Could Angel give up the fight?

[bespangeled]

If NFA works like a charm and Angel shanshus, could he give up the day to day fight against evil? I can see him becoming human but I can't see him retiring afterward. And if he is going to fight, won't being human put him at a disadvantage. Less power, speed, healing, stamina - and far more vulnerable.

I know the shanshu is about feeling redeemed, but what happens the next month and years...and...

 

[Buffy Summers]

I feel like if he could do that, he would have kept the Gem of Amara.

🙂

 

[bespangeled]

I feel like if he could do that, he would have kept the Gem of Amara.

🙂

That never occurred to me, but I suspect you're right. I know he wants the burden removed - the sense of redemption the shanshu would give - but I can't see him ever leaving his purpose behind.

 

[janas]

...but what happens the next month and years...and...

Angel shanshued? How he put a foot out, he gets hit by a bus. This is the Whedonverse, after all!
Abandon hope all ye who enter here.

 

[white avenger]

As human, Angel could certainly continue to help the helpless, though with the obvious difference being that he is no longer the baddest dog in the neighborhood anymore. I'm sure that Gunn and Wes would be more than happy to teach him how to fight demons the way that they do it.

 

[Wesley Pryce]

Angel could never stop the good fight,he cares too much for good people to not try and help them. He must go on,but he also needs a hope,a a psychological motivational factor to keep him somewhat sane. Enter the shanshu 🙂

 

[Buffy Summers]

Wesley Pryce agrees: He didn't keep the gem because he felt like he hadn't earned his true redemption

I think he didn't keep the gem because he was afraid it would make him stop trying to earn his redemption.

 

[bespangeled]

As human, Angel could certainly continue to help the helpless, though with the obvious difference being that he is no longer the baddest dog in the neighborhood anymore. I'm sure that Gunn and Wes would be more than happy to teach him how to fight demons the way that they do it.

True, but having been who he was, Angel would be a target. And both Wes and Gunn were protected by his bulwark to some degree, I think. He would no longer be able to protect his people.

---------- Post added at 09:12 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:09 PM ----------

Angel could never stop the good fight,he cares too much for good people to not try and help them. He must go on,but he also needs a hope,a a psychological motivational factor to keep him somewhat sane. Enter the shanshu 🙂

I think his hope is redemption. To me there is a real difference between doing something to get a reward and doing something because it's the right thing to do. The Shanshu feels like a reward.

But, if he does Shanshu, what will he do? Will he quit fighting evil?

 

[Wesley Pryce]

@bespanglled,people(and vampires lol) can have more than one motivation for doing something. A cop may investigate robberies for a living both because they hate crime and want to help people AND because they are getting paid to do a steady job. just sayin

 

[ILLYRIAN]

It wouldn't have made any difference if Angel had been made a shiny new boy because of the Shanshu, as Spike would have had a laugh then said something like "cop this mate" and made him a vampire again.
Spike wouldn't have done that from any form of dislike for Angel, but he would have got a laugh from it.

 

[Kana]

I suppose it's also a question of identity. Angel's been a champion for so long, he doesn't know how to be anything else. It doesn't mean that his purpose can't alter slightly. Angel never thought he could be a father, but when he was, it changed him, however subtly.

Maybe he could work more on saving souls or being less of 'solve it with a sword' champion. He could perhaps let individuals like Spike do more of the heavy lifting while he could focus more on lost souls, a bit like Anne kind of does.

 

[bespangeled]

I suppose it's also a question of identity. Angel's been a champion for so long, he doesn't know how to be anything else. It doesn't mean that his purpose can't alter slightly. Angel never thought he could be a father, but when he was, it changed him, however subtly.

Maybe he could work more on saving souls or being less of 'solve it with a sword' champion. He could perhaps let individuals like Spike do more of the heavy lifting while he could focus more on lost souls, a bit like Anne kind of does.

Funny you mention her - I always thought Anne was the most selfless hero of the bunch!