Angel: Complete Season 1 [DVD] [2000]

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.

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First, "Angel" works in a different genre than "BtVS", presenting more of the hard-boiled detective for its plots and film noir for its style. This key difference between the two shows is captured in the contrast of their respective theme songs. Clearly this spinoff goes in a different direction, amply proven by the surprising revelation of the season's final shot ("BtVS" never had such a last second surprise until the end of Season 6).

Second, the decision to have Cordelia (Charisma Carpenter) join Angel (David Boreanaz) in L.A. was a masterstroke. Not only because Cordy's inability to stop what she is thinking from escaping her lips contrasts well with Angel's sullen silences, but also because the two characters had relatively little interaction on "BtVS." Consequently, the character dynamic is new ground. Furthermore, the characters all change for the better over the course of the first season: Angel slowly but surely develops a sense of humor, Cordelia develops a conscience in the wake of the death of Doyle (the late Glenn Quinn) and her getting the curse of his visions ("Hero", "To Shanshu in L.A."), and Wesley (Alexis Denisof) undergoes one of the most remarkable character transformations in television history from pompous comic wimp to grim brooding demon hunter.

Third, Kate Lockley (Elizabeth Rohm) provides Angel with his transitional figure between Buffy and what proves to be Cordelia. The first buzz I remember hearing about "Angel" was that we were all supposed to hate this Kate person, whoever she might be, obviously because she was presumptuous enough to take Buffy's place. Things never get anywhere close to that point (Kate is not Parker), but that is beside the point. Even if Kate is not good enough for Angel, and the departure of Rohm for greener pastures means we never really got to see what the show's creators had in mind for the long-term, she opens up the possibility for Angel to move on romantically although we are reminded that this is not a good thing for our hero ("The Prodigal").

Fourth, Angel Investigations functions the way the Hellmouth does on "BtVS," to provide an opportunity to introduce the monster of the week in each episode. Wolfram & Hart provides an additional source of such monsters for Angel and his crew. Unlike "BtVS," where there is a villain arc for the first half of the season that joins up with a second villain arc in the last half (e.g., Spike & Dru join Angelus in Season 2), Wolfram & Hart continues to be a presence for several seasons, even if the roster of players changes.

Fifth, Greenwalt and Whedon were extremely selective in the crossovers they allowed between the two shows. Not surprisingly, these are some of the best episodes from the series. "In the Dark," where Buffy sends the Ring of Amarra via Oz, is one of the best character studies of Angel, "I Will Remember You" where Angel spends a day with Buffy as a human is a fitting coda to their star-crossed relationship, and the end of "Five by Five" as Angel fights Faith in the rain, is the emotional highpoint of Season One (continued in "Sanctuary"). Unfortunately Season 4 of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" is not due out on DVD until later this year, which means we have to wait for the first halves of all of these crossovers to be available on DVD.

How good is the first season of "Angel?" The dramatic highpoint of the series has been Darla "giving birth" to Connor during Season 3 and while there is nothing in Season One that reaches that height it is a solid season. Yes, there are some clunkers ("I Fall to Pieces" and "Expecting"), but these are more than counterbalanced by some excellent episodes, most notably "Rm W/A Vu," "Eternity," and "War Zone." Season One of "Angel" is a lot better than Season One of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and also a lot better than I recalled taken in its entirety. Both series have been blessed not only by good writing but also by having actors who exceed initial expectations as to their abilities to perform. This is certainly more true about the three main actors on "Angel" than those they left behind in Sunnydale.

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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!

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