TVSquad

All-in-all, Angel was a good series, even though it kept reinventing itself each season. The set changes (Angel's original digs, the hotel, Wolfram and Hart), the cast changes, and the character changes (Fred to Ilyria) threw off my equilibrium, sometimes leaving me longing for the security of the previous season.

One of the hardest changes for me to take was the death of Doyle, who added so much heart and humor to season one. Even sadder was that the actor who played Doyle, Glenn Quinn, went on to die a tragic death in 2002.

(S01E09) Doyle: You never know until you've been tested. I get that now.

Alas, poor Doyle, we hardly knew ye. And, we were really starting to like you. You had a charming edginess to your personality. You were a tough bloke; yet, you were shy and uncomfortable that your face became a human pin cushion whenever you sneezed or got angry. You were also loyal to your boss, Angel, and would sacrifice anything to save him because you knew (from being a vassal for The Powers That Be) that he was destined for grander things than just being a paranormal detective.

However, your destiny was already set (by the producers of the show, that is) and you decided to take the classy way out and become a hero. And heroism is pretty much what this whole episode of Angel is about.

(S01E06) Angel: I'm a little reserved, it doesn't mean I don't care.

Cordelia: It's like you don't have a pulse.

Angel: Well... I don't.

Hi, everybody! I'm back from a few days in Canada, also known as the home to every science fiction show currently being made, ready to tackle the newest retro episode of Angel. Except, there isn't that much to tackle this week. Oh, don't get me wrong, there are two plot points introduced that setup future episodes; however, other than those, this is one of the lightest, least substantial shows of the season.

It is also the first time for the series that Angel doesn't focus on one of the three main characters:  Angel (David Boreanaz), Cordelia (Charisma Carpenter) and Doyle (Glenn Quinn). It actually focuses on Los Angeles police detective Kate Lockley (Elisabeth Rohm), who receives the most screen time since her introduction in the episode "Lonely Hearts".

(S01E04) When you come right down to it, Angel is really not a show about vampires and demons and evil law firms (well, more evil than normal) and one man's journey of redemption to prove that the soul returned to him was justified. In reality, Angel is a very good mystery. And, that was given prudence credence with this week's show.

There were no vampires, no demons, no evil law firms (although Wolfram & Hart was mentioned). Heck, even Angel (David Boreanaz) didn't go vamp this episode. Other than the fact that the perpetrator was able to physically separate his body parts and rejoin them at will, this could have been an episode of Law and Order: SVU. Come to think of it, this could be an episode of SVU for the future. I can see it now:  Detectives Benson and Stabler get attacked by disembodied hands and are hospitalized, leaving Munch and Tutuola to solve the case and become the darlings of the SVU unit. I smell Emmy!

(S01E03) Oz (Seth Green) about Angel: He's very pale. Paler than most people.

If there was any doubt that Angel was still part of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer universe it was smothered quickly with this episode as not one, but two members of the Buffy cast appeared. Actually, when the show first aired back in October of 1999, it was the second part of a story that began on Buffy, which appeared on the same network as Angel back in the olden days.

In the Buffy episode vampire Spike (James Masters) searches for the Gem of Ammara:  a ring that makes vampires impervious to death and allows them to go out into the sunlight without bursting into flame. Buffy manages to find the ring and asks Oz (Seth Green) to deliver it to Angel (David Borenanz) in Los Angeles. Spike also travels to L.A. to meet up with his old blood-sucking friend and torture him to death. Ah, friendship.

 

(S01E02) Cordelia: I guess the single life is particularly tough on you.

Angel: Why?

Cordelia: Well, a couple hundred years ago, the only thing you had to worry about was a hangover. Today, because of your curse thingy, you can't sleep with anyone or else you might feel a moment of true happiness and lose your soul, become evil -- again -- and kill everyone.

Angel: Thanks Cordelia. I always appreciate your perspective.

Loneliness sucks. I remember the time before I met my lovely wife how I'd spend countless days and nights alone, never going out, never talking to anyone. Now that I've been married seven years, and have four beautiful children (two of them just born this past April). I'm never lonely. And, Lord, how I miss it! I need the loneliness like a man needs water. Just five minutes of solitude. Just five minutes. And, would you stop jumping on the sofa, for Pete's sake!

Ahem. Bit of a nervous breakdown there. Sorry about that.

Do not adjust your web browser. You are now entering the Retro Squad, where we are reviewing past episodes of your favorite shows, in order, every week.

(S01E01) Quiet. If there's one word that can describe the essence of the Angel series premiere it would be 'quiet'. Oh, sure, there are battles, there are chase scenes, and Angel tosses another vampire out the window to a fiery, sunlit death, but even those were very subdued.

Of course, that's the nature of the main character, Angel (David Boreanaz); the quiet, loner vampire with a soul who kills other vampires and demons to atone for his past sins. We didn't notice this when he was in Sunnydale because Buffy Summers and the rest of the Scooby gang of Buffy the Vampire Slayer made up for it with their snappy dialog and daily battles against the demons of the Hellmouth. In fact, Angel left Buffy, his one time lover, and the town of Sunnydale, after a particularly bloody battle to save the town from a human-eating demon. It's just when he relocates to Los Angeles do we realize that Angel is quite the brooder, quite the wandering soul . . . and very much unsure of what his role in life is.