Angel/Recap/S03 E02 That Vision Thing

Cordelia experiences visions that disfigure her physically. Lilah Morgan offers to fix the problem if Angel rescues a man imprisoned by the Powers That Be.

"Lorne: "Who wants to get to you, who has the sizable resources, and who'd be willing to mess up a pretty face like Cordelia's?""
 * All Women Love Shoes: Cordelia admires Gavin's Guccis. And his nice suit.
 * Always Save the Girl: Angel thinks saving Cordelia is more important than whatever damage the prisoner will do.
 * Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking: Lorne works out who the obvious suspect for Cordy's problems is.

"Wesley: "Anything of interest yet, Fred?"
 * Attention Deficit Ooh Shiny: Fred is looking up the addresses of Chinatown herbal shops.

Fred: "Oh, sure. Lots. 'H' is a fascinating letter. Helicopters, helium, helmets, hernias...'

Wesley: "Did you happen to notice 'herbs' in your wanderings?""

"Angel: "I don't suppose we know what this dimension is like? I mean, besides fortress-y and demon-y?"
 * Batter Up: Gunn carries a sharpened baseball bat so he can both stake and smash.
 * Beauty to Beast
 * Blood Magic / Bloody Handprint: The shaman trying to abort Darla's child.
 * Buffy-Speak / Shaped Like Itself: The fortress demon dimension.

"Old Chinese Woman: Your kind not welcome here.
 * Chekhov's Gunman: The prisoner Angel freed will turn up again in "Billy", and the demon Skip in "Birthday".
 * Dramatic Thunder / A Storm Is Coming: Darla consulting the shaman. Just call it Foreshadowing.
 * Everything Is Better With Spinning: Averted; Lorne's attempt to use Julie Andrews singing The Sound of Music to help Cordelia relax just makes her ill.
 * Evil Is Petty: Gavin Park steps up his harassment of Angel Investigations, listing fifty-seven city code violations with the city planners office and sending pest exterminators in the middle of the night to clean out the Hyperion.
 * Facial Horror
 * Fascinating Eyebrow: Angel and Skip share some amusing eyebrow movements when they first meet.
 * Fantastic Racism: Subverted when you find the Chinese couple are working for the Powers -- vampires are (after all) evil.

Charles Gunn: Since when can't a brother buy some ginseng tea?

Old Chinese Man: Not you. Him. (Points at Angel) Vampire not welcome."

"David Boreanaz: No, Cordy; this isn't about winning, this is about what's at stake, and these waffles are fucking great. Can we eat 'em?"
 * Friendly Local Chinatown: The locals are distinctly unfriendly this time round.
 * Genre Savvy: Gunn demands to know why it's always the last place they check that turns out to be the one they're looking for, and says next time they should do it in reverse order.
 * Ghost Butler: Cordelia gets Phantom Dennis to open the door for her so she can usher Fred out.
 * Gibbering Genius: Fred comes up with the idea of tracing back the signal from the Powers That Be.
 * Hilarious Outtakes / Delicious Distraction

"Skip: "And you're here to try to...rescue this guy? (Angel nods) But we're on the same side. Shouldn't you be helping to keep him in here?"
 * Hostage for Macguffin
 * A House Divided: When Lilah blows off Gavin's offer to come on his team, he lets Angel past Wolfram & Hart's vampire detectors to visit her.
 * I Did What I Had to Do
 * It's a Long Story / Talk to the Fist

Angel: "I know. I know. Long story. Involves a girl. I don't like it any better than you do."

Skip: "So I really can't talk you out of this?"

Angel: "Sorry. I wish you could. I guess we just have to agree to..." (Skip punches him in the face) "...disagree.""

"Angel: "Uh, what keeps him in the fire?"
 * Improvised Weapon / Wire Fu: Angel yanks the Chinaman's belt sash, causing him to spin through the air.
 * Kubrick Stare: Just in case you had any doubt the man Angel freed was evil.
 * Levitating Lotus Position / Please Keep Your Hat On / My Brain Is Big: The Man in the Fez sits on Lilah's table, floats in the air, then removes his fez to reveal the top of his skull has been cut off to reveal a squirming brain.
 * Man On Fire / And I Must Scream: The prisoner Angel is sent to free is engulfed in flames inside a burning cube floating in midair.

Skip: "My will."

Angel: "How come he's not screaming in pain?"

Skip: "Oh, he is. My will prevents him from being heard. I mean there is only so many 'oh my god! The pain! Please make it stop!' that you can listen to before it starts to bug the crap out of you.""

"Angel: "Don't you come at me through Cordelia ever again. You play that card a second time and I'll kill you.""
 * The Nameless: The Man in a Fez.
 * Needle in a Stack of Needles: The key is hidden in a key shop; averted though because it's too distinctive to miss.
 * Never Heard That One Before: Darla isn't surprised the shaman doesn't have any answers for her.
 * The Nose Knows: Skip sniffs Angel and realises he's both a vampire and working for the Powers.
 * Nothing Personal: Angel and Skip have a friendly conversation before trying to beat each other's heads in. Averted with Lilah -- after making the swap, she tells Angel it was "just business". Angel responds by hurling a rebar through the skull of the Man with the Fez. Lilah stares at the corpse, then jumps when she realises Angel is right in front of her.

"Angel: "Sure. Because it would be too easy if I could actually defend myself.""
 * Oh Crap: Angel crosses into the fortressed demon dimension. His weapons don't come with him.

"Wesley: "I supposed it is one of the unwritten laws of being a 'dick.' (Gunn give Wes a look) Ah, a sleuth, a gumshoe, Sherlock."
 * Office Golf / Stealth Hi Bye: Lilah is playing golf on her computer, then jumps when she realises Angel is behind her.
 * Plot Coupons: The ring and the key enable Angel to enter the fortress dimension.
 * Ship Tease: Blood Knight Gunn tells Fred he'd rather be out with her than fighting.
 * Sword Fight / Battle Discretion Shot
 * Talking in Your Dreams: The Man in the Fez puts his own visions in Cordelia's head.
 * Tempting Fate: "This has never failed me." Well shaman, there's a first time for everything.
 * That Came Out Wrong: Cordelia being compared to cars and dogs. And of course the inevitable Getting Crap Past the Radar versions.

Gunn: "All I know is you use the word 'dick' again and we're gonna have a problem. So what is the name of this place anyway?"

Wesley: "Van Hoa Dong.""

"Lilah: "To be honest, nobody at the firm thought that you could do it...except me. You're a remarkable man, Angel."
 * They Look Just Like Everyone Else: The man Angel rescues looks like an ordinary human, rather than some hideous demon.
 * Villains Never Lie: Averted; Lilah claims the man Angel is going to rescue has been unfairly imprisoned. Angel doesn't even bother asking for details. Both he and Wesley know that Lilah is either lying or not telling the full story. Regardless, if Wolfram & Hart want the man released it'll be bad news for someone.
 * Wolverine Claws / Badass Grandpa / Never Mess with Granny / Battle Couple: The Chinese couple guarding the Key.
 * Your Approval Fills Me with Shame

Angel: "Yeah, and you're an evil bitch.""