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Review: Five Seasons of Angel
A review about an interesting book full of essays about Angel. |
 Reviewed for DARKWORLDS.COM by K.W. Taylor
After the success of their SEVEN SEASONS OF BUFFY anthology, BenBella Books have now released FIVE SEASONS OF ANGEL. The collection consists of twenty-one short pieces analyzing (and occasionally poking fun at) various aspects of ANGEL, most of them scrutinizing specific characters in intriguing, thought-provoking ways. The works included in the book were well-chosen by editor Glenn Yeffeth, and most of the pieces are compelling, intelligent, and have a dash of dark humor – much like ANGEL itself.
Even though the book as a whole hangs together very nicely, it suffers slightly from the outset from its opening piece. Don DeBrandt’s “Angelus Populi” uses personal experience as metaphor for the disparity between the personalities of Angel and Angelus to no particularly earth-shattering effect.
Fortunately, this piece is not typical of the collection. In “That Angel Doesn’t Live Here Anymore,” Laura Resnick describes with great effect not the difference between Angel and Angelus but the subtler difference between Angel as portrayed on BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER versus ANGEL.
“Angel by the Numbers” is a fascinating, funny oddity written by series Chief Lighting Technician Dan Kerns. For anyone looking for strange trivia bits from an insider, Kerns does not disappoint.
A truly unique and hilarious take on everyone’s favorite evil law firm is provided by Roxanne Longstreet Conrad in “Welcome to Wolfram & Hart: The Semi-Complete Guide to Evil.” Written as if it were materials The Powers That Be found inside the abandoned briefcase of a W&H flunkie, the piece is replete with vague business speak that hearkens back fondly to the hilarious training video featured in HARM'S WAY.
“Jasmine: Scariest Villain Ever” notes an eerie correlation between ANGEL’s fourth-season villain and Christianity. Fantasy author Steve Harper is careful to point out that Jasmine is akin to a version of Jesus reflected backwards – her messages may be similar, but her aims are certainly more lenient where violent actions are concerned.
An extremely well-crafted essay, “A World Without Love: The Failure of Family in ANGEL,” sheds light on how Angel’s curse prevents him from establishing even a non-traditional family. Novelist Jean Lorrah’s position is that as Angel’s personal version of what “perfect happiness” means becomes more complex over time, he is bound to lose his grip on his friends, his lovers, and his son.
The purpose, nature, and appeal of Lorne are examined with winsome glee by journalist Abbie Bernstein in “It’s Not Easy Being Green and Nonjudgmental.” A meticulous examination of Lorne’s purpose in the series, it’s benefited by Bernstein’s fresh, charismatic narrative that perfectly fits the character she is exploring.
“ANGEL: An Identity Crisis” starts out well, but it soon becomes obvious that horror writer Chelsea Quinn Yarbo is spending the majority of the piece passing negative judgment on what she sees as the show’s overall inconsistencies. Though her points are not necessarily invalid, this critique is likely to perturb many of ANGEL’s most stalwart fans.
Novelist Sherrilyn Kenyon offers a study of Doyle in her moving essay “Parting Gifts,” insightfully assigning him the role of mediating ego balanced between the selfish id of Cordelia and the heroic superego of Angel.
The succinctly-titled “Why We Love Lindsey” manages to do something I didn’t think possible: show how the appearance of Lindsey McDonald in season five actually makes sense. While fantasy author Michelle Sagara West’s essay is slightly pedantic in its recounting of Lindsey’s story arcs, it does put the character’s motivations into a context that renders his final plotline downright plausible.
“It’s a Stupid Curse” looks at the gypsy-induced state Angel is in. Fantasy novelist Marguerite Krause’s essay is profound in its ability to wade through something as baffling as the concept of a soul in this universe’s mythology. While Krause has an excellent handle on this concept, however, there are apparent small gaps in her understanding of the mystical aspects in the canon of BUFFY and ANGEL.
