Angel returns to the Hyperion Hotel. He tells the AI team about his meeting with Connor. He is convinced that Connor, who was able to survive in Quor'toth, will be all right in Los Angeles. The others fear that something else might have escaped from Quor'toth after Connor and might be pursuing him. Angel says Connor will come to the hotel as soon as he realizes what he needs. Cordelia says that what Connor needs is a father.
Connor and Holtz rent a motel room with money taken from Tyke (the drug dealer he fought). The next morning, Connor gets a newspaper and brings it to Holtz. Looking at the date, Holtz knows that only a few days have passed since he took Connor to Quor'toth, for all that many years passed for him and Connor.
Holtz praises Connor for finding a way to escape Quor'toth. Connor says he did it by following the Sluks, the translucent, slug-like creatures that the AI team fought. Connor adds that Holtz should have remained in Quar-Toth, because he, Connor, intended to return there to join Holtz after killing Angel. Holtz replies that Connor does not have it in him to kill Angel. Connor's real reason for coming to Los Angeles, Holtz claims, was to meet Angel.
Holtz says God gave Connor into his care, to make up for the children that Holtz lost. Holtz says he is glad that Connor did not kill Angel, and tells him to rejoin Angel so that he may learn about this world and himself, but he also warns Connor to be on his guard.
At the hotel, Lorne brings in a Cedrian crystal, which can store mystical energy in the way a battery can store electricity. The team uses it to power a modified Geiger counter that will detect para-plasmic radioactivity and so tell them whether anything, beyond what they already know of, escaped from Quar-Toth. Cordelia goes upstairs to talk with Angel.
In the hotel courtyard, Lorne and the Groosalugg discuss Angel's handling of Connor's return. The Groosalugg's words also refer to his relationship with Cordelia.
Upstairs, Cordelia assures Angel that Connor will eventually return.
Wesley eats a TV dinner. A beep from his computer alerts him to a mail message. The anonymous message instructs him to go to 782 W. Palm Terrace at 8:30 p.m., and be alone.
Fred sweeps the hotel lobby with her para-plasmic Geiger counter. The sound leads her to the door, where Connor has just entered. Angel introduces him to the team as Steven. The four others leave so that Connor and Angel are alone.
Before the two can begin their conversation, Cordelia re-enters. She reports a vision about a woman in a bar who is threatened by a gang of vampires. Angel says he has to leave, and invites Connor to go with him.
Wesley goes to the address as instructed. It turns out to be a bar. Wesley finds Lilah on the mezzanine, and understands it was she who summoned him. As he is about to leave, Lilah points out Justine, who is sitting at the bar on the main floor. Lilah got Justine to come by telling her there would be vampires at the bar. She also got the vampires to come by telling them Justine would be at the bar. Lilah thinks Wesley will enjoy watching Justine, the woman who helped ruin his life, die.
Wesley turns to leave, and Lilah asks if he's going to warn Justine before he goes. Wes hesitates, and this tells Lilah what she wants to know. The fact that he briefly considered leaving Justine knowing she would be killed otherwise proves to her that she isn't wasting her time with him and she professes to have no further interest in the case, while also promising to extricate Justine before she is killed. Wesley says that won't be necessary, because he notices Angel circulating in the crowd.
Connor asks Angel why he kills vampires, in as much as he is a vampire too. Before Angel can answer, several vampires attack Justine and the battle is on. Connor saves Justine, and the two of them give each other a long time. Angel tells her to go and she does.
On the mezzanine, Lilah asks Wesley who the "boy wonder" is. Wesley tells her the boy is Angel's son. Lilah watches the two expertly fight off the vampires, and asks Wesley what he thinks, only to learn he's already left unnoticed.
Connor pursues a vampire into an alley. Angel appears and the two kill the vampire together. Angel congratulates Connor on his fighting. Angel smiles and the two spar playfully. Holtz watches from a balcony in the same alley.
