Was Cordelia really traumatised by Angel's actions?

[GraceK]

Wes got the call from the hospital about Cordy (which were calling to say she died) so they went down to check on her.

I don’t think that’s how it happened. Didn’t Angel get the original call? And he says “ It’s Cordelia!” I thought it was Cordelia who called him. Then at the end, it’s the hospital who calls him to say she died. ( I edited cause I made an error about what Angel said)

 

[Skanky Vamp]

Didn’t Angel get the original call? And he says “ It’s Cordy...she’s awake!”

Not that I recall. When Angel got the call he had to identify himself. Then Wes said what is it? He said Cordy. There is no indication that it was Cordy that called. The conversation was typical of that of a hospital when calling family.

 

[GraceK]

Not that I recall. When Angel got the call he had to identify himself. Then Wes said what is it? He said Cordy. There is no indication that it was Cordy that called. The conversation was typical of that of a hospital when calling family.

ANGEL
And I'm sure that legal brain upgrade they gave you has got nothing to do with—

GUNN
We all got something out of this.

The telephone rings. Angel picks up the phone.

ANGEL
Yeah. It's Angel.
(sits forward)
What?

WESLEY
What is it?

ANGEL
(tilts phone receiver away from his mouth to answer Wesley)
It's Cordelia.

Cut to:

4 INT. HOSPITAL ROOM - DAY
Angel and Wesley walk into Cordelia's hospital room and see a woman lying on the bed under a pink blanket. Her face is obscured by a privacy curtain, but they can see she's still and attached to a the hospital machinery. Wesley and Angel hesitate to approach her.


So I can’t confirm it was Cordelia that called, but since the hospital calls at the end, and Angel says she never woke up in that conversation , I assumed it was her the first time. They went to the hospital under the impression she was awake.

Here’s the final scene


CORDELIA
(touches his face)
We take what we can get, champ, and we do our best with it. I'll be seeing you.
(smiles through her tears, turns to walk out of the office)
(stops, turns around, walks quickly up to Angel)
Oh, what the hell. One for the road?
(kisses Angel, but moments later, the telephone rings)

ANGEL
You know, um... I don't...I don't need to get that.

CORDELIA
(tenderly straightens his tie)
That you have to get.
(Angel walks toward the phone)
Oh... and you're welcome.

ANGEL
(answers the phone)
Hello. Yes, I know. She's... but that's impossible. She's standing right—
(turns to look for Cordelia, but she's not there; he becomes visibly upset)
I'm sorry. Yeah.
(choking up)
When did she die? Did she, um... she never did wake up? I see.
(hangs up, looks out to where Cordelia was standing moments earlier)
Thank you.
 
This was right before what I posted last.

ANGEL
What do you mean? You're not...

CORDELIA
(turns to face Angel)
I can't stay. This isn't me anymore. You can say good-bye to the gang for me, explain everything once you understand.

ANGEL
That's gonna be never.
(walks toward her)
I need you here.

CORDELIA
(with tears in her eyes)
Don't make it hard, Angel. I'm just on a different road... and this is my off-ramp. The Powers That Be owed me one, and I didn't waste it. I got my guy back on track.

 

[Skanky Vamp]

Cool. Thanks. So. Let me ask you this question. Do you think if Cordy called, Angel would be happy? Do you think he would have to say 'yes this is Angel' to Cordy? He seemed to be very professional when he answered the phone from what I remember. Didn't seem like he was talking to his nearest, dearest whom he just discovered was alive. Seemed like he was talking to a nurse at the hospital.

And if he had just been talking to Cordy on the phone, why would he, when he got to the hospital, think that was her hooked up to the ventilators and on life support?

 

[GraceK]

Cool. Thanks. So. Let me ask you this question. Do you think if Cordy called Angel would be happy? He seemed to be very professional when he answered the phone from what I remember. Didn't seem like he was talking to his nearest, dearest whom he just discovered was alive.

And if he had just been talking to Cordy on the phone, why would he, when he got to the hospital, think that was her hooked up to the ventilators and on life support?

I said I wasn’t sure it was Cordelia. I just assumed it was her because I don’t see why the hospital would call twice. We also never see the whole conversation cause it cuts to the hospital. So it’s open to interpretation. Here’s the hospital scene::

4 INT. HOSPITAL ROOM - DAY
Angel and Wesley walk into Cordelia's hospital room and see a woman lying on the bed under a pink blanket. Her face is obscured by a privacy curtain, but they can see she's still and attached to a the hospital machinery. Wesley and Angel hesitate to approach her.

ANGEL
Cordelia?

CORDELIA
(walks out from the bathroom in a hospital gown)
Yeah.
(walks around the girl's bed)
That chick's in rough shape.
(draws the privacy curtain closed)
You'd think they'd give miss one-foot-in-the- grave a private room... which brings me to, hey... couldn't you stick me someplace that smells a little less like ammonia-soaked death?

ANGEL
(hugs Cordy for a long time)
Cordy.

CORDELIA
Yeah. It's me.
(Angel steps back so Wesley can hug her; Cordy laughs)

WESLEY
(smiling, giddy)
It's extraordinary. You're— you look... I don't want to say really hot—

CORDELIA
Oh, yes, you do.
(touches her shoulders and smiles heavenward)
I'm a vision of hotliness, and how weird is that?
(laughs)
Mystical comas. You know, if you can stand the horror of a higher power hijacking your mind and body so that it can give birth to itself, I really recommend 'em.

ANGEL
You remember?

