Bloody awesome!

vesy90

Originally published as a review for Angel, but since it's about both shows, I am positing it here too.

I saw both "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Angel" in my teen years. One would think that now, at 27, I will have outgrown them or, at the very least, that they wouldn't have the same appeal to me. But not only that both shows passed the test of time, but they actually grew on me. I have heard people calling them teenage shows, but the truth is that when I was a teenager I couldn't appreciate them to the level I appreciate them today. Since I have a hard time separating them, despite this being an Angel thread, I will write about both. Though what can I really say aside from: bloody awesome! Not that they are perfect. Like all shows, they do have their issues. But the positives far outweigh them. One of the things that I love about them is the humour. The kind of humour I don't see on other shows. It's not just magic, fights and romance. Which I love, all three. But the funny parts made it all even better. Buffy, Cordy, Anya and Xander are absolutely hilarious. And later Angel, which was the biggest surprise. After leaving Buffy, he turns into a completely different man. Actually, it was the same with Cordy. I liked her in Buffy, but it is in her post Buffy phase that she really starts to shine. All you Cordy haters can bite me. I am happy that it was she who became Angel's love interest and not Kate. I have nothing against Kate. it is just that she is a lot like Buffy and we would have gotten nothing new out of the whole thing. Actually, Cordy is a perfect example of another thing that I love so much in both shows. Despite them being about the epic fight between good and evil, there are also shades of grey. I have seen arguments like "The writers separated Angel and Buffy. because they felt they couldn't do anything more with their romance. But what made them think it would be different with Cordelia?" For one. Cordelia is very different from Buffy. With Buffy it was all drama and intensity. With Cordy there was something charming and sweet in the whole thing that wasn't part of the Bangel relationship. Also. we see a different side of Angel with her. He actually ends up being a bit nerdish and awkward from time to time. in the most adorable way. Also. initially she doesn't reciprocate his feelings and he needs to fight for her affection. I thought it was refreshing. With her he isn't always this perfect female fantasy. mysteryous and powerfel and amazing. He is more human with her and more relatable and shows more layers. And what impresses me the most is that while he and Buffy start as those two great heroes who are "meant to be". Cordy actually grows under his influence. His love helps her become a better and stronger person. I admit that I am always more impressed with characters seeking redemption, ones who achieve spiritual growth and find their strength and maturity with time than with those who are role models from beginning to end. This is one of the reasons why maybe I feel a bit more strongly about Cordy than about Buffy. But if there is a difference, it's not so big. Buffy too is fantastic. Despite being the hero, who is always on the right track, she is far from being too perfect and artificial. Somehow the writers manage to give us a wonderful, inspiring, full-blooded young woman we can all look up to. And, just like Angel, she actually becomes more interesting after their separation. I love them together and their relationship will always have a special place in my heart, but I have to admit that there is something missing in it. It comes off as a bit too romantic and fairy-tale like. Cordy and Spike bring that extra something, the edge I wanted. This is why I like them better with them than with each other. But that's just my opinion. I don't mind others disagreeing. Which leads me to my other point. The eternal argument about who loves whom more and who should be with whom. I am really displeased with the pettiness it entails. More specifically, mean comments of the likes of "He/she is disgusting. How dares he/she be with him/her? He/she could never love him/her" and even go as far as verbally attacking those who think differently and the writers too. The most of this kind I have seen are regarding Angel and Cordy's relationship, which was why I said that they could bite me. If you are happy with your own view/version, then why trying to ruin it for the rest? Why not leave them have their own? This is the good thing about fiction. You don't have to be "objective" and "stick to the facts" You can stretch your imagination and let it be whatever you want it to be. It's all a matter of interpretation and personal preferences. When it comes to me, I'm not interested in deciding which couple's love is the greatest. I'm just happy that they happened. I love Angel & Buffy, I love Spike & Buffy and I love Angel & Cordy. Some people don't believe it, but it IS possible to be in love with two people at the same time. I don't think that the fact that Buffy and Angel move on negates their story and means that they love each other any less. If anything, I think it shows the opposite. When Angel thinks she is dead and tells Cordy that he feels guilty for being able to live with it, she tells him that this is a way to honour her. And I think she's right. If they had spent the rest of their lives moping and crying for each other, they would have been different people from those they saw in each other and which makes them fall in love with each other in the first place. And I think that if all those who so vehemently declare over and over again how disgusting a certain character is and how impossible it is for the other of the pair to love them and use even silly sarcasm and forced laughter do it only out of spite, because they themselves feel that they're not right, therefore they do their best to undermine the couple in a desperate attempt to fight off the obvious. If they were truly so sure, they wouldn't have been bothered. Talking of lack of maturity, I think that the characters that show the more growth are Cordy, Angel, Spike, Willow and Wesley. And of the non-permanent characters, Faith and Darla. I think the latter deserves an honourable mention also because of her relationship with Angel. I know this is unpopular opinion. but I believe he is in love with her too. I wonder what Dru would have amounted to, had she too regained her soul. I have always liked her a lot. She is maybe my favourite villain. So this is it. This is the best way I can describe my experience with the all those incredible characters and their stories. I want to see the shows again. Many times. Thank you so much, Joss Whedon and team. You are great!

score 10/10

vesy90 16 March 2018

Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw4093156/