This is the fifth and final season of Angel, a spin-off series from the hugely successful Buffy: The Vampire Slayer. Angel (David Boreanaz) is a vampire, but with a difference - he has a soul. After causing terror for over 150 years, he's cursed by a gypsy whose spell gives him back his soul and with it the intense feeling of remorse for his past evils.
However, having had his soul restored, he has a chance of redemption and has been promised by the powers that be that if he atones sufficiently for his past sins, he'll get his humanity back but the curse also promises that if he ever experiences a moment of true happiness, he'll lose his soul and revert back to his evil self, Angelus. Unfortunately for Angel that meant that his love affair with Buffy was never going to work out so, to save them both the pain of being together and never being able to be happy, he takes off for Los Angeles to be a private investigator and so the spin-off series was born.
L.A. is a hotbed of demonic evil and Angel Investigations has soon got its hands full saving those that need aid, initially joined by ex-Buffy characters Cordelia (Charisma Carpenter) and later Wesley (Alexis Denisof) and various other sidekicks in his weekly battles with evil. When Season Four ended Cordelia was in a coma and Angel is offered the keys to his arch enemies Wolfram & Hart and the chance to run the law firm for evil ends or good, it's up to him. He agrees but insists that his son Connor (Vincent Kartheiser) is found a home with a normal family and that the gang be put under a spell to forget he exists.
Season Five sees the team move into the offices of Wolfram & Hart, all the while trying to think what the catch will be. Angel is CEO, Wesley has a huge library of arcane knowledge to wade through, Fred (Amy Acker) is in charge of a large science and research department, Lorne (Andy Hallett) is entertainment chief and Gunn (J. August Richards) gets to wear a suit. Here's a brief synopsis of the episodes…
Conviction - The gang move into the offices of Wolfram & Hart but soon have a dilemma - their first case involves representing an evil client who threatens to destroy the city with a virus. They meet the mysterious Eve (Sarah Thompson), who will act as Angel's liaison to Wolfram & Hart's senior partners, and the airhead vampire Harmony (Mercedes McNab), another ex-Buffy character who is Angel's new assistant. The biggest surprise is the appearance of Spike (James Marsters), Angel's nemesis from his days with Buffy and now sporting a soul of his own.
Just Rewards - Spike's ghost has materialized in Angel's office and no one knows why, including himself and the team are charged with some serious research. Meanwhile Angel finds out that Wolfram & Hart are supplying a Necromancer with bodies that he's selling on to demons as vessels for their spirits so that's gotta stop!
Unleashed - Angel helps a newly turned Werewolf named Nina (Jenny Mollen), who is being hunted by an exclusive club that specialises in exotic meals. One of the members is secretly working for Wolfram & Hart and captures her but Angel comes to the rescue and Nina agrees to come in for monthly check-ups (and a few more show appearances).
Hell Bound - Spike struggles against forces that threaten to send him to hell while Fred looks for a way to restore his corporeal body. While Spike battles with the spirit of an eighteenth-century serial-killing doctor, Fred arrives with a solution and Spike has a serious choice to make.
Life of the Party - It's Halloween and Lorne has been working non-stop without sleep for a month organising a big bash. However, his lack of sleep spills over onto the party, making the gang and their guests behave very strangely.
The Cautionary Tale of Numero Cinco - Angel has to track down a retired Mexican wrestler called Number Five to help him defeat Tezcatcatl, an ancient Aztec warrior who emerges every 50 years to take the heart of a hero to sustain his own existence. Angel is surprised to find the wrestler is employed by Wolfram & Hart and that Tezcatcatl killed his brothers.
Lineage - The offices of Wolfram & Hart are under attack by cyborg assassins who are seeking a magical device that will give them control over Angel. Meanwhile, Wesley is surprised by an unexpected visit from his estranged father who comes with news of possibly restoring him to a reformed Watcher's Council.
Destiny - When another mysterious package arrives at Wolfram & Hart that recorporealizes Spike, the gang learns that the existence of two ensouled vampire heroes has created chaos in the world. After Eve tells them about a prophecy that states that the only way to restore order is to find the Cup of Perpetual Torment that bestows human life, Angel and Spike battle it out for the ultimate prize.
