Review of Angel: Season 5 (Box Set)

Introduction

So this is it then-the last stand for Angel who appeared in the first episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and sustained his own five seasons. In the end a combination of factors saw the vampire staked. The studio executives saw falling figures and its creators must have been wondering where to take the show next. Unlike shows that run on forever this one allowed its characters to develop and in some cases mutate quite a lot. It made for compelling viewing and even the bad episodes can be absorbed into the general feelgoodness that this programme generates.

At the end of Season 4 Angel and his group are offered the chance to run Wolfram & Hart, the big, evil law firm that is owned by the Senior Partners, by implication very bad and powerful demons. Angel agrees but with a proviso that the rest of the team must forget about his son Connor. He asks that Connor is found a home and a family- a normal life without him.


22 episodes included:

Conviction

It`s the first day at the all new Wolfram and Hart But exactly what have the senior partners got in mind for Angel and Co The new intermediary is called Eve and is notable fro shapely legs and face and that sassy wit that Whedon`s creations always possess-yes its Lila Mark II.

Oh and at the end a little package is opened bringing a treat for Buffy watchers.

Just Rewards

With the arrival of Spike and his soul Angel is feeling a little grumpy. Time to deal with a recalcitrant client who might have to go to dead filing. The necromancer Hensley doesn`t react well to threats so a personal visit by Angel is in order. He finds that Hainsley`s manservant is shaken and stirred when Angel uses a spoon as a method of despatch. Meanwhile ghostly presence Spike is offered a deal he cannot refuse.

Unleashed

A young girl is attacked in the woods and it`s not by vampires this time. Angel manages to despatch the overly hairy attacker only to discover it`s a werewolf. The team must find the girl before she starts to seek out her own doggy treats.

Hell Bound

Spike is weighed down by the thought of his misdeeds and is convinced he is slipping into Hell. Can Fred save him by making him a real boy?

Life of the Party

Or `it`s not easy being green`. Lorne is taking his job seriously -so much so that he has had his sleep removed. Cue some interesting action when Lorne `tells` everyone what to do.

Angel is desperate to get his team and his clients on side but just how far will he go?

The Cautionary Tale of Numero Cinco

The Mexican wrestler episode. Angel must decide if his heart is really in it. A retired hero who is the postboy at Wolfram and Hart explains to Angel how he lost the will to fight. There`s a monster on the rampage taking the hearts of hero`s but will he want Angel`s?

Lineage

Wesley`s father turns up as do some mysterious Ninja warriors. Wesley`s feeling of inadequacy return in spades when his father brings his overbearing nature along.

Destiny

Who will be the champion? Spike and Angel reach breaking point as they must find out who will fulfil the Shanshu prophecy.

Harm`s Way

(Or Try to See it My Way)

Self-obsessed vampire and Angel-aide Harmony is having a bad day. After socialising with Fred she finds a corpse in her bed but she`s off human right?

Soul Purpose

Angel is confined to bed but receives mysterious dreams. His increasing alienation from the team is worrying. Meanwhile Spike has been `championed` by someone calling themselves Doyle.

Damage

An escaped mental patient turns out to be a deranged slayer. Ex-Sunnydale bad boy Andrew arrives to help search for her.

You`re Welcome

The 100th episode and the return of Cordelia to help Angel find his purpose. There`s something special for the 100th episode; the return of favourite Cordy to fight the good fight.

Angel finds out who Doyle is and the surprise in the basement is not a cake.

Why We Fight

The submarine episode. Angel`s war work is revealed when one of his `protégé`s arrives at Wolfram and Hart.

Hmm vampires in uniform, it was bound to happen but your belief may have to be suspended from a very great height to get your head around this one.

Smile Time

Sometimes you might feel you are being manipulated and other times you know you are. Angel turns into a cute Muppet but there`s nothing cute about what`s happening on the children`s programme `Smile Time.`

Wow-what a fantastic concept and where can I buy the puppet?

A Hole in the World

An ancient sarcophagus arrives in Fred`s lab and she is struck down by a mystery illness. While Angel and Spike fly to England to try to save her, Wesley takes her home.

