Cordelia

Cordelia Chase
Played By	Charisma Carpenter
Gender	Female
Species	Human (Cursed)
Birthdate	January 14th, 1981
Age	19
Zodiac Sign	Capricorn
Aliases	Cordy
Birthplace	Sunnydale, CA, USA
Residence	Los Angeles, NY, USA
Occupation	Actress Vision-Girl Ex-Princess/Messiah
Relatives	Father (unnamed) Mother (unnamed)
Boyfriend (Current)	None, sadly.
Boyfriends (Past)	Xander Harris Wesley Francis Doyle Groosalugg
Powers	Visions from the PTB
First Appearance	Welcome To The Hellmouth (BTVS)

Member of Angel Investigations, Vision-Girl, and Queen of Smarm, Cordelia Chase is Angel's link to the Powers That Be. Armed with a rapier wit, a bitchy will, a fabulous fashion sense and the power of SHEER AWESOME, Cordelia is the "heart" of Angel Investigations (as so named by Fred).

History

Cordelia's story starts off in Sunnydale. She's an only child to a wealthy family, and as she grew up, she grew up pampered and spoiled, indulged in her every whim and wanting for nothing. By the time she reaches high school, she's very much the queen bee of the school, ruling the social scene along with her clique of hangers-on, the Cordettes. But her comfortable position at the top of the pile began to wobble with the arrival of one Buffy Summers to the school. With Buffy came strange happenings (though in truth, there'd always been strange happenings in Sunnydale), and it wasn't long until Cordelia was swept up in them, becoming a somewhat reluctant satellite member of Buffy's Scooby Gang.

THAT only led to more strange happenings. Buggy assassin demons, Spike and Drusilla, and OH, let's not forget the disaster that was dating Xander Harris. That really started the downward slope. After breaking up with Xander, her father is caught for tax evasion, and virtually all her family's assets are seized. Cordy's forced to get an actual job. Things on other fronts don't go well either; there's a brief dalliance with new Watcher Wesley Wyndham-Pryce, and of course, the Mayor trying to turn into a giant demon snake and eat everyone.

On graduation, Cordelia moved to L.A., trying to make it as an actress. THAT was going less than shiningly, when a chance meeting with Angel (who'd also relocated there) opened a new door for her. She was really one of the motivational forces behind Angel Investigations, and started off as Angel's office help (and occasional plucky motivational person). That would change once Doyle, the Irish half-demon who was Angel's connection to the Powers That Be, was killed and his visions passed to Cordelia.

Since that time, she's been an invaluable member of Angel Investigations, handling all manner of nastiness, including being temporarily impregnated with demon spawn, and getting tossed off to Pylea and being both "cow" and princess/messiah there. Now she's back on Earth once again, trying to settle once more into the daily routine of being normal Vision Girl after having been a princess, dealing with both Fred's presence and Angel's absence.

Personality

"Tact is just not saying true stuff. I'll pass." This, more than anything else, is the synopsis of Cordelia Chase. She is a self-described "vicious bitch" and "the meanest girl in Sunnydale history", but under that, there's a core of depth buried under a vast layer of shallow. (Yeah, sounds contradictory…but then, so's she). Cordelia likes the shiny things in life. Money, power, influence, prestige…there's a part of her that wants and craves those things, quite a bit.

And, of course, Cordelia tends to go through life with her brain-mouth filter completely disengaged. If she has something to say, be it harsh, tactless, insulting, or even getting herself into trouble, you can pretty much count on her to say it. On the other hand, it does mean that she's not one for backbiting or two-facedness…you pretty much always know where you stand with Cordelia, for better or worse.

She's gotten more depth during her time at Angel Investigations. Her visions, which she initially wanted to get rid of as quickly as possible, have become something she prizes. She's seen the pain and suffering of the human condition in a way that very few people can relate to, and it's given her a powerful motivation, a mission that involves other people, rather than just focusing on herself. Which is not to say that she doesn't still have her moments of shallow; she does. But that there's a core of compassion, caring, and strength that's surprisingly strong, and nothing her former Cordettes would ever have expected from her.

Personality Type: ESFP

"Where's the party?" ESFPs love people, excitement, telling stories and having fun. The spontaneous, impulsive nature of this type is almost always entertaining. And ESFPs love to entertain — on stage, at work, and/or at home. Social gatherings are an energy boost to these "people" people.

SPs sometimes think and talk in more of a spider-web approach. Several of my ESFP friends jump from thought to thought in mid-sentence, touching here or there in a manner that's almost incoherent to the listener, but will eventually cover the waterfront by skipping on impulse from one piece of information to another. It's really quite fascinating.

New! ESFPs are attracted to new ideas, new fashions, new gadgets, new __. Perhaps it's the newness of life that attracts ESFPs to elementary education, especially to preschool and kindergarten.

ESFPs love to talk to people about people. Some of the most colorful storytellers are ESFPs. Their down-to-earth, often homespun wit reflects a mischievous benevolence.

Almost every ESFP loves to talk. Some can be identified by the twenty minute conversation required to ask or answer a simple factual question.