Holtz returns to the motel room where he is staying. He finds Connor there, eating candy. Connor says Angel tried to fool him, but it didn't work. "I've seen his true face," Connor says. "And I've seen yours," Holt replies.
Angel and Cordelia exult over Connor's fighting. Cordelia says that she went back into her vision after Angel left, and she saw the whole fight.
In their second-floor motel room, Holtz tells Connor he is meant to be with Angel, though Connor objects. It looks like Holtz has had a change of heart about Angel. He says Connor is not a demon, but other than that, he does not know what Connor is. He tells Connor to go find out.
Fred and Gunn are cruising in Gunn's truck with their Geiger counter. They find the motel where Connor and Holtz are staying. Connor comes out of the motel room and leaps to the parking lot, so Gunn and Fred see him. Gunn also sees Holtz standing in the doorway.
Connor returns to the Hyperion Hotel. Finding Lorne in the lobby, Connor insults him as a "filthy demon." Cordelia appears and attempts to mollify Connor. She tells him that in this dimension demons are not always evil. She mentions that she is part demon. Hearing this, Connor attacks her with a knife.
A soft light envelopes Cordelia and spreads to Connor. The blade of Connor's knife disappears. The light fades from Cordelia first, then from Connor a few seconds later, while Cordelia counsels him to "let it go, honey." He cries on her shoulder.
Angel appears. While Connor sits by himself, apparently reflecting on his recent experience with Cordelia, the three adults discuss Cordelia's new powers and what she did to Connor. Lorne guesses that she purged Connor of the evil energy that he brought with him from Quor'toth.
Angel speaks to Connor. Connor reminds Angel that he tried to kill Cordelia, and says he should go. Angel asks him to stay, saying the Hyperion Hotel could be a home for Connor. Without mentioning Holtz's name, Connor says Holtz told him the same thing, which alerts Angel to the fact that Holtz is back.
Gunn and Fred enter the hotel.
Holtz opens his door to find Justine there.
Angel sends Connor off with Fred and Gunn. He plans to confront Holtz. Cordelia tells him not to go. She doesn't mind if Angel wants to kill Holtz, but she warns him not to lie to his son.
Holtz and Justine talk. Justine is still loyal to Holtz. Holtz says something changed while he was in Quor'toth. He developed love for Connor, and found love is more powerful than hate. He says he needs Justine to do something for him, and then he will be done with vengeance.
Fred and Gunn take Connor to a beach. He has never seen an ocean before. Connor walks to the edge of the surf for a closer look, while Fred and Gunn talk about what Angel plans to do. Connor, who seems to have abnormally good hearing, overhears them and runs off.
At the Hyperion Hotel, Cordelia is about to leave when a figure enters. At first she thinks it is Angel. She says it makes her happy that he didn't go when she asked him not to. It turns out to be the Groosalugg, not Angel at the door.
Holtz is putting a letter into an envelope when Angel enters his motel room. Angel pins Holtz against a wall and shouts, "You took my son!" Holtz replied, "I kept your son alive, you murdered mine." Angel says he is sorry, "for whatever little it might mean," and asserts that Holtz taking Connor was vengeance, not justice. Holtz says he has lost his taste for vengeance and will now give Connor back to Angel. He hands Angel a letter to give Connor. It is not sealed. He expects and intends for Angel to read it.
Connor runs through an alley toward Holtz's motel.
Angel, sitting in his convertible, reads Holtz's letter, which is a valedictory.
Holtz meets Justine in a nearby alley. At his request, and as she promised, she cuts his throat.
Connor looks in the motel room. Holtz is not there.
Connor finds Justine in the alley with Holtz's head in her lap. Connor sees a wound in his neck that resembles the fang wounds that result from a vampire attack. Connor says, "Angelus."
Tropes
- Attack Hello: Connor to Angel in the alley behind the nightclub.
- Back-to-Back Badasses: Connor and Angel fighting vampires in the nightclub.
