Angel (1999-2004)

Brief: A centuries old vampire with a soul, Angel (David Boreanaz), leaves his star-crossed lover behind and heads to L.A. to fight the good fight. Along the way he joins forces with Doyle (Glenn Quinn), a half demon who has visions; Cordelia (Charisma Carpenter), whom Doyle passes the visions to before he dies; Wesley (Alexis Denisof), a former watcher turned “rogue demon hunter”; Gunn (J. August Richards), a homeless young man who takes on vampires every night; Lorne (Andy Hallett), a demon who can read people’s future when they sing; and Fred (Amy Archer), a physicist whom Angel rescues from a demon dimension. They spend four seasons fighting the evil law firm of Wolfram & Hart, and the fifth and final season sees them inheriting the firm, as well as another vampire with a soul, Spike (James Marsters).

Okay, if you were thinking for even a second that I wouldn’t comment on the end of one of my favourite shows, you were sorely mistaken. And, yes, for the many of you who did not care for the show, it has ended. There is rumoured to be one or more made-for-TV movie(s) in the works to bring to a conclusion what enfolded last night, and has been unfolding for eight years, but we’ll have to wait and see.

And, no, there is not a problem with my math. We were introduced to Angel in the first episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. He was only supposed to stick around for a handful of episodes, but the intense chemistry between Sarah Michelle Gellar and Boreanaz garnered him a more permanent home on the show and, combined with his talent, eventually his own show.

Besides being filled with a truly talented cast, crisp writing, and a unique concept, what made the show so powerful and addictive was the realism of it all. I’m not talking about computer generated imagery, and I’m not saying that I now believe that vampires, demons, werewolves, and witches walk amongst us. What made it so real was that Joss Whedon (creator and gifted writer/director) never tried to convince you that any of it was truly possible. Instead, the show was based around how real people would react if these things were real. In addition, the mythical storyline was often a metaphor for something very real and personal (e.g. When Buffy and Angel have sex for the first time, Angel loses his soul and his love for her with it. This is akin to “I slept with this guy, and now he doesn’t call me any more.”)

And what did this all mean? Character development. Yes, there was usually the big bad that had to be taken down in every episode and for every season, but there were so many underlying issues in the personal lives of the characters that were often juxtaposed with the chaos around them. The decision in seasons three and four to give Angel something that he could never have – a son, Connor (Vincent Kartheiser) - was a stroke of genius. Those two seasons were the best of the show, showcasing incredible growth in both Angel and the rest of the cast. The character that always stands out for me is Wesley, mostly because he was THE BEST!, but also because his character went from being Angel’s most trusted advisor to his bitter enemy (and back again) as we watched all of Wesley’s former friends cut him off one by one. Of course, because someone has to die, Wesley was killed fighting in the final episode.

Also, although I was shocked an appalled at first, killing Fred and placing a powerful demon-goddess, Illyria, in her body turned out to be a great chance to show off Archer’s skill.

So, yes, this season often sacrificed story arcs for stand alone episodes. And the episodes often came across as “What trouble it is to run an evil law firm and try to make it good.” So it goes. Five years is a good run, and the end delivered an emotional wallop.

But I don’t feel like this is the end. Many issues remain unresolved (mostly about Angel and Spike), and a movie could give the show the send-off it deserves.