ANGEL : BEHIND THE FANGS
TEASER
We open on a series of black and white photographs, taken
from the set of "Buffy The Vampire Slayer" of Sarah Michelle
Gellar and David Boreanaz.
NARRATOR (V.O.)
It was the summer of 1998. Following
the success of "Buffy The Vampire
Slayer", series creator, Joss Whedon,
decided to spin the character of
Angel off to his own series. But as
the cameras began to roll, things
soon took a horrible turn.
We flash a few more pictures. Angel leaving Sunnydale, and
some quick shots from the first season of "Angel". Our theme
music plays as the logo comes up...
ANGEL : BEHIND THE FANGS
FADE OUT:
END OF TEASER
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2.
ACT ONE
FADE IN:
INT. BUFFY SET -- SEWER -- NIGHT
A scene from "Buffy" shows Angel telling Buffy that he's
leaving her and Sunnydale.
EXT. BUFFY SET -- SUNNYDALE HIGH -- NIGHT
In a scene from "Buffy" we see Angel walking away for the
last time.
INT. BUFFY SET -- BUFFY'S ROOM -- DAY
Sarah Michelle Gellar is sitting on the bed, looking just
off camera at the person asking questions (this will be how
all the interviews of people will look)
NARRATOR (V.O.)
When Joss Whedon decided to spin
Angel off to his own series, the
news came as a surprise to some of
his fellow cast-mates.
SARAH
When I heard he was leaving I took
it pretty hard. I didn't see how the
show could survive without him.
INT. NICK'S HOUSE -- DAY
Nick is sitting in a chair, being interviewed.
NICK
Me? I kinda saw it coming. And I
can't say I wasn't a little happy.
Not that I didn't like David, but
the man just looks weird.
NARRATOR (V.O.)
Though fans didn't agree.
INT. DAVID GREENWALT'S OFFICE -- DAY
Greenwalt is sitting at his desk.
GREENWALT
We'd get tons of letters from young
girls who were crazy about David.
They just wanted more of him, so we
decided to give him his own series.
When we presented the idea to the
WB, they immediately said "Go with
it!"
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3.
INT. ALYSON'S HOUSE -- DAY
Aly's on her couch.
ALYSON
How could you go wrong with that
idea? I mean... y'know, popular guy...
own show. Duh, right?
NARRATOR (V.O.)
Duh, indeed. Show creator, Joss
Whedon.
INT. JOSS' OFFICE -- DAY
Joss is at his desk. Talking in his normal "Is he being
sarcastic?" way.
JOSS
I had really big visions for the
show. He'd be this cool super hero
guy, and I'd be this woman in distress
and he'd come save me and we'd run
off together. But the network wanted
someone who would look better in a
tight sweater, so I went with
Cordelia.
INT. CHARISMA'S HOUSE -- NIGHT
Charisma's in her kitchen.
CHARISMA
I didn't know what to think, really.
Joss asked me if I wanted to be on
the show, and I was just taken back
by the offer. I really wasn't sure I
wanted to leave "Buffy" and all the
friends I made.
INT. JOSS' OFFICE -- DAY
JOSS
I told her she either went with Angel,
or Cordy gets killed off.
INT. CHARISMA'S HOUSE -- NIGHT
Right where she left off.
CHARISMA
But finally, I decided it would be
best for me to go do something
different.
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4.
INT. JOSS' OFFICE -- DAY
JOSS
I had to think of a really good reason
for the characters to leave.
INT. BUFFY SET -- BUFFY'S ROOM -- DAY
SARAH
I was so sad when we had them breaking
up. I was kinda hoping for a long
distance relationship or something.
I really wasn't prepared for the
impact it had on me when we shot
those scenes.
INT. BUFFY SET -- AUDITORIUM -- NIGHT
Another scene from the show shows Buffy and Angel dancing at
the prom.
NARRATOR (V.O.)
They decided to have Angel leave
Sunnydale and Buffy behind for good.
INT. BUFFY SET -- ANGEL'S MANSION -- DAY
Another scene shows Joyce talking with Angel about how Buffy's
a young girl who needs to live a normal life.
INT. ANGEL SET -- ANGEL'S ROOM -- NIGHT
David Boreanaz sits on Angel's bed.
DAVID
I thought it was great. I never saw
it coming.
INT. JOSS' OFFICE -- DAY
JOSS
I had let David know about it when I
first got the idea. I asked him if
he'd mind leaving the show to go
earn way more money on his own show
and he jumped at the chance.
INT. ANGEL SET -- ANGEL'S ROOM -- NIGHT
DAVID
It was sad leaving "Buffy" though.
It was kinda like leaving high school,
in a way.
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5.
INT. CHARISMA'S HOUSE -- NIGHT
CHARISMA
What did I think of my exit from the
show?
INT. JOSS' OFFICE -- DAY
JOSS
It wasn't until about a month later,
I said, "Crap! I knew I forgot
something"
INT. NICK'S HOUSE -- DAY
NICK
Yeah, Charisma really didn't get a
goodbye. That kinda seemed like a
slap in the face. I didn't like that
too much.
INT. CHARISMA'S HOUSE -- NIGHT
CHARISMA
I guess there wasn't time or
something. I don't know.
INT. ALYSON'S HOUSE -- DAY
ALYSON
I don't think it would have been too
hard for them to say "Hey, Cordy's
leaving too!" But I guess they didn't
want to bog down the show with too
many departures.
INT. BUFFY SET -- BUFFY'S ROOM -- DAY
SARAH
Y'know, I think that to this day,
she's the only character to leave
the show without a goodbye.
INT. SETH'S HOUSE -- DAY
Seth sits in a bean bag chair.
SETH
I thought that was weird.
NARRATOR (V.O.)
And weird it was. Nevertheless,
filming began on the pilot for the
spin off in the summer of 1999.
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6.
INT. DAVID GREENWALT'S OFFICE -- DAY
GREENWALT
For the longest time, we actually
couldn't think of a name for the
show. I was like "'Angel : The
Vampire'... no. 'Searching For
Redemption'... no. 'The Vampire Who
Had A Soul'... no. 'The Dark
Avenger'... no."
INT. JOSS' OFFICE -- DAY
JOSS
Finally, I walked in and saw him
trying to think of names. I slapped
him upside the head and said "Angel".
INT. DAVID GREENWALT'S OFFICE -- DAY
GREENWALT
Finally, we just decided on that.
INT. ANGEL SET -- ANGEL'S ROOM -- NIGHT
DAVID
Working on the first episode was
trippy.
NARRATOR (V.O.)
Joining David and Charisma on the
show was actor, Glenn Quinn.
INT. GLENN'S HOUSE -- DAY
Glenn is in a chair.
GLENN
I thought it'd be cool to work on
the show. I'd seen "Buffy" a couple
times and thought the idea for "Angel"
was neat. So I auditioned and got
the part.
INT. JOSS' OFFICE -- DAY
JOSS
Originally, I wanted to use the
character, Whistler, that we first
saw on "Buffy" at the end of season
2. But that fell through so we cast
Glenn as Doyle.
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7.
INT. DAVID GREENWALT'S OFFICE -- DAY
GREENWALT
I really liked the character. I
thought he was really cool and added
some comedy to the mix.
INT. CHARISMA'S HOUSE -- DAY
CHARISMA
Glenn played, Doyle. He was this
kinda funny, horribly dressed guy
who had a crush on Cordelia.
INT. ALYSON'S HOUSE -- NIGHT
DAVID
He was a drunk demon.
INT. GLENN'S HOUSE -- DAY
GLENN
He had all these weird spike type
things coming out of his face, which
was all blue, as a demon. But usually
I just looked like a normal person.
EXT. ANGEL SET -- OUTSIDE MANSION -- NIGHT
In a scene from the show, Doyle drives Angel's car into the
gates of a mansion, trying to break them down, but hitting
the gates like a brick wall.
INT. ANGEL SET -- ANGEL'S OLD APARTMENT -- NIGHT
Another scene shows Doyle's first meeting with Angel.
NARRATOR (V.O.)
As filming continued on the series,
trouble began to brew.
INT. SETH'S HOUSE -- DAY
SETH
I went to the set to do an episode,
and I could tell something was up.
Glenn seemed a little off to me. I'm
not sure what that was about though.
INT. JAMES' HOUSE -- NIGHT
James sits on his couch.
JAMES
They wanted Spike to cross over for
an episode, so I went there with
(MORE)
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8.
JAMES (CONT'D)
Seth for a week. I didn't do much
with Glenn, but I could see that
Charisma wasn't as comfortable around
him as she was normally with other
people.
INT. CHARISMA'S HOUSE -- DAY
CHARISMA
I liked Glenn and thought the
character was great. He and Cordelia
really played well off of each other.
NARRATOR (V.O.)
But all was not well.
INT. JOSS' OFFICE -- DAY
JOSS
Glenn was a little hard to work with.
He'd show up late for work all the
time, smelling of alcohol.
INT. GLENN'S HOUSE -- DAY
GLENN
So I'd go to work early, and David
Greenwalt would lock me out of the
lot, laughing at me and taunting me.
Then he'd throw water balloons filled
with whiskey at me.
INT. DAVID GREENWALT'S OFFICE -- DAY
GREENWALT
He was drunk, and late all the time.
It really wasn't a fun way to work.
INT. GLENN'S HOUSE -- DAY
GLENN
So David finally pulls me into his
office one day with Joss and tells
me that I'm fired because I'm always
late and drunk.
(beat)
That was a little weird.
INT. ANGEL SET -- SHIP -- NIGHT
A scene from the show shows us Doyle sacrificing himself to
save Angel and a group of demons.
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9.
INT. CHARISMA'S HOUSE -- DAY
CHARISMA
That was a hard episode to shoot. I
thought the show lost a lot when he
left.
INT. GLENN'S HOUSE -- DAY
GLENN
It took a long time to do that part
where my face melts off. We had to
put the makeup on and them match it
up exactly where I was before. We
had to keep doing that with all the
different layers as the skin melted.
INT. ANGEL SET -- ANGEL'S ROOM -- NIGHT
DAVID
Over and over. I felt sorry for the
guy. I mean, whatever he did to get
fired couldn't have been bad enough
to put him through that.
INT. DAVID GREENWALT'S OFFICE -- DAY
GREENWALT
I always get a kick out of watching
Doyle. I thought that last scene of
his was one of the show's great
moments.
INT. JOSS' OFFICE -- DAY
JOSS
I really didn't want him to leave. I
thought that maybe we could work it
out with him or something. I loved
the character.
NARRATOR (V.O.)
But Doyle was gone, and his spot
needed to be filled.
INT. CHARISMA'S HOUSE -- DAY
CHARISMA
When they told me that Alexis was
coming onto the show, I was thrilled.
I mean, losing Glenn was a big loss,
but I love working with Alexis.
NARRATOR (V.O.)
Stepping into Doyle's place was former
"Buffy" character, Wesley Wyndham-
Price, played by Alexis Denisof.
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10.
INT. ANGEL SET -- HOTEL LOBBY -- NIGHT
Alexis is sitting on the sofa.
ALEXIS
I was happy to go to work on the
show. I loved working on "Buffy" and
thought it would be really fun to
develop the character some more. I
was thrilled.
INT. JOSS' OFFICE -- DAY
JOSS
Originally, I wanted to have a few
episodes with just Angel and Cordelia.
I thought it would be interesting to
show the void left when Doyle died.
INT. DAVID GREENWALT'S OFFICE -- DAY
GREENWALT
Joss wanted to have a few episodes
with just Angel and Cordy, but I
thought we needed to get the show
rolling as fast as possible. I don't
like to keep things all heavy for
too long. So I talked him into
bringing Wesley in right after Doyle
left.
INT. ANGEL SET -- ANGEL'S ROOM -- NIGHT
DAVID
I thought we probably could have
gone a few episodes before Wesley
came in. I think it would have been
nice to show that hole, but I think
things worked out fine as it is.
INT. JOSS' OFFICE -- DAY
JOSS
Yeah, I wish we'd given it time.
INT. CHARISMA'S HOUSE -- DAY
CHARISMA
On "Buffy", Alexis and I had this
whole weird attraction thing going.
But when he was brought into "Angel",
the writers, I guess, didn't feel
that that plot was worth exploring.
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11.
INT. DAVID GREENWALT'S OFFICE -- DAY
GREENWALT
I wanted to make the show accessible
for people who didn't watch "Buffy".
So I thought we'd let that plot just
kinda be swept under the carpet.
INT. JOSS' OFFICE -- DAY
JOSS
David Greenwalt thought it would be
best if we didn't explore the fact
that for half a season, we had these
two character falling all over each
other on "Buffy". So I kinda let
that go after a while. I thought
we'd just get back to that later.
NARRATOR (V.O.)
But would there be a later? Coming
up, we'll see how things got from
bad to worse.
INT. CHARISMA'S HOUSE -- DAY
CHARISMA
... and they held me down as I was
screaming at them to stop...
INT. JOSS' OFFICE -- DAY
JOSS
...he hit me over the head, and I
just went out.
NARRATOR (V.O.)
When "Angel : Behind The Fangs"
continues.
FADE OUT:
END OF ACT ONE
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12.
ACT TWO
FADE IN:
We come back with some more stills from the show shown behind
the show's title.
NARRATOR (V.O.) (CONT'D)
From the streets of "Buffy The Vampire
Slayer" to his own show, we've seen
Angel spin off to his own series.
But things were not all well for
this vampire with a soul. Troubles
on the set forced producers to fire
series co-star Glenn Quinn, and Alexis
Denisof joined the cast. But were
the troubles really all behind them?
INT. ANGEL SET -- POLICE OFFICE -- DAY
In the background we see the cast and crew working on a season
1 episode of the show.
NARRATOR (V.O.)
As the cast and crew continued work
on the show's first season, executive
producer and Angel creator, Joss
Whedon, could sense things were
changing.
INT. JOSS' OFFICE -- DAY
JOSS
I went to work on morning and noticed
that the writers were having a meeting
without me.
INT. DAVID GREENWALT'S OFFICE -- DAY
GREENWALT
Joss likes to talk about that like
it was this big deal. But what
happened was, he was working on
"Buffy" the night before and came in
late, so we started without him.
