That Vision Thing

Plot

Wesley and Gunn are eating takeout in the hotel lobby while Fred hides under a table with her food, only emerging after Wesley coaxes her out. Cordelia is nearby, waiting for her next vision to hit. Gavin Park, a lawyer from Wolfram & Hart, stops by to inform them that the Hyperion Hotel has multiple building code violations. After Gavin leaves, Cordelia receives a vision of a coin with a hole in it and a clawed beast.

She recovers in the bathroom and tells Wesley through the door that the beast has five claws, but she does not mention the claw marks now across her stomach. Angel arranges for Fred to take Cordelia home. He is aware that Cordelia’s visions are becoming more severe, but she refuses to admit how bad they really are. Wesley, Angel, and Gunn go to find the coin, which leads them to a herb shop run by an elderly couple.

When the gang asks about the coin, the couple transforms into demons. The group knocks them out, and Angel discovers the coin hanging around the old man’s neck. Meanwhile, Gavin tells Lilah that he has been transferred into her department, and the two exchange bitter remarks about their different methods of dealing with Angel. At her apartment, Cordelia tries to force Fred to leave, but another violent vision erupts, leaving boils on Cordelia’s face.

The whole team gathers at her place. Cordelia attempts to describe the vision, but Angel is more concerned with her physical condition. They wonder why the Powers That Be would cause such pain to their own messenger. Wesley sends Angel to find the key that matches the coin, while Lorne tries to contact the Powers That Be for answers.

Cordelia is afraid of losing her visions, but she is convinced to attempt the contact anyway. Lilah has a young man in a fez sign some papers and then meditate on a table. When he removes his hat, his skull is split open, exposing his brain. As a result of his mental concentration, Cordelia is struck by a massive vision of fire that throws Lorne across the room and burns her face and limbs.

From his contact with Cordelia, Lorne realizes that the visions are actually coming from Wolfram & Hart. Angel goes to see Lilah, who tells him that unless he uses the key and coin to free a man who is “unfairly imprisoned” in a hell dimension, the physical damage from Cordelia’s visions will only get worse.

Production

Jeffrey Bell wrote his first script for Angel with the episode "That Vision Thing," having joined the series from The X-Files. He included a nod to a creature he had invented for that show's episode "Alpha," the Wanshang Dhole, and also created the demon jailer Skip, originally named Bob. Actor David Denman played Skip, but the character was renamed to honor producer Skip Schoolnik, quickly winning over fans. Executive producer David Greenwalt noted the intense fan reaction, saying people went crazy for Skip in a way he hadn't seen since Angel first appeared on Buffy.

Greenwalt suggested the new special-effects company Almost Human might have contributed to this popularity. Makeup artist Robert Hall recalled that Bell gave them a strong sense of Skip's look without being too specific, allowing the team to design the character in under a week. Hall described the process as a series of happy accidents, with the extreme design, David Denman's deadpan delivery, and Bell's offbeat scene writing all coming together unintentionally.

Actress Charisma Carpenter mentioned that while portraying visions is usually straightforward, the physical manifestation of them in this episode proved more difficult than she expected.