Harm's Way - While Angel is arranging a truce meeting between two warring demon tribes, Harmony wakes up after a heavy nights drinking with the main negotiator dead in her bed and with memory of how he got there. Realizing that Angel won't be too happy about this, she is desperate to find out who framed her for the murder.
Soul Purpose - A mysterious stranger approaches Spike claiming responsibility for recorporealizing him in a bid to replace Angel as the vampire champion. Meanwhile, Angel is racked by intense dreams and hallucinations of his worst fears, intensifying his worries that Spike is here to take over his role.
Damage - When an emotionally unstable woman escapes from a psychiatric ward, Angel finds out that she was tortured as a child and is now hunting for the perpetrator. When news arrives from Sunnydale to inform the group that the woman is also a vampire slayer, Spike believes that if he can save her he will prove that he is destined to be the vampire champion.
You're Welcome - When Cordelia wakes up from her coma to discover that Angel is no longer at war with Wolfram & Hart but is running it, she is shocked. When she realizes that Angel has lost his way as a champion for good, she gets him back on track. Meanwhile Angel is distrustful of Eve unaware that Lindsey is preparing to bring about his downfall.
Why We Fight - When a man from Angel's past takes the gang hostage we learn that Angel once worked for the U.S. Navy to recover a German submarine with American sailors on board. However, the sub also contained a dangerous trio of vampires, including Spike, who were being forced to help the Nazis. When the sub came under attack, Angel was forced to save the man the only way he knew how and now he's back sixty years later seeking revenge.
Smile Time - When dozens of children fall into a coma while watching a popular TV puppet show, Angel goes directly to the studio to the heart of the problem but he triggers a spell that transforms him into a living puppet. Meanwhile, Nina the werewolf returns with romantic intentions, but Angel is still a muppet and too embarrassed to let her see him. Angel and the gang must find out how to reverse the spell and save the lives of the children before it's too late.
A Hole in the World - Fred is infected by a mysterious parasitic demon when she opens an ancient sarcophagus. Angel and Spike discover that the demon, called Illyria, existed before recorded time and they must return her to an ancient demon burial ground before she kills Fred and thousands of other innocent victims.
Shells - Angel and Spike return from England defeated, knowing that the ancient demon Illyria has completely taken over Fred's body and soul. Wesley is bent on revenge when he learns that Knox and Gunn have each contributed to her demise and Angel tries everything to restore Fred. Meanwhile, Illyria tries to locate an ancient temple where she believes she will find an army ready to help her destroy mankind.
Underneath - Hoping that Lindsey has information on the Senior Partners' ultimate plans, Angel, Spike and Gunn track him down in a bizarre and terrifying suburban hell. Meanwhile, a nearly invincible stranger infiltrates Wolfram & Hart looking for Eve.
Origin - When Angel is approached by Connor's new parents regarding their son's supernatural abilities, he is reluctant to help. Despite this, he is forced to bring Connor into conflict with an old adversary to prevent his memories from being restored. Meanwhile, Wesley uncovers a mysterious deal struck by Wolfram & Hart that threatens the secret Angel desperately wants to protect.
Time Bomb - When Illyria's powers become unstable and cause her to erratically jump through time, she learns of the gang's plan to kill her and when she returns to the present, she plans to murder everyone before they're able to attack her. To save everyone's lives, Angel must go into the past with Illyria and alter the course of events.
The Girl in Question - Angel and Spike go to Rome to rescue Buffy from their old nemesis, The Immortal. While in Italy, they also attempt to retrieve the head of a fallen demon leader to prevent a perilous power struggle between several warring demon clans.
Power Play - The gang starts to have doubts about Angel's loyalties when he appears to have become very close with the Circle of the Black Thorn, an evil secret demon society. When Drogyn, the guardian of the deep well, makes a startling revelation, the gangs' fears that Angel has become evil seem to be validated.
Not Fade Away - Angel and the gang spend the day as if it were their last as they prepare to bring down the evil Circle of the Black Thorn. Putting their lives on the line, Spike confronts a demon cult, Lorne faces off with Lindsay, Gunn takes on an evil senator and Angel battles Hamilton, the henchman of the Senior Partners and then there a Dragon, a very large Dragon!
