Template:Angelepisode
"Blood Money" is the twelfth episode of the second season of Angel and the thirty-fourth episode overall. Written by Shawn Ryan and Mere Smith and directed by R.D. Price, it was originally broadcast on January 23, 2001 on the WB network.
With a little help from the demon snitch Merl, Angel begins to dig up more dirt on Wolfram & Hart, discovering that the firm is stealing money from contributions made to a shelter for teen runaways. Angel is investigating the owner, Anne Steele (formerly Lily from the episode "Anne" on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and before that, Chantarelle in "Lie to Me"). After Angel threatens both Lindsey and Lilah with blowing the whistle on them, he comes face-to-face with an old demon adversary who wants to finish a confrontation he started many years before. Meanwhile, Cordelia, Wesley, and Gunn are still fighting demons on their own and decide to form their own detective/protection agency, but they cannot decide on a name.
Synopsis
At Cordelia's apartment, Wesley and Gunn play the board game Risk, until Cordelia tries to kick them out so she can sleep. They discuss plans to start their own company without Angel until Cordelia gets a vision about a large, two-headed, fire-flatulating demon. Angel bumps into a woman who runs a teen center. At the hotel, it is revealed that Angel took her wallet and has a dozens of pictures of her, including shots of her with Lindsey.
Wesley and Gunn slowly approach the demon in the sewers and find themselves in over their heads with the 20-foot demon.
Angel confronts Merl in his apartment, demanding information about Anne, the woman running the shelter. She's connected to Wolfram & Hart, so Angel visits the shelter and talks to her. Anne raves about Wolfram & Hart's help with the shelter, and their plans for a charity fundraiser called the Highway Robbery Ball, designed to gain donations with the help of celebrities. A large demon named Boone confronts Merl for information on Angel and Merl is persuaded to provide that information.
Angel surprises Lilah in her car and expresses his happiness at being able to play the game now that he understands that there aren't any rules. Lilah tells Lindsey how worried she is about Angel, but their discussion is cut short as Boone arrives unannounced, wanting to help Wolfram & Hart in order to deal with a grudge against Angel. Boone explains his past with Angel and the fact that they have a battle to finish.
Wesley and Gunn rave about slaying the demon and despite their incredible fear, they're excited about their victory. The group leaves to look at a prospective location for their new business while arguing over its name.
Lilah and one of her thugs accosted Merl for information while Angel shows up at the shelter late at night, and uses the pretext of bringing her some clothing donations—the clothes are some that Cordelia has left at the Hyperion. Anne jokingly asks if he's stalking her. Angel offers all the evidence necessary to confirm that he is, and then tries to warn her that Wolfram & Hart are going to steal the money from the fundraiser. Lindsey arrives and pretends to be protecting Anne, bringing Boone with him to fight with Angel. Lindsey tries to defend the law firm to Anne but the information Angel's provided her worries Lindsey, and he discusses the dangerous possibilities with Lilah.
Wounded from the fight, Angel returns to the shelter and Anne says that she is willing to ignore just about anything if it means aid to the shelter. Angel gives her a tape to play at the fundraiser, but Anne refuses to risk the shelter. At the Ball, a video of Holland talking about the shelter entertains those at the fundraiser. Lilah introduces Anne to one of her superiors, Nathan Reed, while Lindsey reviews the security plans for the ball.
While actors pretending to be bandits collect money and jewelry from the rich attendees, Angel reveals his presence, which leads to a fight between the vampire and Boone on the balcony, and they eventually fall to the main floor. Lindsey searches for the incriminating tape, but it's revealed that Angel is not in possession of the tape and Boone is actually working with him. Anne plays the tape before Lindsey and Lilah can stop her, but it contains only clips of Cordelia and Wesley acting goofy for the camera, so it's apparent that Angel never had anything to incriminate the lawyers in the first place—he was just trying to embarrass them. To add even more embarrassment to the situation for Wolfram & Hart, Boone has taken off with the donations. Anne confronts Angel accuses him of having no intention of exposing Wolfram & Hart's scheme, and he confirms this saying they would have only covered it up so he's willing to settle for making the firm look bad. Anne reminds him that she's lost all the charity money but Angel tells her that he doesn't care, reminding her that the money was tainted, and leaves.
Lindsey and Lilah are hauled in front of Nathan for losing the money, embarrassing the firm and hiring an assassin to kill Angel who was actually in league with him. He warns them to start accumulating victories fast, when Lindsey demands to know why they can't be allowed to just kill Angel since he's so much trouble for them. Nathan informs him that according to the various prophecies Angel will play a key role in the upcoming apocalypse. What isn't known, however, is whose side he will be fighting on. Wolfram & Hart are keen for Angel to have turned evil by that point, and his obsession with Lindsey and Lilah is hoped to help contribute to that. Nathan finishes by warning the two that Angel is invaluable while they are replaceable.
Boone confronts Angel at the hotel, offering up the 2.5 million dollars in charity donations as the stakes for a fight between the two of them. Again wounded from battle with Boone, Angel presents the money and jewelry to Anne for the shelter, who is undisturbed by the real and symbolic blood on the money.
Continuity
- The character of Anne was the vampire worshiper Chanterelle ("Lie to Me") and the runaway Lily ("Anne"). In the latter episode, she assumed Buffy's alias, apartment, and job at a diner.
- Angel and Anne Steele had met briefly in the episode "Lie to Me" when he, Willow, and Xander investigate Ford's vampire-worshiping cult. At the beginning of "Blood Money" when Angel pretends to accidentally run into Anne the two appear to be unfamiliar with each other. Given that it's been three years, the two only met very briefly and Anne is going by a new name, it's likely (but not certain) that the two do not recognise each other (something episode writer Mere Smith confirmed to be a conscious decision on her part).
- During the fundraiser, a woman asks one of the TV actresses why her character had been made gay and if it had just been for the ratings. This is a reference to Willow Rosenberg.
- This episode reveals that the Senior Partners know Angel will play a vital role in the future apocalypse, but they are unsure if he will fight for the side of good or the side of evil.
- When Anne confesses that she used to think that vampires were the coolest, Angel asks her what happened and she replies she met one. This vampire she refers to is Spike.
Body Count
- Two-headed, fire shooting monster (killed by Wesley and Gunn)
Behind the Scenes
Music
- Junkie XL- "Legion"
- Dixie Chicks- "Let 'Er Rip"
- Robert J. Kral- original score
International titles
- German: Schmutziges Geld (Dirty Money)
- French: Argent sale (Dirty Money)
Goofs, Bloopers & Continuity Errors
- During the scene where Lilah and Angel talk in the car Angel supposedly vanishes but his coat can still be seen on the left side of the screen.
- Anne doesn't have the Ricky tattoo she had in Anne.