What are your feelings about Kate Lockley?

[slayer6]

I really liked Kate at first but as soon as she found out about the supernatural I hated her. I understand the whole not being able to deal with it but she is just ridiculous about it. She makes it her personal vendetta to persecute Angel and she gets stupid in the process. I literally pumped my fist when Angel puts her in her place after his building blows up. One thing that shows how blinded she was to the truth because of her irrational persecution of Angel was in the episode Dear Boy. Darla tricks Angel into trying to save her then makes it look like he killed her husband. Kate shows up and Darla clearly sais she told him not to come in but shje sais he broke in. Kate knows damn well that Angel could never have gone in without being invited! Her prejudice against him made her overlook the obvious when the real evil was looking her in the eyes and lying to her.

---------- Post added at 10:44 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:26 PM ----------

Oh and also Kate claims she only cares about the innocent people that get caught in the crossfire of the war Angel fights and she blames him for their deaths. Well how many lives has Angel saved? Is it Angel's fault that the evil kills some innocents? no it is not he does everything he can to save lives and this bitch just has a vendetta against him because some vamire killed her dad. She knows it wasn't Angel and she knows he tried to save her dad but still she wants to persecute him. I honestly had hoped Angel would be forced to kill Kate somehow.

 

[EffyStonem]

I love Kate and I think she is a very misunderstood and overlooked character. She is a very strong, very righteous character who has dedicated her life to saving people. She is intelligent and ruthless and she genuinely believes in doing good. She initially helps Angel, despite his unorthodox methods, because she recognises that he is trying to make a difference in the world and trying to help people. She believes in her badge, in her job and in the good in the world. She knows how to handle human evil; she deals with it on a daily basis and she has confronted it many, many times.

Then, suddenly and through no fault of her own, this completely new world is opened up to her; a world she is not ready for nor prepared for. Her entire belief system is shaken and she takes a step back from Angel because of this; she acknowledges that he is a good guy but she cannot handle being around him because of what he represents and who he is. Then, of course, the biggest upheaval in her life occurs; her father is murdered. And not just murdered - murdered by vampires, by supernatural beings that she can neither arrest nor bring to justice. And so her anger and her frustration builds and she ends up projecting it onto Angel; unfairly, yes, but completely understandably.

On top of all this, because of who Kate is, because she is a good person, she can't just ignore the supernatural evil that is happening in her city. She must act because that's who she is; she is a person who fights evil, who helps people, who wants to make society a better place. So she chases these bizarre cases and turns up at "freaky" crime scenes and is left with cases that look unresolved and unfinished and she is punished for this by the bureau. She can't tell them the truth, she can't defend herself, so she struggles along in silence, trying to make sense of this new world but she can't.

She also has a very good point when she says to Team Angel "While you all are fighting your big battles of good and evil, the innocent are the ones caught in the crossfire. Those are the ones I care about." It's very true. Team Angel fight evil on a much larger scale and as a result, people get hurt; and these are the people that Kate has sworn to protect and she can't anymore. She has been introduced to forces beyond her control and she does not know how to deal with them.

So, in short, I adore Kate. I think that she has a lot on her plate and a hell of a lot to deal with and she does the best that she can. And yes, she is headstrong and stubborn and blames Angel when she shouldn't but I can forgive her all this because of everything she has had to endure.

 

[Blaze]

I absolutely love Kate! Actually, she is one of my favorite character on Angel. [MENTION=12223]EffyStonem[/MENTION] already put it really nicely, and she pretty much stated all the reasons I like Kate. Also, I find her to be one of the character that is easier to relate too on AtS.

 

[slayer6]

I love Kate and I think she is a very misunderstood and overlooked character. She is a very strong, very righteous character who has dedicated her life to saving people. She is intelligent and ruthless and she genuinely believes in doing good. She initially helps Angel, despite his unorthodox methods, because she recognises that he is trying to make a difference in the world and trying to help people. She believes in her badge, in her job and in the good in the world. She knows how to handle human evil; she deals with it on a daily basis and she has confronted it many, many times.

Then, suddenly and through no fault of her own, this completely new world is opened up to her; a world she is not ready for nor prepared for. Her entire belief system is shaken and she takes a step back from Angel because of this; she acknowledges that he is a good guy but she cannot handle being around him because of what he represents and who he is. Then, of course, the biggest upheaval in her life occurs; her father is murdered. And not just murdered - murdered by vampires, by supernatural beings that she can neither arrest nor bring to justice. And so her anger and her frustration builds and she ends up projecting it onto Angel; unfairly, yes, but completely understandably.

