Angel's fourth season was a pretty massive mess, but it ended on an interesting note, with Angel and his team getting an offer to work for Wolfram & Hart, the antagonists of the show. Not only was this an amazing idea, but it led to one of the best seasons of TV of all time.
Season 5 of Angel goes back to the formula of the show's first season, generally being a bit more episodic rather than having one big arc. Generally, the season focuses on Angel trying to destroy Wolfram & Hart and protect humanity from the inside. However, I think this season executes the balance between serial and standalone pretty much perfectly, including several arcs about the return of characters like Lindsay and Spike, the possession of Fred by an demon named Illyria, and the last few episodes which show Angel and his team planning out their final battle with Wolfram & Hart. Despite this otherwise grim premise, Season 5 is surprisingly light-hearted for most of it. Don't get me wrong, the dark moments are some of the darkest in the whole show, but there are tons of goofy standalone episodes and fun office hijinks scattered throughout the season. I think the change of location also works wonders for Angel, even if I did end up missing that iconic motel.
The characters are also pretty great this season too. The 100th episode is devoted to fixing Cordelia's character and giving her a beautiful sendoff, Doyle is actually brought up again and is relevant to the plot, Lindsay's disilusionment with Wolfram & Hart comes to a front, Wesley starts to warm up to the team again, and even Connor has some good moments here. The final third of Season 5 also introduces one of my favorite characters, Illyria. Despite also being played by Amy Acker, she is drastically different from Fred in pretty much every way. She only appears for about eight-or-so episodes, but Illyria manages to make a strong impact with some great character development as she deals with being human and the rest of the team's grief about Fred's death. By the finale, Illyria is fighting with Angel, Spike, and Gunn to stop an apocalypse, and it's awesome. I'm more split on Spike's appearance, however. I do think he's a fun character this season and has a great dynamic with Angel, but I think he overstayed his welcome in the Buffyverse and the appearance made his sacrifice in the Buffy finale less impactful. My only other gripe is that some standalone episodes aren't that great, but otherwise, I think this season is nearly perfect.
There are a ton of absolutely amazing episodes this season, along with one of the greatest stretches of episodes I've ever seen in a TV show:
Conviction: Generally, this is a solid premiere that lays out the themes and goals for this new season and establishes the status quo of everyone working at Wolfram & Hart. However, I think it's worth mentioning that amazing opening long take that takes the viewer around the set and shows what all of the characters are up to.
Lineage: Wesley's relationship with his abusive father is mentioned a few times in the show, but this episode puts it to the forefront as he is willing to shoot his father (actually a cyborg) to save Fred. It's a dramatic and emotional episode that showcases Wesley's development and how much he cares about Fred.
You're Welcome: My favorite episode in the whole Buffyverse and one of the best episodes of all time. This 100th episode has Cordelia return one last time to help set Angel back on the right track. I love that Lindsay is using Doyle's name, bringing his character back into importance for the first time since Season 1. The sword fight between Angel and Lindsay is a lot of fun, and Cordelia's final goodbye is absolutely devastating while also being a perfect sendoff that redeems her character after everything that happened in Season 4. You're Welcome isn't just a love letter to Angel, but to the Buffyverse as a whole.
Smile Time: Coming right before the fairly grim Illyria arc is easily the funniest episode in the whole show. Smile Time has Angel be turned into a Muppet, and it's just as hilarious as it sounds. Pretty much the whole episode is spent poking fun at Angel in this state (especially Spike), and the contrast between serious Angel and his goofy Muppet form is just perfect.
A Hole In The World: This episode is absolutely devastating to watch as Fred slowly and painfully gets transformed into Illyria, and just after she ends up with Wesley too. But while that's the moment everyone remembers, this episode also has the funny caveman vs dinosaurs argument, along with Spike's surprisingly deep "Hole In The World" speech.
Shells: Coming right after "A Hole In The World", this episode explores everyone's grief as they deal with what has happened to Fred. Illyria is already a fascinating character right from the get go, and Wesley's struggle to accept that Fred is gone is incredibly compelling. I like how the ending sets up this unique dynamic between Wesley and Illyria.
Underneath: Keep in mind that You're Welcome, Smile Time, A Hole In The World, Shells, and Underneath came out nearly back-to-back-to-back. This episode has a strange premise where Angel and the team try to save Lindsay from a suburban hell dimension. It's packed with bizarre imagery, crazy gunfights, and strange musings on introspective. It's manages to be inventive, surprising, funny, scary, thought-provoking, and action-packed all at the same time.
Not Fade Away: Angel has one of my favorite finales of all time, and despite its ambiguous ending, feels like the perfect end for the show. I love that even after signing away his motivation, Angel is still fighting his good fight even if there's no chance he'll win. Every character gets a chance to shine as they split up to tie up their own loose ends before each taking out their own member of Wolfram & Hart's inner circle. There are some shocking character deaths, fun action, and satisfying resolutions resulting in a phenomenal end to a phenomenal season.
Overall, Season 5 is probably my favorite season in the entire Buffyverse, and it's the reason why I remember Angel so highly, even with its many faults. It strikes a goofy balance between light-hearted fun, mature themes, and heart wrenching drama, with one of the greatest stretches of episodes I've ever seen in its second half. For me, it's nearly perfect.
5/5 Stars
My ranking of the Angel seasons is:
- Season 5: Easily my favorite Buffyverse season in general. The premise is fresh and creative, the episodes are consistently solid, the tonal shifts are perfect, and the entire second half is nearly flawless.
- Season 2: Outside of the out-of-place Pylea arc, Season 2 is a very strong season with Wolfram & Hart at its most evil leading to two of the best storylines in the show (Darla, Angel leaving).
- Season 3: Season 3 has a lot of great elements like some iconic one-offs, Holtz being a great vllains, and a few of the darkest episodes in the show, but it doesn't all coalesce and it introduces Connor.
- Season 1: Lacking a concrete villain or serialized narrative, Season 1 feels a bit aimless, but it also has plenty of great episodes as well as a fantastic season finale.
- Season 4: Angelus and Faith were great, but the rest of the season is an absolute dumpster fire made even worse after hearing what went on behind the seasons. One of my least favorite seasons ever.
My ranking of the Angel finales is:
- Not Fade Away: A nearly perfect season finale. The final battle is written so that everyone gets a moment to shine, all of the emotional farewells land, and the ambiguous ending is genius.
- Home: As bad as Season 4 was, this episode did a lot to undo its awfulness and the decision to have Angel's team work for Wolfram & Hart led to the show's best season by a mile.
- To Shanshu In LA: Even with how episodic Season 1 was, To Shanshu In LA does a lot to completely blow up the status quo, all thanks to a one-off demon we never see again.
- Tomorrow: Tomorrow is a really great cliffhanger-palooza on its own, but it's hard to separate it with all of the awful Season 4 storylines that it ends up setting up.
- There's No Place Like Plrtz Glrb: While the Pylea arc was fun, it didn't really feel like a finale and this episode was no different.
Favorite Episode: You're Welcome
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