What's new

The Eternal Angelriffic Thread (Merged) (1 Viewer)

KevinGress

Supporting Actor
Joined
Aug 24, 2005
Messages
836
Wow! Such a visceral reaction! Sounds like Whedon struck a brilliant stroke by ending the show where he did. I don't have a problem with others not liking my view of how things work out, but I am curious to hear how those that don't like my view see how the battle works out. From their statements we know that Angel 'n crew won't run, so what is it then? We're talking Whedon's version of 300 here. So, unless there's intervention from someone/something, we're left with utter defeat (which we wouldn't want) or victory, which I would find flat-out stupid.

And going back to Jason's post- I don't see it as missing the point. As mentioned before, Angel and crew were all set to fight to the death. Therefore the statue "fight the good fight even against all odds" is satisfied. I figure that Buffy would have found out through other means - so that would cancel out Angel relying on/depending on Buffy. And although there are some out there that want it to be so, the characters and shows of Buffy and Angel are connected - to completely disconnect the two would be disingenuous to both series and characters.

Don't forget - Angel was notified about the coming Hellmouth battle and went to help her - why not the reverse? I'm more than certain that Angel would have reiteriated to Buffy, "The dragon's MINE!". :)
 

Jason Seaver

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Jun 30, 1997
Messages
9,303
Actually, I think Angel and Buffy would both have benefited from being a little more disconnected - I wonder if Riley would have grown on the Buffy audience more, for example, if they hadn't done that crossover during the shows' respective first and fourth seasons and reinforced the pair as soulmates in the audience's mind. Also, not being so tied to continuity would have meant not having to believe Cordelia was younger than Fred. :)

And while it would have fit with the whole shared continuity thing, it would be deflating to think about - Angel's the show's hero, and it's better to let the hero die than castrate him by having him saved by people who show up out of nowhere.
 

KevinGress

Supporting Actor
Joined
Aug 24, 2005
Messages
836
And while it would have fit with the whole shared continuity thing, it would be deflating to think about - Angel's the show's hero, and it's better to let the hero die than castrate him by having him saved by people who show up out of nowhere.
I see it as a difference of perception. I wouldn't view it necessarily as Buffy coming to save Angel, rather coming to assist - Angel's still the main target here. While bagging the top slayer (remember, she's not 'special' anymore) would be a nice fringe benefit to the Wolf, Ram, and Hart, their focus would be spilling the insolent vampire's blood that sought to upsurp their power on Earth. And it wouldn't simply end with the big battle. He'd be a marked man for a very long time, long after Buffy and slayers went on to the next Hellmouth or whatnot.

I sat thinking about this at lunchtime and while "fight the good fight" is a major theme of the series, and certainly the focus of that episode, so is redemption. Angel is out helping people because, in the end, he's searching for redemption. Now, one could argue that he'd already achieved redemption through various forms, the last being his signing away the Shanshu prophecy and performing a pure, selfless act, but unless he experiences this redemption (having it explained to him somehow) or through his actual conversion back to being human, for him to simply die after the final scene would, as Nicholas posted, simply undermine perhaps the main theme of the series as well as its integrity.

Plus, the fact that Whedon's writing season 6 in comic form, completely destroys the notion that Angel simply dies. :)
 

Jason Seaver

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Jun 30, 1997
Messages
9,303
If you like things tied up with a little bow. I prefer to think that the knowledge Angel will never receive that redemption which has been dangled before him since the first episode is a sign of a greater truth - that no true hero striving for redemption and absolution will ever think he actually deserves it.
 

Nick Martin

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Mar 18, 2003
Messages
2,690
Just because one show grew out of the other, doesn't mean it has to end by going back to its roots. ANGEL as a series will forever live under the shadow of Buffy the series, and that's part of why I loved how it ended, and also loved that Buffy herself wasn't a part of it - Whedon wised up and realized it would have been a mistake to include her in the finale. ANGEL was certainly strong enough...it didn't need Buffy to survive, Angel himself didn't either, but having characters from it show up would have solidified its standing as nothing more than a Buffy "spinoff", completely dependent on the parent series even though it was so much more and deserves to be regarded as more than that.
 

