Wolfram and Hart
From Free net encyclopedia
Wolfram and Hart, Attorneys at Law is an international and interdimensional fictional law firm in the television series Angel.
Contents |
History
Its principal human faces being Holland Manners, Lilah Morgan, and Lindsey McDonald. The richest and most powerful corporation in the world, Wolfram and Hart is actually a front organization for an ancient cabal of humans, demons, and magick-users 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.
According to the series, the Los Angeles branch was founded in 1791 over holy ground deconsecrated 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 [1], 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, 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, we 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," resident of some other, unspecified, dimension — are 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 herself that the Wolf, Ram, and Hart themselves were once weak compared to most demon races during the primal age when the Old Ones ruled. The Senior Partners are never fully revealed or seen 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 supposedly live on a different plane of existence (presumably the afterlife of Hell).
For much of the series' run, the firm provided the principal recurring antagonist to Angel and his associates because of the ensouled vampire's supposed and unknown role in the upcoming apocalypse. In an attempt to get him on their side, they resurrected his sire Darla in human form and later turned her into a vampire all in an attempt for him to sever his connections with The Powers That Be and align himself closer to their cause. However, that only backfired, as Angel began a one-man war against the law firm, which only ended soon after his discovery that their home office, supposedly in a Hell dimension, was on Earth. Wolfram & Hart apparently thrives on the sins and inhumanity by mankind to each other.
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 himself was entrusted to run the (newly renovated) branch, in exchange for altering his son's memories and placing him with a loving family. The remainder 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, hopefully forestalling the final Apocalypse that W&H wants to cause.
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. 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.
Employees (Seasons 1-4)
- Holland Manners Blind Date.
- Lindsay McDonald City of.
- Lilah Morgan The Ring.
- Lee Mercer Sense and Sensitivity.
- Nathan Reed Redefinition.
- Gavin Park Over the Rainbow.
- Linwood Murrow Quickening.
Clients
- Russell Winters: City of
- Dr. Ronald Miltzer: I Fall to Pieces, Kate mentions W&H represented him.
- Anthony "Little Tony" Papizian: Sense and Sensitivity.
- Darin and Jack MacNamara: The Ring.
- an unnamed mobster: Five by Five.
- Vanessa Brewer: Blind Date.
- Anne Steele: Blood Money.
- Irv Kraigle, CEO pf 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