So Who Knew Him Best?

[DoughnutHole]

I'm watching AtS from start to finish... again. For the millionth time. And I've recently started thinking about relationships. The ones that started on Buffy, then meshed, then eventually became separate. Specifically, people's relations with Angel himself.

In Buffy, he was this brooding, quiet, relatively stoic loner type. Every once in a while he would crack a smile, or make a slight joke. But generally, he was a mystery.

Then he got his own show. Which gave him an opportunity to develope his character. And we got to see him... pretty much every bit of him. He made friendships and lasting bonds. He smiled, joked, and quite often bordered on the sarcastic.

So it got me thinking about who really knew Angel best. I mean, there was the "Love of his life" Buffy. And I admit that we didnt really see much of their private moments together... so who's to say what went on behind closed doors. But at the same time, she never got to see him sing "Wang Chung" in a demon karaoke club.

I know that it's probably not possible to compare his relationships. But I'm wondering what every one else's take on the situation is.

 

[GrrArghx]

Well he was never in a relationship with her, but I think it's obvious that Cordelia knew him better than anyone. She was his best friend, his closest friend. They shared everything.

As far as real relationships, other than Buffy, he's only been with Nina (and Darla, but only when he was soulless). And, that was a casual thing. I doubt she knows much about him at all.

Darla; I guess you could say she knew him better than anyone, including Cordelia, but that's more Angelus than it is Angel. She doesn't seem to really get or 'know' Angel at all.

With Buffy; he didn't seem to share much of his past as Angelus, but I think that's because he didn't want to talk about it. Her reaction to Drusilla didn't go so well, so I don't think he continued to share much unless she specifically asked.

 

[ElmoHasAGun]

Cordelia. Cordy. For so many reasons that it would take a while too write. Long story short, she loved him, he loved her and best friends means everything in the Buffyverse.

 

[ToShanshuInLA]

Lorne, what with his empath demon-ness and destiny-seeing? lol

But seriously...There was a lot of mistrust toward Angel on Buffy's part and I think that's a sign of not knowing him well despite the love she may have had for him. Darla spent many, many years but that was when he was evil and before he discovered the joys of Manilow and puppy saving. So, in a predictable fashion, I'll say Cordelia...or perhaps Spike.

I fear what this thread will turn into.

 

[Big Damn Hero]

Cordelia. They were BFFs, man.

 

[crazysoulless]

I inwardly flinched reading the title just picturing the shippery back and forth Dangel v Bangel v Cangel comments to come.

 

[Big Damn Hero]

Well then let me clarify. Cordelia knew him best. But I disliked the Cordelia/Angel romance. They were best as friends.

 

[TheVoid68]

Darla knew the mass-murdering, soulless Angelus.

Buffy knew the mysterious, dark, vampire-with-a-soul Angel.

Cordelia knew Angel the father, Angel the Barry Manilow fan, Angel the man.

 

[MinwaraYana]

Cordelia Ch-Ch-Chase. I think he opened up to her the most and she always told him to spill it out. "What's a friend for?" and stuff. 😉

 

[PrincessBuffy16]

It's hard to admit, but I think Cordy knew him the best. Firstly, she was his friend, closest and best friend, and I don't think no one can compare with that.

 

[Tome]

Obviously Cordy. They were closest 😛 But i'd also have to add Lorne... he really knew him well, and he could also feel his emotions all the time. That's why it hurts so bad when Angel ask him to kill someone at the end. He really disliked Angel for that 🙁

 

[thevikingsgirl]

I always thought this relationship with Buffy was idealism on his part and infatuation on hers. It was another way for him to torture himself about why he'd never be good enough, and she was a silly teenager with an intense crush on an older guy she didn't really know. I know that a lot of people disagree with me, think it was true love and all that, but I just really don't. I think Cordelia knew him better than any other character on the show, followed closely by the rest of the crew. I think maybe Wesley was 2nd, being able to understand darkness more than the rest of them and having so much knowledge about Angelus from being a watcher.

 

[Eleftheria]

Cordelia. She has lived with him for 3 years(I am not mentioning the season 4). They fought together, she saw him getting dark, she shared things with him.She kept the visions for his sake.
To me it was one of the things that I could never imagine to happen in the verse. But it turned out they had one of the most wonderful friendships. He is the dark brooding type who finally opens up cause Cordy is the honest, happy and very brave person. I like them as best friends and I will always see them that way.

Buffy knows him, she loves him, she loves everything about him(even his vampire face couldn't stop her from kissing him), but his road to redemption and his journey as a Champion mostly happened in L.A. He was motivated by Buffy but he shared the journey with Cordy.

Darla only knew Angelus. Some traits may be the same, but I think Darla has no idea what Angel's soul is like. She knows the evil stuff, how to satify him in a sadistic way but she definitely doesn't know him.

After Cordy, I think Wesley also knows him very well, and maybe Lorne cause he read him more than once.

 

[frankie]

I think Cordy knew him best, followed by Wesley, Faith and then Buffy.

 

[DoughnutHole]

I inwardly flinched reading the title just picturing the shippery back and forth Dangel v Bangel v Cangel comments to come.

I really didnt intend this to be a ship thread.

The thought had just occured to me that there are so many different kinds of love out there. And while he boasts that Buffy was his true love, I also feel like he had this group (wes, cordy, gunn, fred, lorne) who knew him on a seemingly far deeper level. Or maybe I'm wrong... maybe it's too different to compair.

Ideally, this was not intended to be a Cordy vs. Buffy thread.

 

[TheVoid68]

I think that all of the AI crew knew Angel better than anyone else, plus Faith. Lorne probably the most after Cordy, then Faith and Spike because they understood redemption better than anyone. Then everyone else.

 

[dan k]

I'd agree that the members of Angel Investigations knew Angel best because he came out of his shell around them. His personality and sense of fun wasn't seen in Buffy. His relationship with Buffy was more about sheer heat and passion. With Cordelia it was friendship that eventually turned into love.

 

[Misty]

Cordelia knew him best. She knew and seen him soulless, depressed, and as a father. Also, out of all of his girlfriends I think he was honest the most with Cordelia, because he couldn't hide anything from her seeing as she worked with and for him and she knew his history too.

 

[Bungle Jerry]

Whoever it was - Cordy or Jasmine (I can't tell where one ends and the other begins) - who had access to Angel/us's entire history up there in floaty-land... that'd be the one who knows Angel best: That person knows Angelus and Angel. The only other person who can even kinda say that is Faith, who also had access to the inside of his/their head.

 

[Marisa]

I feel like Cordelia knew him hands down the most, she was kind of with him from start to finish she saw every side of him.
I also think Wesley comes in a close second Wesley and Angel had a friendship that he didn't have with any other male to me.
I think the people on Buffy knew him to an extent but I think all of the people in his group on Angel knew him more in a sense because they all grew with him some of them through the bad like in season 2 Darla storyline where he almost lost himself then to the good.