"Blood Money" is episode 12 of season two in the television showAngel, originally broadcast on the WBnetwork. In this episode, demon snitch Merl reveals Wolfram & Hart is scheming to steal money from contributions made to a shelter for runaways, prompting Angel to investigate the shelter's owner, Anne Steele. Meanwhile, Cordelia, Wesley, and Gunn, still fighting demons without Angel, decide to form their own detective agency.
Plot
At Cordelia's apartment, Wesley and Gunn play the board gameRisk, until Cordelia tries to kick them out so she can sleep. They discuss plans to start their own company without Angel until Cordelia gets a vision about a large two-headed, fire-breathing demon. Angel bumps into a woman, Anne Steele, who runs a local teen center. Back at the Hyperion, Angel takes out her wallet, which he had stolen from her during their encounter and observes a board filled dozens of pictures of Anne, including shots of her with Lindsey McDonald. Wesley and Gunn slowly approach the demon from Cordelia's vision in the sewers and find a 20-foot demon. After some hesitation, they charge at it. Angel confronts Merl in his apartment, demanding information about Anne. She's connected to Wolfram & Hart but despite a couple of name changes in the past, the woman herself is clean, so Angel visits the shelter and talks to her. Anne raves about Wolfram & Hart's help with the shelter and the plans for a charity fundraiser named the Highway Robbery Ball to gather money with the help of celebrities. A large demon named Boone confronts Merl for information on Angel and Merl is persuaded to provide that information. Angel surprises Lilah in her car and threatens her. Lilah tells Lindsey how worried she is about Angel, but their discussion is cut short as Boone arrives unannounced, wanting to deal with a grudge against Angel. Boone explains his past with Angel: In 1916, in a skirmish regarding a woman, they fought for hours until sunrise approached; knowing the sun would kill Angel, Boone, who considers himself an honorable warrior, let Angel depart. He has longed for a rematch ever since, in order to learn which of them is the better warrior. Wesley and Gunn rave about slaying the demon and despite their incredible fear, they're excited about their victory. The group leaves to look at a prospective location for their new business while arguing over its name. Angel shows up at the shelter late at night, and Anne jokingly asks if he is stalking her. Angel offers all the evidence necessary to confirm that he is, and then tries to warn her that Wolfram & Hart are going to steal money from the fundraiser. Lindsey arrives and pretends to be protecting Anne, bringing Boone with him to fight with Angel. Lindsey tries to defend the law firm to Anne but the information Angel's provided her worries Lindsey, and he discusses the dangerous possibilities with Lilah. Wounded from the fight, Angel returns to the shelter and Anne expresses that she is willing to ignore the source of the money if it means aid to the shelter. Angel gives her a tape to play at the fundraiser, but Anne refuses to risk the shelter. At the Ball, a prerecorded video of Holland plays. Lilah introduces Anne to one of her bosses, Nathan Reed, while Lindsey reviews the security plans for the ball. While actors collect the donations from the rich attendees, Angel reveals his presence, which leads to a fight between him and Boone on the balcony, and they eventually fall to the main floor. Lindsey searches for the incriminating tape, but it is revealed that Angel is not in possession of the tape and Boone is actually working with him. Lindsey and Lilah desperately attempt to stop Anne from playing the tape Angel gave her, but it only contains goofy clips of Cordelia and Wesley, as Angel never had anything to incriminate the lawyers in the first place. To add even more embarrassment to the situation for Wolfram & Hart, Boone has taken off with the donations. The next day Lindsey confronts Reed about not being able to kill Angel, and Reed explains that Angel is an important figure in the upcoming apocalypse, and because his role, he must remain untouched as long as there is a chance Wolfram & Hart can win him to the side of evil. Boone confronts Angel at the hotel, offering up the 2.5 million dollars in charity donations as the stakes for a fight between the two of them. Again wounded from battle with Boone, Angel presents the money and jewelry to Anne for the shelter, who is undisturbed by the real and metaphorical blood on the money.
Writing
Continuity
The character of "Anne" was first introduced as the vampire worshiper "Chantarelle" in the Buffy episode "Lie to Me". She was next seen in "Anne" going by the name "Lily", but at the end of that episode she asks Buffy if she can adopt her alias of "Anne". Anne's names changes are mentioned by Merl in this episode.
Although they met briefly in "Lie to Me", Angel and Anne apparently don't recognize each other from that episode. Writer Mere Smith says this was a conscious decision, as she "had trouble remembering people she'd met three days ago, let alone three years."
An attendee of the charity ball asks one of the television celebrities about "making character gay" - an inside joke about Willow Rosenberg, who came out in the previous year's season of Buffy.
