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Wolfram and Hart
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Wolfram and Hart - Attorneys at Law | |
| Type | Fictional Law firm |
|---|---|
| Founded | Unknown (Los Angeles Branch founded in 1791) |
| Headquarters | (Known locations) Los Angeles, Rome, London, Paris, New York, Cairo, Pylea |
| Key people | Senior Partners Holland Manners Marcus Hamilton Lilah Morgan Eve Lindsey McDonald Nathan Reed Linwood Murrow Gavin Park |
| Industry | Legal counsel Real Estate Firearms manufacturing (secretly) Chemical warfare (secretly) Biological warfare (secretly) Grave robbing (secretly) |
Wolfram and Hart, Attorneys at Law is a fictional international and interdimensional law firm in the television series Angel.
Contents |
The biggest and most powerful law firm in the world, Wolfram and Hart is actually a front organization for an ancient cabal of humans, demons, and sorcerers loyal to a group of demonic entities known euphemistically as the "Senior Partners," who work through their powerful principal agents—the Circle of the Black Thorn. Its principal human faces are Holland Manners, Lilah Morgan, and Lindsey McDonald.
According to the series, the Los Angeles branch was founded in 1791 over holy ground de-consecrated through a ritual employing the blood of serial murderer Matthias Pavayne, who was able to survive as a spirit in the building for over 200 years. Today, the firm has ties with Yoyodyne, Weyland-Yutani and News Corp ("Harm's Way"), and has a plethora of employees ranging from lawyers and accountants to sorcerers, demons and assassins. Their clientele is equally varied, including figures of organized crime and captains of industry, as well as demons and vampires. Their offices are based in Los Angeles, New York City, Tokyo, London, Paris, Rome, Cairo, and many other major cities around the world. W&H also has "satellite offices" in areas of conflict such as the Balkans, seemingly contributing to the continuation of violence and hatred in these areas.
When the characters of Angel visit Pylea, they discover that that world (or, at least the township we see there) is run by minions of "The Wolf, The Ram, and The Hart," and we learn that Wolfram and Hart (or at least the demonic "Senior Partners", who are resident of some other, unspecified, dimension) is a major player (on the side of Evil) across several dimensions, being an important force just about everywhere. It was also revealed later by Illyria that the Wolf, Ram, and Hart were at one point little stronger than vampires during the primal age when the Old Ones ruled; A W&H lab tech, Knox, glibly remarks that they must have "beefed up" since then. The Senior Partners are never fully explored or described in the TV show, but it is made clear that they plan to slowly bring about the apocalypse. They are immortal and eternal beings who live on a different plane of existence.
For much of the series' run, the firm provided the principal recurring antagonist to Angel and his associates because of the ensouled vampire's prophesied but uncertain role in the upcoming apocalypse. Wolfram and Hart went so far as to resurrect his sire Darla in human form and later turn her into a vampire to sway him to sever his connections with The Powers That Be and align himself with their cause. This backfired, and Angel began a one-man war against the law firm; This culminated with a siege on their building ("Reprise") on the night of a much-feared 75-year "Review", in which a Senior Partner arrives on Earth in corporeal form to sentence employees who have shown unfavorable performance. During the ceremony it materialized as a robed demon, only to have Angel charge forward with a mystical glove, grab the enraged Partner by the throat, and turn it to ash (sending it back to Hell instantaniously). Upon crashing through the window and falling several stories the ground, Angel donned the ring that the Senior Partner used to transport between dimensions, hoping to be taken to Wolfram & Hart's "home office". However, this only led to the crippling discovery that their home office, supposedly in a hell dimension, was on Earth -- Wolfram & Hart apparently thrives on the suffering and inhumanity that mankind inflicts on one another.
In the fourth season of Angel, the Los Angeles branch of Wolfram and Hart was destroyed by The Beast, but at the end of the season Angel was offered stewardship of the (newly renovated) branch, which he accepted; in exchange, Wolfram and Hart agreed to alter his son's memories and place him with a loving family. The remaining members of Angel Investigations also joined Wolfram and Hart, taking over various departments.
Although it is clear that the complete destruction of Wolfram and Hart and the Senior Partners that run it is impossible, Angel and his team do manage to thwart them at times, hoping to forestall the final Apocalypse that Wolfram and Hart seeks to bring about.
