Angel (on DVD)

Angel [DVD Angel]

This 1999-2004 paranormal series was a spin-off from the even-more-popular Buffy the Vampire Slayer [1997-2003]. As the series began, following the third-season finale of Buffy, Angel (“Angelus”) has left Sunnydale behind, seeking redemption for his sins as a vampire by trying to help others. Cursed with his human soul attached to his vampire body, Angel is tormented by all the evil acts he has committed as a vampire, but he can’t be with his true love Buffy without risking the loss of his soul. So, instead, he settles in Los Angeles, as something of a private investigator, helping the downtrodden. This is his role during the first four (of five) seasons, as he and various human and inhuman comrades fight against demons, criminals and other bad guys (often associated with the demonic law firm Wolfram & Hart). In the final season, Angel and company have basically taken over the Los Angeles branch of the evil Wolfram & Hart, and have a more complicated time trying to do good while also trying to prevent W&H from corrupting them.

The Angel cast featured a number of folks who had previously been on Buffy in one capacity or another, as well as a number of all-new characters. Like Buffy, each season tended to feature a “big bad” villain, whose end game was thwarted in the final episode of the season. The acting, writing, make-up and effects work was terrific. The series ended on a rather ambiguous note, though that doesn’t detract from the five years that led up to the finale. And for those who care about such things, series creator Joss Whedon continued the characters’ story arc past the end of the series Angel, with an on-going comic book, Angel: After the Fall.

[ Internet Movie Database entry for this series ] | [ Angel episode guide at epguides.com ]

Recommended by Scott C.
Bennett Martin Public Library

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