Angel

[Natasha (candygirl)]

You can view new cast photos here and a letter from Joss regarding S5 here.

[Natasha (candygirl)]

Another forum had a ho-yay poster contest, and the entries are hilarious! You can view them here - scroll down to the yellow stars and click on each link.

You can view pictures of the AtS S5 sets here (new Wolfram & Hart building, Angel's office).

[lance]

Another forum had a ho-yay poster contest, and the entries are hilarious! You can view them here - scroll down to the yellow stars and click on each link.

You can view pictures of the AtS S5 sets here (new Wolfram & Hart building, Angel's office).

Thanks Candygirl.

My favorite is entitled, "You always hurt the ones you love."



LanceMan

[Nostradamus]

@ the posters!

...But is there no hope for Wesley and Gunn?

[lance]

Tonight is the nite for the premier of Angel.



Can't wait. Anybody else counting the minutes?

LanceMan

[Natasha (candygirl)]

http://www.bigbad.net has had a countdown clock all summer!

[lance]

www.bigbad.net has had a countdown clock all summer!

Wow the legends are true, to every season there is a...website.



LanceMan

[grim4746]

well i think i like the retooled Angel. It was a long summer and i couldn't keep away from the spoilers for that long so much of the plot didn't come as a surprise but I wasn't sure how i'd feel about the new format. I liked that they at least mentioned Cordy and Connor. I think Harmony is great! I hope they find more time for her, Fred is not enough fun to be the only woman on the show. Over all I didn't think the episode was great but it did leave me thinking that this season might be the best yet (definitely better than last year).

[Nostradamus]

Two words:


Blondie Bear!

[Natasha (candygirl)]

Connor has been replaced by Eve as The Most Annoying Character on Angel. Actually I think I will amend that statement - she is a terrible actress. If they were dead set on casting someone who can't act, they should have at least chosen a really hot chick!

[JPP13]

I'm telling you right now, if Angel turns into a courtroom drama of the week, I'm out. I don't do lawyer shows. Didn't Angel used to be about some dark avenger? Now its the Practice?

Notice Spike had top billing with Angel? Be very afraid.

Where was Spike mailed from, since there is no more Sunnydale post office?

Only thing that made me pay attention was the fast intercut blip of a little girl staring at the blood on the wall after Angel shot Riley, or some guy in the Initiative, or whomever the heck that was. That held intrigue.

Oh, I also think Fred is super hot.

[lance]

Two words:


Blondie Bear!

ROFL! You beat me to the punch. That was a great ending.

My thoughts. Overall I like it. I think the characters, Joss & co appear to be struggling a bit to adjust to the new reality of the show. I liked the addition of Harmony, she seems to bring the Old Cordy humor based on naive insensitivity.

[spoiler]Bad guy," If I go down, everyone who is not already will be dead."

Harmony, "That's a relief, I mean Hey!"[/spoiler]

Angel & co are having to adapt to be managers and not being involved in every act, every rescue. That is going to take some getting used to. The staff of Wolfram & Hart are having to get used to trying to help people and doing good at least part of the time. The Fang Gang are having to acknowledge the fact that they will have to look the other way for some of their lesser evil clients, otherwise they will be out of business.

The opening was hilarious! Poor Angel is going to have to work really hard to do things by himself anymore.

Some questions:

[spoiler]Who went down into the pit of burned out Sunnydale, retrieved the amulet and mailed it to Angel?[/spoiler]

Qualms: JPP13, I understand your fear about this being another coutroom drama. I won't mind if they occassionally go to court, but not on a weekly basis.

I am looking forward to the group dynamic. Will all of the Fang Gang become progressively more corrupt? Will Gunn become more evil than the rest? Will Spike be good, evil or slightly evil.

There is more than enough here for a full 22 episode season.

LanceMan

[Natasha (candygirl)]

Notice Spike had top billing with Angel? Be very afraid.

I think this was ME's way of acknowledging (1) after Angel, Spike has been part of the Jossverse longer than the rest of the cast (2) James Marsters was one of the last minute reasons that AtS was renewed and (3) there are a lot of BtVS fans who are now watching AtS. Some AD fans were worried that he (AD) would lose his anchor position in the credits, so this seems like ME's way of trying to keep everyone happy.

