Angel was a more interesting series than buffy

Morlar

Interested in peoples thoughts on this. It took me a while to get into the Angel series but overall I'd rate it better than buffy, despite the green skinned cabaret singer. The initial sidekick being from *clondalklin may have helped, plus the main character being from Galway is never a bad thing but over the course of that series it seemed more coherent and grounded.






*
Make that cabinteely.

Also Starring LeVar Burton

I preferred Buffy

Angel was a better series, but I think that's because it was more "grown up" than Buffy was, but Buffy was also a fantastic show.

TheIrishGrover

I don't know, certainly Angel was better than the last couple of Buffy sasons but I don't think it would be better than S2 and S3 of Buffy.

I don't know about ye but I got the impression that the writers got a bit bored with the character of Angel. The first couple of seasons he was prett cool but then from S4(?) on Wesley just kicked ass. Angel just did his usual I'm-trying-to-atone line except when they thought of reasons to bring out Angelus. However Wesley's character had a much more interesting arc ("I'll take away your bucket").

S.M.B.

Angel might be a bit more 'grown up' but it was no way the better series.

Sudden Valley

Tie/don't care

I would say that Buffy is the more interesting series. I think the overall stories were as good in both series but have to admit that Angel had better MOTWs. I just found the writing in Buffy a bit braver in that it created likeable main characters and then, especially in the later seasons, had them do things (as a result of depression,anger or insecurities) that the audience didn't like/approve of.

iguana

Tie/don't care

Sudden Valley wrote: »

I just found the writing in Buffy a bit braver in that it created likeable main characters and then, especially in the later seasons, had them do things (as a result of depression,anger or insecurities) that the audience didn't like/approve of.

Angel did that too though. Angel did a lot of bad things without the excuse of being Angelus. Wesley became incredibly dark. Cordelia became evil (which could have been interesting, but turned out silly). Gunn made a selfish decision which killed Fred.

Sudden Valley

Tie/don't care

iguana wrote: »

Angel did that too though. Angel did a lot of bad things without the excuse of being Angelus. Wesley became incredibly dark. Cordelia became evil (which could have been interesting, but turned out silly). Gunn made a selfish decision which killed Fred.

It is a while since I watched the last season of angel, but didn’t Gunn just fail to fully read the contract he was signing; not knowing that anyone, let alone a friend, would be hurt/killed. And Cordelia really left at the end of season 3, she never did those evil acts in 4. I think a lot of fans hated what the main characters did in season 6 (Buffy, either using Spike, or sleeping with a monster depending on their mileage) or Xander leaving anya, or both Anya and Willow killing people. That made it a brave decision for me. I think the audience approved of a lot of the questionable things Angel did. And although Wesley did become darker I don't think the audience lost any respect for him. His intentions were always good.

gene the cow

Tie/don't care

on an overall scale buffy will always trump Angel altough Angel was pretty amazin it was a gud but by the end i was a little bored of it cuz the storylines jst got ridic and ya the fact his frm cladagh was pretty class XD

Tar.Aldarion

I preferred Buffy

Angel was more interesting I feel, but buffy will always have been the first!


no doyle noooo

spinandscribble

I preferred Buffy

I feel both shows lost their way so to speak in the last seasons but overall I looked forward to angel more.

I think there were more surprises and I dunno how to put my finger on it but it was just better. Might have been because it was darker and to an extent kept you guessing on motivation.

Angel was brilliantly written in the that character wasn't perfect, clearly so and there was no apology for that (something I feel Buffy series tried to do more often, gave excuses for behaviour).

I even liked the angel's son Connor storyline but felt more could have been done with it before he reached adulthood. I really liked how that storyline finished (no storybook ending when everyones happy).

The way they ended Angel really pissed me off though.

Tar.Aldarion

I preferred Buffy

I can't even remember the ending, must have repressed it

spinandscribble

I preferred Buffy

Tar.Aldarion wrote: »

I can't even remember the ending, must have repressed it

Believe me I tried :cool:

I remember repeating wtf wtf wtf

Tar.Aldarion

I preferred Buffy

haha i must look it up so. I miss that series a lot.

I adore this song, what is it!
/looks

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8g4yJjUSw38

spinandscribble

I preferred Buffy

Tar.Aldarion wrote: »

I adore this song, what is it!

TUNE!! I remember seeing angel for the first time and hearing this and thinking "yeah this will be good".

Tar.Aldarion

I preferred Buffy

I found it, exactly what I thought too. I think I'll get the series now

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-mPXn71Ffcs

nisior

I preferred Buffy

I voted thinking of Buffy VS Dark Angel instead of Angel. Darn it!!!! Buffy was more interesting than Angel yes

Tar.Aldarion

I preferred Buffy

Ah dark angel, another favourite, although that may be because of miss alba. Loved her back then!

iguana

Tie/don't care

spinandscribble wrote: »

Believe me I tried :cool:

I remember repeating wtf wtf wtf

That wasn't the end of the story though. Angel is continuing as a comic series overseen by Whedon. (As is Buffy.) Both are definitively canon and Angel in particular is a continuation of the story which would have been the 6th series if the show hadn't been cancelled.

krankykitty

Loved both series, but Angel is my favourite. Had a different, and darker atmosphere, I thought. Both series were fantastically written but I do remember feeling a bit impatient with how the Buffy series went towards the end. I always preferred it when Angel was in it!
Similarly, I enjoyed the crossover episodes in Angel, including the saddest episode of all time, "I Will Remember You" in S1 in which Angel

becomes human for a day but gives it up to protect Buffy

S.M.B.

