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“Time Bomb”
Angel episode
Angel witnesses Illyria's destruction Wesley uses the Mutari Generator to stop Illyria's imminent destruction
Episode no.	Season 5 Episode 19
Written by	Ben Edlund
Directed by	Vern Gillum
Guest stars	Jaime Bergman    (Amanda) Jeff Yagher    (Fell Leader) Adam Baldwin    (Hamilton)
Production no.	5ADH19
Original airdate	April 28, 2004
Episode chronology ← Previous Next → "Origin" "The Girl in Question"
List of Angel episodes

"Time Bomb" is episode 19 of season 5 in the television show Angel, Illyria rescues Gunn from a hell dimension. While Angel negotiates with a pregnant woman whose unborn child the Fell Brethren believe to be their Messiah, Illyria begins uncontrollably looping through time, accidentally dragging Angel with her, until Wesley shunts her excess power into another dimension.

See List of Angel episodes for a complete list.

Contents 1 Plot 2 Acting 2.1 Main cast 2.2 Guest stars 2.3 Co-stars 3 Production details 3.1 Arc significance 4 Timing 5 References 6 External links 7 See also

In a dark basement, Gunn is strapped to a table being tortured by a demon. Illyria blows the basement door off its hinges and sends the demon flying with one strike. She removes the medallion from Gunn's neck, causing his memories to return - including the memory that to leave the dimension, somebody else must wear the medallion. Gunn and Illyria leave, while the demon, now wearing the medallion, begins torturing himself.

In Angel’s office, Wesley explains that Illyria left of her own accord, to go rescue Gunn. Angel is curious as to Illyria’s motivation for rescuing Gunn. Angel also suspects that Illyria is still hanging around Wolfram & Hart because she wants power. Wesley suggests that Illyria could be a powerful member of the team. Illyria appears through a portal, carrying Gunn. Illyria chokes Gunn, until Wesley acknowledges Team Angel now owe her a great debt. Illyria drops Gunn and leaves.

Gunn enters Wesley’s office, and confesses that he is confused about Illyria, who killed Fred, but saved his life. Wesley notes that you can’t look at Illyria without seeing her body’s previous occupant, Fred. Gunn asks what kind of control Team Angel have over Illyria. Wesley explains that Illyria is under no control, and still thinks she is the god-king of the universe.

In the training room, Illyria and Spike are sparring. Illyria notes that Spike liked Fred, but he still attacks Fred’s body without remorse. Spike explains that he can smell the difference between Fred and Illyria. Spike jumps towards Illyria. Illyria slows down time, in order to avoid Spike’s attack. When time resumes to normal speed, Illyria kicks Spike into the wall. Angel calls Spike from the next room. Illyria seems uninjured as Spike leaves.

In the observation area, Spike tells Angel that he’s starting to learn her fighting style. Angel tells Spike to stop training, because instead of Illyria being tested, she has ended up testing them. Illyria stumbles into the observation area, clutching herself in pain. Spike jokes about her supposed strength.

Gunn is working in his office, when Lorne interrupts. Lorne is wearing a fedora and sporting a walkie-talkie, which is part of Angel’s plan for Lorne to keep a tab on Illyria's movements. Gunn says he is concerned over Wesley’s sanity. Lorne explains that Wesley is catatonic outside his office, and inside becomes crazily obsessed with finding new information on Illyria.

In the conference room, Angel voices his desire to remove Illyria from W&H, violently if necessary. Wesley defends Illyria’s infection of Fred. Angel asks if Wesley has a problem finding a way to kill Illyria, and Wesley tells him no. Gunn brings up the Apocalypse, which is still under way, with the bad guys winning. Marcus Hamilton strolls into the conference room, commenting that Illyria’s attack on the Suburban Hell dimension damaged W&H's people and property, which Angel now must pay for. Hamilton explains that Angel must oversee a special case from the Senior Partners, acting as witness in a case involving a ceremonial demon pact. A pregnant woman named Amanda enters Angel’s office, explaining that seers of the Fell Brethren prophecized her baby was holy. Amanda recognizes the Fell Brethren - though demons - are also devout, and is willing to give her baby to them. Gunn cautions Amanda that she should be careful about demon-pacts. A demon enters the room, and tells Gunn that Amanda is not their client; the Fell are.

