Angel - Season 1 (New Packaging) [DVD]

David Boreanaz does a fantastic job as the tortured vampire Angel, and really comes out of his shell both as a character and an actor. His comedy skills are even put to use on occasion - in the episode 'Sense and Sensitivity', for example, he is laugh-out-loud hilarious. He is supported by Charisma Carpenter as Cordelia, who shines here as she develops from the shallow rich girl that she played in Buffy to a funny, sassy and ultimately very brave character, who I liked much more than I was expecting to.

David and Charisma also have support in the first half of the season from the late Glenn Quinn as the charming, rough-and-tumble, heavy-drinking, half-demon Doyle. He is amazing in the part and sadly missed by everyone. The second half of the season brings back Alexis Denisof as Wesley, who also develops into a much more rounded and likeable character than he was on Buffy, and also gets a chance to be very funny.

The plots of the show are mostly pretty simple in this season, and there is no overarching storyline. It follows the kind of monster-of-the-week format of Buffy Season 1, but it does this very well, and almost every episode is tense, gripping and with fantastic special effects. Also as it's the first season we get to see all the different character relationships emerging, the set-up of Angel Investigations, and the development of the evil law-firm Wolfram & Hart which features heavily in seasons 2-5.

There are also lots of Buffy crossovers. Spike appears in the 3rd episode, Buffy in the 8th, and Faith in 2 episodes towards the end of the season. All these appearances are fantastic (especially the heartbreaking, tearjerking one by Buffy), but they are by no means the only reason the watch the show. Angel is not dependent on Buffy - it's a great show in its own right, and one well worth discovering.

The DVD boxset itself has been rereleased in a plastic amaray-style case, which is more practical but not as attractive as the first cardboard book-style release. Special features include audio commentaries on 'City Of' and 'Rm W A Vu', the scripts for 'Five by Five' and 'Sanctuary' (the 2 Faith episodes), a stills gallery, cast biographies, and 4 featurettes which introduce the characters of Angel and Cordelia, discuss some of the demons used, and give an overview of the series. The featurettes are very short but do include interview snippets from David Boreanaz, Charisma Carpenter and Alexis Denisof, which is good. It's very odd to see Wesley with an American accent! The special features are probably the weakest out of all the series but it doesn't matter - with a show this good, you could probably get away with having no extras at all!

5 stars - exciting, funny, and all-round brilliant, it will have you glued to the screen.

First of all, I'll give my view on the season and the series as a whole. David Boreanaz, Charisma Carpenter, and Alexis Denisof all have a chance to shine much more than they did on Buffy - and, during the later episodes, these characters and the cast's performances are what make the show. The writing also compliments them, however. Whilst the comedy ingredient is not as apparent as it is in Buffy, there is a fair amount of gigglesome fun and very sharp wit, blended of course with action, suspense, innovative storylines, horror, and drama. The show plays about with the genre, much like its parent show, and proves it is worthy. Whilst not up to the standard of the second season, as the first eight or so episodes struggle to settle on what the show's format should be, there are many astounding episodes - notably the crossovers, especially Eliza Dushku's appearance as Faith, and all the episodes featuring Wolfram & Hart. Also notable are character studies such as Rm W/A Vu, Eternity, etc. The new show also brings in new talent, such as the awesome Elisabeth Rohm as tough cookie Kate, and Stephanie Romanov and Christian Kane as deceitful lawyers Lilah and Lindsey. Credit must also go to, most of all perhaps, to the production team who make the whole thing work!

Now, time for DVD stuff. First of all, I was a little disappointed by the featurettes (all four of them - how generous they are!). While, of course, a rare chance for UK viewers to see the cast and crew discussing the show, they seemed to run a little short and were made up of clips. However, I'm not one to falter a DVD set which looks so good - niiiiiiiiiice packaging! Meanwhile, we get some cool menus (as stated above), two fun-to-read-once-or-twice-but-still-informative scripts, all new cast and crew bios, photo galleries (including cast photos, demon sketches, and blueprints), and a nice little trailer. During the featurettes, there are also some never-before-seen clips from the Angel demo reel. Although it would have been nice to have the whole thing uniterrupted on here, it's nice to see bits and bobs of what sold the series. The main extras are the two commentaries, however. Joss Whedon and David Greenwalt walk us through the opening episode (City Of). While they are two of the best writers and directors and do seem awfully comfortable, whilst bouncing ideas off one another, there contribution is nothing special - they don't reveal too much we didn't already know and often explain what the story is about. However, queen of comedy, Jane Espenson is an absolute delight whilst talking about her Cordy-centered ep - she reveals fascinating and fun little tidbits, and seems very enthusiastic. All in all, the extras aren't too bad - but this boxset is a little emptier than the Buffy Season 3 set. More commentaries and more fulfilling featurettes next time, please...

However, I'm a very happy chappie! This is a brilliant start to a brilliant series and, while not widescreen, the picture is better than ever as is the sound. Spin these discs now - 22 episodes of pure quality...

Oh, and what a great price! Best I've seen anywhere. Buy now!