Coda To The Vampire's Saga: Angel Season Five Serves Up Mixed Results!

The Good: Decent character development, Nice new conflicts, Acting, Illyria plot
The Bad: Loss of cordelia, Moments of jumped shark, Infuriating ending
The Basics: While Angel adapts to the humdrum life of running the evil lawfirm Wolfram & Hart, he finds himself plagued by old adversaries and a conscience in Angel Season 5.


It seems to me that sometimes people know when the end is near in television and they bail ship at just the right point. Thus, it is hard for me to castigate Charisma Carpenter for not returning to the show Angel for its fifth (and final) season. At the same time, possibly only because it is retrospect, the question must be asked, "Why did Angel return for a fifth season?" Before rabid fans start to take huge meaty chunks out of my flesh, know that I am a fan, I signed every petition begging the WB to extend the life of the show. I wanted to see where the show could still go. As far as inherent potential, Angel had more potential for longer staying power than the concept of Buffy The Vampire Slayer ever did.

The fifth season of Angel could have been a new beginning. Instead, it exists now solely as a coda to seven years of investment by fans of the Buffy The Vampire Slayer universe. In many ways, the fifth season of Angel is plagued by the same difficulty as the sixth season of Buffy The Vampire Slayer, namely where to go after the adversary has been a God. It's quite a difficult story to recover from. Here is what the fifth season of Angel looks like.

Following the defeat of Jasmine at the climax of the fourth season, Angel and his group find themselves walking an ethical tightrope as the new heads of the villainous lawfirm Wolfram & Hart. Angel sheds his sword to manage the firm, Gunn discards his past to become an agile lawyer with a fierce legal mind, Wesley takes a mid-management job, Fred becomes the head of the Research department and Lorne finds himself working as a security screener. Joining the group is Harmony, the vampire who used to be Cordelia's best friend, and Spike, who was last seen in the Buffyverse getting burnt to a crisp by an amulet in the series finale of Buffy The Vampire Slayer.

Finding himself plagued by Spike and forced to rely on a mysterious woman named Eve as a relay to the Senior Partners, Angel discovers life is far more complicated than it ever has been before. Not burdened with his supernatural son and somewhat emotionally lost given Cordelia's coma, Angel tries to figure out how to fight the good fight while leading the forces of evil. At the same time, Spike, still burdened with a soul, becomes seduced by the possibility that the prophecies that everyone has assumed are about Angel could now pertain to him.

First of all, the whole arc that Spike goes on where he challenges the legitimacy of the assumption that the "vampire with the soul" who gets redeemed, is brilliant. Nothing short of an amazingly good idea. Conceptually, this is what makes the first half of the season interesting and fun to rewatch. Now that Angel is no longer the only vampire with a soul, it challenges the viewer to rethink many of the assumptions we have.

Moreover, the addition of Spike is a great way to remix the characters and situations of Angel. He has long been an annoyance to Angel and when events revolve around Buffy, the show becomes tiresome. However, when the conflicts between Angel and Spike are dealt with without the Buffy context, they are two much more interesting characters. It is a shame that there was not a season to deal with the sense of resignation both characters gain in the late season five episode "The Girl In Question."

In effect, though, this final season of Angel stands as a denouement, with many loose ends being tied up as the season goes on. On the character front, however, the show opens up some intriguing new directions for Spike and, surprisingly, Fred. The season ends with a pretty impressive series finale that looks great on DVD. But as character is of fundamental import on Angel, here is where the characters stand for season five:

Cordelia - lies in a coma. She's gone. She appears in a single episode of the fifth season and that is one of the best, saddest, most wonderful and bittersweet episodes of the series,

Harmony - tries hard to be good, but between being soulless and a secretary to Angel at Wolfram & Hart, she rarely succeeds. Hers is the story of an evil minion forever trapped in being a teenager,

Eve - The liaison between Angel and his team and the Senior Partners that have spent the prior four years making Angel's life hell is never quite what she seems. While the gang is instantly suspicious of her as an outsider, they have good reason to be and it does not take long before her true nature becomes apparent,

Lorne - Working at Wolfram & Hart leaves Lorne unsettled and feeling like a moral compass that is not checked nearly as frequently as it should be. Lorne continues to be the invariable force of good in the world otherwise filled with grays,

Gunn - Trades in his streetsmarts for an encyclopedic knowledge of the law. This, of course, has consequences and when one of the other characters is stricken down, he learns that he may be at fault and checks himself into hell to save the group,

Wesley - Will do his usual thing and along the way finally get what he's wanted for years, only to have everything he loves destroyed. Wesley grapples his demons and in the process learns the truth about the bargain Angel made to get them their status at Wolfram & Hart. In short, Good Wesley doesn't last,

Fred - In a strange turn, the introverted head of the research department will undergo an incredible transformation that will be a harbinger to the coming of all evil. Fred's story, usually at the back of the class, will take the forefront as her character becomes a tragic hero,

Spike - Restored from the dead by the same forces that killed him, the blonde vampire challenges Angel's authority by simply being the goon he's always been. Now with a soul, Spike adds both legitimate menace and wonderful comic relief to the show,

Angel - As in previous seasons, nowhere near as interesting as those who surround him, Angel adapts to life as a manager of people fighting a morally ambiguous fight using tools that are inherently evil. This leads him to learn about the deepest evil and make his attempt to fight for good in the grandest way possible.

The fifth season of Angel continues the tradition of the show to push the envelope and combine horrible incidents with quirky, offbeat humor. Wesley's character arc, for example, is a study of vicious irony in the way it develops. Episodes like "Smile Time," where Angel is turned into a puppet strike one as the moment the show jumps the shark, but somehow it works on Angel. In fact, that episode is funny and works well as a metaphor.

