Original Air Date: November 2, 1999

Teleplay by Jane Espenson
Story by David Greenwalt & Jane Espenson
Directed by Scott McGinnis

Summary

Cordelia and Doyle are together at the office, and Cordy is running through the audition she lost. The phone rings, but Cordy lets the answering machine get it when Angel comes in. The caller turns out to be Aura, but Cordy just lets her run through the message without picking up the phone. Cordelia tells Doyle she's upset with her apartment so he offers her to spend a night out of her apartment with him. Cordelia turns him down with her usual snooty comment and decides to go home. Doyle talks to Angel about Cordelia, wanting to know everything about her. Angel tells him that Cordy and Aura were friends from high school, the leaders of the wealthy girls nicknamed the Cordettes. However, Cordelia's father lost all their money because of tax evasion, so she went from rags to riches, but she's fending for herself. In the meantime, Cordelia has arrived at her apartment, weary and tired. She turns on the tap to get water, but the only thing that spurts out is brown water. The final straw are the dead roaches all over her apartment. She picks up the phone to call Doyle, who gets home right when the phone starts ringing. He's about to pick up, when a demon comes out of the shadows, stating that he is there to collect the money that Doyle owes. Doyle makes some lame excuse and then claims that the money is in the drawer. When he reaches in to get it, the demon, whose name is Griffith, slams the drawer on Doyle's hand, demanding to know if a gun is in the drawer. Doyle says no, pulls out the drawer, throws it in Griffith's face, and runs.

Cordelia ends up going to Angel's place, interrupting his shower, and tells him she's going to stay at his place until she finds a new apartment. She then heads off to the shower, leaving a wet and confused Angel in the hallway. Doyle comes in in the morning, sees Angel and Cordy and assumes the worst. Angel explains, and notices that Doyle's hand is swollen and bruised but Doyle refuses to say why. Angel comes down to tell Doyle that there's a big guy to see him upstairs, and while Angel returns to the office, Doyle goes out the back way to make his escape, but is intercepted by Angel, who tricked Doyle. Doyle tells him he owes some money, and Angel agrees to help him out with his problem if Doyle finds Cordelia a new apartment because she's driving Angel crazy. Doyle and Cordelia start visiting different apartments and all of them have a slight flaw, until Doyle gets "a guy" to find Cordy a beautiful apartment. Angel, in the meantime, heads over to Doyle's apartment, when Griffith enters again, and a fight ensues. Angel gets Griffith to agree to wait until Doyle agrees to pay, and that if he pays, his life will not be endangered. Cordy is thrilled with her apartment and decides to move in, but right after they leave, a face presses out of the wall and looks towards the direction Cordy went. It slides back into place and the wall looks normal again.

That night, Cordy is sleeping in her new apartment when drawers start opening and closing,the radio turns on, and her bed elevates itself. After a long, sleepless night, the bed crashes down, and Cordy goes into the bathroom to start her morning routine. Ss she leaves the bathroom, we see an old wrinkling lady-ghost reflected in the mirror. Cordelia enters her living room, and moves a chair to the left when it moves back to it's spot with such force it breaks itself. A strong wind starts to blow and Cordy challenges the ghost when all of a sudden there's a knock on the door. Angel and Doyle exclaim about how nice her house is when a cheerleading trophy on the mantle almost impales itself into Doyle's head. Cordelia tries to make excuses, but when she turns around, the words DIE appear in blood, and Angel and Doyle hustle Cordy out of there, with her protesting the whole way.

