Who actually liked the end of season 5?

Well, hate to be the dissenter (since someone already says everybody knows Buffy's was better) but I thought "Not Fade Away" was a LOT better than "Chosen." Sometimes endings that don't make sense immediately are ultimately more memorable and satisfying than easy endings. The entire series Angel was about him fighting for redemption with this promise of humanity dangling over him based on his actions during an apocolypse. But throughout the whole thing there's a great struggle between good and evil where Angel himself is sometimes in the middle. But ultimately, he can never have his redemption. Every crisis he stops just means another one is soon on the way, the promise of humanity so far out of his reach that it might as well not be there at all. But he keeps fighting. And in the last episode, even having signed his reward away, he keeps fighting. Nothing is resolved because there is no end. The gang isn't fighting because of some great reward at the end. They're fighting because they need to. Because somebody has to. All of the main characters got to have their moments to shine in the episode. Yes, Wesley dies and I like him as more or more than anyone, but he had a great last scene. That's all you could really ask for with a character you love. Angel gets to reconnect with his son, even if it's just for a moment. The only negative thing I can say about it is that Lindsey's death scene felt tacked on for shock value and didn't seem necessary. But that's a fairly minor complaint.
 
I actually agree with you, I felt something was missing at the end of Chosen. It was just like, big disaster, Sunnydale's gone. No hint of what's next. It left us hanging, but in a bad way. Where with Angel it was sort of a cliffhanger, but you have the sense that Angel and crew keep on fighting.
 
Concur Buffy, the end of Buffy left me with my shoulder shrugging going.... OK? I think because the First wasn't any more dangerous in my opinion (even though it was supposed to be) then Glory or even the Mayor (I think this is because I didn't give a flying fig for the potentials). So she beats the First and Sunnydale is destroyed and everyones like whatev's. I just sat there like ....OK there ya go. A conclusion, but... just something off.

On the other hand NFA has the Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid stand against impossible odds. At first I didn't really like it or understand it but as time went by I slowly realized that it's a poetic statement that get to the core of the one thing that is the major difference between the two programs.

Buffy was metaphor for high school/college as a horror movie and about feminine power, Angel was about the eternal struggle for redemption.... actually OK I just argued myself into a new position. I think Buffy and Angels endings both captured quite well the summation of both shows. The reason why the end end of Chosen is so well... ho-hum is because (as with my own life experiences) when you get out of high school/college/early 20's one day you realize that none of that crap really mattered as much as you thought it did and it's time to be an adult. When I think back... maybe that was the point of the end?

Angel as earlier stated was about something different entirely.

Hopefully somewhere in that rambling mess of a response someone get's something from it.
 
For me, it was the perfect ending. I agree that Chosen had something missing. Joss said that the fight against Wolfram and hart & evil in general was impossible to end, and it truly was. Therefore, they would never stop fighting and there would never be a "happy ending" as there sort of was in Buffy. Really, the only other possible ending for Buffy was her death. In Not Fade Away we see how they have all been through so much and how far a journey they have taken us on. The title Not Fade Away alone is inspiring, since it describes how they will not just fade away, how they are going to go out with a big butt-kicking fight. We don't know if they lived or died even though it is easy to say they did die, but I at least, still felt some kind of peace. That they went out the way they should have. As Heros.

Oh and Lorne is Amazing. I am really happy that he was not at the fight to die, no matter how wrong that sounds. Do you guys think that he knew how big it was going to be? Do you think that if he had known, would he have gone to die amoung his friends?
 
Emzzie said:
For me, it was the perfect ending. I agree that Chosen had something missing. Joss said that the fight against Wolfram and hart & evil in general was impossible to end, and it truly was. Therefore, they would never stop fighting and there would never be a "happy ending" as there sort of was in Buffy. Really, the only other possible ending for Buffy was her death. In Not Fade Away we see how they have all been through so much and how far a journey they have taken us on. The title Not Fade Away alone is inspiring, since it describes how they will not just fade away, how they are going to go out with a big butt-kicking fight. We don't know if they lived or died even though it is easy to say they did die, but I at least, still felt some kind of peace. That they went out the way they should have. As Heros.

