The Powers That Be

The Powers That Be is a title for the enigmatic and ancient forces that assist the side of good in the WB television series Angel. The first mention of The Powers That Be (sometimes shortened to "the Powers" or "the PTB") comes in season one of Angel, when a half-human, half-demon named Doyle makes contact with Angel and claims that the Powers send him visions of people in trouble who need Angel's help. The visions are extremely powerful, come at... more

The Powers That Be is a title for the enigmatic and ancient forces that assist the side of good in the WB television series Angel. The first mention of The Powers That Be (sometimes shortened to "the Powers" or "the PTB") comes in season one of Angel, when a half-human, half-demon named Doyle makes contact with Angel and claims that the Powers send him visions of people in trouble who need Angel's help. The visions are extremely powerful, come at seemingly random times, and cause extreme pain in the recipient. Though Angel never makes contact with the Powers themselves, he does communicate with them in a number of ways. The Powers that Be are also referred to by Fred as "The Powers that Screw You" and by Gunn as "The Powers that Sit on Their Be-hinds", due to their apparent inaction during many times of crisis that Angel Investigations faces; Angel and Jasmine also complain about their lack of interest in important events. Doyle, Cordelia, Wesley and Lorne appear much more concerned... less