Much like the phenomenally fun Buffy Q&A I did after finishing all seven seasons of that show, I’d like to continue the tradition of hosting a Q&A about my experience so that we can discuss overarching themes, minutia, and other such things WITHOUT HAVING TO USE ROT13.
Important things you should know before posting a question:
- I am going to read the Joss-approved canon comics for BOTH Buffy and Angel. I do have an order for them. They will be posted on Mark Reads as double features, meaning that they will not interrupt the normal The Immortals or Newsflesh posts and instead will be a second post that goes up in the afternoon. I will start these as soon as I finish the manuscript for the final Mark Reads Harry Potter book, which should not take longer than two weeks from today.Â
- Please check the Master Schedule, as I have re-watches of Buffy and Angel scheduled for the next week. These discussion posts will go up in the mornings on Mark Watches.
- We will continue with Dollhouse through next Thursday, and then I’ll review the Buffy the Vampire Slayer film with Donald Sutherland and Kristy Swanson.
- After that, I start Cowboy Bebop and Princess Tutu simultaneously!
Otherwise, let’s discuss Angel!
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Nooooo, oh my god, CORDELIA and DOYLE and ANGEL LOOKS SO YOUNG HERE. God, remember when I thought the Wolfram and Hart storyline would only last one season? IT WAS A SERIES-LONG ARC. h e l p. In hindsight, this is a much better pilot than I thought it was, and I still enjoyed it quite a bit the first time I saw it. It really set the bar for how fucked up, morally ambiguous, and upsetting Angel would be. Ugh, it also makes me miss Cordelia forever.
The setting for this show is also one of the things Angel did super well, and I know I commented on the realistic nature of the portrayal of Los Angeles often. I’m still kind of bitter and hateful about the place, but I was born there and had a lot of shitty things happen to me, so I recognize my bias. If anything, Angel kind of reminded why I lived there for so long. It’s an unreal and massive metropolis, where a billion things are happening at any moment spread across city lines that are big enough to hold entire counties within their borders. And the show also didn’t ignore the fact that so many people flock to L.A. only to have their dreams broken. So what do those people do to survive?
PS: ANGEL KICKED A VAMPIRE OUT OF A HIGH RISE IN THE PREMIERE AND I WILL FOREVER THINK THIS IS ONE OF THE BEST THINGS I’VE EVER SEEN IN A PILOT.
Oh god, look at Lindsey LOOK AT HIS FUCKING FACE ugh can I just retroactively kill him before he ruins everything.
LET’S DISCUSS THIS, EVERYONE.
