I’ve recently become a fan of Buffy(thanks to Wolverine).
Anyway, what is the general consensus on Angel? Is it as good? How is it the same? How is it different? What do you like and what don’t you like?
Please, no plot spoilers for any seasons. Thanks.
I don’t know about consensus, but here’s my take: it’s a better show than Buffy that happens to feature characters I’m less interested in. That’s true for last season, anyway; first season it wasn’t as good, and this season I think they’re neck and neck.
I like Angel (risking the wrath of pepperlandgirl) himself, and Lorne and Wesley. Cordelia, Doyle, Gunn, Lesley, Lilah and Fred are fine, but I’m not drawn to them in the same way. But the plotting – ooh, Angel’s got some wicked good stuff going on.
If you like Buffy, you should definitely check out Angel, and give it at least the first two seasons.
I used to want to watch Angel but have always had scheduling problems. The first two seasons of Angel was immediately after Buffy but the people I watched Buffy with hated Angel and wouldn’t give it a chance. Whenever I stayed home, I also watched Angel and enjoyed it but I only saw about 7 episodes in those 2 years. I keep up mostly by reading the Angel threads here.
The last two seasons it has been opposite football so I didn’t watch it except occassionaly, and only after football was done in January. Couldn’t find myself watching it regularly because I always forgot it was on. Though I did catch the last years season finale. Now that it is being moved to Wednesday night I might tune in.
I don’t know if its better than Buffy. The episode I saw this year wasn’t that good. The one where they rescue Lorne in Vegas and Angel lost his future. But I’m willing to give it a try and I sometimes tune in too see what’s happening to Angel and Cordelia.
So is it funny? I find Buffy to be extremely hilarious.
Yeah, it has that Whedon-esque humor. One of my all-time favorite scenes where Angel is in a different dimension:
Angel encounters a demon.
Angel: Who are you?
Demon: I’m Skip.
Angel: You live-in or commute?
Skip: Commute; about 20 minutes.
Yeah, I know I butchered the original quote in my paraphrase but that scene always makes me laugh!
I am one of those people who think that Buffy has pretty much run its course. It was a teenage show and the teenagers have all grown up. That happens. It just had so much charm and wit and teenage angst and it was appealing on a lot of levels.
IMO Angel lacks the charm that drew me to Buffy. Mainly because the title character is an older man who is straight and narrow and excrutiatingly sober. No quirky little personality traits, no teenage insecurity issues. I’m trying not to use the word “boring” but he is definitely not the most charismatic leading man. IMO it needs a shot of adrenaline…someone like Spike. But I digress.
Since the show is about a vampire, it means that the show is much darker, both in terms of plot and in the settings. Just listen to the theme songs as an example of the different moods.
However, that doesn’t mean I count Angel out. It still has some redeeming qualities. For instance, it has a much wider slate to work with since it’s not confined to a suburban high school. The plot and character possibilities are endless. And it grows on you.
It’s a drama with comedy sprinkled in rather than a comedy with drama sprinkled in. And that’s okay.
I’ve watched Buffy from the premiere on. I watched Angel for 1/2 of the first season before writing it off due to a. it’s formulatic nature the first season: Angel rescues somewhat attractive woman, then broods, over and over again.
b. they killed off Doyle.
I wished very hard that they would can the show and bring Angel and Cordy back to Sunnydale.
However, I gave it another shot this summer, and the show is vastly improved. I don’t think it’s as good as Buffy, but it’s better than a lot of the dreck out there.
Yeah, I’m watching you.
I only started watching AtS this year because I really hate Angel…so, so much. But I heard there was a certain development around midseason, and I wouldn’t miss that for the world.
Angel does have it’s moments…like when Spike crossed over. That was nice.
It had the following gem…
Spike: (High girly voice)How can I thank you, you mysterious black clad hunk of a night thing?
(Low Broody Voice) No need little lady, your tears of gratitude are neough for me. You see, I was once a badass vampire, but love, and a pesky curse defanged me, and now I’m just big fluffy puppy with bad teeth…No, not the hair. Never the hair.
(High girly voice)But there must be someway I could show my appreciation.
(Low Broody Voice)No, helping those in needs my job. And working up a load of sexual tension and prancing away like a magnificent poof is truly thanks enough.
(High Girly voice) I understand, I have a nephew who’s gay, so…
(Low Broody Voice) Say no more! Evil’s still afoot, and I’m almost out of that nancy-boy hairgel I like so much. Quickly! To the Angelmobile, away!
