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LTTP: Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel

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Like you OP, I have had kind of a urban supernatural drama hole in my heart since Buffy ended. I've tried other shows but nothing really seems to capture the spirit of Buffy to me. Even Supernatural which I'll admit comes the closest kinda falls flat. The Buffy comics do recapture some of that so I kind of treasure them for what they are, even if they misstep a lot of the time.

Their quality varies wildly from arc to arc dependent on writer (go figure) so it can be inconsistent. However if you really need to get your Buffy/Angel fix there are some good arcs in there so don't shy away if you like the comic style format. I can't remember the exact arcs that were good or bad, but one consistent thing I found is that they all the major arcs seemed to start out good to great and get worse as the plot ballooned out. Angel After the Fall and both Buffy s8 and s9 have this problem to some degree. I actually liked Buffy s9 most of the way through though. Buffy s10 started out actually really quite good but I kinda just stopped reading so I don't know where that's at right now. I remember really liking the Willow based comics.
 
I am creating a web series that hopefully captures some of that Buffy spirit with a splash of Xfiles for good measure. Hopefully first 4 episodes will be done by end of summer. Of course, I don't expect to be anywhere near as good as those shows, but I am doing it mostly out of the fact I miss TV shows like them so much.
 
But god I wish tv was still as good as Buffy/Angel :(
I kinda feel Agents of SHIELD, once it really got going at the end of season 1 has been very reminiscent of those two, at least in terms of dialog, pacing and general tone. Thematically it's quite different of course, but it is a Mutant Enemy production and has a reunited number of writers and producers from their previous shows... so it feels quite familiar.
 
I am creating a web series that hopefully captures some of that Buffy spirit with a splash of Xfiles for good measure. Hopefully first 4 episodes will be done by end of summer. Of course, I don't expect to be anywhere near as good as those shows, but I am doing it mostly out of the fact I miss TV shows like them so much.

That's pretty awesome!
 

I Wanna Be The Guy

U-S-A! U-S-A! U-S-A!
Season 2 was the campiest good grief. Go fish.
You say that like it's a bad thing.

Season 2 is my favourite season. I think the Angelus arc was just the greatest. Best villain of the entire show imo. Loved seasson 3 as well though and Faith has to be one of my favourite characters. Season 5 is my second favourite season. Gotta love Glory. I mostly hated season 4 but is had a few gems in it. Season 6 I enjoyed but it was definitely a big dip in quality from Season 5. Season 7 was incredibly meh. As for season 1 I'm not gonna lie. I love it. It's not great but it's super campy and still really fun to watch.

I liked Angel but not as much as Buffy. Fantastic finale. Smile Time is also the best shit ever. As far as silly awesome episodes of the buffyverse go I cant decide if I like that or Once more with feeling more. Also Angel had my favourite character in the entire buffyverse. Wesley. Seriously how great a character was Wesley? I cried so hard at his death in the finale.
 
Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 6 is really really good.

Agreeed

I am creating a web series that hopefully captures some of that Buffy spirit with a splash of Xfiles for good measure. Hopefully first 4 episodes will be done by end of summer. Of course, I don't expect to be anywhere near as good as those shows, but I am doing it mostly out of the fact I miss TV shows like them so much.

This sounds super cool, I'd love to watch it when some episodes come out!

Like you OP, I have had kind of a urban supernatural drama hole in my heart since Buffy ended. I've tried other shows but nothing really seems to capture the spirit of Buffy to me. Even Supernatural which I'll admit comes the closest kinda falls flat. The Buffy comics do recapture some of that so I kind of treasure them for what they are, even if they misstep a lot of the time.

Their quality varies wildly from arc to arc dependent on writer (go figure) so it can be inconsistent. However if you really need to get your Buffy/Angel fix there are some good arcs in there so don't shy away if you like the comic style format. I can't remember the exact arcs that were good or bad, but one consistent thing I found is that they all the major arcs seemed to start out good to great and get worse as the plot ballooned out. Angel After the Fall and both Buffy s8 and s9 have this problem to some degree. I actually liked Buffy s9 most of the way through though. Buffy s10 started out actually really quite good but I kinda just stopped reading so I don't know where that's at right now. I remember really liking the Willow based comics.

I just wish there were more great supernatural shows like this. I always get kind of bummed when I finish watching a show, but Buffy was so great it's taking me longer than usual to get over it haha. Hopefully the comics can do something to fill the void, and hopefully I find something new good to watch soon too

You say that like it's a bad thing.

