"Deep Down" is the first episode of the fourth season of the television show Angel. Written by Steven S. DeKnight and directed by Terrence O'Hara, it originally aired on October 6, 2002 on the WB television network. In the three months since Angel and Cordelia’s disappearance, Gunn and Fred are frustrated by the lack of clues regarding their whereabouts while they deal with Connor who pretends not to know anything. Connor even resorts to killing the only witness to Angel’s plight, a vampire named Marissa, to protect himself. Meanwhile, Wesley has Justine held as a prisoner and forces her to take him to where Angel’s sealed coffin is located, 100 feet on the ocean floor. Also, Lilah continues to seduce Wesley to pump him for information about Angel and eventually stages a one-woman coup against Linwood to take over the Special Projects division at Wolfram & Hart to stay ahead of the ever ambitious Gavin. See List of Angel episodes for a complete list.

Plot

The entire gang, complete with Connor, Lorne, and Wesley sit around a table enjoying a happy meal together. Angel and Cordelia appear to be in a loving relationship, Connor has a great relationship with his father and even Wesley is present. As plates are passed around the table and Angel is ignored, things start to change and soon the dream becomes reality and a physically weakened Angel is in his watery grave. Fred and Gunn run back to Gunn's truck, trying to escape vampires. One crashes onto the windshield and more arrive in another car.

Gunn and Fred ask about a girl named Marissa, but the vampires aren't really interested in talking. After giving up what could be accurate information about Marissa, the vamps attack. Several of the vampires are slain and Connor jumps in just in time to save Fred from a flying ax. Gunn and Fred lecture Connor back at the hotel about the danger of his wild actions, despite the fact that they're all still alive. In the office, Fred talks about their efforts to look for Cordelia and Angel and how little success they've had over the past three months.

Angel stands atop the cliffs, much like he did last season. This time though, as he turns back to the car, Cordy's waiting for him. They talk and he realizes that this isn't the way things actually happened. Cordy professes her love for him and they kiss, but then Angel leans down on her neck and eagerly feeds from her. Under the water, Angel wakes up yelling. Connor finally finds out from Gunn and Fred that they have another lead into Angel's whereabouts, and he's not pleased that they didn't tell him earlier. Fred agrees to let him to tag along as they check out a potential location for her. While Connor's out of the room, Gunn and Fred argue about the tough situation they are in with the hotel, business and the struggle to find two of their friends while a third has practically become their enemy.

Lilah collapses on top of Wesley after another round of sex. Seemingly on much better terms, the two chat about Angel as Lilah gets dressed and prepares to return to work. After she leaves, Wesley dresses and proceeds towards a closet. Inside, he has Justine chained up in a cage and he announces that it's time for them to go look for Angel. Later, Justine taunts Wesley as he directs a boat around the ocean in search of the steel box Angel is confined in. Connor kicks in a door at the building where the gang hopes to find Marissa. They find her and grill her about the cliffs where Angel last went to, but Connor lets her escape. He runs after her and kills her before Gunn and Fred show up. He cuts himself with the stake and pretends as if she attacked him when the others arrive and then runs off.

Angel finds Connor on a tall rooftop and they start to talk before they're rudely interrupted by a group of vampires. Angel and Connor fight and kill them all and then Angel snaps Connor's neck. In his underwater grave, Angel wakes and starts to scream again. Fred finally reaches Lorne in Vegas, but he's very busy and doesn't have any new information to share with her. At Wolfram and Hart, Linwood, Lilah and Gavin walk as Linwood praises Gavin's latest findings. Lilah realizes that they know about her and Wesley and tries to offer an explanation, but Linwood really isn't interested.

Wesley finally senses something metal on his sensor and sends Justine down to check it out. It turns out to be Angel and the steel coffin is raised from the ocean. Wesley opens it and frees Angel's arms only to have Angel wake up and catch Wesley's throat in a death grip. Angel relaxes back into the box, giving Wesley the opportunity to completely free him. Wesley slowly feeds Angel animal blood while Justine taunts him from the background.

