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Special Features
- COMPANION BOOKLET
- LETTER TO FANS FROM JOSS WHEDON
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Angel - Season One
He's hunky, he's brooding, he's a do-gooder, and he was Buffy's first boyfriend. Angel, the tortured vampire destined to walk the earth with a soul, got his own series after three seasons on Buffy the Vampire Slayerand did what any new star might do: he moved to L.A. (the City of Angels--get it?) and set up shop. Angel (co-created by Buffy mastermind Joss Whedon) finds the titular vampire (David Boreanaz) as a kind of supernatural private investigator, fighting evil one case at a time and, like his ex-girlfriend, keeping the world from getting destroyed by vengeful demons and such. This first season features guest appearances by various Buffy characters, including werewolf boy Oz (Seth Green), rogue slayer Faith (Eliza Dushku), deliciously evil vamp Darla (Julie Benz), and Buffy herself (Sarah Michelle Gellar), all of whom helped get the show off and running in style.
Angel - Season Two
The second season of Angel, saw the cult vampire show finally stand on its own from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, assembling all the members of the show's core cast, transferring the action to a fashionably run-down L.A. hotel, and bringing in a few Buffy characters from Angel's history to further establish the moody vampire's own mythology. Moving their Angel Investigations to posher digs, Angel (David Boreanaz), Cordelia (Charisma Carpenter), and Wesley (Alexis Denisof) were soon joined by street fighter (J. August Richards)–-and by street fighter, of course we mean demon street fighter. But just as this group was solidifying, up popped Angel's old love, Darla (the fantastic Julie Benz), freshly arrived in L.A. from a hell dimension… just in time to be turned into a vampire again by her old cohort, Drusilla (Juliet Landau), and lure Angel into abandoning his newly formed team.
Angel - Season Three
In the third season of Angel, the titular vampire with a soul was forced to stand alone thanks to the (temporary) death of his beloved Buffy and her show's move to a new network, with no crossover between the two allowed. He returns from seeking peace in a demon-haunted monastery to find the L.A. Angel Investigations team fighting supernatural crime in his absence. Fred is still haunted by the nightmare dimension from which they rescued her; Cordelia's visions get ever more painful and debilitating. The schemes of the evil law firm Wolfram and Hart become every more imaginative and dragon lady Lilah Morgan becomes even more of an enemy when lusting after Angel. Unbelievably, Darla, Angel's vampire sire and lover, turns up, pregnant with his child and is tortured by inexplicable motherly feelings as well as a raging thirst for human blood.
Angel - Season Four
As the fourth season of Angel, starts, everything is still as we left it: Angel has been sunk to the bottom of the sea in an iron box by his inexplicable and vindictive son Connor and Cordelia has been summoned to higher realms to await orders. Gunn and Fred are left in the Hyperion Hotel, unsure about what has happened to their friends, and Lilah is working hard to seduce Wesley to the dark side. In the first few episodes, some of this is resolved but it's almost immediately replaced by far worse crises: prophesies of doom accumulate more rapidly even than usual in this wonderfully gloomy show and a horned rock-like beast rains fire on Los Angeles. This last year is Angel’s most tightly dramatic season yet--with a story arc of surprising intensity punctuated by the show's usual wit and sexiness.
Angel - Season Five
Lives were upended--and some co-opted--in the fifth and final season of Angel, as the denizens of Angel Investigations found themselves taking on one of their scariest endeavors ever: corporate life. After making a literal deal with the devil (or something distinctly devil-like), Angel (David Boreanaz) moved his team from their crumbling hotel to the high-rise digs of law-firm-from-hell Wolfram & Hart, his reasoning being they could better fight the forces of evil from the inside, and with more resources to boot. Clever maneuvering or easy rationalization? Not a few members of Angel's team accused him of selling out (as did a number of viewers), but as with most of the show's previous four seasons, Angel somehow took a dubious premise and mined it for gold. And with one core cast member gone (Charisma Carpenter, whose Cordelia was immersed in a deep coma), it seemed as if the show, from within and without, would suddenly fall apart--that is, until Angel's longtime nemesis Spike (James Marsters) showed up, fresh from his sacrificial roasting at the series finale of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Let the vampire games begin!
