History Recap / AngelS01E15TheProdigal

* ActuallyNotAVampire: The episode begins in flashback with Angel attempting to lure a servant girl out of the sunlight and into the shadows. As it turns out, this scene occurs before Angel was turned into a vampire; he's just horny and hung over.

* InnocuouslyImportantEpisode: The flashbacks to Liam's life, siring, and his first nights as a vampire, aren't just there for the parallels between [=Liam/Angel=] and Kate's relationships with their respective fathers. They're also used to introduce Darla, who will be resurrected in the season's final moments and strongly impact the rest of the series.

In a flashback to Galway, {{UsefulNotes/Ireland}}, 1753, Angel—at that point, still known as "Liam"—is fighting with his father. Enraged by his son's chronic fecklessness and current mocking demeanor, Liam's father slaps his son in the face, shouting that he'll always be a layabout and a scoundrel. In the present, Angel is fighting a demon that is dressed like a homeless person on the train tracks in a L.A. subway tunnel. As Detective Kate Lockley arrives on the scene, the demon clutches its chest, sinks to the ground and expires. Forced again to deal with L.A.'s dark side and Angel's place in it, Kate ironically wonders whether she should call the coroner or Hazardous Materials, while Angel tries to convince her not to report the supernatural aspects of this case. Later, as an officer interviews the Blue Circle courier who pulled the emergency cord after allegedly being attacked by "your average Joe-stink homeless guy," Angel's instincts are immediately aroused when he spots Kate's dad, retired police detective Trevor Lockley, take a package from the crime scene.

In a flashback to Galway, Ireland, 1753, Angel—at that point, still known as "Liam"—is fighting with his father. Enraged by his son's chronic fecklessness and current mocking demeanor, Liam's father slaps his son in the face, shouting that he'll always be a layabout and a scoundrel. In the present, Angel is fighting a demon that is dressed like a homeless person on the train tracks in a L.A. subway tunnel. As Detective Kate Lockley arrives on the scene, the demon clutches its chest, sinks to the ground and expires. Forced again to deal with L.A.'s dark side and Angel's place in it, Kate ironically wonders whether she should call the coroner or Hazardous Materials, while Angel tries to convince her not to report the supernatural aspects of this case. Later, as an officer interviews the Blue Circle courier who pulled the emergency cord after allegedly being attacked by "your average Joe-stink homeless guy," Angel's instincts are immediately aroused when he spots Kate's dad, retired police detective Trevor Lockley, take a package from the crime scene.

* PetTheDog: Liam comforts his sister over his arguement with his fatger. This makes it all the more painful when Angelus kills her.