INT. ANGEL SET -- ANGEL'S ROOM -- NIGHT
DAVID
Things started to get a little tense
around here for a while.
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13.
INT. CHARISMA'S HOUSE -- DAY
CHARISMA
Joss came up to me one day and asked
me what was going on. I had no clue,
but I could see that things were not
all well with him. That's when I
kinda started to watch over my
shoulder.
NARRATOR (V.O.)
With tension on the set rising, the
show's first season began to wind
down, and actor J. August Richards
was brought in to play, Gunn. The
leader of a gang of vampire hunters.
A role that would soon make him a
regular on the show.
INT. DAVID GREENWALT'S OFFICE -- DAY
GREENWALT
We were trying to think of ways to
expand the core of the Angel group
and I thought up the character, Gunn.
I thought he'd add some spice to the
mix.
INT. JOSS' OFFICE -- DAY
JOSS
Greenwalt came into me one day and
said "Joss, we really need to write
a black person onto the show." I'm
not a fan of writing in the token
black character, or anything like
that, so I said no. I told him that
we could write the character into
the show, but we'd give the part to
the person that was best for the
part. And I think we did that.
INT. J. AUGUST RICHARDS' HOUSE -- DAY
J. AUGUST
I came onto the show at the end of
the first season. I thought the
character I was playing was really
cool, and I was really excited about
playing him.
INT. DAVID GREENWALT'S OFFICE -- DAY
GREENWALT
We put him in the last few episodes
of the first season because we wanted
(MORE)
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14.
GREENWALT (CONT'D)
to give the audience some time to
get to know him before we made him a
series regular.
INT. J. AUGUST RICHARDS' HOUSE -- DAY
J. AUGUST
He was this really strong, funny,
smart character. I didn't really
feel that I was being used just
because of my race, which a lot of
shows do. So I liked that.
INT. JOSS' OFFICE -- DAY
JOSS
And I'd keep reading the scripts
with Gunn and they'd have all these
stereotypical lines in them that I
didn't think were too realistic, so
I would fix them up and I made the
character less of a stereotype, and
more of an interesting, complex
person.
NARRATOR (V.O.)
As the season rolled down, the plot
thickened.
INT. CHARISMA'S HOUSE -- DAY
CHARISMA
I think a lot changed when the second
season started.
NARRATOR (V.O.)
When the writers came back to work
on the second season, there were
many differences.
INT. JOSS' OFFICE -- DAY
JOSS
I was sitting at my desk, writing
down some ideas for the shows and
there was this knock at my door.
INT. DAVID GREENWALT'S OFFICE -- DAY
GREENWALT
So I went to see Joss with a few of
the ideas that I'd had.
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15.
INT. JOSS' OFFICE -- DAY
JOSS
So he came into the office and stood
behind me like he was reading over
my shoulder. Then the next thing I
knew, he hit me over the head and I
just went out. Not unlike a light
when you hit that over the head.
INT. DAVID GREENWALT'S OFFICE -- DAY
GREENWALT
I guess his blood sugar was low or
something. Anyway, he passed out. He
likes to joke around, saying I did
it, but that's just a joke.
INT. JOSS' OFFICE -- DAY
JOSS
Seriously. I am not joking. He hit
me over the head. When I woke up, he
was holding my hand, signing a paper
for me, which said something about
not allowing me back onto the "Angel"
set ever again. I thought he'd fallen
off his rocker.
INT. DAVID GREENWALT'S OFFICE -- DAY
GREENWALT
He signed that paper himself. He
said that he couldn't handle running
two shows, so I should just take
over for him. I was surprised, but I
wanted to do what was best for him.
He has a weak heart, you know.
INT. JOSS' OFFICE -- DAY
JOSS
A weak heart? He actually said that?
My heart's fine. His might be two
sizes too small, but mine is just
fine.
INT. DAVID GREENWALT'S OFFICE -- DAY
GREENWALT
I mean, Joss has helped with several
storylines since he says we kicked
him out.
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16.
INT. JOSS' OFFICE -- DAY
JOSS
So as they're doing this all to me,
I sarcastically yell "What are you
gonna do? Have Angel fighting all
those demons right in the open for
the entire world to see?" And the
next thing I know, that's what I see
on the show. I mean... they bust
into a gym that's filled with people,
crash through a mirror and fight
demons with about fifty people
watching. C'mon... there had to be a
better way into that place. The demons
don't crash through the mirror every
time they want to go home, do they?
So anyway, I guess that's why my
name is on that episode, saying I
helped develop the story.
(beat)
I did manage to direct one episode
though. "Untouched". That was pretty
fun, but that's only because David
Greenwalt called in sick with the
flu, which I had nothing to do with.
Really, I didn't.