Season 2 is my favourite season. I think the Angelus arc was just the greatest. Best villain of the entire show imo. Loved seasson 3 as well though and Faith has to be one of my favourite characters. Season 5 is my second favourite season. Gotta love Glory. I mostly hated season 4 but is had a few gems in it. Season 6 I enjoyed but it was definitely a big dip in quality from Season 5. Season 7 was incredibly meh. As for season 1 I'm not gonna lie. I love it. It's not great but it's super campy and still really fun to watch.

I liked Angel but not as much as Buffy. Fantastic finale. Smile Time is also the best shit ever. As far as silly awesome episodes of the buffyverse go I cant decide if I like that or Once more with feeling more. Also Angel had my favourite character in the entire buffyverse. Wesley. Seriously how great a character was Wesley? I cried so hard at his death in the finale.

The start of the Angelus arc was definitely where Buffy goes from a good, fun show to a great show. Everything pays off so well in that season. Passion, Innocence, and Becoming are all fantastic episodes. Season 5 is also great with Glory, but I love season 6 and 7 too.

Season 1 is cool because it's where it all began and it's fun to watch the characters start to fall into their grooves.

Angel also had the episode "The Girl In Question" in season 5, which i thought was hilarious. Spike and Angel are super jealous of the Immortal and it makes for some great hijinks, and the ending to that episode was gold.

And yeah Wesley was a fantastic character! It made it even better that Illyria was sad about his death too.

Honestly, in order to understand and appreciate S4's arcs, you have to understand that every single major/recurring character's (EVERY SINGLE ONE) arc is about fitting in. It's all about trying to fit in. Even a couple minor, one-off characters are about that.

I was always disappointed with the fact that they never did more with D'hoffryn. He totally should have been at least a secondary antagonist for a season. Bummed me out that he never was. Anya's storyline in S7 was severely lacking.

S4 of Angel is another weird one. It just goes to weird places. And the Beast couldn't have been a Big Bad all on his own. It would've been the Adam problem all over again. Big unstoppable force. Not much of a character on his own. Granted, the Beast was a much more imposing threat because whenever he showed up everything just got fucked.

Also, S2 of Angel is basically perfect.

When I inevitably rewatch the series I'll try and pay more attention to the nuances of season 4, but yeah I definitely noticed that was a theme.

I think that if Season 4 was written as though the Beast would be the big bad it could have worked out. It just seems odd to me that the Beast goes and turns the sun off in LA, and then two episodes later Jasmine is born and the sun comes back and it's like nothing the beast did mattered at all.
 
When I inevitably rewatch the series I'll try and pay more attention to the nuances of season 4, but yeah I definitely noticed that was a theme.

I think that if Season 4 was written as though the Beast would be the big bad it could have worked out. It just seems odd to me that the Beast goes and turns the sun off in LA, and then two episodes later Jasmine is born and the sun comes back and it's like nothing the beast did mattered at all.

I'm not saying BtVS S4 will be better for you, but it's undeniably S4's strong point and focus.

Also, that's not true about the Beast. Everything he did was necessary as part of a ritual to bring Jasmine into the world. The real question is why she wanted Angelus.
 

Christopher

Member
So season 3 is the last good season right?

Also too I LOVE Season 1, the gritty feel of it is awesome.

The Master was wasted too easily too,
 

GG-Duo

Member
I feel like Smile Time on Angel is a bit overrated. The Mexican wrestler one is the best. Great mix of camp and maturity.
 

Christopher

Member
I felt the master plot line was so underdeveloped and how he was killed was a joke.

I loved the feeling knowing the big bad was like the boss vampire and Buffy just easily kills him like nothing...
 
I felt the master plot line was so underdeveloped and how he was killed was a joke.

I loved the feeling knowing the big bad was like the boss vampire and Buffy just easily kills him like nothing...

He killed her first and besides, they used the Master for other stuff, too. Like The Wish and developing Darla's backstory.
 

MisterHero

Super Member
hey I just watched Buffy S2 Becoming on TV

those last few minutes were so sad. I need a hug

Also, Good Guy Spike is x1000 better than Angel

"I want to save the world."

"He's gonna kill her." *shrug*
 

Alastor3

Member
ahaha how awesome is that? I just started watching buffy last week since it has been 15-16 years I watched any episodes and saw that there are comics for season 8 (I found the artwork of the covers awesome!).

