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Expecting Review by Nemo
Episode 1.12
Original Air Date: 01.25.00
Small Summary | Big Summary | Quoteable | Continuity | 3 W's | Ficcable? | Rating
Short Summary and alternate episode title (for those who don’t want to futz with the big one):
Cordy gets Impregnated with Demon Spawn: Part I
Wes has to play Daddy for Cordelia when a one-night stand leaves her with seven mind-controlling buns in the oven. Wes and Angel manage to save her with a gun and a handy container of liquid nitrogen!
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Big Summary (for anyone who wants to fic, but missed the episode):
Cordy, in what looks to be a folded picnic cloth, carefully applies lipstick with the help of a window. Unfortunately, she did not count on the Dark Revenger sneaking up on her. Her lipstick smears, and she demands that he give her some warning when he’s sneaking up on her, like humming. He tells her that he doesn’t hum (add that to the list of things Angel doesn’t do.) She hopes she’s too young and carefree for a heart attack.
Angel, meanwhile, is going through her filing, and wondering why Mrs. Benson is filed under “P”. She glances and tells him it’s an F. She filed it because the woman was from France. Her reasoning: she was a pain, and made Angel want to drink a lot. Angel decides to leave this argument for another day.
Then, Wesley enters with his “new Bavarian fighting adz”. He’s come to see if Cordy had a vision and if he can help them fight any sort of rising evil. She tells him that there is no rising evil. He adds that he brought along “Word Puzzle 3-D”, just in case. Cordelia takes this moment to mock him, letting him know she’d love to, but she’s not in her eighties quite yet. He counters that if shaking her booty at the local hotspot is her idea of a part, then color him sick with envy.
And then, he is, because her two friends enter, including a gorgeous young African-American woman who’s is definitely hitting on our boy. He fumbles, trying to be cool, but managing to do nothing more than put his adz through the wall.
The girl, Serena, tells Cordy they need to go if they’re going to get into the club. She gets ready to motor, and Serena looks back at Wesley, mentioning that the Hugh Grant-thing is really starting to work for her. He gawks.
Then, Cordy goes down under a vision. To cover for her, Angel knocks some papers on the ground near her, asking her to grab them.
Wes dives in, scooping up the papers and blocking view to Cordy. The boys fumblingly try to make small-talk with the two girls as Cordy recovers, but all they manage to do is wind up with Wes’ arm draped over Angel’s shoulder, and Serena telling her friend, Emily, that the good ones are always gay.
Cordelia gives Angel the quick skinny on their “new client”, and heads out. Wesley hopefully asks if he can help kill the “big baby creature”, and when Angel agrees, he looks like his day has been made. He runs and grabs his adz, which is still embedded in the wall. He yanks, but it doesn’t budge. He braces himself, gives it his all, and falls flat when it suddenly comes loose.
The boys go the address Cordy gave them, and Wes goes in first, since there seems to be an invitation-barrier for Angel. Wes finds himself confronting . . . an old couple watching television. Undeterred, he demands to know where they lay their eggs. Meanwhile, Angel looks across the street and sees the actual demon hatching. He tries to stop his bumbling friend, making up a story about termites. Wesley gets it, and apologizes to the couple about the door they broke through, before beating a hasty retreat.
After quite a battle, they manage to take down the demon, exiting the house covered in slime and hoping that Tarvald demons leave security deposits. Wesley goes on to sarcastically than Cordelia for sending them to the wrong house. Angel counters that she has a lot on her mind. She’s till trying to find her way in the world. Wesley starts in on a tangent about higher callings, but is interrupted as Angel points out a blob of slime on Wesley’s cheek. He gets it, and adds that it’s Angel’s call, but he doesn’t like the idea of Cordelia having those types of friends. Angel mentions that he thought they liked Wes. He stumbles to a halt in surprise, retracting all statements about them, and wondering if the adz in the wall put them off. That, and the fact they thought he and Angel were gay. Angel flippantly says that it adds mystery.
Cordy’s friends, meanwhile, have mixed opinions about their new hot spot. Serena’s still impressed, but Emily is bored. Serena points out that Cordy isn’t.