INT. DAVID GREENWALT'S OFFICE -- DAY
GREENWALT
I really thought that without Joss,
we'd have never found the tone of
season 2.
NARRATOR (V.O.)
Joining the cast in it's second season
on a recurring basis was actress
Julie Benz.
INT. JULIE'S HOUSE -- DAY
Julie sits at her kitchen table.
JULIE
Well, my character, Darla, had died
in the first season of "Buffy". So
when they told me that she was going
to be brought back to life on "Angel",
I was a little surprised. I mean,
she's dust.
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17.
INT. JOSS' OFFICE -- DAY
JOSS
I never really totally got that
either, but I thought it'd be cool
to have Darla back. She was cool on
"Buffy" so I didn't see how you could
go wrong with that.
(beat)
But I guess I wasn't looking hard
enough.
INT. DAVID GREENWALT'S OFFICE -- DAY
GREENWALT
I really wanted to have the Darla
story pack punch after punch. First
we had her come back from the dead...
INT. ANGEL SET -- MUSOLIUM -- NIGHT
A scene from the show shows the ceremony they did to bring
Darla back.
INT. DAVID GREENWALT'S OFFICE -- DAY
GREENWALT
Then we have it turn out that she's
human. But she wants to be a vampire
again.
INT. ANGEL SET -- ANGEL'S HOTEL -- NIGHT
Another scene shows Darla asking Angel to turn her into a
vampire again.
INT. DAVID GREENWALT'S OFFICE -- DAY
GREENWALT
And then we have it turn out that
she's actually dying of the same
disease that she had when she was a
human.
EXT.ANGEL SET -- ALLEY -- NIGHT
Yet another scene shows Darla telling Angel that she's dying.
INT. DAVID GREENWALT'S OFFICE -- DAY
GREENWALT
And then she is turned back into a
vampire by Drusilla.
INT. ANGEL SET -- MOTEL ROOM -- NIGHT
Another scene shows Drusilla turning Darla into a vampire.
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18.
INT. JOSS' OFFICE -- DAY
JOSS
And that was all in, like, nine
episodes! I'm like, "Give it some
time, man! Stretch it out!"
(beat)
But of course they couldn't hear me
because of them kicking me off the
Angel set.
(beat)
And of course, there were other
problems with the show after they
kicked me out.
INT. CHARISMA'S HOUSE -- DAY
CHARISMA
I started noticing that Cordelia
wasn't even Cordelia anymore. It's
like they wanted to turn her into a
sitcom mom from the sixties or
something. We actually film on the
old Brady Bunch stage, so maybe Mrs.
Brady took over the character or
something. It was just so out of
character for her, and that was hard
on me because I'd spent so long
building her up on "Buffy".
INT. ANGEL SET -- HOTEL LOBBY -- NIGHT
ALEXIS
I noticed that Wesley had changed a
lot too. He was becoming more...
useless. After a while, I started to
wonder why he was even on the show.
(laughs)
Of course, I didn't want to ask the
writers that!
INT. J. AUGUST RICHARDS' HOUSE -- DAY
J. AUGUST
And then I started seeing the
stereotypical lines start to appear
in the scripts.
INT. ANGEL SET -- COVERED PARKING LOT -- DAY
In a scene from the show, we see Gunn talk about Denzel
Washington being robbed of the Oscar for "Malcolm X"
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19.
INT. J. AUGUST RICHARDS' HOUSE -- DAY
J. AUGUST
I actually wanted to change that to
"Hurricane", but they wouldn't let
me. They thought that it'd be better
to go with Malcolm, I guess.
INT. DAVID GREENWALT'S OFFICE -- DAY
GREENWALT
Well, we certainly didn't want to
ignore Gunn's race. I think that
would have been wrong. So I wanted
to show him embracing it more.
INT. J. AUGUST RICHARDS' HOUSE -- DAY
J. AUGUST
Token black guy? I don't know. Maybe.
NARRATOR (V.O.)
And eventually, things took a violent
turn.
INT. CHARISMA'S HOUSE -- DAY
CHARISMA
So I went to the set one morning and
noticed these really big, butch type
of guys walking behind me. So as I
walked onto the set, I walked up to
David Greenwalt and asked what was
up. I'd seen this happen before with
Glenn.
(beat)
So before he answers me, the guys
grab me and they were holding me
down as I was screaming at them to
stop. Then I see the hair stylist
for the show walking up with scissors
and she just cut off all my hair
while they held me down. And, I mean,
it looked horrible too.
INT. ANGEL SET -- HOTEL LOBBY -- DAY
A scene from "The Shroud Of Rahmon" shows Cordelia with her
shorter hair.
INT. CHARISMA'S HOUSE -- DAY
CHARISMA
and that happened a few times.
(MORE)
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20.
CHARISMA (CONT'D)
Eventually they started throwing
these weird water balloon things
that were filled with bleach at me.
