Really struggling with Angel Season 5 :(

[YummySushiPJs]

So I've been watching Angel for the first time (I watched the first 1.5 seasons a few years ago, and finally picked it up again).

I have just loved it so far, especially the latter half of season 2 (especially the finale episodes), and full seasons 3 and 4.

Now I'm on season 5, about one third of the way through, and from episode one I have just not been enjoying it. Moving the team into Wolfram and Hart has just changed the dynamic of the show too much, and it has not been made entirely clear what Angel and co are actually doing. I thought we'd seen the end of W&H last season, and to be honest I thought that story arc had run its course.
I was looking forward to seeing Harmony again (I had been spoiled about her return) but so far she hasn't offered much. Even the episode focussing on her, thinking she had killed someone, was boring.
There is too much focus on Spike and the Angel/Spike rivalry (as if we didn't get enough Spike focus in Buffy season 7.....)
Fred, Gun and Wesley have offered almost nothing so far and been pushed to the backburner.

Please someone tell me its get better! (Though I don't like spoilers). Am I alone in feeling like this?

 

[fredthe3rd]

I thought it was too episodic in some ways. Didn't seem to have the big series long story arc so much. And not enough cliffhangers at end of episode. And one character development... (No spoilers) ...had me slightly miffed. There are some magic moments in there though.

 

[Dazza]

The first 5 or 6 eps of season 5 were awful, but it picked up around ep 7ish.

 

[Yosso]

I've not really watched Angel S5, only the first five or so episodes. Partly because I want to know that there is some of the Buffyverse that I haven't seen yet (weird I know 😛) and also I wasn't hooked enough to zip through the season quickly. The start of season is rather weak, now I think about it. I barely even remember any of the episodes I saw.

 

[YummySushiPJs]

I totally see where you're coming from Yosso. That is why it took me so long to get round to watching Angel, I wanted to savour it.

Yeah the first few eps of S5 are bad, especially the one about Lorne stressing out about being the life of the party or whatever that was about, then turning into some big green Lorne/Hulk monster. WTF. Lorne is one of my fave characters but this episode sucked!

Anyway after posting this I went and watched the next episode, which happened to be the one with Cordelia. It was by far the best episode of the season so far. I hope things continue to improve.

 

[Robb Stark]

I actually think Angel S5 is the best of the series. I really, really liked it. The chemistry between Angel and Spike was all kinds of awesome. I thought, unlike BTVS, the main cast managed to really develop while not changing the core dynamic. With BTVS, the Scoobies all "grew up and drifted apart", and for some reason the fan base deemed that super realistic. The Angel core all changed dramatically, probably more than their BTVS counterparts, and yet they maintained the same elements that made them cool in the first place. I really liked that.

Yeah, I thought S5 was awesome.

 

[eimajamie]

I too wasn't impressed with the beginning of S5, too much Spike.

But, Ep 12 (Cordelia ep) and onwards it does get better, if you haven't watched it or been spoiled your in for some surprises.

 

[Dazza]

I too wasn't impressed with the beginning of S5, too much Spike.

But, Ep 12 (Cordelia ep) and onwards it does get better, if you haven't watched it or been spoiled your in for some surprises.

I don't think the problem was Spike, it was just the terrible writing/boring episodes.

 

[YummySushiPJs]

I have finished watching the season now. It really did improve after the Cordelia episode. I posted my thoughts in the Not Fade Away episode thread so I won't repeat myself other than to say I'm so disappointed the show was cancelled!

 

[Dazza]

so I won't repeat myself other than to say I'm so disappointed the show was cancelled!

Yep it was criminal.

 

[Steven123]

The later episodes in season 5 are pretty good. It was a bit of a slow season in my opinion, the first few episodes were a bit of a "cool down" from the others,before they pick up again.

 

[Mischlings]

First episodes felt like "okay, let's slow down just a bit to get people used to the new premise", then it starts to pick up quite a bit in peace and gets really good, then gets a little too fast towards the end, like they had planned another season for the story arc to play out that they just didn't get. But Season 5 is actually really good - I was caught off guard by that since so many people don't seem to like it.

 

[YummySushiPJs]

First episodes felt like "okay, let's slow down just a bit to get people used to the new premise", then it starts to pick up quite a bit in peace and gets really good, then gets a little too fast towards the end, like they had planned another season for the story arc to play out that they just didn't get. But Season 5 is actually really good - I was caught off guard by that since so many people don't seem to like it.

It definately feels rushed at the end, like they had hoped for another season. Especially regarding Ilyria.

 

[The Scourge]

The first episodes of the season were pretty awful. The tone and format of the series was completely changed simply to accomadate fans of Buffy that only watched Angel because they didn't want to let the 'Buffy' part of the Buffyverse go. Hence ditching the serialized nature of the show, dropping Buffy's name more than the previous 4 seasons combined, and shoving Spike front and center at the expense of AtS veterans.

Luckily the second half of the season fixed everything. Episodic episodes were gone, Spike took a backseat to the core AtS cast, and the writing improved drastically.