I tried not to look at the thread for spoilers since im only at the beginning of season 3 of Buffy but, are the show ''Angel'' worth watching ? I don't really care about him when he is the good guy, but I really like him when he is bad like when
he killed Ms. Calendar and the way he watch Buffy and Willow cry and when Giles found the body, that was sooo good
so would I like the show with only Angel ? I assume he's good in this show and I don't really know where the story is chronogically in the buffy's universe.

But I will watch it if it's somewat important to the story in general.

(sorry for my bad english)
 
ahaha how awesome is that? I just started watching buffy last week since it has been 15-16 years I watched any episodes and saw that there are comics for season 8 (I found the artwork of the covers awesome!).

I tried not to look at the thread for spoilers since im only at the beginning of season 3 of Buffy but, are the show ''Angel'' worth watching ? I don't really care about him when he is the good guy, but I really like him when he is bad like when
he killed Ms. Calendar and the way he watch Buffy and Willow cry and when Giles found the body, that was sooo good
so would I like the show with only Angel ? I assume he's good in this show and I don't really know where the story is chronogically in the buffy's universe.

But I will watch it if it's somewat important to the story in general.

(sorry for my bad english)
It's not only Angel. It has its own ensemble cast, but I personally feel it does a better job developing the cast (it starts with 3 members, then moves to 4, then 5, so and so forth). I feel Angel is a much better show than BtVS, and Angel as a character is plenty fleshed out. You'll care about him as a good guy.
 

Alastor3

Member
It's not only Angel. It has its own ensemble cast, but I personally feel it does a better job developing the cast (it starts with 3 members, then moves to 4, then 5, so and so forth). I feel Angel is a much better show than BtVS, and Angel as a character is plenty fleshed out. You'll care about him as a good guy.

niiice! and should I watch it after Buffy or in between ?
 

Meia

Member
niiice! and should I watch it after Buffy or in between ?


Important to keep in mind that Buffy season 4 and Angel season 1 ran at the same time(with Buffy first, then Angel). There's a few times this actually comes into play(few crossovers here and there), so if you want to watch it how it was at first, you COULD do that.


Ultimately, watching all of one season of one then all of a season of the other works too.


Buffy S4 - Angel S1
Buffy S5 - Angel S2
Buffy S6 - Angel S3
Buffy S7 - Angel S4



Both shows combined are some of my favorite ones TV has ever come out with. I didn't mind Buffy S6, but it cemented the idea that
Joss HATES anyone having a happy relationship, so it must never ever happen. Then Tara finally getting in the opening credits in the same episode they kill her off in is a dick move. :p
 

Alastor3

Member
Important to keep in mind that Buffy season 4 and Angel season 1 ran at the same time(with Buffy first, then Angel). There's a few times this actually comes into play(few crossovers here and there), so if you want to watch it how it was at first, you COULD do that.


Ultimately, watching all of one season of one then all of a season of the other works too.


Buffy S4 - Angel S1
Buffy S5 - Angel S2
Buffy S6 - Angel S3
Buffy S7 - Angel S4



Both shows combined are some of my favorite ones TV has ever come out with. I didn't mind Buffy S6, but it cemented the idea that
Joss HATES anyone having a happy relationship, so it must never ever happen. Then Tara finally getting in the opening credits in the same episode they kill her off in is a dick move. :p

Thanks! It will really help!
 
I'm not saying BtVS S4 will be better for you, but it's undeniably S4's strong point and focus.

Also, that's not true about the Beast. Everything he did was necessary as part of a ritual to bring Jasmine into the world. The real question is why she wanted Angelus.

Ah, if so, then I didn't pay that much attention to it, or it wasn't written very well. I did liked the beast himself as a villain though.

So season 3 is the last good season right?

Also too I LOVE Season 1, the gritty feel of it is awesome.

The Master was wasted too easily too,

season 5 is really good

i think season 6 and 7 are great as well

hey I just watched Buffy S2 Becoming on TV

those last few minutes were so sad. I need a hug

Also, Good Guy Spike is x1000 better than Angel

"I want to save the world."

"He's gonna kill her." *shrug*

Becoming is one (two) of the best episodes on the show. If only Willow had finished a bit sooner :(

also Spike is probably the best character in the Buffyverse

niiice! and should I watch it after Buffy or in between ?

I used this guide when I was watching, I'd check it out, it worked pretty well for me!

http://josswhedon.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/buffy-and-angel-episode-viewing-order.html
 
Two of my favorite shows ever.

