Angel top 10

The moment we've all been waiting for...well sort of. See, I'm just not sure if I can rank these fairly--and im dying to show off the list--so...here are my 10 favorite Angel episodes with 5 honorable mentions! (Note: some spoilers for AtS)

Waiting in the Wings (S3): I love this ep because it has romance (Angel/Cordy...even though I never could get on board with that relationship), humor (Angel's remark about seeing Giselle back in 18something and crying...and he was evil! Brings the LOLZ), and ballet. One of the best (if not the best) episode of season 3.

-You're Welcome (S5): the 100th episode. I mostly like this one because Cordy shows up (albiet for the last time) and the whole AI team dynamic is back for one last time. The end also just tugs at the heartstrings. Plus there's a cool fight between Angel and Lindsay :D

-Smile Time (S5): I admit I kinda scratched my head when I first heard about this episode--I mean Angel turned into a PUPPET? However, all doubts were put to rest when I saw the ep--probably one of the funniest in the series ("Nina tried to eat me!") ("You're a wee little puppet man!") Classic scenes ensue: Puppet Angel trying to work the remote, hiding under his desk...Fred's "You're so cute" Angel "you're fired." Too many laugh out loud moments. And of course there's the Wes/Fred relationship just starting to bloom again...

-A Hole in the World (S5) and Shells (S5) : These episodes are some of the most heartbreaking in the series for me, mainly because I was a strong Wes/Fred shipper...and we all know that in the Jossverse, no one gets to be happy. So just as they were getting back together, they were torn apart. Bittersweet scenes between Wes/Fred and great scenes with Spike and Angel doing everything they can to try and save her (St Petersberg....Angel and Spike holding hands? A great laugh amdist the tragedy and heartbreak.

-I Will Remember You (S1): Angel gets to be human for a day with Buffy. It's romantic. It's funny. And I cry every time. Nuff said.

-Dear Boy (S2): what stands the most to me in this one is Julie Benz's acting! Here in this ep we see a very multi-faceted Darla--most importantly a HUMAN one! She plays the role with such vulnerability--especially in the last couple of scenes between Angel and Darla. I'm not a A/D shipper per se, but I always found the dynamic between them interesting as well as the history of the two characters (which we see a bit of here, but moreso in "Darla").

-Darla (S2): This ep is meant to be part two to "Fool For Love" (Buffy, season 5, ep 7). We get more Darla's history which is interesting. I also like the attraction of Lindsay to Darla (a pair I definitely shipped). Great scenes between all of these characters--and so much emotion.

-Reunion (S2): very emotionally-driven episode. Darla is back, but is now a vampire again, and Angel is conflicted about her still. Dru is also back (she's responsible for Darla's "rebirth"). What stands out to me the most is Angel's defiance at the end when he locks Darla and Dru in the room with all the Wolfram and Hart lawyers and says "and yet I just don't seem to care."

-Dead End (S2): Lindsay is one of my favorite supporting characters (and it's not just because he can sing and has a lovely set of blue eyes). I like that we get to know him more in this episode--and that we see that he does have more than a trace of a conscience. It's also got the classic horror element of a hand coming to life. An underrated episode!

Honorable Mentions:

-Guise Will Be Guise (S2)

-Eternity (S1)

-Awakening (S4)

-5 by 5 (S1)

-Sanctuary (S1)

Till next time...--Prophecy Girl

Coming Soon

COMING SOON:

Top 10 episodes of Angel the Series (as soon as I get through watching most of the series through)

~Stay Tuned~

buffy top 10

I actually wrote this list a little over a yr ago, but I thought it should be posted at this blog. Also I've made some revisions in it--I changed #9 and I switched 5 and 6 too. :) Let me know your thoughts, dear readers!


10. The Prom(S3)--Ok, so the main reasons I love this are : one is because of the ending with the "class protector" award and two: Angel showing up to dance with Buffy at the end. Makes me misty-eyed every time. Also, it's got some great comedic moments (Wes asking Giles about whether he should dance with Cordy....priceless). But mostly I like it b/c i'm a big SAP.

9. Lover's Walk (S3)--it's a Spike ep. And it has probably some of the best dialogue ever in it (mostly spoken by Spike). But it's got a great blend of comedy/angst (something Joss is a master at). There's no way I could NOT include this one on my list.

8. The Gift (S5)--Another one that brings tears to my eyes because of Buffy's sacrifice at the end and each character's reaction to it. I also love the Giles/Ben confrontation. But mostly I just like the emotional intensity of this episode--it's quite a rollercoaster.

