Hero

Business has been slow lately, so Cordelia thinks a TV commercial might attract some clients. Angel's cool to the idea, and Doyle's not so hot on it either. But Cordelia is persistent, and soon she's got Doyle in front of the camera, acting poorly but shooting a commercial nevertheless.

A bit later, Angel explains the events of the past 24 hours - at least as he experienced them. Doyle and Cordelia have no memory of any of it (see previous episode summary for full explanation). Knowing the truth, Doyle is even more impressed with Angel, and even more convinced he's a hero.

Angel's courage inspires Doyle to tell Cordelia the truth about him being half-demon. Just as he's about to tell her, though, a new vision hits him. Soon, he and Angel are investigating what looks to be an abandoned demon household. Then Angel sniffs out the demons themselves, hiding under the floorboards.

The demons are hiding because they're being hunted by the Scourge. Doyle explains to Angel that the Scourge is an army of pureblooded demons. They aren't big fans of mixed-heritage types, and they hunt them down. These demons can be killed, but they believe in what they're doing, and are ready to die for their cause.

He knows this because years earlier, he received a visit from a demon named Lucas, a Bracken demon, like Doyle. He and his clan had been living safely in the woods in Oregon until the Scourge came. Not all of them escaped. The Scourge tracked them to Los Angeles, where Lucas begged Doyle for help, but Doyle wasn't interested. Lying in bed alone after Lucas was gone, however, Doyle got his first vision. He didn't know what to make of it, but he had to know if what it showed him was real or just a dream. When he went to explore the vision he'd had, he found dozens of his demon brethren, including Lucas, slaughtered by the Scourge.

Now the Scourge is coming for these demons, and Doyle doesn't think they'll be able to fight them. But Angel says they won't have to - they'll get them out of the country. He knows the captain of a boat, and he arranges for their escape. As Cordelia and Angel work out the final details for the ship, the Scourge hits town, with Doyle and one of the young demons in their sights. But Angel's got a plan. When the Scourge comes looking for the demons in their house, Angel steps in, fully vamped, dragging a demoned-out Doyle with him. He tells these Scourgers how much he hates half-breeds (even though he is one himself), and that he wants to join them, and kill half-breeds for them.

At the pier where the getaway boat is docked, one of the demons thanks Cordelia for all the help. He also shocks Cordelia when he mentions that Doyle particularly understands their suffering, as he has to live with a certain amount of persecution himself - the kind you get when you're half demon.

While the demons load onto the ship and wait for Doyle to arrive with the youngster, the Scourge has a rally, where they prepare to eliminate the half-breed demons they're chasing in the name of purity and the greater evil. Angel's hidden among them, dressed in full uniform. But this is more than just a typical hunt-and-kill scenario. The Scourge has a beacon that, when detonated, will annihilate any creatures "contaminated" with human blood within a quarter-mile radius.

When Doyle brings the young demon back to the boat, Cordelia slaps him. She's angry that he kept his being half-demon a secret from her. She tells him she doesn't have a problem with it, then says, "Would you ask me out for dinner already?" But before Doyle can, Angel arrives. The Scourge is on its way, and the boat needs to shove off - immediately.

But there are bigger problems than the Scourgers themselves - there's that beacon, which is armed to go off. To shut it down, somebody will have to expose himself to its light. Doyle decides that he is that somebody. He kisses Cordelia, expresses his regrets, and leaps onto the beacon. As he struggles to disarm it, its light begins to tear him apart, layer by layer. When he finally pulls the plug, there's a flash of light. The beacon is disarmed, and everyone is saved, but Doyle is gone. Back at the office, Angel and Cordelia sit in the dark, watching the tape of Doyle trying to make a commercial. "Come on over to our offices," Doyle says, "and you'll see that there's still heroes in this world."