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Steve J. Rogers

The One and Only Angel Season 5 Thread

By Steve J. Rogers, in Brandon Truitt

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BlackFlagg    0

BlackFlagg
Posted

Spoiler (Highlight to Read):

General Description

 

As this supernatural thriller begins its fifth year on The WB, Angel (David Boreanaz, "Valentine"), a vampire cursed with a conscience and a soul, will finally emerge from the dark underground tunnels he has inhabited for centuries. Angel will be free to roam Los Angeles without fear of sunlight when he and his loyal friends take over the city's powerful supernatural law firm, Wolfram and Hart, and wage war against the dark side - one evil client at a time.

 

The City of Angels has proven to be the ideal address for a fallen vampire looking to save a few lost souls and, in turn, redeem his own. Now, in his new position at the head of Wolfram and Hart, Angel makes use of the firm's state-of-the-art technology and the darkly tinted windows in his luxurious new office, stunning penthouse apartment and fleet of limousines. After more than 200 years spent hiding from the light, he will at last be able to move about during the day.

 

Early on in his life as a vampire, Angel began a bitter rivalry with fellow vampire, Spike (James Marsters, "Buffy the Vampire Slayer"), that ended only when Spike died a horrible death, sacrificing himself to save the world for Buffy Summers, the woman he and Angel both love. When Spike suddenly materializes in Angel's offices, the rivalry begins anew. Walking the earth as a ghost, Spike is furious about his new incarnation, especially when he sees the power and money now at Angel's command. Angel wants nothing more than to send Spike on to whatever hell awaits him, but no one knows how or why Spike has returned.

 

Still unsure of the reason he has been handed control of the most powerful law firm in the city, Angel will rely on his friends to run Wolfram and Harts' many departments. Wesley Wyndam-Pryce (Alexis Denisof), the fallen Watcher Angel has come to depend on for his intellect and knowledge of all things supernatural, will head up the firm's research department. The Host, also known as Lorne (Andy Hallet), has rejoined the group after his disastrous gig in Las Vegas, and is the perfect demon to run the entertainment division. No one can schmooze evil show-biz types like Lorne. Winifred "Fred" Burkle (Amy Acker), who joined the group after being rescued from another dimension, is blessed with a brilliant scientific mind that has saved Angel and his friends more than once. Fred is thrilled with her new job heading up the companys scientific research department, complete with a high-tech laboratory, the best equipment money can buy and a staff of scientists.

 

Most surprising of all is the role played by the streetwise renegade vampire hunter Charles Gunn (J. August Richards, "The Temptations"). Gunn receives an instant legal education when all knowledge of the law is downloaded into his brain. Gunn has gained a brilliant legal mind, but he has lost some of the trust of his friends since no one, not even Gunn himself, knows what else the Wolfram and Hart doctors may have downloaded or uploaded from his mind.

 

With Wolfram and Hart under new management, Angel and the gang will take on one supernatural case after another. Their client list will be a mix of good and evil characters, including a werewolf, a necromancer who uses human bodies as vessels for demon spirits, and terrorist who threatens Los Angeles with a deadly virus. Along the way, familiar faces from Sunnydale will turn up unexpectedly, including Spike's former squeeze, vampire/valley girl Harmony (Mercedes McNab), who is Angel's new secretary. Willow (Allyson Hanigan, "Buffy The Vampire Slayer," the "American Pie" movies) is also expected to pay her old friends a visit in Los Angeles this year, along with the Slayer herself, Buffy Summers (Sarah Michelle Geller).

 

For now, however, Angels finds himself in a new and brighter world, surrounded by hundreds of co-workers and clients, but only a handful of people he can trust. Angel may have emerged from the darkness, but the line between good and evil will be harder to see than ever before. All he can do is go on with his quest to redeem himself - and the rest of the world.

 

"Angel" was created by Academy and Emmy Award-nominated writer Joss Whedon, along with David Greenwalt. Whedon serves as executive producer, along with Sandy Gallin, Gail Berman, Fran Rubel Kuzui, Kaz Kuzui, Jeffrey Bell and David Fury. "Angel" is a Mutant Enemy, Inc. and Kuzui/Sandollar production in association with Twentieth Century Fox Television.