Lance, I agree that Angel & Co. now need to learn how to delegate, manage, and deal with a larger staff; however, given what happened last night with the commandos, it's not surprising that they are reluctant to trust that their orders will be followed or that they are really in charge.

Only thing that made me pay attention was the fast intercut blip of a little girl staring at the blood on the wall after Angel shot Riley, or some guy in the Initiative, or whomever the heck that was. That held intrigue.

That was the one commando guy that Angel let live. He asked, "What about mercy?" and Angel replied, "That was the last of it," or something to that effect.

What I want to know is why in the heck Wesley hired Harmony. I don't believe his claim of "having a familiar face" around the office - he knows that she sold them down the river the last time she was in town, plus she annoyed the sh!t out of everyone in the office, including Wesley (like when she ripped a page out of his book so she could throw away her gum). I refuse to believe that Wesley is that forgiving/stupid/forgetful.

Anyone want to take bets that Knox will be revealed as Holden brought back from dust by W&H to get an inside track and psychological profile on the gang? I could buy Gina Torres and Nate Fillion coming over from Firefly, but bringing someone from BtVS (besides Spike) is begging for a backstory!

[lance]

Notice Spike had top billing with Angel? Be very afraid.

I think this was ME's way of acknowledging (1) after Angel, Spike has been part of the Jossverse longer than the rest of the cast (2) James Marsters was one of the last minute reasons that AtS was renewed and (3) there are a lot of BtVS fans who are now watching AtS. Some AD fans were worried that he (AD) would lose his anchor position in the credits, so this seems like ME's way of trying to keep everyone happy.

Lance, I agree that Angel & Co. now need to learn how to delegate, manage, and deal with a larger staff; however, given what happened last night with the commandos, it's not surprising that they are reluctant to trust that their orders will be followed or that they are really in charge.

Only thing that made me pay attention was the fast intercut blip of a little girl staring at the blood on the wall after Angel shot Riley, or some guy in the Initiative, or whomever the heck that was. That held intrigue.

That was the one commando guy that Angel let live. He asked, "What about mercy?" and Angel replied, "That was the last of it," or something to that effect.

What I want to know is why in the heck Wesley hired Harmony. I don't believe his claim of "having a familiar face" around the office - he knows that she sold them down the river the last time she was in town, plus she annoyed the sh!t out of everyone in the office, including Wesley (like when she ripped a page out of his book so she could throw away her gum). I refuse to believe that Wesley is that forgiving/stupid/forgetful.

Anyone want to take bets that Knox will be revealed as Holden brought back from dust by W&H to get an inside track and psychological profile on the gang? I could buy Gina Torres and Nate Fillion coming over from Firefly, but bringing someone from BtVS (besides Spike) is begging for a backstory!

The other thing that I am thinking about is what I call "The Thing" scenario. If you have seen John Carpenter's version of the "The Thing" you will understand what I mean. As the group goes further down the dark path and makes certain moral sacrificies, who can they trust? If Gunn become more evil than the rest of the group? Can they trust Gunn? Can they trust each other? What deals with they have made as individuals with the senior partners to gain more power?

Speaking of powers... Is the group now enemies of the powers that be, the powers that originally backed Angel? What of the prophecy that said Angel would save the world and become human? How can he do that if he has sold his soul to Wolfram & Heart?

LanceMan

[Natasha (candygirl)]

According to zap2it, last night's episode had a 3.8/6 share which is the best the show has done since season 1!

Interesting article about the premiere (including info about the steadycam shot that everyone has been talking about):

For Angel (David Boreanaz), a vampire with a soul, and his motley crew of do-gooding crusaders, it's their first step into a larger world.

Taking full advantage of the newly built set, an expansive suite of offices in downtown Los Angeles -- as evidenced by the fictitious Spring Street address on an envelope at the beginning of the scene -- the camera follows disoriented science-geek Fred (Amy Acker) out of the elevator, where she meets scholarly demon fighter Wesley (Alexis Denisof). They're joined by Fred's new assistant, Knox (Jonathan M. Woodward), who whisks her off upstairs, while Wesley grabs a basketball tossed by vampire hunter Gunn (J. August Richards).