OMWF is the greatest 44 minutes of television ever.

So much so that I can start singing the first song to the end at a moments notice. A good two years since my last viewing.

It has the single most real and painful episode in television history in the Body.

This show did have low points. But its high points are a bar I've never experienced with any other show.
 
You can't shit on Buffy season one because it has the best quote in the entire show.

Xander: "I'm just gonna go home, lie down and listen to country music. The music of pain."

I think my favorite xander quote is
"check it out Dawn, cheese on round bread, I hear its gonna be huge"
 
I watched both shows a few months ago. Although I recognize their flaws, I'm a huge fan of both - especially Angel season 5 and its cast. It's simply stellar.

I've been making my way through the comics, as well. The stuff that they usually recommend to start off with - Angel "After the Fall", Spike "After the Fall", Angel "The End", etc. - is alright to genuinely good. I think it services the series well by giving the fans some closure, and they do reference it in Buffy Season 8, even though the books were being written mostly concurrently at different companies. My biggest problem with the Angel comic series that follow Season 5 is the art, so I guess keep that in mind; if it weren't for that, I would actually say the stuff is pretty good.

Fray is one of the best things in the Buffyverse. Definitely definitely definitely check that one out before reading Season 8. It's got the weight of a Buffy story, for sure.

I really enjoyed Season 8, right up until a certain point. It was pretty late in the series, but it soured the mood. Still, everything that lead up to it was pretty awesome in my opinion and even the stuff that followed wasn't terrible by any means. The art is pretty good as well, even though characters are harder to tell apart at times.

Season 9 of Buffy starts off alright, maybe not as promising as Season 8 did. Season 9 of Angel & Faith, on the other hand, is pretty awesome right from the get-go. That's about as far as I've gotten.

The Buffy comics are really an addictive read. I highly recommend if you're familiar with the medium.
 

Christopher

Member
Season 1 is my favorite if I didn't make it apparent I love the dark feel it had and the episode where Buffy's says Giles...I'm only 16 I don't wanna die moves me
 

Shaanyboi

Banned
So season 3 is the last good season right?

Also too I LOVE Season 1, the gritty feel of it is awesome.

The Master was wasted too easily too,

NO.

4 takes a notable dip but introduces some interesting ideas for the future. Season 5 is fantastic, Season 6 and 7 are also good.
 
Season 5 of Angel is the best thing Joss Whedon has ever done.

I haven't seen either Buffy or Angel in several years but I'm pretty sure I agree with this.

I like Angel more overall (even if I can't find much love for its first season) but they're both good times. The Mayor's probably my favorite villain; Angelus was all right but I never, ever bought into the Angel/Buffy romance thing so I was super happy when he finally schlepped off to his own show.
 
It's basically Batman Beyond: Buffy Edition

It's pretty good

Yeah, basically. Also, the
crossover
in Season 8 was pretty dope because of it.

Season 5 of Angel is the best thing Joss Whedon has ever done.

Didn't see this on my first glance, but definitely agree. The best overall story, the amazing Angel cast + Spike, the best collection of individual episodes, and one of the best finales of all time.
 
Yeah, basically. Also, the
crossover
in Season 8 was pretty dope because of it.



Didn't see this on my first glance, but definitely agree. The best overall story, the amazing Angel cast + Spike, the best collection of individual episodes, and one of the best finales of all time.

No lies detected
 
I watched both shows a few months ago. Although I recognize their flaws, I'm a huge fan of both - especially Angel season 5 and its cast. It's simply stellar.

I've been making my way through the comics, as well. The stuff that they usually recommend to start off with - Angel "After the Fall", Spike "After the Fall", Angel "The End", etc. - is alright to genuinely good. I think it services the series well by giving the fans some closure, and they do reference it in Buffy Season 8, even though the books were being written mostly concurrently at different companies. My biggest problem with the Angel comic series that follow Season 5 is the art, so I guess keep that in mind; if it weren't for that, I would actually say the stuff is pretty good.

Fray is one of the best things in the Buffyverse. Definitely definitely definitely check that one out before reading Season 8. It's got the weight of a Buffy story, for sure.

I really enjoyed Season 8, right up until a certain point. It was pretty late in the series, but it soured the mood. Still, everything that lead up to it was pretty awesome in my opinion and even the stuff that followed wasn't terrible by any means. The art is pretty good as well, even though characters are harder to tell apart at times.

