Brooklyn's Calling

Brooklyn's Calling is a story based on the first season of the spin-off of Buffy the Vampire Slayer series, Angel written by Mina A that aired on FanFiction.net on February 26, 2018. It is the first in the "Slayer" series.

Synopsis
Brooklyn Adelaide Decker is the newly called Slayer who has just moved to Los Angeles, California along with her father, Nicholas. She's trained in secret by her Watcher/maternal aunt, Maryanne Donovan. While out on the town for field training, Brooklyn crosses paths with Angel and Doyle. Brooklyn works with the two to help bring down a Vampire that's killing young girls. When Brooklyn and Angel rescue Cordelia Chase, she comes up with the idea that they should start up a detective agency "to help the helpless — but charge a fee," as Cordelia puts it.

Partway through the first season Doyle sacrifices his life to save a group of mixed-race demons being hunted down by an army of pureblooded demons. Just before he dies he passes on his dangerous visions to Cordelia in a kiss. Like Doyle, she finds the visions to be extremely painful.

Wesley Wyndam-Pryce (who had held a recurring role as the new Watcher in Season 3 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer) then makes an appearance as a comically inept "rogue demon hunter" and gradually becomes a vital part of the team. Later in the season we meet Charles Gunn, a street tough kid who leads a gang of vampire-hunters. Initially determined to kill Angel, Gunn slowly comes to accept him and join his cause.

In the season finale, Wesley translates the ancient Shanshu Prophecy which states that, after a final battle, the vampire with a soul will live (that is, become human). Meanwhile, Wolfram & Hart try to raise a powerful creature from the dead. They send the demon Vocah to distract Angel by targeting Brooklyn, Wesley, and Cordelia. Vocha plagues Cordelia with visions of people in pain, which lands her in they Psychiatric wing in a comatose state, destroys the Angel Investigations building by fire-bombing it with Wesley and Maryanne inside. Meanwhile, Brooklyn is attending her Senior Prom and her secret as the Slayer is revealed to her two friends Kacy and Jensen. Maryanne dies from her injuries sustained in the building explosion, which pushes Brooklyn over the edge. Angel and Brooklyn crash the raising ceremony and, during the fight with the demons involved, Nicholas is injured severely and his state is undetermined. Angel slices off Wolfram & Hart employee Lindsey's hand, but is unable to prevent the raising of the creature. The two grab what's necessary to help their friends and leave.

Principal Cast

 * David Boreanaz as Angel
 * Dianna Agron as Brooklyn Decker
 * Charisma Carpenter as Cordelia Chase
 * Glenn Quinn as Allen Francis Doyle (episodes 1X01-1X10, excluding 1X08)
 * Alexis Denisof as Wesley Wyndam-Pryce (episodes 1X11-1X23)

Recurring Cast

 * Kate Winslet as Maryanne Donovan and Elizabeth Donovan-Decker
 * Paul Johansson as Nicholas Decker
 * Amy Jo Johnson as Kacy Andrews
 * Thomas Dekker as Jensen Turner
 * Elisabeth Rohm as Kate Lockley
 * Christian Kane as Lindsey McDonald
 * Stephanie Romanov as Lilah Morgan
 * Thomas Burr as Lee Mercer
 * J. August Richards as Charles Gunn

Special Guest Stars

 * Seth Green as Daniel "Oz" Osbourne
 * James Marsters as Spike
 * Sarah Michelle Geller as Buffy Summers
 * Alyson Hannigan as Willow Rosenberg
 * Nicholas Brendan as Xander Harris
 * Emma Caulfield as Anya Jenkins
 * Anthony Steward Head as Rupert Giles
 * Eliza Dushku as Faith Lehane

Misc

 * This is the first and only season that doesn't feature Lorne
 * The main antagonist of this season is Wolfram & Hart.
 * This season features two episodes where Angel and Brooklyn visit Sunnydale, therefore crossing over with Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The first being "Pangs" the second being "The Yoko Factor".

Continuity

 * Brooklyn being called as the new Slayer means that Faith had momentarily 'died' during her fight with Buffy in the Buffy season three episode "Graduation Day, Part One".
 * In a manner similar to her predecessor's debut appearance in the Buffy season three episode "Faith, Hope, and Trick", Brooklyn is shown in a club and borrows a stake in order to kill a vampire.
 * When asked about other Slayers he's known, Angel mentions he knew the ones that were called before Brooklyn. He described one as "really nice" (meaning Buffy) and the other "completely crazy" (meaning Faith)
 * Towards the end of the episode Angel and Brooklyn encounter Wolfram & Hart, the powerful law firm (fronting for its Senior Partners) that becomes their primary opponent. Lindsey McDonald is the "smart young lawyer" who provides legal and business representation for Russell Winters. Lindsey becomes one of Angel's most insidious rivals. They will eventually be allies, but their mutual hostility will endure until the end, mainly over their feelings for Brooklyn.
 * Brooklyn and Lindsey later reminisce about her and Angel killing Russell Winters.
 * Besides Angel and Brooklyn, Lindsey is the only character to appear in both this episode and the series finale.
 * This episode marks the beginning of Lindsey's interest in Brooklyn as the Slayer, as from this point until his next appearance he'll start to research the history of Slayers. It's also hinted that Lindsey is attracted to Brooklyn, something else that will be explored in his subsequent appearances.

