Sorry I'm catching up today:
30 Days of Bangel -
Day 12: Why do you think Angel is a good fit for Buffy? & Day 13 Why do you think Buffy is a good fit for Angel?
I think the B/A relationship has evolved and changed as the characters have. Initially, Angel was a good fit for Buffy because he also straddled the world. Not quite human and not quite a demon. She was balancing her slayer duties with the normal everyday stuff of being a young woman. Both of them were struggling to find their place in the world, Buffy being Chosen, Angel being Cursed. They found comfort and understanding in each other. And eventually found love.
In those early days, Buffy showed Angel that there was good to be found in humanity. As he said to Faith in Consequences, he saw that there were people who wanted to do good, who cared, and tried, and wanted to do right. And he was inspired by that to make something of himself.
Angel taught Buffy that she didn’t have to carry the weight of her slayer-ness alone. She could rely on him and her friends, trust them and that would help her in her fight. Having allies, partners, friends, etc went on to be one of Buffy’s biggest assets. It set her apart from many slayers that came before her. Finally, Angel taught Buffy the value and importance of the human soul. And of course, this would shape her interactions with not just Angel, but later Spike.
In the later years, we see Angel and Buffy fighting side by side in s3 and working as partners. It really was a sneak peak at how wonderful those two could be: Enemies, Choices, Dopplegangland, etc.
After s3, Buffy and Angel continued to express love/admiration for each other which is obviously important for a partner. But more so, as Angel grew into his own mission and finding his own sense of purpose, I think he, more than anyone else in the entire Buffyverse understands Buffy’s sense of duty, and their commitment to the fight against evil. Forever shows us they still feel deeply and comfort each other and Chosen shows us how they trust each other, defend the world. Buffy knows if she loses Angel is the only one she can trust to have a second line of defense. Angel walks away trusting Buffy’s judgment and her ability to find a way to win. It’s a mutual respect and admiration of two warriors and it’s kinda ****ing great.
30 Days of Bangel - Favorite Season for Bangel Post BtVS s3
Some of you all may know that I love post-BtVS s3 B/A probably even more than BtVS s1-3. I mean let’s be real, I love it all, but I see so much of Buffy in AtS 1, 4 and 5. And I see so much of Angel in BtVS s4, 5, and 7. So I enjoy so much of the post s3 stuff that we get. Now the easy pick is AtS s1/BtVS s4 - that is when we get Pangs, IWRY, Sanctuary, and Yoko. I’d say that’s a very close second. Honorable mention to BtVS s5 for showing us what a calm, comforting B/A relationship looks like in Forever.
But ultimately my pick is BtVS s7/AtS s4 (yes I’m combining them - I do what I want) because it’s the final statement and I love where we leave things off.
As a preliminary matter, I find it baffling when fans express that B/A is non-existent post s3. I would refer you to this nifty little reference guide by
@veronicamars here. And
here are my top 5 fav post s3 moments. There are always references between the two and the relationship is always respected and never ignored. When Buffy returns from the dead the two shows are on different networks, it would’ve been incredibly easy to just ignore the fact that Buffy/Angel didn’t meet after her resurrection. But despite the network exec’s differences, the writers wrote their off-screen reunion in both shows. Both of them written to convey their urgency to see each other and the maudlin return after they parted. Examples like this on both shows abound and I think the best example of this is the last season of BtVS and s4 of AtS.
In BtVS s7, Angel is referenced or appears in
10 out of the 22 episodes. The backdrop of this season is Buffy’s almost immediate understanding that Spike is now different because he has a soul. And of course, the reason Buffy knows this is because of Angel. If not for her experiences with Angel, because he taught her first had the importance of a soul, she would not have had the same reaction to ensouled Spike. But more than that, Angel seems to be on Buffy’s mind often throughout the season. Buffy calls him a hottie in the first episode, she declares to her closest friends and family that she “loved him more than she will ever love anything in this life,” and she appears jealous of Faith’s having been in Angel’s mind.
On Angel’s side of things, he calls out Buffy’s name while having vision sex with Cordelia, he finds himself unable to say he loves Cordelia (multiple times), he lights up a bit when Willow mentions Buffy, and of course he tells Wolfram & Hart, initially, that he respects and trusts Buffy to handle herself in the apocalypse. After he gets the intel and amulet from W&H, and resolves his own family issues, he heads back to help Buffy fight.
And well, let’s face it, the big reason this is my favorite time period for them is because of:
Originally posted by anjelia3
and
There is something so fitting to me about them coming together after years apart. Both of them have had their separate journeys, both of them warriors, both of them have had love interests. And really, all of it just…. fades away, if even for a moment. All that you see is the love that they still have for each other and the connection they will always share.
And I love their conversation. I love that Angel wants to fight by her side, I love that Buffy puns, that she lights up, I love that Angel gives Buffy his little side smile that is reserved only for her, I love their little banter, I love that Angel is prepared to die for her cause (especially now that he knows Connor is well taken care of). There is an air of understanding between them two and it feels right.
And then when he leaves Buffy can’t just let him go without saying:
Originally posted by buffy-angel-and-co
Because (and please excuse my FRIENDS reference) with them, it’s never off the table.