Season 9 of Buffy starts off alright, maybe not as promising as Season 8 did. Season 9 of Angel & Faith, on the other hand, is pretty awesome right from the get-go. That's about as far as I've gotten.

The Buffy comics are really an addictive read. I highly recommend if you're familiar with the medium.

thanks for the input! I know other people don't seem to like them, but I'm excited to see what's going on.

I don't generally read a lot of comics, but I read manga, so it shouldn't be too hard to get into for me.

Is there any other place to buy them digitally than Dark Horse's online store?
 
Important to keep in mind that Buffy season 4 and Angel season 1 ran at the same time(with Buffy first, then Angel). There's a few times this actually comes into play(few crossovers here and there), so if you want to watch it how it was at first, you COULD do that.


Ultimately, watching all of one season of one then all of a season of the other works too.


Buffy S4 - Angel S1
Buffy S5 - Angel S2
Buffy S6 - Angel S3
Buffy S7 - Angel S4



Both shows combined are some of my favorite ones TV has ever come out with. I didn't mind Buffy S6, but it cemented the idea that
Joss HATES anyone having a happy relationship, so it must never ever happen. Then Tara finally getting in the opening credits in the same episode they kill her off in is a dick move. :p

Honestly, even then you could always just watch all of one show followed by all of another. That's what I did. Achieved the same effect
 
Ah, if so, then I didn't pay that much attention to it, or it wasn't written very well. I did liked the beast himself as a villain though.



season 5 is really good

i think season 6 and 7 are great as well



Becoming is one (two) of the best episodes on the show. If only Willow had finished a bit sooner :(

also Spike is probably the best character in the Buffyverse
The Beast is cool. He's basically a better Adam. S4 of Angel is one I'm conflicted on. I enjoyed it more on re-watch, but I still have my issues. Originally, I thought it was the worst one, but now I feel S3 is. The first half of S3 deals with some heavy shit, and has some damn good episodes. Holtz is a great antagonist, Fred becomes a great character, and the multiple factions vying for control over Connor and the Nyazian scrolls is an arc I enjoyed. It suffers from major problems, though:

-It has the only two episodes in the entire series that actually bore me
-Groo, Cordy, and Angel is a terrible love triangle. That was never a good idea.
-Holtz, by all accounts, should not exist in the present. Sahjan's interactions with the environment when he brings Holtz to the present is just simply not possible based on what we're told happened to him.
-As much as I love Wesley as a character, and as much as I've tried reasoning myself into understanding why he decided to bail with Connor, I still have a hard time buying his decision. I get that his final decision was to remove Connor from the picture until Angel got his shit together and the prophecy blew over (a decision that ultimately, though too late, proved to be beneficial). The whole thing was just fucked, though. Fucking Justine...Her comeuppance was perfect. Should have had Faith clock her one for being an imitation Slayer.

Also, as for Becoming, it's still never fully explained why Angel came back from the hell dimension he was in. That was always a bit I enjoyed.
Buffy wins simply because of The Body and Seeing Red
Angel lost me with the running W&H arc
WHAAAAAAH

That arc is so good. The meaning behind it is so fucking powerful.

And the scumbaggery

Oh the scumbaggery
Season 1 really doesn't deal with vampires huh...?

I'm confused by this post.
 

Christopher

Member
Meanin out of the 12 episodes half were filled with:
Hyenas
Robot lovers
Invisible girl
Prime mantas teachers
Witches
Demon doll
 

Alastor3

Member
wow, I didn't like Angel at first, but he grows on me. Im at season 4 ep 8 of BTVS and whenever a new guy turn around Buffy, im like, don't try man, you are not worthy. I just feel every men she encounter don't that the special... uniqueness all the other characters have.

Also, buffy is the worst liar I have ever see.
 
I agree with everything you've said in the OP. I started reading the comics, but stopped after a few issues, just wasn't speaking to me like the show was. I kept up on them via fandom osmosis, and now I don't really want to read them :/

But god I wish tv was still as good as Buffy/Angel :(

Have you seen Grimm? It reminds me of Buffy a lot and it even has Buffy writers working on it.
 
Have you seen Grimm? It reminds me of Buffy a lot and it even has Buffy writers working on it.

I got into due to that and I stuck with it up until about halfway through S3 and dropped it. My main beef with it was how slow it was and how Nick was such a nothing character. I appreciate long story arcs, and Grimm definitely has that in spades. I'll go back to it eventually, but I think the show's strongest aspect was its lore. By far and away.
 
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