Behind the Scenes

 * The episode title is a reference to "City of Angels," a nickname for Los Angeles
 * The colored strobe lights that illuminate the club's dancefloor are the same four colors used in the first season opening credits, in the exact order of the main billed cast:
 * Light Blue: David Boreanaz as Angel
 * Silver: Dianna Agron as Brooklyn
 * Green: Charisma Carpenter as Cordelia
 * Gold: Glenn Quinn as Doyle
 * The high school Brooklyn attends is based on the real Lakewood High School located in the southern California city of Lakewood.
 * The outfit that Brooklyn wears in the conference room scene is the same outfit Willow Rosenberg wore in the Buffy season two episode "Halloween". Also the scene where she struts across the table is one of the scenes used in the opening title sequence when crediting Dianna as Brooklyn.
 * In her first appearance, Amy Jo Johnson's character Kacy wears a pink sweater, in reference to her Mighty Morphin Power Rangers character, Kimberly Hart, who was the Pink Ranger.
 * The vampire that flirts with Brooklyn in the nightclub is played by Dawson's Creek actor Kerr Smith.

Continuity

 * This episode introduces the character of Kate Lockley, who plays a recurring role until the end of season two. Kate, Brooklyn, Angel will meet several more times before she learns in "Somnambulist" that Angel is a vampire and Brooklyn is the Slayer. After which their tentative relationship grows extremely strained until their final encounter in "Epiphany".
 * A few weeks have passed since "City Of...".
 * Jensen mentions Hemery High School, which is the school Buffy Summers attended before she transferred to Sunnydale.
 * Kacy also mentions that a Hemery student set fire to the gym, which is what happened in the Buffy the Vampire Slayer film.
 * After picking up Brooklyn from school, Cordelia mentions Angel going to prom with Buffy, which happened in the Buffy season three episode "The Prom".
 * It's revealed in this episode that Brooklyn is a part of the Lakewood High Cheerleading Squad along with Kacy.
 * Talamour is Brooklyn's first demon kill of the series.

Behind the Scenes

 * The plot is similar to the movie "The Hidden", directed by Jack Sholder in 1987, where an LAPD detective is allied with an alien disguised like a FBI agent to find and eliminate a parasitic alien, serial killer and sex maniac. The monster is finally killed with a flamethrower.

Continuity

 * This episode is a follow-up to Buffy the Vampire Slayer's "The Harsh Light of Day", when Spike's quest for the Gem of Amara begins and Oz volunteers to take the Gem to Angel.
 * This episode feature's Brooklyn's first interactions with Buffy characters Oz and Spike. This is the only time she interacts with Oz, whereas she'll interact with Spike again when she goes to Sunnydale in Buffy season seven, and when Spike returns in Angel season five as a main character.
 * A week has passed since "Lonely Hearts".
 * This episode is the first that shows Brooklyn in her high school cheer uniform
 * Upon meeting Oz, Brooklyn reveals she's a fan of the band Dingoes Ate My Baby, which Oz is a part of.
 * Cordelia casually informs Oz that Brooklyn is the new Slayer, much to Brooklyn's shock. Cordelia then explains that Oz knows all about the supernatural and that he's also a werewolf.
 * While in Doyle's apartment, Brooklyn learns about Spike's time in Sunnydale when Cordelia tells her about past events. She informs both Brooklyn and Doyle that Spike has killed two Slayers in his lifetime as a vampire (Xin Rong during the Boxer Rebellion in 1900 and Nikki Wood in New York in 1977). She also recounts Spike and his lover Drusilla raising The Judge during the Buffy episodes "Surprise" and "Innocence".
 * This episode includes Brooklyn's first ever "loss" in a fight during her tenure as the Slayer. In this case, she loses to Spike when confronting him in the alley, but he lets her live due to his desire for the Gem of Amara, which Angel knows the location of.
 * This episode also shows Brooklyn's healing factor as the Slayer, in that her injuries sustained from her fight with Spike heal in a matter of hours.

Behind the Scenes

 * This marks the first time a Buffy the Vampire Slayer character crosses over into Angel.
 * This is the only episode of Angel in which four Buffy the Vampire Slayer main characters appear: Angel, Cordelia, Oz, and Spike.

