Somnambulist (Angel)

Infobox Television episode
Title = Somnambulist
Series = Angel


Angel wakes from another dream.
Caption = {Caption|}
Season = 1
Episode = 11
Airdate = January 18, 2000
Production = 1ADH11
Writer = Tim Minear
Director = Winrich Kolbe
Guests = Jeremy Renner
Elisabeth Röhm
Episode list = List of "Angel" episodes
Prev = Parting Gifts
Next = Expecting

"Somnambulist" is episode 11 of season 1 in the television show "Angel". See also List of "Angel" (series) episodes.

Plot synopsis

ummary

When Angel starts having dreams of the hunt, dreams that match a string of real murders in every detail, he, Wesley and Cordelia test the theory that he might be somehow sleep-killing by chaining him to the bed for the night. Angel is hardly comforted to learn he's in the clear, however, when he discovers the identity, and the origin, of the killer, a vampire named Penn whom Angelus sired in Ireland over two centuries ago. Devising a plan to protect Kate while making use of her vast LAPD resources, Angel forces Penn into the open, but fails to stop him due in part to Kate's vulnerability. After Kate comes to grips with the reality of L.A.'s supernatural side, educating herself about vampire lore in general and about Angelus in particular, Angel forces her unwilling participation to trap and dust the soulless serial killer. This puts a permanent strain on his own relationship with Kate.

Acting

Main cast

*David Boreanaz as Angel
*Charisma Carpenter as Cordelia Chase
*Alexis Denisof as Wesley Wyndam-Pryce

Guest stars

*Elisabeth Röhm as Kate Lockley
*Jeremy Renner as Penn

Co-stars

*Nick McCallum as Skateboard Kid
*Kimberleigh Aarn as Precinct Clerk
*Paul Webster as Uniform #1
*Brien DiRito as Task Force Member #1

Arc significance

Kate learns that Angel is a vampire, permanently altering their relationship.

Continuity

The profiler's packet Kate hands out to her search teams contains black and white still photos, which identify Angel. The photos seem to be taken from the same precinct surveillance tape of Angel that Lee Mercer viewed with such interest in "Sense & Sensitivity".

Cultural references

*Obi-wan Kenobi: Cordelia refers to Angelus' training of Penn by calling him Psycho-Wan Kenobi after the "Star Wars" character.

*Gallagher: Cordelia comments that the comedian has changed his act more times than Penn has in two centuries of performing.

*Apt Pupil: Cordy refers to this film when she recognizes Penn.

*Up with People: Penn mocks Angel with the name of the upbeat singing group.

*Puritan: Penn seems to mildly mock himself, but he may also be casting a centuries old religious slur on Catholic Liam.

*Dirty Harry: The red herring Penn leaves angel to suggest he is going to attack a school bus is reminiscent of a scene where a sociopath hijacks a school bus in the movie Dirty Harry.

Production details

Alexis Denisof replaces Glenn Quinn, who played Doyle, in the opening credits as of this episode.

Writing

After writing the first draft, Tim Minear had to rewrite parts of the script to accommodate Wesley's arrival and Doyle's departure; the final scene on the rooftop was originally between Angel and Doyle. The script was originally called "The Killer I Created", until a detailed summary appeared online, prompting Minear to alter the title. "I went on to the Buffy message board... changed the title and said it was about dreams and about horrible things that you do in your sleep, which completely fooled the fans," says Minear.Citation |title=ANGEL: Season One, Episode By Episode with Tim Minear - Part 3 |first=Edward |last=Gross |date=August 28, 2000 |source=TimMinear.net |accessdate=2007-09-17 |url=http://www.timminear.net/archives/angel/000041.html]

Minear says Kate finally discovering Angel is a vampire is "sort of the point of the episode." Another pivotal scene, which was conceived early in the breaking stage, is when Kate goes through Angel to stake Penn. Minear calls this "the perfect moment. Because it's Angel opening himself up and actually sort of taking responsibility in a visceral movie kind of way for this horrible thing that he's done."

Music

* Lunatic Calm - "Leave You Far Behind"

Translations

* French title: "Rêve prémonitoire" ("Premonotory Dream")
* German title: "Schatten der Vergangenheit" ("Shadows of the past")
* Italian title: "Il pupillo" ("The pupil")
* Spanish title: "Sonámbulo" ("Somnambulist")

References

External links

*
* [http://www3.sympatico.ca/jenoff/angel111.htm Peripheral Visions Review]
* [http://tv.swingthesickle.com/ststv/Angel/Season_1/11.review Swing the Sickle Review]

ee also