"Angel": Like "Buffy" But Darker.

(Originally posted 1-2-2011)

Yes, I watched it a bit late but honestly, I prefer to watch shows after they have been over for a while. Then I can know whether or not they start to suck at some point and I'm not already roped into watching them.

And since I finally finished watching "Buffy" (I know, late), here's "Angel."


To me, seasons 1, 2, the first half of 3, and 5 were probably the best. I found season 4 exhausting and the second half of season 3 to be the same.

First let me talk about things I liked.

I liked that the first season was really simple and I liked most of the characters from that season. I really liked Doyle and was sad to see him go but bringing in Wesley as a familiar face and then Gunn was a good idea. It had its ups and downs and many of the episodes aren't actually too memorable because a lot of the show was just laying ground work. I loved the episode "Hero" where Doyle sacrifices himself, the season ender "To Shanshu in L.A." and the episodes with Faith. Other than those, I found a lot of the season enjoyable but not super memorable. Very demon-of-the-week.

The one thing that kind of bothered me and would continue to bother me throughout the series is the need to introduce love interests for Angel throughout the series. While I was fine with him and Cordelia as a thing, particularly because they really grew into a good pair, it was the unnecessary Kate and much later, Nina, that just bored me (Darla is another story). I don't think Angel needs a love interest. And have you noticed they are all blonde?

The second season was much more about an over-arcing plot than individual episodes and I was generally okay with this change. Somehow Darla is back and human and I was actually into the relationship that developed between her and Angel . . . for a little while. She was just too emo sometimes and by the time everything had worked out, she was a vampire again. A lot of the season was an emotional roller coaster and it sometimes got to be a bit too much but was overall rather pleasant.

While the crazy one-sided love between Lindsey and Darla was pretty amusing I find my favorite things about this season have nothing to do with the main plot. I love the new headquarters in the Hyperion and the episode "Are You Now or Have You Ever Been" with Angel's 50's flashback and the introduction of Lorne, his bar, and all the episodes that occur in Pylea.

The third season was a love it or hate it situation for me.

First of all, I shipped Wesley and Fred pretty much from her introduction in season two. This is an important thing for me to note.

Here's the problem with this season: while there were a few episodes and character arc things I really liked (the episode "Waiting In the Wings", the first 6 episodes, and Wesley's character development as a result of his ostracizing post "Sleep Tight"), the rest of the season I really disliked. There were a lot of flat out uninteresting episodes ("Provider", "Double or Nothing") and the main villain Holtz and his lackey Justine were boring as all hell. Connor and his existence weren't an issue (since they brought Darla back at the end of season 1
I realized this was a show where literally anything could happen) . . . until he came back from the other world as a fucking obnoxious teenager who just causes problems for everyone and has extreme daddy issues. I wanted to slug that kid.

Also, I was a little weirded out by the season end putting so much focus on how Angel and Cordelia must confess their love for each other.
Like I said, Angel having love interests isn't good plot. At least he and Cordelia made sense.

And while on the subject of love interests: Love is a roller coaster from the start. Fred likes Angel, she gets over it, accepts and encourages Angel/Cordelia, Wesley and Gunn both like Fred, she only seems vaguely aware, she likes Gunn, she hooks up with Gunn, Wesley gets sad but his feelings don't wan, he is forced out of the group anyway, starts sleeping with Lilah even though he loves Fred, Cordelia is about to confess to Angel when Groo comes back, Angel encourages Groo/Cordelia, Groo sees her feelings for Angel and leaves, Cordelia is about to confess and becomes a God. End season.

What?

Season four picks up pretty much right where the roller coaster left off and speeds head first into Crazy Town.

Here's what I liked: "Spin the Bottle", the one where they all revert back to their 17-year-old selves, "Soulless" because Angelus taunting is fun and the episodes where they call in Faith and Willow for help, and the idea of Jasmine once she is born as this benevolent bad guy.

I disliked everything else.

Well, that might be harsh.

The fact is this season was a lot of WTF, ruined Cordelia's character even though it wasn't her, and upped the annoying!Connor factor by a million.

One thing that I was okay with and maybe even liked was Wesley and Lilah's relationship. Normally, this love/hate enemy relationship is usually what I gravitate towards but in this case I liked it because they really understood each other and with the exception of one slight lapse on Lilah's part, their relationship was always equal and understanding which was a freaking break from the distrust and such going on with Fred and Gunn after he killed her professor and the Angel/Cordelia/Connor thing. Also, through the whole thing my OTP was never tarnished because Wesley still loved Fred the whole time and for a second they seemed to be moving forward after he kissed her and she broke up with Gunn but somehow the issue just got dropped and we were back to him pinning for her and her being oblivious.

Season five was such a breath of fresh air. Cordelia was gone which was something I felt indifferent too after all the hell of the last season and replaced by Spike which I have no problem with since he always brings the comedy and Harmony even joined the cast as Angel's secretary. I love the old characters and I especially loved the new direction of the show with Angel taking over Wolfram and Hart. Also, Connor was nixed by giving him a normal life and when he did come back and got his memories back, he was so much more tolerable.

This was my favorite season.

Episodes were fun to watch again and while they didn't have too strong an over-arching plot, they didn't feel random or uneven.

The one thing that got kind of weird to me was the new characters of Eve, Knox, and Hamilton. They all served as kind of disposable plot points they you never really feel anything towards.

Some of my favorite episodes were actually where people die (except "Life of the Party" which was hilarious and "Smile Time" which was crazy in the best of ways).

Cordelia's last episode, "You're Welcome" was actually handled really well and kind of reminded the audience why she was likable in the first place since everyone kind of forgot during season four.

Something I actually really liked? The fact that Welsey and Fred, after two and half seasons of Ship Tease, finally realize that they are perfect for each other . . . and she dies the next episode.

Here's why.

From the beginning of Fred the writers probably realized that she and Wesley were a perfect match which is why they wanted to avoid them getting together at all costs. Once a Ship Tease becomes canon, it can actually drag down development or put too much focus on the couple or even make the couple less endearing. In a normal world, they would probably marry, have kids, and have a happy normal, nerdy life.

That can't happen. No one wants to see that.

By killing her off, you fix this problem instantly while still satisfying the fact that yes, they are supposed to be together, yes, they love each other, yes, they're perfect, blah, blah, blah.

Also, I think the writers like to mind-fuck Wesley.

On the plus side, the mind-fucking made him into a bad ass.

I liked Illyria too probably because I enjoy the mind-fuckery and also throughout her time, she seems to develop a weird affection for him even though he hates her. It's beautiful insanity (unlike the ugly insanity of season four).

I still have mixed feelings on the ending.
They spread out and try to kill all the members of the Circle of the Black Thorn to stall the apocalypse and as a result: Wesley dies (in Illyria's arms wearing Fred's face), Lorne shoots Lindsey and then disappears (I hope he was okay; I liked him), and then it ends with Angel, Spike, a very injured Gunn, and Illyria facing down a ton of bad guys.
I'm guessing Gunn doesn't make it and the others are probably good. I would be more accepting of this ambiguity if there wasn't a comic book sequel that actually answers my query.

Whatever.

Either way, good show.

The ride was fun.

Click here to see Cordelia and Wesley pretending to be Buffy and Angel.