So, after looking closely at S1's episode Angel, where Buffy finds out Angels a vampire... Darla visits his aparment to tell him he's "not exactly living off of quiches". We see in his fridge this...
I think thats quite clearly human blood and not the pigs blood in a jar from the butcher we see him drink in later seasons. So, Angel drinks human blood. Anyone want to explain?
My feeling... Seems Angels not as good as we would like to think he is. : erm :
Maybe they are like vitamins and he uses them after he gets beat up or something... (I know.... sounds like an excuse) Maybe the human stuff helps him heal faster or something?
Or he's a closet addict. Stealing human blood/ taking it from people who might need it is naughty...doesn't he help Buffy wail on some other vampires latter in the season(s) that are doing just that?
Maybe Buffy between scenes explains to him that drinking human blood is/should be off limits and he thinks about it and changes his ways?
I'm planning on revisiting season one soon...I dunno. good catch, Silum.
RelicIf he pays for it I still don't like the idea, it's taking it out of the supply chain for people who do need it, and he could just as easily get animal blood.
Well to be fair, we do see angel chowing down on Rats and looking pretty pathetic in a flashback (with Whistler?), so we know hes not on human blood at that point.
I think hes like Willow when she S6
gets addicted to magic and keeps magic around for comfort
... he needs to know its there. Also, we see in shot a jar (presumably pigs blood) so thats his regular supply.
I can't remember which episode it was, but I definitely remember a scene where Angel is at a hospital talking on the phone (I think to Giles), and he reaches in a cabinet, pulls out a pack of blood, and puts it inside his coat. (Or was that Spike?) Also, there are scenes throughout both series where either Angel or Spike have blood in what is definitely hospital blood packets, and Spike orders "O Neg" an Willy's bar fairly often. In fact, it isn't until Season 7, after gaining his soul, that Spike states that he won't "go back on the sauce" again, and only in Season 5 of "Angel" that there is a "no human blood policy" for W&H's employees.
Angel probably enjoys a pint of the real stuff on occasion just like I enjoy an occasional chili dog. I don't think that there's anything really wrong or harmful for either of us just as long as he doesn't kill a human to get his blood and I don't actually kill a chili.
Silumi believe it was Spike, and im glad he stayed on the human stuff until he got his soul, thats part of his character. He did drink pigs stuff as well though.
I think it's probably just a fluke. I think they added that before they realized that they didn't want Angel to drink human blood.
All of that said, even as the recipient of several life saving blood transfusions, I don't think I care whether or not a vampire steals from the blood supply, especially if it's only an occasional thing or if he actually has the decency to buy the stuff. Vampires drink blood. Human blood, it is implied throughout the series, is top shelf. It's like eating at a classy bistro in Rome compared to Ramen noodles and cheap marinara sauce. sure, we humans can subsist on the cheap stuff, but it's not as healthy for us. If Angel keeps from giving into his cravings to bite, drain, and possibly even kill folks by keeping a little bit of the good stuff handy, then I think that's a good thing. Dipping into the national blood supply is on the low end of the totem pole of possible evils, here.
Also, I really don't think a pint here or there is going to do major damage to the blood supply. The blood banks need it, but they don't need it that badly. Heck, they won't even *take* my perfectly good blood (due to a weight of less than 115 pounds and blood transfusions that I had prior to 1985, not any current scary disease or anything).
RelicI work in the medical community and here in the mid west its a different story. Blood has a shelf life and we don't have as much here...in the form of voulanteers or supply. :(
white avengerThey won't take my blood either, because of some of the medication that I have to take.
^^^^Dependant on blood type and location, really, (for each individual banks ability to judge supply) There has been a big push in our area to get donors for the transfusions soldiers need, as well as charity work and research. We have a documented shortage.
To say the blood banks in general don't need it that badly is a bit errored.
Me, I don't like Angel doing it, especially if he's suppose to be all dark and broody and regretfull, it seems counter character even if he paid for it. His actions could still in theory cost a life.
I liken it to a fellow who goes on a rampage on PCP and regrets the rampage, but still keeps the smack on hand, thats just the weird way I look at it. He could survive just the same off of animal blood so it's not a question of nutrient, but one of taste and personal preferance. This kind of lets me down! 🙁
First of all, about Spike, it's pretty clear why he still drank human blood. He couldn't kill, sure, but that didn't really give him a conscience, he was still the demon. It was probably too expensive to have it all the time, but whenever he could I'm sure pre-soul Spike would get human blood because it's just tastier.
And now about Angel. Remember s3 when someone mixed a bit of Connor's blood into Angel's supplies and he stated that's why Connor started to smell like food to him. Well, I think alone for that Angel has learned to stay away from human blood, to nib the seduction in the bud. The question here is WHEN did he develope this mentality. Probably already before he ever met Buffy. And, as many other things in Bs1, it was just not really thought out.
