Synopsis of The Thin Dead Line
Written by TK
The hotel
Angel drives up and walks into the lobby. He looks around the dark abandoned office and shoves some papers off the desk. He looks around the silent lobby.
The new office
Wesley, Gunn and Cordy are sitting around bored. A woman comes in with her daughter and introduces herself as Francine Sharp, a friend of Virginia's from the country club. She shows the gang the back of her daughter, Stephanie's, head. Peering out from a break in her long hair is a big blue eye, and it follows Wesley's finger when he moves it in front of the eye. Francine explains that when Stephanie was walking home from swim practice yesterday, something grabbed her and bit her on the back of the head. When she woke up this morning, the eye was there. When Wesley asks Stephanie if she saw anything when she was bitten, Francine answers that it was dark and her daughter didn't see anything. Wesley tells Francine that they're on the case. Francine promises to pay whatever it takes.
Under a bridge
A teen age girl and boy are being chased. They realize "he" is right behind them as they see his shadow approach. They realize they have to get out of there.
Anne's teen center
The center is packed, and Anne sends someone to go get some sleeping bags 'cause they don't have enough beds. There's a pounding at the door and Anne answers it, finding the scared young couple from the previous scene. They beg her to let them in even though it's after curfew. She says they know the rules, and besides, they're already overcrowded tonight. The boy begs her, saying she can't send them back out there. She sees their desperation and lets them in. She scans outside the front door suspiciously before closing it. A police man, who matches the stalking shadow from earlier, walks up in the dark outside the teen center menacingly.
Merl's lair
Merl is packing. Angel comes in. Angel wonders why Merl is packing to leave. Merl says he's sick of everyone picking on him. He tells Angel that Wolfram & Hart has a big meeting tomorrow night at 9:30 for a new demon client. And that's it, that's all the info Angel's getting out of him. Merl asks after Wesley, remembering that Wesley was the only one who treated him with any respect. Merl taunts Angel when he realizes that Angel has no idea how Wesley's doing. Merl can't believe Angel wouldn't check up on his old friends.
Teen center
Anne sends one of her workers to make sure they have everyone's name on file. She talks to the boy from last night, Kenny, and his girlfriend Les. He explains that a cop started beating them up for no reason, so they ran from him, and that's why they were so desperate to get in last night, 'cause the cop was following them. Kenny says the cops have been hassling kids all over the city. This is not the first Anne has heard of this. Anne says she has to do something about this. Kenny asks who she's going to call, the cops? Anne says she might know someone who can help.
The new office
Anne walks in and Gunn immediately fondly greets her. It turns out Gunn used to stay in that shelter when he was younger. Anne explains the problem about the cops. Gunn says he'll go back to the shelter with her and figure it out, plus he'll be there to protect her if she gets hassled on the way back. Cordelia and Wesley mention the eye case they're working on. They also mention that they're still called Angel Investigations, after their old boss, even though they're trying to find a new name. Anne tells them how Angel tried to help her, but it turned out just to be a scam to screw a certain law firm. Although initially excited that Angel was helping someone, the gang is sad to hear that it was just part of his crusade against Wolfram & Hart. Gunn and Anne leave for the teen shelter. Angel watches them from a nearby roof-top.
Teen center
Angel watches as Gunn and Anne walk into the shelter. The kids all explain to Gunn what the cops have been doing and how it really is with no provocation at all. Angel watches and listens from outside. A cop comes up to Angel and tells him to put up his hands and turn around. The cop starts attacking Angel with his night stick. Angel fights back, warning the cop he doesn't want to the do this. The cop keeps fighting Angel, saying pieces of the Miranda between hits. Angel knocks the cop down and the cop passes out. Angel starts to walk away the cop comes to and starts fighting him again, still verbally trying to arrest Angel. Angel finally knocks the cop's head off. As the head goes rolling across the hood of a car, it's still saying the Miranda. The head and body of the cop immediaely disintegrate into an old rotting corpse.