CORDELIA
Last year? Yeah. I remember everything... pretty much. At least until I slipped into slumberland. Maternal instincts aside, I hope you kicked its ass for me.
(Angel says nothing but shoots an awkward glance at Wesley, who doesn't react)
Is everybody all right?

ANGEL
Yeah. Uh...great. We're all—

WESLEY
(smiling)
Yes. Super.

ANGEL
(nods)
Super. Yes. Super. Hey, why don't we get you out of here?

CORDELIA
Ooh! I love that plan. I hope you brought me some clothes, 'cause...
(looks at her hospital gown, then shakes her head)
damn.

ANGEL
(stammering)
Oh, well, we—

WESLEY
We could stop and buy some.

CORDELIA
(squealing and clapping cheerfully)
Ooh! Great! Shopping! I love that idea, 'cause, you know, I'm not so ready to go back to the hotel yet.
(walks toward the doorway)

ANGEL
(Angel and Wesley look at each other and smile)
Not a problem.


So obviously that was Cordelia in the hospital bed, but I think we are not supposed to realize it until the end. If Angel and Wesley were walking into the hospital room under the assumption she was dead, they certainly didn’t act like it. The whole episode plays as if she woke up, even Eve thinks she did. That’s the point, that the PTB gave her one more day.

 

[Mrs Gordo]

Yeah I never got the impression the first phone call was Cordelia but someone from the hospital. But also, never got the impression they were calling because she had died.

I am not near my PC or anywhere I can really check but doesn’t the person from the hospital on the phone in the last scene say she died at 8 something? That would tell us if she was dead the entire time or about to die?

 

[Skanky Vamp]

I said I wasn’t sure it was Cordelia.

Sorry, when people post transcripts of the scenes I skip over. I have no desire to read transcripts.

I don’t see why the hospital would call twice.

That's what they do. When they called the first time but the party never showed to claim the body, they called again.

 

[GraceK]

Sorry, when people post transcripts of the scenes I skip over. I have no desire to read transcripts.


That's what they do. When they called the first time but the party never showed to claim the body, they called again.

Well if you won’t read the actual scenes than there really is no discussion. I’m trying to answer your points with the actual scenes so we can discuss what actually transpired in the episode instead of guesswork. I never said that your theory was wrong either, it’s definitely food for thought and a very interesting interpretation.

 

[Skanky Vamp]

Well if you won’t read the actual scenes than there really is no discussion.

There's plenty of discussion. I just don't like people vomiting transcripts at me. Never have, never will.

 

[GraceK]

There's plenty of discussion. I just don't like people vomiting transcripts at me. Never have, never will.

I wasn’t trying to “vomit” transcripts at you. I was trying to answer your questions respectfully and with facts because you raised some very interesting points. But thank you for telling me about your aversion 🙂

 

[Mrs Gordo]

Sometimes the scripts make me want to vomit too... 😛 But we gotta use what’s in the show to try and figure things out right?

 

[GraceK]

@Mr. Pole thats fair. I have my pet peeves too 🙂

So back on topic, what irritates me about this episode is that they were clearly going for thr shock that Cordelia was dead the whole
Time, but they made it hard to connect those dots you know? If you look back at the episode you see that she is clearly still in the hospital room, ( although you can’t see her face) but all the characters act like they were notified she was woke up.
 
Angel seemed legitimately shocked at the end when he got that second phone call, so what was he told in the first one? I wish they would have been a little more transparent
 
I also just realized that the original topic wasn’t even about this lol so I’m sorry for derailing the thread!

 

[Skanky Vamp]

Angel seemed legitimately shocked at the end when he got that second phone call, so what was he told in the first one? I wish they would have been a little more transparent

Usually they just say we need you to come down regarding so and so. They try not to say anything over the phone as distraught people driving to the hospital can be involved in accidents.

 

[GraceK]

Usually they just say we need you to come down regarding so and so. They try not to say anything over the phone as distraught people driving to the hospital can be involved in accidents.

That makes a lot more sense. If all they said in the first call was something along the lines of “ is this Mr Angel? Can you come down it’s
About Cordelia Chase”, then I can see how the rest of the episode worked.

 

[Skanky Vamp]

That makes a lot more sense. If all they said in the first call was something along the lines of “ is this Mr Angel? Can you come down it’s
About Cordelia Chase”, then I can see how the rest of the episode worked.

That's how I assumed it happened. But I had been on the receiving end of one of those calls so maybe I was just reflecting what I knew onto the screen.

 

[Mrs Gordo]

But even if she had been dead she was still Cordy right? She was just on a ghost like mission from the powers?

 

[DeepBlueJoy]

I always interpreted the "It's Cordelia" to be an answer to what the call was about, not a sign that she was on the other side of the line... Maybe they wanted it to be ambiguous for a beat.

I think if she'd called, Angel would have been much more reactive.

"Cordy? Oh my god! Is that really you!?" Then maybe he'd turn to those in the room, looking completely blown away and he'd say, "Guys! Cordelia's awake -- she wants us to come and get her out of that 'rathole of death'!" (air quotes of some comment Cordy made about the hospital) or something more like that. Of course, he'd be grinning like we almost never see Angel grin. Hopefully, not too happy...

 

[Anyanka Bunny Slayer]

CORDELIA
(turns to face Angel)
I can't stay. This isn't me anymore. You can say good-bye to the gang for me, explain everything once you understand.

CORDELIA
(turns to face Angel)
I can't stay. Joss fired me because I got pregnant, even though he might be the father of my baby. But that's fine, since he'll probably do something stupid, and get the show cancelled. You can good-bye to the gang for me, explain everything once you understand.

Hehe. 😛