Abilities

Cordelia is the inheritor of Francis Doyle's visions, psychic messages sent to her by the Powers That Be. She serves as Angel's link to the Powers, who are wont to send her whatever information they see fit to have him act upon. The visions are a cacophony of discordant images and sounds, and can be difficult to interpret sometimes, requiring Cordelia to find landmarks or references that she can use to point Angel in the right direction.

The psychic "channel" that the visions work on is also not completely inviolate. On certain occasions, minions of evil have been able to use the visions to incapacitate Cordelia, or to transmit "false" visions to her, though both of these occurrances are rare, and pretty much require Wolfram-and-Hart-level resources to pull off.

The downside to the visions is that they aren't meant to be borne by a human. They come along with mind-searing, incapacitating pain. The average vision is enough to knock Cordelia right off her feet, and she's compared it to "having my skull cracked open and molten lava poured inside". It hurts. A LOT. And what's more, it seems to be getting worse.

Timeline

11/01

November 28

• It's Not Delivery: Wesley, Fred, and Cordy freak out Dan the Delivery Man. Also, Cordy tries counseling duty.

12/01

December 2001

Relationships

Angel Investigations

Angel
Wurdz go here.

• Noteworthy Scenes: None…YET!

---

Fred
Cordelia's not quite sure what to make of Fred. The girl is clearly a few condiments shy of a taco, but then, Cordelia got the briefest taste of what Fred had to endure for more than five years, and she's pretty sure she wouldn't have held up as well. She wants to help her and see her back to a more stable footing, but Cordy's normal methods of blunt frankness won't work with Fred; she's too skittish. So Cordy finds herself in the unusual position of having to feel out a "nice" way of helping.

• Noteworthy Scenes: It's Not Delivery

---

Gunn
Wurdz go here.

• Noteworthy Scenes: None…YET!

---

Wesley
Wurdz go here.

• Noteworthy Scenes: It's Not Delivery

Friends

Lorne
Wurdz go here.

• Noteworthy Scenes: None…YET!

Enemies

Faith
Wurdz go here.

• Noteworthy Scenes: None…YET!

---

Lilah
Wurdz go here.

• Noteworthy Scenes: None…YET!

---

Lindsey
Wurdz go here.

• Noteworthy Scenes: None…YET!

Others

Dan
Wurdz go here.

• Noteworthy Scenes: It's Not Delivery

---

Kate
Wurdz go here.

• Noteworthy Scenes: None…YET!

Quotes

On Fashion

• "Well, judging by the outfit, I guess it's safe to come in. Evil Angel would've never worn those pants."

• "Trust me, everything is better with the world when you're properly lift-and-supported."

• "Grease stains all over my new outfit! Okay, so maybe my pain isn't physical, but do you have any idea of the dry cleaning bill I'm looking at?"

• "Guys, that was really fun. The public humiliation, running from the hotel security staff, and the nifty little outfit which seemed to tell so many conventioneers, "Pet me, I'm a whore"."

• "Well, I found him and we have to stop him before it's too late. We have to change our… Do you have any clothes a man would wear?"

• "AAGGHH! Oh! Oh, my God! These are gorgeous! You have, the most amazing taste! You have, like, a gay man's taste! And that's saying something! I love them so much! Thank you, thank you, thank you! You're the best! Mwah! I have to go try these on! La, la, la, la, la…! New clothes. I have new clothes! I have new clothes!"

• "Oh, my gosh, it's gorgeous! And look how it brings out my breasts! You know you were all thinkin' it!"

On Herself

• "I'm not a snivelling, whinny, little cry-Buffy. I'm the nastiest girl in Sunnydale history. I take crap from no one!"

• "What do you think I am superficial? I mean you are half demon that is so far down on the list. Way under short and poor. Is there anything else I should know?"

• "I am good for exactly two things. International superstar or helping a vampire with a soul to rid the world of evil."

• "Yeah. But, all of a sudden, rich and handsome wasn't enough for me. Now I expect a guy to be all brave and interesting. And it's your fault, both of you."

• "Who does shallow better then me?"

• "I just wanted to act, that's all. For them to like me because I was good. I never wanted to feel like this."

On Others

• "Oh please. They've got the forbidden love of all time. They've been apart for months. Now he's suddenly human. I'm sure they're down there just having tea and crackers. Let me explain the lore here, okay? They suffer, they fight, that's business as usual. They get groiny with one another, the world as we know it falls apart."

• "No problem. Hey, the last thing I want is to show up at the office and find that I'm working for a homicidal monster."

• "Angelus may not be the most relaxing company, but at least he's honest. Shouldn't I expect the same from the *not* evil version of my friends?"

• "It's kinda like a puzzle. The 'who died horribly 'cause Angel screwed up 50 years ago' game?"

• "Right. This is Angel. "Oh, no, I can't do anything fun tonight. I have to count my past sins, then alphabetize them. Oh, by the way, I'm thinking of snapping on Friday"."

• "Yes, the point of a gun. He just walked Wesley right out of here. And this whole "I'm Angel" thing is a very, very bad idea. I mean, if I thought that would work, I could've been Angel, because, guess what? Pretty much a girly name."