Product Description
- ANGEL SEASON 1 (6 DISCS)
- ANGEL SEASON 2 (6 DISCS)
- ANGEL SEASON 3 (6 DISCS)
- ANGEL SEASON 4 (6 DISCS)
- ANGEL SEASON 5 (6 DISCS)
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
144 of 152 people found the following review helpful
By Jenn
Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase
To begin I must confess, the only time I have watched Angel..was after it arrived at my door this week in a cute little package. Don't get me wrong, I am a huge "Buffy" fan and own the Chosen Collection (Seasons 1-7). But because I have only recently started watching Angel, this review is for the boxset itself.
Since, I have the Chosen collection, I cannot help but compare the two. Angel the series comes in a (obviously) box, with 5 separate DVD holders that layer to make the face of our lovely brooding Vamp-hero-person guy. The sturdiness of the DVD holders caught my eye right off, they are much better than those in the Chosen collection (which were basically bonded with a weak adhesive) The box kinda folds apart, when you lift the lid, a panel falls down so you can see all the DVD season holders, the panel that falls down has a color pic of the Angel Cast. (this is similar to the Chosen collection)
The set includes a color-print booklet that outlines each episode with a short description. Each page highlights 3-4 episodes (the same number of eps. on the corresponding disc) and on the opposite page is a breakdown of the chapters in each show.
The most exciting feature (for me) is the letter from Joss Whedon to the "Angel Fan". A full letter comes folded in a blue envelope in which Joss Whedon discusses Angel, they whys and hows, and highlights some of his favorite moments. In comparison to the letter in the Chosen collection, Angel takes the cake.
The set is a bit pricey, but if you don't already have the individual seasons and like me, have been thinking and thinking that you MUST watch Angel in order to feel like a true Buffy-verse fan, then go ahead, indulge yourself! ;)
Though I am technically a new fan (not even through the 1st season yet!), for this past show, it has already made me laugh and cry. Some old and new faces to fall in love with.
So sit back, and let the dark mysterious stranger that is our beloved Angel entertain you, I don't think he will disappoint, he hasn't me yet!
<3
Since, I have the Chosen collection, I cannot help but compare the two. Angel the series comes in a (obviously) box, with 5 separate DVD holders that layer to make the face of our lovely brooding Vamp-hero-person guy. The sturdiness of the DVD holders caught my eye right off, they are much better than those in the Chosen collection (which were basically bonded with a weak adhesive) The box kinda folds apart, when you lift the lid, a panel falls down so you can see all the DVD season holders, the panel that falls down has a color pic of the Angel Cast. (this is similar to the Chosen collection)
The set includes a color-print booklet that outlines each episode with a short description. Each page highlights 3-4 episodes (the same number of eps. on the corresponding disc) and on the opposite page is a breakdown of the chapters in each show.
The most exciting feature (for me) is the letter from Joss Whedon to the "Angel Fan". A full letter comes folded in a blue envelope in which Joss Whedon discusses Angel, they whys and hows, and highlights some of his favorite moments. In comparison to the letter in the Chosen collection, Angel takes the cake.
The set is a bit pricey, but if you don't already have the individual seasons and like me, have been thinking and thinking that you MUST watch Angel in order to feel like a true Buffy-verse fan, then go ahead, indulge yourself! ;)
Though I am technically a new fan (not even through the 1st season yet!), for this past show, it has already made me laugh and cry. Some old and new faces to fall in love with.
So sit back, and let the dark mysterious stranger that is our beloved Angel entertain you, I don't think he will disappoint, he hasn't me yet!
<3
228 of 252 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
Angel ran an all too short five seasons from 1999-2004, and the now defunct WB network may be defunct in part because of its decision to cancel the show. The story starts out where Buffy The Vampire Slayer season 3 left off, with Angel leaving Sunnydale and his beloved Buffy so that she can have a semblance of a normal life, or at least a normal relationship, which the two of them could never have. The entire series can be divided into three parts, all of which take place in L.A., Angel's new home. I'll warn you right now, there are SPOILERS AHEAD.
The first part consists of season one, and is in monster-of-the-week format rather than the season-long story arcs that Joss Whedon was famous for in Buffy. In season one, Angel starts a supernatural detective agency, "Angel Investigations", with the help of Cordelia Chase, who has moved to L.A. after her family lost all of their money the previous year, and half human-half demon Doyle. Doyle dies a courageous death half-way through the season, and Wesley Windham-Pryce joins the cast as a "rogue demon hunter" who has been fired from the watcher's council for the Faith debacle in Sunnydale the previous year. In this first season he is the same awkward Wesley we saw in season three of BTVS, but that eventually changes. At the end of the season we are introduced to Charles Gunn, a streetwise kid who has been fighting demons his whole life and ekeing out a meager existence on the street. Slowly, he comes to trust Angel and eventually joins the group.