Review
Okay, here we are at the untimely end after a fairly successful five-year run. As a spin-off, Angel was a reasonably successful favourite with Buffy fans, despite the crap scheduling on terrestrial TV before Channel 5 picked up Season Four and gave it a decent mid evening slot. Rumour has it that low viewer ratings weren't a factor in its demise but the pure and simple fact that the effects laden show was just too costly to produce. Still, it's all water under the bridge now - the show is over.
Angel is/was a show with some really deep story arcs and the characters have been extremely well developed over the years. Like its parent show, Buffy, Angel is a mix of dark Gothic horror interspersed with a goodly amount of witty one-liners to lighten the mood and the addition of Spike to the team seriously boosts the humour elements. What else is new - well Angel has a new hairdo! Out goes the old spiky look and in comes the new swept back style. Added to that we also get Harmony, another ex-Buffy refugee and Spike's old girlfriend. Also, Apple continue to prove that they are still the best at computer product placement on film and TV, even if their logo is somewhat conspicuously covered by post-it notes here.
As previously stated, this season sees Angel and the gang in charge at arch-enemies Wolfram & Hart as Angel sees the possibilities in working with the devil he knows and maybe furthering his search for more knowledge on the Shanshu prophecy, the one that says he is to play a key role in the Apocalypse, but doesn't say what, and get his humanity back! Obviously the senior partners have their ideas of what that role will be, hence the invite to run the firm for them, but Angel has his doubts.
Other than those senior partners and their dark agenda for Angel, this season has no real arch-villain story line and is pretty much a mix of demon-of-the week plots. Much of the time up until episode 98 is taken up with the return of Spike and what part he might play in the Shanshu prophesy. In episode 103 where Illyria possesses Fred, she pretty much becomes the focus of evil until we get to the Circle of the Black Thorn, who are the real bad guys at the end. Chronologically, Season Five takes place after the final season of Buffy, hence the possibility of including Spike who went through a series of ordeals, gaining his soul back and then sacrificing himself to close the Sunnydale Hellmouth.
As with previous seasons the writing, direction and production are all top notch. Sure there are a few filler/stand alone episodes outside of the main story arcs but that's pretty normal for any season lasting over 20 episodes. The cast are excellent as well - David Boreanaz continues to be darkly quiet and moody as Angel, Alexis Denisof plays the ex-watcher turned demon-hunter Wesley perfectly, Amy Acker is brilliant as Fred and even better as Illyria, Andy Hallett is great as The Host/Lorne and J. August Richards is good as Gunn.
Added to those we get the absolutely excellent James Marsters as Spike and I'm sure that if the show had gone on he's have been in serious contention with Boreanaz as the main character, especially given the doubts of who the Shanshu prophecy is referring to. Charisma Carpenter only gets one episode here so doesn't really get going very much and I'm not sure that Mercedes McNab added that much as Harmony.
As for the episodes, there are some crackers - Smile Time is an absolutely hilarious romp in fantasy as Angel gets turned into a Muppet and has to battle some demon puppets. It's not a great story line and it won't win any awards for the acting but it's probably the one most fans will never forget.
The picture is presented in 1:78:1 anamorphic widescreen and is pretty good throughout. Okay the show is mostly shot in the dark, vampires kind of make that a given, but it still delivers a solid, sharp and colourful image. Visual and CG effects are excellent as usual and it's probably due to the expense of these that the show ended up being the victim of budget cuts.
The sound is delivered in Dolby Stereo, not bad for a television series but nothing spectacular. Given the dark and mystical material, a surround track would have done great things for it but the show's over, time to move on.
Angel Season Five is probably one of the best and it's left open with a kind of Butch and Sundance ending, albeit minus some long-running characters. Angel and a few of the team are left, so the show could go on if someone picked it up, or maybe it's better to go out on a high note. There are rumours that Angel is to be revived as a comic strip later in the year but it’s unlikely to come back to our screens again, which is a pity as I enjoyed watching it.
Extras
Audio Commentaries - There are accompanying commentaries for seven of the episodes and, while they're a bit of a mixed bag, they're entertaining and interesting enough to warrant listening to…
- "Conviction" with writer and director Joss Whedon. This is the guy that created the series and his input here is well worth listening to given that this is the first time he's written and directed a season premiere since the pilot.