Being able to rewatch the episodes from the fifth season leads to greater appreciation of them (they were not rerun on most WB stations once the show was canceled). The fifth season is filled with action. Indeed, the episodes "You're Welcome" (the show's 100th episode) and "Not Fade Away" (the series finale) have some of the most impressive battles I've ever seen. Not just on television, ever. These are entertaining shows.

Part of what keeps the show wonderful is the acting. David Boreanaz is fine as Angel, though James Marsters kicks new life into the show with his portrayal of Spike. But neither deserves the lion's share of praise for the acting in season three.

J. August Richards, who portrays Gunn, is finally given the opportunity to express the full depth of his range. Instead of being monolithic and out for vengeance or wrestling with the conflict between his past fighting on the street and working as a part of a team, Richards is able to use the character changes in season five to illustrate his articulation and the depths to which he can play sorrow and loss. He is incredible.

Alexis Denisof, usually a favorite of mine, does a great job in season five, but does not get to illustrate more of his acting ability beyond what we've already seen. That honor, for expressing real growth as an actor beyond what we've seen before, goes to Amy Acker, who plays Winnifred Burkle. Acker is given the chance to illustrate her range when Fred's story takes an abrupt turn. She is amazingly extroverted and able to exude an aura of confidence and power that she has never before revealed on Angel. It is a treat to see.

Who will enjoy the fifth season of Angel? Anyone who enjoys good, quirky, science-fiction comedy. But it is a denouement. Buying this set is ridiculous if you're looking to get into the series. You're coming in for the last act, the final stanzas, the lines before the curtain falls. At least, until Joss Whedon gives up on movies and gives fans of the Buffyverse a show featuring Spike, Faith, Illyria, and Andrew.

Until then, though, this is it. And it is a fitting end if nothing else ever comes.

For other final seasons of pretty epic shows, be sure to check out my reviews of:
Millennium - Season 3
Star Trek: The Next Generation - The Complete Seventh Season
The X-Files - Season Nine

7/10

For other television and movie reviews, please visit my index page on the subject by clicking here!

© 2011, 2005 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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The Long Dark Night Of The Vampire's Soul: Angel Season Four!

The Good: Dark, Excellent characters, Interesting plotline, Wonderful acting
The Bad: One real dud, Misuse of talent (Charisma Carpenter!)
The Basics: When Angel returns from the bottom of the sea, the Apocalypse comes in two very deadly forms in the fourth season of Angel.


The television series Angel, has a way of ending its seasons with a nod toward its fans, isolating those who are not fans of the Buffy The Vampire Slayer or Angel franchises. For example, the first season ends with the appearance of Darla resurrected and unless one watches the show regularly, the significance of that event is lost. Similarly, the end of the second season is baffling to those who do no know what happened in the finale of the fifth season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The third season is something of an exception to that rule. There are not mugs to the audience, there are no secret innuendoes: Lorne leaves, Wesley has gone rogue, Cordelia ascends, and Connor sends Angel to the bottom of the ocean in a box.

The fourth season of Angel opens with a stark exploration of the bleak events that capped off the previous season. While Angel goes slowly insane in his watery grave, Gunn and Fred struggle to hold Angel Investigations together having exhausted every last lead in the search for their employer. And as Angel struggles to return to sanity after his rescue, the crew finds themselves entering an apocalypse that cannot be blamed on anything other than the direct path their lives have taken up until now.

In short, writer/director Joss Whedon risks the franchise by playing every possible card in his arsenal. Whedon and David Greenwalt declare that this was the season the characters were destined to get to as they fully explain the significance of the interlocking lives that have been the Angel cast. It is in season four that Connor's existence is explained, Angel is revealed to be a tool for his conception, Lorne's participation as a guide and Cordelia's purpose in ascending and returning is explored.

Man, this is a bleak picture! In the course of the fourth season, Angel and his partners come to learn everything was set into motion outside them and they've moved and been moved toward a certain moment and the moment of their destiny has arrived. This is the Apocalypse and Angel does it with style, flair and intrigue.

Here is how the main characters weather the year:

Connor - The teen struggles with the death of his father, the reappearance of his dad, Angel, and the tide of bad choices he makes in regard to Cordelia and the Angel Investigations team,

Lorne - Returns to Los Angeles after being imprisoned in Las Vegas by tyrants at a casino only to find that his powers have been compromised by something even more powerful than himself,

Fred - Finds her life emotionally complicated when she is able to confront the professor who sent her to the hell dimension for five years and her attempts to deal with the fallout from that is compromised when she finds herself on the losing end of a war to save the world,

Gunn - Realized as a leader in Angel's absence, he works hard and sacrifices everything to save Fred from falling into darkness, at the cost of what is most precious to him,

Wesley - Still alone following his betrayals in the third season, Wesley has fallen in love with Lilah Morgan and he works desperately for redemption with his friends,

Cordelia - Returns to our plane of existence after being made virtually into a Goddess, only to find she has no memories. When her purpose for returning is made clear, Angel's love is revealed as the earliest casualty of the Apocalypse and her life is placed in supreme jeopardy,

Angel - is rescued only to find his fruitless search for Cordelia frustrating beyond belief and her return complicated by his feelings for her and his confusion by her relationship with Connor. Angel is forced to confront his dark side, Angelus, when it becomes clear that his past may be an important trigger to the Apocalypse.

The fourth season of Angel continues its trend toward a morally ambiguous hero who struggles with the prophecies and realities of his life. Here, Angel is not only pitted against the incredible Beast that rains down fire and blocks out the sun, but he is forced to confront his unresolved love for Cordelia and the complications of having a duplicitous son.

And that is what Angel has done remarkably well since day one, since the first episode. Angel balances action/adventure with deep personal, character moments wherein the individuals involved are forced to develop. There are consequences to every action in Angel and the fourth season illustrates that perfectly as Angelus is unleashed in an attempt to stop The Beast and the appearance of the most subversive evil the Angel Investigations team has ever faced.

