A rewatch of the Whedonverse
I can't remember how long ago it was when I last did a re-watch of Angel from the beginning. But as soon as I hit season three all the dark, forbidding emotions this particular season brings with it flooded back.
I'm not sure why I'm not as fond of this series. Or at least post-Connor coming back from Quor'toth. Perhaps it's the bleakness. Partly, I think, it's the inevitability of it all. It's not all dislike though, it never is with Angel. I like the arc that Wesley travels as a character. It's somehow believable and very rewarding to watch. Angel's character, too, somehow acquires even more depth, though I find Gunn and Fred don't come out of this series with many fond thoughts on my part. They're too saccharine, even if there are genuinely nice moments interspersed with the sugar.
I think my upset lies in how much I grew to love Cordelia's character. How invested I was in her. And now, watching this in hindsight once more, knowing what is to come. It just feels, for want of a more descriptive word, icky. Icky that there is so much more to her than even the burgeoning feelings for Angel. And that's not something I feel strongly on either way. Yes, it's impossible, and not necessarily the route I would have taken it, at all. But at the same time it still leaves a bitter, cynical taste in my mouth. It gets so damn hopeless.
Then again, that is a sign of good writing. That these characters have become so intertwined during 42 minutes of your life, that you end up needing to remind yourself that it isn't real, it's not that bad once the credits roll. And as much as I did love Buffy, I think Angel gets to me more. I care more. Buffy was great for what it gave me outside of the show. Angel made me care about characters that I didn't think I would, at the start. And from being two of my least appreciated characters on Buffy, both Angel and Cordy became ones that I hurt over. And will continue to respect for the way in which certain aspects of humanity were so well written by Joss's team.
Just don't expect me to rave about the end of season three, or certain aspects of season four.
I'm not sure why I'm not as fond of this series. Or at least post-Connor coming back from Quor'toth. Perhaps it's the bleakness. Partly, I think, it's the inevitability of it all. It's not all dislike though, it never is with Angel. I like the arc that Wesley travels as a character. It's somehow believable and very rewarding to watch. Angel's character, too, somehow acquires even more depth, though I find Gunn and Fred don't come out of this series with many fond thoughts on my part. They're too saccharine, even if there are genuinely nice moments interspersed with the sugar.
I think my upset lies in how much I grew to love Cordelia's character. How invested I was in her. And now, watching this in hindsight once more, knowing what is to come. It just feels, for want of a more descriptive word, icky. Icky that there is so much more to her than even the burgeoning feelings for Angel. And that's not something I feel strongly on either way. Yes, it's impossible, and not necessarily the route I would have taken it, at all. But at the same time it still leaves a bitter, cynical taste in my mouth. It gets so damn hopeless.
Then again, that is a sign of good writing. That these characters have become so intertwined during 42 minutes of your life, that you end up needing to remind yourself that it isn't real, it's not that bad once the credits roll. And as much as I did love Buffy, I think Angel gets to me more. I care more. Buffy was great for what it gave me outside of the show. Angel made me care about characters that I didn't think I would, at the start. And from being two of my least appreciated characters on Buffy, both Angel and Cordy became ones that I hurt over. And will continue to respect for the way in which certain aspects of humanity were so well written by Joss's team.
Just don't expect me to rave about the end of season three, or certain aspects of season four.