On season 4 of Buffy...should I be watching Angel?

[Sparkle Fabulosa]

^ Yeah. With all the evil that goes on in the Buffyverse, it's really hard to imagine a "happy place."

 

[RoJoHen]

For all we know, there are lots of happy places!

 

[CorporalClegg]

With bunnies.

And really big shrimp.

 

[Sparkle Fabulosa]

^ I think you mean a world without shrimp.

And where Jonathan is the greatest person ever!

 

[CorporalClegg]

A world without shrimp is no happy place at all.

 

[RoJoHen]

^ I think you mean a world without shrimp.

Actually there are both.

 

[Sparkle Fabulosa]

A world without shrimp is no happy place at all.

It is for Tara.

 

[RoJoHen]

Indeed. She is allergic.

 

[Sparkle Fabulosa]

I like to imagine that when she died, she was taken to "The World Without Shrimp" complete with her own AU Willow. The two of them run a magic shop, and are happily raising Miss. Kitty Fantastico the second.

 

[theenglish]

The only thing I didn't like about the Buffy finale (and I had the same problem with the Season 5 finale, which was supposed to be the end of the show originally), is that I think the last scene ends too abruptly. I think series finales, especially for shows that have been around a long time, need a little bit more of a wind down period at the end, even if it's just an extra minute or two.

I am partial to series finales where you have a sense of closure but not everything is wrapped up. Buffy ended just right for me, but so did the Sopranos and Seinfeld. They all had a great sense of thematic closure while still leaving the universe wide open.

The only two shows that had a great ending along the lines you are mentioning (IMO) are The Fugitive and DS9. For the record I was disappointed in the ending of Voyager and Enterprise. TNG was okay but disappointing considering that I wanted so much more.

Regarding the comics--I only read the season 8 comics but what I liked was that it gave an idea of how Wheadon would have done the series if he had had an unlimited effects and location budget.

 

[theenglish]

I guess the whole ghost thing is their reason for why Spike can't just run off back to Buffy but I really don't think it's going to work for the full season. Hopefully he gets re-bodied somehow before he becomes Gazoo.

The beginning of Angel Season 5 is meant to be a mini reintroduction to the show. New setting. Some new characters. Quite a few standalone episodes in the beginning.

Don't worry. Things get good, and Spike's situation is addressed.

Regarding Xander's reaction to Anya's death, to be fair, the guy hasn't had time to even start grieving by the final scene. Give him time.

On Angel Season 5, the OP should know that Spike was shoehorned into the series by mandate, not Wheadon's creative decision, but Wheadon made it work. Also, the series was cancelled before Wheadon could design a proper ending to the series. The ending works but you know that there are many things left hanging that would have been worked out if the show had received a sixth season.

 

[JirinPanthosa]

Right now I'm only on ep 5 of the last season. Seems kind of silly so far, not a fan of Spike as Gazoo or this weird extended Prisoner episode of Angel running WR&H.

 

[RoJoHen]

For what's it's worth, Season 5 contains some of my absolute favorite Angel episodes, but it doesn't really happen until the second half of the season.

 

[JirinPanthosa]

I've been thinking. Somewhere, there is a woman whose two year old just became a slayer. And now, her house has no more walls intact.

 

[gblews]

For what's it's worth, Season 5 contains some of my absolute favorite Angel episodes, but it doesn't really happen until the second half of the season.

Boy, do I agree. I LOVED season 5 of Angel. The show makes the kind of bold moves that you wish other shows had the creativity and guts to make. Angel and the gang being given W&H to run was brilliant. The other stuff that happens later on is just inspired.

Angel SO needed another 2 seasons.

 

[JD]

There are the possibly canon post-finale Angel comics too.

 

[gblews]

There are the possibly canon post-finale Angel comics too.

Yes, there are. The series of stories is called "After the Fall" and I have read some of it. I didn't like it nearly as much as the Buffy comics series. The stories seemed a bit chaotic and hard to follow.

I liked the Angel and Faith stories much more.

 

[JirinPanthosa]

First really good episode of the season I think. Did not expect Eve to be talking to Lindsay.

Is Spike still bound to LA even though he's corporeal? I don't see any reason now he doesn't just find his way back to Buffy.

How do vampires cross continents anyway? Air travel might be a problem. Besides lack of id, finding a period of time where travel happens in entirely night hours.

 

[Christopher]

How do vampires cross continents anyway? Air travel might be a problem. Besides lack of id, finding a period of time where travel happens in entirely night hours.

A sealed coffin in the cargo bay could work. Probably cheaper than a ticket, too.

And of course there's always sea travel. That's how Dracula got to England.

 

[Forbin]

In the canon sequel comics (season 8, 9, etc), Spike is indeed a free agent, and finds his way back to Buffy. There's a strange period where he's in command of an alien ship with a crew of alien bug-people. Still not sure what that was all about.