This is a season where our heroes are trapped in a downward spiral of loss. Angel is unable to reconcile with his son Connor, Cordelia's return is marred by her lack of identity, and the beautiful love between Fred and Gunn becomes torn. But is it worth watching? Absolutely. This is television that draws the viewer in and on DVD, the ability to watch the episodes over and over is a great boon. That the crew works constantly to overcome is the true spectacle and while the characters agonize, the viewer is constantly intrigues as opposed to depressed. This is not Magnolia (reviewed here!), where the characters are mired in depression, this is the last minutes of The Empire Strikes Back (reviewed here!) where the characters are going down, but they desperately, heroically, try anything to endure and persevere.

In fact, in the entire twenty-two episode set, only one episode is a real dud. I cannot say anything more about it because it comes late in the season and to describe the faults of the episode would reveal more about the deeper plot than I already have and it ought to be a surprise to the viewer. On the other hand, the show comes out of its one episode rut swinging and it skyrockets toward an impressive climax. But the show has an annoying tendency to be brilliant and engaging and agonize the fans. Upon her return, Cordelia asks Angel the question all of the fans have wanted the answer to, in the last second of the episode! Fortunately, with the DVDs, we need not wait an entire week for the answer!

Many fans do not like the fourth season of Angel because of the presence of Connor, played by Vincent Kartheiser. While the obvious argument is that he is the typical WB pretty boy, the more substantive argument against Connor and Kartheiser is that Connor is a crappy character who is poorly acted. But Kartheiser's performance is actually genius; Connor is a confused kid. Connor is a confused child who is caught in a rash of stupid decisions followed by huge consequences and punctuated by more bad choices. Connor is annoying, not because Kartheiser cannot act, but because Kartheiser acts so precisely. Who wants to watch some idiot kid make stupid choice after stupid choice? Of course it is going to be agonizing! And as a result, it works wonderfully here.

The real acting issue in the fourth season is with Charisma Carpenter. Carpenter may be the best potential choice for a Wonder Woman feature film and while the fourth season gives her some juicy parts, it never provides her with a chance to explore Cordelia's character in a satisfying or meaningful way. In short, Carpenter's talents are wasted in the fourth season as her character becomes a tool and Carpenter's days are clearly numbered on the show.

Holding the whole sandwich together is David Boreanaz (Angel) and Alexis Denisof (Wesley). Boreanaz returns to the role of Angel with little growth, but in a season where there is such intense action, he does not need to expand the acting repertoire too much. Boreanaz comes through, however, when forced to portray Angelus over several episodes. Sustaining his character's alter ego works and Boreanaz pulls it off with satisfying results. Denisof, however, continues to expand Wesley into a dark, often tragic, hero caught between his desire for redemption and his belief in the reasons for his mistakes. Denisof is both subtle and calculating as Wesley this season and he makes Wesley the character to watch.

The bottom line for this DVD set is that it wraps up the tale of Angel quite nicely. Yes, there is another season after this, but we'll get to that when the fifth season boxed set comes out. This finishes the longest arcs of Angel and rewards the fans with a pretty pounding season-wide arc that gives everyone in the show their chance to shine. If you haven't been a fan of Angel before now, don't start with this set, go back and work up to it. You will be glad you did.

For other works with vampires, please visit my reviews of:
Breaking Dawn Part 1
True Blood - Season 3
Daybreakers

8/10

For other television reviews, please visit my index page by clicking here!

© 2011, 2004 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.

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Torment Finds The Vampire A Child: Angel Season Three Soars!

The Good: Excellent character development, Intriguing plots, Acting
The Bad: Minor strange inconsistencies, Not making Lorne a full cast member
The Basics: As Angel and Cordelia begin to move even closer together, two ancient adversaries of Angel's resurface to change everything in Angel The Complete Third Season.


It is hard to be a spin-off show for a series where big, grand things occur week after week. That is to say, it is difficult to create a series that happens in the same time as the original series it is spun off from and make it its own entity. Angel season three is a perfect example of that. In the Buffyverse, Angel still has a strong emotional bond to Buffy, whom he loved. Yet, just as Angel seems to be fully on its own steam, Buffy was killed in Buffy The Vampire Slayer, forcing Angel to have a reaction. Why? Because in our age it is impossible to believe that either: a. the love they shared could be brushed off easily if he did know about her death or b. that communications between Sunnydale, California and Los Angeles, California would be so bad that Angel never found out. The last moment of the second season of Angel brought the heroic protagonist the news of Buffy's death and that is where the third season begins.

Angel returns to the hotel after months in isolation trying to deal with the death of his beloved (though estranged) Buffy. Fred, the young woman he rescued from the Hell Dimension, has not left her room and the months have found Cordelia, Wesley and Gunn holding Los Angeles together in their fight against demons as Angel Investigations. Angel's return is followed in short order by the return of the villainous Darla, who comes bearing Angel's baby. Against all laws of nature, human and vampire, it appears Darla is pregnant with a fully human baby. As she nears term, the baby becomes the focus of the energies of all sorts of forces, including the villainous Wolfram and Hart, a cult that believes the baby will spell doom for all vampires, Holtz (one of Angel's victims who has been in suspended animation for two hundred years) and a dimension-shifting demon who has a grudge against Angel. These forces prey on the heroes of Angel Investigations until each member of the team is forced to make life altering decisions that change their lives.

What the third season of Angel does exceedingly well is push the supernatural drama into what the general viewer might consider "legitimate" drama. From its first season, Angel has been somewhat obsessed with exploring adult issues using the supernatural context of vampires and demons. Unlike Buffy the Vampire Slayer, where the demons often have a symbolic value where they may be compared to childhood fears of adulthood, Angel's demons are quite literal and the stories tend to spend much more time and emphasis focused on the repercussions of the decisions. That is to say, how the team of Angel Investigations fights evil is often more important than the evil itself. This approach works fabulously to keep the viewers focused on the characters, which should be the goal of any great drama.