On top of all this, because of who Kate is, because she is a good person, she can't just ignore the supernatural evil that is happening in her city. She must act because that's who she is; she is a person who fights evil, who helps people, who wants to make society a better place. So she chases these bizarre cases and turns up at "freaky" crime scenes and is left with cases that look unresolved and unfinished and she is punished for this by the bureau. She can't tell them the truth, she can't defend herself, so she struggles along in silence, trying to make sense of this new world but she can't.

She also has a very good point when she says to Team Angel "While you all are fighting your big battles of good and evil, the innocent are the ones caught in the crossfire. Those are the ones I care about." It's very true. Team Angel fight evil on a much larger scale and as a result, people get hurt; and these are the people that Kate has sworn to protect and she can't anymore. She has been introduced to forces beyond her control and she does not know how to deal with them.

So, in short, I adore Kate. I think that she has a lot on her plate and a hell of a lot to deal with and she does the best that she can. And yes, she is headstrong and stubborn and blames Angel when she shouldn't but I can forgive her all this because of everything she has had to endure.

as far as projecting it on Angel I don't think it is understandable at all. How is it understandable to persecute someone because of your own issues? That is not understandable. And as far as her making a good point about people getting caught in the crossfire it's not a good point at all. Angel protects innocents that is what he does and the people that die would die anyway if Angel just didn't fight the war so how can she blame him? I get that you like Kate but she was wrong in the way she acted. She let her own vendetta cloud her judgment and that actually makes her a terrible cop. That is why cops get taken off of cases that are personal because emotions can not come in to play when dealing with the law. Whhen they do people start acting like Kate.

 

[EffyStonem]

As far as projecting it on Angel I don't think it is understandable at all. How is it understandable to persecute someone because of your own issues?

Angel is the person who introduced her to the supernatural world in the first place; he is the one who forced her into this new world she wasn't prepared for. Not to mention the fact that he is a vampire and her father was killed by vampires. Then there's the little matter that Angel operates outside of the law (which, as the audience, we understand as a necessity but Kate doesn't have that luxury) and it's completely understandable why she projects her anger onto Angel.

And as far as her making a good point about people getting caught in the crossfire it's not a good point at all. Angel protects innocents that is what he does and the people that die would die anyway if Angel just didn't fight the war so how can she blame him?

She is wrong to say "Those are the ones I chalk up to your boss." It's not Angel's fault that innocent people are dying. But the first part of her quote is true; Angel fights evil on a huge scale, battling against powerful enemies like W&H and innocent people are dying in the midst of this war. Kate needs someone to blame and while it's not right that she blames Angel she has good reason for doing so (as I have already illustrated).

I get that you like Kate but she was wrong in the way she acted. She let her own vendetta cloud her judgment and that actually makes her a terrible cop. That is why cops get taken off of cases that are personal because emotions can not come in to play when dealing with the law. When they do people start acting like Kate.

How was Kate a "terrible cop"? Seriously, what evidence do we see of that? She was an inspector/detective, you don't get to that level of law enforcement by being a "terrible cop". She was fired because of the many unresolved cases she has, due to them being supernatural in nature, not because she was a "terrible cop".

 

[slayer6]

Angel is the person who introduced her to the supernatural world in the first place; he is the one who forced her into this new world she wasn't prepared for. Not to mention the fact that he is a vampire and her father was killed by vampires. Then there's the little matter that Angel operates outside of the law (which, as the audience, we understand as a necessity but Kate doesn't have that luxury) and it's completely understandable why she projects her anger onto Angel.

She is wrong to say "Those are the ones I chalk up to your boss." It's not Angel's fault that innocent people are dying. But the first part of her quote is true; Angel fights evil on a huge scale, battling against powerful enemies like W&H and innocent people are dying in the midst of this war. Kate needs someone to blame and while it's not right that she blames Angel she has good reason for doing so (as I have already illustrated).



How was Kate a "terrible cop"? Seriously, what evidence do we see of that? She was an inspector/detective, you don't get to that level of law enforcement by being a "terrible cop". She was fired because of the many unresolved cases she has, due to them being supernatural in nature, not because she was a "terrible cop".

