Angel

Episode 5:21
Power Play: The Stanley Cup of Evil
By: Betsy Lusby
Written By:  David Fury
Directed By: James A. Contner
Original Air Date: May 12, 2004

“The difference between the impossible and the possible,
lies in a man’s determination.” - Tommy Lasorda

In hockey, a power play is an attack by a team at full strength against a team playing one man (or two men) down because of a penalty (or penalties), which results in a player on the opposing team receiving time in the penalty box.

For the past five seasons, Wolfram & Hart have held the power play, while Angel and his band of fighters have seemed to always be in the penalty box. What’s amazing about this is that while being constantly undermanned, they still have managed to be a thorn in the Senior Partners’ side. No matter what the Senior Partners have thrown at Angel and the Fang Gang, they always seem to fight their way through to the end ... usually coming out a little worse for wear ... but in they go nonetheless, whatever the odds, whatever the chances. They know they won’t always come out on top or save the innocent, but they don’t let the potential outcome dictate their actions. They know what they have to do, why they do it (most of the time), and they just do it to the best of their ability.

There is one thing in this business, in this apocalypse that we call a world,
that matters. Power. Power tips the scale. Power sets the course.
And until I have real power, global power, I have nothing
I accomplish nothing.” - Angel (Power Play)

I need to disagree with Angel on this. Angel has never been about power or gaining power for himself. The other side has always had more power at their disposal. What Angel has that I think makes him more powerful is his conviction in what he’s doing and his good friends that surround him. Sure, it’s not always smooth sailing and they all have their issues with each other, but in the end they always come together to fight the good fight.

As Season 1 was coming to an end, Cordelia felt that Angel didn’t care about anything. She was concerned that if he remained “cut off,” she and Wes would lose him. What Cordelia didn’t realize, and what Wolfram & Hart didn’t understand, was that there was something Angel cared about deeply - his family - Cordelia and Wesley. Wolfram & Hart believed that if they put his friends in danger, he would be demoralized and ripe for their picking. What they didn’t count on was Angel’s response to their plan and Vocah’s role in it. Their actions backfired. Angel strode a path of fury. He would do anything to save his friends. He was a new player in the game; a player that was not the easy mark they expected to manipulate.

Then in Season 2, Wolfram & Hart came up with the bright idea to bring Darla back, hoping that she would bring him into their evil sphere. Instead, he risks his life for Darla’s in “The Trial.”  Desperate, Lindsey finds and brings Dru to Darla, turning her back into a vampire. Angel feels that he has failed Darla. 

This is where Angel tries for the first time to go up against the Senior Partners themselves. He gets the ring that will take him to the ‘Home Office.’ Holland is there in the elevator waiting for him. When Holland asks Angel what he hopes to accomplish in the end, Angel tells him that it will be the end. But Holland won’t let it go at that. He informs Angel that it would certainly be the end of him, the vampire champion, but he meant in the larger sense. Angel replies that he doesn’t give a crap. Holland points out that if he didn’t give a crap, he wouldn’t be going on this Kamikaze mission. He brings up the prophecy that references Angel and wonders what Angel is supposed to prevent, which we know is The Apocalypse.

Angel informs Holland that they aren’t going to win. Holland points out that the Senior Partners know that. That seems to confuse Angel, and he asks then why bother to fight. Holland replies, “That’s really the question you should be asking yourself, isn’t it? See, for us, there is no fight. Which is why winning doesn’t enter into it. We - go on - no matter what. Our firm has always been here. In one form or another. The Inquisition. The Khmer Rouge. We were there when the very first cave man clubbed his neighbor. See, we’re in the hearts and minds of every single living being. And *that* - friend - is what’s making things so difficult for you. See, the world doesn’t work in spite of evil, Angel. It works with us. It works because of us.” When the elevator stops and the doors open, Angel looks out to see the plaza in front of the Wolfram and Hart Office building in LA. They’re back where they started. Seems where they are now is the Home Office - present day Los Angeles.