7. Restless (S4)--So this episode is quite different than the majority of Buffy eps, but I like it. I like it because there is SO much symbolism (Xander being afraid he'll never get out of his basement, for one) and foreshadowing in it (i.e. the coming of Dawn). It's all dream sequences, so it has a very hazy feel to it, but it works. It also apparently contains some refs to TS Eliot (don't know if they're intentional or not). It's one I catch something new about every time I watch it.

6.Dopplegangland (S3)--just flat out funny. Wilow's evil vampire twin is back and of course that makes for some interesting subtext as well as comedy. I like the episode especially because it deals with Willow's frustration of being "old reliable" all the time (which I can relate to). Plus there are some great one-liners ("say, you all didn't happen to do a bunch of drugs did ya" and "you know you can OD on virtue").


5. Becoming part 2 (S2)--Yes, I do love the final fight with Buffy/Angelus--one of the best chereographed fights i've seen in tv--but what I love about this episode is that it mixes comedy, tragedy, romance, action all in one episode and it does it well. The scene with Buffy, Spike, and Buffy's mom is HILARIOUS, Buffy's last kiss to Angel with Christophe Beck's score music...SIGH. So much good here. But it's a season finale, and that is one of the things Joss does best.


4. Innocence (S2)- Heartbreaking episode, but great use of metaphor. This episode picks up after "Surprise" where Buffy and Angel consumate their relationship, and Angel loses his soul. He becomes Angelus (a monster, basically) and becomes the guy that says "he'll call" you and acts weird after sex happens (at least this is what I hear) and litereally becomes "a monster." Go watch it.

3. The Body (S5)--Yes, the one where Buffy's mom dies. This is one of the most haunting episodes of the show, not just because of the death, but because of how death is portrayed and how the characters deal with it. It's also I think the only episode with no musical score, so if no one is talking, there's no noise at all, which makes it even more haunting. And it's also important to note that the mom's death was natural, not supernatural, as many of the deaths are on the show. I think this one probably makes me cry the easiest.

2. Hush (S4)--The silent episode! This is probably the only time where a villain(s) actually scared me! I've never seen anything (other than a clown maybe) as creepy as The Gentlemen are in this episode. But the episode also includes tons of humor--especially when the Scoobies all meet to discuss the situation and Giles has the overhead projector, complete with drawings! Great episode about the power of communication--or lack thereof.

1. Once More With Feeling (S6)--THE MUSICAL EPISODE! If any show can pull off a musical ep, it's Buffy. Who know most of them could sing??? And dance??? Catchy songs, innovative dances, romance, heartbreak, foreshadowing, zanyness? It doesn't get much better than this. Plus the songs will stay stuck in your head :) By the way, I think Tara and Giles are the best singers. Followed by Spike.



EDIT 3/18/10: some honorable mentions

"Becoming Part 1"
"Graduation Day parts 1 and 2"
"Earshot"
"Amends"
"New Moon Rising"
"Something Blue"
"Fool For Love"
"Crush"
"Entropy"
"Dead Things"
"Conversations with Dead People"
"Storyteller"
"Selfless"

"why use magic when you can do something naturally: what's the reason for willow's magic addiction?"

Having rewatched season 6 of Buffy, and having read two essays on the season (or mentioning it) it appears there is a lot of criticism regarding Willow's character arc in season 6. One critic, a reviwer, writes this:


"I don't have an inherent problem with the writers wanting to explore drug addiction, but I really dislike the idea and implementation of it here. Plus I'd still have rather seen a more broad study of addiction in general, keeping Willow's character flaws (i.e. "power hungry") in close context"
-from http://www.criticallytouched.com/buffy/season_6_review.php

Another writer argues the following in an essay entitled "The Good, The Bad, and The Ambivalent" in Seven Seasons of Buffy:

"Now frankly, the season six twist of Willow becoming "addicted" to magic was just weak writing [...] there was no precedent for it in her characterization or in the portrayal of magic"

I can definitely see the points both writers are trying to make--I mean Willow's addiction sort of just happens (although we do see her increasing power from season 3 to season 5--and season five foreshadows--especially in the later episodes--just how powerful she's gotten) but the "addiction" or "dependence" doesn't seem to really come into play till season 6. The question is--what triggered the addiction?

Many critics (including the two aforementioned), want to know more about that...however, (of course i've not suffered an addiction myself) is it possible that such things really do just happen? Does there have to be a psychological reason for it? Most of the time there is--but does there need to be? I'm not sure, but these critics seem to think there should be. I understand that the reason the magic gets worse towards the end of season 6 is because of Tara's death--so I think that is explained. But what about before? Is it just the power hunger? Or is it something more? It seems to me that Willow just liked the power, but that she also liked that her increading skill made her less of "mousy" than the Willow of the early seasons. --and makes her feel important and more confident. Afterall, it is when she begins her relationship with Tara and delving deeper into magic that she becomes a more confident character. Tara made her feel loved and accepted, yes, but was it enough? Perhaps she felt the need to "move up" in magic to keep up with Tara? (at least early on).