First of all Angel saved her that's why he introduced her so she should thasnk him for saving her life. He didn't force her into it she was going to find out about it the hard way had it not been for Angel she would have been killed by the demon for her body. she stumbled across that world in her police work so he didn't force her into it so your wrong about that. And I'm sorry but saving her life does not count as a good reason for projecting anger onto him. And what is her good reason for blaming him for innocents dying at the hands of evil? if not for him more would be dead. There is no such thing as a good reason to blame someone for something that is not their fault. I already gave my evidence about why she became a terrible cop. Letting your own personal issues cloud your judgment about a case makes her a bad cop. Cops get pulled from cases that are personal so that doesn't happen. She couldn't handle what "real life" was like so she persecuted Angel. There are no good reasons to take your own issues and blame them on someone who didn't cause them. She couldn't handle things but she couldn't resist being involved and it made her make awful choices.

 

[EffyStonem]

First of all Angel saved her that's why he introduced her so she should thasnk him for saving her life. He didn't force her into it she was going to find out about it the hard way had it not been for Angel she would have been killed by the demon for her body. she stumbled across that world in her police work so he didn't force her into it so your wrong about that.

I'm not wrong. Maybe Kate would have been killed by the Burrower, maybe not. She wasn't in the club to troll for a one-night stand, she was there investigating a series of murders so she probably wouldn't have gone home with anyone, therefore she wouldn't have died.

Without Angel, maybe she would have discovered the supernatural on her own, maybe not. We can't state that definitively; we can definitively state that Angel introduced her to the supernatural world and forced her to see it for what it really was.

And I'm sorry but saving her life does not count as a good reason for projecting anger onto him.

Did I ever say it was? No.

And what is her good reason for blaming him for innocents dying at the hands of evil? if not for him more would be dead. There is no such thing as a good reason to blame someone for something that is not their fault.

I have already conceded that it was not right nor fair for Kate to blame Angel but you're missing the point; that Angel is fighting a big war with a big enemy and people are getting caught in the crossfire. People whom Kate has sworn to protect, people who are innocent. It's not Angel's fault and Kate is not right to blame him but it is understandable that she does so.

I already gave my evidence about why she became a terrible cop.

Where? Give me a specific case where she acts like a "terrible cop." Show me specific examples of her being a "terrible cop." Give me an episode where she is shown to be a "terrible cop".

Letting your own personal issues cloud your judgment about a case makes her a bad cop. Cops get pulled from cases that are personal so that doesn't happen.

Yes, letting personal issues cloud one's judgement is not good. However, she never endangered a case, never allowed an innocent to die, never screwed up so badly that her cases yielded bad results. Her personal issues were all directed at Angel, never at her job.

She couldn't handle what "real life" was like so she persecuted Angel. There are no good reasons to take your own issues and blame them on someone who didn't cause them.

Actually, Kate could handle "real life" just fine; what she couldn't handle was the supernatural world, which to her, was not "real life". It was not something she was used to. She worked within the law, she brought people to justice and put evil doers behind bars and then suddenly she is faced with a world where she cannot do that. Where she cannot bring justice to those who deserve it, where she cannot control the evil that is taking place.

And I have illustrated why there are reasons (not "good" reasons, but reasons nonetheless) for people projecting. Are you honestly telling me you have never been angry or upset and unfairly projected said anger onto another person? Because if you haven't then you must be part of some new race of super-perfect humans who never mess up in their lives.

She couldn't handle things but she couldn't resist being involved and it made her make awful choices.

What awful choices did she make, aside from letting her anger build and turning it towards Angel? She was opened up to a world she wasn't ready for but instead of running from it, she fought back against it, putting herself and her job at risk. Why? Because she is a good person and it was the right thing to do. That's about as far from an "awful choice" as you can get.

I'm not arguing that Kate's anger wasn't misplaced or that her attitude wasn't bad. But you are ignoring who Kate is as person and what these events did to her and the affect they had, simply because you don't like the fact that she takes her anger out on Angel and allows her personal feelings to cloud her judgement.

 

[white avenger]

I think that Kate was written into the series to be that old standard of all detective novels and movies, the detective's inside contact in the police department, the one who Mike Hammer, Sam Spade, Nick Carter, Shell Scott, and all of their brethren would come to when they needed the police records on some bad guy, the ballistics checked on some bullet, or the like. Then, very quickly, the idea of Angel being a P I in the normal, traditional sort was abandoned for his "help the helpless" mission. Once that happened, there just wasn't any reason to keep Kate around.

Also, I've sometimes wondered if there might have been some plans in the beginning to have Kate be Angel's almost but not quite love interest, but Cordy beat her out of it.

