Angel : Unpopular Opinions

[DeepBlueJoy]

i have waaay too many lmao but a few:

• along with cordy's disgraceful character assassination and death, spike ruined the show
• wes is a misogynist. he infantilized fred and that relationship was gross and unhealthy
• fred/gunn was the sweetest, healthiest relationship in the buffyverse
• faith's arc was the only good part of season 4

Wow. I actually have nothing to add to that. I actually agree with you about everything except Spike, though I think Spike would have gone looking for Buffy -- and should have. I loved the JOY that was Fred and Gunn. I was so broken up when they were ripped apart for no reason.
 

Jasmine was great only the evil Cordelia thing was out of place in the season.

I actually didn't mind Jasmine. Kinda love the actress and the character was disturbing AND funny, which is that thing that is the buffyverse at its best. Just hate how they got there. I love Cordelia Chase. She deserved so much better.

 

[crazysoulless]

I didn't like how AtS and the AI team relied so heavily on the visions to the point you'd think the arc of the series was about that. There was never a shortage of demons or villains throughout history or around the world. They could function without them.

The visions were so impersonal. It was like sonething grabbed a few seconds of future (not even her own outside of being the "Lassie" that warns) and shoved it in her brain. No symbolism or spiritual guide or lucid ethereal plane. It didn't feel like something worthy of being called Seer or Psychic. It was just this intrusive thing, voyeuristically walking in stranger's shoes for a few seconds without really knowing anything about them, just what they felt being attacked in that moment.

I loved Drusilla's, Buffy's, Tara's, and Lorne's abilities. Feeling energy frequencies, emotions, receiving info one on one with messengers in the mind, clairyovance, etc.

 

[Mr Trick]

I agree. If they could have had evil Cordy for one episode... and then reveal it wasn't her... then give us back he real thing and have her fight alongside the gang... that might have worked... and NONE Of them should have slept with Connor, b/c that was just... an utter uglification of Cordy, of Charisma Carpenter, and it ruined the show. Season 5 and bringing Spike in was an effort to salvage the show, but they killed it the moment Cordy first slept with Connor.

If they had to work around Charisma's pregnancy, they should have just put her with Groo or something... and have him take the baby off to safety in another dimension or something since they already had a baby on the show. Or have her give magical birth to the lovely Jasmine and go into a coma without any 'daddy'. Magical beings can figure these things out! Wasn't fond of the whole idea, but actresses get pregnant and come back or shows go on hiatus - it could have been handled somehow without destroying the character (and the show.) You do NOT bring back characters from stuff like that. After you do something that ugly with a character, you pretty much have to kill them or exile them from the group.

Think the problem is they kind of committed themselves once they started down that path.

Oh please no more Groo, he was the pits!😛

i have waaay too many lmao but a few:

• along with cordy's disgraceful character assassination and death, spike ruined the show
• wes is a misogynist. he infantilized fred and that relationship was gross and unhealthy
• fred/gunn was the sweetest, healthiest relationship in the buffyverse
• faith's arc was the only good part of season 4

The reason I stick up for Spike in season 5 is because there was more to explore with him and Angel (besides obviously the flashbacks). I did enjoy his arc with Fred too.

You may have something, though I would argue for Willow and Tara also.

 

[Vampire Willow]

Lorne's character got boring after like 20 episodes. Especially in S5 he was dead weight.

 

[DagonSphere]

I never really appreciated Lorne's character when the show was still on the air, but when I rewatched the show recently, I found that he had some of the best lines and provided some heart. That being said, he had no real function in season five. Though I did love how dark his character's journey ends...

Honestly, I don't think Cordelia was ruined because she got possessed and slept with Connor. I think her character was ruined by making her the next epic love of Angel's. Once they turned her into a love interest, there was no direction that she could have gone in anymore. Angel can't be happy, he can't have a moment of happiness with the woman he loves. Once they played this "epic romance" thing between them, it was over for her. Shortly after she had to ascend with no build-up just so Angel wouldn't get a happy moment at the end of season three. Then they realized they didn't like Cordelia's ascension and decided to bring in the whole Evil Cordy/Jasmine storyline to take the ascension thing back. But yeah, what really doomed her was the romance.

Cordelia sleeping with Connor was icky, but since she wasn't herself, one can't really talk about character assassination there. One of the big flaws of the whole Evil Cordy thing however was also that they decided to take one of the funnest, most light-hearted characters of the show and make her a sour and miserable presence, taking away the fun counterbalance to Angel.

 

[Joan the Vampire Slayer]

Nina was the best love interest for Angel.

Season 5 is way better than fans give it credit for.

Spike is Angel's true love.

Wesley and Lilah had the most interesting relationship.

Taking over Wolfram & Hart was the worst decision Angel Investigations made and turned Angel into a heartless monster.

Lindsey redeemed himself, and having Lorne kill Lindsey was the lowest point in the series.

 

[Puppet]

Nina was the best love interest for Angel.

Season 5 is way better than fans give it credit for.

Wesley and Lilah had the most interesting relationship.

