Angel: Fredless (2001)

Months after being rescued from the demon dimension of Pylea, Fred (Amy Acker) still acts like a shell-shocked recluse. Taking a rare break from scribbling equations on her bedroom walls, she hangs out with Gunn (J. August Richards), Wesley (Alexis Denisof), and Cordelia (Charisma Carpenter). Since Angel (David Boreanaz) is off reuniting with the newly resurrected Buffy, Wes and Cordy poke a little fun at their boss' doomed romance with the Vampire Slayer. Just then, an unamused Angel returns and enlists Fred's help in hunting a Durslar Beast that's on the loose. While they're gone, a middle-aged couple turn up seeking help in locating their daughter, who disappeared without a trace five years earlier. As it turns out, they're Fred's parents, and they've tracked the girl to Angel's hotel. Far from being delighted to reunite with her folks, though, Fred hightails it into hiding the moment she sees them. Eventually, after a long search that involves another demonic run-in, Angel and the gang catch up with Fred and she confesses what's bothering her: The sight of her parents has brought back all of the repressed pain from her long years as a demon slave. Now finally allowing herself to feel the joy of seeing her family again, Fred prepares to move back home with her parents -- until yet another skirmish with the supernatural convinces her that her place is by Angel's side. Originally broadcast October 22, 2001, on the WB network, "Fredless" marked episode five of the supernatural comedy drama's fifth season. Because of the WB's refusal to allow crossovers between Angel and its network-hopping parent series, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the reunion between Angel and Sarah Michelle Gellar's Buffy Summers is alluded to rather than depicted here. ~ Brian J. Dillard, Rovi