Question Season 4: Your views, before and now

[DeepBlueJoy]

Without the Cordelia gives birth to Jasmine after sleeping with the Angel Spawn while he watched, I think the season would actually been the best of their seasons because of the moral complexities. Instead, my primary memory of that season is wanting to vomit -- and it has made me like Angel the series less and less with passing years as the pleasant memories have faded to a soft haze and that bitter memory is like a blood stain in concrete you can never get rid of. It singularly transformed from a fan of Angel -- and of most things Joss Whedon into someone who is at best a casual watcher.

 

[DagonSphere]

I loved season four when I first watched it, the pacing is insane, one crazy cliffhanger at the next, some really cool big ideas (the beast, the rain of fire, blotting out the sun), fantastically designed demons (the beast or Dinza), the entire scope of the season is just so much bigger. Gina Torres is making a brilliant villain. The only thing that was handled badly was the Cordelia/Connor story arc and the premature killing of Lilah, just when her relationship to Wesley was fleshing her out more and making her more interesting as a character. Though I must also say that the reboot of the end of season was also much needed to start over fresh.

 

[Priceless]

There is so much to dislike in this season for me, I really don't like Cordy/Connor (who does), Dark Wesley does nothing for me and the Fred/Grunn breakup is just annoying. But I'm on a re-watch now and I am really enjoying it. There are some great action sequences, it has the best opening episode, and I really enjoy The Beast. I'm also a fan of 'Were we in love?'/'We were' exchange from. There are some cracking episodes and it really does feel like this is the end times. I've not got to the appearance of Jasmine yet, but I think I'm going to like her.

 

[DeepBlueJoy]

Season 4 is the most imaginative, exciting season, but pulling Fred And Gunn apart artificially so Wes could have his option pisses me off more with passing time. That and Cordy and Connor ruined season 4 and the Angel series for me.

Why try to force Fred into a relationship with toxic Wesley when Gunn made her HAPPY? It made me wonder if it was not a racist writing choice. Not to mention sexist - Fred was treated like a PRIZE for the boys, not a woman with agency. And Fred And Wes never actually "happened". Pointless!

 

[Priceless]

Totally forgotten Fred and Angel kiss. I cannot imagine what the writers were thinking. They'd spent multiple episodes over several seasons building up Fred/Wesley, then as if testing the audiences reactions, they have Angel and Fred kissing. Just a bizarre decision.

Why does Angelus kill The Beast, when he knew that would bring the sun back. Surely, no matter what else was an issue, it was better that the sun was blotted out? That really made no sense.

 

[DeepBlueJoy]

Totally forgotten Fred and Angel kiss. I cannot imagine what the writers were thinking. They'd spent multiple episodes over several seasons building up Fred/Wesley, then as if testing the audiences reactions, they have Angel and Fred kissing. Just a bizarre decision.

Why does Angelus kill The Beast, when he knew that would bring the sun back. Surely, no matter what else was an issue, it was better that the sun was blotted out? That really made no sense.

Angelus is not a team player. The beast is not gonna act in his interest and he is not interested in supporting the beast's agenda. Light is something he has worked around for centuries.