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RavishingRickRudo    0

RavishingRickRudo
Posted

We have been getting Angel Season 1 Re-runs for about a month now and are on from Monday-Fri at 11 pm on Space. New eps. will air on Thursday's at 9 pm - so since there haven't been any new eps. lately, they've been re-running the last season (well, part of it)

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Youth N Asia    0

Youth N Asia
Posted
I think the reason no one is talking about Angel heading up Wolfram and Heart is because we simply don't know what to think of it yet.

Probably. And with most of the firm dead it takes away from it. For some reason it seems eviler with human's running it instead of dead whatevers.

 

I'll download the first ep the night after it airs :)

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Mole    0

Mole
Posted
I think the reason no one is talking about Angel heading up Wolfram and Heart is because we simply don't know what to think of it yet.

Probably. And with most of the firm dead it takes away from it. For some reason it seems eviler with human's running it instead of dead whatevers.

 

I'll download the first ep the night after it airs :)

Of course something will fishy will come out it.

 

And the whole Gunn thing is awesome, but sketchy at best.

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Guest EQ   

Guest EQ
Posted

The whole Gunn thing is too "Matrixy" for me.

 

I almost expected Gunn to come out with: "Whoa, I know THE LAW".

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Jingus    0

Jingus
Posted
Along the way, familiar faces from Sunnydale will turn up unexpectedly, including Spike's former squeeze, vampire/valley girl Harmony (Mercedes McNab), who is Angel's new secretary.

I'm actually happy to hear about that. I've always loved the Harmony character, and wished that she'd get used a little more than she has over the years. It's a great addition to Angel, which compared to Buffy, hasn't always had the most stacked roster of really lovable characters.

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Mole    0

Mole
Posted

Eh, I don't like Harmony at all. She tends to be really annoying and blah. I don't even think she is that pretty either.

 

I don't see how she is going to be a secretary for Angel, she still is a vampire.

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Mole    0

Mole
Posted

Yeah it does, even though I'm VERY disappointed that there won't be a big story arc like last year.

 

Back to the case by case episodes.

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Guest EQ   

Guest EQ
Posted

I think Harmony is great. She always makes me laugh, and let's face it... she's hot.

 

Mole, where did you hear about the case-by-case thing?

 

Spoiler (Highlight to Read):

I know the first 2 episodes are like that, but they could always be building up a season arc. Usually, the start of the seasons are case-by-case, like on Buffy, but the overall arc of the season starts to evolve about a 3rd or 4th of the way in.

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Mole    0

Mole
Posted

From EW Fall Preview, from Joss himself:

 

"Last year was one big story for 22 episodes. This year we're trying to welcome new viewers, so it's more solve-a-case-everyweek."

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Cavi    0

Cavi
Posted

Joss also said Buffy Season Seven was going to be lighthearted and whatnot, yet it wasn't, so it will be interesting to see how this plays out.

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areacode212    0

areacode212
Posted

A couple of things...

 

If any of you are in NYC, someone from another board I go to is organizing a Smallville/Angel premiere gathering downtown:

 

Wed., Oct 1

11th Street Bar

510 E. 11th St.(between A & B)

 

Back room with big-ass TV. Friendly place, good drink prices. Episodes start at 8, but feel free to come earlier--I'll be there! *No cover.*

 

I am baking a cake, and bringing other treats and munchies.

 

Y'all come!

 

Look for the brown porch awning with the name painted on. South side of street, closer to A than B, round Guinness logo sign sticking out over the door (which has a lovely stained-glass window).

 

Many fabulous prizes, furnished by moi (I do home spa services, and I make homemade liqueurs and exotic vinegars).

 

Please tell all your friends!!

 

Workprints for "Conviction" and "Just Rewards" have been out for a couple of days, and I've been watching them over & over. Some of the SFX aren't complete, the scoring is unfinished, and some of the dialogue needs looping, but they're more or less the complete episodes.

