Angel: Season 1, Episode 1: City of
Written Joss Whedon & David Greenwalt; Directed by Joss WhedonAnd thus begins my slog through five seasons of Buffy's more mature and meaner spin-off. This pilot episode does a good job of summing up what Angel has to offer that its parent show doesn't. The mood is decidedly darker and more noir-inspired, and the scale is clearly larger, incorporating the entire city of Los Angeles in comparison with Buffy's comparatively contained Sunnydale. The violence is also considerably more aggressive, at least during the first season, which resulted in it getting an 18 certificate for its UK DVD release.
On to the show itself. First impressions: I like Doyle - it's too bad he didn't stick around longer. Cordelia is a much more rounded character here than on Buffy, and almost immediately we get to see just how much of a front her high society girl persona is. And hey, I'm liking Angel a whole lot more already now that he's out of Sunnydale - maybe it's because he's not gasping "Buffy?" every time he opens his mouth. Did David Boreanaz take acting lessons during the summer hiatus or something?
Marks off for the crummy-looking vampire make-up (apparently they were trying out a new style, but quickly reverted back to the Buffy look when they saw how bad it looked) and extremely clumsy manner in which Angel's back-story is conveyed. Seriously, Doyle literally shows up and tells the poor guy his own history. Yeesh! Couldn't they have just done a "previously on..." style recap?
Overall rating: 8/10.
Next time: Lonely Hearts.
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