As the characters are the most important aspect of the series, it is important to see where they are and where they are going this season:

Darla - Attempts to understand the baby within her and deal with that,

Holtz - His quest for revenge on Angel for slaying his family centuries before finds him forming an army of vampire hunters and making a choice that will destroy Angel's baby,

Groo - Returns from Pylea to take Cordelia as his wife in an unlikely turn that shifts the momentum of Cordelia and Angel's relationship,

Lilah - Working for Wolfram and Hart, she continues to attempt to destroy Angel, now finding an ally in Sahjhan, a time-shifting demon,

Lorne - Ever the ally to Angel Investigations, Lorne spends the season helping Fred get used to our dimension and counseling Angel on parental matters,

Fred - Slowly learns to deal with being back on Earth, she develops a strong relationship with Gunn and slowly becomes comfortable with being the staff researcher,

Gunn - Bonds with Fred and comes to deal with the consequences of his having made a deal long ago with a very dangerous demon. Still kicking butt, Gunn is forced to accept that his priorities in life have changed greatly since his days on the street, and go from there,

Wesley - Perhaps the most complicated arc of the season finds Wesley researching along, falling for Fred when she and Gunn become involved. Rattled by that, Wesley turns to his research where he discovers a terrifying prophecy about the baby that is to be born from Angel and Darla and he must make a difficult choice that jeopardizes everyone,

Cordelia - Still plagued by the visions from the Powers That Be, Cordelia is almost lethally wounded on her birthday, leading her to make a decision - based on her love for Angel - that will allow her to live and be strong. Renouncing part of her humanity opens up all sorts of new doors for her, though, and it leads her to a climactic decision in the season finale,

Angel - Confused over the death of Buffy and by his feelings for Cordelia, he finds his situation getting infinitely more complicated by Darla's appearance. His new role as father changes his priorities and his obsession with protecting his son begins to motivate everything he does.

These are, to say the least, compelling character arcs, for all concerned. This is the season that Angel steps out and fully becomes its own show. The consequences that the group, all of them including the peripheral characters and villains, is forced to deal with completely change the momentum of the show while still maintaining its integrity and recurring theme of responsibility. Angel is forced to take responsibility for his one night stand with Darla, Cordelia is forced to take responsibility for her love of Angel, and Wesley must deal with the decision he feels forced to make with the weight of prophecy against him. It's all about that bear responsibility and how it knocks us around.

But Angel is far more entertaining than a simple lecture on responsibility and season three has a good number of fun moments. In "Double Or Nothing," Cordelia's solution to the problem of the demon who owns Gunn's soul is amusing and in possibly the best episode of the season, "Waiting In The Wings," there is a scene that is genuinely erotic. And that's a rare thing to be able to pull off. Sure there's a lot of sex on television (I suppose), but actual erotic scenes, that's much more rare.

In addition to all of that, Angel is a likable protagonist and season three finds him and Cordelia in a maturing relationship based on a powerful, if unspoken, love. This season reads like a family story between the two of them and many of their scenes are passionate and beautiful, some utterly heartwrenching. And, like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, there are a lot of good one-liners that make everything snap along.

What makes all of this possible is the actors. Newcomer Amy Acker quickly establishes herself as more than just a beautiful face as Fred, just as great storylines and the ability to act completely charming prevents J. August Richards' Gunn from simply being a token ethnic actor. In fact, Richards continues to distinguish himself as a genuine, instinctive, articulate actor and one of the best characters (of any ethnicity) on television.

Alexis Denisof, who plays Wesley, is given his biggest assignments here and he lives up to the challenges with style and skill. Denisof plays Wesley as a man haunted by the potential choice he would like to avoid but feel drawn to make. Denisof's body language and ability to get around complex lines exceeds even his post-beating acting from the first season (which, was quite masterful. Were I a casting director needing someone to pretend they had just been tortured to within an inch of their life, I would want Denisof).

Charisma Carpenter continues to shine as Cordelia, infusing the role with more humanity and far less snob than ever before. Carpenter brings life to a character that started out (on Buffy the Vampire Slayer) so monolithic. She plays the quiet scenes with depth, the humorous scenes with an impish spark and her erotic scenes with mature passion. Season three finds Carpenter as an acting force to be reckoned with.

Finally, star David Boreanaz is given a chance to show some real range as well. Season three, in fact, falls into a minor technical difficulty as a result. Boreanaz plays Angel as overjoyed over his son, which should mean that Angel's curse comes back into play. Angel is supposed to lose his soul if he is ever truly happy, a condition which the franchise keeps equating to sexual terms, but Boreanaz's expressiveness over Connor would seem to be enough to make his character lose his soul.

This DVD set is wonderful for fans of the series or anyone wanting to get into the show. It is very close to achieving perfection, robbed only by little moments like Angel attacking Wesley in the hospital in "Forgiving," a scene that makes little sense following the powerful scene that preceded it.

The DVD set is possibly the best one yet from the series featuring some deleted scenes that some of us have been hankering for for a while. The commentaries are decent as well, making this a great boxed set. Anyone who is open to accepting great drama where they find it is likely to enjoy the third season of Angel, and it's quite accessible to those who have not known the show before this.

For other works with Keith Szarabajka, be sure to check out my reviews of:
Transformers: Dark Of The Moon
The Dark Knight

9.5/10

For other television reviews, please visit my index page by clicking here!

© 2011, 2004 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.

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The Vampire And Team Hit Their Stride . . . To Separate: Angel - Season Two!

