"Angel" Lonely Hearts (1999)

Director:

James A. Contner

Writers:

Joss Whedon (creator) &
David Greenwalt (creator) ...

TV Series:

"Angel" (1999)

Original Air Date:

12 October 1999 (Season 1, Episode 2)

Genre:

Action | Drama | Fantasy | Thriller

Plot:

Angel, with the aid of new ally Detective Kate Lockley, tracks a serial killer whose hunting ground is LA's single bars.

Plot Keywords:

Reference To Peter Pan | Vampire | Vampire Slayer | Redemption | Actress

US TV Schedule:

Fri. Nov. 20

6:00 AM

TNT

Lonely Hearts

#1.2

Cast

David Boreanaz	...	Angel
Charisma Carpenter	...	Cordelia Chase
Glenn Quinn	...	Allen Doyle
Elisabeth Röhm	...	Detective Kate Lockley (as Elisabeth Rohm)
Lilli Birdsell	...	Sharon Richler (as Lillian Birdsell)
Obi Ndefo	...	Bartender
Derek Hughes	...	Neil
Johnny Messner	...	Kevin
Jennifer Tung	...	Neil Pick-Up Girl
Tracey Stone	...	Pretty Girl
David Nisic	...	Slick Guy
Ken Rush	...	Guy
Connor Kelly	...	Regular

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Company:

Mutant Enemy

Trivia:

Originally, David Fury had written a darker script called "Corrupt." In that script, Kate was a prostitute, and Angel licked blood off of a murder victim. Copies of the script are floating around on-line.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: During the first battle when Angel is throw by the worm demon a cameraman is visible in the lower right corner.

Quotes:

Kate Lockley: What do you do?
Angel: Do?
Kate Lockley: For a living.
Angel: I uh, well, basically I'm, uh, I help... I'm a veterinarian.

Movie Connections:

References "Cagney & Lacey" (1982)

Soundtrack:

Touched

Angel goes undercover at a singles bar... So you know it's gonna be funny

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

This is actually a really fun episode. I love any situation where Angel has to mingle in the human world. He's so bad at blending in, that it's always hilarious. "Lonely Hearts" also establishes some important things for later in the series. It introduces Kate Lockley, who will be a recurring character for the next several seasons. And it sets-up Doyle's infatuation with Cordy. He's scared that she'll be disgusted is she learns that he's a demon, but he's still very attracted to her. All in all, you shouldn't skip this episode if you're watching the season on DVD.

"Lonely Hearts" revolves around the LA nightclub scene. Doyle gets a vision for the Powers that Be which sends Angel, Cordy and Doyle to a local bar. They scout around for someone who looks like they're in trouble. Angel strikes up a conversation with a woman named Kate and the two of them find some common ground in their sense of isolation. Angel and the gang don't see any problems at the night club (aside from the occasional bar fight.) But the killer has struck again. It turns out that a burrower demon is infecting people at the bar, jumping from one body to the other. And it does it by sleeping with someone and then burrowing into their body. Angel comes across it right after a kill and he fights it. The Burrower escapes. Kate come in and jumps to the conclusion that Angel is the murder. She pulls out a badge, says that she's a police detective and tries to arrest him. Angel runs off.

Meanwhile, Doyle is trying to get closer to Cordy. He still hasn't told her that he's half demon, so he's discouraged when she says that all demons are disgusting slimy monsters. The two of them research the Burrower and discover that it's weakness is fire. Angel is determined to kill it and to prove his innocence. He calls Kate and she reluctantly agrees to meet him at the night club. When she gets there she'd attacked by the bartender, who's been infected by the Burrower. Angel arrives and fights it. It catches fire. Kate shoots it before it can ignite Angel with it's body. Kate and Angel reach an uneasy alliance.

There's a lot to like about this episode. I love Angel's awkwardness at the bar. He'd much rather be sitting in the dark, brooding and being alone. Instead, he's stuck trying to deal with loud music and pick-up lines. He's so cute and baffled by his surroundings. He approaches women with the question, "Do you need to be rescued?" Which, if you look like Angel, comes of as kind of charming. Women flirt with him and he's just so surprised that you have to laugh. Also, Cordy's business cards are just hilarious. Angel and Doyle try to guess what the symbol on them means, "A butterfly? An owl?" Finally she shouts, "It's an angel!" Doyle and Angel immediately nod, "Of course. Sure. Brilliant." They try so hard to make her happy, but they're just completely oblivious. And Doyle and Cordy are adorable together. She's handing out the new business cards with typical Cordelia tact, "Hey you look troubled." While Doyle tries to explain that it's not such a good idea. Pretty soon, men are thinking that she's a call girl and Doyle is in a fight to defend her honor. It's pretty funny.

"Lonely Hearts" has a none-to-subtle theme of connectedness. People are going to the bar in order to make connections. The burrowers is trying to make a connection so it can survive. Angel is trying to deal with his new connections with the human world. Doyle wants to connect to Cordy. Cordy feels disconnected from her old life. Basically, they all dealing with their loneliness and isolation in the big city. The Burrower demon succeeds in switching bodies because it's victims are desperate to make a connection. But it's never satisfied with the body it takes over. Prehaps because none of the people it sleeps with are really MAKING that connection. The Burrower is just having sex and, given the withdrawn nature of both parties afterwards, they still feel a sense of loneliness and isolation. The other characters have similar problems. Doyle won't open up and tell Cordy that he's a demon. Cordy is still clinging to her past as a rich cheerleader, hiding the deeper parts of her personality. Angel wants to hide in the dark rather than face the world as a vampire. And the people at the bar are all pretending to be something that they're not in order to look cool or fit in. The episode seems to be saying that, in order to feel a real connection, you have to let go of the past and open up to the people around you.

On the downside, I feel sorry for the bartender. The poor guy was a victim, too. But, now he's always going to be known as a killer. Also, this episode introduces Kate and I just don't like her. She's okay in this episode, but she'll be around into season two. By then her attitude starts to annoy me. And if Kate looked in Angels' refrigerator, wouldn't she see all that blood? Doesn't she wonder why it's there?

My favorite part of the episode: Angel trying to find out who needs his help at the bar... And ending up desperately assuring a man that he wasn't hitting on him.