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TNT started airing the series from the beginning again this morning and I realized we don't have a thread for the show. We have threads for most of the character combos but not one where we can discuss the show in general. I thought this might make for a fun bit of nostalgia.

City Of - First aired 10/5/1999
Angel, a vampire with a soul, arrives in Los Angeles. Having left Sunnydale and his true love Buffy (the Vampire Slayer) behind, Angel is searching for a place to call his own and a means to redeem himself for past sins as a brutal, malicious, bloodthirsty killer. Doyle, a half human, half demon, is sent to him by “The Powers That Be” to help him on his path. The Irish half-breed advises Angel to live among the people of the city so as to avoid losing his own humanity. Doyle also reveals that he has had a vision of a young girl in trouble, prompting Angel to go on his first mission to help the helpless. The girl’s name is Tina, and Angel learns that she is being stalked by a powerful vampire. As the investigation goes deeper, Angel learns that this creature preys on many aspiring actresses, and his latest target is an old friend from Sunnydale who has just arrived in the City of Angels.

Lonely Hearts - First aired 10/12/1999
Doyle receives a new vision that sends the group to the club scene. They soon learn they are looking for a serial killer who has been seeking his prey in D'Oblique, a local singles bar. While searching the crowd, Angel meets a woman named Kate who seems to be the type that the killer has been targeting. Distracted because he is making a real, human connection with Kate, Angel does not notice another young woman being lured out of the bar. The next night Angel manages to find a clue to the killer’s location, and he races against time to prevent another innocent death. However, someone else is heading to the same place perhaps to help Angel, perhaps to stop him.

I was surprised when I heard they were spinning Angel off to his own show because I always thought he was really boring as a character. The only reason I decided to tune in was because they were also moving Cordelia. The first time I saw "City Of" I was pleasantly shocked at how much I liked the show. I think I enjoy these early episodes more now than when I originally watched them.

Fiana

They are also repeating season 3 in Germany, on Monday I saw "Lullaby". When AtS season 1 aired, I had never watched BtVS before, so I had no clue about the characters. But as they aired both together, I started to watch them both, but BtVS was already season 4 back then. So it was accidentally I tuned in, but I liked it and kept watching.

shutterbug579

In the Dark - First aired 10/19/1999
Oz visits L.A. with a present for Angel from Buffy. It’s the Gem of Amarra, a ring which has been a vampire myth for millennia. While wearing it, a vampire is immune to crosses, stakes, and can even walk in daylight. It isn’t long before Spike arrives in town, searching for the ring. And he has no plans of leaving until he gets it.

I Fall to Pieces - First aired 10/26/1999
As Cordelia and Angel continue the debate over whether or not to charge their clients, Doyle receives a vision of yet another woman in distress. Angel pays a visit to her workplace and learns that the woman is being terrorized by her neurosurgeon who is somehow mysteriously able to watch her every move.

I think "In the Dark" is my favorite crossover episode. It works for me because Spike and Oz are both supporting characters and they're used well so they don't take over the plot, plus they're funny. If the internet's anything to go by I'm probably one of the few people that enjoys "I Fall to Pieces." The doctor is cheesy but I like Angel's interaction with the client and Cordy and Doyle convincing him to charge is a nice bit that ties in well.

Fiana

I also liked the ep with Spike and Oz, I think they could have done more eps with Oz when he wasn´t on BtVS anymore.

I also would have liked Spike on Angel if they hadn´t killed Cordy to bring him in.

Naive Girl

The only reason I decided to watch was for Charisma. I'm was sad to hear she was no longer going to be on Buffy and wanted to see what they would do with her character on Angel. I have to say I, too, was really surprised at how much I liked the show. I was enjoying it more than season 4 of Buffy. To this day, I enjoy the earlier episodes (and seasons) of Angel more than the later ones.

I love love love In the Dark! I think it added something more when they didn't have a major BTVS character do the first crossover. I love the scene where Oz comes in and Cordelia gets all axcited to see him only to realize they really didn't have that much to say.

shutterbug579

Yeah, Spike would have worked best on Angel if there were a buffer between him and Angel. It's interesting that they never had Xander or Giles cross over. I can sort of understand Giles not visiting since he wasn't close to any of the characters but a Xander episode would have been nice.

Rm w/a Vu - First aired 11/2/1999
When Cordelia decides that she cannot stand her roach-infested apartment for one more day, Doyle offers to help her find a new place. He makes good on his offer and finds her a beautiful apartment that is well within her budget. But when she starts hearing strange voices, seeing things fly across the room, and waking up at night with her bed levitating off the floor, Cordy must decide how much the perfect apartment is really worth.

Sense & Sensitivity - First aired 11/9/1999
Kate is forced to enroll in sensitivity awareness training with her fellow police officers. When she uncharacteristically breaks down and makes a scene at her father's retirement party, Angel begins to suspect that something unusual is happening. Kate and the rest of the force seem to be completely unable to control their emotions and focus on their jobs, and this distraction may turn deadly.

"Rm w/a Vu" is still one of my favorite episodes. That's the episode where everything clicked for me and I really began to enjoy Angel as a show of it's own. I had forgotten how funny "Sense & Sensitivity" is until I watched it again this morning. The break-in sequence is the best with Angel telling Cordy and Doyle that he feels they judge him when he vamps out and telling Cordy to use the magic word.

shutterbug579

AICN EXCLUSIVE!! Learn How ANGEL’s Sixth Season Begins!!

AICN has posted the cover plus the first five pages of Angel: After the Fall, the official Angel Season 6 comic.

Naive Girl

Thanks for the heads up!

shutterbug579

You're welcome!

Any guesses on the girl he's referring to?

shutterbug579

Due to the release of the complete series box set, there have been a lot of Ats reviews floating around ranging from the good
to the dumb

shutterbug579

Geek Blog - Joss Whedon - Part 1
So the plan was always to have her sleep with Connor. I still don't understand why they didn't just make Groo the daddy. He left right before she ascended so the timing would have made perfect sense.

Fiana

Yeah, it would have made sense if Groo had been the father of Cordelias child. The whole Cordy/Connor thing wasn´t necessary and they should have left Cordy alive after the birth and not put her in a coma to finally kill her.

shutterbug579

It's interesting that they always claim the adjustments they had to make were due to CC's pregnancy. According to an interview Jeffrey Bell, who was the showrunner, gave to the official Angel magazine, CC told them she was pregnant three days after they started talking about the arc for the season. How much could they have really gotten done in that time? I would think losing David Greenwalt and going through a few showrunners before one stuck would have had a bigger impact on the storytelling aspect of the show.

Naive Girl

I'm really surprised that they always planned to have Cordelia and Conner get together. That doesn't make sense at all. I also remember hearing that all the adjustments were because of CC getting pregnant. I guess that wasn't the case but more of a scapegoat since there was a lot of backlash.

Having Groo be the father would have been a much more interesting storyline. I wish they would have thought of that instead.

shutterbug579

I read a review on another site from someone that's watching season 4 for the first time and they commented that it really seemed like CC was being punished for something because everything from her wardrobe to her dialogue was awful.

It's a shame that she gets blamed for everything when so much of it was out of her control. I've seen the comment that she couldn't play evil from a lot of people but it's hard to play evil if you don't know that's what you're supposed to be playing. I don't have season 4 on DVD but in a commentary one of the writers admits that they didn't tell CC she was the villian for the season and jokes that maybe that was a bad idea. Does anyone know which episode that is?