The second part of the series consists of seasons two through four, and is literally one long story arc. Season two deals with the resurrection of Angel's vampire lover Darla, the one who turned him into a vampire in 1753, and whom he killed in season one of BTVS. The ordeal of getting Darla back as a human, and then losing her again when she becomes a vampire once more, drives Angel to the dark side of his soul. He turns against his friends for a brief time as he goes on a crusade of punishing the guilty - Wolfram & Hart - rather than helping the helpless. Eventually he has an epiphany, and returns to his friends and his senses - but not before he and Darla have a night of passion that results in season three's story arc - Darla's pregnancy and the "birth" of Angel's son Conner. Also, at the end of season two the Fang Gang rescues a girl ("Fred") from an alternate dimension - Pylea - which also happens to be the home dimension of Lorne, an empath demon that has been helping Angel and his friends.
In season 3, Angel is adjusting to fatherhood when an old enemy from his vampire past is mystically conjured up - Holtz, a man whose entire family was killed by Angel and Darla when they were both vampires. Holtz uses Wesley's fear of a prophecy that "The father shall kill the son" to get him to steal Angel's son, whom Holtz in turn steals from Wesley. Holtz is cornered by multiple parties who also want Conner, and Holtz takes the infant and jumps into a portal to a hell dimension rather than give up the child. Later in season three, Conner and Holtz both return from the hell dimension. With time running differently in the two dimensions, Conner is now 18 years old, and none too fond of Angel, since Holtz' tales of Angel's cruelty as a vampire have doubtless been Conner's bedtime stories for his entire life. Holtz conjures up a plan to commit assisted suicide and make it look like he has been murdered by Angel so that Conner will take revenge on him. The plan works, and Conner sinks Angel to the bottom of the Pacific in a box, to suffer an everlasting torment of slow starvation.
Season four is the most misunderstood and the wildest ride of any of the seasons. In the first episode, Wesley tries to redeem himself by retrieving Angel from the bottom of the ocean after capturing Conner's accomplice in Angel's imprisonment. Cordelia was made a "higher power" at the end of season three, and she suddenly turns up at Angel's doorstep several episodes into season four, unable to remember anything. The rest of the season is a dizzying blur that involves a mysterious Beast that blots out the sun, the temporary unsouling of Angel so that the gang can question Angelus about his memories of the Beast, another mystical pregnancy that culminates in an evil higher power - Jasmine - coming into the world, and that evil power bringing "world peace" in return for the world's unquestioning worship - until Angel allows people to see Jasmine's true appearance and they run from her in horror. The season concludes with Angel and his crew being given control of the L.A. branch of evil mystical law firm Wolfram & Hart supposedly as a reward for "destroying world peace". Angel agrees to the deal, if in return all memories of Conner's existence are erased from everyone who knew him and if Conner is placed in a "normal" family with new planted memories that involve only his new family, and not his actual past. This acts as a reset for all of the emotional pain of the past three years for everyone except Angel, who retains his memories of what actually happened.
Season five basically stands alone and is the third and final part of the series. This final season returns more to the monster-of-the-week format that was present in season one, largely as a condition of WB renewing the show since the confusing labrynth that was season four had not had stellar ratings. Spike, from the now defunct BTVS, is thrown into the mix, at first as a ghost that is unable to leave the premises of Wolfram & Hart. Later in the season Spike reclaims his corporeal presence, though. The first part of the season is on the light side, as each member of the Fang Gang receives their dream job on a platter at Wolfram & Hart, with all of the resources they could ever ask, and the hope of doing good deeds in a place once renowned for evil. Later though, they slowly discover that is they that are being changed and compromised, not the law firm. This culminates in one great tragedy two-thirds into the season, resulting in the death of one the members of the Fang Gang. In the end, Angel and his crew decide to turn the tables and strike at the heart of the players in the Apocalypse by killing all of the members of an evil secret society. They are successful, but there are casualties among their ranks. The last scene shows the survivors cornered in an alley about to be attacked by Wolfram & Hart's minions. When asked what they should do, the last line of the show is Angel telling the others "Well, Personally? I Kinda Wanna Slay the Dragon." as he swings a sword and we fade to black. The Fang Gang goes out fighting and we never really know what happened to them, and because the actors have long since gone on to other projects, we never will.
