The Importance of Being Angel

[lostboy_lj]

So, I closed my poll.  The result wasn't close and didn't look like it was gonna be, and the topic chosen required a lot of work, so I thought I should get cracking on it right away.  It's coming along fine, but it's gonna take a bit more time to cook -- with myths like this one, I've discovered you have to do a lot of long, boring research and

Comments

[eilowyn]

I don't even have to read this (though I will), but I pretty much can just roll my eyes and say that after pretty much season 4 of Buffy any significant interaction between Buffy and Angel is blatant fanservice. What the fuck was he doing at Joyce's graveside when Joyce hated him? Oh yeah. Fanservice. Why was he making out with Buffy five minutes after Spike did the Biggest Declaration of Love and Faith in a Person on both shows? Oh yeah. Fanservice. I'll give you "I Will Remember You" (because it shows once again how Angel doesn't believe Buffy can make decisions for herself) and I'll give you "Sanctuary" (because of it's importance to Faith's story - all thrown punches aside). But after that? The guy's MIA, and all I want to do is plaster this gif all over the show:




Because I don't. I think there's nothing about Angel that intrigues or moves me outside of his relationships to Spike and Cordelia and Faith and Wesley and Darla - I'd be much happier if he were a side character in their stories rather than them being side characters in his story.

Now I'm going to go in my corner and be pissy that Angel got a bigger picture on my BtVS boxed set than Spike when he wasn't even in the show as much. Then I'm going to watch the Avengers because not only does it show that Joss likes snarky morally grey heroes more, but it has the only traditional hero (Captain America) I like, because I've noticed whenever there's a traditional hero vs. snarky antihero (hello, Jack and Sawyer as the readiest example of this! Oh yeah, Stefan and Damon too - though I like Stefan for his family relationships) I will always barely tolerate the hero and adore the antihero. So The Avengers it is.

Oh, and all of Buffy's trust issues? Angel's fault. I don't not like the guy for no reason at all.

[lostboy_lj]

I don't even have to read this (though I will), but I pretty much can just roll my eyes and say that after pretty much season 4 of Buffy any significant interaction between Buffy and Angel is blatant fanservice.

Ha! I do hope you read it someday. As you know, I don't share your Angel-hate (even though I don't have any problem with it at all), but just looking dispassionately at the evidence can't bring me to much different of a conclusion. They just sort of... stuck him in, here and there, with almost zero story relevance.