A gut wrenching episode directed by Joss Whedon ranks alongside The Body (Buffy Season 5) for emotional resonance.

Shells

Fred is gone and only the shell remains, occupied by the risen demon Illyria.
Time to find out who was really responsible for her death-you`re not gonna like it.

Underneath

The team need to track Lindsay down to his Stepford Hell to see if he has any useful information about the Apocalypse.

Meanwhile back at the office a very well dressed man is looking for Eve.

Features Adam Baldwin in between his duties on Firefly and the movie Serenity.

Origin

The return of Connor. His `parents` seek Angel`s help when they find out that Connor has mysteries strength. But there`s someone else who has a little job for Connor.

Time Bomb

Illyria is out of control. Wesley is conflicted by his attachment to what is left of Fred. It`s only a matter of time before it comes to a head.

The Girl in Question

Angel and Spike go to Italy and lose their head.

An unsatisfying episode that deals with the Buffy question. With Spike and Angel behaving like Stan and Ollie it never really gets off the ground. I wanted more than this but it was never going to be very good without getting Sarah Michelle Gellar back.

Power Play

Time to get serious as Angel stops pussyfooting around. He making some morally dubious decisions and the team are very concerned-has he finally caved in to his dark side?

Not Fade Away.

The final episode sees the team up against it. Its time for the last stand…who will survive?

This came too soon and what a dilemma for the scriptwriters. They do some justice to the series and its final coda although leaving an ashy taste is at least worthy of watching again.


Apparently Angel is to be revived in comic strip form later in the year but it`s unlikely to see the light on the TV or big screen.

Video

I found no problems with the quality of the picture. There are one or two episodes that are overly dark and this is a production problem and of course due to the nature of vampires and that they don`t use those clever X-File torches.

Otherwise it`s a good TV quality picture with no compression or other artefact glitches visible on my copy.

Audio

The series benefits from having a very good orchestral soundtrack, presumably on a shoestring budget. There are occasional popular song references but they are not used a great deal.

The series also has a witty and occasionally complex script that makes it great fun to listen to as well as watch.

Features

There are six(count `em) commentaries to listen to and very good they are too.

"Conviction" -by writer/direcrtor Joss Whedon

Always good value when the boss speaks-very enjoyable.

"Destiny" by director Skip Schoolnik, writers David Fury, Sterphen S Denight and actress Juliet Landeau.


"Soul Purpose"-by director and actor David Boreanaz, writer Brent Fletcher and actor Christain Kane.

No horsin` around, a surprisingly serious commentary from David(I`ve got the directing bug)B. Good comments from all involved.

"You`re Welcome"-by director/ actor David Fury, Christian Kane and Sarah Thompson.

"Underneath"-by director Skip Schoolnik, writers Elizabeth Craft and Sarah Fain and Adam Baldwin.

"Not Fade Away"- by co-writer/director Jeffrey Bell.

Keeping the tears and fear of unemployment at bay he offers a nicely detailed commentary.

Featurettes

Hey Kid`s It`s Smile Time!
Angel 100
Angel: Choreography of a Stunt
Angel: the final season
Halo`s and Horns: Recurring Villainy
Angel Unbound: The Gag Reels

Non of these are long enough or detailed enough, there`s more juicy detail to be had from the commentaries.

Conclusion

This season is an enjoyable swansong season from the wingless wonder. Regrettably there are many loose ends that simply refuse to be tied due to the mid-season cancellation. They do their best with the ending but it feels rather unsatisfactory. It`s an uneven season with patches of brilliance and perhaps some episodes best forgotten. Taken as a whole the show has produced some deliberately different drama and heck its certainly not your average detective show. I believe that`s on the cards for Boreanaz, lets hope he slips his fangs in his pocket to liven it up.

Many viewers are resistant to this style of fantasy television, their loss. The humour alone is worth tuning in for and the double act of Spike and Angel produced some classic moments this season.

I have qualms about the cost of this season again; as usual the Region Two production is massively overpriced. The packaging is no doubt the attractive `book-style` which at least looks good on the shelf. However I think the content is more important and its worth looking out for other Region versions.