"Angel" is adult fare from start to finish, not the teen fare of at least the early years of Buffy. However, Joss Whedon's epic tale of a vampire with a soul and his search for redemption is great television. Angel is not the only character on a journey in this series. Throughout the tenure of the show we watch the shallow and selfish Cordelia Chase change into a brave soul who is willing to become part demon in order to continue on in her mission. We also watch as Wesley changes from buffoonish comic relief into a true rogue demon hunter who has a penchant for darkness that rivals Angel. Charles Gunn changes from the street-wise kid who is proud of being the muscle into someone who is willing to sell his soul to not to return to that role. Even Lorne is not spared, as he changes from the consummate entertainer with an ever-sunny personality into someone who can only find solace at the bottom of a glass of alcohol and loses his heart for the good fight "the moment I found out a girl I loved was going to die".
As far as the specific contents of this package go, you'll be getting all of the 110 original episodes with all of the extra features included in the original DVD sets. In addition, there is supposed to be a companion booklet and a special letter to fans from Joss Whedon.
The first part consists of season one, and is in monster-of-the-week format rather than the season-long story arcs that Joss Whedon was famous for in Buffy. In season one, Angel starts a supernatural detective agency, "Angel Investigations", with the help of Cordelia Chase, who has moved to L.A. after her family lost all of their money the previous year, and half human-half demon Doyle. Doyle dies a courageous death half-way through the season, and Wesley Windham-Pryce joins the cast as a "rogue demon hunter" who has been fired from the watcher's council for the Faith debacle in Sunnydale the previous year. In this first season he is the same awkward Wesley we saw in season three of BTVS, but that eventually changes. At the end of the season we are introduced to Charles Gunn, a streetwise kid who has been fighting demons his whole life and ekeing out a meager existence on the street. Slowly, he comes to trust Angel and eventually joins the group.
The second part of the series consists of seasons two through four, and is literally one long story arc. Season two deals with the resurrection of Angel's vampire lover Darla, the one who turned him into a vampire in 1753, and whom he killed in season one of BTVS. The ordeal of getting Darla back as a human, and then losing her again when she becomes a vampire once more, drives Angel to the dark side of his soul. He turns against his friends for a brief time as he goes on a crusade of punishing the guilty - Wolfram & Hart - rather than helping the helpless. Eventually he has an epiphany, and returns to his friends and his senses - but not before he and Darla have a night of passion that results in season three's story arc - Darla's pregnancy and the "birth" of Angel's son Conner. Also, at the end of season two the Fang Gang rescues a girl ("Fred") from an alternate dimension - Pylea - which also happens to be the home dimension of Lorne, an empath demon that has been helping Angel and his friends.
In season 3, Angel is adjusting to fatherhood when an old enemy from his vampire past is mystically conjured up - Holtz, a man whose entire family was killed by Angel and Darla when they were both vampires. Holtz uses Wesley's fear of a prophecy that "The father shall kill the son" to get him to steal Angel's son, whom Holtz in turn steals from Wesley. Holtz is cornered by multiple parties who also want Conner, and Holtz takes the infant and jumps into a portal to a hell dimension rather than give up the child. Later in season three, Conner and Holtz both return from the hell dimension. With time running differently in the two dimensions, Conner is now 18 years old, and none too fond of Angel, since Holtz' tales of Angel's cruelty as a vampire have doubtless been Conner's bedtime stories for his entire life. Holtz conjures up a plan to commit assisted suicide and make it look like he has been murdered by Angel so that Conner will take revenge on him. The plan works, and Conner sinks Angel to the bottom of the Pacific in a box, to suffer an everlasting torment of slow starvation.