Peter S. Beagle asserts early on in “The Good Vampire: Spike and Angel” that the majority of his sympathies in the eternal “Spike versus Angel” debate lie with the snarky, leather-clad blond rather than his grandsire. Though this will undoubtedly delight Spike fans, it should be noted that those in Angel’s camp needn’t fret; Beagle offers up support for both as having their own merits.
“To All The Girls He Loved, Maimed and Banged Before” is a pithy entry from entertainment journalist Candace Havens that skewers Angel’s romantic relationships, rating their viability as options for true love. While it suffers a bit from its own cleverness, it does do a good job of sending up Angel’s disastrous forays into the world of dating.
Novelist Jacqueline Lichtenberg’s short but insightful “Victim Triumphant” strikes a resonant chord with the assertion that Angel is not a hero – at least not in the sense that Buffy is – but a victim of fate, which is precisely the quality which makes Angel so effective as a champion.
K. Stoddard Hayes raises fascinating questions of moral ambiguity in “Where Have All the Good Guys Gone?” She firmly states that ANGEL’s most heroic characters – Angel, Faith, Spike, and Wesley – are effective in their roles precisely because of their very knowledge and tendency to flirt with their darker natures.
A similar idea is extended to focus on the former Watcher of that foursome in Amy Berner’s “The Path of Wesley Wyndam-Pryce.” Written in a sharp narrative almost akin to the character’s own distinctly crisp manner of speech, this piece clearly elucidates how the “dorky” version of Wesley we first meet in the third season of BUFFY becomes the broken, cold man of the final season of ANGEL.
Similar treatment is given to Spike in “Death Becomes Him: Blondie Bear 5.0.” Novelist Nancy Holder does an estimable job describing the development of Spike throughout his time in the Buffyverse, focusing on his unique role as a kind of “supporting champion” in ANGEL’s final season.
One common thread that runs through many of the essays in this book is the idea that ANGEL mirrors a great many aspects of mythology from an array of traditions and cultures. These threads are all tied together in folklorist Josepha Sherman’s “ANGEL or Devil,” which discusses everything from the literary tradition that inspired the dual nature of both Angel and Doyle, the Anti-Christ aspects of Jasmine, to how the season four Beast is eerily akin to the creature in “Revelations.”
A touching celebration of Cordelia Chase is the focus of Laura Anne Gilman’s “True Shanshu.” Though Gilman glosses over almost all of Cordy’s “possession arc” of season four, she does remind us how far the character came even merely by making the transition from Sunnydale to L.A.
That pesky and uncomfortable season four arc is dealt with head on in “The Assassination of Cordelia Chase.” Novelist Jennifer Crusie pulls no punches in her admonition of the ANGEL writers for having Cordy ascend to a higher plane and then be possessed by the Beastmaster. Though she employs humor to perfection in this piece, Crusie is not hesitant to become deadly serious. She bluntly labels the assignation with Connor “obscene” and castigates any and all parties responsible for ruining what had become a thoughtful, reasonable growth of the character.
Strangely enough, one of the best pieces in the collection comes not from a fantasy or horror author or a media critic but from a sex therapist. In “There’s My Boy,” Joy Davidson provides a lovely closing homage to Angel himself, celebrating him as a champion while being willing to acknowledge his failings honestly and in both clinical and dramatic terms.
Even hardcore fans will find something in FIVE SEASONS OF ANGEL that causes them to look at familiar episodes and events in entirely new ways. The contributors of this volume have each managed to put their own unique spins on our battle-weary, beloved vampire and his comrades in arms.
US residents can order the book here: here -
UK residents can order the book here: here .
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Buffy the Vampire Slayer, its characters, and the Buffy logo are the property of Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, the WB Television Network, and Twentieth Century Fox. Angel-The Series, its characters, and the Buffy logo are the property of Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, the WB Television Network, and Twentieth Century Fox.Other Series, their characters and logos are property of the proper right owners.
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