Angel

1x20 War Zone

Angel is hired by the software millionaire David Nabbitt to cook a blackmailer’s goose who filmed David visiting a demon-brothel. As soon as Angel has tracked down the blackmailer and retrieved the photos, whereby he shows his “true” face, he’s coincidentally watched and attacked by a vampire slaying gang led by Charles Gunn. During the battue on Angel Gunn’s sister Alonna gets in the line of fire but is saved by Angel whereupon Gunn lets him escape. In the meantime the usually hunted vampires plan a counterattack on the youths and kidnap Alonna. Caring for the kids Angel returns but is captivated. When Gunn and his gang go to save Alonna he has to learn that the vampires already sired her and that his sister’s lost. After a moment of hesitation he stakes her. After the vampire’s have been killed by thefreed Angel, Gunn sees that things aren’t always as easy as they seem to be and that a believed enemy can possibly become an ally...

No “Best of Gunn” edition would be complete without his first appearance in the show, which was after all responsible for Gunn shwing up more often. In this episode the character of Gunn is introdued as a tough street fighter and leader as well as a loving brother whose aim is to fight the creatures of the underworld in LA with the help of other homeless youths. So instead of killing each others a gang is shown who fights demons whereby also the tough set of difficulties of gangs is shown on the show taking place in LA.

Gunn is the undisputed leader of this gang who’s admired by all his comrades. His only weak point is his sister. At this point of time Gunn has a very narrow-minded view of life, where only good and bad exist, and where he has to fight to survive. He fights for himself but also for the others who wouldn’t have any perspective or who’d be exposed to devastating dangers. Apart from his bigotry concerning tolerance we get to know Gunn’s essential traits. He’s strong and he knows how to battle, he supports others and weaker ones and he fights for a good cause. He’s loyal and has also a soft trait. When he loses his sister he has to acknowledge that he’s been going the wrong way and that his view of life has been to narrow-minded. He realizes that Angel’s not a enemy but an ally, and that there’s a cross between “good” and “bad”. Furthermore he sees that the battle he’s been fighting brings him to a dead-end, as he can’t win it this way but only kills the people he loves one after another. All this leads to a change of Gunn’s mentality, which is to become important in the later episodes.

2x08 The Shroud of Rahmon

When Gunn’s cousin Lester comes to Angel Investigations he asks Gunn for help. He’s supposed to work for a group of criminal demons and fears to be left behind at the next coup. Angel decides to take the case and to infiltrate the gang. Therefore he kills a vampire who shuld’ve been part of the gang and takes his place. As Gunn has a similar idea he takes his cousin’s place against Angel’s orders. It turns out, that the gang plans to steal and sell the Shroud of Rahmon. But there’s one problem: Anyone who comes near the shroud becomes crazy. That happens to the whole gang when the box containing the shroud is damaged during the theft. A result of this is an argument between Angel and Gunn which reveals that there’s still a gap between them, although they’re working side by side. Just before everyone’s going to kill each other Angel takes the shroud and burns it.

Although „The Shroud of Rahmon“ isn’t an episode that deals intensively with the character of Gunn it shows his splitted relation to Angel. When the plot takes place Gunn’s still a new member of Angel Investigations and hasn’t been integrated to the group. He rather exists between his new life at Angel Investigations and his old life as a leader of a gang which leads him to a conflict of loyalty. Should he be loyal to Angel and take his orders without asking questions or should he support his cousin (who can be seen as a metaphor for Gunn’s old life with the gang). He decides to take his cousin’s side which shows that Gunn still can’t adjust working for someone else and therefore does, what he thinks is right. In the course further events it gets clear that Gunn’s problem with Angel is more than a matter of authority and subordination. Influenced by the shroud of Rahmon Gunn admitts that he still doesn’t trust Angel and that he still hates all vampires for his sister’s death. Although Gunn overdoes his arguments under the influence of the shroud Angel acknowledges that there’s a certain amount of truth in them. During a clearifying talk the interpersonal gap between Gunn and Angel seems to be filled, but both of them know that there are still a lot of problems between them and that it would take a long time until Gunn is integrated in Angel Investigations and until he would accept Angel as the leader.

