Grade: A-
In the pilot episode of Angel, we meet the titular character newly relocated to Los Angeles, attempting to rebuild his life in the wake of his relationship with Buffy, holed up in a dark house by day and moonlighting as a haphazard and fairly ineffective vigilante. One night, while swamped in his own problems, he has an encounter with Doyle, a self-proclaimed half-demon who insists that he receives visions of people in need; giving Angel a slip of paper with a name and a place, Doyle insists that Angel is meant to go to this location and aid the woman in question. Despite his doubts, Angel does so, meeting a young waitress who is soon revealed to be living in terror of an attack from an ex-boyfriend by the name of Russell; offering the girl a ride to a party for aspiring Hollywood actors, Angel has a surprise run-in with Cordelia, but is soon forced to defend Tina, his charge, from a group of thugs attempting to kidnap her. Taking the girl home with him, Angel offers her a safe place to stay while he privately determines to seek Russell out. However, Tina is horrified to see Doyle's slip of paper bearing her name and workplace, and, believing Angel to be another of Russell's goons, runs from the apartment. Returning to her own home, she begins packing frantically, only to be confronted by Russell, a middle-aged man soon revealed to be a vampire. Tracking Tina down, Angel discovers her body; meanwhile, Russell, obviously capable of gaining anything he wants through manipulation and shady lawyers, catches a glimpse of Cordelia on a videotape from the party, and selects her as his next victim. Receiving a call from a friend who gives a glowing account of Russell's power and connections, Cordelia eagerly goes to meet him, while Angel and Doyle set out to avenge Tina's death. Cordelia is ushered into Russell's presence, where her Sunnydale sensibilities soon alert her to his vampirism. She attempts to flee the house, nearly being cornered before Angel appears, abandoning his own plans to help her escape. The next day, Angel crashes a meeting of Russell with his lawyers, ignoring the man's smug assurance that, as a power-player of LA, he is in no danger of being charged with any crimes; forcefully kicking Russell's chair in the direction of a large window, Angel sends him hurtling out of the skyscraper into direct sunlight, causing him to combust before hitting the ground. As Angel departs, a visibly shaken lawyer makes a phone call to an undisclosed party, indicating that Angel may prove a force to be reckoned with. Arriving at home, Angel finds Doyle and Cordelia waiting for him, the latter with a proposition for the three of them to team up and continue fighting supernatural crime at a profit; at Doyle encouragement, Angel agrees with her suggestion.
Creating a spinoff for a show like Buffy is always a shot in the dark. There's the undoubted potential, an opportunity to capitalize on the earlier show's success, an opening for exploration of story elements which, for one reason or another, couldn't have made it into the original series; besides, there are the obvious advantages to starting a new show with characters and premises already familiar to viewers, bypassing the arduous task of simply pitching a new concept to the networks and audience. A spinoff can go on to become widely acclaimed and as popular as its parent series, or face criticism, scorn, and early cancellation. Spinoffs tend to differ drastically in tone and style from the original series, allowing for a diverse exploration of various themes within a pre-established universe; Angel is no exception.
Based off a viewing of the pilot, this series appears to be aiming for a grittier, big-city, CSI-style take on the problems facing those attempting to thwart supernatural evil in the Buffyverse. Angel has a history as the most humorless Buffy character, and that certainly translates into the show which bears his name; this installment features glimmers of classic Whedon humor, but there is nothing to truly lighten the overbearingly gloomy mood. One of the elements which makes Buffy so admirable is the fact that it gives viewers a supernatural action series with an inherently goofy premise, making no demands to be taken seriously; the fact that it is taken seriously is a tribute to its unlikely depth and quality. Angel premiered in a privileged position at the height of Buffy's popularity, with no need to establish its position in the annals of television; its groundbreaking predecessor was enough. Perhaps as a result, this episode feels a bit pompous, taking itself too seriously too early in the show's run, which is my main criticism of an otherwise solid, enjoyable installment. If the series continues to be of high quality, then it shouldn't be an issue for much longer in any case.
Observations:
Creating a spinoff for a show like Buffy is always a shot in the dark. There's the undoubted potential, an opportunity to capitalize on the earlier show's success, an opening for exploration of story elements which, for one reason or another, couldn't have made it into the original series; besides, there are the obvious advantages to starting a new show with characters and premises already familiar to viewers, bypassing the arduous task of simply pitching a new concept to the networks and audience. A spinoff can go on to become widely acclaimed and as popular as its parent series, or face criticism, scorn, and early cancellation. Spinoffs tend to differ drastically in tone and style from the original series, allowing for a diverse exploration of various themes within a pre-established universe; Angel is no exception.
Based off a viewing of the pilot, this series appears to be aiming for a grittier, big-city, CSI-style take on the problems facing those attempting to thwart supernatural evil in the Buffyverse. Angel has a history as the most humorless Buffy character, and that certainly translates into the show which bears his name; this installment features glimmers of classic Whedon humor, but there is nothing to truly lighten the overbearingly gloomy mood. One of the elements which makes Buffy so admirable is the fact that it gives viewers a supernatural action series with an inherently goofy premise, making no demands to be taken seriously; the fact that it is taken seriously is a tribute to its unlikely depth and quality. Angel premiered in a privileged position at the height of Buffy's popularity, with no need to establish its position in the annals of television; its groundbreaking predecessor was enough. Perhaps as a result, this episode feels a bit pompous, taking itself too seriously too early in the show's run, which is my main criticism of an otherwise solid, enjoyable installment. If the series continues to be of high quality, then it shouldn't be an issue for much longer in any case.
Observations:
- I suspect that the young lawyer backing Russell's false alibis is going to continue featuring in a villainous role? Perhaps? I hate him already, and not in a good way.
- Was the friend of Cordelia who painted such a glowing recommendation of Russell allied with him, helping to lure in his victims? Otherwise, how does he manage to project the impression that he is truly helping the destitute young women he fixates upon?
- Not quite sure what I think of the redesigned vampire prosthetics; they're not an improvement over the old design, nor do they look worse, rendering the change rather pointless. Also, what was up with Russell's vampire face? Was that merely an element of the new design, or was it intended to show his age, or a unique element to his vampirism?
- Not impressed with the opening credits. They manage to be ugly, distracting, and nondescript all at once, and the theme song is nowhere near as memorable as Buffy's.
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