So do people who favour Angel think that it was more consistent or just better overall? I don't know how any episode of Angel could compare to something like The Body, Once More With Feeling, Hush or even Conversations with Dead People from the final season.

Seems like madness to me.

Mr.Nice Guy

I preferred Buffy

I feel Angel was the better series. It explored more adult themes and seemed to show the darker side of the battles in a better, more realistic way. The desperation that it brought. The characters were put through so much. BTVS in my view got too cutesy and flowery in the latter series. Too much 'scooby gang' nonsense. Perhaps it was the loss of Angel from the show that took away a serious dimension to it. I probably would say Buffy's peak seasons (the battle with Angel, and then the next season vs the Mayor) were the best of the two shows but on the whole I feel Buffy declined massively during the college years so have more fondness for Angel overall.

Sudden Valley

Tie/don't care

I think Angel benefitted from not having such a long run as Buffy. The last season of Angel was one of its worst for a variety of reasons: poor standalone episodes, uneven season-long arc, sudden ending with the big bad(s) only introduced in the last few episodes. I imagine if it had gone to seven seasons like Buffy it would have suffered the same problems of its mother show of a latter seasons decrease in quality.

Handsome Bob

Angel Season 1-3 was top notch stuff, but it went downhill from there. Season 4 was shocking (excluding the Faith arc), which reached the pinacle of its shockingness when Joss chose the worst possible plot device to write CC out of the show.

Season 5 was an improvement but overall there was something a little off about it. It had some great standalone episodes but the latter stages were very rushed, understandable though given the circumstances.

Buffy suffered from the same problem though in my opinion. Some people rave about Season 6 but I really think this is the season where the show jumped the shark, just like Angel did with S4.

GreenFaery

I preferred Buffy

Defo preferred Angel. Nearly cried when it ended. Best moment ever: Angel doing karaoke.

Corkfeen

I preferred Buffy

I'm gonna choose angel, developed far more of an attachment to it as the years went on although season 5 was atrocious. Although there's one standalone episode that never gets old for me. T'was such a funny episode, Smile Time.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l0tNqwNpGGQ

Links234

I preferred Buffy

definitely Angel for me

season 3 was the strongest by far, loved it!

it started going to pot in season 4 though, which started well, but it's like the whole arc did a big about-face when they introduced the big bad for that season. was yawnsome. season 5 was just a joke

Mahatma coat

I preferred Buffy

Angel is on the horror Chanel (Sky319) every night at 8

they are running the episodes in chronological order too:D

Tonight is S2 EP6

its kinda cool to be able to follow the series again and not have to wait a week between episodes or 3 months+ between seasons

nix

I preferred Buffy

Why all the hate for season 5? i thought it was one of the best to be honest, sure he had to throw in a quick rap up towards the end, but he had to give the show a finish as he was MADE too.

****in TV execs, guy who canceled that show should be shot, especially for his reason for canceling the show, Bastard.

ozeol

I'm selling away the whole DVD set. I really tried to like this show and it did have a promising premise with a redemption seeking guy. There were also some great moments but most of the stories a let me down.


Season 1
I loved City Of and thought the first season was great (except killing Doyle).

Season 2
Was terrible and it was going nowhere after Epiphany with the Pylea storyline being exceptionally lame. It should have been more epic instead of goofy (Cordelia as princess when other humans are slaves wtf) and it didn't feel like they were in danger at all.

Season 3
I was expecting Angel to have this massive show down with Holtz but that never happened. I understand that he wanted to make him suffer by taking his son but is one single fight scene too much to ask for??? The flashbacks were pretty cool though with Angel and Holtz's history.
It really made me feel that he is the perfect nemesis for Angel because he has a justified reason to be vengeful. I was kind of rooting for the guy to kick our heroes ass (weird huh).
Connor was a pretty boring character but I think that's only because of the actor playing him.

Season 4
Was great because we finally get a villain who is ACTUALLY THREATENING. The Beast was awesome it was shame they killed him off so early. Jasmine I could bare because she was really creepy even when she seemed nice. The storyline with Angelus and Faith was great and the season had a cool ending.

Season 5
Again a great season. I even liked Fred she became kind of the conscience of the team and kept Angel on the right ethical track (without the in-your-face wisdom of Cordelia). I didn't want her to go because Illyria talks way too much cr.p about reality and her past blablabla. Spike and Wesley were great.


So all in all the reasons why I won’t re-watch the series:

-Killing of Doyle to bring in classic pre season 4 Wesley

-Charles Gunn. I don't think he was a great addition to the main cast. He would have made a better regular and should have kept on leading his team of vamp hunters.