So my hair was like, blond. To this
day, they won't let me grow it out
again.
NARRATOR (V.O.)
As the show's second season went on,
Greenwalt had more plans up his
sleeve.
INT. DAVID GREENWALT'S OFFICE -- DAY
GREENWALT
I really wanted to show the Wolfram
and Hart story finally start to tear
Angel apart. After all they put him
through.
INT. JOSS' OFFICE -- DAY
JOSS
So Angel locks all the lawyers in
this wine cellar with Drusilla and
Darla, and they're all killed. And
then Angel fires the rest of the
characters and goes off on some
revenge mission.
(beat)
Of course, the dead lawyer thing was
pretty much a ploy. At the start of
the next episode, the two who really
mattered to the show had somehow
managed to find a lame excuse for
surviving.
INT. J. AUGUST RICHARDS' HOUSE -- DAY
J. AUGUST
We really didn't have much to do for
the bulk of that season. We were
really just there because we had to
be.
INT. CHARISMA'S HOUSE -- DAY
CHARISMA
They'd usually throw us some really
bad plot to go off with. Like, me
getting attacked by a demon who gives
me a third eye in the back of my
head. I don't even know what the
hell that was all about. But hey, I
have a contract.
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21.
INT. ANGEL SET -- ANGEL'S ROOM -- NIGHT
DAVID
So eventually, Angel ends up sleeping
with Darla and instead of his soul
being taken away, it's actually
returned to him in a way. So he goes
back to his friends.
INT. JOSS' OFFICE -- DAY
JOSS
Hey, I wasn't there. Don't ask me.
INT. DAVID GREENWALT'S OFFICE -- DAY
GREENWALT
For their first episode back as a
group, I wanted one that would really
hit home. So we invited Mercedes to
come and do an episode as Harmony.
INT. CHARISMA'S HOUSE -- DAY
CHARISMA
Harmony was a "Cordette" in high
school. That means that she was one
of Cordelia's friends who kinda
followed her around to be cool. She
was turned into a vampire in my last
episode of the show and I hadn't
really had a chance to work with her
since, so I had a blast working with
her again. I love working with anyone
from my "Buffy" days.
INT. JOSS' OFFICE -- DAY
JOSS
I think that was probably one of the
better episodes of the season. There
were a few things I'd change in it,
but overall, it wasn't all too bad.
NARRATOR (V.O.)
Also featured in the episode was
Alyson Hannigan, "Buffy" co-star and
girlfriend to Alexis Denisof.
INT. ALYSON'S HOUSE -- DAY
ALYSON
That was cool, being on "Angel". I
didn't have any scenes with anyone
in person, but it was fun to have
Willow and Cordelia working off of
each other again. I missed that.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
22.
INT. CHARISMA'S HOUSE -- DAY
CHARISMA
That was cool. I think that Cordelia
really... I don't know if I should
say this.
(beat)
But I will anyway. I think Cordelia
worked better with the "Buffy"
characters than the "Angel"
characters. It seems like that's
where she fits more, whereas on
"Angel" it's just like she's being
thrown into the mix and doesn't have
anything to do, really.
INT. ANGEL SET -- HOTEL LOBBY -- NIGHT
ALEXIS
I thought that was neat. I really
enjoyed that a lot. It was a shame
that I didn't get to work with her
though.
NARRATOR (V.O.)
But all would not be well with the
cast for long. Coming up, things
begin to crumble.
INT. CHARISMA'S HOUSE -- DAY
CHARISMA
...and I read the script. I just
remember thinking to myself, "What
the hell are they doing?"
INT. J. AUGUST RICHARDS' HOUSE -- DAY
J. AUGUST
...I think that was when I really
realized that something just wasn't
right at all.
FADE OUT:
END OF ACT TWO
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
23.
ACT THREE
FADE IN:
We come in with the pictures and the logo as usual.
NARRATOR (V.O.)
After being spun-off to his own
series, Angel developed a fan
following of his own. However, behind
the scenes, things weren't always as
great as they seemed. Series creator,
Joss Whedon had been assaulted and
kicked off of the show's staff by co-
creator, David Greenwalt. And the
cast had begun to feel the impact of
this takeover.
EXT. ANGEL SET -- PYLEA -- DAY
A scene shows Cordelia first arriving in Pylea.
NARRATOR (V.O.)
As the second season of the series
came to an end, the writers decided
to take the show in a different
direction.
INT. DAVID GREENWALT'S OFFICE -- DAY
GREENWALT
The season was kinda dark, so I wanted
to end it in a lighter way. To bring
back some of the humor and fun to
the show. So what I decided was to
visit the home dimension of a
character that we'd been toying with
all season, the Host. Played by Andy
Hallett.
INT. ANDY'S PLACE -- DAY
He's sitting on a couch.
