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Stumped by an 'Angel,' but entertained anyway
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Its stories were dark and its prospects were dim. There was considerable doubt "Angel" would survive the WB's ax last season.
"This doubt was not something that I was actually informed about," series creator Joss Whedon recalled with some amusement recently in Los Angeles. "I was [blithely going on] like: 'Aren't we great? We're having fun! I can't wait until next year! ... What?!?' That was a bit of an eye-opener."
So it is with an acute awareness that nothing makes life more precious than a brush with death that Whedon's "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" spinoff reaches the 100-episode milestone at 8 tonight on WGN-Channel 9 with a *** effort that brings back original cast member Charisma Carpenter, whose Cordelia fell into a coma last season.
Admittedly, a 100th episode is always a bigger deal to those who share in the show's profits than to most mere viewers, but this one is a testimonial to the cult drama's tenacity.
"Buffy," which exited last year to much fanfare, got all the attention and plaudits, while "Angel" always existed in its shadows with a smaller yet nonetheless devoted fan base of loyal Whedonists, who hang on his every word no matter how gnarled the syntax sometimes may be.
"I have never not thought the show could carry on to a sixth or seventh year," Whedon said. "It feels to me like the new energy [of this fifth season] could propel us into more seasons, and I very much hope it does because as a creative team, we've never doubted that we had enough stories to tell."
Now that "Buffy" is no more, "Angel" is trying to expand its audience, a strategy that has been credited with making the series easier to enjoy this season. Don't kid yourself, though. This is a bandwagon that's very tough to catch up with and jump on at this late date.
"Having the mission statement of making the show accessible to people who haven't seen it before really sort of kept us on our toes," said Whedon, who's now able to devote all his attention to "Angel" rather than splitting time between it, "Buffy" and "Firefly," his short-lived Fox space soap.
"We were in that very, very dark space last year and I loved last year's show very much, but it was this one dark kind of thing and it weighs on you when you're working on it. ... There's kind of a lighter spirit this year."
For the benefit of those who haven't been paying such rapt attention: Angel (David Boreanaz), the vampire searching for redemption by protecting humans, is now running the Los Angeles office of Wolfram & Hart, the law firm that represents the demons and other assorted baddies he had been fighting.
Spike (James Marsters), who appeared to perish at the end of "Buffy," is not gone. The vampire is on the Angel track toward redemption and is positioned as a rival to Angel. Spike's hands were cut off last week -- eww -- but are healing nicely.
Gunn (J. August Richards), the former gang member, has been given a lawyer's mind and ... well, you can see how things might be tough to pick up in midstream, regardless of whether the show's storylines extend over several episodes or each hour is a self-contained tale.
"It's very difficult to balance," executive producer Jeffrey Bell said. "The reason our die-hard fans love the show is because of the emotional arcs of the characters, and to try to tell stand-alone stories that begin and end while maintaining the big emotional arc has been tricky."
Bringing Cordelia back tonight provides an opportunity to update one-time "Angel" viewers who -- like her -- have been away from the series for a while. "Without being sly and postmodern about it and winking at the audience, [the episode has] her -- because she was there at the beginning -- come and say, 'Well, where are you now?' "
But it's an uphill climb, and those ambitious newcomers who might hope to come in cold and make sense of all (or any) of what's going on are bound to be frustrated. That's why it's a cult show, no matter how well it's made and how universal its overriding theme of dealing with the hard choices one has made in life.
"The show is ultimately about people," Whedon said, "and people are endlessly fascinating to people for some reason."
It's not always easy to know just what the hell is going on, literally or figuratively, and yet "Angel" endures.
Courtesy of Phil Rosenthal |
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