2x14 The Thin Dead Line

Anne who’s an old friend of Gunn’s and who carries a shelter for homeless kids asks Gunn for help as again and again kids visiting her shelter are tracked and beaten up by sadistic cops who don’t seem to have any reason for their doings. Gunn, Cordelia and Wes who carry Angel Investigations independently from Angel take the case. When Angel follows them secretly he’s attacked by one of these cops. During the fight Angel has to kill him whereby it turns out that these cops are zombies. After Angel has contacted Kate they find out that the policeman has been dead for a while and that other policemen’s graves have also been raided. In the meantime Gunn and his old friends work out a plan in which Gunn confronts the sadistic cops while one of his friends films the unprovoked attack. At the shelter Wesley and Cordelia who have worked on another case before learn about Gunn’s plan whereupon Wesley goes to find Gunn and to keep him out of trouble. When Wesley’s shot by the policeman Gunn had encountered Gunn, his friends and the badly wounded Wesley have to retreat. After the zombies shoot the driver of an ambulance Gunn brings Wesley to the shelter. There the youths barricade the complete house while the zombie cops show up to get rid of all the kids. Meanwhile Angel and Kate find the person in charge of the zombies in the police HQ. Destroying the voodoo items which have been needed to control the zombies Angel thereby kills all the zombie cops and Wesley can be brought to a hospital.

”The Thin Dead Line” shows the development of Gunn. While Angel fights his own battle against evil Gunn, Wesley and Cordelia carry Angel Investigations on their own, secretly supported by their former employer. Working together without a champion the three of them develop a true friendship. When Gunn came on Angel Investigations he was a freelancer who showed up now and then but who was still closely connected to his old gang. Very slowly his relation to Wesley, Cordelia and not to mention Angel grew. Suddenly left by Angel the three of them decide to fight the battle between good and evil together. Although he could’ve gone back to his old gang Gunn stays with Cordelia and Wesley. The battle against the zombie cops was one of the first challenges for the group which they mastered with teamwork and the will to sacrifice their life for each other (and obviously with the help of Angel). The fact that Wesley got shot brings the group even closer together and a true friendship between Gunn and Wesley takes shape which would only break at the topic which destroys most of the friendships between men: a woman. But that’s another topic... Furthermore the episode shows that Gunn’s still closely connected to his old friends and that he’s willing to help them without hesitation.

3x03 That Old Gang Of Mine

When Cordelia asks Angel to apologize to Merl, a demon he used to beat up to get information, the only thing he can find is the pulpy carcass of Merl. Angel and Wesley try to solve the murder which is completely incomprehensible to Gunn who says that Merl’s just been a demon. Wesley however clearifies that there’s a cross between good and evil which means that not every demon is evil and that therefore demons mustn’t be killed randomly. Visiting his old gang Gunn has to realize that a lot has changed. His old friend Rondell is the new leader and there are a lot of new youths at the gang. Among them is Gio who from the first moment on blames Gunn that he has betrayed his old friends and that he’s a lackey of a vampire. Rondell however manages to stop the quarrel. After a peaceful demon is killed again in a horrible manner Gunn finds out that his old gang is behind these cruel murders. Talking to Rondell he realizes that the gang now kills everything in sight that looks like a demon. In order to think about this new policy of his old gang Gunn visits “Caritas”, when the gang storms into the bar to kill all the demons. As soon as Gio recognizes Gunn among the demons he tries to mortify Gunn in order to become more important to the gang. He describes Gunn as a betrayer flirting with demons. Taking hostages the gang wants Angel to come to “Caritas” so that Gunn can show his loyalty by staking Angel. Gunn refuses to do so and blames Rondell and Gio to be the true betrayers to their original aims. Fred however feints Gio while Cordelia manages to lift the anti-demon-violence spell on “Caritas”. When Gio’s killed in the following fight Gunn and Rondell agree upon going separate ways.

