Template:Angelepisode
"The Shroud of Rahmon" is the eighth episode of the second season of Angel and the thirtieth episode overall. Written by Jim Kouf and directed by David Grossman, it was originally broadcast on November 21, 2000 on the WB network.
Angel and Gunn go undercover to foil theft of a demonic burial shroud at the Los Angeles Natural History Museum, unaware that the evil garment makes people crazy and violent. Angel temporarily turns violent and attacks Kate when she shows up to stop the theft, and Wesley and Cordelia also go crazy when they enter the museum to look for Angel and Gunn; Wesley ends up getting blamed for the attempted murder of Kate and the killing of a security guard.
Synopsis
Two detectives interrogate Wesley about an attempted murder. Wesley tells them everything just went very wrong. Without revealing the vampire's name, Wesley explains that Angel wasn't supposed to be there, but since he's so stubborn, he was there anyway. Before this, Wesley stopped by the hotel and talked with Cordelia. She's cut her hair and he's noticing it for the first time. Because Angel is on a case with Gunn, Cordelia and Wesley go to a movie premiere.
Angel and Gunn meet with Gunn's cousin, Lester, who asks for their help. Lester's friend E.J. vouched for him to be a driver for a demonic robbery, but he wants nothing to do with it. A vampire Angel knows by reputation, Jay-Don, is being brought in to help. Much to Gunn's dismay, Angel takes charge of the case. Angel returns to the hotel and finds Kate in his room. She wants information on Darla and despite the cross she carries, Angel is not threatened and warns her to back off before she is killed, threatening her that if she comes between him and Darla, it would be the last thing that she would ever do. Angel meets Jay-Don at the bus station and kills him, then impersonates the vampire, who had been a member of the Rat Pack in the '50s. A demon named Menlo meets with the vampire he thinks is Jay-Don and takes him to the others. Another demon, Vyasa; a human security guard, Bob; and Gunn - pretending to be Lester - complete the team.
Cordelia researches museums to find which one may be the location of the robbery and learns the Los Angeles Natural History Museum temporarily contains the Shroud of Rahmon, a mystical object that causes people around it to go insane. Meanwhile, Angel breaks inside the museum, where the Shroud's effect causes him to revert to his vampire visage. Wesley and Cordelia enter the building and are immediately affected as well. The demons, humans and vampires slowly carry the tomb on a path out of the building and gradually become more erratic and violent towards each other. Vyasa kills Bob by ripping off his head. Wesley encounters Kate in the building and has trouble keeping focused on his mission to help Angel. Wesley confronts Angel and tries to warn him about the Shroud.
Kate finds Angel and the others and pulls a gun on them. Angel confronts her, knocks her gun out of the way, and bites her, flinging her limp form to the ground when he's done. A police team arrives and finds Wesley leaning over Kate's body. The tomb is carried to another building and due to the Shroud's effect on the demons, they all fight over it. Menlo and Vyasa kill each other while Gunn and Angel play tug of war with the shroud until Angel convinces Gunn to let go. After dousing the Shroud in alcohol, Angel sets it aflame.
In the interrogation room, the detectives are convinced that Wesley is the killer. As they're about to arrest him, a wan and pale Kate shows up and tells them to let him go. Though Angel bit her briefly, he used it as cover to turn her around so she could see that one of the guys was holding a gun on her, and then to warn her to stay down so they wouldn't kill her. Afterward, Wesley and Cordelia reflect upon what happened, and Wesley worries that Angel's blood lust has been reawakened by the taste of human blood. We see Kate examining the bite marks on her neck in the mirror and reminiscing about Angel biting her. Meanwhile, Angel sits in his room, his thoughts focused on biting Kate.
Continuity
- When Kate interrupts the heist and Angel mentions her obsession with her father's death, he is referring to the season 1 episode "The Prodigal" in which Kate's father, Trevor, is killed by a vampire associate of Wolfram & Hart.
- When Gunn and Angel begin to argue as a result of the effects of the Shroud, Angel mentions Gunn's sister. This is a reference to the events of the season 1 episode "War Zone" in which Alonna, Gunn's sister, is captured and turned into a vampire. The mention of Alonna is further suggestion that Gunn's continued fight against demons is fueled by his guilt over her death and his failure to protect her.
- In the opening scene when Cordelia and Wesley are discussing how much time Angel spends thinking about Darla, Cordelia comments on Wesley's suit and assumes he's going to "yet another glamorous celebrity filled gala with Ms. Virginia Bryce." This is the first indication that Wesley and Virginia continued their relationship after "Guise Will Be Guise." Their relationship will continue for several more episodes before Virginia leaves to distance herself from Wesley's demon filled lifestyle.
Body Count
- Jay-Don, dusted by Angel
- Bob, beheaded by Vyasa
- Vyasa, shot by Menlo
- Menlo, punched by Vyasa, fatally hit his head on the way down
Behind the Scenes
Production
International titles
- German: Das Leichentuch des Rahmon (The shroud of Rahmon)
- French: Le linceul qui rend fou (The shroud that drives crazy)
Music
- Robert J. Kral- original score
Quotes
| Wesley: "You don't tell him what to do. He's the boss." |
| Broomfield: "The boss." |
| Wesley: "He helps people, you know. When he's not in trouble himself." |
| Wesley: "What happened to your hair?" |
| Cordelia: "Excuse me?" |
| Wesley: "Your hair. It's ... new. It's great! When did this happen?" |
| Cordelia: "Ten days ago." |
| Wesley: "Of course! I didn't want to embarrass you by ..." |
| Cordelia: "Noticing?" |
| Wesley: "He doesn't seem to be doing much with his time lately." |
| Cordelia: "Au contraire, his day is packed. Brood about Darla, brood about Darla, lunch, followed by a little Darla brooding." |
| Cordelia: "Time to traipse off to your soul-sucking Hollywood party?" |
| Wesley: "Premiere, actually. And, uh, I happen to have an extra ticket." |
| Cordelia: "Who does shallow better than me?" |
| Angel: "And what is that piece of junk?" |
| Menlow: "You're funny, vampire." |
| Angel: "Whoa, we need to talk, bro. Two things bring in the chicks ... the 'do, and the ride." |
| Menlow: "Get in." |
| Angel: "I hope I don't see anybody I know." |
| Cordelia: "Okay, here we go. Site map, membership, museum shop...don't they have a section like, things you might want to steal?" |
| Cordelia: "Why is it always virgin women who have to do the sacrificing? |
| Wesley: "For purity, I suppose." |
| Cordelia: "This has nothing to do with purity. This is all about dominance, buddy. You can bet that if someone ordered a male body part for religious sacrifice, the world would be atheist like that." |
| Angel: "Whoa! Okay, you got me. My life of crime is over. I'm going down. But first, a little impression: I'm a cop, with a mission to protect the innocent and rain on everybody's parade and obsess about my father's death and bother people who are about to steal things!" |