Good bye, Angel

Angel is over. I dedicated so many Wednesday nights to that show, loyally. I didn't start watching until the beginning of season four, and so I missed 3/5 of the series... But it was still very important to me. Like how some people obsess about reality television, Angel was my favorite television program in the world. After the craptastic last season of Buffy (which I also got into late in the game), I began to favor Angel far more.

Spoilers ahead.

Spike and his poetry reading: Adorable. Spike has had so much more character development while on Angel than he did on Buffy. I kind of wish Angel had told him that he had signed away his rights to Shanshu... It would have been nice for Spike to know that if either of them was going to do it, it was going to be him.

Gunn: I've never been a big Gunn fan, because I probably missed anything good he did in seasons 1-3. He irritated me last season when he bumped heads with Wesley over Fred, and he really bothered me this season when he sold himself to Wolfram and Hart. But for some reason I liked him in the last two episodes. It was nice to see him take care of Senator Bitch and her vampires. That axe through the forehead was priceless.

Illyria, Fred, and Wesley: I've loved all three of these characters for as long as I've watched the show/Illyria's been around. Their scenes in this last episode were quite powerful. Unfortunately, I missed "The Girl in Question," so I never saw the original Illyria-Fred morph. But this time it was devastating. I knew Wesley would die, I'd been spoiled. But seeing it happen was dreadful. And Illyria caring... I don't think even she knew she did, but it was there. Fred started the punch that shattered Vail's head, and Illyria followed it through. Very appropriate when matched up to their shared feelings for Wes.

Lorne and Lindsey: When I read the spoilers, I was under the impression that Lorne killed Lindsey of his own free will. But for some reason I got the impression in the episode that Angel had him do it. I don't believe it was explicitly stated, and I'd really like to know because it would make a big difference in my final impression of Lorne. I've always liked Lorne, but if he killed Lindsey without being told to I don't think I'm going to walk away from the whole series liking him. I don't believe Lindsey had any ulterior motive -- I think he genuinely wanted to help Angel and was enjoying being part of "the good fight" and a team. Lorne's misgivings about that were not enough to murder him. Even if he was acting on orders, I still don't like the way he just left. I understand that he was very upset after losing Fred -- after all, he later admitted that she was "the woman (he) loves." But that's really no excuse.

Angel: I've never known what to think of Angel. Not during the first season of Buffy, not after his return from Hell, not after he left her, not on his own show... He's erratic and unpredictable. He's like a hero and an anti-hero combined, but not like Spike. Spike's far more enjoyable for me. In utilitarian terms, what Angel spent this last half-season doing was justified, but I don't think I would forgive it. The only good thing about Angel this season has been his relationship with Connor -- I'm so happy to see that Connor is aware of his past and is still a normal, adjusted kid who just happens to have vampire lineage and super powers. "They'll destroy you!" "As long as you're safe, they can't." Wonderful.

If only I could afford to buy all of the Angel DVD sets...