Dude, Where's My Soul?

[thedeadlyhook]

I spent today on a marathon rewatch of Angel Season 5. And funny how watching it as one piece makes it all come together. This was kind of illuminating.


I suppose it's not such a novel observation that Season 5 fits together far better as a whole as opposed to individual episodes. The same could probably be said for every Angel season - although I'd say the first couple of years were more comfortably reliant on standalone eps, "cases" for the gang to solve like a Dark Shadows-flavored X-Files - as well as the last couple of years of Buffy, and given what I've heard about the Mutant Enemy creative process - working backward from the ending sometimes - perhaps that shouldn't be such a surprise. Like a mystery whose ending you've already read, the clues stand out obviously in hindsight, whereas in forward-playing real time they make little sense.

For example, I've come to realize it's a sure sign when episodes don't seem to link up, where dramatic promises aren't followed up on, that these are signposts for plot steerage. The setup for the Illyria arc was full of such moments - sudden shifts in mood and character behaviour that were there strictly for plot purposes. In a more extended example, one of the most confusing segues from BtVS Season 6 was (to my mind) the transition from the grim intensity of "Dead Things" to the damply humorous squib of Buffy's birthday party in "Older and Far Away." Buffy's extreme beatdown of Spike, though a visual and emotional atom bomb, was not actually a setup for any kind of continuing character arc; in fact, it was barely referred to again after the event beyond simple continuity checks (e.g., Spike's black eye and "what are you gonna do, beat me up again" line; Buffy's "I behaved like a monster" admission in "Conversations with Dead People," about her relationship with Spike in general). So then, if the beating scene wasn't there to create any kind of continuing dramatic tension, then it was there for a plot reason. Actually, it was there for two plot reasons. 1) to establish Buffy's own self-hatred by virtually replicating the bodyswitched-Faith-beating-bodyswitched Buffy scene in "Who Are You?" and 2) to set up Spike's soul quest with Buffy's hateful "you don't have a soul!" line. QED.

So, Angel Season 5. Viewed as a whole, it now seems pretty obvious why the episiode-to-episode continuity jarred at the time. The rules had changed, and nobody had told the audience yet. The tone was radically different to the previous season - from ultra-serious drama in S4 we had moved into the realm of dry satire or outright comedy. Moreoever, in Season 5, Angel moved out of the hero's chair and into a much grayer place. Like Season 6 Buffy, Season 5 Angel acted in ways that often didn't fit with what we had come to expect from the titular hero. In that context, Spike's presence in S5 makes sense as part of Angel's arc for the season. It's actually rather entertainingly meta.

Angel vs. Spike
Spike literally takes over the show in Season 5, ironically just as many fans feared he might... and it's actually the whole point of his character arc. Like S4, which was really all about Connor, as a living embodiment of the tragedy of Angel's inability to save even those he loves most, S5 was really all about Spike, and the tragedy of Angel's inability to save himself.

Since the beginning of the AtS series, Angel has been portrayed as working toward redemption, trying to make up for his century-plus of evil by helping others in an approximation of the Protestant ideal of Good Works. The Angel we see in S5, however, is increasingly unsure, morally gray, constantly doubting both himself and his mission. "The Cautionary Tale of Numero Cinco" can pretty much be taken word for word - Angel spends the entire season worried that he no longer has a hero's heart, and the moral grayness of the Wolfram & Hart deal only makes matters worse. Angel no longers believes a reward is really coming; fighting Spike for the Shanshu and losing merely cements this belief. Even if a reward is out there, he doesn't think he has what it takes to reach it.

So Spike then, in S5, is there for contrast - his appearance in "Just Rewards" (I'm ignoring the TV standard be-sure-to-watch-next-week! lead-in for the closing minutes of "Conviction") is The Hero Returned; promptly after his whirlwhind release from the amulet, we get a flashback of his world-saving immolation in the Hellmouth, a no-bones-about-it heroic moment complete with glowing golden light and chanting orchestral chorus. (Notably, the extent to which this sacrifice had to do with winning Buffy's love is not emphasized; key moments from "Chosen" pertaining to their connection are skipped over.) From there on in, this message is only reinforced - this what a Champion really looks like. Everything out of Spike's mouth is acutely observed, from identifying Wolfram & Hart as "Evil, Incorporated" "digest[ing]" Angel's staff, to blithely blurting out the answers to puzzling cases. Angel tries to solve the ethical puzzles of good and evil intellectually; Spike coasts forward on instinct... and his instincts are almost always right. While Angel plays as impossibly jaded and losing hope, Spike comes off as essentially innocent, a sort of divine fool. He really wants the redemption Angel has given up on.

