(Bunch of spoilers ahead, beware)So just yesterday i finished watching Angel, right after Buffy. Both for the first time. Although for Buffy it took me a couple of seasons to be a part of the Buffy-verse, Ats had the advantage that i knew what to expect and i was already hooked to this world. So some overall thoughts.About the characters: Even though this starts in Buffy, the evolution of Spike's character is amazing. He started as a bad villain, then he became a harmless comical figure("come on it's telly time" in the tub), to a dangerous obsessed -about Buffy- ally, and in the end a good person/ team player to transcend after all into a champion in Angel. He is the reason season 5 -even if it started slow- was great. Every moment with Angel and Spike was hilarious. And the few times they they were getting along were great to see them battle on the same side. Also Spike is the only one who almost reached having a soul before actually having one, as he cared and took care of Dawn for months, without nothing to gain, all for Buffy.Wesley's evolution was very interesting too. He started as a goofy sidekick and became a serious dark key player and eventually a champion(almost). Also his affection for Fred was very nice to see and in play. Gunn/ Fred never was a great match for me.Gunn was OK, likable and even though he needed a gimmick in the end to gain interest points he was an honest and good addition for the team.Lorne was the colorful figure. A demon Xander if you like. He is funny and should become a regular part of the team much earlier! (But instead Harmony all of a sudden went into the opening credits?)Cordelia's development was also admirable. From a spoiled high school diva much like as any girl/villain in any teen movie, to our surprise became a caring person. (Only after she became a higher power things got a little odd and unfamiliar)Fred and Connor which came later were good additions too. Fred was useful in her own way and evolved from goofy crazy girl to the attractive smart woman many men wanted. And when Connor was introduced as a baby i thought it's a little out of balance for the show but then... well you know. Here we got another great fighter who is also unpredictable. Something like Faith.When Buffy is considered for most people the more comical show, i find Angel and Ats funnier considered we saw the miserable champion landing jokes and surprise us with many funny reactions. For example singing, dancing in the credits of one episode, being insecure and of course the fighting with Spike.Highlights:I find it difficult to rank seasons and episodes in general, but it's easy to pick some high points here. Ats's something different(like Buffy's The Body, Once more with Feeling and Hush) was Muppet Angel which was unique! And many great moments are in season 5 so i guess this makes it the best season. It was also after a weird season with Jasmine and all. You're Welcome, A Hole in the World were also high points. Connor's arrival and remembering Angel.. Lorne's look when Fred sang.. Darla was the villain you love to hate. Series finale was great(but it shouldn't be the finale)Concerns/ Complaints/ Disappointments:I read that writers didn't have anything for Cordelia so they killed her. I was annoyed for Cordy's death and the reason for that.We didn't get any closure for the Shanshu prophecy.The ending is a cliffhanger, i would prefer keeping Wes instead of Gunn and when meteors were falling and LA was in the dark was much more fitting for and ending/apocalypse than one-on-one battles. I know it got can celled but they knew it early enough to plan the season's progress.I hate when backstage obstacles get in the way of writing/scripts. What i mean is i was prepared to have Kate in Team Angel but she didn't stay for the show.(she had another show) I like crossovers and networks got in the way, and most importantly i wanted to see Buffy guest starring and help for the finale. Instead we got a tease in "The girl in question" by just seeing a blonde dancing because Gellar didn't want to continue the role of Buffy after mid-series and then she didn't want and then couldn't make a cameo.. Giles would be a great help/fit or Willow and all we got are some cameos from Andrew.All and all Ats searched for its identity a lot but after starting as a detective show going case by case week after week it gained depth, had many twists and the great character development made it a great show to watch.p.s. For everyone asking if they should watch Buffy first. Of course! It's a must, while you get a glimpse of Angelus in Ats you get a whole season to know him as the villain in Buffy, not to mention that Cordelia's and Wesley's and SPIKE's(most of all) growth started in Buffy.p.s.2 Now i am searching/reading the comics of both shows. I think everyone should even if the transition is a little odd.

Having been and still a big fan of Buffy the Vampire slayer, I was pleased to see that Joss Whedon was making a TV series about Angel. Unfortunately it didn't live up to expectations. The first few seasons were good but it kind of went down hill from there. I really don't want to be harsh about Angel but it felt like they were running out of ideas towards the end. Some of the characters were brilliant though especially Lorne and of Course Angel. It wasn't all bad and some of the episodes where really good. Looking back on the creation of Angel the TV series I don't think they should have done it. Maybe they could have put some of them ideas in to making a few more series of Buffy instead. Which in my opinion would have worked out better.

Angel as a show did not know what it wanted to be. Most of the plots of Angel were basically Angel vs some evil that he defeats with the help of his friends. In the first season the show kicked off to a terrific start in the first episode, with Angel essentially introducing himself to LA. Then the show went on a gimmick fest, with stories about, what are these people hiding, why is Angel acting so strange, etc etc. By the forth season it became a sad depressing soap opera, with one continuous story. By the fifth season, they brought the gimmicks back with a party show, a dance show, and a puppet show. However, during the fifth season we see the sad death of two major characters in touching scenes.It seamed the show searched for an identity: is it a soap opera? is it a sad story? it is a gimmick fest? what are they doing? what is Angel's purpose, helping the helpless? fighting evil? In the mist of all this, during the gimmick search of the first season, somehow, they smashed a home run, a hundred miles out of the stadium. Bringing the Buffy character evil Faith Lehane, to LA, the writers may have wanted to play with the meaning of the word "bad" in a story called "Five By Five". They came up with a fantastic story, with a great ending, and suddenly the writers appeared to wanted to continue that theme. The Angel show became about "saving souls" and "redemption". Despite using these words often, this theme did not last long and probably would have been a better theme for the show, than where the stories actually went. I have searched the Angel episodes for another like "Five By Five" and could not find it. "Five By Five", overtakes any movie or other story as simply the most powerful dramatic story I have ever seen. Eliza Dushku gives her best and most stunning performance in this episode, and I feel certain this episode is the reason, she was given the lead in two TV series within the first 5 years after Angel ended. I recognize it is not easy to write a terrific story every week. I recognize that people watch the show for other reasons, other than seeing some powerful dramatic story. There are some good inventive stories. There are some surprises. But most of all, the show appeared, to go in many direction, when it could have been so much better going in one direction.

Angel had its links to Buffy, there were crossovers and tie ins, and the similarities at the start of the show were noticeable. But as the seasons progressed and the characters became darker and the plots heavier, it seemed what we were watching was not entirely the same. As times have progressed, it seems audiences desire a darker more gritty version of TV, with shows that don't shy away from the harsher aspects of life, the Wire to name one, are shows favoured for. Angel had its comedic episodes, but the over arching themes were of the dark fight against darkness, being forced into positions where the right path isn't always visible and the seeking of salvation. This show was brilliant, and though it has carried on in comics, it will be sorely missed.