LIghts a cigarette (Regular voice) Go on with you. Play the big strapping hero while you can. You have a few surprises coming your way. The ring of Amara, a visit from your old pal Spike, and oh yeah…your grusome, horrible death.
Ok, I just wanted an excuse to listen to thta clip again, remember how cool and evil Spike used to be, and take a few jabs at Angel. 
Heh. You do remember, don’t you, the way they parodied that bit a few episodes later on Buffy? 
No! Do tell…
I watched the episode where they resuced Lorne from Las Vegas. The main thing I remember was them driving down the Strip in the opposite direction you would want to go to get to the Tropicana , and finding it on the west side of the Strip. And the Tropicana isn’t even on the Strip. It’s on Tropicana, east of the Strip. Oh, yean and the part where Gunn takes the car keys and tells Angel to meet him down the block in front of the Golden Nugget, which is downtown, about a three hour walk away, unless maybe you’re a vampire and can probably run the whole way, oxygen, and therefore windedness not being an issue… and you can’t park a car in front of the Nugget anyway because it’s on Fremont Street, which years ago was blocked off and turned into a pedestrian mall…
Can’t really remember what the episode was about, but I’m glad I don’t live in the Buffyverse. I’d get lost going to work every night.
For the OP: I hate “Angel.” A lot. I keep trying to like it, but they won’t meet me halfway. The only likeable character, as far as I’m concerned, is Fred, and it was too little too late when they added her. Reasons I don’t like the show:
It’s painfully obvious that they’re making it up as they go along. There’ve been so many sub-plots and new characters going in and out, and big build-ups that go absolutely nowhere.
That whole Buffy style of dialogue is okay when it’s teenagers talking, but is really annoying and pretentious when they’re supposed to be adults.
They keep re-using the same shtick over and over again. In particular: Big music build-up, special effect, giant scary-looking demon appears. Camera zooms in, demon delivers a “hip” and “modern” one-liner, cut to commercial. I’ve counted at least a dozen times of that, and I don’t even watch the show that much.
I can’t stand Buffy but I enjoy Angel. Angel is a very interesting character to watch. Wesley in the new season has become pretty badass so I like him. I never really liked Fred though, and the whole Connor thing isn’t a good plot line. However it does have some great humor. For example:
<Angel, Wes and Gun have all been inprisoned in some different dimesion. They are all in shackle and Gun is struggling hard to break them apart>
Gun: gives up Damn! These cuffs are made out of some magical super hard metal!
Wes: Really!? How can you tell?
Gun: I can’t, I’m just trying to make myself feel better.
Always loved that line.
Spike : I’m saying that Spike had a little trip to the vet and now he doesn’t chase the other puppies anymore. I can’t bite anything. I can’t even hit people.
IOW, Spike’s just a big fluffy puppy with bad teeth.
Whatever people say here - Angel is still one of the ten best things on TV. It might not be as good as Buffy, but it certainly outdistances most.
Go for it.
Pepperlandgirl got it wrong. I was thinking about the bit at the beginning of the episode “Wild At Heart”. It starts with Buffy doing a fairly routine vampire staking in what I guess would have to be a cemetary very close to UC Sunnydale. She defeats the vamp easily, and then starts in on a standard issue “tempting fate” soliloquy…“Is that it? Is that all the Big Bad forces of evil can throw at me?” etc, etc.
Camera pans out to…Spike, standing on top of a mausoleum built into a hillside, looking down on Buffy the way he looked down on Angel in that previous episode. He is glowering, and saying more or less what you would expect him to…“You should know better than to tempt fate like that, Slayer. Be careful what you wish for…” etc, etc.
The twist? Just as he gets to the part where he’s saying “…the Big Bad is back, and this time…” ZAP a bunch of Initiative commandos he hadn’t noticed sneaking up on him because he was too busy speechifying hit him with a taser blast. Down he goes, and they drag him off to be bagged and tagged and get a chip implanted in his brain.
The last two years Angel has been stronger overall then Buffy as far as plot and acting. However, the best Buffy episodes still set the high water mark in the “Buffy-verse”.
The ratings and overall numbers for Angel have been pretty good for the WB on a very competitive night.
Buffy has had some troubles rating wise, and there are talks of this being the last season. Also, last season really took the bloom off the rose as far as the franchise.
Angel works because its so dark at times. Buffy tried dark, with the “life as the Big Bad” plotline and it nearly ruined the show.
Also the Buffy-Spike thing seems a bit of a rehash, plotwise. The lack of an innovative overall villan and plotline have hurt the show. Still, the last couple of episodes have been pretty good. Wait and see I guess.
Also the loss of the crossover Events hurt as well.
So Angel is good-- watch it.
