Chase, Cordelia

Cordelia Chase is a female television character who features in Buffy-Angel.

Biography

Origin

Cordelia Chase (1981-2004) was an ally to both Buffy Summers The Vampire Slayer and Angel. Originally from Sunnydale, California, Cordelia attended school with Xander Harris , Willow Rosenberg, and Jesse. She met Buffy during her sophomore year at Sunnydale High School.

Cordelia came from a rich family and was the most popular girl in school and even had her own social circle, "The Cordettes". Although she was a cheerleader and enjoyed partying, Cordelia did quite well academically. A few encounters with the supernatural had her requiring Buffy's help often, even though she had contempt for Buffy and her friends. This situation eventually lead to a romantic relationship with Xander, which hurt her popularity greatly.

Scooby Gang

Cordelia broke up with Xander when she found him kissing Willow. She was angry at first, but she and Xander eventually became friends again. Cordelia attempted a romance with Buffy's new Watcher, Wesley Wyndam-Price, but despite their mutual attraction, it failed. During her senior year of high school, her family lost its money, and she had to work a part-time job.

Los Angeles

Upon graduating high school in 1999, Cordelia moved to Los Angeles in hopes of starting an acting career. Despite her intelligence and having been accepted to the likes of Columbia University, Cordelia found herself unable to afford college due to her family's sudden financial reversals, and therefore, she moved to Los Angeles to pursue an acting career. Meeting Angel at a Hollywood party, she pretended to be successful, when she was, in fact, nearly penniless, renting a dilapidated apartment and stealing food from such parties. Her agent was ignoring her calls, and she had no family to turn to, having severed ties. Desperate, Cordelia met with Russell Winters, believing that he would be able to relieve her of her meager financial situation. However, with her experience as a member of the Scooby Gang, Cordelia soon recognized that Winters was actually a vampire. (Episode: City Of)

With the help of her co-worker Doyle, Cordelia moved from her run down apartment to a new place.

After being rescued by Angel and talking to his friend Allen Francis Doyle, who received visions of people in need of help from the Powers That Be, Cordelia charmed Angel into turning his fight against evil into a business. She became Angel Investigations' office manager while pursuing her acting career, but never broke out of commercials and plays. When she moved into her apartment, it was then haunted by the evil ghost of Maude Pearson who harassed and insulted her. After she was possessed by the ghost of Dennis Pearson, she tore off the wall as he destroys Maude. With Maude gone, Dennis and Cordelia became friends. (Episode: Rm w/a Vu) She reached a turning point when her budding romance with Doyle ended with his sudden death. (Episode: Hero) Cordelia attempted to carry on, but during an audition for a commercial, she received her first vision, a gift transferred to her from Doyle during their first and last kiss. It gave her a powerful ability to help others. (Episode: Parting Gifts) Though initially wary of this gift due to the splitting headaches it caused, she was forced to see numerous terrible things happening to innocents and fully accepted her calling to help the helpless. (Episode: To Shanshu in L.A.)

Her place was haunted by the ghost of a woman who trapped her son Dennis in its walls. Once the woman's ghost was expelled, Dennis' ghost remained.

Doyle secretly harbored feelings for Cordelia, which he revealed to her shortly before he died. Doyle also passed along his visions to her through a kiss. Cordelia became Angel's link to The Powers That Be. They would send her visions of innocent people in danger, and she would send Angel to help them.

Cordelia continued her acting jobs, but she never got the big break she was hoping for. Through an encounter with Lorne's cousin Landok, Cordelia wound up in the dimension of Pylea. She was at first treated as a slave like all the other humans, but once it was discovered that she had visions, she became princess.

On Pylea, Cordelia met the Groosalugg, who she was expected to mate with and pass on her visions to. Although she was in love with the Groosalugg, she didn't want to lose her visions. She left Pylea with Angel and the others.

Since the visions were intended for demons, not more fragile humans, Cordelia struggled to hide the effects from her friends. This continued until her 21st birthday, when she was rocked by a vision that sent her spirit into a higher plane. This opportunity was seized upon by Skip, a mercenary demon who sold his expertise to the highest bidder; in this case, a fallen member of the Powers That Be wanting to manifest on Earth. Skip masqueraded as Cordelia's guide from the Powers. To avoid dying from the visions, Cordelia accepted an offer from Skip, who altered history so that she never met Angel in Los Angeles, instead landing her big break as an actress. In her own TV show called Cordy!. However, even in this alternate timeline, Cordelia felt compelled to help others and eventually crossed paths with Angel, who received the visions in her place and was driven insane as a result. Unable to let her friend suffer, and realizing that fighting evil was her true calling, Cordelia had Skip return the timeline to normal, and accepted his offer to become a half-demon. (Episode: Birthday)

Cordelia was re-united with The Groosalugg, who left Pylea to be with her. Their relationship ended as Cordelia discovered she had feelings for Angel. Before Cordelia could tell Angel, she was visited once more by Skip, who offered her the chance to be a higher power. Cordelia agreed and spent months in a heaven-like plane.

Bored with her new life, Cordelia returned to Earth without her memory (and also possessed by a higher power). Mistrustful of Angel, Cordelia stayed with his son Connor. Cordelia began to have visions of an upcoming catastrophic event as her memory was restored. The Beast whom she saw appeared on Earth and began The Rain of Fire. Cordelia took shelter with Connor and slept with him. She became pregnant soon after.

Cordelia gave birth to Jasmine, the fallen Power that used Skip to manipulate her and had been controlling Cordelia since she returned to Earth. As a result, Cordelia fell into a coma, where she would remain for about a year.

After defeating Jasmine, Angel took over Wolfram & Hart's Los Angeles branch and placed the comatose Cordelia in a hospital. Cordelia awoke to see her friends working for the evil lawfirm they had been battling. She helped a disillusioned Angel take down their old enemy Lindsey MacDonald. After inspiring Angel to continue fighting, it was revealed that Cordelia had actually died in her coma and that the Powers That Be allowed her to visit Angel once more before moving on.

As a final goodbye to Angel, Cordelia kissed him and gave him a vision revealing the inner workings of Wolfram and Hart, which Angel used against them.

Overview

Powers and abilities

According to the demon Skip, her visions were slowly killing her because human beings were not strong enough to control them. (Episode: Birthday)

In High School, she was one of the popular students where a group formed around her that came to be known as the Cordettes. They consisted of the wealthiest and most popular girls in Sunnydale High, determining who and what was popular. (Episode: Rm w/a Vu)

Notes

• Cordelia Chase was created by Joss Whedon and was portrayed by actress Charisma Carpenter where she featured in the setting of the Buffy-Angel universe.

Appearances

• Buffy the Vampire Slayer:
• Angel:

External Links

• Buffy Wiki Entry
• Wikipedia Entry

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