Angel: Habeas Corpses

"Habeas Corpses" is the eighth episode from season four of the supernatural action series Angel and the seventy-fourth episode of the series overall. It was directed by Skip Schoolnik with a script written by Jeffrey Bell. It first aired on Wednesday, January 15th, 2003 at 9:00 pm. In addition to the main cast, this episode includes guest appearances by Andy Hallett as Lorne, Stephanie Romanov as Lilah Morgan, Daniel Dae Kim as Gavin Park, and Vladimir Kulich as The Beast.

Notes & Trivia

 * Angel was created by Joss Whedon and David Greenwalt.


 * This episode is rated TV-14.


 * This episode is production code number 4ADH08.


 * This episode is included on disc two of the Angel: Season Four DVD collection and disc twenty of the Angel: The Complete Series DVD boxset collection by 20th Century Fox Television.


 * This is the second episode of Angel directed by Skip Schoolnik. He directs five episodes of the series in total. This is his second episode from season four. He previously directed "Slouching Toward Bethlehem".


 * This is the eighth episode of Angel written by Jeffrey Bell. He writes thirteen episodes of the series in total. This is his second episode from season four. He previously wrote "Slouching Toward Bethlehem".


 * Actor Andy Hallett is given a "Special Guest Star" credit in this episode.


 * This is the twelfth and final appearance of actor Daniel Dae Kim in the role of Gavin Park; dies in this episode.


 * This is the thirty-first appearance of Stephanie Romanov in the role of Lilah Morgan.


 * This is the third appearance of Vladimir Kulich as The Beast. He makes eight appearances in the series in total.

Allusions

 * The title of this episode is a play on Habeas corpus, which is a legal writ whereby a person can report an unlawful detention or imprisonment before a court, usually through a prison official. In this episode, the title refers to the presence of zombies.


 * Charles Gunn makes reference to Little Red Riding Hood in this episode. This is a European fairy tale about a young girl walking through a forest to her grandmother's house, who is accosted by a scheming "Big Bad Wolf". The Big Bad Wolf concept plays into the Buffyverse mythology as well. The Wolf is 1/3rd of The Wolf, The Ram and the Heart, aka Wolfram and Hart, while "Big Bad" refers to the central antagonist of a given episode or season.


 * This is another instance where Angel shows that he has a photographic memory. He previously demonstrated this in "Supersymmetry".

Quotes

 * Angel: Cordelia, I don't want you there. It's too dangerous, way too dangerous. I can't risk it. Fred! Get a move on.

....
 * Angel: The only way to kill a zombie is to stop its brain activity. Cut off its head, smash its skull... luckily, they're slow and stupid so we have a decent chance of beating them. Unless, of course, there's hundreds of 'em.

....
 * Charles Gunn: What the hell was that?
 * Wesley Wyndam-Pryce: Zombies.
 * Charles Gunn: Yeah, thanks for the newsflash, Captain Obvious.

...
 * Charles Gunn: So what's it say about the Big Bad Wolf if he can just stride right in and suck the energy out of Evil Red Riding Hood?

....
 * Connor: He looks dead.
 * Angel: He is dead. Technically, he's undead. He's a zombie.
 * Connor: What's a zombie?
 * Angel: It's an undead thing.
 * Connor: Like you?
 * Angel: No. Zombies are slow-moving, dimwitted things that crave human flesh.
 * Connor: Like you.
 * Angel: No. It's different trust me.

....
 * Wesley Wyndam-Pryce: There is a line, Lilah. Black and white. Good and evil.
 * Lilah Morgan: Funny thing about black and white: you mix it together and you get gray. And it doesn't matter how much white you try and put back in, you're never gonna get anything but gray. And I don't see your Texas gal pal wearing that color. Come to think of it, she prefers black.