ANGEL 5 X 22 REVIEW

[Steven Paul]

Reviewer: Steven Paul Watson, vipereyes_2000@yahoo.com
Quick Rating: Excellent!
Story Title: ’Not Fade Away’

“Lets go to work…”

Writer: Jeffrey Bell & Joss Whedon
Director: Jeffrey Bell
Cast: David Boreanaz, Alexis Denisof, J. August Richards, Amy Acker, James Marsters, Andy Hallett, and Mercedes McNab.
Guest Starring: Christian Kane, Adam Baldwin, Vincent Kartheiser, Sarah Thompson, and Julia Lee.

Warning: Some Spoilers Ahead!

It was just a year ago we lost Buffy the Vampire Slayer in an epic final episode that found the Scooby Gang, along side a handful of friends, potential slayers, and former enemies battle it out with the First and hundreds of ancient vampires. Though some fans may have hated the conclusion (especially those of one certain character) the end was near perfect for the show. No more Sunnydale, no more hell mouth under the high school, no reason for the group to stick around.

Here we are, almost one year later, and Buffy’s spin off Angel’s final episode has just aired. The fifth season of Angel gave us a little bit of everything. We got action and drama, we laughed and we…cried a lot. The body count only got bigger as the season continued. Angel fans lost a number of favorites and in ’Not Fade Away’ that continues.

’Not Fade Away’ picks up where ‘Power Play’ left off with the team gathered and being watched by Hamilton. The ruse continues as everyone but Angel leaves Wolfram & Hart.

There is a lot going on in this episode, as expected, the group meets back over a defeated Illyria and Angel tells them to take the day off cause their plans go into action that night. Everyone goes off and does there own thing.

It may have just been me, but this set up gave away which character would most likely not survive the night. Wesley’s death was to be expected, he spent his free time with Illyria and patching her up. After all where else was he too go? The only thing he truly had was Fred, he even ‘killed’ what he thought was his father earlier in the season for her. It also didn’t help with the lingering look him and Angel shared as they separated. After an intense battle with the creepy Vale he is proven no match for the warlock and is stabbed. So in his last moments he allowed Illyria to again turn into Fred and comfort him. And this was one of the most emotional scenes I believe I’ve ever seen in this series or Buffy. He had a good ending. And for those wondering, Illyria does kill Vale.

The other death was Lindsey, though not as tearful as Wesley’s it was still very emotional. Though questions come from this, was it Lorne’s mission to kill Lindsey after they finished their task. Or was this Lorne’s last favor to Angel as he said he would not be joining them in the alley and asked that he not search him out.

The other missions go well, as Spike goes to rescue the baby Angel allowed to be taken a few episodes back. Illyria takes on four members of the Circle, not much is shown of this. Gunn gets to go after the Senator and her vampire lackeys. Angel however had the hardest of all the challenges as he tricked Harmony into setting up a confrontation between him and Hamilton knowing sooner or later she would betray him. Hamilton has the advantage, even when Connor shows up (the person Angel spent his day with). It wasn’t until he had a slip in his wording that Angel got an advantage and beat him.

The cliffhanger…it’s good for a show that has life left in it, Angel had life left but it has been known (unless there is the rumored tv movie or big screen movie or the possibility of another spin off down the road) this would be the final episode for these characters and their stories (on screen). ’Not Fade Away’ does end with a cliffhanger though not to the true definition of one. The surviving members are gathered in the alley and wait for the faceless army that approaches them. The battles they set out to fight are done but the war goes on, though we don’t know who of the group will survive this they are still living when the credits role.

Five seasons, a great run for most shows and Angel had a great run for a spin off. It was an underdog from the beginning, as was its predecessor Buffy the Vampire Slayer a spin off from a movie of the same name. Angel proved to be as different (and just as good) as the show in which it spun from as the movie before it and I just want to say it has been a fun ride, you will be missed, and Thank You.

OVERALL:
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[GilSpiderig]

Wow...........Just Wow....I haven't posted in a while because I haven't seen anything that needed my commenting on (or was worthy of it haha just kidding) but this I had to do it for being such a big fan of this series. I loved the ending, it was great and it just filled me up with such hope. It showed that the Board Members may have been up to crap, but Angel and his team can still spit in their face with defiance. Loved how things worked out with Connor. As for the deaths, well I can never figure out that spoiler stuff so I shall speak cryptically. The Death was heartfelt, and I do agree with you Steven whole heartedly about what that person went through. The Jokes, just wow they fit in so well. I just loved the part when Angel says that he should rephrase what he said and Lindsey comments with "I would feel better that way". Just magical is all I have to say.

