Buffy or Angel?

Discussion in 'Science Fiction & Fantasy' started by amdmiami, Aug 10, 2008.

?

Which show do you prefer?

  1. Buffy: The Vampire Slayer

    45.8%
  2. Angel: The series

    54.2%
  1. crouteru

    crouteru Captain Captain

    Joined:
    Feb 24, 2008
    Angel is awesome, but I had to vote for Buffy for beginning a new and unique fantasy universe. I also liked Joss Whedon's idea of turning the dumb blonde in distress cliche on it's head.
     
  2. Jenee

    Jenee Dancing Goddess Premium Member

    Joined:
    Apr 28, 2005
    Location:
    In the park
    Oh, you're right about that. and crouteru is correct about the originality of the storyline - you gotta give him that. I saw the movie way back when and like it. But, as an ongoing storyline... I didn't even see the series until I'd seen Angel on reruns up through season 2. Then got pregnant and had to stay in bed for a month. That's when I borrowed the series from my sister-in-law.

    However, as an ongoing storyline, Angel wins out. (minus the last two seasons, of course)
     
  3. OdoWanKenobi

    OdoWanKenobi Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Jan 2, 2003
    Location:
    Ysmault
    That's odd, I thought the consensus was that Angel's last season was its strongest.
     
  4. Lindley

    Lindley Moderator with a Soul Premium Member

    Joined:
    Nov 30, 2001
    Location:
    Bonney Lake, WA
    Angel season 5 is great. Wasn't that big a fan of season 4, though. I actually would have been interested in seeing more of non-psycho Connor had there been a season 6.

    I heard Oz was supposed to show up again in year 6. Shame....
     
  5. judge alba

    judge alba senior street judge Commodore

    Joined:
    Apr 7, 2008
    Location:
    mega city 1
    voted for buffy couldnt get into angel for some reason it just bored me even though they arte pretty much the same kind of while i could get into buffy it was more funnier
     
  6. Kemaiku

    Kemaiku Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Dec 23, 2004
    Location:
    Northern Ireland
    The majority opinion I've seen is more along the lines of "season 4 is crap, season 5 is good but not as good as the first three" which is about right.
     
  7. WillsBabe

    WillsBabe Vice Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Dec 27, 2002
    This is a difficult question. My head says Angel but my heart says Buffy.

    I love Buffy for loads of reasons - I love the whole concept of the Buffyverse as it came to be in Buffy. I love the idea of the blonde walking into the alley with the threatening man and it being the blonde who walks out. I love the characters of Spike and Dru and their relationship, especially when they were first introduced. I love the guardianship of Giles watching over the younger characters. And I love the relationship between Buffy and Angel, and between Spike and Buffy. It's not because I'm a particular shipper or think there is something "destined" about either of the relationships, I just love the kind of the blonde girl fucking the vampire. So, I love Buffy for its earthy, physicality.

    Angel is more restrained, I feel. For a start we don't see Angel in gameface even very often. They could have made a whole lot between him and various women, and yet they didn't. I like Angel. I appeciate it. Buffy I love.
     
  8. Ethros

    Ethros Vice Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Nov 4, 2001
    Location:
    1123 6536 5321
    Season 4 is actually my favourite season of Angel. If you study the arc plot yes it is bullshit and makes no sense really, but that's mainly due to Charisma's pregnncy messing up their plans, and I don't really care anyways. For general consistency of episode quality it only falls under Buffy Season 3 IMO. Everything from Spin The Bottle to Orpheus is brilliant- Angelus, The Beast, Faith, Badass Wes, Rain of Fire, Lilah etc, I had many a fangasm when it first aired


    There is. Read Angel: After The Fall (first TPB of #1-5 is out now) Connor is an awesome kickass demon fighter now he's sorted his head out. Great story of what happened to him after Not Fade Away in #6 & 7
     
  9. ZERO_of_ZERO

    ZERO_of_ZERO Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

    Joined:
    Jan 19, 2008
    Location:
    Edinburgh
    Always Buffy.
     
  10. Skywalker

    Skywalker Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Feb 24, 2005
    The same thing happened with Buffy, strangely enough.
     
  11. amdmiami

    amdmiami Commander Red Shirt

    Joined:
    Feb 1, 2008
    IMO season 5 of Buffy is the second best after season 2. Season 5 felt like one long story and it had the most epic feel to it. I also think that season 6 of Buffy is underrated. I loved how dark it was but most people hate it because of that. The only think I hated about season 6 was the disgusting Spuffy relationship were they had degrading public sex every chance they got.
     
