Angel Delight (Angel)

Member Name: Crazy-Christian

Product:	Angel
Date:	30/06/01 (133 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Intelligent, great fun, dramatic, etc.

Disadvantages: Not yet attained legendary status for me - lacks consistency

"It’s Buffy." With these words the second season of the acclaimed spin-off from Warner Bros. "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" closes. Beware, terrestrial viewers: this op will cover not only the major events in Angel but also reveal the shock ending of Buffy’s fifth and final season on the WB network. If you want to be surprised, and believe me you will be, then shut yourself into a box until the BBC or Channel 4 show the latest episodes of which I am referring to. (Oh, remember to take food and water. And oxygen!)

BACKGROUND TO A HERO

Angel is the legendary vampire with a soul. A regular in the first three seasons of Buffy, he is introduced as a mysterious stranger, drawn to the beautiful young Slayer for unknown reasons. Gradually, it reveals that he is a demon/vampire, albeit a good one. (Or, more accurately, as Wesley puts it in the recent season finale, "a man with a demon inside him; not the other way around.") He and Buffy fall in love, which inevitably causes some conflict of interest. This climaxes when they consummate their relationship and Angel experiences a moment of perfect happiness. Unfortunately, this breaks the gypsy curse placed on him and he reverts to his evil self, Angelus, cursed (or blessed) with a soul no longer.

Angelus joins up with Spike and Drusilla to become the season’s big villain. In the cliff-hanger ending he is about to summon an evil that will destroy the world when Willow manages to cast the spell that will restore his soul. However, it is too late. The only way to save the world is for Buffy to send Angel to Hell. Heartbroken, she does what she has to do.

But in season 3, low and behold, Angel returns from Hell. Dishevelled and disorientated, Buffy finds him and tends to him. He is little more than an animal but gradually he remembers his previous existence. No explanation is given as to why he has been brought back, but here we can see creator Jos
s Whedon’s seeds for a new show starring Angel, being sown. In one of those wonderful metaphors for real life that Buffy's writers use, it becomes clear that despite their great love for each other, they can never be together; they have no future. Reluctantly, Angel leaves for LA, unable to bear the hurt of watching the woman he loves but can’t have.

And so we finally come to Angel the series, itself. This was a smart move by Whedon. He had taken the Buffy/Angel relationship as far as it could go, but he didn’t want to lose the character. By setting him up in his own show, he, and the viewing audience, got the best of both worlds.

Angel, the show, focuses on a slightly older age-group than Buffy; those in their twenties, going out into the dangerous world, complete with suitable metaphors in the same style as Buffy. It should appeal to teen-age fans and "grown-ups" as well. For example, the problems with dating and trying to find the right person were explored in early episodes.

Whedon turned to fellow Buffy writer, David Greenwalt, to help him create and produce the new show. They were convinced that David Boreanaz was capable of being a lead in his own show. Ironically, he was the last of the original Buffy regulars to be cast. Unable to find an actor strong and sensitive enough to play the part, David was seen out walking his dog and recommended to Joss. As soon as they saw him, they knew they had found their Angel. It’s hard to argue with their conclusion. Boreanaz has ably displayed his acting ability, no more so than when he turns evil. His ability to make you fear and hate him so quickly was a real revelation.

REGULAR CAST

Joss decided to cross over another Buffy regular, the ex-rich, bitchy Cordelia Chase (Charisma Carpenter). A fellow classmate of Buffy and Scooby-gang member, Cordelia had to make a career adjustment when she could no longer afford to go to college, afte
r Daddy was done for tax fraud. She relocated to Los Angeles to become an actress, where she soon comes across Angel. She ends up working for him to support her acting career.

The third original character was Doyle (Glenn Quinn). Half-demon (although he kept it well hidden), he had been contacted by "The Powers-That-Be" ("The Powers-That-Be What?" replies Angel!) and told to help Angel help others. He was given violent and painful visions of souls in distress, people that Angel was supposed to save. Angel’s first attempt surprisingly ends in failure. An early example of the show wanting to keep the viewers on their toes, never knowing what to expect.

The three worked together as a team, nominally as the Angel Detective Agency, although they never seem to make any money. The biggest change in the first season occurred with Episode 8 with the death of Doyle. Supposedly, Whedon planned this from the outset as a declaration of intent: no one is safe on this show, so don’t get too comfortable. However, the actor who played Quinn doesn’t like to talk about it, leaving plenty of room for conjecture. The character’s visions were passed on to Cordelia, by means of a kiss. This led to subsequent hilarious scenes as Cordelia kissed every man in sight to try and get rid of them! Thankfully, she has grown quite a bit since then as she gets an insight into other people’s misery and pain, adding depth to her character, and giving the actress greater opportunity to display her talents. No one clutches her head in pain quite like Charisma!

The new character introduced into the mix was also familiar. Wesley Wyndham-Price (Alexis Denisof), Buffy’s failed replacement Watcher. Now a ‘rogue demon hunter’ ("What’s a ‘rogue demon’," asks Cordy!) Wesley gets to join the team pretty much because they feel sorry for him. Thankfully, they soon ‘beef-up’ his
character. He is much more likeable now rather than just plain annoying, and has learned to fight. He has actually proved himself a very brave and loyal colleague. (Trivia: Alexis Denisof and Alyson Hannigan (Willow, in Buffy) are/were romantically involved. Don’t know about you but I find it difficult to see them together!)

