Yep. I'm finally getting around to watching Angel. Buffy the Vampire Slayer was a revelation for me, in terms of modern retelling of mythology and archetype, and I watched Buffy about ten years after the fact, too. (Confession: I still haven't made it all the way through poor, painful, limping, suckitudinous season seven, in spite of the DVD boxed set sitting within arm's reach.) Angel is available streaming on Netflix, so it's painlessly accessible just when I really need something to write about, too.
Any memorable show needs memorable theme music, and we get that with Angel. It's actually one of the very few openers I don't just automagically skip, because it's moody, evocative, and well-suited to the overall tone of the show. Also, I just like it.
I like it so well, in fact, I went out and found the full-length version to share with you!
Whee! Angel! Vampires! Darkness and shadows and streetlights reflecting off pavement!
To be dead honest, I'm sort of predisposed to be a little resistant to Angel. I found the character mostly tiresome, in BtVS; whiny and melodramatic and maddeningly inclined to withhold important information. People I like and trust to have good judgment keep telling me that it's well worth watching, though, so here we go.
You, you lucky three souls, are cordially invited along for the ride.
Links potentially of interest:
Mushroom Farm Revolution
In Buffy, he definitely is whiny. Angel has a sense of humor, though. I was astonished to realize "Wow. This guy was wasted in Buffy."
ReplyDeleteHeh - see? I've heard that a number of times, and I have to admit, it's got me curious. I have to go shoe horses today, but one of the really interesting things is the POV of the storytelling. Buffy is neither entirely reliable, nor is she particularly sympathetic, sometimes -- which is, I suspect, why some people ended up rooting for the vamps.
ReplyDeleteParticularly the first couple of seasons of Buffy, though, when we're seeing Angel through the eyes of a teenage girl, he seems frankly a little creepy -- I have that same issue with the whole relationship that creeped me out about Edward Cullen in Twilight. "Really, dude? You're three hundred years old...and a sixteen year old virgin? Can we say 'inappropriate touching'?"
Angel on his own show is far more interesting and complex than he ever was on BtVS, imo. He's still broody at times, but at least he doesn't wear his melancholy like a hair shirt every single episode. LOL Watching it will be well worth your time, I think. In fact, she whispered, I liked it far more than Buffy. *ducks flying tomatoes*
ReplyDeleteI watched the first three seasons of Buffy in spite of the relationship between the two of them, not because of it. It was not some romantic, tortured, star-crossed love. It was *creepy*.
I'm with you on the theme music, too. It's a perfect fit, and dare I say it? Moody. *grin* Enjoy Angel -- it has it's goofy moments, but there's lots to love. Two of my all-time favorite Whedon characters are on this show: Fred and Wesley.
OMG! I just found your blog while researching writing groups and finding Absolute Write. I honestly just scanned through the first page of posts here and I have to say, I'm in love! Someone who writes about B5, Angel and ST?? I think I'm going to be up very late tonight reading your blog :-)
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