Taking over Wolfram & Hart was the worst decision Angel Investigations made and turned Angel into a heartless monster.

Agreed.

 

[EarthLogic]

Nina was the best love interest for Angel.

Ok I gotta ask - why Nina?!😕

 

[thetopher]

Nina was the best love interest for Angel.
Spike is Angel's true love.

Not sure how both of these can be true tbh. 😉

Disagree with most of the rest:
Season 5 was firmly in the middle in terms of quality and consistency, At the very least taking over W&H allowed Angel to take the amulet to Sunnydale so Buffy could have a hope of saving the world.
Lindsey got what was coming to him; the guy kept of flip-flopping as to whether he was a good or evil; not remotely trustworthy.

I really did like Wesley/Lilah. Although I found Darla/Angel just as interesting.

 

[Mylie]

Lindsey redeemed himself, and having Lorne kill Lindsey was the lowest point in the series.

When exactly did Lindsey redeemed himself?

 

[RomanticSoul]

Not sure how both of these can be true tbh. 😉

IKR, too funny. It's like we all watched completely different shows.

At the very least taking over W&H allowed Angel to take the amulet to Sunnydale so Buffy could have a hope of saving the world.

For the sake of canon, Buffy didn't save the world. She almost destroyed it (par for the course with Dawnverse Buffy). Lindsay, W&H, Angel and Spike saved it.

Lindsey got what was coming to him; the guy kept of flip-flopping as to whether he was a good or evil; not remotely trustworthy.

The guy was working for W&H for crying out loud. When that wasn't an option anymore he tried to get with other evil with the Black Thorn, knowing full well what they were all about. That's redemption?

I really did like Wesley/Lilah. Although I found Darla/Angel just as interesting.

Both of these ships are 'Spuffy, but done right'. That's why they are tons better. It's all about the good guy's/hero's journey, how they landed in these relationships and ultimately how they overcame their downward spiral and got out of those ships. Spuffy ultimately became all about the villain's (Spike) journey through that relationship instead of the hero's (Buffy).

 

[Mrs Gordo]

Spike is Angel's true love.

 

[telperion66]

Unpopular opinions about Angel? Season 5 sucked.

 

[Fool for Buffy]

Unpopular opinions about Angel? Season 5 sucked.

I find the opposite opinion seems just as, if not more, unpopular. Season 5 is my favorite season by far, and I am not sure many agree.

 

[telperion66]

I find the opposite opinion seems just as, if not more, unpopular. Season 5 is my favorite season by far, and I am not sure many agree.

Even with that weird "pee" guy? I mean, come on, standards..

 

[RachM]

Even with that weird "pee" guy? I mean, come on, standards..

What is this in reference to??? The only thing which springs to mind is Life of The Party where Gunn starts peeing on everything because Lorne told him to "mark his territory".

 

[Joan the Vampire Slayer]

Nina was the best love interest for Angel.

Season 5 is way better than fans give it credit for.

Spike is Angel's true love.

Wesley and Lilah had the most interesting relationship.

Taking over Wolfram & Hart was the worst decision Angel Investigations made and turned Angel into a heartless monster.

Lindsey redeemed himself, and having Lorne kill Lindsey was the lowest point in the series.

Yeah in all seriousness, I think Nina was the best match for him

 

[badsister]

Illyria was much more interesting than Fred

 

[famicommander]

This isn't about Angel specifically, but every timr I see someone combine two names into a portmanteau to indicate a relationship, whether talking about fictional characters or real life celebrities, I die a little inside. When people say stuff like "Bangel" or "Spuffy" or "Brangelina" I pretty much permanently write them off as an awful person. Shippers are the worst part of any fandom. They have basically destroyed the online Arrowverse community (Flash, Arrow, Supergirl, Legends of Tomorrow, etc).

 

[Mrs Gordo]

This isn't about Angel specifically, but every timr I see someone combine two names into a portmanteau to indicate a relationship, whether talking about fictional characters or real life celebrities, I die a little inside. When people say stuff like "Bangel" or "Spuffy" or "Brangelina" I pretty much permanently write them off as an awful person. Shippers are the worst part of any fandom. They have basically destroyed the online Arrowverse community (Flash, Arrow, Supergirl, Legends of Tomorrow, etc).

Hi! Awful person here (Bangel fan),

Be prepared to die a lot on these boards as those terms are often used. But I have to say, this notion that shippers and shipping are inferior or a blemish in fandom is a concept I will never understand. Not all shippers are created equal. Not everyone who ships is a pod person that is unable to engage in dialogue and critical analysis of that art. Shipping can mean that there is a love story component to the art in question that the fan enjoys or perhaps there are certain attributes of two characters they find compatible. Shipping is natural as in our real lives we also often deal in human connection, love, relationships etc. It is therefore, perfectly natural for fans invested in a show to have opinions about their favorite characters’ relationships because we relate art to real life.

Anyway I have a lot to say about this and I’ve been meaning to write a meta on it maybe I will soon but I feel that the whole shippers are a cancer to fandom opinion is a bit short sighted.