Season One
Regular cast: David Boreanaz, Charismas Carpenter, Glenn Quinn (through episode 10), Alexis Denisof (from episode 11)
Angel is a spin-off of Buffy, but is it is not the same show. It is a story of being an adult, rather than becoming an adult, and the choices we face in our adult lives. Most notably, the choices between good and bad, and the value of fighting the good fight. No matter what a person has done in their lives before, they can choose to be good and they can atone for their past.
“City Of”
Episode 1 of Season 1
“We all got something to atone for.”
Original US airdate: October 5th, 1999 (aired directly after the Buffy episode "The Freshman")
Rewatched: April 16th, 2022
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Writer: Joss Whedon & David Greenwalt
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Director: Joss Whedon
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Guests: Tracy Middendorf, Vyto Ruginis, Christian Kane
Angel is in LA, fighting evil, but not really doing well. In the opening scene, he saves two girls, but angrily tells them to get away from him when they try to thank him. He’s living a solitary life, in a basement apartment below his PI office. Then Doyle enters the scene. Half human, half demon, all Irish, who wants to help him not be cut off from those he’s saving. Doyle has visions, that’s how he knew he was supposed to help Angel. And he gives Angel info about someone (Tina) who needs to be saved from Russel, a man she thought she could trust.
But although Angel befriends Tina, her trust in him does not survive finding the note Doyle gave Angel (with her name and where to find her) or finding out he’s a vampire. Tina runs from Angel and into the arms of Russel, who it turns out is a vampire. Angel is not able to save Tina. Angel goes after Russel, enlisting Doyle as his driver. Angel is able to save Cordelia at Russel’s home and later, sends Russel to his death by pushing out of his office window. Russel tries to get Angel onto the dark side. Telling him that if he keeps his head down, he can do anything. It is clear Angel is not going to play by those rules in LA.
Angel had previously run into Cordelia at a party. She pretended to be doing well, but in fact was not. Being saved by Angel (and Doyle) inspires her to join the team. By the end of the episode, the first incarnation of Angel Investigations has come together. Doyle tells Angel that there are a lot of people who need saving and asks if Angel’s game. Angel is indeed game.
In fun facts, Angel has a swanky boxy black convertible. Wolfram & Hart (and Lindsey) are introduced in this episode.
“Lonely Heart”
Episode 2 of Season 1
“Everybody’s too busy trying to get whatever it is they’re looking for.”
Original US airdate: October 12th, 1999 (aired directly after the Buffy episode "Living Conditions")
Rewatched: April 23rd, 2022
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Writer: David Fury
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Director: Contner
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Guests: Elisabeth Rohm, Lillian Birdsell, Obi Ndefo
Doyle’s vision of something bad about happen at a club sends the trio out on the town on a Friday night. At the bar, we see Sharon meeting Kevin, both seemingly looking for the right person but knowing their chances of meeting them in a club is low. After they leave, Angel meets Kate and they seem to connect as well. But Kate is actually a detective, there to investigate a series of murders. It turns out the murderer is a body-hoping demon who needs intimacy to jump to a new body, always in search for the perfect body.
Everybody’s just looking for a connection, for someone they can trust. Being an adult means building these structures: finding friends, a support system and maybe even love. Angel Investigations, especially in its first permutation, is an example of how adults can form a strong bond, with Angel, Cordelia and Doyle finding friendship and trust, and even love.
This episode starts the trend in Angel of glossing over Cordelia’s real age. Technically, she should not be able to get into a club as she just graduated from high school, but on the series, this is rarely a topic. However, with the main theme on the series being adulthood, emphasizing Cordelia’s youth wouldn’t have fit. Or it may be due to Charisma Carpenter actually being quite a bit older than Cordelia and it no longer being really tenable to treat her as a 19-year-old.
In fun facts, Angel gets his calling cards. Kate, the detective, will play a large role in Angel’s life until Season 3.
“In the Dark”
Episode 3 of Season 1
“Take the hard road.”
Original US airdate: October 19th, 1999 (aired directly after the Buffy episode "The Harsh Light of Day")
Rewatched: April 30th, 2022
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Writer: Douglas Petrie
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Director: Bruce Seth Green
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Guests: Seth Green, James Marsters, Kevin West, Malia Mathis
In this Buffy cross-over episode, Angel faces the choice between the easy way or the hard way. Buffy sends the Gem of Amara to Angel via Oz, who was coming to LA for gig anyway. The gem makes any vampire impervious, meaning Angel could walk in the light. But Angel is an adult and has to make hard choices. As he says to Rachel, the girl he saves in this episode, “You’re at crossroads… It’s either go for the easy fix and wait for the consequences or take the hard road and go with faith.”
When Angel first receives the gem, he hides it in the sewers. Spike turns up looking for it, and captures Angel. Spike enlists another vampire, Marcus, to torture Angel. Marcus claims that it is through pain we find out who we are, but I’m fairly sure Angel already knows. He is a vampire with a soul, atoning for his sins. Brought back from a hell dimension to fight the forces of evil. Angel never cracks and tells Marcus where the ring is, but Marcus keeps asking Angel what he wants, and at one point Angel says he wants forgiveness. Angel claims this is the truth and Marcus seems to accept that it is. But it’s not quite the truth. Angel doesn’t just want forgiveness; he wants to be human again.
In the end, after walking in the sun for one day, Angel destroys the ring. While Doyle tells him the ring is his redemption, Angel knows it’s not. True redemption does not come so easily. Angel’s true redemption would be to live in the world again, but not as a vampire with a ring that makes him invincible. That’s not redemption, but power and this is dangerous in two ways: first Angel can never be sure he won’t lose his soul again and use the ring for evil and second, the ring would mean every vampire would try to take it from him.
Angel chooses the hard road and destroys the ring.
“I Fall to Pieces”
Episode 4 of Season 1
“Angel Investigations, we help the hopeless.”
Original US airdate: October 26th, 1999 (aired directly after the Buffy episode "Fear, Itself")
Rewatched: May 7th, 2022
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Writer: Joss Whedon & David Greenwalt
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Director: Vern Gillum
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Guests: Elisabeth Rohm, Tushka Bergen, Andy Umberger, Carlos Carrasco
Angel really doesn’t like dating. This is the second episode centered on the theme of dating dangers. This time, stalking. One date with Melissa and Ronald, a neurosurgeon, thinks it’s forever and follows her everywhere. Turns out he can detach his body parts to follow her.
At its heart, this episode is about the power of powerful men and the powerlessness of women to oppose them. It’s very #MeToo. As Kate says, when Angel goes to her about the case, Ronald took Melissa’s power away and nobody can get it back for her but her. Angel can keep her safe, but Melissa has to decide to live without fear again. Melissa is able to take back her power in the end. Even though she ultimately needs Angel to save her, she can overcome her fear and (verbally) face Ronald herself.
The second theme is Angel’s uneasy feeling about saving people for money. Cordy wants more money, but Angel doesn’t like to ask for it. Cordy tries to convince Angel to start charging, but it’s Doyle who gets through to him, telling Angel that doing his job and getting paid can help people feel they’ve paid their debt and move on. It’s an interesting take, especially as this is one big difference between Buffy and Angel- Buffy saves for free, Angel for money. Doyle’s justification provides the series with sound reasoning for charging for saving- even heroes need to make a living.
Finally, Wolfram & Hart is mentioned by Kate as the lawyers for Ronald.