@@PassionoftheNerd I dread to think what tragic, unforeseen consequences your choice to wear that costume will one day visit upon you... nay, upon us all.
Dude, the ending hit really close to home. You made me cry... Thanks for your analysis as much as they complement and make Buffy an even better show, they are pieces of art by themselves. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for creating such amazing videos and for having such a beautiful mind.
Don't worry about irritating people. I may not agree with you on everything but your perspective is interesting and you usually present your reasons very well. I think your viewers should be able to handle your opinions by now. 😉 And "The Prodigal" is a great episode. I usually love the flashbacks too. But Darla was right about "The Defeat" lasting lifetimes. And he probably would have had an even harder time changing if he hadn’t been cursed with a soul. So she had no way of foreseeing that particular route and of course he's not completely free. Making a decision contrary to "his instinct" is still hard. What happened will probably always haunt him in some ways. Gosh, I hope I'm making sense. I didn't sleep very well the last few days. 😄
lol hopefully you do more of these more often. I would love to look back after it is finished and watch them all before I delve into the series once again. Never the last time...
Thanks so much for another awesome video! Your reviews and insights are always amazing, heartfelt and right on point 😍 Keep up the wonderful work xoxox can’t wait for the next one!
You know, Ian, while watching this review I realized what it is that sets you apart from hundreds of other RUclips critics, reviewers, etc. Most of the video reviews are just that - reviews. They may vary in quality of arguments and depth of the analysis but the core remains the same. Your reviews, however, take us on a journey. I can't put my finger on it, but after watching your videos, I almost always take something with me. A new perspective on my problems, a way of thinking about my life that I havent considered before. As well as a new found appreciation for the material. Sorry for the essay, just wanted to get that off of my chest.
That searching for validation got to me.I can't even remember how much of it I've searched through all my relationships and how much it has crushed me to think that I wasn't good enough for the people I thought deserved my love and admiration.When it didn't work out,my only option was to try to pick up the pieces and hope for another chance,other friends or other mentors...It has happened so much,I wasn't aware of it until this video. I know Angel gets a lot of hate in the fandom but it's because of episodes like this that I can relate to his guilt,his lack of self worth and his desire to make sense of it all. Great video, Ian.I know this isn't your full job and that makes the quality even more impressive.Take care.
Hello Ian, My theapery for the day, I have been listing to you for over two year now, and even though we have never met you are very close to me and I consider you a friend. Thank you for all that you do. Malia
I really needed this video, i really needed that message. Thank you again for another complex and thought provoking video that has a way of ripping my heart bear.
I think this is one of those rare episodes which are so good that you forget about them when looking for your favourites. It sits within the greater story arc so well that you remember the facts of Angel's backstory without remembering that it was all revealed in this episode. Like really great CGI, sometimes good storytelling can be invisible and just adds to everything else around it.
On the rewatch I noticed 2 things. 1) Angel is the only vampire I can think of that awakens WITHOUT vamp face. 2) You practically have to put your TV in concert mode but the priest at Liam’s funeral says he was 20 years plus 6. Meaning Angel was 26 years old when Darla sired him.
Simply beautiful, Ian. I had A LOT of issues with my father for a very, very long time that led me to making some REALLY lousy decisions in my life--but thankfully, I also realized, as I got older (and also went into therapy), I started to see that my Dad had his own issues that were at the root of our battles-- Anyway, the turning point for both of us came when, one day driving in the car with him--he was actually driving me to a therapy session--he said, out of the sky blue, "I made a lot of mistakes, Min. But it's all water under the bridge now. If I could go back and change things, I would, but you can't put the toothpaste back in tube." I just kind said, quietly, "I know." And then he said the thing that really started us on the road to recovery--"I made mistakes. But if you're going to live in the past, let that dictate to you the rest of your life, well, that's not on me, kid, that's on you." The light bulb went on over my head. And I'm happy to be able to say that when he died last year, at 94, he and I had not only come to an understanding of each other's foibles, but that we were able to laugh and love each other. Anyway... I do kinda wish that Kate had hung around and been given the chance to grow as a character. Someone earlier posted--paraphrasing--that Elizabeth Roehm's "acting chops" shone much more brilliantly on ANGEL than on her A.D.A. role on LAW & ORDER. S/he is right. Don't know know why--would have definitely been interesting to see her "stand off" against Wolfram & Hart as someone with a family history of--excuse the pun--law and order. And maybe, just maybe, with all her daddy issues, she might have joined the firm? Julie Benz was just so damn FABULOUS as Darla. And I also love the flashback stories!!!!
Isn't Darla's comment that Liam's father's defeat of him will last lifetimes an insight into the soulless lack of free will? She seems to understand that by killing his father Liam has not obtained the power over himself he thinks he has, but simply affirmed something she seems to understand about the soulless. I think Darla is one of the richest, most complex creations of the Buffyverse partly because of her incisive and cynical understanding of the demonic and her complete lack of understanding of being human. SPOILER: This makes sense based on her origin story where we discover she has retained no identity from her life as a human. Btw the music that plays over the last scene in this episode is one of the most haunting pieces I have ever heard.
Yes, I think her comment reveals the relationship between the template and lack of free will. My point was that the idea of "victory" one way or another was actually irrelevant when it comes to self-determination. Paradoxically however, Angel won't be able to understand that without a soul. So it is both true and wrong.
Darla wasn’t wrong though. She said lifetimes, not forever. It did take lifetimes for Angel to get past the events in these flashbacks. And she was really talking to Angelus (who I guess was still called Liam), who I’d argue never grew beyond that point. At least not that kind of growth. Edit: your point is still valid though.
She was both wrong and right. My point was that the idea of "victory" when it comes to self-determination is actually irrelevant. But she was right in that it would require a soul for Angel to come to understand that.
I always loved Kates character, that she had a genuine strength (and pain) to her, and that she never was there to be a love interest to Angel. I really wish that she had been more well developed and become a part of the ensemble in the later seasons. She could have been a great foil to Lilah, as both are highly driven women with a no-bullshit attitude, but each driven by the opposite motives (justice vs. ambition, compassion vs. ruthlessness). I can imagine some awesome scenes and themes to explore between these two! Does anyone know why Kates character was dropped from the show?
I learn so much through these videos. I’m able to reflect and choose with so much more clarity. I’m a psychotherapist and I am overwhelmed by the richness of your commentary
I'm sure it was intentional that music you used at the end of the video is from the scene at the end of season 4 when Angel is looking in on Connor? Hehe, that's a really subtle and clever way of alluding to Angel's decisions in his own experience of fatherhood -- all while keeping your creed of no spoilers!. I always love your quick shout-outs to later moments in the series, and this has got to be my favorite so far.
'Becoming' showed how powerful the backstory could be; it's no surprise that it inspired strong eps like 'Prodigal', 'Five by Five', and especially 'Fool for Love' and 'Darla'. Also no surprise Tim Minear wrote this (as he did Hero and Somnambulist, and would do Sanctuary, Darla, The Trial...)
I think this is the most profound yet of your videos. This one really got to me, on a deeply personal level. It's a message I've needed to hear for a long time. Thank you.