Continuity

 * This episode marks the second appearance of Detective Kate Lockley, who is still unaware about the supernatural and mystical side of LA.
 * At least a month has passed since "City Of..."
 * The law firm Wolfram & Hart is mentioned.

Behind the Scenes

 * The episode shares its name with the Patsy Cline song of the same name.

Continuity

 * This episode shows Cordelia moving into her new apartment, where she will continue to live until the fourth season.
 * This episode also introduces "phantom Dennis", a friendly ghost who is Cordelia's "roommate" for the next three years.

Behind the Scenes

 * This episode can be classified as "Cordelia-centric"

Continuity

 * This episode marks the debut of Wolfram & Hart lawyer Lee Mercer.

Behind the Scenes

 * The title of this episode is a play on the title of the well-known Jane Austen novel, Sense and Sensibility.

Continuity

 * This is the first episode to crossover with Buffy the Vampire Slayer. In the last scene, Doyle has a vision of Buffy in danger. Angel and Brooklyn go to Sunnydale the following episode.

Behind the Scenes

 * This episode is one of two Doyle-centric episodes, the other being "Hero".

Continuity

 * This episode marks Brooklyn's debut on Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
 * Brooklyn meets the rest of the Scooby gang, excluding Buffy herself.

Behind the Scenes

 * Both David Boreanaz (Angel) and Dianna Agron (Brooklyn) are credited as guest stars.

Continuity

 * The events of this episode takes place three days following "Pangs".
 * Brooklyn and Buffy meet for the first time.

Behind the Scenes

 * Both Sarah Michelle Geller (Buffy) and Dianna Agron (Brooklyn) later star as sisters Daphne and Daisy Blake in the live-action Scooby Doo movies.
 * The outfit Buffy wears for the majority of this episode (white sweater and gray slacks) was later donned by Brooklyn in "First Impressions" and once again by Buffy in "The Gift".

Continuity

 * Doyle's search for atonement, his growing love for Cordelia and her honesty, and his rocky road to self-acceptance come together in this episode in one immolating flash of apotheosis. The darkest, most shameful secret of Doyle's past has come back to haunt him, but he's no longer the half-demon he was, and he brings off his second chance with humor, grace and courage.
 * Although Doyle himself never returns to the series, Angel, Brooklyn, and Cordelia's grief over his passing is tackled in various subsequent episodes such as "Parting Gifts" and "I've Got You Under My Skin", with the episodes "Birthday" and "You're Welcome" including a clip of Doyle's kiss with Cordelia and Cordelia watching the advert Doyle makes here respectively.

Behind the Scenes

 * The Scourge are reminiscent of the Nazi Party in Germany, who believed that pure races, specifically the Aryan race, were superior. To protect their purity, they persecuted the Jews like the Scourge persecute half-demons. Their uniforms too are similar as is the way that Angel styles his hair whilst undercover.
 * The theme of the Nazi Party will also be featured in the future series The Rise of the Guardians: Crisis on Earth-X, where Dianna will portray her character Claire Daniels/Carbuncle as well as her Earth-X doppleganger Claire Daniels/Jewel, who's a member of the Nazi "Dark Guardians".

Continuity

 * Cordelia receives her first vision from The Powers That Be.
 * This episode marks the first instance where Kacy and Jensen witness some of Brooklyn's Slayer abilities. Her strength when she breaks the bathroom mirror at the school and her healing after the fact.

Behind the Scenes

 * Glenn Quinn as Doyle appears for the last time in the main titles, despite Doyle having died in the previous episode. Doyle's next appearance is in "Birthday", where Skip shows Cordelia an image of Doyle when explaining the visions. His last appearance is in "You're Welcome", where Angel, Brooklyn, and Cordelia review the tape of the commercial Doyle helped with in "Hero".
 * This is the first time we see Alexis Denisof as Wesley on Angel. From this time onwards, he appears in every episode except "Destiny", in season five.

Continuity

 * In this episode, Kate learns that Angel is a vampire and that Brooklyn is the Slayer.

Behind the Scenes

 * Alexis Denisof (Wesley) replaces Glenn Quinn (Doyle) in the opening credit sequence.

Continuity

 * The bonds of trust and friendship deepen significantly among Angel, Brooklyn, Cordelia and Wesley in this episode.

Behind the Scenes

 * The core of this episode is about the members of Angel Investigations growing into a family unit.

Continuity

 * In this episode, Wesley becomes an official member of Angel Investigations.
 * Throughout the episode, there are hints that Jhiera is attracted to Brooklyn. In a couple instances, there are subtle hints that Brooklyn may have a similar attraction.

Behind the Scenes

 * Jhiera's mission is an allusion to ending Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) because women in some societies undergo the procedure to make them marriageable.

Continuity

 * Wesley points out that "A father doesn't have to be possessed to terrorize his children." This one of the earliest hints at Wesley's issues with his own father.

