Harm's Way (Angel)

"Harm's Way" is episode 9 of season 5 in the television show Angel.

Plot

Harmony goes through her daily routine of getting up, leaving her small, but comfortable apartment, and going to work at Wolfram and Hart. Despite still being evil, she’s a lonely vamp dealing with being snubbed by her co-workers, and ignored by Angel and everyone else because of her past and continuing problems with the occupation of being not only a secretary, but a vampire too. She needs her pay check or otherwise she can't stay in Los Angeles.

Meanwhile, Angel and Gunn attempt to keep the peace between two demon tribes, before they decide to slaughter each other. Things change when Harmony, after an evening out with a one-night stand, wakes up next to the dead body of the man who happens to be the mediator for the peace negotiations and all evidence points to her. Having disposed of the body, Harmony must keep one step ahead of Fred and the others who are looking for the culprit in an attempt to prove she was not the killer.

Eventually Harmony discovers it was a fellow vampire-secretary who framed her. Dealing with and ultimately staking her allows Harmony to unexpectedly calm the demonic factions (who wanted a sacrifice, any sacrifice) and save the day.

Spike decides to leave town to go to Europe to join Buffy now living there, but at the end, decides to stay.

Continuity

• Harmony mentions that she was sired at her high school graduation, referring to the events of the Buffy Season 3 finale "Graduation Day, Part 2."
• Harmony says that she is a "right-biter", however in the previous episode, "Destiny", she bites Spike from the left.
• Fred suggests Harmony bring chips and dip to the summit. This may be a reference to Cordelia, who mentions in Dead Man's Party that she always brings dip to parties.
• Apparently, Wolfram & Hart "owns" the police. However, throughout the first two seasons, Kate makes it clear that the police despises Wolfram & Hart and everything they stand for.

Cultural references

• Yoyodyne: Wolfram & Hart has ties to this fictional corporation, which first appeared in the novel V and has been referenced in many other works.
• Alien: Wolfram & Hart has ties to Weyland-Yutani, a fictional corporation from the films.
• News Corp: News Corp. is the parent company of Twentieth Century Fox Television, the studio that produces Angel.
• Dixie Chicks: Fred asks Harmony if she wants to "grab some wine, jam to the Dixie Chicks." Fred is seen hanging a Dixie Chicks poster in her office in Conviction.
• Detroit Cobras: The song that plays as Harmony wakes up is "Hey Sailor" by Detroit Cobras.

Trivia

• This is the second episode named after Harmony - the first was the Angel second season episode "Disharmony." She is the only character to have a second episode named after her.

External links

Wikiquote has quotations related to: Harm's Way

• "Harm's Way" at the Internet Movie Database
• "Harm's Way" at TV.com