But, for the sake of discussion, let's just say back then he didn't. If we look at it like that, I could assume that Angel might have thought it was okay to drink human blood as long as no one had to get killed for it (so from blood donations and stuff) and that only closer contact to Buffy and her friends made him then, at some point, realize that he shouldn't even be doing this. However, I think this wouldn't really fit Angel's character at all, so I'm gonna stick with the not thought out plot opinion.
See i dont mind believing that Angel could have/live off a supply of human blood. The problem comes with various references to how bad human blood is to vampires and how fervently angel rejects human blood.
Spike has to be weened (violently) off human blood in S7
Angel doesnt let anyone at W&H drink human blood
after he takes over W&H
Viewers thoughout the series of BTVS and ATS are conditioned to believe human blood=wrong and is baaaaad.
I'm not saying that I don't think blood banks need the blood at all or even badly. I'm just saying that I don't think they need it that badly -- specifically, I don't think they need it badly enough to justify the alternative: a vampire committing violence (and possibly murder) to obtain blood. From the medical community's perspective, I'm sure it's better to be a little lacking in blood than it is to deprive a bloodthirsty vampire of the means of quenching said thirst in a way that doesn't involve murder. Think about it: if the vamp attacks a human and help arrives in time, they've got to put the blood back into the victim, anyway. It's better all around for the occasional non-murderous vampire who needs the occasional pint of the good stuff to get it from a blood bag rather than from a less willing donor.
Obviously, animal blood works as a substitute for human blood in night-to-night vampire life, but as we saw at the end of season 3 of Buffy (
when Angel was poisoned and needed Buffy's human, slayer blood in order to survive
) and as we eventually saw in season 4 of Angel (
when Wes rescued Angel from the ocean and had to feed him his own blood in order to revive him
), a vampire sometimes needs the real thing for its restorative properties. Also, as we saw mid season 5 of Buffy (
when Riley went and gave his blood to the vamp whores
), there are some humans who are perfectly willing -- eager, even -- to donate blood to vamps and some vamps who are perfectly willing to obtain said blood without murder. All things considered, I think the Buffyverse sets up a decent number of exceptions to the rule, enough to justify (to me, anyway) a vampire's keeping some human blood on reserve in the fridge, especially one who is out there actively saving lives from those vamps who *would* murder for their food.
If and when they need it, I'd rather have non-murderous vamps take a pint or two from the local blood bank (even if there is a shortage) than take a pint or two from an unwilling victim.
It comes down to intention and circumstance, I guess.
See, the thing with me is that Angel would not take it from a person directly, because he does not want to hurt them. At the same time he would presumably take it/buy it out of a possible hospital supply chain from a black market dealer/whatever, when the same circumstances of hurting people could apply.
He's still feeding off of humanity but in a sneakier manner where it is harder to see the damage potential...but the potential still exists.
He helps Buffy layeth the smack down on other vamps that are stealing from a blood bank. I realize this circumstance is different as the bad vamps were loading up on supply and probably just wanted fast food as opposed to the benefit of the doubt given to Angel....but using the rational that they are eating bloodbags instead of people still does not make it OK, and is why Buffy went after them.
I'd be curious to know what the difference truly is...to Angel that is. The bad vampires steal it from a hospital while he buys his from Willy or a black market guy? (who lets him keep his hands clean by stealing it for him?) or, maybe he buys his directly from a hospital?
Even if he was buying it from the hospital I have a problem with it if he's keeps it around just for the occasional nip of the good stuff.
As I said when I first began discussing this and was trying to justify it, I have no problem with him having it on hand for emergency use for himself in order to save his 'life' or heal faster to be in better fighting shape to in turn fight some big bad and save everyone.
I don't want him comfortable about it though, no matter the circumstances.
but it could just as easily be animal blood.. the dog transfusion bag looked just like a persons bag. Is there anything on there actually that screams out 'human' to anyone trained to know the difference?
I think for Angel it might be just like very expensive, good wine for us: You shouldn't drink it to much, and once you've had some it makes you crave for more, but once in a while on a nice sunny day, it's okay.
The problem is of course how he got it, you don't just walk into a blood bank and ask for two bags of 0 negative. It is however much better than taking it from an unwilling victim, especially since Angel more or less knew how to behave, what with his soul and everything.
I had to rack my brain to which episode it was...but I eventually got it. But I think The Dark Age probably explains it better...in the way that there are obviously ways and means of getting human blood, and perhaps that it is sometimes easier for normal vamps to take that option.
As for Angel drinking human blood and the impacts, I doubt that it's act of drinking blood that is dangerous, it's how you go about doing it. Hunting and the kill obviously thrills vampires on a more instinctual level rather than just a need to feed. Maybe if there was a souless vampire who drank human blood from a bag rather than from, they would also be tamer in a way, due to not using their animalistic side.
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