02-16-2004, 01:14 PM
(This post was last modified: 02-16-2004, 01:16 PM by [wcip]Angel.)
Some casual thoughts: (read: Mindless rant)
I am what non-Buffyers would call a "mental pasient" and Buffyers a "hardcore fan" of both shows. I still hold Becoming II as the finest moment in television history and Sarah Mclachlan's "Full of Grace" as a singular stroke of perfection. Due to my geographical position (away from the US), I had to bend the rules slightly in order to get the shows (Norwegian networks weren't airing Buffy and Angel till their respective shows had gone on 4-5 seasons in the US). Thus having to download the episodes, I've had the fortunate chance of watching and re-watching the episodes over and over. (I will get the DVD-packs when they're all out on play.com though, it's just that I'm waiting for that big "buy our big 7 seasons of Buffy, X episodes of Angel in 1 package and get an audience with Sarah, David and Joss!"-deluxe edition :))
I'm a huge fan of both shows.
That being said, I always felt that while "Buffy" was somehing surreal, something so incredibly wonderful it could never be categorized as a "television show", "Angel" on the other hand *could*. It was still a fantastic show, but it lacked certain elements to raise it to that divinity-status, such as the beauty of Sarah, the quirkyness that is Willow, the strong friend in Xander and the caring and loving father in Rupert.
There *are* relationships on "Angel", but during the 5 seasons they've never been portrayed as a family.. (and recently, I feel they've not even been portrayed as friends. The only cross-character interaction unrelated to work I can remember from season 5 was
Slight spoiler ahead:
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Wesley's easiness in killing his father to save Fred
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*
*
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*
*
While ranting about the crappyness that is season 5, I should mention the character known as Wallpaper. He's very seldom in any shots, and the few times he's present with the rest of the cast he hardly says anything. He just stands there in the background or follow the group as they walk ominously through the offices looking for the big bad*
* as opposed to The Big Bad, which we all know to be our platinum-blonde railroad-spike-wielding lovebunny.
I really don't want to go on criticising season 5, because my doing so shows an askew; or cock-eyed if you will (Yes I still enjoy referring to old episodes of Buffy ;)) point of view. In spite of their flaws; the script which isn't all that good (*cough*Cordelia*cough*), the Wallpaper-characters who have no place in the show (When was the last time someone sang to Lorne anyway?) and the flawed continuity (as in this week's "so old a vampire he's taken animal-like form" (the one on the sub-marine), even though Master Rose was the oldest living vampire, and he was still humanesque), Angel is still a very good show, and is still 10 times better than the average crap you see on television.
It never had the chance of beating "Buffy", but that was already given at the start, as "Angel"'s premise was to be a televion series; but that doesn't mean the show isn't pretty damn cool!
Hearing of its cancellation does make me sad. I don't see how they'll be able to wrap up the whole Buffyverse in just a few episodes. Since Angel left The Show after season 3 I always felt that to be justified as long as the two star-crossed soulmates would end up together again.
With the Shanshu-prophecy about Angel becoming human again, I always felt this to be a likely posibility for the series' end. What I *don't* want, is Buffy coming back from Europe in the very last episode going all "Ooo, you're human again, let's get married!" I know we've seen clear signs in the later seasons of "Buffy" that they're still in love (Joyce's funeral and the series' finale), but they've been apart for so long, I feel they should at least have 1 season to bring it all together. In addition to the Buffy/Angel-main plot, I'd like to see what happens to *everybody*. Everybody meaning:
* Faith and Principal Goatee
* Spike and Drusilla
* Spike/Drusilla/someone; anyone please, killing off Harmony
* The entire Buffy-cast of Xander, Willow, Giles and to a lesser degree Dawn.
* Amy the non-rat (It's possible this one was killed, but I always felt it wasn't clear when she came back in season 7)
* The New and Improved Slayers. (Sidenote: Great continuity a few weeks back showing another slayer (albeit insane) on "Angel". It's nice to know the writers remember that "Buffy" and "Angel" are set in the same universe. Sidenote#2: "Hooray for hinting at The Inititiative in this week's episode.)
* Ethan Rayne
* Oz
* The Wesley-Fred-Gunn-love triangle
There is no way they would be able to include the conclusion of all these characters in the remaining episodes. They still have a story arc for season 5 to figure out. (However, I'd be quite impressed if it turned out to be "Angel and his crew are the bad guys" as was the premise of Andrew's return. It's a perspective thing that hasn't been done before, and done right; I would've loved to have seen it.)
I'll miss the show, and I'll miss it even more if they fail to conlude the Buffyverse with a befitting and worthy ending. I think the ending of "Buffy" was quite well done. We've done the slow-motion death scenes before and it was nice to see our former ex-demon illustrated as one of the 'victims of war' they so relentlessly hinted at in the entire seventh season. The destruction of the town where the series had shown its strength and weaknesses and where oh-so-many apocalypses had been thwarted by our Scooby Core, was poetic.