 

Since I'm still pretty excited about seeing the eps, I decided to share some quick impressions:

 

Spoiler (Highlight to Read):

The premiere is actually pretty good--the teaser is a cute twist on the typical "City of"/"In the Dark"-style teaser, with a helpless girl in an alley. The first W&H scene of Act 1 has Joss going all fancy with the camera. He mentioned how this season was going to have "West Wing"-style camerawork, and now I know what he meant. So, we get a 4-minute-long single-take scene which reintroduces the cast, as the camera swoops around corners following characters as they walk & talk, Sorkin-style. It's pretty neat, but I hope it isn't overused.

 

The gang taking over Wolfram & Hart interests me more than Spike's presence, actually. The theme for this year is supposedly going to be "is it possible for us to use this evil power for the greater good?". As I understand it, this theme is basically the "arc" for this season. Plotwise, the episodes are gonna be mostly standalone, but we'll have this ongoing theme of corruption and making compromises (agreeing to let Harmony work for them is one example). When I first heard about it, it seemed like such a weird & jarring new premise. but based on the premiere, I think there are some interesting places they can go with it.

 

Speaking of Harmony, if you didn't like her before, you probably won't change your mind. But if you enjoy her (as I do), you won't complain, and she looks great in her red dress in "Just Rewards". Either way, she's around for 17 eps, so better get used to her. The scene that introduces her is cute, but IMO, Mercedes has a tendency to overplay "ditzy & hyper". Try switching to decaf, Harm. Still, she has some funny lines, and she's a lot better (and more subdued) in the second ep when she tries to make conversation with Spike. Plus, it's heartening to know that she's managed to wean herself off human blood, and that she's still making an effort to rein in her evilness, without benefit of soul or chip. See? Even Harmony can grow. It's almost inspiring.

 

When I first read the spoiler about Wes being the one to pull her from the typing pool, it seemed so out of character after what happened last time, but I bought it when I saw the ep. Look at the other people they work with. Next to clients like Fries, who's willing to unleash a deadly virus on California, and employees like Hauser, Harmony doesn't seem quite so evil anymore. Plus, it's never explicitly said, but I think part of the reason they hired her is out of loyalty to their comatose friend.

 

Eve--a lot of fans loathe her and find her annoying already, but I'm not feeling the Eve hate yet. I may find her annoying by the end of the season, but based on the premiere, I didn't think she was that bad. She comes off as mysterious, yet kind of perky & chatty. I don't really see her as Angel's love interest (which is supposedly the direction they're going with her), but she's only been around for 1 ep. I'll give her some time before I start bashing her. Yeah, I'd take Lilah over her in a second, but if SR isn't available, I don't blame them for bringing someone new.

 

Gunn turning into Superlawyer also wasn't as bad as I expected. Yes, it's beyond contrived, but there really is no believable way to magically turn a formerly homeless vampire hunter into a lawyer. The process itself is a bit cheesy, but I kind of bought why he did it and how he felt out of place at the beginning of the episodes. Plus, if they're running a law firm, it makes sense for a main character to, y'know, be a lawyer. I just hope he retains his old personality.

 

The "Spike returns" special effect is cool. His screaming (shown in the promo) is not, but it's a neat way to end the episode.

 

"Just Rewards" isn't as good as the premiere. The Angel/Spike snark is a lot of fun, and it's interesting to see the rest of the gang reacting to him. But much of the ep just plodded along at a sloooow pace, and the MOTW (a fat necromancer) bored me. Hopefully the final version of the episode will have some better editing. And where was Lorne? In the workprint, Act 1 starts off with Spike's death scene from "Chosen" ("Sunnydale, California. The Hellmouth. Nineteen days earlier"). It makes for a cool transition to Angel's office. Have we ever seen any UPN Buffy footage on Angel before? Spike's interaction with Fred should be interesting to see in future eps.

 

Even though I've seen it, I'm still psyched for this Wednesday.

 

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RavishingRickRudo    0

RavishingRickRudo
Posted

I did, and they weren't that big. Just confirming everything said up until now with opinions on each. If you've read the other spoilers, it shouldn't ruin anything for you.

 

....Yes... That's right... come into the spoiler says the Rudo to the Fly.

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Cavi    0

Cavi
Posted

I just noticed that my local WB affiliate is starting Angel reruns this evening. I also saw that they are showing Buffy right after it, so they must now be the new affiliate for that in my area, as well.

 

What sucks is that it looks like Buffy will no longer be on late night during the weekends though. Major weaksauce!

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