She definitely isn’t. She hand a pleasant-looking fellow we can only assume is Wilson Christopher, her date, are sitting, deep in discussion about what L. A.’s been like for her. He’s sweet and encouraging, and obviously charming the high-heels off Cordy. In fact, she likes him so much that, when he takes her back to her apartment, she asks if he might want to stay. Despite Phantom Dennis’ continued efforts to thwart her mood-setting by constantly bringing the lights back up to full intensity when she tries to dim them, and switching her romantic music to a polka station, she still manages to get him interested.
They end up sleeping together, which makes Cordy the last member of the Scooby Gang to lose her virginity.
The next morning, Cordy wakes up, still buzzed from the night before. She looks at the clock, and it’s practically noon. She’s alone, but not too worried as she mentions to herself that somebody’s going to be late for work.
She tries to sit up, but something’s impeding her. Confused, she looks down, and stares in growing horror at her now eight-months-pregnant belly.
The boys have arrived. Angel called her house twice with no answer. Wesley suggests that she might have slept somewhere else. He thinks they should just wait.
Angel has other ideas, breaking open her door. Wesley sighs and follows him in. Angel says he has a bad feeling, and Wesley drawls that he thought it was just him. Angel say s that this isn’t like Cordy, but Wesley points out that shirking her duties has been quite like her.
Then, they open the bedroom door, and all enmity drains from Wesley’s face as he gazes in shock at the girl in the bed. She’s very scared, telling them that she can’t seem to wake up. They promise to help her, and Angel has her dial Wilson’s number, telling her that he’ll talk to him, but he might know what’s happening. Cordelia sobs out that she’s being punished, but Wesley is quick to deny that, finally coming to her other side. Angel discovers that Wilson’s number has been disconnected, and he knows that he has to find another way. He assures her that they’re going to get to the bottom of this, and that she’s not alone. She says that’s sort of the problem.
The boys reconvene in the hall as Dennis gently tends to Cordelia, and Angel says that he’s going to track down Wilson. Wesley, meanwhile, needs to see what’s inside Cordy. Wesley is affronted, until Angel explains to the oblivious Rogue Demon Hunter that he needs to take Cordy for a pre-natal exam. Wesley comprehends, and agrees.
At Lounge L’Brea, Angel first tries to bribe the bartender, and then finds that the man won’t accept his money. He explains that a man named Wilson Christopher hurt one of his friends, and now he has to find him. The bartender can’t help him pin down Wilson, but he can give Angel the location of Serena, who seems to be the deciding factor of the entire group. Angel starts to head out, and the bartender asks him if he’s the boyfriend. Angel looks him in the eye, and responds that he’s family.
Cordy waits in a hospital lobby with quite a few other expecting mothers, one of which tries to spark a conversation. However, she gets the idea that Cordelia might not be in the mood for talk when she tries to touch her belly and Cordelia shrieks at her not to touch it.
Wesley runs up, every inch the nervous daddy-to-be (though since Cordelia got eight-months-pregnant in a night, nervousness probably isn’t very hard to conjure). He assures Cordy that they’ll get in as soon as possible. He told them it was urgent.
Indeed, they get in quickly, and a tired and grumpy Cordelia tells the doctor that he’s the first they’ve seen. Quickly covering, Wesley adds that he’s the first in America. They just moved from England.
The doctor asks how Cordy’s feeling, and she responds that she’s as big as a house, everything hurts . . . it’s a nightmare. Both doctor and nurse look taken aback, and Wesley quickly mentions “hormones”.
They get ready to do the ultrasound, and Wesley gently rubs Cordelia’s shoulder comfortingly. They look at one another in mutual affection and worry as the doctor keys up the results. He cheerily states that someone’s having twins. Cordy grabs Wesley’s hand and they both gasp out that word in shock. However, the doctor’s not done. He finds a third heartbeat, a fourth . . . Wesley hurries over to take a look himself, and the doctor scuttles away as Wesley stares, appalled at the monitor. Cordelia demands to know what’s wrong, but the doctor assures her that it’s nothing. He just thinks it might be a good idea to withdraw and test some of the amniotic fluid, just in case. He pulls out a huge needle, and goes to, Wesley wincing as he watches it slide home. The fluid seems to be a lot thicker than the doctor expected, and takes far longer to withdraw. Finally, though, he’s got it, and hands it to the nurse. However, the nurse doesn’t get far as the fluid eats through the syringe, and, as she drops it to the floor, eats through the floor. A terrified doctor and nurse leave Wesley gaping in shock and Cordelia asking innocently if they’re healthy or not.
