The Magic Bullet

As a new age of fellowship and love dawns on Los Angeles, Fred (Amy Acker) flees from her pursuers, Gunn (J. August Richards) and Wesley (Alexis Denisof). Hunted by her former suitors, who are now devoted acolytes of sinister guru Jasmine (Gina Torres), she finds safety in a fleabag motel -- until Jasmine joins her mind with those of her followers and is suddenly able to see through their eyes. Now visible to Jasmine every time she crosses the path of one of the superbeing's growing legion of worshipers, Fred is reduced to hiding out in a cave with a cranky, carnivorous creature (Danny Woodburn) who's been driven underground by what he calls Jasmine's "demon jihad." Meanwhile, the hotel fills up with Jasmine's worshipers, a handful of whom mysteriously disappear each night for an audience with their goddess -- and are never heard from again. Angel (David Boreanaz) and company take care of the assembled throngs even as Cordelia (Charisma Carpenter) lies in a coma, seemingly brain-dead after the ordeal of birthing Jasmine. Ultimately, Fred decides to expose herself to danger in a desperate gambit to open Angel's eyes to Jasmine's true nature. Her second assassination attempt fails as miserably as the first (see "Shiny Happy People"), but in the aftermath, Angel is finally able to see Jasmine for what she is. As it turns out, her true nature is evident only to those whose blood becomes mingled with Jasmine's. Now both fugitives, Angel and Fred sneak into the hotel hoping to save their addled friends with this newfound knowledge. Despite promising signs of life from the still-unconscious Cordelia, their rescue mission is only partially successful; one member of the fang gang refuses to stop seeing Jasmine's light. Originally broadcast April 16, 2003, on the WB network, "The Magic Bullet" marked season four, episode 19 of the supernatural soap opera. The title of this episode refers not only to Fred's assassination attempt, but also to the conspiracy-theory bookstore where she stages the big event.