Angel

LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) - There was love (of the professional, not romantic, kind) blooming on the set of The WB’s "Angel" during production for its 20th episode this season, "The Girl in Question," airing Wednesday, May 5. After co-creating the drama about a crusading vampire with a soul with Joss Whedon and being an executive producer for its early seasons, David Greenwalt — who also worked with Whedon on "Angel’s" predecessor, "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" — returned to direct "The Girl in Question."

Although he and James Marsters, who plays Spike, the other vampire with a soul, had technically been on "Buffy" at the same time (Spike moved to "Angel" this season after the "Buffy" finale), the two had never met.

"He was writing when I was there in my first season," Marsters recalls, "but I was just a guest star, and I had no reason to go up to the writers’ offices. I didn’t go to the gods at that point." The long-delayed meeting didn’t appear to have been a disappointment for either man.

"He’s so fabulous," Marsters says. "Greenwalt is just an exceptional director. I can imagine it’s the same for him producing, too. He knows how to inspire people and get the best out of them. He’s very decisive about what he wants to do, but up until that point, he’s very open to people talking."

Greenwalt returns the compliment, saying, "He’s really good. He’s really gifted. He’s an actor’s actor. He sinks so deep into the stuff. It makes him a good guy, a good human. He’s working hard on his stuff. Just watching him inspired me to two series ideas."

Of course, as "Angel" is ending this year, Marsters might be available for another series, and apparently it’s something he’s thinking about.

"We started talking about ideas that would be interesting for a series," Marsters says. "In about three days, we came up with something that was really fairly interesting. I don’t know if it would fly, but it was just wonderful to feel the interest.

"Also, there were a couple of phone calls where I had a bunch of ideas the night before — some of which he hated and some of which he really liked — that we were talking about. It was wonderful to be in that kind of collaboration. I haven’t had that since I was an artistic director of a theater. I like doing that."

In "The Girl in Question" (those in fear of spoilers should stop now), Spike and Angel (David Boreanaz) head to Rome, believing they must rescue Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) — their mutual ex-girlfriend — from their old nemesis, The Immortal.

"It’s sort of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern go to Rome, two idiots," Greenwalt says. "Angel is going to send Spike to Rome to pick up the head of this demon. At the same time, we learn that Angel has had people watching Buffy and watching her apartment. He gets a call that she’s in trouble. She’s been seen in the company of this character called The Immortal.

"You learn, in the course of the show, that the Immortal has bested them down through the last several hundred years. He’s cooler than a vampire."

All this information is revealed in flashbacks, which feature guest appearances by the two other women from Angel and Spike’s past, the vampires Darla (Julie Benz) and Drusilla (Juliet Landau).

The one woman not seen is Buffy. Although hopes were high that Gellar could make a guest appearance, it couldn’t be worked out in the end, so Buffy is only seen at a distance.

"Way across the dance floor," Greenwalt says, "you see this blond girl dancing .. this blond hair moving in slow motion."

Also making a guest appearance is former Buffy cohort Andrew (Tom Lenk), now an apprentice Watcher.

"What a funny, funny guy," Greenwalt says, "his little twists and turns he does. He walks in wearing a fabulous James Bond tuxedo in the middle of all this. It’s so great.

"I was happy to do that episode. I felt I went out with a bang there."