30 Days of Bangel

Day 13: What was the first episode that made you realize you were a Buffy/Angel fan?

I think the first episode I ever saw of Buffy was Enemies because i remember there was Faith and Buffy and Angel. And I didn’t know what the heck was going on but I knew that Angel was supposed to be with Buffy and NOT Faith and I was like “what is happening?” Then I think quit the opposite of @Taaroko I saw part of Amends after that that included the sex scene and I was like - these two are great! But I stopped watching because I was hooked on the show so I didn’t want to spoil anything else.

So that was when I realized the two had great chemistry BUT I’d say what solidified it for me was when I went back to watch from the beginning and when I got to WML. I loved in the skating rink scene that Buffy kills that Order of Taraka guy and Angel isnt fazed by the fact that she just kicked his ass. I had never seen a relationship dynamic where the woman was strong (nobody messes with my boyfriend) and the man was not intimidated by that strength. And that she kisses him in vamp face is so incredibly moving. I was sold. These two were special. This was a beautiful thing 🙂
 
Day 13: What was the first episode that made you realize you were a Buffy/Angel fan?

I watched BtVS when it first aired all the way back in March 10, 1997. I was in the fifth grade but had already seen the Buffy movie, read & watched Interview with the Vampire, read the first Thirst books back when it was called The Last Vampire, and read a few romance novels.

I was an instant fan and immediately fell for Bangel. I'm pagan but I was raised in a Christian/Catholic household. The scene when Angel gifts Buffy the silver cross necklace really felt so importantly deep. "Don't turn your back on this." I was like, he wants to save her soul. It's a cosmic battle between good and evil. She's some kind of warrior of light near the beginning of her story. He's been in the fight awhile. He realizes how big & ancient the mission. Is The Harvest like the Rapture? He's not the scholarly mentor. Is he her guardian angel or a liaison outside of Good & Evil? Does he already know her future?

Yes, I thought like that in elementary.
 
Day 12: Favorite Buffy/Angel kiss
Like I've said before my favourites were always the passionate, no-holding-back ones. So the 'Surprise' morning make-out sesh is my pick. They don't really let themselves go like that again until IWRY.

Day 13: What was the first episode that made you realize you were a Buffy/Angel fan?
I honestly can't remember what my first BtVS episode was. It feels like I've been watching the show since the day I was born. I think I watched the seasons in order, and the S1 eps mostly in order, but it's highly possibly my brain has just rearranged my memories of episodes chronologically!

It was probably S1 'Angel' that did it - not exactly difficult to reel in a 13 year old with that one! Loved their chemistry in the kitchen scene; the bedroom kiss was hot, and I loved the kernels of trust and understanding that start to develop later in the Bronze fight. The shirtless scene was my own 'oh boy' moment. I was a goner after that.
 
Day 13: What was the first episode that made you realize you were a Buffy/Angel fan?

I have to go with Becoming. There's nothing like an heart wrenching episode to make you realize that you care a lot more than you thought you did. I remember watching that one as a kid and crying like a baby. I didn't know Angel was coming back in s3 so Becoming was the most heartbreaking thing I had ever seen.

During my rewatch years later though, it happened at What's My Line. I realize that I love those 2 characters even more when they're together. It made me realize that I don't need epic/end of the world stuff to enjoy their relationship and why they worked for me as a pairing.
 
Favourite Bangel kiss?
tumblr_no5iozohw21rypsblo7_250.gif

All of their kisses are my favourites but the forbidden kiss that Xander saw was particularly beautiful 🙂

What was the first episode that made you realize you were a Buffy/Angel fan?
Becoming part 2 but there probably wasn't a specific episode, after watching season 2 it's not really possible to deny that what Buffy and Angel had with each other would have been far from temporary in a perfect world.
As it happened, I watched the series backwards, starting with 'Lessons' so sadly my introduction to btvs had almost no relation to Bangel 🙁
 
EarthLogic
EarthLogic
Interesting! Usually those who started with the later seasons tend to prefer Spuffy.
Day 13: What episode was the first episode that made you know you're a Bangel fan

Probably Angel -- I watched the show in order and by the time I watched, the show had ended -- but the only vivid memory I have from watching that episode is being shocked by the "Angel's a vampire!" reveal. My answer will be Becoming Part 2 because it's the clearest moment I can recall; I was young and very distraught over Buffy having to kill Angel so I immediately went to the internet to make sure Angel wasn't gone for good 😳 (which lead to me reading the show's entire wikipedia page and somehow not retaining much of what I read?? Except that Angel definitely comes back)

Needless to say, I'd consider that to be the moment I realised I was quite invested in their relationship! Also: I'm enjoying reading everyone else's stories since everyone has different experiences and it's interesting to hear 🙂
 
[Nov 19] Day 14 : When did Buffy start loving Angel ? I couldn't pin point the exact moment but I believe she realised her love for Angel in What's My Line. I know that she says I love you in Lie To Me, but for me that was too early for the L word to be dropped, they still had yet to develop and grow closer, so I count Surprise as the first I Love You. But I believe when Angel was kidnapped by Spike during What's My Line Buffy realised the full depth of her feelings for him.
 