ANDY
That was fun. I loved doing the Pylea
episodes and exploring the character
more.
INT. CHARISMA'S HOUSE -- DAY
CHARISMA
I remember when I first got the script
for the first episode set in that
alternate dimension. We did three
there.
(MORE)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
24.
CHARISMA (CONT'D)
I sat down and I read the script. I
just remember thinking to myself,
"What the hell are they doing?"
(beat)
I mean, "Buffy" had some amazing
episodes that season. Her mother
dying, and a whole arc of episodes
near the end that all tied into the
finale. And this is the way we were
going out? It wasn't even a good
episode for a funny episode. It was
just bad.
INT. JOSS' OFFICE -- DAY
JOSS
While they were breaking down those
stories for those last three episodes,
I managed to sneak into the meeting
they were having. And as David
Greenwalt was calling security, I
was just making fun of the idea,
doing a little dance that was so
stupid, but pretending that I wanted
it to be in the episode. So it was
put into the script somehow and on
the day they were doing the filming
for that scene, I snuck onto the
set, and knocked out the extra who
was supposed to do that part. While
I was there, I tried take back control
of the show. I had a few of my staff
writers from "Buffy" come with me
and we jumped the writers from
"Angel". I'm pretty sure that Jane
Espenson took out one of Tim Minear's
eyes, but he has a glass one now, so
you can't tell.
INT. DAVID GREENWALT'S OFFICE -- DAY
GREENWALT
Joss is such the prankster. He faked
this whole takeover of the show and
it was just a hoot.
INT. JOSS' OFFICE -- DAY
JOSS
But they had these really big guys
dressed in demon costumes and they
ended up kicking our asses off the
set. But we so could have taken those
writers!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
25.
INT. CHARISMA'S HOUSE -- DAY
CHARISMA
I wouldn't know about all of that
stuff. I was too busy wearing an
ugly bathing suit costume that they
made me wear so they could show off
my body. I was supposed to be this
alternate dimension princess or
something. Just watch any old Star
Trek episode and you'll get the idea
for those episodes.
INT. ANDY'S PLACE -- DAY
ANDY
And at the end of one of those
episodes, they had my character's
head cut off. I thought that was the
end of me.
INT. JOSS' OFFICE -- DAY
JOSS
But wait! He comes back to life in
the next episode. I would never have
seen that coming...
(beat)
I mean, if it hadn't happened three
other times that season.
NARRATOR (V.O.)
These episodes also introduced new
series regular, Amy Acker as the
character, "Fred". A woman who was
transported to Pylea five years
earlier.
INT. AMY'S HOUSE -- DAY
Amy's sitting in a reading chair.
AMY
Fred is kinda insane. She was held
prisoner for five years, so she's
not really all there. But Angel saves
her and she comes back to LA and
joins his group.
EXT. ANGEL SET -- PYLEA -- DAY
A scene from the show shows us Fred getting Angel's attention
with a fist full of blood.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
26.
INT. AMY'S HOUSE -- DAY
AMY
(laughing)
Don't ask me how! I don't imagine
there are many vampires in Pylea
that she could have picked that up
from.
NARRATOR (V.O.)
As the second season came to a close,
the "Angel" crew found their way
back to Los Angeles, only to get a
big surprise.
INT. ANGEL SET -- ANGEL'S HOTEL -- NIGHT
A scene from the show shows the "Angel" crew returning, and
finding Willow there to tell them about Buffy's death.
INT. DAVID GREENWALT'S OFFICE -- DAY
GREENWALT
We knew that we had to deal with
Buffy's death somehow, and since
Alexis and Aly are involved, we
thought that'd be the best way.
INT. ALYSON'S HOUSE -- DAY
ALYSON
I got to work with Alexis and all of
those guys again, so that was so
much fun. I loved it. I wanted that
to last forever. I wanted to raise
my children on that set because I
love those actors so much.
(beat)
I'd have to split the custody with
the "Buffy" set though, I guess.
It's only fair that way.
INT. JOSS' OFFICE -- DAY
JOSS
I told Aly to do that episode. She
asked and I said she should.
(beat)
I had her bugging the set so I could
keep an eye on it.
INT. ANGEL SET -- ANGEL'S HOTEL -- NIGHT
The set is empty. Nobody's there.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
27.
NARRATOR (V.O.)
That summer, as the series was on
break, Joss decided to take back the
show.
INT. JOSS' OFFICE -- DAY
JOSS
I snuck onto the set, planning to
take it back. But I must have tripped
some kind of alarm because Greenwalt
and Minear showed up and knocked me
out.
INT. DAVID GREENWALT'S OFFICE -- DAY
GREENWALT
Joss is so much fun with his war
games!
INT. JOSS' OFFICE -- DAY
JOSS
So I woke up in a box and they would
throw food to me every couple days.
