"Inside Out" is the seventeenth episode of the fourth season of Angel and the eighty-third episode in the series. Written and directed by Steven S. DeKnight, it was originally broadcast on April 2, 2003, on The WB network.
Synopsis[]
Desperate to find out why Cordelia has turned to the dark side, Angel goes to demon Skip for answers. Forcing the truth out of him, Angel learns that all that's transpired, Connor's birth, Cordelia's ascension to the higher plane, Angel turning into Angelus and Cordelia's pregnancy, were all a part of a higher being's plan to create something even more powerful than itself.[1]
Summary[]
Angel and the gang have worked out that Cordelia is actually the Beastmaster and confront her. She reveals herself and asks what tipped them off in the end. Angel reveals that he worked it out when Cordelia referred to her baby as "my sweet," the same term the Beastmaster used when talking to Angelus. Angel knows that Cordelia would never hurt her friends like this and whatever they're dealing with is just walking around in her body, and he demands to know what really happened to his friend. Before he can get any answers, Connor breaks in and takes Cordelia away, unaware of her true nature.
Gunn returns from his secret mission, and the gang fills him in on the details working a few things out in the meantime: the evil beast came back with Cordelia when she came back from the higher dimension and woke up when Lorne cast the memory spell. The pieces fall into place explaining the conspiracy that has taken place over the last few episodes including the death of the Svear priestesses, Lorne's confusion, the death of Lilah, and the fake re-ensoulment of Angel.
After their escape, Cordelia and Connor talk, and Cordelia snares Connor further under her spell. Using a combination of romance, half-truths, and total lies, she ensures that Connor is safely against all of the others.
Angel returns from an unsuccessful search mission mentally beating himself up for missing the signs. He and Wesley share a moment about Lilah's death. Wesley has been unsuccessful in finding any news about the beast. He suggests approaching the Powers That Be, but Angel shoots down the idea, commenting that previous interviews with the Powers have proven unsuccessful. Angel has another idea.
Under Cordelia's influence, Connor continues to question what he's known—his beliefs about the Angel Investigations team, and what he's believed is right.
Gunn and Fred have sorted through Cordelia's stuff finding little of use—some toiletries, candles, and fragments of the muo-ping. Angel asks them to keep looking. Then, Angel seeks out and roughs up the charismatic inter-dimensional demon guide, Skip, to find out why Cordelia has turned evil. Skip initially feigns innocence, but eventually admits his part and begins to beat Angel.
While they're in hiding, Cordelia puts Connor's hand on her stomach, telling him that their baby will change everything. She suggests they expedite the birth of their baby by collecting a few "very special things." Connor takes a virgin woman prisoner, and Cordelia encourages him to kill the girl in order to allow the baby to change the world.
Skip is far stronger than Angel thought, the demon having taken a fall in their previous fight, but Angel manages to rip off one of the spurs protruding from his head and knocks him out before transporting them both back to the hotel. Wesley, Fred, and Gunn assist Angel with Skip's interrogation. They trap him, and threaten him with an orb of agony. Skip explains that Cordelia is not alone—there is something evil controlling her.
Cordelia begins chanting an evil ritual, while Connor looks on. He takes water to the girl, and then sees a ghostly apparition of his mother. Darla tells him that, after centuries of murder, Connor is the only good thing she ever did, and that she died out of love for him. She challenges the idea that killing an innocent woman can protect his baby. He has a choice.
Skip tells them that all of the events of the past few years are part of a higher being's plan to be reborn. He explains that Lorne's leaving Pylea, Fred opening the wrong book and being sent to another dimension, Wesley's sleeping with "the enemy," and all the events of the previous years have manipulated to bring the Beast's Master to Cordelia's body. From there, it will give birth to itself, killing Cordelia in the process. Angel realizes that the Master is vulnerable in Cordelia's body. The gang tries to think of a way to find Cordelia, using a bu'shundi claw.
Darla reminds Connor that he has a soul, and he can choose to stop the evil. He makes his choice.
Fred and Gunn discuss the philosophy of free will and whether it makes sense with the knowledge that they had a destiny. When the spell works, Angel springs into action, going off on his own to find Cordelia, believing that it is best to kill Cordelia himself and spare his friends the pain of seeing her die.
Connor prepares to free the woman, but Cordelia shows up telling him that she could see Darla and that Darla is a cheap spell Angel made to stop him from saving the baby. The two pull Connor in opposite directions, but Connor rejects Darla. He drags the woman away to kill her. Cordelia follows, leaving Darla stunned in her wake. As Cordelia raises the knife, the woman suddenly becomes Darla, begging Connor not do kill her. Before he can do anything, Cordelia kills her, leaving Connor stunned. He stares down at the woman for a moment, then takes the blood and spreads it on Cordelia's stomach. She lays in a circle of runes and begins to chant. The Earth begins to shake. Angel appears, holding a sword.
In the hotel, a piece of debris falls on the sand circle holding Skip. Released, he begins beating Fred, Wesley, and Gunn. Gunn tries to cut him down, but it doesn't work. Wesley is more successful with a gun; after several unsuccessful shots ricochet off of Skip's plated chest, Wesley sinks one into the exposed spur, killing him.