- "Destiny" with director Skip Schoolnik, writers David Fury and Steven DeKnight and Juliet Landeau. This is the one that brings Spike into the series and fans will enjoy hearing from Juliet Landeau, who played Drusilla.
- "Soul Purpose" with director David Boreanaz, writer Brent Fletcher and Christian Kane. David Boreanaz is on good form here, having directed this one and trying to be all serious, and it's probably the best of the lot.
- "You're Welcome" with director David Fury, Christian Kane and Sarah Thompson. The 100th episode and a bit of a sad one and that shows through to the commentary.
- "A Hole In The World" with Joss Whedon, Amy Acker and Alexis Denisof.
- "Underneath" with director Skip Schoolnik, writers Elizabeth Craft and Sarah Fain and Adam Baldwin.
- "Not Fade Away" with co-writer and director Jeffrey Bell. This is the final final episode and Jeffrey Bell does a good job on his own here, giving us an interesting and informed commentary.
Hey Kid’s! It’s Smile Time! - A short, seven minute look behind the scenes of Smile Time, the hilarious puppet episode. Includes interviews with writer and director Ben Edlund, David Boreanaz, the stunt coordinator, the puppeteers and even the puppets.
Angel 100 - The team gather for the 100th episode celebration and a cake cutting at Paramount Studios. There are some interview snippets with Joss Whedon and the major cast members on their thoughts about the series. Lasts just five and a half minutes.
Angel: Choreography of a Stunt - A behind-the-scenes look at the filming of a stunt during the episode "Shells", where Iiyria throws Angel through a fifteen-story window. Obviously he survives but has a long way to fall before landing outside the front door of Wolfram & Hart. Lasts six minutes and focuses mostly on stunt coordinator and Angel's stunt double Mike Massa, who has to do the stunt, but there's some input from writer Steven S. DeKnight, David Boreanaz and Amy Acker. Looks pretty scary stuff and I bet Massa had more than a few bruises over the couple of days filming.
Angel: The Final Season - At just over 27 minutes, this is the longest featurette on the discs and is a look back over the season with creator Joss Whedon, co-executive producer Steven DeKnight, Amy Acker, David Boreanaz, Alexis Denisof, James Marsters, J. August Richards, Andy Hallett, Mercedes McNab and Sarah Thompson. The first half covers it from the view of Angel, Spike, Fred, Gunn, Wesley, Lorne, Harmony, Eve and Lindsey and the second half looks at specific episodes. It's a bit clip-heavy and could have been longer with more input from Whedon and the cast, although they were getting a bit maudlin here as the show finishes.
To Live & Die In L.A.: The Best Of Angel - Joss Whedon talks about his favourite episodes from each of the first four seasons and gives us his thoughts on what was the driving force throughout the show. Interesting to get some of these insights from the creator and it lasts almost nine minutes.
Halo’s & Horns: Recurring Villainy - Juliet Landau, Stephanie Romanov, Julie Benz and Christian Kane talk about their roles as Drusilla, Lilah, Darla and Lindsey. These four villains were pretty well developed characters that wove their way through many of the story lines throughout the series and were pretty popular with the fans. It's quite interesting and lasts almost nine and a half minutes long.
Angel Unbound: The Gag Reels - About six minutes worth of gags and bloopers from all five seasons and mostly featuring David Boreanaz, who obviously likes fooling about in front of the camera. Alexis Denisof and Amy Acker get a few good ones in as well though although it's not a lot for five years but entertaining none the less.
Overall
As the finale to the series, this season holds its own with its preceding volumes and the addition of Spike into the mix was a touch of genius. However, the fact that the series was rather unexpectedly cancelled has made the ending somewhat unsatisfactory and there are quite a few loose ends left untied, which of course could mean that it could be brought back if someone else picked it up. Although it was a spin-off from Buffy: The Vampire Slayer I have to say that I enjoyed the series and always thought it was good enough in its own right and this season was getting on for the best of the lot - still I'm not a television mogul with a limited budget!
If you already have the first four volumes, then this will be a must have addition to your collection. The picture and sound are up to a par with previous releases and better than most television to DVD productions, even though Angel is such a dark and poorly lit series. The extras package is reasonably good, although it could have been better for this final series.