[Anand Khatri]

Amazing episode. Best series finally of any show ever! This definetly is a instant classic. I liked how they really didn't tell you what happened to them in the end and basically left it to the viewers imagination. Really Great show.

[Judiusx]

What Lorn did...wow.

I'm sure that caught everyone watching the show off guard but you can see why he did what he did. What's ironic is that even though he's probably the only one who survives to see another day he's the one who truly died. The look in his eyes when he was speaking to Angel earlier and then that same look when he did what he did. I truly felt for him cause I've felt like that before in my life. I think since Angel was the "twenties" version of Buffy, life after high school and college, Whedon may have written the final episode as people moving into their "thirties" if you will and treated Lorn in a way of what happens when you're really growing and it suddenly hits you that this was NOT where you expected to be when you were younger. Having turned 30 myself this year I really felt what Lorn must've been feeling; that although he doesn't regret the way he's lived his life lately he knows that he can't stay on that same path and had to get back to his real passion and at the same time wondering if its too late. I dunno, that look in his eyes just really got to me.

[Anthony Zisa]

Though questions come from this, was it Lorne’s mission to kill Lindsey after they finished their task. Or was this Lorne’s last favor to Angel as he said he would not be joining them in the alley and asked that he not search him out.

This was Lorne's final mission, and the reason he asked Angel not to search him out.

Very disappointed in the series finale. I suppose it's with the tone of the show as a whole, but I was hoping for a little more closure, quite frankly. Though the "I'd sort of like to fight the dragon" line was humorous.

--acz

[omegastorm]

Originally posted by Anthony Zisa


This was Lorne's final mission, and the reason he asked Angel not to search him out.

Very disappointed in the series finale. I suppose it's with the tone of the show as a whole, but I was hoping for a little more closure, quite frankly. Though the "I'd sort of like to fight the dragon" line was humorous.

--acz

I was hoping for more to but I really liked the eppy and the dragon line was funny.

o

[Michael Clarke]

So Illyria did not turn back into Fred permanently?

[chemicalx]

Originally posted by MCH
So Illyria did not turn back into Fred permanently?

No just during the moment wes died to comfort him as he died then she went back to Illyria and killed that red demon guy

[Joxer487]

i absolutely LOVE Illyria.:love:

:clap:

she's like the Anya of Buffy only greater.


anybody else want an Illyria and Spike spinoff?

:cheers: for bringing the show out on top.

[Martin Dudek]

I personally loved the episode. The ending fit, IMO, and now I'm itching to write a fanfic to continue from the end.

My greatest problem with the finale is that fact that it was indeed the end, unless they do in fact do movies. Illyria has so much potential and I really want to see more of what TPTB would do with her.

[ThePez]

Great ending, Lorne as a bad ass, and all that jazz. Great ending though, a hell of a lot better then that Buffy crap ending.

[chemicalx]

one of my favorite parts was spike at the poetry night doing his famos poem for cecillie/hally good nod to the buffy days

[Colonel Cortez]

Really looking forward to this, I hope it's as good as recent eps.

[NicholasRogue]

I wanted to cry but I couldn't Llyria turning into Fred and being with Wesley at the end was my favorite part. Also Connor coming in and helping out Angel was good too! Plus Spike getting an audience with his poetry! I clapped outloud for him lol I'm sad it's over.

[Jared Oberholtzer]

Fantastic season finale!! If Angel doesn't come back at all, I'll be really angry.

[Justice Daye]

It was great, IMO because even though it didn't have a great sense of closure as ar as story and connections to Buffy, it still it. This universe and this show would've ended like this. Angel and Co. would die fighting the good fight. We learned this in season 2. Furthermore, with all the allies and enemies Angel has, any number of them could come to his rescue. I was thinking Cordy is now a PTB and she saves them in the alley that night.

[Steven Paul]

This was the hardest review for me to write to date mainly cause for the past five seasons Angel has been my favorite tv show. The more I thought about the ending, the more I liked it. It's something I can't really explain cause it leaves so much open for the future (and I believe, I truly do somewhere down the road we'll see some of these characters again somehow).

Originally posted by Anthony Zisa


This was Lorne's final mission, and the reason he asked Angel not to search him out.

Very disappointed in the series finale. I suppose it's with the tone of the show as a whole, but I was hoping for a little more closure, quite frankly. Though the "I'd sort of like to fight the dragon" line was humorous.