The Good: Excellent character development and conflict, Good acting, Interesting stories
The Bad: Lack of sufficient DVD extras, No episode recaps, Last scene
The Basics: Entertaining, though dark enough to limit its audience mostly to adults, Angel season two is the continuing story of a vampire's quest to do good in the world.


I'm a big fan of serialized television, as many who read my reviews will note. I think of it more often as more adult television because it requires a commitment from the viewer. They have to tune in this week in order to understand what will happen next week and so on. Angel is well above average serialized television and part of what makes it work so well is that even as the characters and overriding plot arcs develop, the viewer never truly knows what type of show they will be watching from week to week. Angel season two is like that, with strong dramatic episodes mixed with comedy (when any of the characters sing at Caritas), mixed with historical fiction ("Are You Now or Have You Ever Been?") mixed with outright fantasy (the final four episodes of the season).

One of the only drawbacks to this DVD set is that it works on the assumption that the viewer has watched the first season and that they are watching these episodes in order. Why? In the original release and the syndicated versions on television now, Angel often begins with a "Previously on Angel" segment. The NYPD Blue DVDs keep the segment on the DVD, but separate from the actual episode; Angel does not even do that. This may hamper new fans from getting into this season, especially it begins right away with the Angel Investigations team trying to figure out what Wolfram and Hart resurrected in the box in the season one finale. If you haven't seen the first season, it feels like you're coming in at a disadvantage. Which you are. So go watch the first season first; this is serialized television, after all!

The second season of Angel finds the vampire, Angel, allying himself to a strange demon (known most of the season as The Host) who has the ability to read the fate of an individual when they sing karaoke. Hey, it's Angel; the premise works. While Cordelia has visions that guide Angel and Gunn, The Host tries to help Angel find the larger pattern in his life. It does not take long for the gang to learn that Wolfram and Hart brought Darla, the vampire who sired Angel, back from the dead, but with some limitations. While the villainous Lindsay McDonald and Lilah Morgan duke it out at Wolfram and Hart for seniority, Angel finds himself in a dark place, away from the support of his team.

One of the things Angel does quite successfully every season is that it continues to develop the characters. Here are how the main players develop throughout season 2:

The Host - Guides Angel through the world with some actual guidance and insight that the Powers That Be have never provided. He establishes himself as a peaceful demon who wants to do good,

Lilah Morgan - Her ambition grows throughout the season as she realizes that Wolfram and Hart's agenda is exceptionally dangerous. She stands with and combats Lindsay almost as much as she tries to thwart Angel,

Darla - Severely limited by her resurrected state and the presence of a soul, Darla allies with Lindsay in the hopes of forcing Angel to revert to his evil self,

Lindsay - Coping with the loss of his hand, the lawyer sets out for revenge on Angel only to find that the Senior Partners will not allow him to kill Angel. Lindsay grows into someone with some depth as his love for Darla causes him to question his loyalty to the law firm,

Gunn - Rescued by Cordelia, Gunn finds himself further distanced from his old gangs and old haunts by working for Angel Investigations. As he seeks to bring peace to his troubled past, he finds a purpose in life,

Wesley - Finds romance with a smart, sexy young woman who is almost offered as a sacrifice to a demon. Wesley finds himself exploring the role of the leader more, a state complicated by his friendship with Gunn and Cordelia,

Cordelia - Still plagued by visions that bring her pain, Cordelia has thrown herself into the idea of helping the helpless and alleviating the suffering in the world. Far from the shallow character she began as on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, she immerses herself into the loyalty to her job and the idea that she can make a difference,

Angel - Tortured by the mistakes of his past, Angel is forced to deal with them directly upon Darla's return. His inability to reach her or save her from evil sends Angel into himself even deeper, his isolation growing to dangerous levels.

The second season of Angel continues where the first began by having long story arcs that are broken up into smaller, usually demon-of-the-week, conflicts. With the second season, there are less stories that do not fall into the larger story framework, though there are some, like one with a time stopping physicist ("Happy Anniversary") or Harmony ("Disharmony") that have a mostly episodic quality to them. Largely, though, this season puts Wolfram and Hart at the center of the struggle between good and evil and the show successfully develops Angel as blurred by their conflict. This season is largely about Angel trying desperately to repent for his past and, when that immediately fails, edging nearer to repeating his mistakes.

A lot of what makes Angel work is the acting. This is a fantastic ensemble cast and it is baffling that Andy Hallett (who plays The Host) is not immediately added to it, considering his presence in this season. Alexis Denisof continues to make Wesley believable and brainy, an added feat given that - upon watching the few DVD featurettes in this set I learned - he is not actually British. A most impressive, flawless accent makes Wesley completely believable as the ex-Watcher, especially as he is able to maintain it during battle scenes.

J. August Richards continues to impress as Charles Gunn. Far more than the stereotypical ethnic character on television, Richards adds credibility and intrigue to Gunn by playing him as someone who has overcome the shortcomings of his past, rather than being allowed to be defined by them. Richards is articulate, has wonderful body language and - in the brief clips on the featurettes - a great sense of humor. Charisma Carpenter and Richards have great chemistry on screen, making their character's friendship quite believable. Carpenter continues to expand her range beyond portraying Cordelia as self-centered and thoughtless. Carpenter has great physical comedy abilities and an expert sense of timing that she uses to explore Cordelia in the second season.

David Boreanaz is where the stock of the show lies, though. Boreanaz plays Angel with a wonderful mix of emotions and season two allows him to open up and explore them more fully. Boreanaz's repeated karaoke performances illustrate his ability to successfully pull off humor while the scenes with Darla force Boreanaz to portray Angel as dark in a way that he has not done when he has played Angelus. He keeps the show dark and brooding and interesting and he rises to the occasion throughout the season.

