Wednesday, February 16, 2011

I Don't Know About this One

I went into Buffy with an open mind and actually found myself a little disappointed when our time with it ended. I don't think I'll be so upset when Angel is over. It's totally possible that I'm being sexist and just enjoy looking at SMG much more than whoever this guy is. It just seems a little corny to me, and the lead just doesn't really seem like a very solid actor to me. I thought it was funny when the guy at the party said "You're an actor" to which Angel responded "No, I'm out". Couldn't have written it better myself. As I said in class, I'm just not sure I have room in my heart for another vampire slayer/killer/defender of everything good. I did like the quirky sidekick, he was at least amusing. But at the same time, I just feel like he's a rip-off ox Xander, and I feel like so many elements of the episode were ripped from Buffy, like Whedon just wrote a Buffy episode and then changed the character's names. Not into it.

6 comments:

Michelle said...

When I was watching it I felt the same way. Angel feel too farmiliar and overdone because it seems like it is the same thing as Buffy. Also, I didn't think the piolet episode did a good job at bringing the viewers in, instead this would have been my first and only episode. I don't think Angel was a strong enough character in Buffy to get his own spin off. I liked Buffy, I miss her.

Jonathan said...

you make an interesting point about Angel's sidekick. He does seem like a Xander rip/ replacement of sorts. However, the more I've see from Whedon the more I've come to realize that wisecracking characters are a staple for him. Doyle will continue to make funny statements in the vein of Xander, but I believe that his character will exhibit some unique attributes as the show continues.

Hannah Williams said...

Michelle, I miss Buffy, too!

And in reference to the post and Jonathan's comment: I can see where there are similarities in the sidekick archetype, but at least it's a Xander-esque guy who's more rough around the edges (maybe that's just an age thing). I think Angel especially needs a humorous sidekick because he's very brooding and serious. In Buffy, though, the humor coming from several characters, so I'm glad that Doyle and Cordelia are around to keep the Whedon humor alive and well.

Adam Solomon said...

Hopefully you guys don't give up on Angel too quick. It's gets to be really good. Also, as I was telling Hannah, (spoiler!) Doyle is not in the show for long. I don't think he finishes the season to be honest. Later they get another guy in who's a badass, ghetto boy. Also Spike enters the show at thats really cool. I don't think I'm doing a good job selling the show but it gets good.

Corinne said...

Did anyone think it was weird how Doyle just appeared and Angel immediately trusted him? I think although there are similarities between Xander and Doyle, there are more differences between the two (including the accent). However, I have only seen one episode of Angel so my opinion could change.

Unknown said...

I guess when you are a two hundred some year old vampire, you are more scary than anyone you meet, so maybe that's why Angel trusts him.

It also speaks of the state of mind he must be in. Angel has nothing left to lose, so trusting Doyle is almost like an experiment with possible danger.