SUPPORTING CHARACTERS

One of the earliest to be introduced was Kate Lochley (Elisabeth Rohm). Her job with the LAPD brought her into contact with Angel. Initially suspicious, she learned to trust him, but as the forces of darkness increasingly revealed themselves to her, and she discovered what Angel was, she has learned to fear him. Her interest in the supernatural led her to become isolated from her fellow officers. She was eventually fired, unable to explain her actions to her superiors. (Well, just you try telling YOUR boss that the reason you killed one of your colleagues was because they were really a re-animated murderous zombie, and see how you get on!)

GUNN (J. August Richards) – Introduced at the tail end of season 1, this character was added to the cast for season 2. Gunn is the leader of a gang of vigilante vampire hunters. This is a nice twist on the stereotypical LA gang image: this time they’re the good guys. His sister was turned into a vampire and he was forced to ‘dust’ her. He found it hard to trust Angel when he found out he was a vampire, but eventually accepted him as an ally. Gunn is still in the periphery of the action; his main plotline involving him being accused of ‘selling-out’ by his brothers, by hanging out with the Angel crew and getting paid for it. It will be interesting to see how much his character develops next season.

LINDSEY MCDONALD (Christian Kane) – Along, with Lilah Morgan, Lindsey is one of the young lawyers with the demon-allied firm of Wolfram & Hart. Lindsey, and the firm, were both introduced in the very first ep
isode but it took a while for them to take centre stage as main villains. Lindsey is one of the most complex characters in the show. He began to question his role with the firm when he discovered that they were involved in child sacrifices, and even turned to Angel for help. However, he then turned back to them and became more fanatical as he aided them in their plan to resurrect Darla. In the first season finale, he lost his hand in a showdown with Angel. Understandably, he’s since crossed Angel off his Christmas card list!)

Their clashes this past season have been intensely personal, especially as he became obsessed with Darla, the three of them forming a bizarre love triangle. After being ‘given’ a new hand by his masters, and discovering where it came from, he rejected a promotion and left to go his own way. He hasn’t forgiven Angel but he does seem to have crossed to the good side and would be an excellent addition to the team if they decide to bring him back.

DARLA (Julie Benz) – Darla appeared in the very first scene of Buffy and despite being ‘dusted’ by Angel, has shown that you can’t keep a bad vampire (un-)dead. Wolfram & Hart brought her back to life, to torment Angel, whom she sired (i.e. turned into a vampire.)

She was built up as the main threat for this season before vanishing into the night. She was instrumental in the mini-arc that saw Angel driven to the edge of darkness/madness, but her hopes of turning him back into Angelus went up in flames (!). Julie Benz is deliciously evil in the part and has had many chances to show what she can do this season. Her relationship with Angel demands a resolution and I look forward to her return.

DRUSILLA (Juliet Landau) – Spike’s old flame (sorry to use that word again!) made a welcome return to Whedonworld this year. Her back-story was explored in a number of flashbacks but the biggest shock was when she croppe
d up in the current storyline.

Dru is madder than a hump-backed hamster and Ms. Landau has an absolute ball playing her. She is the vampire equivalent of Darla’s and Angel’s daughter as they colluded to sire her, so she is quite accurate when she remarks to Darla, as she turns her into a vampire again, that, technically, she is her own grandmother! Those wacky vampires!

LORNE (Andy Hallett) - The other new main player this season is the green-skinned demon-Karaoke night-club owner, Lorne. Yes, you read that correctly: demon Karaoke. Although humans are allowed to sing, too. Lorne is able to guide people/demons through their futures, but only if he hears them sing! Cue some quite awful warblings from the star of the show. I’m not sure if David Boreanaz is a very bad singer or a very good actor!

Lorne is a background character for much of the season but is eventually brought more into the action and is even given his own storyline as his origins are explored in the three-part season conclusion.

OVERVIEW

The show was more of a ‘stand-alone’ type in its first season and concentrated on the guest star’s problems. However, it soon became clear that viewers preferred continuing storylines focusing on the regular cast, and this is the way the show has developed. Season 2 started magnificently with the re-introduction of Darla, which initiated a brave storyline that saw Angel isolated from his friends and drawn ever closer to the dark side. This arc included one of the great telefantasy episodes of all time, with Angel declining to help the doomed lawyers of Wolfram & Hart, leaving them to the mercy of Darla and Dru. Leading heroic characters on TV just don’t do that sort of thing!

This season has displayed all the usual strengths you associate with the programme. Good dramatic writing laced with great character humour, good villains, consistently brilliant acting, and new a
nd exciting avenues for the characters to explore. Possibly the only weakness was the final few episodes, set in a rather cliched alternative dimension with lots of woods and castles and troll-like creatures. This often became just silly, but undeniably had its great moments. (My favourite: when Lorne discusses why LA is his and Angel’s home - because it is for people who don’t belong anywhere.)

One can’t help but be distracted by the fact that Darla had just disappeared after having been set up as the main villain of the season. No doubt she will return, but I feel some dramatic impulse has been lost. With Buffy having moved to a new network (UPN) leaving Angel behind to fend for itself, it will be interesting to see how future crossovers between the shows are affected.

For me, this show doesn’t quite match the heights of Buffy yet, at least not consistently. But considering how many classic episodes it has produced in its first couple of seasons, it could yet overtake its progenitor.

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