Complete Boxsets (SATC - Buffy) (1 Viewer)

[Jay_B!]

I'm nowhere the Angel fan that I am Buffy, but I will definately look into a set ala the Buffy one coming out. I know I'm in a minority on this, but I don't think there was one season of Angel that was consistantly great, but every season had enough good episodes that I would consider getting the entire series for a decent price.

 

[Andreas_K]

I'm currently wondering if I should get the complete UK "Buffy" set. I own all the US seasons but I have become a huge fan since and would like to give the different screen format a try and the intact "previously on"'s would also be nice. The US set is out of the question though I would like to get that bonus disc for sure.

The biggest problem I have is that I think it's very probable that "Buffy" will be among the first TV releases on the next format that's just around the corner (I can easily wait another year on a show that I already own). So what would now be a double dip I might be able to justify, would very soon be a "triple dip" which seems crazy for a complete show (even if it's Buffy).

 

[TravisR]

Isn't the R2 set in the wrong aspect ratio? That would keep me away, Previously Ons or not.

 

[Andreas_K]

I know - but I already have the seasons with the right aspect ratio. I guess with this purchase it would be a matter of justifying buying the set with the fact that the 2nd set I would get at least wouldn't be totally identical (Bonus disc aside) - even though it's "faulty". Plus I like the UK Complete Box design better

 

[Nick Martin]

Funny, I feel the same way- about Buffy, that is. Come to think of it, I am not a fan of Buffy at all. I only watched it to catch up on the ANGEL characters' past history.

I didn't even bother selling the DVDs I had of it (just seasons 1-3), I gave them away.

Now shows like ANGEL and Veronica Mars...I'll take those to my grave, I love them that much.

 

[Jay_B!]

 

[Ian_Fisher]

See, I actually liked that about the show. It kinda fit the whole "Angel is the champion blessed/cursed with eternal life." It kinda highlighted the loney aspect of the character.

 

[Jay_B!]

true, I understand why Doyle had to go because of Glenn Quinn's antics, plus Glenn died in 2002 anyways, but I would've loved to have had Cordelia return full-time in season 5, instead of getting rid of her to make way for Spike. Spike's story should've ended with the climax during the final episode. The first few episodes of season 5 was a "look!! we've got Spike!!!" type of deal and then that played out fast. I loved the hotel setting too, so that was another reason why season 5 wasn't the same to me.

Nonetheless, I will watch the show again come next year when they release the mammoth box set ala Buffy. I like Angel, it just isn't one of my fave shows, but there's enough moments in the show that were just brilliant that I'd love to own it in a complete series box, just not as much for just seperate seasons.

 

[Nick Martin]

Considering Joss spear-headed both shows' core storylines, saying ANGEL was disrespectful of its female characters is his fault...and it's safe to say that he believes in strong female characters more than most.

I'm not getting into some silly arguemant over which show is better- I hate comparing the two because to me they are so incredibly different.

I hated the Buffy character. I hated Willow during season 6, which I feel was not needed if they had left Buffy dead....or let the show continue without her. (I'd love a 'Faith the Vampire Slayer' series instead! )

My dislike of that show has to do in part, with its reputation- so beloved, so acclaimed, something Joss Whedon's other shows never recieved with the same enthusiasm.

Not only that, I found it to be too campy, too silly watching this girl kill mindless monsters every week, all while trying to shove a poignant message or metaphor about growing up in our faces.

Angel was someone I genuinely cared about, like everyone else on his show, whereas I liked Xander and Giles...but that's about it.

Anyway, Buffy is out of my life altogether. It was nice watching it for the ANGEL characters' pasts, and it was a good, funny show, but I could never hold it in as high regard as most.

 

[Jay_B!]

you're probably the first Angel fan I met who didn't also like Buffy, but I know Buffy fans who hated Angel, so it's nice to see a first the other way. Do you like Boreanez's new show?

 

[Nick Martin]

It's all right, but I'll gladly watch him in anything!

He was the sole reason to see "The Crow: Wicked Prayer", with his insanely scary/funny character.

I actually don't know any fans, in the offline sense, so I only know the opinons of those I have read on various forums over the years.

A big part of why I prefer Angel is that, supernatural elements aside, I related a great deal to his anti-social behavior- 1999 when it premiered, I was in high school, and those moments of his awkward conversations with people, the sitting quietly alone, all of those things Doyle was trying to help Angel overcome, were in me as well. I felt for the guy.

I think the key to the success of shows like Buffy lies in the connection the viewers have with the characters. Willow's personality (early seasons, shy wallflower) really existed in a lot of people. Xander existed in a lot of people. Even (unfortunately) early Cordelia

 

[Jay_B!]

yep, I definately agree with that. One of the reasons I preferred Buffy to Angel was the fact that there were more characters I really connected with. Without a Willow, Xander, Anya, I doubt I would've liked BTVS nearly as much. I admittedly thought the character of Buffy became very unlikable in the latter seasons, it was people like Willow and Anya that really kept me liking it.

