Angel: Soulless (2003)

Now that his soul has been removed, Angel (David Boreanaz) reverts to his demonic self, Angelus, for the first time since season two of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Locked in a cave in the hotel basement, Angelus taunts Angel's comrades but refuses to offer any information about his connection to The Beast (Vladimir Kulich). Biding his time until he can escape, the fiend amuses himself by revealing everyone's secrets, including the illicit tryst between Cordelia (Charisma Carpenter) and Connor (Vincent Kartheiser). The resulting tension among the ranks gives Wesley (Alexis Denisof) the opportunity to step up his romantic pursuit of Fred (Amy Acker); Gunn (J. August Richards), of course, is anything but pleased. Angelus finally does cough up the dirt, but only after Cordelia secretly promises to submit to his every desire in exchange for the information he has. It seems that more than 200 years ago, The Beast sought Angelus' assistance in battling the mystics known as the Svea Priestesses. Out only for himself, Angelus refused, allowing the enchantresses to banish The Beast from this dimension. Learning that the current Svea Priestesses live nearby, the Angel Investigations team rushes to consult with them. Instead, they find only the women's corpses. Realizing that Angelus' one bit of wisdom is now useless, the gang prepares to restore Angel's soul -- but find it's gone missing from the hotel safe. Originally broadcast February 5, 2003, on the WB network, "Soulless" marked season four, episode 11 of the supernatural soap opera. This episode was directed by actor Sean Astin of Lord of the Rings fame. ~ Brian J. Dillard, Rovi