Brooding In the Dark

I’ve decided on an epic rewatch of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel. Unfortunately, I got through Buffy S3 without ever writing anything, so I’m starting with S1 of Angel and just going with it. It’s not Bollywood, but it’s got cheese and melodrama and I really like it and have lots of things to say, none of which are terribly intellectual so it seems like it'll fit right in on this blog.

I think Angel has smiled more in the first three episodes of this show than he ever did in three seasons of Buffy. That plus lampshading his habit of brooding alone in the dark endears me to him more than any amount of true love could have.

I realize that most people gif this kind of thing. But I a) do not have photoshop and b) am lazy.

So there he is! Slaying vampires with automatic stake deployers on his wrists, which really seems like a thing that Scoobies who don’t happen to have superpowers could use, but it’s there to show us that where Buffy might use witchcraft, Angel will use technology.

I can’t imagine anyone watching this show would be unfamiliar with the character, but Doyle helpfully summarizes his story (with flashbacks!) and introduces us to the premise of the show. It is fairly simple. Angel is supposed to help people, and we are all very glad that Glenn Quinn is assisting because if it was that sarcastic demon from the end of Buffy Season 2 these episodes would be unwatchable. “City of” isn’t actually that bad because while yes, they’re rehashing some Buffy, they’re also drawing a line between the two shows and that’s necessary for it to succeed. And we get to meet Cordelia being Cordelia, and the three of them form Angel Investigations, so we’re set up for the next episode, “Lonely Hearts”.

Demon hunting! Demon research! A body-muncher demon hangs out a singles bar where everyone is lonely, because everyone in LA is lonely. Are you in LA? Then you are alone and disconnected from humanity. What can you do about it? Well, casual sex isn’t the answer, because then you get eaten by a demon from the inside out.

We also meet recurring character LAPD Detective Kate Lockley who thinks Angel is a serial killer, and she's really only a hundred years or so off in that assumption.

“In the Dark” is a pretty good episode, but it’s hard not to spend the entire thing laughing maniacally at the opening. Spike making fun of Angel makes the entire first season worth it. It almost makes season 4 worth it. It is amazing.