The only other real drawback to this DVD set is that there are too few bonus features. I am a bonus feature junkie and I feel like there could be more on this set. There are a few featurettes and a couple of the episodes have commentary, but there's nothing really exciting here as far as extras. For those who don't understand the significance of the last scene in the season finale, one of the featurettes fills us in (without any images from Buffy The Vampire Slayer). For those too lazy to watch, it corresponds to the fifth season finale of Buffy.

All in all, the second season of Angel on DVD is a worthwhile investment. It is fine television and it alternates quite effectively between moody relationship drama and action/adventure stories with a supernatural flavor. The strength of Angel is that it has interesting character is well-written situations that keep the viewer guessing. This is a treat to watch and get into, without being a fluffy or comedic as Buffy The Vampire Slayer. There is plenty for those who are not typically fans of science fiction or horror to enjoy here as it tells a fairly universal story of a man's attempts to be redeemed for the wrongs he has done.

For the sophomore seasons of other science fiction or fantasy shows, be sure to check out my reviews of:
Buffy The Vampire Slayer - Season 2
Heroes - The Complete Second Season
Carnivale - Season Two

8/10

For other television reviews, please be sure to visit my index page on the subject by clicking here!

© 2011, 2004 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.

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A Dark Knight With A Cool Sidekick Goes Independent In A Dark Place: Angel Season 1

The Good: Decent characters, Nice acting, Good stories, Battle stunts
The Bad: Buffy crossover obsession
The Basics: Recommended for anyone who likes drama, as well as science fiction fans, the first season of Angel establishes the series as a powerful story about adult consequences.


If Buffy The Vampire Slayer is a series that acts as candy or some other dessert for science fiction and fantasy fans, its spin-off series Angel is something more substantial, like bread. Some episodes - even in the series' first season - may even be full, nutritious meals. My point here is that Angel does not try to be the light, fluffy, kitschy series that Buffy The Vampire Slayer strives for. If Buffy The Vampire Slayer is an allegory to growing up, then Angel is certainly about living with the consequences of adult decisions.

The first season of Angel finds Angel, a two hundred forty year old vampire, heartbroken and fleeing his human love to L.A. In Los Angeles, he finds himself in the company of Cordelia Chase, a formerly spoiled girl from Sunnydale, and Doyle, a half-demon who has visions sent to him mystically from the forces known solely as The Powers That Be. Doyle has visions of people needing help, sends Angel to help that person and Cordelia tries to figure out how to make money at the whole adventure. The crew is hounded by many villains, but none so powerful as the law firm of Wolfram and Hart, a multidimensional group of lawyers who understand that demons and evil forces surround humans every day. But Angel and his team are not alone; soon they are joined by an ex-Watcher, an expert in the paranormal, named Wesley. And together, they build a team to fight evil.

First of all, the problems with this series. Season one seems obsessed with referencing and featuring incidents and guests from Buffy The Vampire Slayer. While the richness of Angel may be better appreciated by knowing about specific events from Buffy, it often seems to cheapen things as Angel (the series) tries to strike out on its own. So, for example, when both Oz and Spike from Buffy The Vampire Slayer guest star in the third episode ("In The Dark"), it feels like it is undermining the show's attempts to stand on its own. Moreover, there are two episodes that feature Sarah Michelle Gellar (Buffy, herself), that seem to be making specific allusions to episodes in the fourth season of Buffy The Vampire Slayer. Perhaps the most refreshing moment of "Sanctuary" is when Angel declares to a very obnoxious Buffy that it (the events in the episode) was never about her and tells her to go back home.

Conversely, the guest appearances by Faith, the slayer gone mad in "Five By Five" and "Sanctuary" fits this series. First, because Wesley is on the show at that point and he was her Watcher (mentor who trains Slayers, for those not acquainted with the Buffyverse), this allows for some good dramatic moments. Second, Faith fits the darker, more sinister and serious angle of Angel. She is essentially a super-powerful psychopath who has done wrong and comes into Los Angeles killing and allies herself with Wolfram and Hart. She is an ideal character to have a meaty, serious role, as opposed to trying to awkwardly fit into the more campy world of Buffy.

Aside from that, there is very little to complain about in the first season. Like every first season, the first season of Angel suffers from some beginners flaws, but less so than almost any other series I have watched, most likely because it is a spin-off. However, there are moments of extreme emotional let downs based on the writers or producers or directors attempting to make something bold and shocking when it is, in fact, obvious to anyone with a brain. Take, for example, the episode "War Zone," wherein the character of Gunn is introduced. Gunn is a man fighting a street war against the vampires in Los Angeles and when the vampires make a commando raid on his lair and kidnap his sister, he is understandably eager to find her. He does track her down and the episode labors for many minutes in a scene between the two of them before it admits that she, too, has been made a vampire. This isn't ruining the plot and the problem is it's not shocking in the episode, either because: 1. the vampires are characterized as completely ruthless and 2. The last time we see her before Gunn meets her in the vampire lair, she is being abducted and about to be bit. Thus, the delay in revealing it and dealing with it is more annoying than suspenseful.

However, that moment is certainly more the exception than the rule in the first season (and beyond) of Angel. The advantage this show has over almost any other first season show is that the bulk of the cast knows exactly what it is doing with its characters. David Boreanaz and Charisma Carpenter came over from Buffy The Vampire Slayer playing exactly the same characters. The advantage here is that they actors know who their characters are and much of their backstory, so the whole "settling into who we are" period that usually lasts the first five episodes, is gone within the first half hour of Angel. Glenn Quinn, who plays Doyle, is professional and fits right in with the other two, making the starting line-up very easy to watch.