I'd have to watch them come up with
ideas for the new season as they
tried to work them out. So I'd yell
out the craziest ideas that made no
sense at all. Like Darla being
pregnant.
INT. DAVID GREENWALT'S OFFICE -- DAY
GREENWALT
That was all Joss. I thought it was
a great twist. Another one to add to
the Darla character.
INT. JOSS' OFFICE -- DAY
JOSS
So I spent another day just banging
my head on the side of the box,
yelling that I was joking and that
wasn't possible because vampires
can't get pregnant. And I'd hear
David Greenwalt on his computer,
talking as he was on the "Buffy"
board, talking about a musical "Buffy"
episode, pretending to be me.
(beat)
That was the craziest idea I'd ever
heard. But finally, my "Buffy" writers
showed up and beat him down.
(MORE)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
28.
JOSS (CONT'D)
They let me out and by then the
musical buzz was all over, so I
couldn't not do it. So I had to write
the musical. His prank actually turned
out to be one of my shining moments.
He never thought I could pull it
off, but I showed him!
NARRATOR (V.O.)
And as the third season began, the
troubles did as well.
INT. CHARISMA'S HOUSE -- DAY
CHARISMA
One of the arcs they'd been working
on was one where Cordelia's visions
were starting to really damage her.
And I thought that was a great angle
to play with the idea. And the second
episode of the third season was all
about her visions hurting her. So as
I was reading the script, I was
excited to see what was happening.
But they made it into some totally
unrelated plot.
INT. JOSS' OFFICE -- DAY
JOSS
So they put that plot on top of the
arc they'd been working on for a
while, and it just ruined the arc
totally. They dropped it, and it was
a horrible failure. They had the
chance to really take this somewhere,
but they decided to just let it
fizzle. I guess that'd just what
they do. Now they can't even go back
to it or it will totally blow up in
their faces.
NARRATOR (V.O.)
Whatever happens with the show, one
thing is certain. The drama will
continue. On screen and off.
INT. CHARISMA'S HOUSE -- DAY
CHARISMA
I don't know, maybe I'll let my
contract expire here, then beg to be
let back onto "Buffy". They never
cut my hair without asking first.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
29.
INT. JOSS' OFFICE -- DAY
JOSS
I managed to expose David Greenwalt
to the flu again, so I'll be directing
episode 13. I'm planning on blowing
up Wolfram and Hart, mysteriously
misplacing Angel's baby, and giving
some of the characters their own
personalities. But they'll probably
get to it and edit all the good stuff
out.
THE CREDITS START ROLLING OVER THE FOLLOWING SCENES. Parts
of the interviews that were cut from the main show.
INT. SETH'S HOUSE
SETH
I'm very helpful to this production.
I answer one question. But without
that question, the whole show wouldn't
make sense.
INT. NICK'S HOUSE -- DAY
NICK
What is that? I keep hearing this
weird voice saying things like "And
then tragedy struck" and "And when
things were bad, they got worse".
Where is that voice coming from?
It's scaring me.
INT. CHARISMA'S HOUSE
CHARISMA
Seriously, I think this show is one
of the better shows on tv, in terms
of writing.
Her straight face is suddenly lost by the hysterical laughter
that ensues.
INT. ANGEL SET -- ANGEL'S ROOM -- NIGHT
DAVID
Is my hair messy? It feels messy.
There aren't any mirrors in here.
INT. DAVID GREENWALT'S OFFICE -- DAY
GREENWALT
I think the show is a great way to
tell stories that really touch the
heart.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
30.
INT. JOSS' OFFICE -- DAY
JOSS
(doing Greenwalt
impersonation)
I think we should have flying monkeys!
And where are those vampire raccoons
I ordered!
(beat)
Someone cut Charisma's hair! It looks
like it might have grown an inch!
Shave it! Shave it!
Joss breaks into a Dr. Evil laugh.
INT. JAMES' HOUSE -- DAY
JAMES
I always think of the shows as one
body. "Buffy" is the brain, and
"Angel" is the...
His next word is BEEPED OUT.
INT. JOSS' OFFICE -- DAY
JOSS
Where are my monkeys! I want flying
monkeys! And someone get a mirror
for Angel's room. I think he should
have a reflection in the next episode!
INT. DAVID GREENWALT'S OFFICE -- DAY
Greenwalt seriously takes in Joss' words because the
interviewer told him about them.
GREENWALT
A reflection?
(beat)
Of course! Yes!
He taps his intercom and it BEEPS.
GREENWALT (CONT'D)
Mabel, get Tim Minear on the phone.
We need a reflection for Angel in
the next episode!
INT. CHARISMA'S HOUSE -- DAY
Charisma's still laughing like crazy. She talks as best she
can as she gasps for air.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
31.
CHARISMA
I. Can't. Stop. Laughing!
FADE OUT:
END OF SHOW
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