Inside the teen center
Gunn's two friends, George and Rydell, show up with a cam-corder as asked by Gunn. They have a short argument about how Gunn hasn't been around much lately, but the friends are there to help the kids of the teen center, so they put their differences aside. Gunn's plan is to find a cop, and video-tape him beating up Gunn.
Police station
Angel comes to see Kate. She is her normal suspicious self around him. She mentions that she's working on the case of thirteen dead lawyers from Wolfram & Hart. He wishes her luck with that. He tells her he killed a cop. She says not to joke about that. He explains the circumstances and how the cop kept talking with his head off, and he hands over the cop's badge and asks her to look it up. She does so. It belongs to Peter Harris, and Angel recognizes the picture of Peter as the cop he fought. Kate says she went to Peter's funeral six months ago.
The new office
Cordy is on the phone with Gunn. He tells her his plan and she says that it sounds like he needs back-up. He says he doesn't and hangs up. Cordy tells Wesley about Gunn's stupid plan, and they agree that it's a stupid plan. They decide the third eye thing can wait and go to back up Gunn.
Cemetary
Angel and Kate find Peter Harris's grave. She explains that he was shot and they caught the killer. Angel says it looks like the ground has been disturbed within the last two weeks. He asks if lots of cops are buried here. Kate says yes. They look at some other cop graves, and Angel says the ground has been disturbed recently there as well. Angel suggests that maybe someone is raising cops from the dead and controlling them like zombies. Kate runs to her father's grave. Angel assures her the ground there seems undisturbed. Kate is relieved.
Teen center
Anne works her way through the crowd in the teen center carrying a load of laundry to get to the door on which someone is pounding. She opens the door to Cordy and Wesley who ask where Gunn is. She says that Gunn went to 45th Street. Wesley goes to find Gunn while Cordy stays at the teen center with Anne to help her out. Cordy notices a girl in the teen center wearing a shirt that Cordy herself owns. At first she thinks the girl stole her shirt because when she bought it, the saleslady told her it was an original. A guy walks in the door as Anne is trying to close it. He says he needs shelter tonight. Anne says there's no room. He says he'll find room with someone, and checks out some of the girls walking around. Anne asks him to leave. He keeps walking inside. Cordelia tells him to leave and he just walks past her, bumping her out of the way. Cordy starts to go after him but Anne tells her to leave it alone, she doesn't want any trouble. The guy walks up to a younger boy named Ray and asks him if he remembers his old pal Jackson. Ray obviously recognizes Jackson because he's scared of him. Jackson asks Ray if he thinks he's going to kill him. Ray says no, but obviously he does think Jackson wants to kill him. Jackson says he'd never kill Ray here in front of all the pretty ladies.
45th Street
Gunn and his friends are walking around on the very quiet streets. This is gang territory, and they're surprised to find neither gangs nor cops. Suddenly, a cop comes up behind them and tells Gunn to turn around and put his hands on the wall. Rydell secretly video-tapes. Gunn asks the cop if they did something wrong. The cop just tells him to turn around and put his hands on the wall. Gunn asks if they're being arrested. The cop tells Gunn to turn around and put his hands on the wall. Gunn asks if they broke a law. The cop says he's not asking again and starts to approach Gunn with his night stick. Wesley comes running up behind the cop and says that Gunn is a friend of his. The cop turns around and shoots Wesley. Gunn looks on in horror as Wesley falls to the ground with a hole in his gut. Gunn grabs the cop and makes him drop his gun. They struggle, and George picks up the gun. The cop gets free of Gunn and reaches into his ankle holster for his other gun. George shoots the cop, and is immediately horrified that he did so. Gunn assures him he had no choice. They grab Wesley and start to run for it. The cop sits up and they realize he isn't human. They run. The cop uses his CB to call for back-up. Gunn and his friends drag Wesley into an alley behind a nearby building and call 911 for an ambulance, specifying that the ambulance not use its siren.