• "Darla. It's all about Darla. One thing you can say about Angel, at least he's consistent. It's always some little blonde driving him over the edge."

• "Hey, Gunn graduated with a major in Dumb Planning from Angel University. He sat at the feet of the master, and learned well, how to plan dumbly."

• "But, no, not him. One decent boff, and he switches to evil psycho-vamp. Which, in a way, would be better for everyone. Better for him, because he'd get some, and better for us, because then we could stake him afterwards."

Bitch, What?

• "Back off polygrip! You think you're bad? All mean and haunty? Picking on poor, pathetic Cordy. Well, get ready to haul your wrinkly, translucent ass out of the place. Cause the bitch is back!"

• "You can't fire me. I'm Vision Girl."

• "I mean, not only is she putting his life at stake, but ours. I'm sorry, but after four hundred years of death and destruction, It seems to me you get voted off the island. Am I right?"

• "Well, that's great. Too bad it takes a gunshot wound to make you give a crap. Wesley doesn't need you right now. We don't need you. You walked away. Do us a favor and just stay away."

Great Lines

• "Sure I do… my older, way older, like 400 years old, blonde sister. Darla. No last name. I've been desperately trying to find her cause mom and dad are in the coma. Sue the property manager was very helpful. She even cried."

• "Then get over it! I mean that in a sensitive way."

• "Am I wrong in thinking that a "please" and "thank you" is generally considered good form when requesting a dismemberment?"

• "I was so glad you came. You know how parties are? You're always worried that no one's gonna suck the energy out of the room like a giant black hole of boring despair. But, there you were in the clinch!"

• "What if, every time you identified a demon in one of your big old books we gave you ten bucks… or a chicken pot pie?"

• "In quite a hurry to get back to the "Cordelia is not a Princess" dimension, aren't ya?"

Open Mouth, Insert Foot

• "Angel, it's not Wesley's fault that some british guy ruined your… oh wait, that was you. Go on."

• "I finally get invited to a nice place with no mirrors and lots of curtains. Hey, you're a vampire!"

• "Sure, you did. Because the tunnel is… you know, i-it's something we all… Are we talking a real tunnel or symbolic? Just give me that much."

• "Who, me? I'm no friend. I mean I'm just here on business. I'm a working girl. That came out wrong. I mean, obviously I'm not a 'working girl'. Not that I couldn't be if I wanted to, of course I could. God that sounded stuck up, didn't it? I didn't mean to imply that I could be a working girl and you couldn't. Far from it. You'd make a great… Could you just point me to the hor d'oeuvers?"

• "The stranger the better, as far as we're concerned. Please, have a seat. Please, take a seat. Tell us what the problem is. Trust me, we specialize in strange. There's nothing we haven't see… There's an eye in the back of her head.""

Media

Photo Gallery

Video Gallery

First Time by Lifehouse This, of course, is a Doyle/Cordelia vid. Despite the fact that it took her a while to realize it, Doyle played a bigger role in Cordelia's life than most would think. Not only the visions, but he was the first person who'd ever really loved her since Sunnydale. Maybe ever. Everyone else had been in love with the idea of being in love with her. We're both looking for something We've been afraid to find It's easier to be broken It's easier to hide Looking at you, holding my breath For once in my life I'm scared to death I'm taking a chance letting you inside

Short Skirt, Long Jacket by Cake This is a straight up Cordy vid. Cordy is confident in a way that most of the other characters in the Jossverse could only wish they were. While she might not always be right, she's still there, ready to be strident in the face of what she thinks is wrong, fight for what is right, demand respect of the people around her, and command attention, all while still being there for her friends whenever they need her. I want a girl with the right allocations Who's fast and thorough And sharp as a tack She's playing with her jewelry She's putting up her hair She's touring the facility And picking up slack

Savin' Me by Nickelback Another Cordy vid, and this one focusing on the essence of what made Cordelia such a great character. Fred once said that she was the "heart" of Angel Investigations, and she was. She was the one character who never turned aside. Angel sent the others away in Season 2. Wesley went rogue in Season 3. Gunn had his doubts and was torn between his crew and the others. Cordelia stayed the course, even when her visions were killing her. Show me what it's like To be the last one standing And teach me wrong from right And I'll show you what I can be Say it for me, Say it to me And I'll leave this life behind me Say it if it's worth saving me

Trivia

• Cordelia has a tattoo of a tribal sun on her lower back (in the "tramp stamp" location).

• Has been bitten on multiple occasions by vampires and survived.

• Has a scar on her stomach from falling onto, and being impaled by, a piece of rebar in Sunnydale.

• Cordelia has nigh-photographic reflexes; able to perform complex sequences of physical actions while only needing to be shown them once. “No need, I got it. Three years of Varsity Cheer Squad, I only ever had to be shown a move once.”

• Cordelia's apartment is haunted. But in a good way. Phantom Dennis is occasionally a little over protective, but pampers the heck out of Cordelia, and is there for her when she needs someone. He's the best dead friend a girl could have.