So I don't have as big of a problem as some critics seem to, but I can see where they're coming from as well. Ultimately, I wonder if they didn't look at Willow close enough, or maybe there's something I'm missing...afterall, they're published :-)


--Prophecy Girl

buffy season/seasons of life

I feel like I'm living a mix of season 4 and season 6 of Buffy...i'll try to explain in my usually wordy/overanalytical way :) (spoiler warning for those who haven't seen all of season 4 or season 6 of Buffy)

Much of season four (or at least the beginning) is about being in a new place and about being separated from what you're used to. In this season, Buffy and Willow have started college, Angel has gone to LA (as has Cordelia) and Xander is off doing his own thing. The gang is separated and are all in new unfamiliar places for the most part. I've been at my new job for 6 months now--atmosphere and the routine are more familiar, however, I still feel very much like Buffy in that most of my friends aren't right here with me anymore--some of them are in school, some are out of school, married, traveling, working, etc, etc...we've all gone our own ways. And honestly, there's not much commradary (sp?) where I work--I keep trying, and well, most of my efforts are a bust. I happened to meet one girl at orientation last fall and we've stayed in touch, but that's it (Maybe she's standing in for Willow haha).


WILLOW: It's exciting, though, isn't it?
BUFFY: Yeah! It's gonna be an adjustment.
--"The Freshmen"

Season 6, shares a similar theme of isolation that season 4 does--but on a deeper, darker level I think. It's the isolation of adulthood and the monotony of everyday life. It's also about coping (although not necesarily in the healthiest of ways) with those things, depression, addiction, etc...I'm not really depressed. And i'm not addicted to anything (well nothing harmful hah). But I can sympathize with the monotony and isolation...as well as the general grey area regarding some things in life. What I know though is that Buffy does make it through the season and come out stronger...which gives me some hope that I too can get through this "season six" period of life, even if it takes a while.

I don't want to beeeeee...
Going through the motions
Losing all my drive.
I can't even see
If this is really me
And I just want to be-
Aliiiiiive.
-Buffy "Once More With Feeling"



--Prophecy Girl, out!

what the Buffyverse says about love

In the spirit of Valentine's Day (which I think is totally lame, by the way), here is a collection of love related quotes from various episodes of Buffy. Enjoy!


"Oh, Valentine's Day is just a cheap gimmick to sell cards and chocolate."
-Buffy


"People don't fall in love with what's right in front of them. People want the dream. What they can't have. The more unattainable, the more attractive."
-Xander

"You're *not* friends. You'll never be friends. You'll be in love till it kills you both. You'll fight, and you'll shag, and you'll hate each other till it makes you quiver, but you'll never be friends.Love isn't brains, children, it's blood... (clasps his chest) blood screaming inside you to work its will. *I* may be love's bitch, but at least *I'm* man enough to admit it."
-Spike

Willow: He's nice. Hey, I like his hands.
Buffy: Mm. A fixation on insignificant detail is a definite crush sign.


"Okay. For the last time. 'I, Anya, want to marry you, Xander, because ... I love you and I'll always love you. And ... before I knew you, I was like a completely different person. Not even a person, really... ...and I had seen what love could do to people, and it was ... hurt and sadness. Alone was better. And then, suddenly there was you, and ... you knew me. You saw me, and it was this ... thing. You make me feel safe and warm. So, I get it now. I finally get love, Xander. I really do.'"
-Anya


"Trust is for old marrieds, Buffy! Great love is wild and passionate and dangerous. It burns and consumes."
-Spike


& a personal favorite of mine:
"Love makes you do the wacky"
-Willow

research mode sites

Some good Joss-centric sites to check out (which I consult whenever I can haha):

Buffy Dialogue Database--great place to find quotes, episode lists, etc:
http://vrya.net/bdb/index.php


All Things Philosophical Buffy and Angel--interesting sight with some musings on the philosophies in the shows.
http://www.atpobtvs.com/


Buffy episode review page
http://www.criticallytouched.com/buffy/reviews.php

Good Angel site--episode guides, reviews
http://cityofangel.com/

Whedonesque--pretty much everything related to the 'verse
http://whedonesque.com/

Online Journal of Buffy studies (AWESOME articles here!)
http://slayageonline.com/


Happy Nerd-ing and Reading!

--Prophecy Girl