„That Old Gang Of Mine“ deals once more intensively with the relation between Gunn and his old gang and shows the disunion established by his work at Angel Investigations and his old life as a street fighter. More than once it’s been made clear that Gunn has issues leaving behind his old gang and to fight the battle against evil in another way. Thereby only Angel was able to show him, that a demon doesn’t necessarily need to be evil and killed. Althouh there’s still Gunn’s inner onflict whether he can trust Angel and take his orders or not, it’s as well shown that Gunn’s smart enough to overlook this conflict on the background of both of them fighting against evil. Thereby his interests concerning this conflict become meaningless and a basis for tust and friendship is build. Influenced by Gio Rondell and his gang lost Gunn’s reason why they should fight and lead a crusade against all demons without having a closer look on who they’re killing. In showing this Gio seems to play an important part as he can be seen as Gunn’s mirror image. He is what Gunn used to be, the intransigent demon fighter. Furthermore he represents what Gunn could have become, hadn’t he met Angel: A vicious killer who judges everyone by his appearance and thereby kills everything that looks evil. After his sister’s death Gunn was at the point where he had to choose how to go on with his life. Had he chosen the same way as Gio, who flew from his dark past in Miami, he would’ve tried to dull his pain caused by the loss of his sister by brutally killing (innocent) demons. Although Gunn got around this development his gang’s manner would’ve been the same as under Rondell’s and Gio’s guidance, hadn’t it been for Angel. Acknowledging the betrayal on his ideals, Gunn breaks up with his old gang. By choosing Angel’s side, no matter how big his inner conflict is, he made a final stroke to his past.

3x13 Waiting in the Wings

Instead of buying tickets for a rock concert Gunn wanted to visit Angel gets tickets for the whole group for a ballett performance he’s visited 100 years ago. Back then he was very impressed by the performance. Although Gunn’s net very enthused everyone’s getting ready to go. In a conversation between Wesley and Cordelia it gets clear, that Wesley’s got strong feelings for Fred and that he hopes to come closer to Fred during the evening. After Cordelia has talked to Fred, who also became gushy, she advises Wesley to risk it. What Cordelia didn’t knowwas that Fred’s been talking about Gunn and not Wesley. In the theatre Wesley and Gunn attempt to come closer to Fred. When Angel notices, that it’s the very same performance he’s visited 100 years ago and that this could only be done by magic he and the bored Cordy go to investigate this case, whereat they’re drawn into a magical ban behind the wings where they relive the incidents from 100 years ago when the ballet dancer and her lover got very close ... Gunn, Fred and Wesley also go behind the wings to look for Angel and Cordelia. Getting to know about the intruders the theatre chief sends his demons after the three. In the following battle Gunn gets wounded whereupon Fred rushes to him and both admitt their love. Wesley has to witness this and blazes up. By then the three are also drawn into the magical ban and learn that the theatre chief wanted the ballet dancer and that she had a lover. Therefore he enchanted her so that she would dance for him for the rest of eternity. Angel finds the theatre chief and destroys his amulett which lifts the curse.

“Waiting in the wings” solves several problems that have been going on for a while. On the one hand the slow approach between Angel and Cordelia as a consequence of the attraction both feel for each other begins, on the other hand the most important point for a character analasis of Gunn is shown, the problem of the relation between him, Fred and Wesley. For quite some time it’s been clear that both Gunn and Wesley were in love with Fred. However none of them has attempted to come closer to her. As until now the viewer always saw the emphasis on the realtion between Wesley and Fred, while Gunn’s feelings were more or less a minor matter, it was to assume that they Wesley would become Fred’s partner. That would also have occurred more reasonable, as Fred and Wesley have a lot in common while it’s hard to connect Fred and Gunn by their interests. Therefore it’s interesting that the viewer never got to know who Fred was in love with. In this episode it’s finally revealed that Fred’s been totally in love with Gunn while she had no feelings of love for Wesley. Although this is a real shock for Wesley he deals with it with british self discipline.