Alannah I'm looking forward to those the episode that introduces gun and the one where Angel is a gladiator the tail end of season 1 really starting catching fire
I have seen the episode many times, but I have never put together the subtleties like Angelus waiting for Darla's approval and everything around that. Thank you for this...
The last few minutes are so emotional... excellent video once again. I also like the thought of angelus’ demon needs to dominate, conquer and destroy everything because his human side felt so useless and worthless and unable to do any of those things... i think you gotta make a vampire video! Discussing all the core vamps of the series (their human, demon, combination; how and why they differ... etc... would be cool!)
What you said about free will really struck me. A vampire with no soul cannot do anything that is not in its own interest therefore lacking free will. What does it say about Spike in BTVS season 5? And even in the next seasons, he got beaten up by Gloria protecting Dawn's secret, he decided to obtain a soul (which is clearly not in the best interest of his demonic part)... This is so fascinating!
Well, self-interests can vary. It depends on the template for the demon. Angel's was a raw unbridled desire for validation. Very pure. William was a poet and a romantic. And so Spike is passionate to a self-destructive degree. It would make sense Spike dying for love. In Lovers Walk, while crying on Willow's shoulder he complained that Dru refused to chop his head off instead of breaking up with him. The template determines the self-interests.
Interesting approach. I guess it would make sense then that he would want a soul as it would mean the end for his demon self, the ultimate act of self-destruction. Keep up the good work, I love your channel!
Well gaining a soul would be self destructive for the demon, but his self interest I think is his selfish love for Buffy. And driven by the template of Williams passions, takes this to a self destructive degree. Getting a soul to at least move towards making Buffy love him.
The thing that bothers me about the soulless/souled Spike phenomena is not what fans usually question - the how can soulless Spike be selfless when he lacks a soul, because at some point I just realized he acted because he perceived it to be in his best interest (help Dawn, get in Buffy's pants, and vampires can like humans if they see it as beneficial for them) - but instead that both series do not in anyway separate the demon piloted Spike from the souled one like they do for Angel(us). They are played as essentially the same character, just one with a conscience. But in reality it's the demon that became obsessed with Buffy, yet souled Spike continues on as if he had always been in the driver's seat. His obsession grows more into affection, yes, but it stems from what only the demon felt and Spike for one reason or another did not fight it. You'd think anything the demon felt would be like poison to him, seeing as he has a mental breakdown after initially becoming William again. Even later on Angel he is shown to be essentially everything Spike was, attitude and all (although flashes were present on Buffy as well), and no effort is made to discern him from the demon even more. Angel even backtracks a bit and refers to his demon self as himself in the past, when for all intents and purposes he had tackled and defeated his 'demon in the previous season (figuratively and literally). Angel's regression can be wiped away by the fact that season 4 was a huge mess and the series did what it could to forget about it (the reality shift being the on-the-nose representation of 'we screwed up.") and the fact they were trying to build a similarity between the two, but Spike just continues on from Buffy as if the demon and man were always one entity, and not one being a demon in a man suit that feeds on the impulses of its host. To put it simply, Angel just feels responsible for what he knows the demon did because those desires and impulses grew from when he was human and the series plays it out as such. The demon twisted and acted on what he wanted deep down. While Spike just acts as if it was him who literally did it all, just without a conscience. The series itself wants you to believe that by never once discerning the two, but it goes against established lore. Nowhere is it more apparent than his obsession with Buffy, which doesn't really change post-soul, and is always implied to have been him who loved Buffy and not the demon.
PathBeyondTheDark that's all a good point. Maybe it's because William left more of an imprint than Liam did? William was a poet and relied heavily on passion. Spike the vampire very much continues this but now with a taste for murder and, more literally, blood. Maybe William clung to the obsession spike had for Buffy since it was one of the very few non horrific things Spike the vampire did. (Well not TOTALLY horrific). The souled vampire remembers all the actions of the unsouled vampire not just as actions but also the emotions of said Vampire. Angel remembers killing and remembers enjoying killing and this revolts him. But spike remembering his passion for Buffy, maybe as a means of not going insane from guilt, focuses on that passion that he remembers feeling and latches onto it
The observation that an individual who cannot make a decision which contravenes his or her own self-interest lacks free will is brilliant, and will no doubt grip me for a time while I consider it in the context of my own philosophy. This is as good as you've gotten with your Angel and Buffy Guides, and that's saying quite a lot. Kudos.
It seems like you’ve used several words out of context or that perhaps punctuation escaped you on this occasion. Also, not sure I understand why you feel like whether or not you integrate what Ian has said into your own psyche is an issue of great import. Not trying to hate on your comment for the sake of hating, but it genuinely perplexes me why you chose to express it, particularly in this way.
Ooook, time for me to tell you how much I love and respect what you do here. Buffy The Vampire Slayer is my favorite show and I too think there is so much depth to it. I enjoy your analysis very much and you've brought me to tears a good number of times (this one for example!) I've been following your channel for quite some time and hope you continue doing such good work, thank you sincerely 👏🏻☺️✨
Great analysis. I love the episode minus the demon drug dealer plot, but after thinking about it I realize it plays into the entire subtext/metaphor of the series - addiction. Everything about this show seems to work better for me when I look at it thru the context of addiction. In this episode, we see a young man developing an addiction, meet an enabler (Darla), then become a full addict and hurt his family. Meanwhile, in the modern era we see "drugs" being responsible for Kate's father's death. Sure, Angel isn't responsible but in Kate's eyes he bares responsibility for being a former addict (I think you might have touched on this already). What's interesting to me is Angel would probably agree with Kate. He might not have killed her father but he's killed plenty of other fathers. Reminds me of the end of Damage.
You did it again. Such great work. But your ending words got me hard. I agree completely that even if our parents aren’t always right. If they do wrong and hurt us in any way they don’t make us who we are. We choose to be the person we want to be. I chose to be better then my father. Thanks for the great video
the greatest tv series ever....waaaay better than buffy in terms of writing ...acting... direction ....more dark ....more series.... and the cast of angel have a very heavy acting skills....and less goofy and less silliness than buffy......angel is the perfect combination of every thing.......thank you for doing this videos...the best channel ever .
i know thats one thing that triggered me still does lol. She looked like to be one of the main characters then as the series went on she just disappeared. So odd
It's extraordinary how much better her performance was on Angel than on L&O. On the latter she was wooden and an awkward fit into the cast in almost every scene. Carey Lowell was a Bond girl and Angie Harmon did Baywatch, yet both were much stronger as ADAs.
This might my favorite video of yours. From the same guy, "“Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms-to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.”
Random thoughts about BtVS and ATS. 1. The first season of Angel is a lot better than the first season of Buffy. 2. The LAST season of Angel is a lot better than the LAST season of Buffy. 3. The middle seasons of Buffy, however, are WAY better than the middle seasons of Angel. Agree? Disagree? Related thoughts? I'd like to clarify that I don't DISLIKE any seasons of Angel or Buffy.
Yesssss. I would honestly love to do one myself, but as a college student who's also working I have barely any time. Maybe someday, maybe some summer lol.
Great usage of Viktor Frankl. Funnily enough one of the ways I really got that message to penetrate was from an old Eagles song - Already Gone - featuring the following verse: Well I know it wasn't you who held me down Heaven knows it wasn't you who set me free So often times it happens that we live our lives in chains And we never even know we have the key I suppose we can gain wisdom from any source. Thanks for the Angel vids.