Season four is the most misunderstood and the wildest ride of any of the seasons. In the first episode, Wesley tries to redeem himself by retrieving Angel from the bottom of the ocean after capturing Conner's accomplice in Angel's imprisonment. Cordelia was made a "higher power" at the end of season three, and she suddenly turns up at Angel's doorstep several episodes into season four, unable to remember anything. The rest of the season is a dizzying blur that involves a mysterious Beast that blots out the sun, the temporary unsouling of Angel so that the gang can question Angelus about his memories of the Beast, another mystical pregnancy that culminates in an evil higher power - Jasmine - coming into the world, and that evil power bringing "world peace" in return for the world's unquestioning worship - until Angel allows people to see Jasmine's true appearance and they run from her in horror. The season concludes with Angel and his crew being given control of the L.A. branch of evil mystical law firm Wolfram & Hart supposedly as a reward for "destroying world peace". Angel agrees to the deal, if in return all memories of Conner's existence are erased from everyone who knew him and if Conner is placed in a "normal" family with new planted memories that involve only his new family, and not his actual past. This acts as a reset for all of the emotional pain of the past three years for everyone except Angel, who retains his memories of what actually happened.
Season five basically stands alone and is the third and final part of the series. This final season returns more to the monster-of-the-week format that was present in season one, largely as a condition of WB renewing the show since the confusing labrynth that was season four had not had stellar ratings. Spike, from the now defunct BTVS, is thrown into the mix, at first as a ghost that is unable to leave the premises of Wolfram & Hart. Later in the season Spike reclaims his corporeal presence, though. The first part of the season is on the light side, as each member of the Fang Gang receives their dream job on a platter at Wolfram & Hart, with all of the resources they could ever ask, and the hope of doing good deeds in a place once renowned for evil. Later though, they slowly discover that is they that are being changed and compromised, not the law firm. This culminates in one great tragedy two-thirds into the season, resulting in the death of one the members of the Fang Gang. In the end, Angel and his crew decide to turn the tables and strike at the heart of the players in the Apocalypse by killing all of the members of an evil secret society. They are successful, but there are casualties among their ranks. The last scene shows the survivors cornered in an alley about to be attacked by Wolfram & Hart's minions. When asked what they should do, the last line of the show is Angel telling the others "Well, Personally? I Kinda Wanna Slay the Dragon." as he swings a sword and we fade to black. The Fang Gang goes out fighting and we never really know what happened to them, and because the actors have long since gone on to other projects, we never will.
"Angel" is adult fare from start to finish, not the teen fare of at least the early years of Buffy. However, Joss Whedon's epic tale of a vampire with a soul and his search for redemption is great television. Angel is not the only character on a journey in this series. Throughout the tenure of the show we watch the shallow and selfish Cordelia Chase change into a brave soul who is willing to become part demon in order to continue on in her mission. We also watch as Wesley changes from buffoonish comic relief into a true rogue demon hunter who has a penchant for darkness that rivals Angel. Charles Gunn changes from the street-wise kid who is proud of being the muscle into someone who is willing to sell his soul to not to return to that role. Even Lorne is not spared, as he changes from the consummate entertainer with an ever-sunny personality into someone who can only find solace at the bottom of a glass of alcohol and loses his heart for the good fight "the moment I found out a girl I loved was going to die".
As far as the specific contents of this package go, you'll be getting all of the 110 original episodes with all of the extra features included in the original DVD sets. In addition, there is supposed to be a companion booklet and a special letter to fans from Joss Whedon.
40 of 45 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
Angel ran an all too short five seasons from 1999-2004, and the now defunct WB may be defunct in part because of its decision to cancel the show. The story starts out where Buffy The Vampire Slayer season 3 left off, with Angel leaving Sunnydale and his beloved Buffy so that she can have a semblance of a normal life, or at least a normal relationship, which the two of them could never have. The entire series can be divided into three parts, all of which take place in L.A., Angel's new home.
The first part consists of season one, and is in monster-of-the-week format rather than the season-long story arcs that Joss Whedon was famous for in Buffy. In season one, Angel starts a supernatural detective agency, "Angel Investigations", with the help of Cordelia Chase, who has moved to L.A. after her family lost all of their money the previous year, and half human-half demon Doyle. Doyle dies a courageous death half-way through the season, and Wesley Windham-Pryce joins the cast as a "rogue demon hunter" who has been fired from the watcher's council for the Faith debacle in Sunnydale the previous year. In this first season he is the same awkward Wesley we saw in season three of BTVS, but that eventually changes. At the end of the season we are introduced to Charles Gunn, a streetwise kid who has been fighting demons his whole life and ekeing out a meager existence on the street. Slowly, he comes to trust Angel and eventually joins the group.
