The Ring

When a man named Darin Macnamara (Douglas Roberts) comes to Angel Investigations for help in rescuing his brother from the demons who kidnapped him, Angel (David Boreanaz) investigates and soon learns that Darin's story was a ruse. The organizer of a Wolfram & Hart-sponsored fight club, Darin enslaves Angel and forces him to battle a demon in a gladiatorial deathmatch. Angel wins but learns that he'll have to keep fighting each night or die; the bracelet that's been placed on his arm will kill him if he removes it or escapes. Angel holds Darin's brother, Jack (Scott William Winters), hostage in an attempt to rouse the other slaves to rebellion and force Darin to release him; rather than comply, Darin simply kills his own brother. Wesley (Alexis Denisof) and Cordelia (Charisma Carpenter) eventually help Angel break up the gladiator ring, but not before Angel encounters Lilah Morgan (Stephanie Romanov), a Wolfram & Hart lawyer who will become one of his major nemeses. Originally broadcast February 29, 2000, on the WB network, "The Ring" marked season one, episode 16 of the supernatural comedy drama. In the episode's opening sequence, Cordelia tries out a new online demon database, the illustrations on which come from actual Angel creature production sketches.