Regardless, I definately can't wait to rediscover the series when the complete box set comes out next year. Even though I was highly critical of Angel, I wish WB had kept it going for a sixth season instead of cancelling it and renewing Charmed (a show which has really sucked since Julian McMahon left). At least now there's Supernatural to keep up for those of us who like Whedon-esque shows.

 

[Jeff#]

Buffy the Vampire Slayer tended to have much more humor than ANGEL overall, while ANGEL was more structured. Although I enjoyed both series, Buffy was the better show overall in terms of character development (particularly with Spike).

It was much more than her "killing mindless monsters" every week. Frequently her foes were intelligent -- just misguided. What made ANGEL superior as a series in its own right was that it showed us the inner-city presense of demons and how they both fit into....and hid within society. The spinoff gave us a more detailed view of how the non-humans lived within Whedon's fictional world. In Los Angeles there are so many more stories to tell than in Sunnydale. ANGEL was much wider in scope than Buffy, the Vampire Slayer. It's just that the supporting cast and their characters for the spinoff never worked as well as the original show. It couldn't because although ANGEL had its share of humor too, it was still intended to be darker and understandably more intense.

Cordelia was better as the spoiled bitch. In the next few years, her character went through several changes after moving to L.A. Charisma got to do more as an actress, but it became increasingly a different Cordy than the one we knew and loved (to hate). Cutting her hair shorter and dyeing it blonde was a mistake, although she went back to her original look later on which she has to this day.

And one thing two of the posts don't mention above is that Charisma came back to guest star in 1 episode in the middle of the 5th year. So Cordelia is still alive, but Angel advised her to play it safe and not get involved in our heros' big fight in the series finale. It was sort of the reverse situation from the Buffy series finale from the previous season, when Buffy asked Angel to stay out of the Battle of Sunnydale. Angel listened to her and a year late Cordelia did the same.

Charisma is well into her 30s, but she looks as young and sexy as ever (as I noticed in a couple of episodes of Charmed from last season). That leaves the door open for a possible return by her if they ever do a sequel. But it would help if David Boreanaz' Bones series is cancelled, because he is a co-star -- it's really Emily Daschanel's show.

 

[Nick Martin]

Um...Cordy died in the hospital.
It was a 'powers that be' type of divine intervention that allowed her to put him back on his path to helping others, and fulfilling his destiny.

I wouldn't call Willow's magick addiction/evil descent good character development...but hey, I'm obviously biased against that show anyway.

And I don't think I have anything more to say about comparing them- they were two damn different. I often use the 'Cheers' / 'Frasier' analogy of how different the shows are, which I didn't come up with- ANGEL co-creator David Greenwalt did, and I completely agree with it.

From the looks of things, Boreanaz is leading "Bones"...he's far more interesting, and seems be at the center of what is going on.

If a complete ANGEL box were to come out here, I would favor the idea of having all 30 discs in one box, which I could proudly display. I currently keep the discs in a 48 disc wallet, but planned on putting them in regular cases....why does every other region get better alternatives to digipaks for these discs? I'd even settle for 30 single disc cases for this show, like R4 gets.

 

[Jay_B!]

personally I loved seeing a dark and evil side to Willow. She has always been my favorite character of the entire Joss-verse and I personally thought she was bad ass as "Dark Willow". I don't necessarily know if it was a good idea to kill Tara (I hated Kennedy), but they had been dabbling about how far Willow could take her magic for a couple seasons by then, that something as the loss of a partner would be the straw that really set her off. She ends up redeeming everything she did in season 6 in the final episode anyways.

As far as I'm concerned, the show could've kept Buffy dead at the end of season 5 and become a Willow vehicle and that would've been all I needed.

 

[Nick Martin]

I'm with you there.

I didn't even bother with the spoiler - it's the first thing I wrote.

 

[Jay_B!]

my friend, who is also a Buffy/Angel fan, even made up "alternate" season 6 fan-fiction where the Scooby's were going to cast a spell where Dawn would go up to Heaven and get Buffy to come back, but then the spell would be a hoax and the gang did it so Dawn could die too and Tara and Willow would become the leaders of the Scooby Gang. I loved the character of Buffy in the Sunnydale High episodes, but she became very unlikable in the post-return episodes in 6 and 7.

 

[Jeff#]

Thanks for the info.

 

[Jay_B!]

 

[Ryan_Guah]

That she had passed, and she had passed earlier in the day. Meaning she NEVER woke up. The thing we saw WAS Cordy, but it was a physical manefestation of her being. She was never awake, or alive. But I have no doubt that it was Cordelia, just not REALLY Cordelia.