I love your content and I enjoy both how sincerely you enjoy the content you talk about in your videos and how in depth and thoughtful your video essays are. You're awesome!
I don't think Angel's dad was a bad dad. He just wanted his son to be more than just a womanising drunk who kept getting into fights. As the human Liam Angel was a pretty pathetic person. Becoming a vampire with a soul actually gave him purpose and made him more than the lazy workshy bed hopping alcoholic he was as a human.
I interpreted the line of the father differently. "Get out of the way" (I want to get out!) "I was never in your way" (of leaving) Meaning: Leave! I never would have stopped you. Maybe that's the way Liam took it as well.
Yeah, about Liam being the Prodigal Son in the terminology of that faith, which he clearly is... as one of the elder kids; this episode is one wonderful tale indeed... and I say that as one of the faithful kids from the same baseline religion and ethnic faction set as well, based on what his ethnic origins would be. And it makes sense that he'd fall in love with some British loose woman who's preying on the Irish in those days, and apparently looking for a lover to warm the sheets with- utterly disgusting lifestyle, Bro!
Saffron!!! I always know its her, but somehow always forget as well. How Angel received his name was heartbreaking to me. Comparing Angel trying to turn sex with Buffy away to his father being worried about losing him was interesting as it means there was also probably a loose comparison there to Buffy pushing the sex the last bit into actually having it and Liam pushing himself to take the last step to what he considers freedom, when really both Liam and Angel are being unintentionally driven by Buffy and Liam's father to a literal (Liam's) and metaphorical (Angel's) death. Angel flashback episodes are always about 99% of the time excellent or higher. Personally I can't wait to see the hotel episode. You pronounced 'Somnambulist' differently than I have ever heard it. Possibly correctly. I am confused on what was being said from 8:05-8:10. Is Ian saying that Angelus cares about something from Liam's life enough to search and try to fill the empty void humanity left behind (because I don't buy that one) or is he saying something else? And if so, what? Personally, I think it is that he hates Liam and his life enough to do terrible things, but wishing to fill the void implies he cared, which goes against the idea of Angelus as a whole. Thank you for this and for all your videos.
I know this is an old comment but yes....that is what Ian was implying. And I think that’s precisely why Angelus is hell bent on destroying all things human.
Still baffled at how underrated this show was and is. But one thing still triggers me is how Kate just disappeared after lookin like a main character to be. So strange must of been personal issues off screen.
Exquisite criticism. This guide is as well made, shot, produced, and written as the series itself. Your analysis was excellent, it really reminded me of how artistic and evocative the show can be. Is this a Whedon episode? It feels like it.
No. Tim Minear. He wrote most of the Angel and Darla-centric episodes and was given them because of his passion for those characters. This totally feels like a Minear episode and it is. The abundant flashbacks tend to be evidence of it being Minear, as well. He was the Dangel 'shipper. - Home - Benediction - Couplet - Lullaby - Billy - That Old Gang of Mine - Through the Looking Glass - Epiphany - Reprise - Reunion - The Trial - Darla - Are You Now or Have You Ever Been - Sanctuary - The Prodigal - Somnambulist - Hero - Sense and Sensitivity Joss isn't into those characters at all, even stating he doesn't understand Angel and had trouble making the show. Joss originally intended for Buffy to end up with his self-insert Xander. He had to be talked into the existence of that character and the casting (the women in his office, especially Gail Berman who largely takes credit for championing David Boreanaz and Bangel, are the ones who pressured him to hire Boreanaz--Joss was hung up on the fact that he was bullied by jocks in school) and was the one who doubted what actually ended up making the show work. Joss only saw vampires and demons as allegories for real-life problems. He had difficulty with the good vampire concept. The other writers turned Joss' 1992 film concept into what made the show different. Angel's introduction as the first good monster is one of the biggest differences. David Greenwalt was the one who wrote Angel and Darla's entire backstory for 1x07, including the gypsy curse/soul explanation for why Angel is different from other vampires (Joss didn't want any good vampires at all and had to be talked into it, demanding an explanation to why this one is different) that is a cornerstone of the shows' mythology. Tim Minear and David Greenwalt need to get way more credit than they do and if it's Angel's story you are commenting on, it's likely from those two. Greenwalt was made executive producer of AtS because he basically invented Angel, Darla and wanted to take Cordy under his wing when the issue of Charisma being a bit too mature to be playing a high schooler was becoming an issue, not to mention her lack of a place amongst the Scoobies outside of being a girlfriend. The fandom acts like it was all Joss, when we actually know others were responsible for specific things. Marti Noxon, for as much flack as she gets for writing rather horrific personal events into the storyline (the AR where she was the attempted rapist of her boyfriend--which explains why it's written so sympathetically towards the perpetrator instead of the victim), was responsible for the way a lot of the romance on the show was written right from the start, as well. Spike and Drusilla, for example, where definitely all her. She also worked on a fair amount of Bangel and Sprusilla before she became the Spuffy Queen (James Marsters was definitely having issues with what she was writing for him to do and the nudity exploitation factor) who was running the show while Joss was away on Firefly and quite absent for much of seasons 6-7. However, two of Joss' more controversial contributions that SMG directly confronted him with were Parker and the balcony sodomy, which she absolutely hated. SMG was always very focused on wanting Buffy to be a role model.
Love the fact you're quoting Viktor Frankl (can only say that as I always praise your intelligent and emotionnal analysis; esp for my favorite Buffy moments, you don't just review them to us, your explainations make us re-live them with renewed appreciation). In short, thank you from a diehard French Buffy fan haha ;)
The work they did with Angel and his father is what they should have done with Wes and his. The line from Darla telling Angelous his father can never harm him again but never approve of him is deep in the end his father will forever be above him his issues remain unresolved
@@EmoBearRights well this episode is similar to the Buffy episode Lies my parents told me in seson 7 where we see the relationship between spike and his mom and Robin wood and his mom the son of Nikki the second slayer Spike kills in 1977 .
Rewatching the Angel S1 guide, as I intend to do with all of the guides and videos here. And after ten years of a living hell, and finally being on the other side of it, I can’t stress how _instrumental_ you’ve been and how much impact you’ve had on quite literally saving my life. These videos have been like my oxygen during the literal worst times of my existence. Genuine therapy. I would t have survived without them.
Good lord… when I started watching these reviews I never expected to be given such insights! Into the show and life in general. This is the 9th time I’m making my way through the buffy-verse (started when I was 6, now 27), and you have made this time through my favourite. I’ve always known that buffy helped shape who I am, but you have made me realise why. Thank you.
Somnambulist is my favorite so far, but Prodigal is a close second. Also like the first 2 episodes a lot. Basically, the first episodes involving Kate are strong
I was looking forward to your analysis of this video and am very pleased to see that you hold it in such high regard. As I've watched and re-watched Angel, "The Prodigal" has grown so much in my estimation. I think it does more to explain Angel's character than any other episode in either show and, by presenting the parallel with Kate's storyline, is terrifically written. The line from Angel's father (what a piece of casting that was!) that clearly has such a great impact on you crushes me every time and is the line from the show that enters my mind more than any other.
