Watching the first episode of “Angel”, I kinda regret not beginning my Buffyverse watching with “Buffy” and continuing in a chronological order. At the same time I’m filled with nostalgia as Darling Violetta’s excellent “Angel” theme song starts up. Nerf Herder are decent enough, but Darling Violetta’s a notch higher.
Anyway, I was talking about regret. Because there was, obviously, quite a number of “Buffy”-referances, which I’d probably enjoyed more the first time if I’d seen “Buffy”. Not to mention that the “Buffy” season 1 episode “Angel” would have been much more impressive if I hadn’t seen “Angel” first.
But it was good to see that my memories of the quality of this episode was wrong. Where I kinda expected mediocrity at best, mediocrity was perhaps the worst this episode had to offer. The bad guy was somewhat weird (especially his make-up :P), but I didn’t mind much, as he was just a part of the scenery as Whedon and Greenwalt presented the “Angel” concept, setting and initial crew. A presentation that was exectued in an admirable way, I might add.
Angel’s first season is — withe the possible exception of Buffy’s first — my least favourite season, at least when compared to the other seasons. This is perhaps caused by the relative lack of a long-spanning season plot arc, but as it’s kinda continued in most of season 2 (if my memory serves me right, something it’s evidently fond of not doing)… well, I was gonna say that this meant that it didn’t matter much, but that’d be wrong, as season 2 is season 2, while season 1 is season 1. But it’s a mitigating circumstance, in any event, and there are enough decent and good episodes in this season, along with enough humour and character moments, to lift it rather much. (To repeat myself: If my memory serves me right, that is.)
Oh well. City Of is watched, the noodles, baby carrots, bun and salted ham is consumed, and that means that a return to my writing/reading desk is imminent for me.

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Angel doesn’t have season-plots - not really. Season themes, yes, season tendencies, yes, but not season-plots like Buffy. Season 1’s plot in the Buffy-sense revolves around W&H, especially Lindsey, but this is continued in 2, and its result in 2 are central to 3, and the central stuff in 3 is pivotal in 4. Really, just 5 stands out from this, and how does it do that? By bringing the themes and villains from season 1 back. All the more brilliant, really, when you examine it.
Anyway, season 1’s main tendency is stand-alone-episodes. Some of these are good, some of these aren’t that good, that’s the nature of stand-alone-episodes. However, most episodes who tie into the main plot of the season/early parts of the series/entire series (all are valid) stand out as good, and when added to them the good stand-alones, that leaves a rather bearable amount of not-so-good-ones. Sure, not the series’ best season, and yes, probably the worst, or rather “least best”, “Angel” has to offer, but I’d rank it above season 4 of Buffy as well as season 1.
And I love the villain in “City of…”, just so you know. Especialy in the final scene.
8. October 2006 @ 23:53 ( Permalink )
*Especially, dammit.
8. October 2006 @ 23:54 ( Permalink )
One would think that “least best” would provoke a worse reaction than “especialy”.
And that cyclic theme-development — wow.
As for As1 vs. BS4… I might actually agree with you there. The entire cyborg-zombie/Initiative thing wasn’t as interesting or captivating as other seasons, although it was far from boring, naturally.
But to differentiate between these seasons… not easy. But if I have to try, as an initial attempt at making a sketch:
…
Nah, I can’t do it. Have to see them all at least once more first, so that I’ll actually remember what happens in the various seasons. Way too long since Angel, and way too much of Buffy in too short time to make such a list.
9. October 2006 @ 00:04 ( Permalink )
“One would think that “least best” would provoke a worse reaction than “especialy””
One is a conscious mutilation of the English language, the other is a typo. So no.
The seasons… I prefer to divide it into arcs - arcs who are related, obviously, but arcs. Season 1, in that perspective, have two obvious arcs - the “arrival in LA”-arc, or somesuch, centring on Doyle and Cordelia and Angel in his new environment. Then follows the Lindsey/W&H-arc, which goes on for a long time - I’d say all the while to “Dead End” in season 2. Then is the short, but clearly independent, Pylea-arc. Then come the Darla-arc, which spins over in the Angel-has-a-son-arc. This one continues all the while to Cordelia’s return in season 4 (you could possibly divide it up in the “baby-Connor”-arc and the “adult-Connor”-arc, but I’m not sure, I’ll need to confer the episode-lists and such) where the Jasmine-arc starts. The Jasmine-arcs end with “Peace Out”, and then, from 4×22 ’til “Not Fade Away”, you have a resurrection/continuiation of the Lindsey/W&H-arc, with a new spin. You could possibly divide season 5 up to smaller arcs as well, though.
So, to put it simply, The Stories of Angel:
Doyle
Lindsey
Darla
Pylea
Connor
Jasmine
W&H
9. October 2006 @ 14:50 ( Permalink )
Uhm, I placed “Pylea” wrong in that list, obviously, it’s supposed to be between Lindsey and Darla. Damn, I HAVE to start proof-reading uneditable stuff before I post it one of these days.
And while that should be obvious, I might as well point out that those “names” on the arcs obviously aren’t intended to encompass them in their entireties or accurately describe them, just to provoke a memory of what that arc was about.
9. October 2006 @ 18:54 ( Permalink )
Oh, and my point was this; a similar list on Buffy-arcs would probably be this:
The Order of Aurelius
Angelus
The Ascension of the Mayor
The Initiative
The Beast and the Key
Resurrection & Corruption (or whatever you’d use to describe season 6. One gal doing a sombre returning from the dead and one going veiny and evil, anyway.)
The First Evil
One for each season. I suppose argument could be made to divide season 2 in two parts - Spike/Dru and Angelus - but I think it’s more like one single arc.
So, while Angel’s arcs span multiple seasons or just a handful of episodes, Buffy’s are almost always episode 1-22, finished, one per season.
Of course, this way of looking at arcs deals mainly with the opposition of the heroes, and the trials they face, more than the journies of the characters. If you look at those instead, I suppose Buffy is far less clearly portioned into independent seasons.
9. October 2006 @ 19:01 ( Permalink )
“just to provoke a memory of what that arc was about.”
And I appreciate it — as I said, I have trouble remembering these things, so a litle help is like Manna from the Heavens.
9. October 2006 @ 19:06 ( Permalink )
You agree more or less with my structuring of the thing, then?
9. October 2006 @ 19:57 ( Permalink )
Yeah. At least I can’t come up with any objections to it, so I presume that I agree.
9. October 2006 @ 19:59 ( Permalink )