The stories have a bit more depth to them, on the surface, than the episode of Buffy The Vampire Slayer, which is refreshing to an adult audience. So, while some adults might have to consider Buffy a "guilty pleasure," it's impossible to effectively argue that Angel is not an adult show not intended for children. Unlike having to look at the series in a completely different way, as one must do in order to watch Buffy The Vampire Slayer as something other than candy, Angel is working quite obviously on a thematic level with deep meaning. The predominant theme of season one of Angel is the nature of taking personal responsibility for one's actions and asking the question "At what point is redemption possible?" The two themes are never in better explored than in the episode "Somnambulist," wherein Angel, Wesley and Cordelia find themselves hunting a serial killer that Angel created. It is exactly the type of heavy-hitting episode that could not have been effectively pulled off on Buffy The Vampire Slayer.

Angel, like the best television, is all about great characters. Here is how season one of Angel looks from a character perspective:

Doyle - A wisecracking half-demon with a secret crush on Cordelia gets some lessons in being a hero,

Wesley - No longer a Watcher, he roams without purpose until taken in by Angel, where he is forced to deal with the consequences of his failure to help Faith,

Cordelia - No longer a completely spoiled brat, she tries to become an actress while helping Angel out. Angel brings out her compassion and humanity and sets her on a road of selfless service helping him,

and Angel - Troubled by his lack of Buffy and the mistakes of his past, Angel sets about to trying to do right in the world. His attempts are an intriguing collection of hits and misses.

The acting in season one is above par for any series, which reflects the adult nature of this show. The nice thing is that the guest stars also seem to be more mature and competent. Eliza Dushku shines as the psychopathic Faith, a guest appearance that feels quite organic and is disturbing. Given the off-camera interviews I've seen with Dushku, it's obvious how well she is able to act as her personality is nothing like that of Faith.

The series regulars are great and there is a wonderful chemistry between stars David Boreanaz and Charisma Carpenter. Carpenter has the opportunity to spread her acting wings, a welcome change from her playing such a shallow character on Buffy The Vampire Slayer. Similarly, Boreanaz illustrates quite consistently that he is more than a good looking guy, that he has the ability to act.

A worthy successor to Buffy The Vampire Slayer and likely in time, like Star Trek Deep Space Nine was by fans of Star Trek to be appreciated quite a bit more than its predecessor. Dark and filled with moments that are actually intriguing or scary, Angel balances amazing fights with rhetoric and character about the nature of redemption and consequences. It's something anyone could use.

For other debut seasons of science fiction or fantasy shows, please be sure to check out my reviews of:
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - Season 1
Heroes - The Complete First Season
Millennium - Season 1

7.5/10

For other television reviews, please visit my index page by clicking here!

© 2011, 2007, 2004 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.

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Who Will Fight The Apocalypse? A Vampire And His Team: Angel - The Complete Series!

The Good: Funny, Clever, Moments that are downright touching, New pack saves space, Decent acting/plots
The Bad: One or two real lemon episodes, Could always use more DVD extras...
The Basics: A vampire with a soul strikes out with a small band of demon hunters, learning that he is part of an impending Apocalypse, one that is closer than anyone thinks!


There is a reason why Joss Whedon fans are as loyal as they are: Whedon has a habit of creating television shows that are a wonderful mix of action and comedy, surreal drama and pure metaphor, violent and quiet and touching. Whedon strikes a balance with all of those things with his writing and producing of Buffy The Vampire Slayer (reviewed here!) and Firefly (reviewed here!). In between the two projects by which he seems to be best known was a little show called Angel. Out now in one complete series pack, Angel is available for fans to get everything in one fell swoop, with a few little goodies thrown in that were not previously available.

First off, it's important to note that this is essentially a repackaging of the same DVDs already released as individual season sets along with one or two little incentives for the boxed set buyer, much like The West Wing did with its complete series boxed set (reviewed here!). Fans of Angel who have been holding out to buy the entire series are rewarded with a note from Joss Whedon (ooh, ahh, wow!) and a booklet. Those who purchased the series right along are not penalized by missing out on any additional DVD content. There are NO DVD bonus features or discs exclusive to this boxed set! Those who purchase this set simply get an extra booklet and letter and have an Angel DVD collection that takes up less space on the shelf.

For those unfamiliar with Angel, it is a fantasy/action series robbed of most of the metaphor that defined much of Buffy The Vampire Slayer - from which Angel was spun off. Angel takes place in a very gritty, very real Los Angeles where there are people in need and a champion rises up to protect the innocent.

Following Buffy's graduation from high school, Angel leaves Sunnydale and makes it to Los Angeles. There, he encounters Doyle, a demon who operates as a mouthpiece for the Powers That Be. The Powers give Doyle clues for Angel to follow to save the locals who most need saving. Angel is joined by Cordelia, who is struggling to find work as an actress and the three set up Angel Investigations. Angel Investigations is soon beset by very real tragedy that results in Doyle's demise and Cordelia becoming the conduit that Doyle had been. They are joined by Wesley, who has become a rogue demon hunter and Angel Investigations becomes a paranormal crime fighting team scouring Los Angeles and ridding it of demons.

Soon, though, the vampire with a soul and his companions help vampire hunter Gunn, who joins them shortly before they are beset with the consequences of Angel's past. In the course of their investigations, Angel Investigations butts heads with Wolfram and Hart, a powerful law firm which represents demonic clients and has an interest in the paranormal. Soon, the lawyers from Wolfram and Hart have set their sights on destroying Angel and Angel Investigations, all as part of a scheme to bring about the apocalypse. With the forces that Wolfram and Hart conjure, like resurrecting Angel's sire, Darla, they just might succeed . . .

Angel is an antihero tale and the wonderful magic of the series is that because it is heavily serialized the continual theme of consequences truly resonates. This is a show about living with the consequences of our actions and Angel, cursed with a soul, is now forced to live with the consequences of having a conscience after being one of the most sadistic vampires to ever walk the night. Throughout the series, Angel is forced to deal with the consequences of his subsequent actions, like trying desperately to save Darla from Wolfram and Hart and rescuing a nerdy woman from an alternate universe. The show is all about consequences and it is adult and strangely adolescent at the same time.

