Angel

Busting straight out of the gate like a vampire out of a fresh grave, I'm going to begin, and most likely continue writing under the assumption that many of you currently reading this Vocal submission is perhaps not very familiar with the television series Angel. That being said, you may be inclined to believe that I'm under yet another assumption when I say that, I am as sure as a sinner in Sunnydale that your boss, husband, or wife would be compelled, to at very least be able to conjure a modicum of leniency and understanding if you dropped all calls, reschedule all meeting with your lawyers, and postpone all business deals to go and binge-watch all five perfectly crafted seasons of this televised masterpiece, Angel. This similarly-themed Buffy The Vampire Slayer spinoff series, Starring David Boreanaz is my favorite television show of all time. If I could sum up in one word the reasoning behind my almost spiritual gravitation towards this series, I would unequivocally choose the word "real". Angel the tv series about a vampire with a soul, aired in October of '99 is demon killing, soul-stealing unrequited romance birthing, action-packed, a fantasy drama, created by David Greenwalt and Joss Whedon. A few of the overall themes of Angel include atonement redemption and the sacrifice of one's desires for the greater good. These themes work so well in Angel because Angel lives as both the protagonist and antagonist in the same body. Angel's arch-nemesis biggest fear and biggest regret is only himself. In traditional vampire lore as with this series, if a human is bitten by a vampire and made to drink the blood of their undead future sire, the human side will die, they will lose their soul and reawaken as an eternally blood-hungry demon of the night. In the show, this exact pseudo intimate process took place in 1753 when Darla, Angels first toxic love interest turned then named Liam from a young irresponsible Irishman, to a gluttonous plague of unbridled evil and wit named Angelus. As one half of the dubiously dubbed duo, The scourge of Europe. The series was set in the present time of then 1999, which gave it a modern feel that neither attempted to recreate the past or represent the mysterious possibilities of the coming 2000s. Angel is one of the very few shows that I've seen that seem to encapsulate the subtle forward-thinking values of the 90s without inundating the audience with enough repetitive overt ideologies to make a human head explode. Angel is a spinoff of the tv show Buffy the Vampire Slayer, which could very well be considered a direct testament to the previous statement and the subtle forward-thinking posture of the 90s. I've even seen it rightfully labeled a neo-noir. A vampire detective with a soul trying to atone for his past seems to be a balanced, mixture of some of history's greatest fictional characters such as Bat Man, Sherlock Holmes, and Dracula. For what must have been a century Angelus, the soulless vampire demon along with Darla tore through the families of Europe one after. in the 1800s The pair of vampires Angel and Darla became a quartet of death with the addition of Spike and Drusilla. The four being of like minds and dead hearts continuously fueled each other's evil nature. Sowed as much destruction and terror as the sunset would allow, that is until the unstoppable force met the immovable object and fate would make its presence known in the form of gypsies, grieving the loss of their family member at the hands of Angelus, The gypsies knowing they wouldn't have the ability to match the infernal strength of the undead, decided to give Angelus the only thing that could inflict never-ending damage on a spawn of hell. The gypsies gave Angelus a soul, which in turn gave the once sadistic personification of blood-sucking evil, a conscience. When you mix an eternal life with a conscience and a never-ending reel of evil you committed, the concoction created is eternal life in a self-made hell on Earth. The degree of variance between Angelus with a soul and Angelus without a soul is so distinct that just having a soul creates an entirely new persona named Angel. In addition to having a soul part of the curse states that if Angel experiences one moment of true pleasure he will lose his soul and turn evil once more. A hundred years or so after the curse Angel meets Buffy the vampire slayer, chosen by the powers that be to dedicate her life to fighting evil. When Angel and Buffy's relationship begins it is what hopeless romantics daydreams are made of. Although Darla and Angel have very strange chemistry, Angel is often portrayed as Darla's puppet. She understands what he longs for and teases and hints at her power to grant his wish, but he and she both know that's not possible. Darla only can be evil and manipulate anyone who can benefit her evil nature. Buffy on the other hand is the antithesis of Darla in every sense of the word minus the blond hair. When the characters meet, a love story fit for a teen drama ensues. Angel equipped with a human soul can for what may have been the first time in his life feel the pleasure of romantic love. What makes their love interest more significant than most is the underlying consequence of indulging in what is on many levels forbidden. Buffy is the vampire hunter in love with a legendary vampire demon who has a soul that he will lose upon enjoying one moment of true pleasure. Angel's desire for love clouds his judgment leading him to causes Angel to lose his soul, turning him into Angelus, one of the evilest and dangerous antagonists either show had to face. After their very first night of physical intimacy, Angelus does that thing he does where he toys with his victims before he kills every single one of them. Although I haven't even begun to give full character breakdowns, Angel in general was a show that I made a connection to as just a kid. I didn't understand a lot of the underlying themes and motifs then, which to me means that even taken as a surface-level drama Angel the tv series about a vampire with a soul can be enjoyed just for what it is, A great show.