Angel - Series 1 Review

Overall Rating

The Cast
A very solid first season for a spin off show

You might not be able to understand bits of the story if you are not familiar with Buffy the Vampire Slayer, however the show does its utmost to minimise this.

If you are a fan of the series 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' then you will be a big fan of the spin off 'Angel'. That being said it is not imperative to have a background in Buffy in order to enjoy this series.

Angel is a 248 year old (I think) vampire who many years ago was cursed by gypsies who restored his soul. He now lives his life trying to redeem himself for all the evil deeds he perpetrated in his past by protecting those in need of help.

In the first episode Angel comes across Cordelia (Charisma Carpenter) who also made the switch from starring in Buffy. The two of them, accompanied by Doyle (Glenn Quinn) set up an agency specifically to help those in need. Doyle, a half demon, possesses a gift known as visions which inform him of upcoming danger.

Joss Whedon and David Greenwalt got the cast spot-on in my opinion. Particularly with the contrast in personalities that Angel and Cordelia possess. Throughout the series the story of Angel is also explained effectively I feel, with plenty of scenes from his past including his life in Ireland as a human in the 18th century to his experiences becoming and living as a vampire.

A lot of the characters that have previously appeared in Buffy make an appearance in this first series to really begin the show with a bang. Characters such as Oz, Faith, Spike and even Buffy herself all show up in this series.

Overall I think that the first series of Angel was pretty solid, although the following series are a lot stronger in my opinion, to the point where I enjoyed Angel more than I did Buffy.