The point you were making about Angel's line at 4:22 made me think of what happens to Wesley in season 3. His mistake was an honest one, made with good intentions, but because the ramifications are as bad as they are, no one can forgive him for it, and he's villified for trying to save someone's life.
O.O Wow....quoting Viktor Frankl...this is...I was just handed a copy of his book, about 2 months ago. I haven't gotten a chance to read it, yet, but...what is your opinion of his work?
Wait, ppl had issues with this episode? SERIOUSLY?? It's up there w/ "Epiphany", "Orpheus" & "A Hole In The World" for me. That line WAS soul crushing. (Btw, i think Oz & Willow were cast for the same reason that "Yo-Saff-Bridge" was: a reckoning by Joss 4 others like him #GingerPower!😃) ✌💗💞
Future Vampire? no... more like an evil stepmom. :p Also it's funny that Angel's given name is Liam. And once he becomes repentant and, well, ANGEL (not Angellus) he literally becomes the reverse of his given name - Mail. Armor that protects in battle. He becomes a protector of humans.
man, what an excellent analysis... and when you started playing that opera piece from "Passions", I almost just about died. felt like I was having a heart attack 😅 I've never cried so hard when watching a show than I did at that moment on buffy 2x17
Something interesting happens related to this episode in the comics of Angel ("season 11"): Angel and Illyria/Fred are traveling through time and right after they travel to Illyria's time before she was imprisoned in the Deeper Well they travel to Liams time right before he becomes a vampire. Angel actually interacts with his father - who thinks he's Liam in strange clothes - and things go the same way, with Angel unable to stand up to his father. He also meets his sister again, and says goodbye to her one last time, before deciding to set everything right and undo all the evil he's ever done by making sure it never happens by killing Liam before Darla turns him. But he's stopped by Illyria, who retrains him, takes him to the time right after his family dies, and stops him from killing himself before actually comforting him and *GIVING HIM A HUG!* Illyria then explains that - just as they learned in her time - certain bad things need to happen to us so we can become the people we are. She explains that she's better now than her all-powerful self because she met Angel, and the world is better with Angel in it. After this, well... Angel: "You know, sometimes you seem almost - " Illyria: "Human?" Angel: "No, never *that* ." Illyria: "Does that disappoint you?" Angel: "Not even a little." *Angel and Illyria then hook up* in his family's old barn where he used to take women when he was Liam. That's right... *Angel/Illyria* is now a thing.
Thank you for that last Victor Frankl quote. It is the expansive reflections and perspectives, that elevate your already excellent guides for me and makes me watch them, not just for my love of the shows, but for their own sake. I love content that opens the gates of further discovery. Keep up the good work😊
Actually the first appearance of Darla on Angel which is quite momentous. J Kenneth Campbell who plays Angel's dad also plays the Marquis de Sade in the horror film Waxwork, I wonder if Joss ever saw it as he's a very Angelus style character and the final scenes are very reminiscent of Primeval/Cabin in the Woods. Can anyone tell me who played Liam's sister? She looks like Halloween star Danielle Harris but she would have been too old?
There is one Problem with you Logic: if Liam would never be turned into a vampire, Angle would not be existing in the present. So in both case he couldn't save Kate's Father.
I started to hate Kate beginning with this episode. Blaming Angel for her dad being killed by vampires just because he's one and acting like Angel's to blame for the supernatural world existing because she can't handle it. She's at her worst in To Shanshu in LA where she actually tries to use the law as an excuse to stop Angel saving Cordelia from Vocah and it's great when Angel calls her out with "I'm sorry about your father. But I didn't kill your father. And I'm sick and tired of you blaming me for everything you can't handle. You want to be enemies? Try me."
I think maybe part of the reason my love for AtS - and in particular Wesley the character on AtS - has always been sort of lukewarm (although the final season is one of the best seasons of any series, I might go watch Not Fade Away after I type this comment) is that "daddy issues" as a device kind of bore me? And it's such a prevalent trope for male heroes (if you include "dead parents in general" the list gets too long to read).
This was one of your best videos yet, amazing work. If anyone is intrested in the man he quoted at the end this is a link to a lecture he gave www.ted.com/talks/viktor_frankl_youth_in_search_of_meaning he is a psychyatrst and Holocaust survivor and his book Man's Search for meaning is one book that should be read by all (its really short too).
In a way, Kate might be able to guide Willow as kind of a "big sister", as in "been there, done that, about absent dads, and believe me, looking *there* isn't any good." regarding looking to another girl to fill the role of an absent dad.
![Cody Johnson - I'm Gonna Love You (with Carrie Underwood) [Official Music Video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/yy9PuYMU29g/mqdefault.jpg)
Damn. Your commentary has made me see this episode in a whole new light. Fine, fine work.
Please never wear that costume again.
Hey you're not the Watcher of me
Ian... NEVER STOP WEARING THAT COSTUME! FLY FREE!
Guy is right
@@PassionoftheNerd I dread to think what tragic, unforeseen consequences your choice to wear that costume will one day visit upon you... nay, upon us all.
Dude, the ending hit really close to home. You made me cry... Thanks for your analysis as much as they complement and make Buffy an even better show, they are pieces of art by themselves. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for creating such amazing videos and for having such a beautiful mind.
Don't worry about irritating people. I may not agree with you on everything but your perspective is interesting and you usually present your reasons very well. I think your viewers should be able to handle your opinions by now. 😉
And "The Prodigal" is a great episode. I usually love the flashbacks too.
But Darla was right about "The Defeat" lasting lifetimes. And he probably would have had an even harder time changing if he hadn’t been cursed with a soul. So she had no way of foreseeing that particular route and of course he's not completely free. Making a decision contrary to "his instinct" is still hard. What happened will probably always haunt him in some ways.
Gosh, I hope I'm making sense. I didn't sleep very well the last few days. 😄
Loooove this breakdown. It's a fascinating look into Angel's character and the way Liam, Angelus, and Angel are all intertwined.
lol hopefully you do more of these more often. I would love to look back after it is finished and watch them all before I delve into the series once again. Never the last time...
Thanks so much for another awesome video! Your reviews and insights are always amazing, heartfelt and right on point 😍
Keep up the wonderful work xoxox can’t wait for the next one!
Saffron? Do you mean YoSaffBridge?
I don't think Liam chose to become a vampire.
You know, Ian, while watching this review I realized what it is that sets you apart from hundreds of other RUclips critics, reviewers, etc. Most of the video reviews are just that - reviews. They may vary in quality of arguments and depth of the analysis but the core remains the same. Your reviews, however, take us on a journey. I can't put my finger on it, but after watching your videos, I almost always take something with me. A new perspective on my problems, a way of thinking about my life that I havent considered before. As well as a new found appreciation for the material.
Sorry for the essay, just wanted to get that off of my chest.
That searching for validation got to me.I can't even remember how much of it I've searched through all my relationships and how much it has crushed me to think that I wasn't good enough for the people I thought deserved my love and admiration.When it didn't work out,my only option was to try to pick up the pieces and hope for another chance,other friends or other mentors...It has happened so much,I wasn't aware of it until this video.
I know Angel gets a lot of hate in the fandom but it's because of episodes like this that I can relate to his guilt,his lack of self worth and his desire to make sense of it all.
Great video, Ian.I know this isn't your full job and that makes the quality even more impressive.Take care.
"I was never in your way, boy." One of the most heartbreaking lines from a one-off character, ever.
That line and "To think such a tiny trembling thing made me feel the way you did." Hits me in the gut.
You are the hardest working creator on this platform, kudos to you, man! Can't wait for you to cover the Faith eps later
Well, that was a ride. Always worth the wait, looking forward to more Ian.
All the feels man
I was wondering when I'd find a comment from the Longman on one of these videos 😁
This channel is better than years of therapy
Hello Ian,
My theapery for the day, I have been listing to you for over two year now, and even though we have never met you are very close to me and I consider you a friend.
Thank you for all that you do.
Malia
Oh, yeah, it definitely is! And that's a sad note on the state of therapy today as well!
yes I am sure of that
I really needed this video, i really needed that message. Thank you again for another complex and thought provoking video that has a way of ripping my heart bear.
TulkasIV Truthfully, I feel the same way
I think this is one of those rare episodes which are so good that you forget about them when looking for your favourites.
It sits within the greater story arc so well that you remember the facts of Angel's backstory without remembering that it was all revealed in this episode.
Like really great CGI, sometimes good storytelling can be invisible and just adds to everything else around it.
On the rewatch I noticed 2 things. 1) Angel is the only vampire I can think of that awakens WITHOUT vamp face. 2) You practically have to put your TV in concert mode but the priest at Liam’s funeral says he was 20 years plus 6. Meaning Angel was 26 years old when Darla sired him.
Simply beautiful, Ian.
I had A LOT of issues with my father for a very, very long time that led me to making some REALLY lousy decisions in my life--but thankfully, I also realized, as I got older (and also went into therapy), I started to see that my Dad had his own issues that were at the root of our battles--
Anyway, the turning point for both of us came when, one day driving in the car with him--he was actually driving me to a therapy session--he said, out of the sky blue, "I made a lot of mistakes, Min. But it's all water under the bridge now. If I could go back and change things, I would, but you can't put the toothpaste back in tube."
I just kind said, quietly, "I know."
And then he said the thing that really started us on the road to recovery--"I made mistakes. But if you're going to live in the past, let that dictate to you the rest of your life, well, that's not on me, kid, that's on you."
The light bulb went on over my head.
And I'm happy to be able to say that when he died last year, at 94, he and I had not only come to an understanding of each other's foibles, but that we were able to laugh and love each other.
Anyway...
I do kinda wish that Kate had hung around and been given the chance to grow as a character. Someone earlier posted--paraphrasing--that Elizabeth Roehm's "acting chops" shone much more brilliantly on ANGEL than on her A.D.A. role on LAW & ORDER. S/he is right. Don't know know why--would have definitely been interesting to see her "stand off" against Wolfram & Hart as someone with a family history of--excuse the pun--law and order. And maybe, just maybe, with all her daddy issues, she might have joined the firm?
Julie Benz was just so damn FABULOUS as Darla.
And I also love the flashback stories!!!!
Have to apologize for the "cross-out lines" through the second paragraph. I have no idea how they ended up in there. So ignore them. Thanks!
Isn't Darla's comment that Liam's father's defeat of him will last lifetimes an insight into the soulless lack of free will? She seems to understand that by killing his father Liam has not obtained the power over himself he thinks he has, but simply affirmed something she seems to understand about the soulless. I think Darla is one of the richest, most complex creations of the Buffyverse partly because of her incisive and cynical understanding of the demonic and her complete lack of understanding of being human. SPOILER: This makes sense based on her origin story where we discover she has retained no identity from her life as a human.
Btw the music that plays over the last scene in this episode is one of the most haunting pieces I have ever heard.
Yes, I think her comment reveals the relationship between the template and lack of free will. My point was that the idea of "victory" one way or another was actually irrelevant when it comes to self-determination. Paradoxically however, Angel won't be able to understand that without a soul. So it is both true and wrong.
Darla wasn’t wrong though. She said lifetimes, not forever. It did take lifetimes for Angel to get past the events in these flashbacks. And she was really talking to Angelus (who I guess was still called Liam), who I’d argue never grew beyond that point. At least not that kind of growth.
Edit: your point is still valid though.
She was both wrong and right. My point was that the idea of "victory" when it comes to self-determination is actually irrelevant. But she was right in that it would require a soul for Angel to come to understand that.
I see. Your point is all the more valid then. And either way it was a very enjoyable guide.
I always loved Kates character, that she had a genuine strength (and pain) to her, and that she never was there to be a love interest to Angel. I really wish that she had been more well developed and become a part of the ensemble in the later seasons. She could have been a great foil to Lilah, as both are highly driven women with a no-bullshit attitude, but each driven by the opposite motives (justice vs. ambition, compassion vs. ruthlessness). I can imagine some awesome scenes and themes to explore between these two! Does anyone know why Kates character was dropped from the show?
It may have been at the actress' request. She did go on to do Law and Order.
KosmiskRevolution Elizabeth got a bigger role in law and order
Yeah she was offered the role on Law and Order and she took it. Makes sense, she played a police detective really well on Angel.
I learn so much through these videos. I’m able to reflect and choose with so much more clarity. I’m a psychotherapist and I am overwhelmed by the richness of your commentary
I'm sure it was intentional that music you used at the end of the video is from the scene at the end of season 4 when Angel is looking in on Connor? Hehe, that's a really subtle and clever way of alluding to Angel's decisions in his own experience of fatherhood -- all while keeping your creed of no spoilers!. I always love your quick shout-outs to later moments in the series, and this has got to be my favorite so far.
'Becoming' showed how powerful the backstory could be; it's no surprise that it inspired strong eps like 'Prodigal', 'Five by Five', and especially 'Fool for Love' and 'Darla'. Also no surprise Tim Minear wrote this (as he did Hero and Somnambulist, and would do Sanctuary, Darla, The Trial...)
I hadn't realized he did Somnambulist and this one. Interesting. Those are the two I've had the most to say about this season.
I think this is the most profound yet of your videos. This one really got to me, on a deeply personal level. It's a message I've needed to hear for a long time. Thank you.
Can't wait for the Faith episodes! This one was beautiful.
Alannah I'm looking forward to those the episode that introduces gun and the one where Angel is a gladiator the tail end of season 1 really starting catching fire
I have seen the episode many times, but I have never put together the subtleties like Angelus waiting for Darla's approval and everything around that. Thank you for this...
absolutely beautiful as always, ian! i do love angel’s backstory episodes (accent and all), and this one is no exception.
The last few minutes are so emotional... excellent video once again. I also like the thought of angelus’ demon needs to dominate, conquer and destroy everything because his human side felt so useless and worthless and unable to do any of those things... i think you gotta make a vampire video! Discussing all the core vamps of the series (their human, demon, combination; how and why they differ... etc... would be cool!)
What you said about free will really struck me. A vampire with no soul cannot do anything that is not in its own interest therefore lacking free will. What does it say about Spike in BTVS season 5? And even in the next seasons, he got beaten up by Gloria protecting Dawn's secret, he decided to obtain a soul (which is clearly not in the best interest of his demonic part)... This is so fascinating!
Well, self-interests can vary. It depends on the template for the demon. Angel's was a raw unbridled desire for validation. Very pure. William was a poet and a romantic. And so Spike is passionate to a self-destructive degree. It would make sense Spike dying for love. In Lovers Walk, while crying on Willow's shoulder he complained that Dru refused to chop his head off instead of breaking up with him. The template determines the self-interests.
Interesting approach. I guess it would make sense then that he would want a soul as it would mean the end for his demon self, the ultimate act of self-destruction. Keep up the good work, I love your channel!
Well gaining a soul would be self destructive for the demon, but his self interest I think is his selfish love for Buffy. And driven by the template of Williams passions, takes this to a self destructive degree. Getting a soul to at least move towards making Buffy love him.
The thing that bothers me about the soulless/souled Spike phenomena is not what fans usually question - the how can soulless Spike be selfless when he lacks a soul, because at some point I just realized he acted because he perceived it to be in his best interest (help Dawn, get in Buffy's pants, and vampires can like humans if they see it as beneficial for them) - but instead that both series do not in anyway separate the demon piloted Spike from the souled one like they do for Angel(us). They are played as essentially the same character, just one with a conscience.
But in reality it's the demon that became obsessed with Buffy, yet souled Spike continues on as if he had always been in the driver's seat. His obsession grows more into affection, yes, but it stems from what only the demon felt and Spike for one reason or another did not fight it. You'd think anything the demon felt would be like poison to him, seeing as he has a mental breakdown after initially becoming William again. Even later on Angel he is shown to be essentially everything Spike was, attitude and all (although flashes were present on Buffy as well), and no effort is made to discern him from the demon even more.
Angel even backtracks a bit and refers to his demon self as himself in the past, when for all intents and purposes he had tackled and defeated his 'demon in the previous season (figuratively and literally). Angel's regression can be wiped away by the fact that season 4 was a huge mess and the series did what it could to forget about it (the reality shift being the on-the-nose representation of 'we screwed up.") and the fact they were trying to build a similarity between the two, but Spike just continues on from Buffy as if the demon and man were always one entity, and not one being a demon in a man suit that feeds on the impulses of its host.
To put it simply, Angel just feels responsible for what he knows the demon did because those desires and impulses grew from when he was human and the series plays it out as such. The demon twisted and acted on what he wanted deep down. While Spike just acts as if it was him who literally did it all, just without a conscience. The series itself wants you to believe that by never once discerning the two, but it goes against established lore. Nowhere is it more apparent than his obsession with Buffy, which doesn't really change post-soul, and is always implied to have been him who loved Buffy and not the demon.
PathBeyondTheDark that's all a good point. Maybe it's because William left more of an imprint than Liam did? William was a poet and relied heavily on passion. Spike the vampire very much continues this but now with a taste for murder and, more literally, blood. Maybe William clung to the obsession spike had for Buffy since it was one of the very few non horrific things Spike the vampire did. (Well not TOTALLY horrific). The souled vampire remembers all the actions of the unsouled vampire not just as actions but also the emotions of said Vampire. Angel remembers killing and remembers enjoying killing and this revolts him. But spike remembering his passion for Buffy, maybe as a means of not going insane from guilt, focuses on that passion that he remembers feeling and latches onto it
The observation that an individual who cannot make a decision which contravenes his or her own self-interest lacks free will is brilliant, and will no doubt grip me for a time while I consider it in the context of my own philosophy.
This is as good as you've gotten with your Angel and Buffy Guides, and that's saying quite a lot. Kudos.
It seems like you’ve used several words out of context or that perhaps punctuation escaped you on this occasion. Also, not sure I understand why you feel like whether or not you integrate what Ian has said into your own psyche is an issue of great import. Not trying to hate on your comment for the sake of hating, but it genuinely perplexes me why you chose to express it, particularly in this way.
Crying. So beautifully said Ian. Helped to hear this. X
Ooook, time for me to tell you how much I love and respect what you do here. Buffy The Vampire Slayer is my favorite show and I too think there is so much depth to it. I enjoy your analysis very much and you've brought me to tears a good number of times (this one for example!) I've been following your channel for quite some time and hope you continue doing such good work, thank you sincerely 👏🏻☺️✨
That Saffron reference killed me
Great analysis.
I love the episode minus the demon drug dealer plot, but after thinking about it I realize it plays into the entire subtext/metaphor of the series - addiction.
Everything about this show seems to work better for me when I look at it thru the context of addiction. In this episode, we see a young man developing an addiction, meet an enabler (Darla), then become a full addict and hurt his family. Meanwhile, in the modern era we see "drugs" being responsible for Kate's father's death. Sure, Angel isn't responsible but in Kate's eyes he bares responsibility for being a former addict (I think you might have touched on this already).
What's interesting to me is Angel would probably agree with Kate. He might not have killed her father but he's killed plenty of other fathers. Reminds me of the end of Damage.
You did it again. Such great work. But your ending words got me hard. I agree completely that even if our parents aren’t always right. If they do wrong and hurt us in any way they don’t make us who we are. We choose to be the person we want to be. I chose to be better then my father. Thanks for the great video
This hit me at what I can only assume will be a really important point in my life. Thanks man.
Yay a new guide! Always enjoy your content. 😁👍
Wow, way to sneak that Puccini in there
Ah yes. Puccini. Of Handsome Squidward falling and Jenny’s murder game. Nothing else 🤣
the greatest tv series ever....waaaay better than buffy in terms of writing ...acting... direction ....more dark ....more series.... and the cast of angel have a very heavy acting skills....and less goofy and less silliness than buffy......angel is the perfect combination of every thing.......thank you for doing this videos...the best channel ever .
What ever did happen to Kate in this series? As I recall, she just disappeared?
i know thats one thing that triggered me still does lol. She looked like to be one of the main characters then as the series went on she just disappeared. So odd
I don't know about the character, but the actor, Elisabeth Rohm, got the part of an ADA on Law & Order.
I have to watch the episode again, but she got an epiphany and so her character's story was left open-ended
Doesn't she move out of state as part of a disciplinary thing for her actions in season 2? Or am I confusing reality with fanfic again?
It's extraordinary how much better her performance was on Angel than on L&O. On the latter she was wooden and an awkward fit into the cast in almost every scene. Carey Lowell was a Bond girl and Angie Harmon did Baywatch, yet both were much stronger as ADAs.
I remember watch this episode when it aired and thinking they were going to give Angel a son. God that worked out well.
Ian, that chilled me to the bone. Well done man.
"I was never in your way"
"If you leave that door don't even think about coming back"
This might my favorite video of yours. From the same guy, "“Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms-to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.”
Ian, you mess me up with these retrospectives. So thoughtful and so eloquent. Thanks for doing this.
Gahhh, Ian. Love love LOVE your analysis of Liam's low self-esteem and the template that created for Angelus the demon. You're so clever!
Saffron is a Vampire confirmed.
Random thoughts about BtVS and ATS.
1. The first season of Angel is a lot better than the first season of Buffy.
2. The LAST season of Angel is a lot better than the LAST season of Buffy.
3. The middle seasons of Buffy, however, are WAY better than the middle seasons of Angel.
Agree? Disagree? Related thoughts?
I'd like to clarify that I don't DISLIKE any seasons of Angel or Buffy.
The only season that I truly hate is Season 4, the rest of the season were really good.
id love to see someone do this with the tv show superntural :D
Yesssss. I would honestly love to do one myself, but as a college student who's also working I have barely any time. Maybe someday, maybe some summer lol.
Great usage of Viktor Frankl. Funnily enough one of the ways I really got that message to penetrate was from an old Eagles song - Already Gone - featuring the following verse:
Well I know it wasn't you who held me down
Heaven knows it wasn't you who set me free
So often times it happens that we live our lives in chains
And we never even know we have the key
I suppose we can gain wisdom from any source. Thanks for the Angel vids.
I love your content and I enjoy both how sincerely you enjoy the content you talk about in your videos and how in depth and thoughtful your video essays are. You're awesome!
I don't think Angel's dad was a bad dad. He just wanted his son to be more than just a womanising drunk who kept getting into fights. As the human Liam Angel was a pretty pathetic person. Becoming a vampire with a soul actually gave him purpose and made him more than the lazy workshy bed hopping alcoholic he was as a human.
Oh definitely! He was no saint!
This video has meant a great deal to me. Thank you.
I interpreted the line of the father differently.
"Get out of the way" (I want to get out!)
"I was never in your way" (of leaving)
Meaning: Leave! I never would have stopped you.
Maybe that's the way Liam took it as well.
Yeah, about Liam being the Prodigal Son in the terminology of that faith, which he clearly is... as one of the elder kids; this episode is one wonderful tale indeed... and I say that as one of the faithful kids from the same baseline religion and ethnic faction set as well, based on what his ethnic origins would be. And it makes sense that he'd fall in love with some British loose woman who's preying on the Irish in those days, and apparently looking for a lover to warm the sheets with- utterly disgusting lifestyle, Bro!
Saffron!!! I always know its her, but somehow always forget as well.
How Angel received his name was heartbreaking to me.
Comparing Angel trying to turn sex with Buffy away to his father being worried about losing him was interesting as it means there was also probably a loose comparison there to Buffy pushing the sex the last bit into actually having it and Liam pushing himself to take the last step to what he considers freedom, when really both Liam and Angel are being unintentionally driven by Buffy and Liam's father to a literal (Liam's) and metaphorical (Angel's) death.
Angel flashback episodes are always about 99% of the time excellent or higher. Personally I can't wait to see the hotel episode.
You pronounced 'Somnambulist' differently than I have ever heard it. Possibly correctly.
I am confused on what was being said from 8:05-8:10. Is Ian saying that Angelus cares about something from Liam's life enough to search and try to fill the empty void humanity left behind (because I don't buy that one) or is he saying something else? And if so, what? Personally, I think it is that he hates Liam and his life enough to do terrible things, but wishing to fill the void implies he cared, which goes against the idea of Angelus as a whole.
Thank you for this and for all your videos.
I know this is an old comment but yes....that is what Ian was implying. And I think that’s precisely why Angelus is hell bent on destroying all things human.
I just rewatched firefly! Loved that reference.
This has always been my favourite episode of season 1
Reckon Kate could’ve been awesome
Saffron! Hey Christina...
I wanto to give you more than one like on your video
I wasn't expecting to get hit with advice that hit so close to home watching this but, thankyou.
Still baffled at how underrated this show was and is. But one thing still triggers me is how Kate just disappeared after lookin like a main character to be. So strange must of been personal issues off screen.
WookiesYaUncle she got a larger role in law and order
Amazing. It's as if you're revealing to me why I like this episode so much.
I knew I liked it, I just couldn't have explained why.
Exquisite criticism. This guide is as well made, shot, produced, and written as the series itself. Your analysis was excellent, it really reminded me of how artistic and evocative the show can be. Is this a Whedon episode? It feels like it.
No. Tim Minear. He wrote most of the Angel and Darla-centric episodes and was given them because of his passion for those characters. This totally feels like a Minear episode and it is. The abundant flashbacks tend to be evidence of it being Minear, as well. He was the Dangel 'shipper.
- Home
- Benediction
- Couplet
- Lullaby
- Billy
- That Old Gang of Mine
- Through the Looking Glass
- Epiphany
- Reprise
- Reunion
- The Trial
- Darla
- Are You Now or Have You Ever Been
- Sanctuary
- The Prodigal
- Somnambulist
- Hero
- Sense and Sensitivity
Joss isn't into those characters at all, even stating he doesn't understand Angel and had trouble making the show. Joss originally intended for Buffy to end up with his self-insert Xander. He had to be talked into the existence of that character and the casting (the women in his office, especially Gail Berman who largely takes credit for championing David Boreanaz and Bangel, are the ones who pressured him to hire Boreanaz--Joss was hung up on the fact that he was bullied by jocks in school) and was the one who doubted what actually ended up making the show work. Joss only saw vampires and demons as allegories for real-life problems. He had difficulty with the good vampire concept. The other writers turned Joss' 1992 film concept into what made the show different. Angel's introduction as the first good monster is one of the biggest differences.
David Greenwalt was the one who wrote Angel and Darla's entire backstory for 1x07, including the gypsy curse/soul explanation for why Angel is different from other vampires (Joss didn't want any good vampires at all and had to be talked into it, demanding an explanation to why this one is different) that is a cornerstone of the shows' mythology. Tim Minear and David Greenwalt need to get way more credit than they do and if it's Angel's story you are commenting on, it's likely from those two.
Greenwalt was made executive producer of AtS because he basically invented Angel, Darla and wanted to take Cordy under his wing when the issue of Charisma being a bit too mature to be playing a high schooler was becoming an issue, not to mention her lack of a place amongst the Scoobies outside of being a girlfriend.
The fandom acts like it was all Joss, when we actually know others were responsible for specific things.
Marti Noxon, for as much flack as she gets for writing rather horrific personal events into the storyline (the AR where she was the attempted rapist of her boyfriend--which explains why it's written so sympathetically towards the perpetrator instead of the victim), was responsible for the way a lot of the romance on the show was written right from the start, as well. Spike and Drusilla, for example, where definitely all her. She also worked on a fair amount of Bangel and Sprusilla before she became the Spuffy Queen (James Marsters was definitely having issues with what she was writing for him to do and the nudity exploitation factor) who was running the show while Joss was away on Firefly and quite absent for much of seasons 6-7. However, two of Joss' more controversial contributions that SMG directly confronted him with were Parker and the balcony sodomy, which she absolutely hated. SMG was always very focused on wanting Buffy to be a role model.
noticed at 04:15 Kate's dad, supposedly dead, blinks his eyes.
Damn you, you brilliant man. 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾
Love the fact you're quoting Viktor Frankl (can only say that as I always praise your intelligent and emotionnal analysis; esp for my favorite Buffy moments, you don't just review them to us, your explainations make us re-live them with renewed appreciation). In short, thank you from a diehard French Buffy fan haha ;)
Bang up job, Sir!
Ian please don't ever stop what ever you decided to do please keep going. You are amazing
I think I needed this. Thank you.
The ending left me with a knot in my throat. Thank you!
me too
I never really liked this episode that much, but your analysis has made me appreciate it so much more. I love your channel so so very much
To be honest: I only liked the Flashbacks. Dam, are they good!
Thanks for these vids! This introspection you're providing makes me see these episodes in a whole new light!! :)
This episode also contains Angelus worst act, he kills his sister.
“She thought I returned to her… an Angel”
That line just gives me goosebumps..
My sister literally just asked if I was ok because I looked so emotional watching this 😂
The work they did with Angel and his father is what they should have done with Wes and his. The line from Darla telling Angelous his father can never harm him again but never approve of him is deep in the end his father will forever be above him his issues remain unresolved
Well Angel is the central protagonist but given how much I love Wesley I agree with you.
@@EmoBearRights well this episode is similar to the Buffy episode Lies my parents told me in seson 7 where we see the relationship between spike and his mom and Robin wood and his mom the son of Nikki the second slayer Spike kills in 1977 .
These videos are always so insightful and I just love them for that.
Rewatching the Angel S1 guide, as I intend to do with all of the guides and videos here. And after ten years of a living hell, and finally being on the other side of it, I can’t stress how _instrumental_ you’ve been and how much impact you’ve had on quite literally saving my life.
These videos have been like my oxygen during the literal worst times of my existence. Genuine therapy. I would t have survived without them.
Good lord… when I started watching these reviews I never expected to be given such insights! Into the show and life in general. This is the 9th time I’m making my way through the buffy-verse (started when I was 6, now 27), and you have made this time through my favourite. I’ve always known that buffy helped shape who I am, but you have made me realise why. Thank you.
Somnambulist is my favorite so far, but Prodigal is a close second. Also like the first 2 episodes a lot. Basically, the first episodes involving Kate are strong
_You_ should have been cast as the evil Queen in the Snow White remake.
The true evil queen we both want and deserve.
I was looking forward to your analysis of this video and am very pleased to see that you hold it in such high regard. As I've watched and re-watched Angel, "The Prodigal" has grown so much in my estimation. I think it does more to explain Angel's character than any other episode in either show and, by presenting the parallel with Kate's storyline, is terrifically written. The line from Angel's father (what a piece of casting that was!) that clearly has such a great impact on you crushes me every time and is the line from the show that enters my mind more than any other.
The point you were making about Angel's line at 4:22 made me think of what happens to Wesley in season 3. His mistake was an honest one, made with good intentions, but because the ramifications are as bad as they are, no one can forgive him for it, and he's villified for trying to save someone's life.
O.O Wow....quoting Viktor Frankl...this is...I was just handed a copy of his book, about 2 months ago. I haven't gotten a chance to read it, yet, but...what is your opinion of his work?
Wait, ppl had issues with this episode? SERIOUSLY?? It's up there w/ "Epiphany", "Orpheus" & "A Hole In The World" for me. That line WAS soul crushing.
(Btw, i think Oz & Willow were cast for the same reason that
"Yo-Saff-Bridge" was: a reckoning by Joss 4 others like him #GingerPower!😃) ✌💗💞
That scene where Angel is just pressing on that invisible barrier trying to save Kate's dad has always stuck with me. To be that close and yet so far.
Future Vampire? no... more like an evil stepmom. :p
Also it's funny that Angel's given name is Liam. And once he becomes repentant and, well, ANGEL (not Angellus) he literally becomes the reverse of his given name - Mail. Armor that protects in battle. He becomes a protector of humans.
man, what an excellent analysis... and when you started playing that opera piece from "Passions", I almost just about died. felt like I was having a heart attack 😅 I've never cried so hard when watching a show than I did at that moment on buffy 2x17
Something interesting happens related to this episode in the comics of Angel ("season 11"):
Angel and Illyria/Fred are traveling through time and right after they travel to Illyria's time before she was imprisoned in the Deeper Well they travel to Liams time right before he becomes a vampire. Angel actually interacts with his father - who thinks he's Liam in strange clothes - and things go the same way, with Angel unable to stand up to his father. He also meets his sister again, and says goodbye to her one last time, before deciding to set everything right and undo all the evil he's ever done by making sure it never happens by killing Liam before Darla turns him. But he's stopped by Illyria, who retrains him, takes him to the time right after his family dies, and stops him from killing himself before actually comforting him and *GIVING HIM A HUG!*
Illyria then explains that - just as they learned in her time - certain bad things need to happen to us so we can become the people we are. She explains that she's better now than her all-powerful self because she met Angel, and the world is better with Angel in it.
After this, well...
Angel: "You know, sometimes you seem almost - "
Illyria: "Human?"
Angel: "No, never *that* ."
Illyria: "Does that disappoint you?"
Angel: "Not even a little."
*Angel and Illyria then hook up* in his family's old barn where he used to take women when he was Liam.
That's right... *Angel/Illyria* is now a thing.
Thank you for that last Victor Frankl quote. It is the expansive reflections and perspectives, that elevate your already excellent guides for me and makes me watch them, not just for my love of the shows, but for their own sake. I love content that opens the gates of further discovery. Keep up the good work😊
Actually the first appearance of Darla on Angel which is quite momentous. J Kenneth Campbell who plays Angel's dad also plays the Marquis de Sade in the horror film Waxwork, I wonder if Joss ever saw it as he's a very Angelus style character and the final scenes are very reminiscent of Primeval/Cabin in the Woods. Can anyone tell me who played Liam's sister? She looks like Halloween star Danielle Harris but she would have been too old?
There is one Problem with you Logic: if Liam would never be turned into a vampire, Angle would not be existing in the present. So in both case he couldn't save Kate's Father.
I started to hate Kate beginning with this episode. Blaming Angel for her dad being killed by vampires just because he's one and acting like Angel's to blame for the supernatural world existing because she can't handle it. She's at her worst in To Shanshu in LA where she actually tries to use the law as an excuse to stop Angel saving Cordelia from Vocah and it's great when Angel calls her out with "I'm sorry about your father. But I didn't kill your father. And I'm sick and tired of you blaming me for everything you can't handle. You want to be enemies? Try me."
I think maybe part of the reason my love for AtS - and in particular Wesley the character on AtS - has always been sort of lukewarm (although the final season is one of the best seasons of any series, I might go watch Not Fade Away after I type this comment) is that "daddy issues" as a device kind of bore me? And it's such a prevalent trope for male heroes (if you include "dead parents in general" the list gets too long to read).
If our hungover self is a window into what we would be like as a vampire, I am going to be so talkative and confused! ( and slightly ashamed )
great stuff as always man, i love this show so much. and the analysis
This was one of your best videos yet, amazing work.
If anyone is intrested in the man he quoted at the end this is a link to a lecture he gave www.ted.com/talks/viktor_frankl_youth_in_search_of_meaning he is a psychyatrst and Holocaust survivor and his book Man's Search for meaning is one book that should be read by all (its really short too).
In a way, Kate might be able to guide Willow as kind of a "big sister", as in "been there, done that, about absent dads, and believe me, looking *there* isn't any good." regarding looking to another girl to fill the role of an absent dad.
Thank you for these wonderful reviews of my two favorite shows. This video is just what I need after getting out of work.