 

[slayer6]

I'm not wrong. Maybe Kate would have been killed by the Burrower, maybe not. She wasn't in the club to troll for a one-night stand, she was there investigating a series of murders so she probably wouldn't have gone home with anyone, therefore she wouldn't have died.

Without Angel, maybe she would have discovered the supernatural on her own, maybe not. We can't state that definitively; we can definitively state that Angel introduced her to the supernatural world and forced her to see it for what it really was.


Did I ever say it was? No.


I have already conceded that it was not right nor fair for Kate to blame Angel but you're missing the point; that Angel is fighting a big war with a big enemy and people are getting caught in the crossfire. People whom Kate has sworn to protect, people who are innocent. It's not Angel's fault and Kate is not right to blame him but it is understandable that she does so.


Where? Give me a specific case where she acts like a "terrible cop." Show me specific examples of her being a "terrible cop." Give me an episode where she is shown to be a "terrible cop".


Yes, letting personal issues cloud one's judgement is not good. However, she never endangered a case, never allowed an innocent to die, never screwed up so badly that her cases yielded bad results. Her personal issues were all directed at Angel, never at her job.


Actually, Kate could handle "real life" just fine; what she couldn't handle was the supernatural world, which to her, was not "real life". It was not something she was used to. She worked within the law, she brought people to justice and put evil doers behind bars and then suddenly she is faced with a world where she cannot do that. Where she cannot bring justice to those who deserve it, where she cannot control the evil that is taking place.

And I have illustrated why there are reasons (not "good" reasons, but reasons nonetheless) for people projecting. Are you honestly telling me you have never been angry or upset and unfairly projected said anger onto another person? Because if you haven't then you must be part of some new race of super-perfect humans who never mess up in their lives.


What awful choices did she make, aside from letting her anger build and turning it towards Angel? She was opened up to a world she wasn't ready for but instead of running from it, she fought back against it, putting herself and her job at risk. Why? Because she is a good person and it was the right thing to do. That's about as far from an "awful choice" as you can get.

I'm not arguing that Kate's anger wasn't misplaced or that her attitude wasn't bad. But you are ignoring who Kate is as person and what these events did to her and the affect they had, simply because you don't like the fact that she takes her anger out on Angel and allows her personal feelings to cloud her judgment.

This is going in circles now. I gave an example of how she was being a bad cop. Letting her personal issues cloud her judgment. Like when Darla said she told Angel he couldn't come in but he broke down the door. Kate knows that is impossible but she doesn't see it because she is too focused on her persecution of Angel to see the truth therefore she was being a bad cop. As far as our discussion I'm going to agree to disagree because I feel like no matter what I say you will just keep saying the same thing. I can be that way with Spike sometimes if I don't catch myself so I know this goes nowhere.

 

[EffyStonem]

This is going in circles now. I gave an example of how she was being a bad cop. Letting her personal issues cloud her judgment. Like when Darla said she told Angel he couldn't come in but he broke down the door. Kate knows that is impossible but she doesn't see it because she is too focused on her persecution of Angel to see the truth therefore she was being a bad cop.

Or, you know, in the heat of the moment she completely forgot that vampires need an invitation. She hasn't known about vampires all that long and it is conceivable that she simply forgot.

As far as our discussion I'm going to agree to disagree because I feel like no matter what I say you will just keep saying the same thing. I can be that way with Spike sometimes if I don't catch myself so I know this goes nowhere.

I keep saying the same thing because you're refusing to acknowledge any truth in my statements even though I have conceded to some of yours. It's almost like you put up this thread so that people would just flock to agree with you and when I didn't agree you got pissed off because the thread didn't go the way you wanted it to.

But fine, you're out. Guess I'll just wait 'till someone wants to actually discuss Kate as a multifaceted and complex character who should not be written off so easily or treated as being so one-dimensional.

 

[JReed1985]

My opinion on Kate

I like Kate, yes she had her false but at the end of the day she human like all of us. We've had other characters from the Buffyverse that go way out of line, just because they commited one act of dishonesty doesn't mean they should automatically be disliked.
Yes I hated it when Kate was ungrateful when Angel saved her from her attempted suicide and yes I hated the other times when Kate was a little rude to Angel.
When she was fighting against criminals that were linked with the abnormal and supernatural I think that would be hard for anyone to take.
But regardless I still like Kate, I like the interactions between her and Angel. I think they should have become a couple.
What this guy who started this thread needs to unterstand is that no one is perfect.

 

[slayer6]

Or, you know, in the heat of the moment she completely forgot that vampires need an invitation. She hasn't known about vampires all that long and it is conceivable that she simply forgot.