- Bait-and-Switch: Everything to do with Holtz's intentions. He appears to be a worn-out shell of a man whose love for his adopted son has finally overcome his hatred of Angel. It turns out Holtz is playing everyone yet again.
- Bait-and-Switch Comment: Angel's meeting with Connor is interrupted by Cordy having a vision, so Angel has to make his excuses. Gotta go to work, son.Angel: (to Connor) "It could be kind of dangerous. There's a lot of killing and violence. [beat] You wanna come?"
- Chekhov's Gun: A subtle version where Connor's superhearing is hinted at by his failure to hear a vampire (who doesn't breathe).
- Come Alone: Lilah sends an anonymous email to Wesley asking for a meet.Lilah: "I thought the 'come alone' was a particularly ironic touch. I mean, how else would you come?"
- Continuity Nod: The vampires re Justine. "She thinks she's a Slayer."
- Cooldown Hug: Cordy to Connor after she does the glow-y thing, draining him of his hatred.
- Cruel Mercy: Holtz says that Angel taking back Connor as his son will remind Angel of the family Angelus took from Holtz.
- Curse Cut Short: When Connor acts hostile to Lorne due to him being a demon, Lorne is about to call him a little prick when Cordelia interrupts.
- Dead Man Writing / One Dialogue, Two Conversations: Holtz leaves a letter for Connor, inviting Angel to read it so he knows it's above board. Of course Angel doesn't know Holtz intends to frame him for his own death, and this loving final message only increases Connor's determination.
- Description Cut: Holtz warning Connor "The devil will show you bright things, many colors." to Fred examining an enchanted crystal. Fred saying that he [Connor] has to come back to Angel "because he's family." Cut to Wesley sitting alone in his apartment.
- Don't Ask:Lorne: "A six-horned Lach-Nie owed me a favor. Don't ask."
- Emotion Bomb:Lorne: "In my professional opinion? Well, Miss Demon-y Britches here gave that child some kind of 'soul colonic'. Flushed him out but good."
- Empty Shell: Holtz, it appears. Turns out his mind is as sharp as ever.
- Foreshadowing: "The devil will show you bright things, many colors." In the next episode Angel takes Connor to an action movie which he quite enjoys. Fred's conversation with Connor on what lies beneath the ocean also becomes significant.
- Fantastic Racism: Connor insults Lorne, then when Cordelia sits down with him to explain that she too is a demon, Connor tries to kill her the moment she turns away.
- Frame-Up / Wounded Gazelle Gambit: At Holtz's request, Justine kills Holtz by puncturing his neck twice with an ice pick, then tells Connor that Angel killed him.
- Good Is Not Nice: Cordy isn't bothered if Angel kills Holtz.
- Heel Realization: His last words reveal that Holtz knows he's headed to Hell for his actions. And he doesn't give a damn.
- Impromptu Tracheotomy: To make Holtz appear to be a vampire victim.
- I've Come Too Far: Holtz admits in his final words that he's most likely going to Hell for his actions, but he sees no point in stopping anymore.
- Kill the Ones You Love / Cradling Your Kill: A villainous example with Justine killing Holtz.
- I Just Want My Beloved to Be Happy: Averted. Holtz sacrifices Justine and Connor's future happiness for revenge.
- Ironic Echo: Justine tells Holtz she would have followed him into Hell. Later when Justine is begging Holtz not to make her kill him, Holtz says, "I'm not asking you to follow me to Hell, Justine — just send me there."
- Lotus Position: Cordy sits cross-legged on the bed listening to Angel.
- Manipulative Bastard: Holtz realises that despite indoctrinating Connor to hate Angel, the boy is drawn to his vampire father. He quickly adapts, encouraging Connor to form a connection which will get under Angel's guard, and increase Connor's sense of betrayal after Holtz's death.
- Newspaper Dating: Holtz looks at a newspaper to see what year it is and is shocked to find that only days have passed since they left.
- Oh, Crap!: Fred & Gunn realise Connor can hear their conversation.