Connor, seeing Angel coming to threaten Cordelia, attacks him. Angel fends him off, and raises a sword over her body, saying "I'm sorry." Before he can land a blow, Cordelia is split by a burst of green light, throwing him back. He regains his feet and comes forward with the sword but stops upon seeing a fully grown woman standing before him. Angel drops to his knees and exclaims, "You're beautiful," lowering his sword. The woman steps forward and says Angel's name affectionately as he gazes upon her in awe.
Continuity[]
- It is revealed to Angel Investigations that Cordelia's body has been possessed by an evil higher being that was awakened in "Spin the Bottle."
- Cordelia falls into a mystical coma and will not wake up until much later ("You're Welcome"). She is the fourth Buffy the Vampire Slayer character to end up in a coma, after Buffy and Faith in "Graduation Day, Part Two" and Willow in "Becoming, Part One."
- Skip mentions that no one ever comes back from paradise but then corrects himself with, "Ok, a Slayer once, but—", in reference to Buffy's return in "Bargaining, Part One."
- The group comes to the conclusion that Jasmine must have piggy-backed Cordelia to get from her dimension to theirs. Anya referred to this as "hitch-hiking" in "After Life."
Appearances[]
Individuals[]
- Angel
- William Blim (Only mentioned)
- Winifred Burkle
- Cordelia Chase
- Connor
- Darla (Only in visions)
- Krevlornswath of the Deathwok Clan
- Alonna Gunn (Only mentioned)
- Charles Gunn
- Jasmine
- Manjet (Only in flashbacks)
- Lilah Morgan (Only in flashbacks)
- Skip
- Wesley Wyndam-Pryce
- Unidentified girl
Organizations and titles[]
- Angel Investigations
- Powers That Be (Only mentioned)
- Svear (Only in flashbacks)
- Wolfram & Hart (Only mentioned)
Species[]
Locations[]
- Buffy Summers' heaven (Only mentioned)
- Cordelia Chase's higher plane (Only mentioned)
- Earth
- Los Angeles
- Gwen Raiden's apartment (Only in flashbacks)
- Hyperion Hotel
- Wolfram & Hart Los Angeles branch (Only mentioned)
- Los Angeles
- Skip's dimension
Objects[]
- Blood
- Coin and Key
- Muo-Ping (Only in flashbacks)
- Sand of the red palm
Rituals and spells[]
- Binding spell
- Bu'shundi ritual (Only mentioned)
- Hutamin paw
- Sphere of the Infinite Agonies (Only mentioned)
Death count[]
- A vampire, dusted by Connor
- Unidentified girl, killed by Cordelia (possessed by Jasmine).
- Skip, shot by Wesley with a gun.
Behind the scenes[]
Production[]
- Darla says she was sent by the Powers to send Connor a message. While there is no evidence that the vision is telling the truth, Steven S. DeKnight confirms it.[2]
Broadcast[]
- "Inside Out" had an audience of 2.3 million households upon its original airing.[3]
Pop culture references[]
- Lorne makes a double reference by nicknaming Connor "Kid Vicious." The Kid was a 1921 movie where he adopts an orphaned and delinquent little boy. Sid Vicious was a member of the punk rock band Sex Pistols.
- When Angel swings on a chain to attack him, Skip asks, "What are you, Tarzan?"
Music[]
- Douglas Romayne — "Cordy's Journey"
- Robert J. Kral — original score
International titles[]
- Czech: "Naruby" (Inside Out)
- Finnish: "Veriuhri" (Blood Sacrifice)
- French: "L'horreur sans nom" (The Nameless Horror)
- German: "Die Geburt" (The Birth)
- Hungarian: "Kirekesztve" (Left Out)
- Italian: "Dentro e fuori" (Inside and Out)
- Portuguese (Brazil): "De Dentro para Fora" (From the Inside Out)
- Russian: "Появление на свет" (Birth)
- Spanish (Latin America): "De dentro hacia afuera" (From the Inside Out)
- Spanish (Spain): "De adentro hacia afuera" (From the Inside Out)
- Turkish: "Tersyüz" (Inside Out)
Adaptations[]
- Steven S. DeKnight provided the audio commentaries for this episode on the Angel Season Four on DVD set.
Gallery[]
Promotional stills[]
Quotes[]
Gunn: "You sayin' Pop and Mama threw you a beatin'?" |
Lorne: "Kid Vicious did the heavy lifting. Cordy just 'mwha-ha-ha-ed' at us." |
Gunn: "Guy steps out for a few hours, half the place goes super-villain." |
Skip: "Look out. The monkey's thinkin' again." |
Gunn: "The final score can't be rigged. I don't care how many players you grease, that last shot always comes up a question mark. But here's the thing. You never know when you're taking it. It could be when you're duking it out with the Legion of Doom or just crossing the street deciding where to have brunch. So you just treat it all like it was up to you — the world on a balance — 'cause you never know when it is." |
References[]
- ↑ "angel: Inside Out." TheWB.com. Archived from the original on October 25, 2004.
- ↑ Steven S. DeKnight, Angel Season Four on DVD: audio commentaries for the episode "Inside Out." [DVD]. 20th Century Studios, September 2004.
- ↑ "Nielsen Ratings for Angel's Fourth Season." Nielsen Ratings for Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, & Firefly. Archived from the original on July 6, 2008.