Angel is one of the best series ever produced on TV, which tells the story of a vampire with a soul bent on redemption to right the wrongs of his dark past. A spin-off series made after the first 3 years of Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Angel is a series that rivaled (even bettered!) it's parent show! The writing was top notch, the acting was amazing, the special effects are stunning, and the storylines were shocking. Joss Whedon and David Greenwalt really created a brilliant series which blended dark storytelling, classic humor, fantastic fights and original characters flawlessly. From it's refreshing first season to the sinister events of it's fifth and final season, Angel was an inventive yet short lived series that put a new spin on redemption with gripping storylines. Each season had strong themes and episodes that always tested the core cast that made up Team Angel: Angel, Cordelia, Wesley, Gunn, and Fred with Lorne as their lovable ally. All 5 glorious seasons can be summed up like this:
Season 1 (1999-2000)-Angel, a vampire with a soul, arrives in L.A. ready to start his road to redemption but finding a hard time to control his thirst for blood. Doyle, a mysterious half-demon Irish bad boy, comes to Angel and reveals he is a messenger for the Powers That Be. With his visions, Doyle guides Angel to the innocents of L.A. he must protect. One of them being Cordelia, the smart mouthed ex-rich girl from Sunnydale, who joins Angel and Doyle on the mission to save the lost souls of L.A. by creating a detective agency, Angel Investigations. But the trio better beware, Law firm Wolfarm and Hart is an enemy that will continue to do battle with them. A battle that will unleash a variety of demons, vampires, even slayer threats that will cost the lives of the group and bring new allies, like Wesley, to the table.
Season rating: 9/10
Best episode: Five By Five
Worst episode: She
Season 2 (2000-2001)-Angel, now with Cordelia, Welsey and Gunn at his side, continues his mission as he tries to save the lost souls of L.A. They run into a charismatic yet over the top lounge singer demon, The Host, who reads the auras of all who sing to him. But Angel better beware Wolfarm and Hart as they won't make his mission easy, as they bring back a pivotal woman from his past, Darla. Darla's appearence brings back horrifying memories from Angel's dark past and to make matters worse, Drusilla returns to make Darla what she once was. The fearsome duo reck havok on the streets of L.A. which forces Angel to take a dark persona and set on a new mission that drives his 3 good friends away. It's a dark year which ends with a trip to The Host's home dimension where they meet demonic knights and mystical creatures.
Season rating: 10/10
Best episode: Reunion
Worst episode: The Shroud of Rahmon
Season 3 (2001-2002)-After a summer of grieving over the lost of his former lover, Angel returns back to L.A. to continue his mission of redemption at Angel Investigations with Cordelia, Wesley, Gunn, and now, Fred, by his side. It's a tough year for Cordelia, as her visions begin to manifest in horrifying ways, which leads her to make a life-changing decision. Fred adjusts to life after Pylea and begins a romance with Gunn. But as things seem to be going just as usual for the Fang Gang, Darla returns 8 and a half months pregnant and seeking the father for answers. As the gang tries to find out how a vampire with child is possible, Wolfarm and Hart gets involved and they are just as curious with the miracle child. But just as the mother and father prepare for the birth of their son, an old nemesis from their past returns and prepares to take his revenge that will involve the child once it's born. Also, a shocking prophecy that threatens the life of the child forces Wesley to make the ultimate betrayl.
Season rating: 8.5/10
Best episode: Waiting In The Wings
Worst episode: Provider
Season 4 (2002-2003)-Angel has descended and Cordelia has ascended, Wesley has been outcasted, Lorne aka The Host has left for Las Vegas, leaving Fred and Gunn to take care of a now teenaged Connor who is the cause of his father's disappearence. Wesley surprisingly rescues his former friend, and even the gang reunites with Lorne only to cast Connor away. But as Cordelia's where abouts are still in question, she returns home with amnesia and soon fleeing into the arms of Connor. But when an unstoppable creature known as The Beast appears to create chaos in the streets of L.A., the whole gang must come together to try and stop it's rampage. It's Angel's darkest and most epic year as the appearance of the Beast sets into motion some shocking events like the return of Angelus, Faith, and Cordelia's new mysterious personality as she becomes pregnant with Connor's child which leads to her giving birth to an ebony goddess who has a strange hold on all of L.A.
Season rating: 10/10
Best episode: Orpheus
Worst episode: Shiny Happy People
Season 5 (2003-2004)-It's the beginning of the end as Angel enters it's fifth and final year. Angel and the rest of the Fang Gang have been given the ultimate reward as they are now completely in control of Wolfarm and Hart. But just as the gang try to find out what the price is for taking such an offer, Spike appears and becomes a major pain in Angel's side. But now with 2 vampires with a soul, how will the shanshu prophecy turn out now? But as the year goes on with the gang going deeper into the heart of their once greatest enemy, it leads to old enemies returning, Cordelia's re-appearence to aid her friends one last time and Fred paying the ultimate price as an ancient god from primordial times takes her body. It's not just an apocalypse, it's THE Apocalypse that threatens our heroes as we leave them with a unlimited army of demons and a dragon no less as they prepare for the final battle with an unknown outcome.
