Summary
After Fred's physics article is published; she's invited to speak at a symposium where a portal opens, bringing her face to face with a demon and a dark secret about her old professor. Meanwhile Angel visits a comic book store seeking to solve the mystery and find out why someone would want Fred out of the way.
Plot
Fred is back to being physics girl all of a sudden. She’s written an article and has been invited to speak at a conference on her new theory. Gunn is impressed but doesn’t understand what she’s talking about. Angel and Gunn go to the conference anyway, and while there, Fred runs into her old professor. He invites Fred to come talk to him about working with him again. Wesley also shows up at the conference, ditching a day with Lilah to do so. Little does Wesley know, but Lilah followed him to the event.
While Fred is speaking, a portal opens above her head and a tentacle demon tries to kill her. A boy in the audience takes pictures. Angel and Gunn save Fred, and then Angel goes after Lilah. She says she had nothing to do with it and he believes her.
Fred is pretty freaked out about the whole thing. She starts reverting to how she acted when she first came back from Pylea. Angel and Gunn investigate the cause of the portal by interrogating the kid with the pictures. The kid tells them that several others disappeared like Fred. Angel and Gunn then discover that all of the people who disappeared had the same professor.
Fred, upon visiting this professor, finds a book in his office with all kinds of strange markings. She realizes that he knows about interdimensional portals and was probably the one who sent her to Pylea. Angel and Gunn come to the same conclusion. Fred wants to kill the professor, but Angel and Gunn appear to talk her out of it.
Since they won’t help with killing the professor, Fred goes to Wesley for assistance. He helps her find something that would be appropriate revenge. Gunn and Fred realize she’s missing and go to the professor’s office. The professor summons a demon to attack Angel, but Fred shows up as he’s escaping. She opens up a portal to a hell dimension for the professor to fall into. Gunn comes in and tries to stop her. She refuses despite his pleas. At the last moment, Gunn grabs the professor, snaps his neck and pushes him into the portal. Gunn and Fred tell Angel that the professor fell into his own portal.
In the meantime:
Connor trains Cordelia and she stakes a vampire. After the heat of battle, they share a kiss. Connor goes after some of her things from the hotel (making Angel jealous in the process) and Cordelia uses them to spruce their place up. However, when Connor tries to kiss her again, she shies away and tells him that she needs some time to figure things out. She goes back to the hotel and makes Angel promise not to lie to her anymore because she doesn’t need protecting. He agrees. Cordelia then asks him, "We were in love?"
Dialogue
Smashing. Listen. I know I've been a wee bit jumpy the last couple of days, but - did I hear a scream?
Oh, it's just Fred. I think it's a Texas thing.
Sorry. I jumped ahead. That 'no' was the one that comes after you asking me to read Cordy again.
I wasn't - going to ask you that immediately. I was gonna build up to it subtly.
Wait! You should take her fuzzy slippers. Her feet get cold.
I know. She always stealing the covers.
The girl kept me up all night. She is un-stoppable.
More than I need to know.
Did Charles tell you?
He-he didn't describe it.
I'm between Ed Witten and Brian Greene? Think Nomar Garciaparra and Sammy Sosa.
Fred's skipped the minors and went straight to the show.
Listen, man, I'm gonna need simultaneous translating on this thing. You know, like the president with the Russians, but just give me the highlights.
No problem. Of course, I have no idea what she's talking about.
Will you tell Fred that? If she thinks we're both stupid, I won't stand out as much.
Yeah. Hulk smash.
Think Daredevil one eighty one. I'm Bullseye, you're Electra. One wins one dies. Get what I'm saying?
Yeah. But we're kind of crushing the Dark Horses.
Like the story about the girl, the cat and the peanut butter.
That one's true. Long story.
Yeah, like, you're Angel, right? There are whole forums on you in chat rooms, man! Who knew you actually, like, existed?!
We're full up on interns. But the decoder ring's in the mail.
They talk about me in the chatty rooms?
No. To me. He's the son of a bitch that sent me to Pylea.
Acting like I'm all addlebrained talking about other dimensions. Pylea, never heard of it. Right! How about a flail whipping? Would that take a nice long time?
Hours if you do it right. Not that you should do it at all. - Ever.
You know what they say about payback? Well, I'm the bitch.
Come on! I'm holding your head!
Sucked into his own portal. Wish I could have seen his face.
It'll be okay. Run-in with a Voynok demon. Turns out they have nine lives.
Like a cat?
Only less stand off-ish.