The actual surprise of this episode is that not Fred and Wesley become a couple as everybody would’ve thought but that a relationship between Gunn and Fred starts. It would’ve been too predicatble, if Fred and Wesley had become the new couple. Instead Fred chooses Gunn, a man of deeds. Here should also be mentioned the aspect of the races. While everybody expected that Wesley and Fred would’ve been the better couple Joss Whedon thwarts these plans and enters upon a topic which is for American standards rather awkward like the homosexual relationship between Willow and Tara on “BtVS”. The relationship between a “black” man and a “white” girl is today not as scandalous as it wouldÄve been in the past but it still makes some people wonder, whereby Joss Whedon achieved once again to enter upon a taboo topic on one of his shows.

3x18 Double or Nothing

After Connor’s been kidnapped Wesley is excluded of Angel Investigations for the rest of his life and at Hotel Hyperion reigns a depressed mood when Cordelia and Groo return from their holiday and learn about the terrible incidents. Later a harmless demon family asks Angel Investigations for help as a Skench demon occupies their flat, whereupon Gunn goes to eliminate the demon. After he’s done a lackey of the demon casino owner Jenoff appears and claims an old debt from Gunn. In a flashback it’s revealed that Gunn traded his soul for „a beauty“ seven years ago. Now that Gunn’s about to give his soul to Fred Jenoff claims the keeping of the contract during the next 24 hours. Should the contract be broken he’d take both Gunn’s and Fred’s soul. When he meets Fred Gunn decides to spend one beautiful afternoon with her. However Fred notices that something’s wrong and in order to save her Gunn simulates to have a fit and breaks up with her. Afterwards he goes to the casino. Fred reports the incidents to Angel and Cordy and says that Gunn has to be in great danger. Groo gives the others a business card of the demon, which he got earlier when the demon asked for Gunn, and the group’s going to the casino. Just as Jenoff wants to take Gunn’s soul Angel intervenes and offers a deal: Double or nothing. He and Jenoff gamble for Gunn’s and Angel’s soul. When Angel loses the game he simply decapitates Jenoff, who grows another head. All the visitors of the casino attack Jenoff and the gang has enough time to escape. Fred and Gunn reconcile and Gunn admitts that he sold his soul for his truck.

”Double Or Nothing” isn’t necessarily an episode in which Gunn developes much but still it’s an episode which deals intensively with Gunn without his old gang playing a central role. The viewer’s given an interesting insight to Gunn’s past and learns how he got his truck. The emphasis of this episode lies on the relationship between Gunn and Fred. Although everyone’s in a bad mood because Connor’s been kidnapped, Fred and Gunn are happy together until this harmony is destroyed. The seriousness of their reltaionship is shown in Jenoff’s lackey’s statement, that Gunn’s giving his soul to a girl. Fred’s so important to him, that he wants to be rather killed than bringing her into jeopardy. It get’s also clear that Gunn’s ready to take responsibility for his past actions and that he doesn’t shy to do big sacrifices, the love to Fred and his own life. At the end nothing bad happens and Fred and Gunn reconcile.

4x02 Ground State

When Angel desperately tries to learn something about Cordelia’s whereabouts Wesley who in the meantime slays demons with his own gang gives him the advice to look in another dimension and to ask the demon Dinza. Dinza on the other hand points out the axis of Pythia, an old artefact able to find the souls of those who are in another dimension. Moreover the character of Gwen is introduced to the show. As Gwen’s body is electrically charged she can’t get close to other people. She’s hired by a shaky client who wants her to steal the axis. Fred finds out tht the axis is in the highly secured part of an auction house in L.A. and that it’s soon to be sold. Therefore Angel, Gunn and Fred go to steal the axis but when they arrive the auction house they have to detect that Gwen got there first. When they meet in the vault Gwen isn’t willing to give the axis to them and they fight. Gwen touches Gunn accidentally and he dies of an electric attack. Gwen however remembers a situation where she killed a boy when she was little and these feelings of guilt make her save Gunn by giving him another, controlled electronic attack. In the further course of events Angel makes a deal with Lilah to get Gwen’s customer’s name. After a fight at this customer’s place Gwen gives Angel the axis and he manages to find Cordelia’s soul in another dimension.