Connor returns to the hotel to find Fred and Gunn worried and waiting for him. Connor gets testy when Gunn suggests Connor's like his father. On the boat, Angel hallucinates that Lorne is on the boat with him as Wesley comes below deck to check on Angel's progress. Angel sees Connor instead of Wesley and Wesley realizes that the animal blood isn't returning Angel's strength enough and cuts his own arm to feed Angel. In a meeting, Linwood asks a room full of lawyers about Lilah and her future at the firm, but she quickly turns the tables on him. She announces that she spoke with a senior partner then with a touch of a button, Linwood is beheaded and she's the new boss.

Fred brings Connor a sandwich and they start to talk as he eats. Unexpectedly, Fred promises him great suffering for what he did to his father and then subdues him with a Stun Gun. Downstairs, Fred speaks angrily to Connor as he's tied to a chair. She and Gunn reveal that Wesley called them and informed them about his finding Angel and Connor's connection to Angel's disappearance. Meanwhile, Wesley buckles Angel into the car and leaves Justine handcuffed to the pier, telling her she can continue being a slave or live her own life. Back at the hotel, Connor argues with Fred and Gunn that Angel's not his father and shows no regret for his actions. Wesley carries a weakened Angel into the hotel and leaves without much of an explanation.

As Wesley leaves, a noise is heard in the office, drawing the attention of the humans. Connor knocks Gunn down and shocks Fred with the Stun Gun, but as he turns around Angel's standing in front of him. Angel orders him to sit and he explains to his rebellious son the truth about Holtz's death and Angel's lack of involvement in it. Angel gets Connor to admit truthfully that he had nothing to do with Cordy's disappearance and then with a parting lecture about life and an admission of love, Angel tells Connor to leave. Angel stumbles a bit, but he's set on his focus: finding Cordelia. High above, Cordelia declares how incredibly bored she is.

Acting

Main cast

• David Boreanaz as Angel
• Charisma Carpenter as Cordelia Chase
• J. August Richards as Charles Gunn
• Amy Acker as Winifred Burkle
• Vincent Kartheiser as Connor
• Alexis Denisof as Wesley Wyndam-Pryce

Special guest star

• Andy Hallett as Lorne

Guest stars

• John Rubinstein as Linwood Morrow
• Laurel Holloman as Justine Cooper
• Stephanie Romanov as Lilah Morgan
• Daniel Dae Kim as Gavin Park

Co-stars

• Noel Guglielmi as Driver Vamp
• Rod Tate as Bruiser
• Ingrid Sonray as Marissa

Writing

Arc significance

• Angel is rescued by Wesley, after spending three months at the bottom of the ocean in a steel coffin.
• Oddly, although Gunn and Fred have spent the past few months looking for Angel and Cordelia, no mention is made of Groo, who left L.A. without telling anyone but Cordelia, who herself had no opportunity to tell anyone else, meaning his disappearance would have been as mysterious to Gunn and Fred as Angel's and Cordelia's.

Continuity

• Angel mentions the time Buffy sent him to hell in the Buffy episode "Becoming, Part Two", when he says, "What you did to me - was unbelievable, Connor. But then I got stuck in a hell dimension by my girlfriend one time for a hundred years, so three months under the ocean actually gave me perspective. Kind of a M. C. Escher perspective."
• The opening scene of this episode, in which Angel imagines a warm family dinner with Connor and the full team, is reflected in the very final scene of the season, "Home", which features Connor enjoying a family dinner once again, but this time with a new family.

Quotes

[Angel tells Connor why he does what he does.]

Angel: Nothing in the world is the way it ought to be. It's harsh and cruel. But that's why there's us: champions. Doesn't matter where we come from, what we've done or suffered or even if we make a difference. We live as though the world were as it should be, to show it what it can be.

Trivia

• Charisma Carpenter was married on October 5, 2002, the day before this was aired.
• Vincent Kartheiser joins the regular cast and is billed in the opening credits as of this episode.
• Andy Hallett is now billed as a Special Guest Star.
• Alexis Denisof is now billed at the end of the credits and his name is prefixed with "and".
• During the confrontation between Lilah and Linwood just prior to the latter's beheading, Linwood refers to the project as his "corner of the sky." John Rubinstein, who played Linwood, had originated the title role in the musical "Pippin". Pippin's main song was entitled "Corner Of The Sky" and spoke of trying to find his place in the world.

Production details

Music

• Hush Little Baby

Translations

• French title: "Dans les abysses" ("In the abyss")
• German title: "Aus der Tiefe" ("From the depth")
• Italian title: "In profondità" ("In deep")

External links

See also