News of the cancellation of Angel reached fans worldwide thanks to the internet. Within minutes of reading the shock announcement, thousands found the online petition and immediately signed to protest the decision. Forums across the net were filled with anger, disappointment and disbelief as many left messages in support of their favourite show. The fight was on. In the days that followed, fans united in their grief. Save Angel campaigns were launched and every fan wrote emails, letters and postcards and sent them off to various addresses to try to get Angel picked up for a sixth season. Today, the fight is still on.
Two weeks have passed since the WB announced they had axed the show from its network. Since then we have heard their reasons. We have read the reactions from the cast and crew of the show and even from the creator himself, Joss Whedon. So far, nothing has inspired confidence that the decision will be overturned or even that another network will pick the show up. Is this a sign that we should give up trying?
"It isn’t over until the fat lady sings." It is a common phrase used in everyday life and one that we should live by today and everyday until this fight is over. Until we hear the words “It is definitely the end,” or, “Give it up,” from Joss Whedon, then we will keep trying. But morale is low among the citizens of Jossverse. Many appear to have resigned themselves to the show being over for good. But perhaps we should go back and look at why we love Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel and remind ourselves what we learned from them. Let us draw inspiration from our heroine, Buffy. Remember when she said this?
“I'm beyond tired. I'm beyond scared. I'm standing on the mouth of hell, and it is gonna swallow me whole. And it'll choke on me. We're not ready? They're not ready. They think we're gonna wait for the end to come, like we always do. I'm done waiting. They want an apocalypse? Oh, we'll give 'em one. Anyone else who wants to run, do it now. 'Cause we just became an army. We just declared war…There is only one thing on this earth more powerful than evil, and that's us.”
When you heard that speech in Bring On The Night, did it give you goose bumps? Did it make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up? Did it make you stand up and shout, “yeah!!” in a very loud and enthusiastic voice whilst throwing your fist in the air? The speech inspired the Slayer and her scoobies to fight the good fight because it was what they had to do. Together, they fought against evil and they defeated it.
Buffy may be over for good but you can bet your bottom dollar that if Willow, Buffy, Giles and Xander were out there right now then they would still be fighting for what they believe in. Well I have news for you. They are still out there. They are you and me. The characters live on in all of us. We spent seven seasons being inspired by their courage, determination and fighting spirit. We learnt so much from them and now is the time to draw strength from that.
The fight to save Angel is far from over. Ok, so it’s not the end of the world per se but it sure does feel like it. It’s our world. It’s Jossverse complete with it's own mythology, fantastic writing, creative storylines, superb acting and inspirational characters. We live in this world and we are now The Slayer and the scoobies. So if you’re feeling despondent right now then it’s time to stand up and fight as they did. You don’t think you can make a difference? Think again. Go to www.saveangel.org and find out what part you can play in the campaign.
The last word goes to Doyle from the episode Hero, simply because it is poetic:
“The good fight, yeah? You never know until you've been tested.”
For more information on the campaign to save Angel, please visit the following websites:
Saving Angel
Save Angel
Save Angel Rally
Support Angel
By Andrea Clarke at Buffy-vs-Angel.com |