Day 14: When did Buffy start loving Angel?

This is a tough one. I think it was already more than a crush by "Angel," when Xander demanded "I mean, I know you have feelings for this guy, but it's not like you're in love with him" and Buffy had no answer, and Willow rambled about how he'd stay young and handsome forever while Buffy would get wrinkly and die and what about the children? And all Buffy did was smile, even though she was supposed to be working herself up to staking him at that point.

She already feels more deeply for Angel than she has for anyone else by "Angel," but she continues to fall deeper and deeper from then on, until she's doing adorable old married couple banter with him towards the end of S3, she doesn't know how she's supposed to go on with her life after knowing what she could've had with him in IWRY, and "does forever work for you?"
 
Day 14 : When did Buffy start loving Angel ?

No idea. I think she started to fall in love with Angel in Angel. Their first kiss, the intimacy of Angel coming clean about himself, Angel killing Darla.... it all showed Angel through different lenses. I think you connect more deeply with someone if you see them be vulnerable, which definitely happened in that episode for the first time. I think Angel being the beautiful, heroic vampire also created an idealization of him.

After that, Buffy didn't see Angel until Prophecy Girl though he was on her mind often. I think When She Was Bad changed things because she was more aware of the dangers of being a slayer after dying and saw Angel as an ally and an impossibility. Angel helps her a few times (When She Was Bad, Some Assembly Required, Reptile Boy, Halloween) and the fact that he is always there created ever growing feelings - the kissing, hand holding and flirting helped.

I do believe that Buffy might have been in love with Angel in Lie to Me. Some people consider being in love something more superficial that happens sooner in the relationship. Darla told Buffy that Angel loved her when he probably felt the same way as Buffy in Lie to Me.

Being in love was the middle stage to unconditional love which perhaps started to develop between What's My Line - Surprise. However, I do believe that while Angel already loved Buffy unconditionally by Surprise (which is why Angel said "I love you" - words he only ever said to Buffy and Connor), Buffy perhaps only realized the true depth of her feelings - which were beyond young love - when she was forced to kill Angel in order to save the world.
 
Day 10: Favorite David quotes about Buffy/Angel?
dcai0830 said:
Day 10: Favorite David quotes about Buffy/Angel

DB and I have a complicated relationship he can sometimes be a bit douchy, sometimes he dismisses Angel because all he wants to talk about is his current projects but he is generally funny and every now and then I feel like he really gets it. This quote is my favorite because it mirrors my feelings on Buffy and Cordelia.

“I really believe that Angel’s heart is with Buffy. I’ve always found the Angel-Cordelia relationship a bit strange, but it worked. There was chemistry there, but not the way it was between Angel and Buffy. I think the Angel-Cordy relationship was just a mirror to what the Angel-Buffy relationship was to him.”

That Angel projected his feelings for Buffy onto Cordy makes sense to me... but at the end of the day it all comes back to Buffy.

(And yes I know he had some pro-Cangel quotes during S3...I think it was all hands on deck to try and sell that ship but I think he got it right in the above quote).
Click to expand...

Day 11: Favorite Buffy/Angel sex scene?
The one in Amends. Beautiful, steamy and tragic 🙂
39826d972e90883e766736b8e6033aff--angel-episodes-geek-stuff.jpg


Day 12: Favorite Bangel kiss
I know I'm probably the only one, but this is my current favorite:
tumblr_n08ur2tA371qzswero3_250.gif


Day 13 : What episode was the first episode that made you know that your a Bangel fan ?
I can't really remember, maybe Reptile boy? That would explain why it's my candy episode.

Day 14 : When did Buffy start loving Angel ?
Goodness, such a difficult question. It depends on how you qualify love... For now, I choose Angel.
 
Mrs Gordo
Mrs Gordo
I love that kiss in Enemies! Well I love them all who am I kidding...
Day 14: When did Buffy start loving Angel
Tricky to gauge. I think it sort of depends on how you define 'to love' and to be 'in love with' someone. The former can describe a number of different forms of affection whereas the later is more to do with romantic or sexual feelings. Obviously you can love someone - as in care deeply about them - without being in love with them, but in a romantic relationship which spans both I'd say being in love is a precursor to a deeper bond of unconditional love.