Meanwhile, Angel goes to Serena. He finds her in her apartment, and is about to confront her when she states that she thought he was from the liquor store. He’s almost dry. She turns, and is just as pregnant as Cordelia. She says she knows that the alcohol could hurt the baby. In fact, she hopes it does.
She explains that she really doesn’t know what happened. She knew the guys, and all she knows was that their money smelled bad. Very bad, but it’s L. A., and you stop asking questions. The guys were after girls with no one they could turn to for help. Then, Serena convulses, gasping.
At that moment, Cordelia’s doing he exact same thing in Angel’s elevator, supported by Wesley. He helps her off when they reach bottom, assuring her that everything will be all right. She says that she knows, and he praises her for her bravery. He gently leads her into the bedroom and helps her lie down, telling her to get as comfortable as possible. Slowly, she begins to act strange. She can sense the things inside her. They’re talking to her, but they’re all talking at once, and she can’t understand them. Wesley tries to soothe her, gently brushing back her hair until she falls into a fitful sleep.
When he looks up, Angel’s there.
They hurry into the other room, and they quickly swap information. Angel looks up gun clubs, and Wesley asks if guns can kill these demons. Angel tells him that Serena said Wilson and his friends hang out at some gun club. That’s where he’ll start his search; Wesley should keep researching the demon, see if he can’t figure out how to terminate the pregnancy without hurting Cordelia. If they can’t then Wes has to figure out what to do when the babies are born.
They hurry to do their jobs, only to be halted by the sight of Cordelia knocking back a pint of Angel’s blood. She sets it back in the fridge, wipes her blood-moustache off, and says that she was hungry. Both of the boys are thoroughly disgusted, and Angel adds ordering her a pizza to Wesley’s list of jobs.
Meanwhile, at the gun club, Angel tries to question Wilson. When questioning doesn’t work, he throws him into a pillar, and realizes that he’s human. Wilson’s just a middle-man for something else. Angel decides to get medieval on Wilson for answers, but his friends come in, packing heat.
Wesley has discovered the demon, even as Cordy walks up and asks him if that’s it. She picks up the book to examine the drawing more closely, and Wesley assures her that now that they know the demon’s species, they can very likely stop anything from happening. That’s about the point she clobbers him over the head with the book, knocking him out and informing him that no one is going to hurt her babies.
In the club Angel realizes that the demon gives them money, power, and sex for their services. They agree with that assessment, and then shoot him.
Angel goes down, only to get up, in full game face and mad as hell. He proceeds to kick all their asses, and finally, after throwing Wilson through a sheet of glass, tell him in no uncertain terms to start talking.
The girls, meanwhile, have all reconvened to an abandoned warehouse, where they don their sacrificial lamb white maternity gowns.
Angel calls Wes from a payphone s he removes bullets from his gut using nothing but his fingers. Wesley, waking up and grabbing the phone, lets Angel know that it’s a Haxel Beast. He also tells Angel that Cordelia’s gone to rendezvous with it, probably controlled by its spawn. Angel knows where they’re headed from his questioning of Wilson, as well as the fact that the Haxel has a sort of psychic umbilical cord with Cordelia. If they kill the Haxel, the pregnancies will disappear.
There’s only one problem: the Haxel’s nigh on invulnerable. Fire won’t kill it, nor will decapitation . . . and it’s really huge.
Angel thinks a second, then asks Wesley if he can shoot straight.
In the warehouse, the girls have gotten into a pool of sludgy water, and await the demon. A shadow appears, and Wesley sneaks in, looking utterly terrified. Still, he hurries up to the tank, and demands that the girls get this instant. They refuse, and he tells them not to make him get in there after them.
Then, the Haxel, which *is* really huge, and very B-Movie monster, appears, demanding to know who the interloper is. Wesley straightens, and tells it that he’s Wesley Wyndam-Pryce, Rogue demon hunter, and he’s there to fight the Haxel to the death. With that, he starts stalling, trying to put off the fight.
It pays off. Angel runs in, rolling a large canister before him. He apologizes for being late to the baby shower, but he did bring a present. He hefts the canister, and tosses it to the surprised Haxel, who catches it. Wesley, watching these proceedings, whips out a gun, takes aim, and fires. The canister erupts, spraying the demon with liquid nitrogen. The girls scream as their bellies deflate and they come to their senses.
Cordelia get out of the pool, stalks over to Wesley, who cringes away, takes hold of a huge hook on a chain, and swings it as hard as she can at the frozen Haxel. The demon shatters, and she states that she hates dating.
Back at the office, both of the boys are falling over themselves trying to make it as neat as possible for Cordelia’s arrival. She comes in and they both chime in on how wonderful she looks and how glad they are to see her. She enthuses that she just had a great audition, and the producer is taking her out to dinner. They both look worried, and she assures them that it’s fine. All she has to do is let him impregnate her with his demon master seed, and she has the part. Angel looks terrified and Wesley breaks into a slow grin. Cordelia reiterates that she’s fine, and that she’s a lot stronger than those demon surrogates thought. She also learned that men are evil, sex is bad, and that she has two people she can depend on with her life. Angel looks pleased and Wesley tears up, claiming to have allergies. Cordelia beams at him.
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Quotable Wesley: (and a few others):
Angel: So, Lounge L’Brea. That sounds like it could be an evening. With lots of evening . . . type . . . I’ve heard the bands there are very—
Serena: They don’t have bands.
Angel: Which I like, because if it’s too loud—
Emily: Wanna come?
Angel: Oh, I think I may be busy. Besides, I don’t . . . lounge all that well.
Wesley: (nervous and fake laughter) Good one! Oh, yes. No, he’s no lounger, this one.
(Wes drapes an arm around Angel’s shoulders, grinning)
Serena: The good ones are always gay.
Wesley: Well, it’s not my place. Cordelia works for you . . . but she doesn’t seem to be paying attention to her duties lately.
Angel: Well, she’s had a lot to deal with: Doyle’s death, inheriting his visions . . . she’s young. She’s still trying to find her way in the world.
Wesley: Ah, but we’re not in the world. Demon Hunters like us have a higher calling.
Angel: (Points out a blob of slime on Wesley’s cheek) You got a little . . .
Wesley: (Taking care of it) Oh, thanks. (Back on track) No one’s more fond of Cordelia than I, but if she wants to go gadabouting with those doxies . . .
Angel: (Grinning) I think they liked you.
Wesley: Really? Well, when I say doxy, I don’t mean in the sexually promiscuous sense . . . you don’t think me putting the adz in the wall put them off?
Angel: That was charming.
Wes: What about the fact that they thought we were gay?
Angel: Adds mystery.
Cordelia: (gasping like she’s just run two miles) Wesley.
Wesley: Yes.
Cordelia: They’re not human. (She sags)
Wesley: I would imagine that’s true.
Cordelia: But that could be okay, right? I mean, look at Angel. He’s not human. And Doyle. He wasn’t either! I mean, not totally . . .
Wesley: (brushing the hair out of her face gently and blotting her forehead with his handkerchief) Shhhh . . .
Cordelia: He was good.
(Wesley continues to blot her face and make soothing, shushing noises until Cordy falls asleep)
(Re: Cordy drinking Angel’s refrigerated blood)
Angel: I don’t think I’ve ever realized just how disgusting that was.
Wilson: This is a private club. Featured word: private.
Angel: (Smiles pleasantly) You don’t talk to me, I’ll kick your ass. Featured word: ass.
Cordelia: Guys, I appreciate the concern, but I am okay. And, I’m a lot stronger than those loser demon-surrogates thought.
Angel: I’m starting to learn that.
Cordelia: I learned something, too. I learned that . . . men are evil. Oh, wait, I knew that. I learned that L. A. is full of self-serving phonies. Nope. Had that one down, too. Sex is bad?
Angel: We all knew that.
Cordelia: Okay. I learned that I have two people that I can trust absolutely with my life, and that part’s new.
Wesley: (tearing up as the other two look at him affectionately) I’ve some, er, allergies.
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Continuity:
Angel makes mention of Doyle’s death, which took place in the episode “Hero”. Cordelia officially inherited his visions in the episode “Parting Gifts”.
Wesley once again refers to himself as a Rogue Demon Hunter, which is what he called himself in “Parting Gifts”
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The 3 W’s:
Weapons:
Wesley has and uses his “new Bavarian fighting adz” (which is like a very small battle axe). He also totes a cross bow, and Angel carries a sword to face off with the big baby creature.
Guns are also prominently featured, both carried by Wilson and his friends, and Wesley. Yes, this is the very first episode we see that Wesley can not only shoot, but is a crack shot with incredible aim. Hoorah, hoorah.
Found-weapon of the week: Cordelia’s use of Wesley’s musty old book as a cudgel.
Wear:
Though Cordelia’s outfit definitely leaves something to be desired (who decided she should look like a picnic table?) Serena made up for it. The close-cropped, but still beautifully sculpted hair, the elegant, sexy clubbing outfit . . . hell, even her maternity wear was swanky! Thank you gods of costuming for that gem!
Then, there is Wesley, and his continuing litany of flea-market blazers. I still love the fact that none of them quite fit him, and that he seems to have bought them in a bulk box that said “ugly colors”. As often as I loathe it when a character wears something ugly, they just suit him so well that I have to find them charming!
As for those maternity gowns, well . . . hello, B-Movie glory! The sacrificial lambs must wear white, and so they do. Can’t really say I love the design, but the intent behind them was fun.
Wesley:
This episode really marks Wesley’s full integration into the group. He’s useful, and extremely supportive of Cordelia. I was initially worried that the writers would make him the one who would blame Cordy for what happened, but as soon as he saw her, I realized differently. He not only tells her that she’s not being punished, but does everything in his power to make sure that she’s comfortable. He has truly emotionally invested himself in these people, and that makes him loyal until the day he dies. They are the only family he has, and this episode really emphasized that familial bond that is swiftly developing between all three of them.
He stills bumbles and fumbles, but in an endearing, puppy dog sort of way. He’s so eager to please that he trips over his own feet. It’s not a bad thing, it just shows that he’s got room to grow.
Still, he provides a gentle sweetness to the dynamic of the show that it was previously lacking. He’s the innocent one, the one who looks at everything with a certain degree of wonder, and in a show with so many jaded people; it’s nice to have that contrast.
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So, is the episode ficcable?:
Cordy/Wes shippers, there’s lots here for you! They snip, they snipe, they have to act like they’re married. Wes so wants to be chivalrous and helpful, and ends up getting clocked for it. Then, he even manages to play a pivotal role in saving the day. What does she think of our boy, now?
But, don’t worry, Angel/Wes shippers, there gold here for you, as well! Come on, this is the famous “Adds Mystery” episode, when people actually presume that they *are* a couple. Does this get them to thinking? What possibly happens when Angel *thinks*? The possibilities are endless!
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Episode rating:
(“That’s an Angel? It looks like a lobster with some sort of . . . growth.)
3.5 lobsters out of 5
This episode has the sort of fun that I get when watching a B-Movie (and I do love B-Movies). Wesley has a sort of endearing franticness about him, Angel’s just trying to deal with in the best way he knows (find something to hit), and Cordy is just along for the ride.
Complaints about this episode really deal with Charisma’s choice of acting when she gets possessed. I’ve never been a huge fan of her dramatic work, because it tends to be pretty hammy and unrealistic. If everyone were playing for that B-Movie acting vibe, and getting in touch with their inner Bruce Campbell, I’d be cool with it, but she’s the only one who goes over the top, and then it just seems out of place.
Still and all, I like this episode. Wesley continues to integrate into the group, proving that he can be useful, and desperate to please. Their interactions were good, and, on the whole, the dialogue was crisp, snappy, and it left me smiling. So, a pretty good watch, overall.
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