I keep saying the same thing because you're refusing to acknowledge any truth in my statements even though I have conceded to some of yours. It's almost like you put up this thread so that people would just flock to agree with you and when I didn't agree you got pissed off because the thread didn't go the way you wanted it to.

But fine, you're out. Guess I'll just wait 'till someone wants to actually discuss Kate as a multifaceted and complex character who should not be written off so easily or treated as being so one-dimensional.

I was not upset I just felt that our conversation would continue to go in circles. I don't want people to "flock to agree with me" that is just ridiculous. The point of this forum is to argue our opinions. I also know that sometimes an argument will continue on the same path over and over and that gets boring. I never said I was out of the thread just the particular talk I was having with you and that is not because I am angry with you or anything just that our conversation would continue to go into circles. I won't concede that there is truth to your statements when I don't feel there is any just because you conceded to truth in mine. I think you are taking it personal that I'm choosing to end a conversation with you but really it was just not going anywhere. We are too far apart so sometimes it is best to agree to disagree and move on. IMO Kate was one dimensional.

---------- Post added at 03:48 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:43 PM ----------

I like Kate, yes she had her false but at the end of the day she human like all of us. We've had other characters from the Buffyverse that go way out of line, just because they commited one act of dishonesty doesn't mean they should automatically be disliked.
Yes I hated it when Kate was ungrateful when Angel saved her from her attempted suicide and yes I hated the other times when Kate was a little rude to Angel.
When she was fighting against criminals that were linked with the abnormal and supernatural I think that would be hard for anyone to take.
But regardless I still like Kate, I like the interactions between her and Angel. I think they should have become a couple.
What this guy who started this thread needs to unterstand is that no one is perfect.

See now your taking personal shots at me because I have a differing opinion than you. I never said everyone should be perfect just that I don't like her character because of the particular faults she has. That is my prerogative and if you don't like it fine but the truth is we are entitled to our opinions. Find one sentence where I said she had to be perfect. You telling me that there has never been a character that you just didn't like?

---------- Post added at 03:51 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:48 PM ----------

Or, you know, in the heat of the moment she completely forgot that vampires need an invitation. She hasn't known about vampires all that long and it is conceivable that she simply forgot.


I keep saying the same thing because you're refusing to acknowledge any truth in my statements even though I have conceded to some of yours. It's almost like you put up this thread so that people would just flock to agree with you and when I didn't agree you got pissed off because the thread didn't go the way you wanted it to.

But fine, you're out. Guess I'll just wait 'till someone wants to actually discuss Kate as a multifaceted and complex character who should not be written off so easily or treated as being so one-dimensional.

Oh and if I wanted everyone to agree with me all I would have done was make a thread about hating her not asking what everyone's feelings about her are.

 

[Ethan Reigns]

In all dealings with the public, the police officer is supposed to be the professional, even if the people she encounters are not. Personal sentiment and grudges must be left behind or the police just become the government street gang with separate personal agendas. One of the things you join the police force for is to see all the things that go on in the world. If there is something like the supernatural that you cannot handle, then maybe you should stay away from that and let someone else handle it - there are plenty of other laws to enforce. Prosecuting (and persecuting) Angel for what happened to her father when he was clearly not involved is professional misconduct. The police are not supposed to be engaged in witchhunts, they are supposed to enforce the law.

If I was the writer, I would have killed her off because she didn't follow a warning given by Angel. It almost writes itself.

 

[Joan the Vampire Slayer]

I loved Kate. I would have loved to see more of her, and I think if things had been different her and Angel could have made a great couple.

---------- Post added at 09:54 AM ---------- Previous post was at 09:50 AM ----------

as far as projecting it on Angel I don't think it is understandable at all. How is it understandable to persecute someone because of your own issues? That is not understandable.

I have to respectfully disagree. It may not be fair, but it's understandable. Kate's treatment of Angel after she finds out what he is reminds of of how Xander views vampires, after what happened to Jesse.

A vampire killed Kate's father, whom she obviously had a very strained relationship with where much was unresolved. After that, the most mature and rational person might hate vampires for just being vampires, and for being responsible for the death of her loved one.

 

[iShower4free]

At first I hated her because they were trying to force me to move on from Buffy and Angel and then I hated her after she found out about Angel being a vamp because she was a witch with a capital B.

 

[Tome]

She was okay at the beginning (even though she wasn't my type), but once she started bitching at Angel every chance she got, I got really tired of her. She was very much lacking empathy when it came to Angel and his friends... if not in general. And yes, she was obviously supposed to be Angel new romantic interest, which, thank god, Cordy ended up as instead!

