Angel/Recap/S03 E07 Offspring

The Fang Gang are investigating an apocalyptic prophecy when Darla turns up at their door, no less dangerous for carrying Angel's child.

"Lorne: "This is way beyond my ken -- and my Barbie and all my action figures.""
 * Absurdly Spacious Sewer: In Rome, which is Truth in Television.
 * Bait and Switch Comment: After Darla knocks down Angel, Cordelia says "Stop that...you'll hurt her."
 * Big Bad:
 * Big Damn Heroes: Darla and several henchvamps armed with Arrows on Fire turn up to rescue Angelus.
 * Bus Full of Innocents: Darla arrives in Los Angeles in a bus she's commandeered. "And they say there's no public transportation in LA." As she steps off the terrified bus driver looks back over his shoulder -- several passengers are dead in their seats while the survivors are cowering at the back. Good thing for them it was a short trip.
 * Call Back: Angel mentions three previous scrolls predicting some sort of disaster. Presumably these are the Pergamum Codex (predicting Buffy's death and the Master rising in "Prophecy Girl"), "The Writings of Aurelius" (the rise of The Anointed One) and the Scrolls of Aberjian (foretelling Darla's arrival and the role of the vampire with a soul in the apocalypse).
 * Can You Hear Me Now: The gang try to page Angel to let him know about Cordy's latest vision. The pager goes off in Angel's jacket...which is hanging on a nearby coat rack.
 * Chekhov's Gunman: The demon Sahjahn is introduced.
 * Church Militant / In the Hood: The Inquisitore, who capture Angelus for Holtz in Rome.
 * Cold-Blooded Torture: Holz isn't interested in information; he quite cheerfully tortures Angelus for revenge.
 * Couldn't Find a Lighter / Establishing Character Moment: Sahjahn is conducting the usual overblown Magical Incantation; when nothing happens he casually lights a cigarette from one of his flaming braziers and then checks his wristwatch to make sure he's got the time right.
 * Distant Prologue
 * Dynamic Entry: After cornering Angelus, the Inquisitore throw open the double doors to the outside. As Angelus cringes from the bright sunlight, Holtz rides though on a horse which rears dramatically.
 * The End of the World as We Know It
 * Incredibly Lame Pun

"Cordy: "Ow. That doesn't feel right."
 * Innocent Innuendo: Angel positioning Cordey in self defense training -- we don't see what they're doing because the camera is on Fred sneaking down into the basement.

Angel: "Just relax. You have to bend."

Cordy: "I don't bend there... Okay. Now that's downright unnatural.""

"Darla: I love children. I could just eat them up."
 * Interrogation by Vandalism: Gunn gets The Collector to put down his gun and let them look at his scroll by juggling a set of priceless orbs.
 * False Reassurance

"Angel: "Breaking and entering is such a negative term. They are simply retrieving some missing pieces from the Nyazian Scroll.""
 * The Farmer and the Viper: Seeing Darla's pain over her pregancy, Cordelia throws Angel out of the room and tries to comfort her. Darla responds by covering Cordelia's mouth so she can't scream and biting her neck. Cordelia is only saved by Angel making a Conveniently-Timed Attack From Behind.
 * Good Hurts Evil: The baby's soul is driving Darla insane.
 * Horror Hunger: Darla isn't only 'eating for two', she's driven to consume blood that is more pure -- e.g. children. Angel finally realises that it's because the baby has a soul.
 * Hypocritical Humor: Cordy bops Angel on the nose during training. Angel just smiles and says that he's a vampire. "You can't hurt me." Then he turns away and rubs his nose in pain.
 * Love You and Everybody: Cordelia telling Angel "I love you." When a shocked Angel responds "What?", she says "Of course I love you." Then she calls out to where the others are working "Angel loves me and I love him. Don't you guys love Angel?" and Wesley, Fred, and Gunn all chime simultaneously "We love you, Angel!" Due to the skill of the actors involved, an absolute knee-slapper.
 * He's trying to work up to telling her he thinks he's developed romantic feelings for her and she interrupts him with "Angel, are you trying to tell me you love me? It's ok, I love you too". He's surprised she was able to just come right out with it, but she just wants to reassure him that she knows he cares about her, turns out that five minutes earlier everyone else was saying they loved each just in case they all die in the coming apocalypse.
 * Magical Abortion: Averted
 * Never My Fault: Darla blames Angel for bonking her, then walking off leaving her with a bun in the oven. Well she had been trying to turn him evil...
 * No Except Yes

""Mmmmm, Angel!""
 * Not Helping Your Case: The Fang Gang aren't happy that Angel has violated his Celibate Hero status. Then they run into the Furies from "That Old Gang of Mine"

"Can I say something about destiny? Screw destiny! If this evil thing comes we'll fight it, and we'll keep fighting it until we whoop it. 'Cause destiny is just another word for inevitable and nothing's inevitable as long as you stand up, look it in the eye, and say "You’re evitable!" Well, you...you catch my drift."
 * Pregnant Badass: Darla is now stronger than the entire Fang Gang.
 * Prophecy Twist: The fact that they can't trust what's written in these prophecies, even without the problem of translation errors, is lampshaded constantly.
 * Sarcasm Mode: Darla, Cordelia and Wesley all take a bash at Angel.
 * Screw Destiny: Fred too can give a Rousing Speech.

"Gunn: "I got a bad feeling about this."
 * Seventh-Episode Twist
 * Shipper on Deck: Fred recognises the Moira between Angel and Cordelia -- Pylean for the instinctive attraction between two larger-than-life souls (e.g The Champion and the Fainting Seer). Angel protests that they're Just Friends, but the conversation clearly makes him rethink their relationship. He makes an awkward attempt to discuss the issue with Cordy, but it ends up being spoiled by the ill-timed entrance of a pregnant Darla.
 * Stock Quotes: Wesley and Gunn are breaking into The Collector's room, only to be confronted by a massive vault their snitch hadn't told them about.

Wes: "We'll figure something out. It's just a vault."

Gunn: "Actually my bad feeling is more about the man standing behind you with the large revolver.""

"Holtz: "I don't want anything. My family is gone. I don't trust you to give me Darla, although I *will* find her, you know that. My only desire here - is to discover if a thing such as yourself can be made to pay for its sins. (Holtz digs the claw-thingy in somewhere below Angelus' waist (off screen) and Angelus groans in pain) You're a demon. It is your nature to maim and kill. But you were also once a man. If we beat and burn the demon out of your living flesh, will there be anything left? (Holtz digs the claw in again and Angelus groans in pain) Anything at all? I doubt it. But I'm willing to spend the next fortnight of my life finding out.""
 * Taken for Granite
 * To the Pain

"Cordy: "Hey, what are friends for?"
 * This Is Something He's Got to Do Himself: Angel goes to fight pregnant Darla because he doesn't want the others to be present when he kills his own child.
 * Vagueness Is Coming
 * Wham! Episode:
 * Walk in Chime In

Darla: (from the door) "If you ask me, they're for knocking you up and leaving you high and dry.""

"Angelus: Shouldn’t we be killing Holtz?
 * Why Don't You Just Shoot Him?: Holtz is crawling towards a weapon, easy prey for Darla who just knocks him out.

Darla: I know, but it's just so much fun ruining his life. He's like family now."