Chris

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Jul 4, 1997
Messages
6,788
I sat thinking about this at lunchtime and while "fight the good fight" is a major theme of the series, and certainly the focus of that episode, so is redemption. Angel is out helping people because, in the end, he's searching for redemption. Now, one could argue that he'd already achieved redemption through various forms, the last being his signing away the Shanshu prophecy and performing a pure, selfless act, but unless he experiences this redemption (having it explained to him somehow) or through his actual conversion back to being human, for him to simply die after the final scene would, as Nicholas posted, simply undermine perhaps the main theme of the series as well as its integrity.
See, I would see Buffy or others showing up as something else all together. Earlier in Season 5, when a stray slayer was found, it was made clear to Angel that he was not viewed as a "friend of good" anymore, as long as he was part of Wolfram Hart. Obviously, I didn't expect Buffy to show up (although I do think the episode with the Immortal, a funny poke at "Highlander" was probably written with the hopes of getting at least a guest shot), a sign of any slayer willing to fight by his side would have been a major act of redemption and acceptance. Slayers played a part in Angel, as well.. showing that a slayer was willing to accept that he was back fighting for the side of good would have been fitting, I think. The last few episodes of Angel were in large part about him rejecting the power they had built in Wolfram & Hart and trying to rejoin the sign of good.

It might have been nice to have some sign of someone there on the other side willing to realize that he had not turned his back on them, and when he rejoined the forces of good, they were waiting for him.
 

Chris

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Jul 4, 1997
Messages
6,788
One other thing: David (Angel) as an actor was -really- slugging it out in Angel Season 5. He looks -terrible- through most of it; when you see him in "Bones" now, he's easily lost 20+ lbs from his look in this season of Angel. He just got very "puffy" by the end of Angel :) All that pigs blood must be too fattening ;) :) :)
 

KevinGress

Supporting Actor
Joined
Aug 24, 2005
Messages
836
And I agree with that. Whedon's never put a tidy little bow on anything. And if ANGEL was on several more seasons, he'd never achieve it, but the hope would always be there. I do think, however, that if Whedon were ever to write the "final chapter" on Angel that he would give him some sort of absolution - not make him human, of course, but some acknowledgement that he was one of "the good guys".
 

Citizen87645

Reviewer
Senior HTF Member
Joined
May 9, 2002
Messages
13,056
Real Name
Cameron Yee
One other thing: David (Angel) as an actor was -really- slugging it out in Angel Season 5. He looks -terrible- through most of it; when you see him in "Bones" now, he's easily lost 20+ lbs from his look in this season of Angel. He just got very "puffy" by the end of Angel All that pigs blood must be too fattening
I believe that was due to some pain meds he was taking for an injury.
 

Chris

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Jul 4, 1997
Messages
6,788
One nitpick.. but one that stuck with me through the whole series. In S4 of Buffy, S1 of Angel, they had a crossover in which Buffy delivers the "Jewel of Amare" or something to Angel. The whole thing about the jewel is that it renders him virtually invincible and able to walk in open daylight.

He hides the jewel underneath the hotel, and it NEVER reappears in any episode ever again.
 

Scott-S

Premium
Senior HTF Member
Joined
Aug 8, 2001
Messages
2,387
Location
The Land of Zion
Real Name
Scott
Yes, one of the stupidest things Angel ever did.

That ring would have been helpful during the many apocoli. I guess the writers didn't want to have that "cheat" available.
 

Nick Martin

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Mar 18, 2003
Messages
2,690
Well if you actually thought about WHY he did it, it's not stupid at all. He made his reasons crystal clear, and they make sense considering his situation and everything.
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Latest Articles

Forum statistics

Threads
356,810
Messages
5,123,551
Members
144,184
Latest member
H-508
Recent bookmarks
0
Top