They tour their offices, then return to the lobby, where they're passed by flamboyant demon Lorne (Andy Hallett), nattering away on his cell phone. Angel appears from the same elevator as Fred, meets up with Gunn and Wesley, then heads into his huge, minimalist office.

"I won the bet on that one," Acker says. "I guessed 27 takes, and I got the closest without going over. It was 28. We finished it before lunch, so it only took like five hours."

"Was it 28?" Boreanaz asks. "I thought it was going to be at least 42. It's where we're at, as far as the show is concerned and where our new environment is at. It was a cool shot."

The shot is indeed cool and sleek and unlike anything seen on "Angel" before, as befits a show with a fresh concept and a new lease on life. Teetering on the brink of cancellation last spring, the "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" spinoff managed to earn a fall berth and officially outlive the show that spawned it.

After keeping busy with "Buffy" and Fox's short-lived "Firefly" last year, Whedon is now helping to fill a void left by the departures of co-creator David Greenwalt (now doing UPN's "Jake 2.0," "Angel's" time-slot competition) and executive producer Tim Minear, who wrote the "Angel" season finale, then signed onto FOX's midseason drama "Wonderfalls."

Coming over from "Buffy" is writer David Fury, who is co-executive producer with Jeff Bell, who stepped up last year when Greenwalt left and Minear was pulled away on "Firefly."

"Life was full last year," Bell says. "Now we have a little more help, and life is beautiful."

Many factors contributed to the renewal of "Angel," including cost, the end of "Buffy," and the possible addition of "Buffy" cast members.

James Marsters, who played the vampire Spike on "Buffy," joined "Angel" for the full season, bringing much plot baggage. Angel turned Spike into a vampire, both now have souls, and both have had love affairs with Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar), whom producers hope will guest-star in February or May 2004.

"Buffy" star Alyson Hannigan has already guest-starred on "Angel," and as she's engaged to Denisof, expect to see witch Willow drop by. Signed for 17 of 22 episodes is Mercedes McNab, reprising her "Buffy" and "Angel" role of spoiled vamp Harmony, Angel's new secretary (and Spike's ex).

"She's a single, undead girl trying to make it in the big city," McNab says.

New to the cast in a recurring role is Sarah Thompson ("Boston Public") as the enigmatic Eve.

"The WB has always liked our show critically," Bell says. "Our audience numbers are always rock-solid. We've been everywhere on the schedule, and our fans always show up. But we're not a cheap show. It's not easy to be pretty. It costs money.

"It's all about the numbers. Ultimately, they felt we were a good gamble."

While some have suggested that signing Marsters was the deciding factor, Bell says, "I don't think so. It's just a piece. If you look at him as representing a chit played to bring 'Buffy' people over, it's great. But Joe Blow in the street, who's going to be tuning in for the first time, doesn't know James Marsters vs. Angel vs. Anybody. It was an attempt to cash in on the 'Buffy' audience, and it was a smart one.

"The hope is, between being the only Joss show on the air, and bringing people over from time to time from 'Buffy' would help grow our audience."

Also a big factor was the finale, which upended the show's premise. After four seasons of battling evil on a budget, Angel and his team got the keys to the kingdom when their longtime rivals, the evil law firm of Wolfram & Hart, ceded them its L.A. office (but not without strings).

The team now must find a way to do good in an environment suffused with evil -- not to mention the temptations of wealth and luxury.

"I get to wear Marc Jacobs," Acker says.

"We're going to show them what this new world is like," Bell says of the premiere. "We have this fabulous new office space. You're going to see what each of our people's little private kingdom is within it. You're going to see the lay of the land. It has Joss humor in it.

"It really is introducing characters to people who've never seen the show before. The big mystery this year is, 'Why are we at Wolfram & Hart? Why did they invite us in here? Can we do good?'

"There are lots of big, shiny, glittery things out there and how badly do you want them? What price are you willing to pay?"