Police precinct
Kate and Angel walk into a very quiet police precinct. Kate tells the cop that comes to the counter that she's investigating claims of police brutality in this precinct. The cop asks if that's not something for internal affairs. She says she's taking a personal interest. He says crime is way down in their precinct, and it's all due to their great captain. Kate asks to talk to the captain, but the cop says he's not around right now.
Back alley
Wesley is bleeding a lot. The ambulance finally gets there and they load him in. Gunn tells George and Rydell to meet him at the shelter later and gets in the ambulance with Wesley. As the ambulance pulls around the corner, a number of police cars cut it off. The ambulance driver gets out to see what's going on and the cops shoot him. Gunn climbs into the driver's seat and makes a spectacular getaway. Gunn drives Wesley to the teen shelter and he and the remaining paramedic take Wesley inside. Wesley tells Anne to close the door quickly, the cops shot Wesley and they're not human.
Teen center
Outside the teen shelter, the cop that Gunn fought with is in his car talking to the captain on his CB. The cop says that they're securing the section. The captain tells them that when they've done so, they should clean house.
Cordy applies pressure to Wesley's wound under the direction of the paramedic. Gunn tells everyone to lock all the doors and stay away from the windows. Gunn sees Jackson. Jackson shows Gunn his gun and says he knows how to take care of cops. Gunn calls Jackson a thug and tells him that it's people like him that give this neighborhood a bad name. They start to fight, but Anne breaks it up, saying now is not the time.
The captain tells the cop to go for it.
Wesley is not doing well, they have to get him to a hospital. Cordy goes to open the door and sees cop cars closing in on the shelter. Gunn organizes the teens into barricading the doors and windows. The cops line up outside.
Police precinct
Angel walks into the captain's office and asks the captain about his dead cops. The captain pulls his gun and shoots Angel. Angel staggers for a moment, then vamps out and asks the captain how to stop them. The captain tries to run for it. Angel grabs him, hold him up against a wall by the neck, and asks again how to stop them.
Teen center
The cops start ripping into the center. Cordy can't get through to anyone on her cell phone because all circuits are busy.
Police precinct
The captain insists that his cops were good cops and they were shot dead on the street. Angel says he should have left them that way. The captain wriggles away from Angel and escapes through a secret door in the wall of his office. Angel starts to bang down the door after him.
Teen center
The cops are starting to get through the barricades. Gunn tells all the kids to get into the back, and he, George, Rydell, Anne, and Cordy battle back the cops' hands that are starting to reach through various windows. Jackson makes the foolhardy move of pulling his gun and going out through the kitchen door. He is immediately set upon by a number of cops and doesn't have a fighting chance. Gunn comes, beats the cops back with a wooden board, yanks Jackson in and closes the door. Jackson thanks Gunn for his help. Cordy and Anne scream from the front door that they need help.
Captain's secret room
There are pictures of the dead cops on the walls surrounded by charms and candles. The captain tries to find something to fight off Angel with. Angel bursts in and demands to know how the captain is controlling them.
Teen center
Cops are getting in everywhere. It's hand-to-hand combat, and our heroes are hopelessly outnumbered.
Captain's secret room
Angel finds the captain's zombie idol and breaks it over the captain's head.
Teen center
The cops all drop dead and turn into rotting corpses. Anne runs to check on the kids while Wesley and Cordy run to check on Wesley. Gunn asks Jackson to help him carry Wesley to ambulance, but Jackson says the streets just got a lot safer for him and he has to get off to work. Jackson takes off. Gunn is disgusted. Cordy helps Gunn carry Wesley.
Police station
Angel goes to see Kate. She shows him the terrible crime reports from that precinct from three months ago, and how crime has gotten a lot better there in the last three months. She finds it depressing. Someone hands her a report and she tells Angel that Wesley's been shot.
Hospital
Wesley's lying unconscious in bed. Gunn is sitting beside him. Gunn notices Wesley's eyes open a bit. Wesley jokes how he's feeling no pain due to the morphine. Angel watches from outside the room, looking through a window. Cordy catches him and tells him that they don't need him and he should just stay away. He watches her go into Wesley's room and then slowing walks away.
Back to episode info