Illyria storms into Wesley’s office, calling Wesley her betrayer - he destroyed the Window of Orlon in hopes of rewriting history and bringing Fred back to life. Wesley accepts her accusation, explaining that he would destroy Illyria to have Fred back. Illyria notes that she is bothered, but by something other than Wesley’s betrayal. Illyria makes several obscure comments about time to Wesley, before clutching herself in pain. She is suddenly in the training room with Wesley aiming a weapon at her, then back in the observation room with Angel and Spike in a scene that she realizes has already transpired. Back in Wesley’s office, Wesley notices Illyria’s pain, and she lashes out, accusing him of trying to murder her.

Harmony is stalling the Fell demons, while Angel and Gunn privately try to talk Amanda out of the pact. Amanda explains that not only can the Fell provide her child a wonderful life being worshiped, but promise to cure the brain-damage her husband experienced following a work injury. Angel decides to stop stalling, and begins the meeting between the Fell demons and Amanda.

Hamilton finds Wesley working in the science lab, and tells Wesley that the Senior Partners want Illyria dead. Hamilton suggests that Wesley checks the low-emanation scanner readouts. Wesley pulls up a map of the building on his laptop, with a blue entity moving down a hallway. Illyria is walking down a hallway, with Lorne following closely. Lorne pages Angel fruitlessly on the walkie-talkie, to tell Angel that Illyria has realized Lorne was following her.

The three demons from the Fell Brethren enter the conference room, gushing over Amanda and her baby. Gunn discovers in his notes that the baby is going to be ritualistically sacrificed on his thirteenth birthday. While Gunn tries to relay this information to Amanda, Illyria bursts into the conference room, accusing Angel of poisoning her. Angel heads for the science lab, and voices his opinion to Wesley that Illyria has gone crazy. Wesley explains that Illyria is overloading, with the fusion between Illyria’s demon essence and Fred’s body deteriorating, and very soon Illyria is going to self-destruct. Fortunately, Wesley has a Mutari generator, which Wesley claims will kill Illyria. Spike shows Angel the low-emanation scanner, which reveals Illyria is currently in the training room.

As Spike enters the training room, he explodes into dust as Illyria stakes him from behind. She grabs a dagger off of the wall and throws it at Wesley, killing him instantly, then kills Lorne by punching through his chest. Angel vamps out and jumps at Illyria, who beheads Angel in mid-flight. Illyria examines the carnage, then clutches herself in pain.

Illyria is suddenly in the lobby, with Angel again. Angel tells her that Team Angel isn’t responsible for her injury, and starts to walk away. Illyria grabs Angel and lifts him off the ground. She is suddenly back in Wesley’s office again, but this time, Angel is also there. Wesley notices Illyria’s pain, and is surprised to see Angel. Illyria explains that Angel wasn’t with her last time, and that this is an aberration in the time-line. Illyria doubles over and screams in pain.

Illyria and Angel are suddenly back in the basement, where Gunn is still being held captive. Illyria accuses Angel of ripping her out of linear progression, tearing her time-line into shreds, and stitching it back together out of sequence. Angel tells her no. Illyria punches the torturer demon, then she punches Angel. Illyria doubles over and screams in pain.

Angel and Illyria are suddenly back in the training room. The bodies of Lorne and Wesley are lying on the ground. Illyria explains how she killed Spike, Wesley, Lorne, and finally Angel, in a different time-line. Illyria, in obvious pain, explains to Angel that he could have been powerful if he didn’t argue over W&H’s price, and the only way to win a war is to serve no master but your own ambition. Illyria explodes into a blue energy ball that shoots Angel backwards.

All of a sudden, Angel is back in the hallway, with Spike and Wesley. Wesley is again guessing at how much damage Illyria self-destructing would cause. Angel tries to explain the time-phase Illyria just took him on, but they all enter the training room before Angel can explain.

Angel, Lorne, Spike and Wesley enter the apparently empty training room, again. Angel, realizing Spike is about to be staked, moves Spike out of the way. Angel tells Illyria not to kill everybody and Wesley not to kill Illyria. Illyria is grabbing her head, in obvious pain. Angel reveals his experience where Illyria explodes, sending him back through time. Wesley reveals that the Mutari generator won’t kill Illyria, just draw out most of her energy. Illyria notes that Wesley tried to murder her, bringing back Fred. Wesley tells Illyria that she’s all that he has left of Fred. Illyria, not wishing to be powerless, kicks Wesley, who is sent flying. Spike kicks Illyria in the face and throws her into a wall. Spike charges Illyria, who slows down time to avoid Spike. As Illyria is taken in by her pain, her focus on slowing time is gone and time returns to normal. Illyria starts to explode into a blue light again, and Wesley uses the Mutari generator to suck off her energy. Illyria collapses to the ground.