-Cordelia's annoying character development. She had attitude in S1 and always said what was on her mind even if she was being rude. Then she was just a shoulder for Angel to cry on and she didn't give a damn about anyone else (Wesley). I HATED the emo scenes of Cordy and Angel in S3.

-Wolfram and Hart. A corporation of LOSERS. Angel was pretty much bullying them throughout the series. They couldn't touch him cause of the prophecy so that pretty much made them unthreatening. Angel needed enemies who are just as threatening as he is.

-Holtz not having a crack at Angel
-Vincent Kartheiser
-WAY too much singing. Especially Lorne.
-Cordelia and Angel’s romance
-Cordelia and Connor’s romance
-The episodes didn’t build up pressure and excitement for the seasons’ end like Buffy did.
-KILLING OFF ALL THE CHARACTERS WHO WERE BECOMING INTERESTING!!! WHAT WAS THE POINT OF WATCHING THEM???
-The Pylea storyline.
-Not helping enough helpless. What happened to sorting peoples’ lives out? The series only focused on the main characters’ issues.

nyarlothothep

Tie/don't care

I've begun watching Angel, the Italian Stereotype episode was pretty good though it did labour the Italian stereotype angle a bit too much. I enjoyed the repartee between Spike and Angel, the ridiculous music and the moped/car chase scene. For anyone familiar with Star Trek, though I shouldn't mention it here, I feel Buffy is to TNG as Angel is to DS9. TNG/Buffy are classics, DS9/Angel are competent follow ups but lack a certain magic, at least for me, though I will have to watch more of this show as I enjoy the Whedonverse.

norrie rugger

I preferred Buffy

Angel lost its wa, once they took over WRH.
I preffered it to Buffy, when they were in the small office/hotel because they seemed to have a purpose. Helping the helpless

They lost all that once they took over a stupid law firm

Troyaferd

Angel better than Buffy? Absolutely not. (maybe the least two Seasons), Season 2-5 of Buffy is one of the best Television ever.

Kirby

I preferred Buffy

ozeol wrote: »

Season 1
I loved City Of and thought the first season was great (except killing Doyle).
So all in all the reasons why I won’t re-watch the series:

-Killing off Doyle to bring in classic pre season 4 Wesley

That wasn't a writers decision . They didn't plan it. The actor who played Doyle had a drug problem and was becoming a liability....so they had to write him out. Its no great surprise that he turned up dead a few years later. A shame though, because I thought he was quite good.

They also never planned the whole "

cordelia pregnant, being evil, giving birth to the evil yoke etc

." None of that was planned. Charisma Carpenter got preggers in real life and they had to re-write season 4. Joss Whedon was apparently furious with her over it. They fell out and thats why

Whedon killed her off and she wasn't in the last season

.

Sudden Valley

Tie/don't care

Not sure it's really fair for a producer to blame an actress for becoming pregnant. I think a good writer could have taken those circumstances and came up with a better ending for the character. I wouldn't have minded her returning in season 5 full time.

DapperGent

I preferred Buffy

Kirby wrote: »

That wasn't a writers decision . They didn't plan it. The actor who played Doyle had a drug problem and was becoming a liability....so they had to write him out. Its no great surprise that he turned up dead a few years later. A shame though, because I thought he was quite good.

I'm not entirely sure this is true and I'd like to see (not in an accusatory way) some evidence to back it up. It is my understanding that Whedon began to feel that the characters of Doyle and Angel were too similar, and that Doyle needed to go as his arc would be too much like Angel's or something.

Raphael

From having a poke around, it looks like that's just a rumour, and Doyle was always meant to go. He wasn't written out because something was realised, he fell victim to Joss Whedons habit of killing main characters so that the viewer realises that no one is safe.

nix

I preferred Buffy

I heard from a friend Joss killed him and had plans to bring him back later down the line, but then he died, i dont think his drug taking ever affected his performance on set.

If they ended on bad terms i dont think they would have dedicated one of the episodes to his death.

Either way, bummer all round

Mr.Nice Guy

I preferred Buffy

Wasn't the original plan for...

Doyle to be in the box at the end of S1 and not Darla?

Galwayguy35

I thought Angel was an entertaining series. Especially anytime Darla was in it.
That was one hot woman.

Josey Wales

Tie/don't care

I'm very surprised that the majority here seem to prefer Angel. It was a good show but really lost it's way towards the end. I'm currently working my way through Buffy again since Netflix showed up on our shores and I'm loving it all over again.

Nervous Wreck

I preferred Buffy

norrie rugger wrote: »

Angel lost its wa, once they took over WRH.
I preffered it to Buffy, when they were in the small office/hotel because they seemed to have a purpose. Helping the helpless

They lost all that once they took over a stupid law firm

In fairness, that was a one-season arc. We don't know what would have happened if the show had continued into a sixth season. If it were to have followed the direction of "After The Fall," then it would've been over and the next arc began. It wasn't the best season but that doesn't mean it couldn't have picked up afterwards.

Raphael wrote: »

From having a poke around, it looks like that's just a rumour, and Doyle was always meant to go. He wasn't written out because something was realised, he fell victim to Joss Whedons habit of killing main characters so that the viewer realises that no one is safe.

This.