The second part of the series consists of seasons two through four, and is literally one long story arc. Season two deals with the resurrection of Angel's vampire lover Darla, the one who turned him into a vampire in 1753, and whom he killed in season one of BTVS. The ordeal of getting Darla back as a human, and then losing her again when she becomes a vampire once more, drives Angel to the dark side of his soul. He turns against his friends for a brief time as he goes on a crusade of punishing the guilty - Wolfram & Hart - rather than helping the helpless. Eventually he has an epiphany, and returns to his friends and his senses - but not before he and Darla have a night of passion that results in season three's story arc - Darla's pregnancy and the "birth" of Angel's son Conner. Also, at the end of season two the Fang Gang rescues a girl ("Fred") from an alternate dimension - Pylea - which also happens to be the home dimension of Lorne, an empath demon that has been helping Angel and his friends.
In season 3, Angel is adjusting to fatherhood when an old enemy from his vampire past is mystically conjured up - Holtz, a man whose entire family was killed by Angel and Darla when they were both vampires. Holtz uses Wesley's fear of a prophecy that "The father shall kill the son" to get him to steal Angel's son, whom Holtz in turn steals from Wesley. Holtz is cornered by multiple parties who also want Conner, and Holtz takes the infant and jumps into a portal to a hell dimension rather than give up the child. Later in season three, Conner and Holtz both return from the hell dimension. With time running differently in the two dimensions, Conner is now 18 years old, and none too fond of Angel, since Holtz' tales of Angel's cruelty as a vampire have doubtless been Conner's bedtime stories for his entire life. Holtz conjures up a plan to commit assisted suicide and make it look like he has been murdered by Angel so that Conner will take revenge on him. The plan works, and Conner sinks Angel to the bottom of the Pacific in a box, to suffer an everlasting torment of slow starvation.
Season four is the most misunderstood and the wildest ride of any of the seasons. In the first episode, Wesley tries to redeem himself by retrieving Angel from the bottom of the ocean after capturing Conner's accomplice in Angel's imprisonment. Cordelia was made a "higher power" at the end of season three, and she suddenly turns up at Angel's doorstep several episodes into season four, unable to remember anything. The rest of the season is a dizzying blur that involves a mysterious Beast that blots out the sun, the temporary unsouling of Angel so that the gang can question Angelus about his memories of the Beast, another mystical pregnancy that culminates in an evil higher power - Jasmine - coming into the world, and that evil power bringing "world peace" in return for the world's unquestioning worship - until Angel allows people to see Jasmine's true appearance and they run from her in horror. The season concludes with Angel and his crew being given control of the L.A. branch of evil mystical law firm Wolfram & Hart supposedly as a reward for "destroying world peace". Angel agrees to the deal, if in return all memories of Conner's existence are erased from everyone who knew him and if Conner is placed in a "normal" family with new planted memories that involve only his new family, and not his actual past. This acts as a reset for all of the emotional pain of the past three years for everyone except Angel, who retains his memories of what actually happened.
Season five basically stands alone and is the third and final part of the series. This final season returns more to the monster-of-the-week format that was present in season one, largely as a condition of WB renewing the show since the confusing labrynth that was season four had not had stellar ratings. Spike, from the now defunct BTVS, is thrown into the mix, at first as a ghost that is unable to leave the premises of Wolfram & Hart. Later in the season Spike reclaims his corporeal presence, though. The first part of the season is on the light side, as each member of the Fang Gang receives their dream job on a platter at Wolfram & Hart, with all of the resources they could ever ask, and the hope of doing good deeds in a place once renowned for evil. Later though, they slowly discover that is they that are being changed and compromised, not the law firm. This culminates in one great tragedy two-thirds into the season, resulting in the death of one the members of the Fang Gang. In the end, Angel and his crew decide to turn the tables and strike at the heart of the players in the Apocalypse by killing all of the members of an evil secret society. They are successful, but there are casualties among their ranks. The last scene shows the survivors cornered in an alley about to be attacked by Wolfram & Hart's minions. When asked what they should do, the last line of the show is Angel telling the others "Well, Personally? I Kinda Wanna Slay the Dragon." as he swings a sword and we fade to black. The Fang Gang goes out fighting and we never really know what happened to them, and because the actors have long since gone on to other projects, we never will.
