"Lullaby"
Written and directed by Tim Minear

Angel quickly realizes that the prophecy about something awakening referred to Holtz (see “Offspring” and “Quickening”). Holtz renders Angel immobile, holding him at swordpoint and telling his demon minions to find Darla. Darla’s still in the back of Angel’s convertible, about to give birth (again, see “Quickening”). Wesley decides that they can’t wait for Angel any longer and need to get somewhere safe so that Darla can have the baby. He tries to help Darla with her breathing until she reminds him that she doesn’t breathe. Back in York in 1764, Holtz is on his way home to save his family from Angelus and Darla (again, see “Quickening”). He finds his wife’s body and is surprised when his daughter Sarah enters the room. He sings her a lullaby to comfort her, then notices the bite marks on her neck. He kicks his men out and keeps singing to his vamped daughter as she plays with her doll like nothing has happened. At Wolfram & Hart in the present, Lilah, Gavin, and Linwood are still trying to figure out who Holtz is. Gavin notes that he called Angel “Angelus,” which means that they have some sort of history. Noting that the commandos and doctor haven’t gotten in contact with them, Linwood announces that he has no connection to the botched operation. Back at the Hyperion, Angel wonders how Holtz was resurrected, deciding that a demon must have been involved. He tries to talk Holtz into dropping his revenge plan. In the alley, the MoG note that Darla is now talking to herself and crying, possibly because of her hormones. Everyone piles into the front of the car (both to get away from Darla and because her water broke in the backseat), but before they can drive off, Wesley spots Holtz’s demon minions heading their way.

A minion tells Holtz that they’ve captured Darla, but it turns out that they’ve actually gotten Lilah. Lilah is happy to see that Holtz is in the middle of torturing Angel. She tells Holtz about the gypsy curse, which seems to confuse him. Angel spots a grenade in the hand of one of the dead commandos and manages to get it under his foot while Holtz and Lilah are talking. Angel tells Lilah to duck, then flips the grenade up with his foot, catching it in his mouth by the pin. The pin comes out and the grenade explodes, launching Angel backwards through a wall. Holtz tells his minions to find Angel, then tells Lilah that if Wolfram & Hart sends any more men, he’ll kill them - he wants Angel to himself. Lilah tells him that the men were for Darla; Holtz confirms that she doesn’t have a soul and is “free-range evil.” Before she leaves, Lilah spots the scroll Angel was there for and takes it with her. Outside, the MoG fight the demon minions as Darla continues talking to herself in the convertible. As the MoG are finishing up the fight, Darla starts the car and takes out the last of the minions, then drives off by herself. The MoG stare after her and are joined by Angel, who asks, “What are we looking at?” Angel fills everyone in on Holtz and Wesley announces that they need to find Darla before he does. Angel decides to go off on his own to find her, telling the MoG to find a place for her to give birth. Lilah gives the scroll and some notes to a guy and asks him to translate the prophecy. All he can see so far is something about a birth. Back in the underground chamber, Holtz meets with Sahjhan, who says that Angel’s soul shouldn’t matter. Holtz says it does - Angel has changed. He asks if there’s anything else he should know about Angel, and Sajhjan lies that there isn’t. Angel tracks Darla down and she tells him that she’s afraid to have the baby because she already loves it. She worries that her feelings for the baby are actually coming from the baby, and that once he’s born, she won’t love him anymore. She cries and Angel comforts her.

The MoG head to Caritas, but Lorne isn’t thrilled to let Darla have the baby there. Arnie (see “Offspring”) assures Lorne that everything will be fixed by the time he opens the next night. Lorne tells the MoG that his new security system prevents both human and demon violence in the club. Lorne announces that he’s been reading Arnie while he hums and knows that Arnie is going to leave something unconnected. He fires Arnie and decides to finish the details of the sanctuary spell by himself. Wesley calls Angel and tells him that they’re working on making Caritas safe; Fred is helping to test the system by hitting Gunn. Lilah meets with the translator again and he tells her that the prophecy is “not so much a birth announcement as it is an obituary.” It says that there will be “no birth, only death.” This is good enough for Lilah. Back in 1764, it’s the day after Holtz’s family’s murders, and he’s refused to let anyone take Caroline’s body out of the house. Holtz decides that it’s time to rid the house of demons, so he puts Sarah in the sunlight, which kills her. Back in the present, Lorne tries again to connect the sanctuary system; Cordelia hits Gunn on the back of the head and proves that it’s still not working. Angel arrives with Darla and tells the MoG that Darla has stopped having contractions and is now feeling something different. Fred notes that Darla is now bleeding. Arnie meets with Holtz and Sahjhan, mimicking Cordelia and Lorne’s voices to tell them that Angel and Darla are going to Caritas. At the club, Wesley warns Angel that he needs to prepare himself because the baby’s heartbeat is faint. There’s not much that they can do, since Darla’s body isn’t one that can give birth and may not even be able to keep the baby alive. Cordelia suggests a C-section but Fred reminds her that mystical forces are protecting the baby. Angel and Wesley worry that these same mystical forces will wind up killing the baby. The good news, however, is that the sanctuary spell is now working. Holtz enters the club and Lorne tells him that they’re closed, giving him a flier for the grand re-opening the next night. On his way out, Holtz sings a lullaby to himself. Lorne suddenly panics and tells the MoG to run. A barrel rolls down the stairs into the club, followed by a grenade, which explodes and sends a fireball through the club.

Angel realizes that Holtz is behind the destruction of the club and Darla wonders how he can be there. Lorne announces that there’s a secret exit to an alley behind the bed; Cordelia, Gunn, and Wesley dig at the wall with statutes. Finally Angel steps in and makes the digging go faster. The MoG make it into the alley, where Angel sends everyone to his car while he and Fred tend to Darla. Darla tells Angel that she thinks the baby is going to die in the alley. “You died in an alley, remember?” she asks him (see “Becoming, Part 1”). She tells him that they can’t make up for all of the stuff they’ve done to people over the years, but the baby is something good that they’ve done together. “You make sure to tell him that,” Darla instructs Angel. She grabs a piece of wood and stakes herself, turning herself to dust and leaving the baby behind. Holtz arrives in the alley as Angel picks up the baby. He points his crossbow at Angel, then lowers it, letting Angel and Fred walk past him with the baby. Sahjhan impatiently urges Holtz to kill Angel, but Holtz lets him and Fred get into the car with the other MoG. “I swore that I would show no mercy,” Holtz tells Sahjhan as the MoG drive off. “And I won’t.”

MORAL, or CRAMMING COMPLEX ISSUES INTO A NUTSHELL: Vendettas aren’t what they used to be.

R.I.P.: Darla

GRADE: B ‘Bye, Darla! I for one won’t miss you!

WELCOME TO L.A.: Angel, Jr.

MEMORABLE QUOTES: “Look, if I’d known you were torturing him, I wouldn’t have interrupted. Please, continue. I’ll wait until you’re finished.” - Lilah to Holtz

“He-he comes here looking for Angel and Darla, and in the process ends up finding Angel’s unborn child, who, as it turns out, wasn’t evil at all as we feared, but was actually meant to be some sort of Messianic figure. But Holtz kills it before it’s even born and his vengeance somehow triggers the end of the world! …Or not! It could go either way. Have you thought of a name yet?” - Fred

Angel: “I thought you had double protection sanctorium spells.”
Lorne: “I do. It's a thing with the door and the stairs and the world and the thing. Never mind!”
Gunn: “Apparently you can be outside and shove stuff in.”
Lorne: “I just said that.”


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