- One Dialogue, Two Conversations: Groo asks Lorne why Angel is waiting for Connor to return to him of his own accord. Lorne says these things can't be forced.Groo: "But if a thing is meant to be, then how can it be forced?"
Lorne: "Well, I guess it can't."
Groo: "And if a thing is not meant to be?"
Lorne: "Well, then it really can't. Just because someone hops a dimension or two is no guarantee that things will work out. [realises Groo is actually referring to his relationship with Cordelia] Well, aren't you just sneaky with the subtext?" - Percussive Therapy: The punching bag gets another pounding.
- Political OvercorrectnessLilah: "Seems [Justine] has been pissing off a lot of undead Americans lately."
- Poor Communication Kills: Cordelia warns Angel not to lie to Connor about going to confront Holtz. Angel ignores the advice, making him look even more guilty when Connor discovers the deception and runs back to the motel to find Holtz dead.
- Power Glows: Cordy lets out some serious mojo to stop Connor killing her — his knife blade disintegrates and he's drained of the hatred Quor'toth infected him with.
- The Power of Hate: Holtz attributes his own longevity in Quor'toth to it. Justine comments that hate has a bad rap.
- The Power of Love: Holtz realises that Justine and Connor's love for him is a more powerful weapon than their hatred of Angel.
- Revenge Before Reason: Holtz kills himself (a mortal sin in Catholic belief, meaning eternity in Hell) to ensure Angel's demise at his son's hands. Although the writers said in the DVD commentary that this was less about revenge and more the only way Holtz could see of ensuring that Connor continued loving him.
- Secret Test of Character: Lilah arranges for Justine (the woman who cut Wesley's throat and stole Connor) to walk into a vampire ambush and invites Wesley to take a grandstand view. Wesley scoffs at the idea that he'd want to do so and starts to walk out.Wes: You really don't know the first thing about me, do you?
Lilah: Probably not. [beat] Like, will he go straight to his car, or will he stop to warn her first?
[Wes stops, but doesn't turn or speak.]
Lilah: He has to think about it. That's good. That's all I really needed to know. (Turns away from him) You can go.
Wes: A test, Lilah?
Lilah: Oh, don't look so grim. I just needed to know whether or not I was wasting my time. - Schizo Tech: Fred's enchanted Cedrian Crystal inside an army surplus Geiger counter.
- Shut Up, Kirk!: Angel furiously confronts Holtz over kidnapping Connor. Holtz retorts that he kept Connor alive and raised him, while Angel/Angelus killed Holtz's own son.
- Stealth Hi/Bye: Done by Wes to Lilah. Of course it's easier when you're in a crowded nightclub.
- Super-Senses: Connor has inherited highly-tuned hearing from his vampire parents, as Fred and Gunn find out when they discuss Angel going to see Holtz out of what they assume is his hearing range.
- Talk About That Thing: The Fang Gang giving Angel some alone time with his son.
- Thanatos Gambit: Holtz's endgame: killing himself in a manner resembling a vampire attack, so Connor will think Angel did it.
- That Came Out WrongFred: "Looks like we've been following [Connor's] emissions the whole time."Gunn: "Now there is a sentence I don't ever need to hear again."
- They Call Me MISTER Tibbs!Connor: "Filthy demon."Lorne: "That's Uncle Filthy Demon to you. It wasn't that long ago - like a week - I was changing your diapers."
- This Is the Part Where...Cordy: "Wait. Angel, before you go we have to do that thing."
Angel: "What thing?"
Cordy: "That thing we do. You know that thing where I say 'Are you sure you know what you're doing, Angel, please think about this' and then you ignore me and rush headlong into trouble?" - Twisted Echo CutAngel: "He's got to come back on his own. And he will. Just as soon as he realizes what he needs."
Gunn: "And what's that?"
Cordy: "A father."
(Cut to Connor a hotel's reception desk)
Connor: "A room. (at hotel reception) I need a room for me and my father [Holtz]."