“Ground State” is one of the most important episodes for Gunn’s character development with the key scene bein Gunn’s death and the following resuscitation. Gunn doesn’t die a heroic death like anyone would’ve expected but a death caused by a simple accident. Gwen’s following successful attempts at resuscitation undo the previous events, but a conversation between Fred and Gunn reveals the true momentousness of his death. Fred bursts into tears and vents her pent-up emotions consisting of anger, frustration and fear. After Wesley’d been excluded of Angel Investigations and Angel and Cordelia had vanished it was more or less her task to keep the group and Angel Investigations together. This she could only manage with Gunn’s help and the strength he gave her. That Gunn was nearly leaving here by dying would’ve destroyed her world completely. Fred’s emotional reaction to Gunn’s death shows once more how close the two have grown and that Gunn’s the last good thing for her in a dvastated world. Furthermore it shows how much Fred and Gunn are depending on each other and how the previous months drained their energy.

4x05 Supersymmetry

When one of Fred’s articles about alternate dimensions is released in a science magazine she’s asked to give a lecture at her old university. Accompanied by Gunn and Angel Fred meets old friends, among them her former physics professor Seidel. Also Wesley who has a hot and strong affair with Lilah has read the article and watches the lecture, as he still has feelings for Fred. During the lecture a portal opens and several tentacls attack Fred. Although Gunn and Angel save her Fred falls into her old behaviour pattern and backs away from everyone. The next day Fred visits Professor Seidel although she’s still distracted and tells him what has happened in the past years of her life. When the professor leaves the room for a moment Fred finds a book with conjuring spells for other dimensions and she realizes that it was Professor Seidel who sent her to Pylea. Gunn and Angel have also learnt, that Professor Seidel sends students who are intellectually smarter than him to other dimensions. Vengeful for what he did to her Fred wants to kill Professor Seidel but as Gunn and Angel refuse to help her Fred turns to Wesley who helps to find a spell to send the Professor to another dimension so that he learns what he has done to others. When she arrives Angel and Gunn are already there to solve the case in their manner but the professor opens a portal from which a demon escapes who attacks Angel. Meanqwhile Fred has opened a portal which is about to suck the professor in another dimension. As Fred doesn’t respond to Gunn’s attempts to stop her he makes a decision: He breaks the professor’s neck and throws him into the portal.

“Supersymmetry” isn’t only one of the most central episode of Gunn’s relationship with Fred but it’s also the beginning of the end of the former dream-relationship. Gunn isn’t able to get through to the vengeful Fred and to soothe her. Instead she turns to Wesley who still has feelings for her and who therefore can be seen as Gunn’s rival. This decision makes clear that an estrangement between Gunn and Fred must have taken place and that the large differences between Gunn and Fred got clear when Fred talked to her former university colleagues which made Gunn look like an illiterate outsider. Although Fred has never wanted Gunn to be an intellectual wiz, this situation obnubilated her mind and heart with vindictiveness. When Fred wants to kill Professor Seidel Gunn tries to intervene again. He loves Fred too much to let her carry the burden of having killed a person. Instead he takes this burden from her, kills the professor and throws him into the portal. This scene makes clear how big Gunn’s feelings towards Fred are, that he even murders for her to keep her safe from herself. In comparison to Fred his own life isn’t worth anything wherefore he rather kills somebody than to allow her to worry about this deed for the rest of her life and to destroy their relationship thereby. What he didn’t know was that the relationship would come to an end after the murder one way or another. The murder on Professor Seidel wanted by Fred but accomplished by Gunn was henceforth like a shroud on their relationship which broke apart some time later due to jealousy and bitterness.

5x01 Conviction

The first episode of season 5 „Conviction“ shows how the members of the gang try to adjust to their new surrounding at Wolfram & Hart. While Fred, Wesley and Lorne direct special departments (Fred leads the science department, Lorne the entertainment department and Wesley the mysticism department) Gunn tries to fit into the new job. Already at their first day at job the gang has to solve a tough case as the felon Corbin Fries wants Wolfram & Hart to represent him in court. As Angel denies Wolfram & Hart’s support Corbin tries to blackmail him with a biological bomb. While Angel tries to find and disarm the bomb Gunn is made a very special offer by Eve: In order to be an important part of the gang and the firm again the knowledge of a perfect lawyer will be implanted in Gunn’s brain. Convinced that this is the only possibility to be a use to his friends Gunn agrees and is implanted the knowledge in a very painful procedure. Finally it’s Gunn who takes Corbin’s case, defends him in court and thereby prevents the bomb to be burst.

