Aug 23, 2016 15:58
The thing about gray areas in fiction is they're usually used as cautionary tales. This is very much the case with Angel.
This is why I've never really got the "Angel is the more mature/grown-up show" opinion. Every single time a character does something on the morally dubious side of things for the sake of the greater good it goes pear-shaped in a big way. Whether it was joining W&H leading to Fred's death or Wes stealing Connor or Angel during his beige period, at the end, the moral is that you done fucked up, Mr. Gray Hat.
So basically... you have two people in front of a boiling pot. One sees the steam rising and the bubbles and knows not to touch it. The other has to touch it and gets burned in order to get the message. Which is more mature?
I think Angel is a more dire show, which I guess translates to mature for some people. But it's dire for the sake of being dire.