*rant over*
(For now)
I am what non-Buffyers would call a "mental pasient" and Buffyers a "hardcore fan" of both shows. I still hold Becoming II as the finest moment in television history and Sarah Mclachlan's "Full of Grace" as a singular stroke of perfection. Due to my geographical position (away from the US), I had to bend the rules slightly in order to get the shows (Norwegian networks weren't airing Buffy and Angel till their respective shows had gone on 4-5 seasons in the US). Thus having to download the episodes, I've had the fortunate chance of watching and re-watching the episodes over and over. (I will get the DVD-packs when they're all out on play.com though, it's just that I'm waiting for that big "buy our big 7 seasons of Buffy, X episodes of Angel in 1 package and get an audience with Sarah, David and Joss!"-deluxe edition :))
I'm a huge fan of both shows.
That being said, I always felt that while "Buffy" was somehing surreal, something so incredibly wonderful it could never be categorized as a "television show", "Angel" on the other hand *could*. It was still a fantastic show, but it lacked certain elements to raise it to that divinity-status, such as the beauty of Sarah, the quirkyness that is Willow, the strong friend in Xander and the caring and loving father in Rupert.
There *are* relationships on "Angel", but during the 5 seasons they've never been portrayed as a family.. (and recently, I feel they've not even been portrayed as friends. The only cross-character interaction unrelated to work I can remember from season 5 was
Slight spoiler ahead:
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
Wesley's easiness in killing his father to save Fred
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
While ranting about the crappyness that is season 5, I should mention the character known as Wallpaper. He's very seldom in any shots, and the few times he's present with the rest of the cast he hardly says anything. He just stands there in the background or follow the group as they walk ominously through the offices looking for the big bad*
* as opposed to The Big Bad, which we all know to be our platinum-blonde railroad-spike-wielding lovebunny.
I really don't want to go on criticising season 5, because my doing so shows an askew; or cock-eyed if you will (Yes I still enjoy referring to old episodes of Buffy ;)) point of view. In spite of their flaws; the script which isn't all that good (*cough*Cordelia*cough*), the Wallpaper-characters who have no place in the show (When was the last time someone sang to Lorne anyway?) and the flawed continuity (as in this week's "so old a vampire he's taken animal-like form" (the one on the sub-marine), even though Master Rose was the oldest living vampire, and he was still humanesque), Angel is still a very good show, and is still 10 times better than the average crap you see on television.
It never had the chance of beating "Buffy", but that was already given at the start, as "Angel"'s premise was to be a televion series; but that doesn't mean the show isn't pretty damn cool!
Hearing of its cancellation does make me sad. I don't see how they'll be able to wrap up the whole Buffyverse in just a few episodes. Since Angel left The Show after season 3 I always felt that to be justified as long as the two star-crossed soulmates would end up together again.
With the Shanshu-prophecy about Angel becoming human again, I always felt this to be a likely posibility for the series' end. What I *don't* want, is Buffy coming back from Europe in the very last episode going all "Ooo, you're human again, let's get married!" I know we've seen clear signs in the later seasons of "Buffy" that they're still in love (Joyce's funeral and the series' finale), but they've been apart for so long, I feel they should at least have 1 season to bring it all together. In addition to the Buffy/Angel-main plot, I'd like to see what happens to *everybody*. Everybody meaning:
* Faith and Principal Goatee
* Spike and Drusilla
* Spike/Drusilla/someone; anyone please, killing off Harmony
* The entire Buffy-cast of Xander, Willow, Giles and to a lesser degree Dawn.
* Amy the non-rat (It's possible this one was killed, but I always felt it wasn't clear when she came back in season 7)
* The New and Improved Slayers. (Sidenote: Great continuity a few weeks back showing another slayer (albeit insane) on "Angel". It's nice to know the writers remember that "Buffy" and "Angel" are set in the same universe. Sidenote#2: "Hooray for hinting at The Inititiative in this week's episode.)
* Ethan Rayne
* Oz
* The Wesley-Fred-Gunn-love triangle
There is no way they would be able to include the conclusion of all these characters in the remaining episodes. They still have a story arc for season 5 to figure out. (However, I'd be quite impressed if it turned out to be "Angel and his crew are the bad guys" as was the premise of Andrew's return. It's a perspective thing that hasn't been done before, and done right; I would've loved to have seen it.)
I'll miss the show, and I'll miss it even more if they fail to conlude the Buffyverse with a befitting and worthy ending. I think the ending of "Buffy" was quite well done. We've done the slow-motion death scenes before and it was nice to see our former ex-demon illustrated as one of the 'victims of war' they so relentlessly hinted at in the entire seventh season. The destruction of the town where the series had shown its strength and weaknesses and where oh-so-many apocalypses had been thwarted by our Scooby Core, was poetic.
*rant over*
(For now)