Again this episode isn’t a Gunn centered episode but it contains a complete change of Gunn’s character. Already in episode 4x22 “Home” it’s been indicated that Gunn would in the best case scenario have a place in the security department at Wolfram & Hart. However during his visit in the “White Room” which is some kind of spiritual link to the senior partners it’s revealed to him that there’s a greater task for him. “Conviction” pays up with these expectations and Gunn receives a unique and precious weapon for the fight against evil which is better than his strength: enormous knowledge. Knowledge is power and it’s this knowledge that makes Gunn a complete new person. He’s transformed from the street fighter to a highly educated lawyer. Despite this huge change in Gunn’s character his essential character traits stay the same which is rather odd at first. So it takes a little while to accept Gunn’s unfamiliar new stile but after a little while Gunn’s completely in his new role.

5x17 Underneath

Fred is definitely dead and the gang is extremely depressed. While Wesley’s busy with Illyria Gunn’s still in the medical department of Wolfram & Hart recovering from Wesley’s stab with a knife. Meanwhile Angel tries to find out what the plan of the Senior Partners is and why they are playing with him. To this effect Angel and Spike seek Eve who’s still hiding. But her disguise is discovered and someone or somewhat is hunting her. Angel tempts to protect her whereupon Gunn advices to put her under his protection so no one can harm her. Angel advises Gunn not to hide any longer as he paid a huge price for his gift and that he should use it now for the good instead of sinking into mourning and shame. Eve informs Angel that only Lindsey can offer more information about the Senior Partners and that he therefore must be released from a hell dimension created by Wolfram & Hart. Angel, Spike and Gunn go to this dimension which looks like an idyllic American suburb. Whenever Lindsey whose mind has been overcast goes into the cellar of his house he has to suffer the most horrible tortures. At the attempt of freeing Lindsey the three have to find out that Lindsey canÄt leave this dimension without somebody else taking his place. Gunn volunteers to take Lindsey’s place so that Lindsey can help Angel. Meanwhile Hamilton took Eve’s place as the link to the Senior Partners. Lindsey provides Angel with the information he needs about the Senior Partners while Gunn’s exposed to terrible tortures in the hell dimension.

“Underneath” isn’t one of the Gunn centred episodes, too but I chose it exemplary to show the changes the new Gunn made in the 5th season and in particular to show his role at Fred’s death / Illyrias resurrection. During the previous episodes it became clear that Gunn played a mayor part in Fred’s death as he granted Dr. Sparrow the favour to bring Illyria’s sarcophagus to America in order to conserve Gunn’s slowly evanescing lawyer knowledge as a return service. No doubt that Gunn tried everything to undo the deal after Fred died but it was definitely too late. As he knew that he was guilty for Fred’s death he didn’t even fight back when Wesley driven by vengeance stabbed him. “Underneath” clarifies that Gunn’s befallen by a deep mourning and shame for what he did. So for the last time it’s shown what Fred means / meant to him which hasn’t been shown in the previous episodes of season 5. Watching these episodes one could’ve assumed that Fred and Gunn had never been a couple. As a consequence of these feelings Gunn retreats to the hospital. Only when Angel arouses Gunn and tells him that he’s needed Gunn realises that he paid a huge price for his knowledge and that he has to use this knowledge now to limit the damage and to do good. By taking Lindsey’s place in the hell dimension so that he can help Angel Gunn finds a way to do penance for his behaviour and the consequences of his behaviour. In the following episodes it gets clear that although he still has his super lawyer knowledge Gunn doesn’t want to accommodate to Wolfram & Hart but that he abjures the temptation of the Senior Partners by wearing informal clothes and that he thereby wants to show that his knowledge isn’t worth anything for him as it’s cost was Fred’s life.