Angel (season 4)

The fourth season of the television series "Angel", the spin-off of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer", premiered on October 6, 2002 on The WB and concluded its 22-episode season on May 7, 2003. The season aired in a new timeslot, Sundays at 9:00 pm ET, and then relocated to Wednesdays at 9:00 pm ET, beginning with "Habeas Corpses".
Season synopsis.
Gunn and Fred search for Angel, who had been trapped at the bottom of the ocean by his treacherous son Connor, and Cordelia, who had been summoned to a Higher Plane of existence. Wesley, banished for betraying Angel, rescues Angel after coercing Justine. Angel banishes Connor from the hotel, and searches for Cordelia. 
Eventually, he and his team learn about Cordelia's ascension, and give up their search. After going to Las Vegas to rescue Lorne, they return to find an amnesiac Cordelia. After Cordelia is made aware of the demonic world and her past, she chooses to live with Connor. 
After Lorne restores Cordelia's memories, the team become aware of the Beast, an extremely powerful being summoned at the place of Connor's birth. The Beast easily defeats Angel and his team when they attempt to stop it, and causes a rain of fire. As the situation appears cataclysmic, Cordelia sleeps with Connor. Angel witnesses this, resenting them. The Beast goes on to attack the Wolfram & Hart offices, killing everyone inside except Lilah, who is saved by Wesley. The Beast kills the Conduit within the building, in a ritual that blocks out the sun.
In another confrontation, the Beast refers to Angel as "Angelus". Believing Angelus may know how to defeat it, the team uses magic to remove Angel's soul. Angelus is uncooperative, taunting and ridiculing them, but eventually reveals that the Beast is working for a greater entity. As Angelus holds no more information, they decide to return Angel's soul. While this appears to succeed, it is a ruse, and after the rest of the gang leaves, Angelus hunts down Cordelia and Lilah in the hotel. In the chaos, Lilah is killed by Cordelia, who reveals that she was behind the ruse. 
The gang return to find Lilah dead and Angelus feeding off her corpse. After he escapes, Wesley frees the rogue Slayer Faith to stop him. Cordelia, revealed as the Beast's master, tries to recruit Angelus, but fails. Angelus arranges a fight between Faith and the Beast, wherein the Beast defeats Faith, and is then slain by Angelus, restoring the sun. Angelus attempts to kill Faith, but she has spiked her blood, and both fall into a coma. They witness Angel's past, while Willow Rosenberg attempts to restore his soul, against Cordelia's efforts. Willow succeeds, and takes Faith back to Sunnydale. Cordelia, who has hidden her actions thus far, reveals that she is pregnant with Connor's child.
Angel realizes that Cordelia is the Beast's master, and is possessed by an entity who seeks to be born as her child. Angel decides to kill Cordelia to prevent this, but she goads Connor into a ritual to accelerate the child's delivery, leading to the godlike Jasmine being born. Anyone who looks upon her falls into a loving trance, and she charms Angel, Connor, and his team, while Cordelia is left in a coma. Jasmine spreads her influence to the city, intending to do the same to the world. Fred accidentally breaks free of her influence, and brings Angel and the team to her side, except for Connor.
Jasmine hunts the team, and they flee underground. Wesley discovers a being from a world Jasmine once ruled, and learns that her real name can break her charm. Angel enters that world as the team is captured. Connor, growing mentally unhinged, becomes dissatisfied with Jasmine and finds the comatose Cordelia. Angel brings Jasmine's name back to Earth, destroying her power. The city, breaking free of her influence, is left in ruins. An enraged Jasmine overwhelms Angel, but Connor saves him, killing her.
Angel returns to the hotel, where a seemingly alive Lilah offers him and his team the L.A. branch of Wolfram & Hart, due to their ending world peace. Each member is given a tour of departments they would be suited for. Connor, completely unhinged after Jasmine's death, is about to kill himself, Cordelia and a crowd of people. Angel is able to stop him. It is revealed that Angel has accepted the offer to head Wolfram & Hart, with the condition that Connor is magically granted a new and normal life, with fabricated memories. All knowledge of him has been erased from his friends' memories.
Crew.