Back at the office, Doyle starts researching while Angel tries to talk Cordelia into moving, but she refuses, saying that her streak of bad luck is over, how she feels like she isn't being punished for being a bad person anymore. Doyle finds out a Mrs. Maude Pierson built the complex and died in it at 57 of a heart attack, but the police didn't find her body for three weeks. They decide to try an exorcism spell, Doyle goes to get the ingredients, while Angel goes to talk to Kate for further information, leaving Cordy at the office alone. Angel calls, and the answering machine picks up, but Cordy interrupts his message and Angel tells her to meet him at her apartment. Cordy enters the apartment and Angel calls to her that he's in the bedroom. It turns out to be Maude, who was impersonating Angel's voice. She tells Cordy she doesn't fit in and asks why Cordy wouldn't leave her son alone. At the police station, Kate tells Angel that an investigation into Maude's death was conducted and that her son lived with her but mysteriously skipped town the day she died, and was never heard from again. They check murder-suicides on the computer and three cases come up. Angel calls the office, but Doyle picks up, telling Angel that Cordy's not there. They listen to the message and Angel tells Doyle he didn't leave that message. Back at Cordelia's apartment, Maude is telling Cordy that she's not good enough, that she has no friends while Cordy retreats, confused and afraid for her life. Angel and Doyle head for Cordy's and Angel fills Doyle in on how the son killed his mother then left town. Cordelia is begging for her life and promises to leave but Maude makes a noose out of the ceiling fixture and hangs Cordelia. Luckily, Angel and Doyle burst in right then and pull a stunned Cordelia down. Doyle starts the spell while Angel tries to make Cordelia respond, but she's too hysterical. Things start to smash everywhere, so they decide to abandon the house, since the spell isn't working. They are about to leave, when in bust Griffith and his henchmen.

Maude is getting angrier by the second because strangers are invading her house. A fight breaks out between Angel, Doyle and the bad guys. Maude pulls Cordelia into the bedroom and berates her; telling her she's no good, and that she's a bitch. The magic words sets a trigger, and the old Cordelia Chase returns, telling Maude to pack up her bags, and leave Cordy's house. Cordy returns to the living room, where Angel and Doyle have finished off the other two guys. Possessed by something, Cordelia grabs a lamp and smashes it into a wall, revealing a skeleton who turns out to be Dennis, Maude's son. It turns out he didn't leave town, but his mother cemented him into the wall to prevent him from leaving. Right when she finished hanging a picture over the newly cemented wall, Maude has a heart attack. Now Dennis' ghost returns, and he is really angry with his mother. She begs for him to forgive her, but he zaps her into oblivion. Back at Doyle's apartment, he finishes putting a new deadbolt onto his door to prevent any more surprise visitors. Angel offers to help him out, and Doyle thanks him but Angel wants to know the story of his life, and Doyle isn't ready to tell him but promises to tell him later. Cordy calls Aura from her new home, telling her about her great apartment and her new roommate- who turns out to be Dennis, who enjoys snatching Cordy's root beer and watching TV. Cordelia scolds him and he obeys meekly. The old Cordelia Chase is back.

Summary written by Niki Bartl

Quote of the Week

Cordelia: You think you're bad? All mean and haunty? Picking on poor, pathetic little Cordy? Well get ready to haul your wrinkly, translucent ass out of this place. Cuz lady, the bitch is back.

My Rating

5/5

Nika Summers' Comments

Awesome episode! I loved the whole ghost storyline and how it got so twisted around and the ending was incredible with Cordelia finally realizing that she's not weak and pathetic. I loved the scene when Angel came out of the shower and Cordelia just barging in saying she was staying here until she found a new apartment and Angel's just speechless by the sudden bombardment. Cordelia's apartment IS gorgeous, but you have to wonder how she can afford it especially since Angel Investigations doesn't seem to be making too much money lately. I did find that Cordelia going hysterical at the end was a little out of character, I mean, Cordelia's been through a lot and I just found it strange that she would just snap because of that ghost. Oh well, it was nice to see her light up again and tell the ghost to get out of the house. I really like the atmosphere of this episode, with Dennis trying to get out of the wall (that effect was so neat!) and with the mother still being angry at her son. The bed elevation and the boiling water was cool. And it was nice to see the mother getting paid back for what she did. Cordelia's roommate Dennis should be hysterical for upcoming episodes.

Niki Bartl's Comments

This was my favourite episode of Angel so far this season. I think I connected to it because it was our three who were troubled instead of them helping other people out. Charisma gave an excellent performance, first with the cheery Cordelia, morphing into the wounded Cordelia and finally full-out bitch Cordelia. It was nice to see that she still has that fire in her. Charisma was most definitely the defining point of the episode. And the end totally cracked me up, with her "new room mate". Angel is starting to grow on me, although he's still a little annoying, especially since he can stand up for others so well, but cannot apply it to his own life. As for Doyle, I'm personally anxiously awaiting his story too. I've been waiting to find out what kind of demon he is, how he turned into one, how he receives his visions, where he's been, where he's going and I hope Joss tells us this in future episodes. I also finally remembered the question that was bugging me - is Whistler going to appear on Angel anytime soon, or was he a one-time Buffy thing?

Cast

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