The final season saw Angel struggling with the moral ambiguities of his position as branch manager. In the series finale, Angel and the others disrupt the Partners' plans by killing all of the members of the Circle of the Black Thorn—the Partners' major representatives on Earth—effectively destroying their influence and setting their plans back centuries, or perhaps even longer. As a consequence, the Partners lash out with a hell-born army including dragons and many types of demons sent to face Angel and his team in their last stand.
White Room
Within the Wolfram and Hart solicitor's building, characters can enter 'The White Room'. This is an interdimensional space that serves as a "conduit" to the Senior Partners -- It is the most direct line to them, but it requires speaking through an intermediary. The 'Room' is accessed by pressing a certain sequence of buttons on an elevator panel. If conditions are met, the elevator doors open and a blinding light transports the occupants to the White Room.
During season 4, the room was occupied only by a small girl, who later turned out to be Mesektet, the most malevolent member of a 'family' of mystic beings. The girl offered a brief history on the demon Sahjhan when Angel came looking for him. When Wolfram & Hart falls under siege by The Beast, Angel and his group find their only refuge in the White Room; They arrive just in time to see The Beast draining the dark energies from Mesekthet, killing her. Using her final energies, she transports the group back to the Hyperion Hotel before The Beast can turn his attention to them.
At the end of season 4, the White Room is revisted when Charles Gunn is sent there; To his surprise, he is greeted by a panther. During season 5, Gunn makes frequent use of the Room when he has exhausted all other leads. When the entire building is locked down in "Destiny", Gunn explains that he tried to enter the White Room, but the elevator opened only to reveal a howling black hole of nothingness. By the time the episode ends, it is assumed that the White Room is functional again. The last time Gunn visits it is during "A Hole in the World", when he comes in desperate search of a way to save Winifred Burkle's life. Instead of the panther, he encounters a clone of himself who viciously beats him for his insolence.
- Holland Manners (first seen: "Blind Date"). Vice President of Special Projects for Wolfram and Hart before his death in season 2.
- Lindsay McDonald (first seen: "City of"). A promising young junior partner turned co-Vice President of the Special Projects division in the wake of Holland's death. Though he has a habit of switching to the winning team, he left Wolfram and Hart only to come back in season 5 with a vendetta.
- Lilah Morgan (first seen: "The Ring"). Promoted to co-Vice President of Special Projects with Lindsay, Lilah was always one step behind her co-advisor. When Lindsay left, she was promoted as sole adviser of S.P. until her death in season 4.
- Lee Mercer (first seen: "Sense & Sensitivity"). A Special Projects lawyer along with Lindsay and Lilah in the early stages, he was killed by Holland Manners due to his questionable associations outside the office.
- Nathan Reed (first seen: "Blood Money"). Lilah and Lindsay's new superior after Holland's death.
- Gavin Park (first seen: "Over the Rainbow"). Reassigned to S.P from Real Estate, Gavin sought to sully Lilah's reputation. He died in the 4th season.
- Linwood Murrow (first seen: "Quickening"). In charge of W & H's operation concerning Angel's allegiance in the apocalypse, he spearheaded the unsuccessful capture of Angel's son. Lilah executed him during an office meeting to solidify her control of the firm.
- Charles Gunn (first seen: "Conviction"). Having been implanted with knowledge of the law, Charles became the head of W & H's legal department in season 5.
- Russell Winters: "City of"
- Dr. Ronald Miltzer: "I Fall to Pieces", Kate mentions W&H represented him.
- Anthony "Little Tony" Papizian: "Sense & Sensitivity".
- Darin and Jack MacNamara: "The Ring".
- an unnamed mobster: "Five by Five".
- Vanessa Brewer: "Blind Date".
- Anne Steele: "Blood Money".
- Irv Kraigle, CEO of LyCorp: "Dead End".
- Congressman Nathan Blim: "Billy".
- Billy Blim: "Billy".
- Corbin Fries: "Conviction".
- Magnus Hainsley: "Just Rewards".
- Tobias Dupree: "Harm's Way".
- Emil and his boss: "Lineage": W&H doesn't provide legal representation, but they do supply weaponry to Emil's boss.
- Greenway: mentioned in "You're Welcome".
- Fell Brethren: "The Girl in Question"
- Senator Helen Brucker: "Power Play"