I believe Buffy had a crush on him up until 'Angel', and they formed a deeper connection after she'd discovered he was a vampire and he proved he was good and cared for her. From then on she was definitely in love with him until 'What's my Line' - the fact that she's not the slightest bit bothered by his vampface and the way she goes to save him proves to me that it has become a far more complete and selfless love. I know she says 'I love you' in 'Lie to Me' but I think at that point it's still in the 'in love with' phase.
 
Day 14: When did Buffy start loving Angel?

This is tough.

In Angel she felt attraction, empathy and connection. She was falling in love. But she didn't yet love him. The ingredients were there though. A lot of big steps were taken; the intimacy of him sleeping in her bedroom, revealing his family is dead because of vampires, that he's been Cryptic Guy because of how badly he wants to kiss her, that he is a vampire but hates it, feeling like he's trapped in two worlds and not fully either (just like her with being the Slayer), staking Darla even though she was a sure thing and they were together for generations and doing it for Buffy (but not for brownie points *Spike in Crush* or should I say cookie points) and him (to let go of the past and embrace his future) and the world.

She said "I love you" in Lie to Me but he forced her hand. The episode was about people she cares about keeping secrets from her For Her Own Good and to the detriment of her wellbeing and she was demanding honesty and translucency. "Don't lie to me. I'm sick of it." When he asked her if she loves him, it was almost an ultimatum. Angel was so ashamed of his evil past and terrified of losing Buffy (the one good thing in his life) that he kept trying to hide his darkness, can't let the light see it. He hid his vampirism and it nearly cost her mom and her own life. And now he was hiding Drusilla. The way she looked at him when he asked, with disappointment, she knew it was wrong, that he needed to be assured before doing the right thing or he might not do it. That he needed to know what they had was strong enough to withstand the secrets he was carrying coming out or those secrets might stay buried. Instead of allowing Buffy to love him because of his remorse and pain, he let his insecurity win. Which was completely understandable. Who reveals their deepest darkest secrets right away? Hey babe, I have the memory of torturing and murdering thousands of innocent people, do you want to go out for some coffee? But if you want to build something real and lasting, you have to open that skeleton filled closet eventually.

I don't think she said it just to get to the truth. She wasn't ready to say it but she meant it. She hated that the first time she said it wasn't a natural moment when you say it because you can't imagine not saying it, like in Surprise when he says it to her. But she realized if she expects him to be honest and reveal things not ready to be said then she has to go there too.

I agree with those who say Becoming #2 is when it reached epic The One soulmate status. Buffy getting Angel back after four months of Angelus only to have to run him through with a sword and send him to Hell to avert an apocalypse. In Last Gleaming (BtVS s8 finale) she narrated that she was working in the food industry again (as a barista) but at least this time she wasn't "clinically depressed" or "wearing a cow as a hat" and a lot of fans tbought she was talking solely about s6 but it makes more sense she was referencing ALL the times she worked in the food industry. Diner waitress. Fast food employee. Barista. So Buffy saw herself as clinically depressed in those months right after killing Angel.
 
Last edited:
EarthLogic
EarthLogic
Love your 'Lie to Me' analysis.
Day 14: When did Buffy start loving Angel?

I mean y’all have all said it really. It’s hard to pinpoint the point of Love v. Falling in Love. I think love is tricky, subjective and it constantly changes.

Generally in Angel I think she begins to fall in love. In Lie to Me I believe her when she says she loves him but I think that we are shown that love and that love is solidified in WML. To me that has always been a major turning point in their relationship. She shares her fears regarding not having a future with him, opening up to him. She takes comfort in him. She shows him that she loves him despite his demon. She expresses her desperation at the thought of losing him becomes very protective. And all of that feels like the meat of the Buffy/Angel love. But it continues to change, in Becoming their connection feels stronger, in S3 their love shows them it’s hard to stay away from each other, in IWRY their love feels a bit older, like a married couple - in Forever their love feels like comfort. So I think they kinda continue to fall in love with each other in a way in the sense that their love is constantly changing. Or at least that’s how I look at it.
 
Day 15 : Do you identify with the relationship ?

LOL. I wish!

With the characters, yes; the relationship? No. I don't identify with it in the slightest (never even been in love) although there's a connection between myself and Buffy/Angel. I want a relationship (of any kind really) that provides support, understanding, comfort, love and fulfillment - which is one of the reasons why I love Bangel.
 
Day 15: Do you identify with the relationship?

This is an interesting question. I started dating my now-husband in college, and we were pretty intense at first. We were those obnoxious people who started talking about their children's names after six months. (When the time came to actually use one of them, 11 years later, we decided it had become too popular and went with a different name. Ha.) But we haven't run into any Bangel-level challenges (which is good, because you'd probably all be in hell, since there's no way I could kill him).

In the end, I think my enjoyment of Buffy/Angel is more about the compelling storytelling than any real-life parallels. 🙂
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom