So.
Angel: Season Six was good. Not as good as
Buffy: Season Eight, but still remarkably enjoyable and better than any other
Angel virtual continuations on the net. How does Season Seven, the show's final season, hold up? Maybe my expectations were a bit too high, because it didn't hold up very well to me.
At the end of last season, Skye and Nina left, and Connor died. Skye, being one of the most interesting characters on the show, left a hole in Season Seven that wasn't really filled. I'm glad Nina left, though, and was interested in what Connor's death would do to Angel. Unfortunately, it seemed in hindsight to be a cheap rehash of Dawn's death on
Buffy: Season Eight.
The season opens fairly strong - badass Wesley is always a positive - but fizzles out afterwards. Lindsey's back - yay! - but isn't nearly as enjoyable as a villain as, say, Holland Manners or Lilah Morgan, who were nearly always backseat.
This is another problem I have with
Angel: Virtual Continuation. Too many character resurrections. It goes against my feelings of the Jossverse. A character dies, it stays dead - you know, except Buffy, Spike, Angel, or any of the vampires. But Wesley, Lilah, Holland and Lindsey? Maybe just a bit too many for me.
Sonia is much better this season, however. Spike grated on me - destroying any positive feelings I had for him from last season - but Wes, Illyria and Angel more than made up for it. Evil Gunn? No, thank you. I don't like Evil Gunn in
After the Fall and I don't like it here.
The return of Kate Lockley was pleasant. I missed her - she was part of what made Seasons 1 and 2 of Angel so enjoyable. I loved the film-noir aspect of the first seasons, rather than the over-the-top fantasy aspects of the later seasons.
Lorne, Whistler, and Gwen return! I felt
Angel was doing a
Buffy in reuniting every major character for the series finale (the televised one), ie bringing Faith and Angel back into the story. Not that I'm sad about it, though. I loved Lorne, Whistler, and Gwen! I'm glad Gwen stayed around, but was sad about Lorne's death - a true positive about the season. I do wish he had more to do, which was a negative about the season.
Despite all the negatives about this season, the writers deliver one hell of a series finale. Illyria left in the penultimate episode, and was temporarily replaced by Lilah. This is quite possibly the best episode of the season, if not the entire virtual continuation. I love the Cordelia references - wonderfully written in. Had she been resurrected, I probably would have protested. I love Cordy, but she earnt her death.
And how about that cliffhanger? I had a feeling it was coming. Yet, still surprising. I think this did it better than
After the Fall, personally. Unfortunately, this superb episode can't make up for the failings of the rest of the season.
So, the final verdict: possibly the worst
Angel season. If ranked against all other
Angel seasons, even the televised ones, it's the one I'd put at the bottom of the list. That doesn't mean it's terrible - it's just not as good as I expected it to be.
Fingers crossed for
Angel: Broken Wings.