  12. Trent Roman

    Trent Roman Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

    Joined:
    Jun 5, 2001
    Location:
    The Palace of Pernicious Pleasures
    Buffy. I think Angel was better in most of the technical aspects, but Buffy had that metaphorical dimension going for it Angel never really had. It was just easier to empathize and relate to Buffy's characters than Angel's, however neat many of them were.

    Fictitiously yours, Trent Roman
     
  13. Jenee

    Jenee Dancing Goddess Premium Member

    Joined:
    Apr 28, 2005
    Location:
    In the park
    Oh, how could I forget?!?

    I loved badass Wes.
     
  14. label

    label Vice Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Apr 7, 2000
    Location:
    Indiana
    That's certainly not what I've heard. In fact, most people I've talked to, even here on this board, consider Season 4 to be the high point based on it's tight, serial storytelling.

    Season 5 overall is probably not quite as good as Season 3 but I'd definitely say it ranks above Season 2 and especially Season 1.
     
  15. label

    label Vice Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Apr 7, 2000
    Location:
    Indiana
    Exactly my thoughts as well. Also agreed that only Buffy Season 3 was better overall in the Whedonverse.
     
  16. OdoWanKenobi

    OdoWanKenobi Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Jan 2, 2003
    Location:
    Ysmault
    I don't hate season four of Angel, and still think it's better than 99% of the drivel on TV, I just have problems with it that make it pale in comparison to the other seasons:

    1. Connor is a terrible character. There's no other way to spin this.
    2. Having such a beloved character as Cordelia not really be Cordelia for the entire season makes things seem very weird. If not for You're Welcome, the last time we really saw Cordelia as we knew her would have been at the end of season three.
    3. Damn was this season dark with The Beast, Angelus, Wesley, etc. (I'm not complaining about that I really liked those elements) which makes the Jasmine episodes seem downright silly. It was really a bad way to end such a dark ark.
     
  17. label

    label Vice Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Apr 7, 2000
    Location:
    Indiana
    Yeah, in Season 4 his character was really rough. I like where they took him in Season 5 but it was definitely hard to hang with him in Season 4. Doesn't take much away from my ability to enjoy the arc but I can't disagree with this asessment.

    True, but the producers did the best they could with a Charisma real-life pregnancy. It certainly wasn't the direction they wanted to go but what else can you do? Given that, I give them a pass on the lame Cordy arc for Season 4.

    The Jasmine arc certainly seemed counter-climax when I first watched it. However, on repeat viewings, it's actually quite elegant when you consider the whole series in context. (At least from where I'm typing).
     
  18. unimatrix7

    unimatrix7 Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

    Joined:
    Dec 6, 2001
    Location:
    Australia
    Angel, by a country mile. I loved Buffy in the early years, but it declined sharply in season 4. The writers were in way over their heads with The Initiative, and despite their best efforts to darken the tone it came off as silly and unintentionally hilarious. Season 5 was a mild improvement, but seasons 6 and 7 were, IMO, abysmal.

    In contrast, Angel went from strength to strength, with the only missteps being Connor and that stupidly convoluted arc that dominated most of season 4.

    I think Connor might have been more tolerable if anybody other than Vincent Kartheiser had the part. His looks, his voice, his line delivery...it all just annoyed the hell out of me.

    But character-wise, I loved how the writers grew Cordelia and Wesley, and later Fred, but I wish we got to see more of Kate Lockley. She was a champ :D
     
    Last edited: Aug 11, 2008
  19. OdoWanKenobi

    OdoWanKenobi Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Jan 2, 2003
    Location:
    Ysmault
    I'd hardly describe it as elegant. More like convoluted. But I just felt that the entire season had been leading up the the honest to god end of the freaking world. Not the real end of course (Angel and crew would stop it) but it truly felt like the biggest and baddest of the would-be apocalypses so far in either show (The Beat appearing and wiping out W&H, fire raining from the sky, perpetual darkness, and our heroes being so desperate that they would risk unleashing Angelus.). Then for it to finally take the path that it did felt like a letdown. Not to mention inconsistent. For the entire season, the big bad is like the archetypal evil, but when we finally see Jasmine, she's practically benevolent (besides that whole eating people thing.) It seems a huge change in character that just doesn't work for me.
     
  20. Lindley

    Lindley Moderator with a Soul Premium Member

    Joined:
    Nov 30, 2001
    Location:
    Bonney Lake, WA
    I'm not sure "benevolent" is the right term. She made people happy and content, yes, but she did so by removing their free will. That's an old story that's been done many times in Science Fiction-----the Star Trek: New Frontier novels have also done it, for one-----but this approach to the tale worked reasonably well.

    My complaint with season 4 is mainly about early Cordy. Before we learn it's not really her in the pilot's seat, her behavior just seems weird. As in, completely wrong. And even knowing ahead of time what's up, those episodes are still hard to watch.