Angel is stunned by this revelation. In total despair, he sleeps with Darla, hoping to lose his soul. But his soul is safe and Angel is remotivated, determined to rejoin his crew and continue the battle with Wolfram & Hart. He’s found the reason why he continues to fight despite the odds stacked against him.

“Boldness has genius, power and magic in it.” - Goethe

If Angel has really been so powerless all these years, compared to Wolfram & Hart, then why has Wolfram & Hart been so obsessed with him since the beginning? They were obviously worried enough about him to set up the Special Projects Division, headed by Holland Manners who put Lilah Morgan & Lindsey McDonald in charge of Wolfram & Hart’s pet project - Angel. After Darla and Dru murdered Holland, Linwood Murrow became head of Special Projects. Lindsey and Lilah, much to their consternation, realize that the goal has always been to turn Angel dark; to have him on their side for the upcoming Apocalypse since the prophecy says that the vampire with a soul is destined to be a major player. Wolfram & Hart wants to stack the deck in their favor.

In Season 3, Wolfram & Hart tries to take Connor, not to use him in their fight, but to dissect him and find out what makes him tick. Even though they were ultimately unsuccessful in this endeavor, Connor was taken and Wolfram & Hart felt the wrath of that. They learned that it didn’t serve their ends to cross Angel. If anything, it made Angel hate them more.

In Season 4, in spite of her over-reaching presence, Angel does battle Jasmine. He goes to that other world to get her name. He defeats a God and, of course, world peace. It now appears that Wolfram & Hart has finally learned their lesson, and instead of trying to take something away from Angel to turn him, they give him something.  They offer him a bite of the proverbial apple, and what has corrupted man more than that fateful bite of the apple? This offer brings Angel under the Senior Partners’ realm of influence, as he supposedly now runs the L.A. branch of their multi-dimensional corporation - Wolfram & Hart.

During Season 5, we see Angel trying to run Wolfram & Hart to the best of his abilities. The Senior Partners hoped that by making this move, they could watch and control Angel - distract him enough so that he won’t see the plays they are making right under his nose. It seemed to be working for a while. Everyone has been caught up in their new jobs, repeating time and time again about all the good they are doing from the inside. But in truth, they are just running around in circles, chasing their tails most of the time. They are so busy dealing with the inner workings of the firm, they don’t get out much to help those that need the most help. This is what the Senior Partners were counting on.

“When I dare to be powerful, to use my strength in the
service of my vision, then it becomes less and less important
whether I am afraid.” - Audre Lorde

So now it appears that over the course of the five seasons the Senior Partners have been running the “power play,” being one man up and Angel constantly undermanned, trying to keep up, and defend to the best of his ability. What Angel hadn’t realized, but I think he does now, is that no matter what team Angel is on, he has “the man advantage.” I think the Senior Partners have realized this. This is why all these years they have tried to get to him, separating him from his team (in effect putting Angel in the penalty box) and bring him over to their side. Angel has never felt like he had any real power, which is especially evident this season.  He’s felt like he’s been at a disadvantage, or “a man down.” What he’s never realized is that he’s the extra player.

By setting into motion all that he has since “You’re Welcome,” thanks to the vision from the PTBs, he’s gained entrance into the Circle of the Black Thorn. What Angel has effectively done here is pull the goalie and inserted an extra player - himself. By doing this, he is putting an extra player on the ice to go on the offensive and put the Senior Partners on the defensive.

“Every man has enough power left to carry out
that of which he is convinced.” - Goethe

What Angel is now doing, at the end of this episode, is setting up a penalty shot. In hockey, this is one of the more exciting moments in a game. After a very serious penalty, the aggrieved player is allowed a one-on-one shot against the goalie. The player starts with the puck at center ice and gets to use all his finesse, power, and skill to score. To me, this is what Angel is setting up. He can’t reach the Senior Partners directly, so he’s going after the ones that do their dirty work here on Earth. He’s putting all his eggs in one basket, and going for the shot. Right now it’s do or die.&nb