Season rating: 9.5/10
Best episode: A Hole In The World
Worst episode: The Cautionary Tale of Numero Cinco
Season 1 (1999-2000)-Angel, a vampire with a soul, arrives in L.A. ready to start his road to redemption but finding a hard time to control his thirst for blood. Doyle, a mysterious half-demon Irish bad boy, comes to Angel and reveals he is a messenger for the Powers That Be. With his visions, Doyle guides Angel to the innocents of L.A. he must protect. One of them being Cordelia, the smart mouthed ex-rich girl from Sunnydale, who joins Angel and Doyle on the mission to save the lost souls of L.A. by creating a detective agency, Angel Investigations. But the trio better beware, Law firm Wolfarm and Hart is an enemy that will continue to do battle with them. A battle that will unleash a variety of demons, vampires, even slayer threats that will cost the lives of the group and bring new allies, like Wesley, to the table.
Season rating: 9/10
Best episode: Five By Five
Worst episode: She
Season 2 (2000-2001)-Angel, now with Cordelia, Welsey and Gunn at his side, continues his mission as he tries to save the lost souls of L.A. They run into a charismatic yet over the top lounge singer demon, The Host, who reads the auras of all who sing to him. But Angel better beware Wolfarm and Hart as they won't make his mission easy, as they bring back a pivotal woman from his past, Darla. Darla's appearence brings back horrifying memories from Angel's dark past and to make matters worse, Drusilla returns to make Darla what she once was. The fearsome duo reck havok on the streets of L.A. which forces Angel to take a dark persona and set on a new mission that drives his 3 good friends away. It's a dark year which ends with a trip to The Host's home dimension where they meet demonic knights and mystical creatures.
Season rating: 10/10
Best episode: Reunion
Worst episode: The Shroud of Rahmon
Season 3 (2001-2002)-After a summer of grieving over the lost of his former lover, Angel returns back to L.A. to continue his mission of redemption at Angel Investigations with Cordelia, Wesley, Gunn, and now, Fred, by his side. It's a tough year for Cordelia, as her visions begin to manifest in horrifying ways, which leads her to make a life-changing decision. Fred adjusts to life after Pylea and begins a romance with Gunn. But as things seem to be going just as usual for the Fang Gang, Darla returns 8 and a half months pregnant and seeking the father for answers. As the gang tries to find out how a vampire with child is possible, Wolfarm and Hart gets involved and they are just as curious with the miracle child. But just as the mother and father prepare for the birth of their son, an old nemesis from their past returns and prepares to take his revenge that will involve the child once it's born. Also, a shocking prophecy that threatens the life of the child forces Wesley to make the ultimate betrayl.
Season rating: 8.5/10
Best episode: Waiting In The Wings
Worst episode: Provider
Season 4 (2002-2003)-Angel has descended and Cordelia has ascended, Wesley has been outcasted, Lorne aka The Host has left for Las Vegas, leaving Fred and Gunn to take care of a now teenaged Connor who is the cause of his father's disappearence. Wesley surprisingly rescues his former friend, and even the gang reunites with Lorne only to cast Connor away. But as Cordelia's where abouts are still in question, she returns home with amnesia and soon fleeing into the arms of Connor. But when an unstoppable creature known as The Beast appears to create chaos in the streets of L.A., the whole gang must come together to try and stop it's rampage. It's Angel's darkest and most epic year as the appearance of the Beast sets into motion some shocking events like the return of Angelus, Faith, and Cordelia's new mysterious personality as she becomes pregnant with Connor's child which leads to her giving birth to an ebony goddess who has a strange hold on all of L.A.
Season rating: 10/10
Best episode: Orpheus
Worst episode: Shiny Happy People
Season 5 (2003-2004)-It's the beginning of the end as Angel enters it's fifth and final year. Angel and the rest of the Fang Gang have been given the ultimate reward as they are now completely in control of Wolfarm and Hart. But just as the gang try to find out what the price is for taking such an offer, Spike appears and becomes a major pain in Angel's side. But now with 2 vampires with a soul, how will the shanshu prophecy turn out now? But as the year goes on with the gang going deeper into the heart of their once greatest enemy, it leads to old enemies returning, Cordelia's re-appearence to aid her friends one last time and Fred paying the ultimate price as an ancient god from primordial times takes her body. It's not just an apocalypse, it's THE Apocalypse that threatens our heroes as we leave them with a unlimited army of demons and a dragon no less as they prepare for the final battle with an unknown outcome.
Season rating: 9.5/10
Best episode: A Hole In The World
Worst episode: The Cautionary Tale of Numero Cinco