Angel: You're Welcome

"You're Welcome" is the twelfth episode of season five of the television show Angel. Written and directed by David Fury, it is the 100th episode of the series, and originally broadcast on February 4, 2004 on the WB network. In "You're Welcome," former series regular Charisma Carpenter returns as a guest star, when the character of Cordelia Chase miraculously awakens from her coma. It is her duty to put Angel, who has recently been feeling ineffective at fighting the powers of darkness, back on the right path. Meanwhile, Angel's old enemy Lindsey McDonald has resurfaced and is plotting revenge. The episode features the death and final onscreen appearance of Cordelia. The episode was written to reinforce the show's earlier themes, and examine the evolution of the characters in the show's one hundred episodes. The original plan was for Sarah Michelle Gellar to return as Buffy Summers, but when she could not appear due to the death of her aunt and work obligations, it instead focused on rounding off the character of Cordelia. The episode proved generally popular with critics, who praised Charisma Carpenter's final performance as Cordelia and the sense of resolution for the character.