Should they have stayed anyway?

[nightshade]

Should Cordelia, Wesley and Gunn stayed anyway even after Angel fired them. While Gunn didn't really know Angel that well Cordelia and Wesley did should they have stayed and tried to help him more or was their leaving and working for themselves the right decision?

 

[Whirlwind]

I think they did the best thing. I don't think there was any getting through to Angel, he had to work through those issues themselves, and being around him when he was on the warpath like that might have made them more of a target. In the end, it helped the three grow closer, and Angel learned some humility.

 

[PassionBecoming]

I think they would have liked to stay, but they didn't really have a choice in the matter. Angel was in a dark, nasty place and needed to work his way out of it. They tried to be a friend to him more than once and he pushed them away, so why stay where you aren't wanted? It worked out in the end, but the whole thing made me sad. 🙁

 

[The Scourge]

They made the right choice. They were adults and had to survive the harshness demonic LA. As cold as it sounds, the needed to be able to take care of themselves in the world first before worrying about Angel.

 

[VisionGirl]

I guess I don't see it as much about them leaving as him kicking them out. They didn't really have a choice in the matter. They did have a choice in what they did next. After drinking too much & singing Queen, they chose to keep fighting the good fight. Very admirable of them, especially with no superpowers (save for Cordy's visions). And I do agree that getting out of Angel's way was the best thing they could have done- he needed to hit bottom, and they could've wound up collateral damage in his vendetta.

 

[BuffyElevated]

I think they did the best thing. I don't think there was any getting through to Angel, he had to work through those issues themselves, and being around him when he was on the warpath like that might have made them more of a target. In the end, it helped the three grow closer, and Angel learned some humility.

I agree with [MENTION=11555]Whirlwind[/MENTION].... At that point, Angel wouldn't have listened to them. He proved that he was in a horrible state of mind by actually firing them. Angel needed to spend that time alone so he could get his epiphany. And the others needed that time alone so they could see that they could function without Angel.

 

[Ripper666]

In fact I didn't liked Wesley all the time so no he shouldn't return. I think I don't like him because I think that he could replaced Giles. Well good old prejudges..

 

[Willow My Love]

I think it was right for them to leave. Y'know the old saying about loving something and letting it go? Worked out all right for them, right?

 

[Enemies]

I don't think they would have achieved anything staying around Angel but on the other hand I never saw the three of them as a real team. They were three strong characters together with no clear leader and it was a power struggle which couldn't have lasted well for more than a few months. I was almost relieved when they got back with Angel.

 

[Ojuice5001]

I guess, I just don't see the implied option that they could have "stayed anyway." From the way Angel acted, it seems that he was cutting off all contact with AI: living in a new place, probably not having a phone and certainly not a phone number known to Cordelia, Wesley, and Gunn, etc. When someone is cutting himself off that thoroughly, there's probably no chance of reaching through to him anyway.

And this is so even if the AI team could have gotten in touch with Angel through a few mutual acquaintances: probably Lorne, maybe Kate, possibly even Merle. After all, the mutual acquaintances may also not have had any way of initiating contact with Angel, and it's not always a good idea to make or comply with a request like "Hey, can you tell me where to find this guy who's avoiding me?" Telling the AI members where Angel lives would probably be against Lorne's professional ethics; and Kate and especially Merle may not even know how to initiate contact with Angel--all that happens is that he visits them.

So the Fang Gang didn't really have that much of a chance to make contact with Angel, and I don't see that it would have done any good if they had managed to get someone to deliver a message like "We still care about you." (Since there's probably no way to talk to him in person, that kind of message is probably all they could say in a message delivered by mutual acquantainces.) Angel probably knows that they still care, but thinks that it's best for everyone if he never sees them. Like Whirlwind says, their only choice was whether to keep up the good fight without Angel, and that is exactly what they did.

 

[ticonderouga]

I agree completely with them leaving, they really had no real reason to, perhaps the real question is: Should they have let Angel back in?

 

[SlayerFest]

No, he needed his space. It all worked out for the best. They proved that they weren't just his sidekicks, that they could hold their own and Angel had a little..."me time".