#TBT Angel Review

First watched in: 2014

Angel the Series is the spinoff of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. There’s a couple crossover episodes, many crossover characters, and major Buffy series spoilers. It’s a good show, about the vampire Angel and his demon-hunting allies as they navigate the dark underside of LA at night. I think I like Buffy more overall, but Angel still has its high points. It’s hard to describe as a show, because the tone and purpose of the show changes with every season. The first two seasons are mostly monster of the week, a “cop show with demons”. Seasons 3 and 4 have strict arcs that most episodes adhere to. Season 5 is a moral and emotional masterpiece. My humble opinion is Season 4 is the worst and Season 5 is the best; there’s your motivation to get through the show.

On my first runthrough of Buffy, I didn’t even realize Angel was a show until it came up in my recommended shows. I watched it on its own, then I watched it alongside Buffy in order (because there is an order, with all those wonderful crossovers, like “Darla” (ATS) and “Fool for Love” (BTVS)). You could watch it either way and enjoy it. You could also watch it without seeing Buffy, but that’s at your own risk of spoilers.

Angel grows and develops the characters that leave Buffy in Season 3, most notably Angel, Cordelia, and Wesley. You get to see them have a full character arc that grows them beyond the stereotypes of brooding boyfriend, popular girl, and cowardly wuss as we left them on Buffy. Even the characters that Angel brings to the Buffyverse are interesting and add a layer to the already established lore. From the empath demon Lorne to the cool and calculating lawyer Lilah, it’s very clear that Angel the Series is not just about the growth of Angel the character. Unlike Buffy, in which almost every episode and storyline relates back to Buffy the character and her growth, all the characters in Angel have separate hurdles and growth.

The additions to the Buffyverse canon found in the Powers That Be, Wolfram and Hart, and the Shanshu Prophecy show that ATS is not just another spinoff. It has heart. It has those emotional gut punches you love and hate Whedon for. It is its own show, not overshadowed by its parent. It has its own messages and themes and stories and metaphors. Angel is a solid show best enjoyed as an extension of the universe first introduced in Buffy.

Will I watch again? Yes