of the groosalug. She is prattling nervously when Silas enters and tells her the groosalug has arrived. She tries to get up and leave, but Silas pushes her back down. A horned beast shuffles forward, limping under the weight of a sack that’s slung over its back. Cordelia looks at a servant and says: “Kill me now.” The beast moves to the side and a handsome warrior enters, claps it on the shoulder, and tells it to put the sack down anywhere. The warrior walks up to Cordelia and kisses the back of her hand as she smiles at him.

Angel and Fred are making their way on foot to the palace when he stops suddenly and looks attentively into the distance. He hustles Fred to the ground and they crouch behind a boulder as two guards ride by them on horseback. They come out of hiding and Angel tells Fred that no matter what she sees, he’s still her friend. He engages the guards as they return and Fred cowers by a boulder. The guards surround Angel and he morphs into his demon half. Instead of his normal vampire face, his head and hands erupt into green scaly skin with horns protruding from his forehead and claws emerging from his fingertips. He pulls one of the guards from the horse and attacks him ferociously ripping his arm off and draining his blood from his neck. He turns to look at Fred with blood dripping from his mouth and she mutters: “Bad things always happen here.”

Angel leaves the body of the dead guard and approaches Fred as she tries to blend into the boulder. He sniffs her as she looks at the ground and then runs away.

The groosalug tells Cordelia how he shamed his people and was cast out of the village because he had cow’s blood in his veins. He shamed them further because he isn’t anatomically equipped to mate with the demon women, only humans. He had no choice but to leave his village and find his own way. Cordelia says: “Get out!” in response to this and they all start to leave. She stops them and says the groosalug can stay and the rest leave them alone. He tells her how entered every fighting contest in an attempt to end his suffering, but he won them all. The Covenant was forced to give him the title of groosalug (“The brave, undefeated”). Narwek enters the throne room followed by two guards flanking a bound and gagged Lorne who has been brought to her for punishment for disrupting the “bachnal.” She tells Narwek to handle it because she’s busy and he orders the guards to execute Lorne. Cordelia stops them, pardons Lorne, and closes the door in his face.

Gunn and Wesley are lost and Wesley realizes something is hunting them. Still in the form of the beast, Angel attacks them and wounds Gunn. Wesley sees the tattoo on the beast’s right shoulder through a tear in his shirt and realizes that it’s Angel. Fred appears and dips her hand in a leather purse she is carrying over her shoulder. She holds up a hand dripping with blood and Angel follows the scent of the blood as Fred slowly backs away. Wesley puts mud on Gunn’s wound and explains that Angel is unable to find the balance between his human and demon forms. They get up to go help him but a group of humans with crudely fashioned weapons jump from the brush and trees surrounding them.

Fred walks into her cave holding her hand out and Angel follows the scent of the blood on her hand. He approaches her but is startled by the reflection he sees in a puddle of water on the cave floor. He attacks the beast staring back at him and realizes he is the beast. He recoils in horror and morphs back into his human form. He curls up into a fetal position on the cave floor and lies there trembling in shock. Fred approaches him and reaches out to touch him with her bloody hand, but withdraws her hand instead.

Cordelia tells the groosalug that she’s not a princess and he disagrees. He tells her that she declares it with her beauty and bearing and by the way she treats her subjects. She tells him it’s a beautiful dream but it’s not real.

Silas paces in the Covenant chambers angered by Cordelia’s request for parchment so she can write proclamations. Silas decides that it’s time to send her a message.

Gunn and Wesley are tied to a wooden post. Wesley interrupts when he overhears the rebels talking about sending a message to the princess. He tells them they are friends of hers and directs them to look at a picture in his wallet. They look at it and see a picture of Angel, Wesley, and Cordelia together. He tells them to draw up a list of demands and they will give it to her. The leader orders a list be drawn up, stuffed in their mouths, and their severed heads placed on pikes outside the princess’ window.

Fred comforts a demoralized Angel. He tells her he can never go back and she tells him he can stay with her.

Cordelia and the groosalug are stretched out on the floor as she is writing proclamations. Silas enters with two guards carrying a covered metal tray. With an icy tone of voice, Cordelia tells him they didn’t order anything. Silas sends the groosalug out despite her protests. He tells her that she is only the princess because the Covenant wants her to be the princess and that she has no real authority. He tells a guard to lift the lid from the tray and Lorne’s severed head is revealed. Her breath catches in her throat at the sight.