"Angel" is adult fare from start to finish, not the teen fare of at least the early years of Buffy. However, Joss Whedon's epic tale of a vampire with a soul and his search for redemption is great television. Angel is not the only character on a journey in this series. Throughout the tenure of the show we watch the shallow and selfish Cordelia Chase change into a brave soul who is willing to become part demon in order to continue on in her mission. We also watch as Wesley changes from buffoonish comic relief into a true rogue demon hunter who has a penchant for darkness that rivals Angel. Charles Gunn changes from the street-wise kid who is proud of being the muscle into someone who is willing to sell his soul to not to return to that role. Even Lorne is not spared, as he changes from the consummate entertainer with an ever-sunny personality into someone who can only find solace at the bottom of a glass of alcohol and loses his heart for the good fight "the moment I found out a girl I loved was going to die".
The first part consists of season one, and is in monster-of-the-week format rather than the season-long story arcs that Joss Whedon was famous for in Buffy. In season one, Angel starts a supernatural detective agency, "Angel Investigations", with the help of Cordelia Chase, who has moved to L.A. after her family lost all of their money the previous year, and half human-half demon Doyle. Doyle dies a courageous death half-way through the season, and Wesley Windham-Pryce joins the cast as a "rogue demon hunter" who has been fired from the watcher's council for the Faith debacle in Sunnydale the previous year. In this first season he is the same awkward Wesley we saw in season three of BTVS, but that eventually changes. At the end of the season we are introduced to Charles Gunn, a streetwise kid who has been fighting demons his whole life and ekeing out a meager existence on the street. Slowly, he comes to trust Angel and eventually joins the group.
The second part of the series consists of seasons two through four, and is literally one long story arc. Season two deals with the resurrection of Angel's vampire lover Darla, the one who turned him into a vampire in 1753, and whom he killed in season one of BTVS. The ordeal of getting Darla back as a human, and then losing her again when she becomes a vampire once more, drives Angel to the dark side of his soul. He turns against his friends for a brief time as he goes on a crusade of punishing the guilty - Wolfram & Hart - rather than helping the helpless. Eventually he has an epiphany, and returns to his friends and his senses - but not before he and Darla have a night of passion that results in season three's story arc - Darla's pregnancy and the "birth" of Angel's son Conner. Also, at the end of season two the Fang Gang rescues a girl ("Fred") from an alternate dimension - Pylea - which also happens to be the home dimension of Lorne, an empath demon that has been helping Angel and his friends.
In season 3, Angel is adjusting to fatherhood when an old enemy from his vampire past is mystically conjured up - Holtz, a man whose entire family was killed by Angel and Darla when they were both vampires. Holtz uses Wesley's fear of a prophecy that "The father shall kill the son" to get him to steal Angel's son, whom Holtz in turn steals from Wesley. Holtz is cornered by multiple parties who also want Conner, and Holtz takes the infant and jumps into a portal to a hell dimension rather than give up the child. Later in season three, Conner and Holtz both return from the hell dimension. With time running differently in the two dimensions, Conner is now 18 years old, and none too fond of Angel, since Holtz' tales of Angel's cruelty as a vampire have doubtless been Conner's bedtime stories for his entire life. Holtz conjures up a plan to commit assisted suicide and make it look like he has been murdered by Angel so that Conner will take revenge on him. The plan works, and Conner sinks Angel to the bottom of the Pacific in a box, to suffer an everlasting torment of slow starvation.
Season four is the most misunderstood and the wildest ride of any of the seasons. In the first episode, Wesley tries to redeem himself by retrieving Angel from the bottom of the ocean after capturing Conner's accomplice in Angel's imprisonment. Cordelia was made a "higher power" at the end of season three, and she suddenly turns up at Angel's doorstep several episodes into season four, unable to remember anything. The rest of the season is a dizzying blur that involves a mysterious Beast that blots out the sun, the temporary unsouling of Angel so that the gang can question Angelus about his memories of the Beast, another mystical pregnancy that culminates in an evil higher power - Jasmine - coming into the world, and that evil power bringing "world peace" in return for the world's unquestioning worship - until Angel allows people to see Jasmine's true appearance and they run from her in horror. The season concludes with Angel and his crew being given control of the L.A. branch of evil mystical law firm Wolfram & Hart supposedly as a reward for "destroying world peace". Angel agrees to the deal, if in return all memories of Conner's existence are erased from everyone who knew him and if Conner is placed in a "normal" family with new planted memories that involve only his new family, and not his actual past. This acts as a reset for all of the emotional pain of the past three years for everyone except Angel, who retains his memories of what actually happened.