Oh and Lorne is Amazing. I am really happy that he was not at the fight to die, no matter how wrong that sounds. Do you guys think that he knew how big it was going to be? Do you think that if he had known, would he have gone to die amoung his friends?
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Thank you for writing that, I agree with everything you wrote
Emzzie. If anything, this ending was signposted as far back as Hero that the good fight was only going to end in death, not necessarily in an obvious victory.

I thought it was tremendous television and I loved the fact that it wasn't a cop out ending and dramatically true to itself. It always reminds me of the ending to Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.
 
Are you kidding me? Of course! I thought the last third of Season 5 was the only actually good part of Season 5. From "Shells" to "Not Fade Away"...that is perfection! I think that this ending was much more real, and at least for me much, much, much more emotional than the Buffy ending. People died; most people died, or were about to die. And they didn't win, but they were gonna keep fighting anyways. I just think the Angel series finale is absolutely perfect, despite there not being a big grand victory or anything like that. I only wish Cordy and Fred were there, because that would've made it even better! Although, to be honest, Illyria was amazing. Oh, and the Lindsay/Lorne stuff! Ahhh! Yeah, I just loved the end. The first two thirds of Season 5, I thought, however, was crap, haha.
 
I love season five from start to finish. And yes, I love Not fade Away too. I think it was a near perfect finish for the show but I do agree that it would have been better if the Circle of the Black Thorn had been introduced earlier. But you'e gotta cut them some slack for that one little glitch due to the way they had to quickly wrap things up after the big surprise of not getting renewed.
 
Best line of the series: Would you like me to lie to you now?

Also best line of both series.

The show could never end the way that Buffy did. Angel to Faith in Orpheus: Our time is never up, Faith. So it had to be: Let's go to work...
 
I waited til this year to watch season 5... Back in the day, I got so mad at how crappy Season 4 was that I stopped watching. It was my brother who kept telling me I should go ahead and finish the show, 'cause he knew I'd love what I saw.
I really like Season 5. It's not my favorite season by any means (Season 3 gets that vote, despite hating Holtz), but I do love it and I liked the way the series ended. Except, I felt that "Not Fade Away" was too rushed. It was too much action to put into one episode, for me... I don't read comics, so I don't know what's happened post "Not Fade Away", but I did like the way they chose to end the episode.
 
Overall, I liked it. The Circle stuff was a bit rushed but that's not the writers' fault but the network's for cancelling the show. Maybe it would've worked better as a two-parter but you can't have everything.
I'm also a sucker for open endings so... yes, I was satisfied.
 
I Would love if buffy and her slayer army helped angel because it is unrealistic for angel spike and a injured gunn fight hell itself,i know illyria powerful but she doesnt have the chacne lol...I felt it was rushed to , i am glad i am not the only one .Angel fighting Hamligton , i didnt like how the epsiode didnt have the connections like how buffy did ,Its just had asignment to do ,like spike protect a baby from demons and gunn destroy this coperations but buffy on the otherhand had a huge battle.Buffy had an epic battle and the music was amazing ..😉..
 
I love the ending. It was so noble and true to the show. It makes sense that these characters would give up everything, even their lives if need be, for the good fight. Tremendous. For me, they'll always be fighting in that alleyway.
 
I loved the ending.

When i first watched it when it aired i was in shock for about 2 minutes, i was so disappointed that we didnt get to see the fight but now that i've watched it a few times i wouldnt have it any other way. It really fits the tone of the show and the message about what the show was about.

For me its the greatest hour of any television episode. Ever.
 
I liked the ending, though it would've been better with Doyle around. He could've thrown his hat at the horde if he hadn't lost it trying to knock down gates...
 
I personally consider the ending to be perhaps the best ending to any television series that I've ever seen. Many of the previous posters have already very eloquently stated some of the reasons why I believe this but I think another factor is how Angel, for the first time in his life, is truly in the driver's seat of his destiny. He refuses to play the senior partners' game and recognizes that they're far to big to truly destroy, so he decides deal as painful a blow as he can and go out in a blaze of glory. He's not thinking about the Shanshu but rather has become a true champion; only in it to do good for the world.
 
I liked the wave of killings. It would have felt unrealistic to have them beat the Sr. Partners and lose nothing, and especially not to have the regular Joes (Gunn and Wes) die when everyne else on the show had super powers.
 
i never use to like the ending, although I'm glad the way it ended because i love ATF 🙂

It's more realistic.
Buffy had to have a happy ending. (sorta)( part from Anya +spike dying)
 
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