Through the observation area window, Angel and Wesley watch the immobile Illyria, who is still on the ground. Wesley tells Angel that Illyria will no longer be stopping time or walking through dimensions, and she has probably lost some of her physical strength. Wesley tells Angel that he will stay and watch over Illyria. Angel decides that Illyria might still be a valuable resource for them, then leaves.

Outside the conference room, Gunn is arguing with the Fell Brethren that they have no legal right to Amanda’s child. The Fell argue that W&H are supposed to be helping them to acquire the child, not talking Amanda out of the deal. The leader of the Fell is shouting threats at Hamilton, who turns the conversation over to Angel, as Angel walks into the lobby. Angel announces that the baby belongs to the Fell Brethren. Gunn is confused. Angel ushers all the demons into his office, to sign Amanda’s unborn child away in a demon-pact. Angel tells Gunn that their job is to serve their clients.

The role of Amanda was played by Jaime Bergman, David Boreanaz's wife. Of the experience, Boreanaz says, "[it was] great to have her come on to the show, and have our son look at that, and see the two of us actually play opposite one another for a brief moment." He adds, "We had fun with it. It was nothing too serious, it was just a small little role, a laugh."^[1]

• David Boreanaz as Angel
• James Marsters as Spike
• J. August Richards as Charles Gunn
• Amy Acker as Illyria
• Andy Hallett as Lorne
• Mercedes McNab as Harmony Kendall
• Alexis Denisof as Wesley Wyndam-Pryce

• Jaime Bergman as Amanda
• Jeff Yahger as Fell Leader
• Adam Baldwin as Marcus Hamilton

• Nick Gilhool as Fell Brother #1

J. Sherman compares the scene in which Illyria descends into hell to rescue Gunn as a "riff on the Orpheus theme".^[2]

Illyria's statement to Angel about how to win a war helps Angel to form his plan against Wolfram & Hart. It begins in the final scene, where he appears to forfeit the unborn child, but is not fully revealed until "Power Play".

• Stories that take place around the same time in the Buffyverse:

Location, time (if known)	Buffyverse: Spring 2003 – 2004 (non-canon = italic)
Sunnydale, Cleveland, Italy, Summer 2003-2004	Buffy book: Queen of the Slayers (unofficial continuity)
2003-2004	Buffy book: Dark Congress
L.A., 2003	A5.01 Conviction
L.A., 2003	A5.02 Just Rewards
L.A., 2003	A5.03 Unleashed
L.A., 2003	A5.04 Hell Bound
L.A., 2003	A5.05 Life of the Party
L.A., 2003	A5.06 The Cautionary Tale of Numero Cinco
L.A., 2003	A5.07 Lineage
Europe, 2003	Tales of the Vampires: Antique
L.A., 2003	Angel comic: Spike vs. Dracula #5
L.A., 2003	Angel comic: Wesley: Spotlight
L.A., 2003	A5.08 Destiny
L.A., 2003	A5.09 Harm's Way
L.A., 2003	Angel comic: Spike: Old Wounds
L.A., 2003/4	A5.10 Soul Purpose
L.A., 2003/4	A5.11 Damage
L.A., 2003/4	Angel comic: Spike: Lost and Found
L.A., 2003/4	A5.12 You're Welcome
L.A., 2003/4	A5.13 Why We Fight
L.A., 2004	A5.14 Smile Time
L.A., 2004	A5.15 A Hole in the World
L.A., 2004	A5.16 Shells
L.A., 2004	Angel comic: Illyria: Spotlight
L.A., 2004	A5.17 Underneath
L.A., 2004	A5.18 Origin
L.A., 2004	Angel comic: Gunn: Spotlight
2004	Angel comic: Connor: Spotlight
L.A., 2004	A5.19 Time Bomb
Four months before Shadow Puppets	Angel comic: Spike: Asylum
L.A., 2004	Angel comic: Spike: Shadow Puppets
L.A., 2004	A5.20 The Girl in Question
L.A., 2004	A5.21 Power Play
L.A., 2004	A5.22 Not Fade Away
L.A./Hell, 2004	Angel comics: After The Fall
Romania, 2004	Angel comics: The Curse
L.A., 2004	Angel comics: Old Friends
L.A., 2004	Angel comics: Auld Lang Syne

• "Time Bomb" at the Internet Movie Database

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