Season five basically stands alone and is the third and final part of the series. This final season returns more to the monster-of-the-week format that was present in season one, largely as a condition of WB renewing the show since the confusing labrynth that was season four had not had stellar ratings. Spike, from the now defunct BTVS, is thrown into the mix, at first as a ghost that is unable to leave the premises of Wolfram & Hart. Later in the season Spike reclaims his corporeal presence, though. The first part of the season is on the light side, as each member of the Fang Gang receives their dream job on a platter at Wolfram & Hart, with all of the resources they could ever ask, and the hope of doing good deeds in a place once renowned for evil. Later though, they slowly discover that is they that are being changed and compromised, not the law firm. This culminates in one great tragedy two-thirds into the season, resulting in the death of one the members of the Fang Gang. In the end, Angel and his crew decide to turn the tables and strike at the heart of the players in the Apocalypse by killing all of the members of an evil secret society. They are successful, but there are casualties among their ranks. The last scene shows the survivors cornered in an alley about to be attacked by Wolfram & Hart's minions. When asked what they should do, the last line of the show is Angel telling the others "Well, Personally? I Kinda Wanna Slay the Dragon." as he swings a sword and we fade to black. The Fang Gang goes out fighting and we never really know what happened to them, and because the actors have long since gone on to other projects, we never will.
"Angel" is adult fare from start to finish, not the teen fare of at least the early years of Buffy. However, Joss Whedon's epic tale of a vampire with a soul and his search for redemption is great television. Angel is not the only character on a journey in this series. Throughout the tenure of the show we watch the shallow and selfish Cordelia Chase change into a brave soul who is willing to become part demon in order to continue on in her mission. We also watch as Wesley changes from buffoonish comic relief into a true rogue demon hunter who has a penchant for darkness that rivals Angel. Charles Gunn changes from the street-wise kid who is proud of being the muscle into someone who is willing to sell his soul to not to return to that role. Even Lorne is not spared, as he changes from the consummate entertainer with an ever-sunny personality into someone who can only find solace at the bottom of a glass of alcohol and loses his heart for the good fight "the moment I found out a girl I loved was going to die".
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Better the second time around
i saw almost all of the episodes when "Angel" aired, but found it more interesting, meaningful and thoughtful on
DVD, particularly with the commentary, interviews and... Read more
DVD, particularly with the commentary, interviews and... Read more
Published 1 day ago by Ann Butler
5.0 out of 5 stars
broken jewl case
Yes, yes. I'm an Angel and 'Bones' fan-girl. Everything is/was as stated, came brand new & unscratched and came quickly in the mail. Read more
Published 1 day ago by E. Korb
5.0 out of 5 stars
Angel
Great movies. We enjoyed the star in Buffy movies, and now we get to watch him in his own movies..
Published 7 days ago by vicki murry
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wonderful Show!
Overall, I really loved this show. I did prefer the first 3 seasons. The last 2 were quite different. Read more
Published 28 days ago by Stephanie
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wish come true!
I loved Angel when it was on and now I can watch it over and over!!
It is a great series and follow up to Buffy the Vampire Slayer
It is a great series and follow up to Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Published 1 month ago by Debbie J.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Nothing quite like a Vampire with a Soul
It is wonderful to have the whole series as a boxed set!!! I loved this show and watched it religiously when it was on tv. Episodes now are rerun on DishTv at 2 or 3 am weekdays. Read more
Published 1 month ago by wwckkottage
5.0 out of 5 stars
THE VAMP WITH A SOUL DOES IT AGAIN
ANYONE WHO LIKE BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER WILL LOVE THIS COLLECTION AND THIS SHOW ANGEL VAMP WITH A SOUL ROCKS
Published 1 month ago by michael lynch
5.0 out of 5 stars
angelus
Angel isn't as good as Buffy, but it's still a great show! Angel is sexier than ever and even more so when he's Angelus! Read more
Published 1 month ago by angelus
5.0 out of 5 stars
Never ending series
It may be my age, but i find myself watching this series over and over as each episode seems new each time.
Published 1 month ago by Gordon D. Janssen
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Product
Fantastic price. I fully inspected these when they arrived. No scratched or damaged discs. They arrived very quickly and I am completely satisfied with my purchase.
Published 1 month ago by LarryNC
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