Do you agree? Is there anything else you would add?
Yeah, there is something that I consider very important, in fact possibly the most important thing to me about Angel: He's always trying. Okay, sometimes he's EXTREMELY trying, as well as exasperating, but that's not really what I'm getting at.
Every time that Angel screws up, and I doubt that there is anyone here who could deny that he has pulled some real dandies over the years, his motives were always unquestionable. Whatever he has done, it was done with the sincere belief that what he was doing was for the greater good. He took away Buffy's day of happiness in "I Will Remember You" because he honestly believed that in doing so, he was in some way protecting her. He didn't steal everyone's memory of Connor because his son was an embarrassment to him, or because he was somehow jealous of his son's relationship with Cordy. He thought that, by erasing Connor's true origins and life up to that point, and giving him new, normal parents, and a new, normal life, he was doing what was best for Connor in particular, but in general, for everyone concerned with the train wreck that was his life for the first 15 years.
It all blew up in his face, as usual. Buffy died protecting a loved one anyway, Connor got sucked back into Angel's world anyway. And his dealings with Twilight, we just won't go into here, because we're still seeing repercussions from that little dog and pony show, not the least of which is the quite real possibility that he has destroyed all chances of any kind of a happy life with Buffy (Calm down, Bangels, I only said POSSIBILITY) There's no wonder at all that the bum likes to crawl off into a dark corner and brood whenever he gets the chance.
But he always comes back out of the darkness, dries his eyes, wipes his nose, and gets right back into the fight. He never gives up TRYING to do the right thing. The lesson that Connor learned from him remains true. You do whatever you can to protect the people you love. Sometimes it isn't possible. Sometimes fate, destiny, or just plain bad luck makes the whole thing fall apart, and sometimes the trying actually causes a whole new set of problems. But, from dedication or stupidity, take your choice, it never gets so bad that Angel just gives up and quits trying.
And that's what I like most about Angel.
Now if he would just stay away from Spike's girl...