--acz

"Well personally, I kinda wanted to slay the dragon" Was a great line, lol

[Jordan T. Maxwell]

absolutely freaking amazing. i loved the Buffy finale, but this definitely gives it a run for its money.

my personal favorite moments (amongst many) have to be Spike at the bar. I thought it was badass that Spike would go, get drunk and start a brawl on his last day on Earth...loved it even more when that ended up being a misdirect for him to do his poem. And finally getting applause for it! And of course Illyria turning into Fred for Wes...and knowing on some level that what she was saying was on some level true for Illyria. "I wish to commit more violence now." :)

and that final scene...note for note, perfect. The dialogue, the rain, the final stand, the looks on everyone's face...the dragon line :cool:...and yes, the cliffhanger. I'll tell you why it works so brilliantly for me. On the one hand, if they want to bring it back as a TV movie or big budget film or whatever, you've got somewhere to take off from. But if this truly is the end...it's beautiful and classic. The one last stand against the unbeatable odds, the fight you won't walk away from. They'll probably all die. But they'll live forever because you don't see it. It's Butch and Sundance, Thelma and Louise, the survivors in Dawn of the Dead...their fates are left unwritten so they live on forever as legend.

I've loved this show so very much since the beginning. I cried as much when Doyle died in the first season as i did when Fred died in this last. Heck, even when Buffy was a little rocky for me (which was rare), Angel was always there, solid. Thanks to Joss, David (both Greenwalt and Boreanaz), Charisma, Glenn, Alexis, J. August, Amy, Andy, James, Mercedes...and everyone else who's made this such an incredible five year trip...from Angel Investigations to the Hyperion Hotel to Pylea and Klortoth to the Wolf, the Ram and the Hart and right back to where it all began...with a champion in a dark alleyway, fighting the good fight because it damn well needs fighting. Slainte.

[Captain Peroxide]

I loved the ending! That was so freaking perfect. Jeff Bell (the producer) said in an interview that they were going to go out like "The Wild Bunch". He wasn't kidding.

Did anyone else think that it was perfect Angel ended in a Dark Alley? He spent so much time in them during the course of the series(not to mention the cool shot of him stalking in an alley at the end of the opening credits). The final line was so perfect. I'd like to imagine that that they all fight bravely and were saved at the last second by Xander Harris and his army of Slayers. Spike and Angel being saved by Xander would be funny.

[Joxer487]

i too like to imagine buffy and co dropped by.








off topic, i also like to think Tara became a higher being, that is why the first couldnt take her form when trying to get Willow to kill herself in "Conversations With Dead People"

[citizenx]

See to me, closure is only nice in theory. Often I think it comes off as forced. Buffy did it nicely but I think Angel went out properly. A lot of loose ends were tied up. I just don't see it as a cliffhanger, for me it worked perfectly as the end to the show, it made Angel and co. seem kind of mythic. Great episode, great series..........

[Judiusx]

Originally posted by ThePez
Great ending, Lorne as a bad ass, and all that jazz. Great ending though, a hell of a lot better then that Buffy crap ending.


Yeah, at least this ending felt original unlike the Buffy ending which they pretty much lifted right out of the "Out There" comic book by Humberto Ramos.

[Alex Guillen]

well I'm so sad Angel is over.
Too bad about Wes, i really liked hima nd he had become a great character but too bad he had to die but I'm glad Lindsey died. It was good to see Gunn going after that Senator and get that edge back to him
what happened to eve and Harmony?

[Captain Peroxide]

Originally posted by citizenx
See to me, closure is only nice in theory. Often I think it comes off as forced. Buffy did it nicely but I think Angel went out properly. A lot of loose ends were tied up. I just don't see it as a cliffhanger, for me it worked perfectly as the end to the show, it made Angel and co. seem kind of mythic. Great episode, great series..........

I agree with the Mythic comment. Another thing it was is just plain Ballsy!

[Zachary J. Morrison]

I just watched the encore presentation of Angel, and I definitely enjoyed watching it. I thought it was sweet how Connor came to Angel's rescue and helped him defeat Hamiltion, and I was surprised to see how strong Hamiltion was and I kinda knew he'd be a big threat to Angel and the gang, having seen the episode where he comes down to chit chat with Gunn.

It would have been great if the show could have survived at least two more season so it could end up alongside its main series, Buffy, but this seemed like a great way to end a series. I'm going to miss watching more episodes of this TV show, and I'm looking forward to watching the movies Joss Whedon is going to be making for the Buffy and Angel movies to come out this fall.

[DanielSummers]

Angel: I don't mean to sound pretentous, but tonight, one of you will betray me.
(Spike raises his hand)
Angel: No, it will be you Weasly.
Spike: Can I at least deny you three times???


Thank you Joss Whedon for seven years of Buffy, five of Angel, and hopefully many more of X-Men