I Fall to Pieces (Angel)

"I Fall to Pieces"
Angel episode
Ronald Meltzer's detached hand
Episode no.	Season 1 Episode 4
Directed by	Vern Gillum
Teleplay by	David Greenwalt
Story by	David Greenwalt Joss Whedon
Production code	1ADH04
Original air date	October 26, 1999
Guest stars
Elisabeth Röhm as Kate Lockley Tushka Bergen as Melissa Burns Andy Umberger as Dr. Ronald Meltzer Carlos Carrasco as Dr. Vinpur Narpudan Brent Sexton as Beat Cop Garikayi Mutambirwa as Intern Kent Davis as John Jan Bartlett as Penny Patricia Gillum as Woman Patient Christopher Hart as hand
Episode chronology
← Previous "In the Dark" Next → "Rm w/a Vu"
List of Angel episodes

"I Fall to Pieces" is episode four of season one of the television show Angel. Pressed beyond her limit, Melissa comes to Angel Investigations seeking protection from a stalker, Dr. Ronald Meltzer, a renowned neurosurgeon who once operated successfully on Melissa's optic nerve. Angel soon discovers that Meltzer is also uniquely capable of detaching various parts of his own body and controlling them at some distance. He has pioneered and perfected methods he originally learned from eastern mystics—methods he now uses to watch Melissa without her knowledge. While Melissa stays safe in Angel's apartment where Doyle and Cordelia barricade all the entrances, Angel goes back to Meltzer's office to trap him. The doctor, however delusional, is wary enough to ambush and immobilize Angel, giving himself a clear field to go after Melissa. He finds a way, piecemeal, past Cordy and Doyle's defenses, but Angel recovers faster than the mad doctor anticipates and arrives in time to permanently prevent Meltzer from reassembling himself. Now both physically safe and emotionally healed, Melissa returns the gift by teaching Angel to graciously accept payment for his services.

Plot

At Angel Investigations, Cordelia and Doyle struggle with the fact that they aren't receiving income for their services, but Angel is unwilling to take money from people in trouble. Doyle is wracked by a vision about a woman named Melissa Burns. A beautiful bouquet of flowers is delivered to Melissa at her office, from "Ronald". She is clearly disturbed, but tries to hide it; she retreats to the bathroom to take tranquilizer pills, then leaves the office. In the parking garage, Angel awkwardly tells Melissa that he knows she is in trouble and offers her his business card.

Melissa gets scared of Meltzer goes to Angel, and the viewers sees that Meltzer can detach his body parts. Angel finds out Meltzer's lawyers are Wolfram & Hart who have taken out a restraining order against the plaintiff. Meltzer continues to stalk Melissa and kills a cop, Angel shows up to ease her mind . Angel confronts Meltzer at his office who then shoots Angel with a paralytic drug which does not kill but does slow down Angel. Angel fights Meltzer and kicks off his head.

The next day, Angel Investigations is discussing the fate of Ronald Meltzer's parts when Melissa drops by the office to thank everyone. She gives them a houseplant, and Angel reluctantly brings up the matter of the bill. To his relief, Melissa seems sincerely grateful for the reminder and takes an already-prepared check from her purse, gladly hands it over (to a very quick Cordelia), then earnestly tells Angel she hopes never to see him again. Bemused, Angel concurs.

Production

Acting

Andy Umberger, who played Dr. Meltzer, is one of Joss Whedon's hat tricks, having appeared as D'Hoffryn in Buffy the Vampire Slayer and as the captain of an Alliance cruiser in the pilot of Firefly.

Arc significance

• This is Kate's second meeting with Angel, whom she still doesn't know is a vampire. She is also unaware of the mystical component to the LAPD cop's death (literally at Ronald Meltzer's hands) and won't learn about L.A.'s supernatural side for several more weeks ("Somnambulist").

Continuity

• This is not the first time that Cordelia finds herself locked in a basement while her companion duct tapes around the door to prevent pieces of the bad guy from crawling underneath. In season two of Buffy ("What's My Line, Part One"), Cordy and Xander barricade themselves in the Summers' basement to escape an assassin demon able to take human form, but who is actually composed entirely of thousands upon thousands of mealworms.
• Dialogue between Cordelia and Doyle suggest that the teaser of this episode takes place at least a month after the end of "City of" more specifically, Cordelia mentions she has been working for Angel for a month.
• According to dialogue, the vision Doyle has in the teaser of this episode is the first one he's had since "Lonely Hearts"

Cultural references

• "I Fall to Pieces": The episode shares its name with this Patsy Cline song.
• Johnnie Cochran: Kate remarks that Wolfram & Hart is "the firm that Johnnie Cochran is too ethical to join," referring to the famously inventive lawyer who defended O. J. Simpson at his murder trial.
• O. J. Simpson: Cordelia makes a reference to the famous football star and accused murderer when she asks Angel, "What is it about Melissa that's got him going all O.J. on her?"
• "People": While they keep watch over the sleeping Melissa, Cordelia wonders aloud what precisely is the point of dating, and Doyle responds by speaking some of the lyrics from Barbra Streisand's signature song.
• Transformers: When asked what he is by Melissa, Meltzer replies that he's "more than meets the eye", the popular catch phrase from Transformers.

External links

• "I Fall to Pieces" at the Internet Movie Database
• "I Fall to Pieces" at TV.com