One thing though is that she had that great last scene with Angel in Epiphany which pretty much defined his motto afterward: ''If nothing we do matters, then all that matters is what we do.''

Speaking of that, even though I was not a fan of her, she deserved a better send-off. She was simply never mentioned again after that. And yes, I do realize I just said it was a great scene, but point is you don't just dump a main character like that.

 

[slayer6]

I loved Kate. I would have loved to see more of her, and I think if things had been different her and Angel could have made a great couple.

---------- Post added at 09:54 AM ---------- Previous post was at 09:50 AM ----------



I have to respectfully disagree. It may not be fair, but it's understandable. Kate's treatment of Angel after she finds out what he is reminds of of how Xander views vampires, after what happened to Jesse.

A vampire killed Kate's father, whom she obviously had a very strained relationship with where much was unresolved. After that, the most mature and rational person might hate vampires for just being vampires, and for being responsible for the death of her loved one.

That's like saying a Russian killed your brother so now you hate all Russians. Not understandable.

 

[JReed1985]

See now your taking personal shots at me because I have a differing opinion than you. I never said everyone should be perfect just that I don't like her character because of the particular faults she has. That is my prerogative and if you don't like it fine but the truth is we are entitled to our opinions. Find one sentence where I said she had to be perfect. You telling me that there has never been a character that you just didn't like?

First of all mate, I do respect other peoples opinions because I believe you can learn from others that have a different point of view. If you don't like Kate that is fine too, I'm probably one of the only people that hated Wesley when he became a darker character. I prefered the old Welsey that was clumsy and awkward.
I'm also aware that even though Riley is hated by many fans I know you get some fans that like him.
As for the "Nobody's perfect" line, I said it as an example that every Buffy character has done wrong or at least something you dissaprove of.
As long as you respect my opinions I will respect yours, Kate to me is not a brilliant character but she's good in my book.

 

[itssmiletime]

I loved Kate- it was a shame that her narrative was abruptly ended- as there was so much potential with her character. Reprise breaks me, as you can feel everything Kate is feeling, her reactions, etc - and I think that's a comment on the strength of her character, how she was written, and well- S2 of ATS was a very powerful experience.

Kind of a flaw with Kate's personality that I also see so strongly in myself is that sense of righteousness. However, when mixed with the supernatural, the results are awful (btw, not blaming Kate for anything involving her getting fired). EffyStonem 's post covered everything i loved about her.

In response to Kate's 'get out' in Epiphany, well, her desire for privacy would be very overwhelming, as is her disappointment that she is alive. Also- her attempt at killing herself would have left her feeling physically ill, dizzy and disconnected. Strong chances are, she'd be resentful of Angel.

I also find it ludicrous the comparisons to Kate's attitude towards vampires to that of racism- because say, the thing a Russian and an Australian (which I am, using as an example) have in common is that we are both human. Do I think Kate was wrong in her blaming of Angel? Yes, of course. But a vampire's nature is rooted in sadism and violence- human nature (at least from Kate's POV)- isn't. Her job is protecting humans, she's proud of her father, etc. So I don't think a comparison to racism is particularly sound.

 

[Kana]

I liked Kate but was also infuriated with her, which only served for me to like her more 😉. Personally I can't stand characters to whom I'm indifferent and Kate really engaged me as a character.

Personally, I liked that she was painted out as someone seems similar to Buffy but ultimately they went down a different route. I mean she's strong, independent, blonde, but I'm glad she didn't turn into an Angel fan girl though, that would have been boring and predictable.

In fact it makes sense, Kate's not a teenage girl with a crush, she's a cop with trust issues.

I don't think she's as two dimensional as people think though. She didn't just assume Angel was a monster because he was a vampire, she did her research specifically on him and found out that Angelus was a particularly brutal bastard. As there is no evidence that she knew about the curse (when Giles, a Watcher did his research on Angelus, he didn't know about the curse) she was right to be wary and suspicious of Angel.

After her father dies, she doesn't quite manage to use Angel as a convincing scapegoat but it's more than that. Angel's not simply a vampire to Kate, he's the other 'V' word: vigilante. Regardless of attempting to help people, he's operating outside of the law (like aiding and abetting a known fugitive). What Angel is and what he does represents uncontrollable elements that cannot be policed and this undermines everything that Kate stands for. This is what her rant is about in Dear Boy IMO.