Behind the Scenes

 * This episode shares its title with a song that became a signature of Frank Sinatra.
 * This episode has many allusions to the horror film "The Exorcist"

Continuity

 * Various flashbacks show Angel's life as a human before he was turned into a vampire by Darla.

Behind the Scenes

 * This episode marks the first appearance of Julie Benz as Darla on Angel. Darla will become a key figure in the series, beginning with the season one finale, "To Shanshu in L.A.".

Continuity

 * This is the first Brooklyn-centric episode of the series.
 * Brooklyn says a line to Lindsey "It'll take more than whispers of sweet nothings to get me into bed with you," Even though she referring to an offer to work for Wolfram & Hart, four years later, Brooklyn and Lindsey will actually "go to bed" together after he confesses he's in-love with her, when he's a part of the Angel Investigations team who have taken over the Wolfram & Hart LA branch.

Behind the Scenes

 * This episode marks the return of Christian Kane as Lindsey McDonald.
 * This episode marks the first appearance of Stephanie Romanov as Lilah Morgan, who would be a recurring character for the next three seasons.

Continuity

 * The dreams Brooklyn has in the beginning of this episode are the same ones Faith had before waking from her coma in the Buffy episode "This Year's Girl".
 * Brooklyn's attitude in this episode is similar to Faith's personality, including her style choices and the use of Faith's catchphrase "Five by Five". Her look is similar to Buffy's when Faith's soul was in her body, which happened in the Buffy episode "Who Are You?".
 * This episode marks the first occasion when a member of Angel Investigations (in this case, Brooklyn) penetrates the security at Wolfram & Hart. It will become a running joke in the series how easily various individuals are able to infiltrate the supposedly impregnable building.
 * When Brooklyn confronts Lindsey in his office, her body language has hints of sexual teasing, similar to the exchange between Faith (in Buffy's body) and Spike in the Buffy episode "Who Are You?". However, unlike that episode, Brooklyn and Lindsey harbor feelings of mutual attraction, which will be hinted at in future episodes this season and first acted upon in season 2's "Reprise" and again in "Dead End".

Behind the Scenes

 * Eliza Dushku returns as the Slayer Faith Lehane, Brooklyn's predecessor.
 * Brooklyn's dreams are the same that Faith had in "This Year's Girl", referencing her cameo appearance in the same episode.
 * Christian Kane (Lindsey McDonald) and Eliza Dushku (Faith Lehane) would later portray characters in The Gifted based series Finding Aura.

Continuity

 * The events of this episode take place immediately following "Five By Five"

Behind the Scenes

 * This is the second episode to feature Sarah Michelle Geller (Buffy), Eliza Dushku (Faith), and Dianna Agron (Brooklyn) all on-screen together. This won't happen again until the Buffy season seven episode "Dirty Girls". The first time they were all on-screen together was the Buffy episode "This Years Girl" in Buffy season 4.

Continuity

 * This episode marks Brooklyn's third appearance on Buffy the Vampire Slayer and her final one in the fourth season.
 * Brooklyn meets Buffy's boyfriend Riley in this episode.
 * At the closing of this episode, Nicholas, Brooklyn's father, learns of her identity as the Slayer and the two engage in a fight, which leads to Brooklyn inviting Angel into the Decker household and using her Slayer strength to subdue her father. Brooklyn later moves in with Cordelia where she'll live up until the fourth season.

Behind the Scenes

 * This episode marks Dianna's third guest appearance on Buffy overall, and her last guest appearance in the fourth season. She will return in season five's "Forever".

Continuity

 * This episode features the first appearance of Charles Gunn, who will go on to become a major character. He will appear in every episode for the rest of the series.

Behind the Scenes

 * J. August Richards debuts as Charles Gunn.

Continuity

 * Throughout this episode, Brooklyn and Lindsey's attraction to one another appears mutual.

Behind the Scenes

 * This episode intended to have a scene depicting Lindsey and Brooklyn kissing. However, the idea was nixed in favor of leaving the romance as mere subtex in the first season.
 * The planned infiltration of Wolfram & Hart bears some similarities to the television show Leverage, which Christian Kane and Dianna Agron also star in, who's characters eventually become love interests.

Continuity

 * This episode sets the stage for the Shanshu plot line that will continue through both the show.
 * This is the only season finale not to feature Lorne and Fred.
 * Brooklyn attends her senior prom in this episode.
 * Kacy and Jensen officially start dating in this episode and they learn about Brooklyn's identity as the Slayer.

Behind the Scenes

 * In classic Buffyverse style, Angel's apartment and the Angel Investigations sets are retired by utterly destroying them.
 * The title refers to the 1985 movie "To Live and Die in L.A.", Shanshu being revealed in this episode as meaning "to live and to die".