Angel - The Collector's Set is truly the way to go for anyone who is a fan of the series or who wants to become a fan of the show. Angel episodes are integrally tied together - seasons three and four are, in many ways, one big arc - and they build on one another. It's inconvenient enough to have to change discs; it's even worse to have to leave the comfort of one's house to go out and get the next boxed set!

And while the series starts out with a strangely episodic sense to it, it quickly becomes serialized with Cordelia and Angel dealing with the consequences of Doyle's death and Cordelia becoming a conduit to the Powers That Be. When it turns serialized and the show begins to make long story arcs that last several episodes or entire seasons, the show becomes richly focused on the characters. Because there are - over the course of the series - essentially six principle characters, each one gets developed quite well over the course of the 111 episodes. The characters of note are:

Angel - A moody vampire who works for the forces of good because he has been given a soul and cannot bear to slaughter good people any longer. This leads him to a fairly solitary life because bliss causes him to lose his soul. As a result, Angel is withdrawn and often pessimistic. He is brutish when he needs to be, but he tends to look at people as those he needs to shepherd and protect from the more destructive elements prowling the night. He finds himself a target of the machinations of the powerful Wolfram and Hart law firm and seeks to prevent the apocalypse they seem set on creating,

Cordelia Chase - Gifted with a demon sense that provides her with visions sent from the nebulous Powers That Be, Cordelia is an aspiring actress-turned-mercenary. She works with Angel to uncover clues that might well help save the world by tracking down destructive demons. She and Angel share a love that remains largely unspoken and unrealized and she works hard to contribute, ultimately giving up her privileged background for the more dirty detective work that the Powers seem to insist she take on,

Wesley Wyndam-Pryce - Formerly a Watcher, now a rogue demon hunter, he is a socially awkward, bookish fellow who has great intelligence, but low self esteem. Plagued by memories of an abusive father, Wesley joins the team as the research consultant who almost instantly makes himself invaluable with his knowledge of obscure demon information. As Wolfram and Hart begins to move the world toward the Apocalypse, Wesley begins to understand that Angel may be the key and that the vampire might not be a force of good when the end times come,

Charles Gunn - A Los Angeles inner city youth who has lived on the streets protecting his small gang from the nests of vampires that prey upon the people there. Gunn is a fighter and becomes the serious muscle of Angel Investigation when he joins the team, though he seeks to be more,

Fred (Winifred Burkle) - A nerdy physics student who was sent through a portal to another realm where she was on the run for years. In the alternate world, humans are slaves and cattle and Fred survived by outwitting the demons there. When rescued by Angel and the team, Fred returns to Earth as a reclusive young woman initially dominated by fear. Incredibly smart, she gives Wesley a run for his money, though she and Gunn become closer than anyone would have suspected,

and Lorne - A green demon who can read a person's destiny when they sing to him. He owns a nightclub for demons in downtown Los Angeles and aids Angel whenever he is cut off from his conduits to the Powers. Lorne is a pacifist and while he despises Wolfram and Hart, he tries to remain neutral through most of Angel's struggles.

Angel made a star out of David Boreanaz and this might well be the role of a lifetime for him. As Angel, Boreanaz performed a number of very physical fights (including swordfighting), did a lot of running and jumping and became everything one might expect from a young man who is a television action hero. But more than that, Boreanaz is given the chance to add some real emotion to the part by presenting Angel as a conflicted action hero who has a conscience and an intelligence. He is a trooper, to be sure, but he also has to navigate a precarious love that remains undefined with Cordelia. Boreanaz has great on-screen chemistry with Charisma Carpenter, who played Cordelia, and he is able to make the transition from brooding, brutish action hero, to quiet and contemplative antihero drown in the consequences of his actions. Boreanaz gives a wonderful and surprisingly human performance throughout.

It is Charisma Carpenter who makes the show worth watching, though. Carpenter transforms Cordelia from the bratty socialite that she was on Buffy The Vampire Slayer into a young woman who has both sophistication and a selfless quality that allows her to become what Angel needs her to be. Carpenter sells the viewer effortlessly on the transition and she continually brings something new to the show. In addition, she has a wonderful sense of comic timing and embodies Cordelia on this series with a great sense of wit. And yes, she has great on-screen chemistry with David Boreanaz which makes their love-just-below-the-surface work perfectly for the series.

Alexis Denisof (Wesley), J. August Richards (Gunn), Amy Acker (Fred) and Andy Hallett (Lorne) round out the cast. They are all good. All of the principles are perfectly cast.

And it's a wonderful show. What starts as a pretty standard action hero show with a vampire protagonist becomes a wonderful blend of witty lines and strange situations from the moment Angel first jumps into a car that is not his (but looks identical because it has the top down). As the series continues, always growing with a sense of momentum that the story and characters are going somewhere, the humor and wit take a back seat to a growing darkness and the overwhelming mood that the end of the world is truly near and it won't be pretty.

This series is a must for anyone who likes adult fantasy, science fiction or superhero series'. Anyone who likes a strong drama with an antihero and can tolerate and enjoy a supernatural element will find a lot to love about Angel - The Complete Collection!

On DVD there are several episodes with commentary tracks, deleted scenes, blooper reels and featurettes on the making of the show, the story arcs as the seasons progress and the stars of the show. I could always use more commentary and I find myself wishing more episodes in the series had it, but the ones that do are informative and/or entertaining.

For those on the fence, there is no better (and less expensive overall) way to own the entire series than this boxed set. You'll be glad you gave it your time and attention!

For more information on Angel, check out my reviews of the individual seasons (the discs are the same as the ones in this boxed set) reviewed at:
Angel Season 1
Angel Season 2
Angel Season 3
Angel Season 4
Angel Season 5

8/10

For other television reviews, please visit my index page by clicking here!

© 2011, 2007 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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