Series creator Joss Whedon remained as the sole executive producer of the show after David Greenwalt left at the end of season three to produce the ABC series "Miracles" after his contract with 20th Century Fox was up. He stayed on as a consulting producer for the remainder of the series. At the start of the season, David Simkins was made showrunner and executive producer, but after three months, he left the show due to "creative differences" and is not credited in any episodes. Jeffrey Bell was promoted to co-executive producer and assumed the role of showrunner for the season. Tim Minear also left the series to run Whedon's new series "Firefly" but, like Greenwalt, stayed on as a consulting producer, and wrote and directed the season finale "Home". Whedon would write and direct only one episode of the season, "Spin the Bottle", because of his commitments to the first season of "Firefly" and the final season of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer".
Steven S. DeKnight, who had written for "Buffy" during seasons five and six, moved over to "Angel" where he stayed for the remainder of the show's run. He wrote or co-wrote six episodes of the season, including the season premiere and also directed his debut episode; "Inside Out". "Buffy" writer-producer David Fury joined as a consulting producer (taking over Marti Noxon's role) and ended up writing four episodes. Mere Smith was promoted to executive story editor and wrote or co-wrote four episodes. Elizabeth Craft and Sarah Fain joined the show as staff writers and wrote or co-wrote five episodes. "Firefly" writer Ben Edlund was hired as a producer towards the end of the season, following the cancellation of "Firefly".
Episodes.
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Crossovers with "Buffy the Vampire Slayer".
The fourth season of "Angel" coincided with the seventh and final season of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer". This was the final year in which both shows were on television together.
In the "Buffy" episode "Lies My Parents Told Me", Willow (Alyson Hannigan) receives a call from Fred. She leaves immediately and goes to L.A. without telling Buffy why. Willow appears in "Orpheus" to re-ensoul Angel (David Boreanaz) as she previously did in the "Buffy" season two finale "Becoming, Part Two". After successfully re-ensouling Angel, she brings Faith (Eliza Dushku) back with her to Sunnydale to help in the fight against The First Evil.
In the season four finale, "Home", Angel receives an amulet from Wolfram & Hart which is important to the final battle in Sunnydale. Angel goes to Sunnydale in the penultimate "Buffy" episode "End of Days" and also appears in the series finale "Chosen". Angel gives Buffy the amulet (which is later worn by Spike in the final battle) and offers his help, but Buffy declines as she needs him to be the second front if they fail. Buffy and Angel share one final moment in a graveyard where they discuss a possible future.
Reception.
The fourth season was nominated for five Saturn Awards – Best Network Television Series, Best Actress in a Television Series (Charisma Carpenter), Best Supporting Actor in a Television Series (Alexis Denisof), Best Supporting Actress in a Television Series (Amy Acker), and David Boreanaz won for Best Actor in a Television Series. The season was also nominated for four Satellite Awards – David Boreanaz for Best Actor – Television Series Drama, Andy Hallett for Best Supporting Actor – Television Series Drama, and Amy Acker and Gina Torres both for Best Supporting Actress – Television Series Drama.
The Futon Critic named "Spin the Bottle" the 33rd best episode of 2002 and "Peace Out" the 25th best episode of 2003.
The fourth season averaged 3.7 million viewers, slightly lower than the seventh and final season of "Buffy".
DVD release.
"Angel": The Complete Fourth Season was released on DVD in region 1 on September 7, 2004 and in region 2 on April 1, 2004. The DVD includes all 22 episodes on 6 discs presented in anamorphic widescreen 1.78:1 aspect ratio. Special features on the DVD include seven commentary tracks—"The House Always Wins" by writer David Fury and actor Andy Hallett; "Spin the Bottle" by writer/director Joss Whedon and actor Alexis Denisof; "Apocalypse, Nowish" by writer Steven S. DeKnight and director Vern Gillum; "Orpheus" by co-executive producer Jeffrey Bell and director Terrence O'Hara; "Inside Out" by writer/director Steven S. DeKnight; "The Magic Bullet" by writer/director Jeffrey Bell; and "Home" by writer/director Tim Minear. Featurettes include, ""Angel" and the Apocalypse", which details how they depicted the apocalypse on the show; "Unplugged: Season 4 Outtakes", a series of outtakes from the season; "Last Looks: The Hyperion Hotel", a set tour of the Hyperion Hotel; "Fatal Beauty and the Beast", a look at the villains of the season; "Malice in Wonderland: Wolfram & Hart", a look at the law firm and its importance in the show; and "Prophecies: Season 4 Overview", a summary of the season featuring interviews with cast and crew members.