Angel, Season 2

Holland Manners:
Congratulations. Great victory.

Angel:
You're...

Holland:
Holland Manners.

Angel:
...not alive.

Holland:
Oh, no. I'm quite dead. [shows Angel the bite mark Darla left on his neck] Unfortunately my contract with Wolfram & Hart extends well beyond that. [smiles] Hop on in. You certainly earned it.

[Angel enters the elevator]

Holland:
Well, this is exciting, isn't it? Going straight to the source. So what's the big plan, Angel? Destroy the Senior Partners, smash Wolfram & Hart once and for all?

Angel:
Something like that.

Holland:
Hmm, now tell me just what do you think that would accomplish? In the end, I mean.

Angel:
It'll be-the end.

Holland:
Well, the end of you, certainly. But I meant in the larger sense.

Angel:
In the larger sense, I really don't give a crap.

Holland:
Now, I don't think that's true. Be honest-you got the tiniest bit of "give a crap" left. Otherwise you wouldn't be going on this kamikaze mission. Now let me see, there was something in a sacred prophecy, some oblique reference to you. Something you're supposed to prevent. Now what was that?

Angel:
The apocalypse.

Holland:
Yes, the apocalypse, of course. Another one of those. Well, it's true, we do have one scheduled. And I imagine if you were to prevent it you would save a great many people. Well, you should do that then. Absolutely! I wasn't thinking. [smiles] Of course, all those people you save from that apocalypse would then have the next one to look forward to, but hey, it's always something, isn't it?

Angel:
You're not gonna win.

Holland:
Well...no. Of course we aren't. We have no intention of doing anything so prosaic as "winning". [laughs]

Angel:
Then why?

Holland:
Hmm? I'm sorry, why what?

Angel:
Why fight?

Holland:
That's really the question you should be asking yourself, isn't it? See, for us, there is no fight. Which is why winning doesn't enter into it. We...go on, no matter what. Our firm has always been here...in one form or another. The Inquisition. The Khmer Rouge. We were there when the very first cave man clubbed his neighbor. See, we're in the hearts and minds of every single living being. And that, friend, is what's making things so difficult for you. See, the world doesn't work in spite of evil, Angel. It works with us. It works because of us.

[elevator comes to a stop and the doors open, revealing Los Angeles]

Holland:
Welcome to the home office.

Angel:
This isn't...

Holland:
Oh, you know it is. You know that better than anyone. Things you've seen. Things you've-well, done. You see, if there wasn't evil in every single one of them out there-why, they wouldn't be people. They'd all be angels.

[Angel slowly walks out of the elevator]

Holland:
Have a nice day.