And in story after story, we see Spike's motives are questioned - selfish? evil? petty? - and in every one of them, our initial negative impression is shown to be an illusion, a trick. He complains, whines, snarks, needles, acts like an ass... but his actions are all positive. He refuses to improve his personal situation if the cost would hurt someone else ("Hellbound"). He refuses to go behind Angel's back when the Crockett-and-Tubbs team of Wes and Gunn ask him to help the helpless under W&H's evil umbrella ("Soul Purpose"). He resists the temptation to take Angel's offer of luxurious sponsorship and stays to help fight the Senior Partners instead ("Shells"). Just as in "Why We Fight," Spike isn't so much a bad guy as he simply likes the look of the coat.

So the message is pretty clear - there is no Angelus-style bad side to this guy. There used to be - and it's implied pretty strongly in ("Destiny") that this was largely due to Angelus's influence - but not anymore. His worst character flaws are all laddish immaturities - boastfulness, restlessness, childish sniping, and a Bill Clinton-esque obsession with sex. (One wonders if the desktop-shagging sequence in "Destiny" wasn't an explicit reference to Clinton, another essentially honest man with a similiar inability to keep his pants zipped.)

Therefore, Season 5 was a little dizzying for the initiated during its broadcast run because Spike virtually replaces Angel in S5 as the actual hero figure for the entire season, starting right off the bat from the second episode, and since the audience expects Angel to be the hero we're taking our cues from... well, there's your problem. In hindsight, however, it's pretty clear what's happening - you can virtually see the transference happen over the course of "Just Rewards." The Angel we saw in "Conviction" was recognizable as the dark hero we'd been following for years - conflicted, yet grimly committed to his mission, certain he'll be able to find a way to use the "weapon" of Wolfram & Hart to do good. That character more or less vanishes the instant Spike appears; Angel becomes irritable, evasive... kind of mean. We find that he hasn't told his team anything about the closing of the Hellmouth, or Spike's soul. Spike accuses Angel of sitting on this info because it made him feel "less special," and he's right. Typically, Angel airs his id out by saying one thing while feeling the exact opposite. He claims (forcefully) not to feel responsible for Spike's death, but later quietly muses that it "should have been me." He bristles at any suggestion that he's threatened by Spike when clearly he is. He insists that he hasn't "turned in his cape and tights" to work at Wolfram & Hart, but in private he's clearly anything but sure. "Soul Purpose" gives us our clearest snapshot ever of Angel's inner conflict - he has performance anxiety of every stripe. Despite the fierce fight he put up in "Destiny," Angel is certain that Spike has him outclassed, that once under the spotlight he'll be shown up for a fraud, empty. "The crowd's turning on ya, sport," as Lorne says.

Then in "Not Fade Away," all this comes to its logical conclusion. Angel gives away the Shanshu he doesn't really believe will ever come to him anyway. He decides his real unique gifts are for ruthlessness and big-picture artistry - the same things that made Angelus legendary. Essentially, Angel turns himself into the "weapon" he originally thought Wolfram & Hart would be, throws himself and his team's into the fray because he's come to believe that only the ends really matter. He takes his team into a huge battle against forces no one else could challenge because, as he tells Number Five, "we can... because we know how." Normal people couldn't do it, but Angel and his followers can. He gives his team assignments to fit their pasts - Wesley, to take on the architect of the mindwipe, a move made necessary by the events set in motion by Wesley's kidnapping of Connor; Gunn, to go back to his roots and take out a gang of vamps; Lorne he sends to kill Lindsey, handing the most morally gray action of the bunch to a demon whose own moral compass has sometimes seemed unclear; and finally, Spike, to rescue a baby... which is, as we saw in "Darla," was the same act that finally separated souled Angel from his failed attempt to recapture the glories of Angelus. Sending Spike on the baby-saving mission is symbolic for Angel - he's passing the torch he himself has given up by deciding he can do more good with Angelus-like ruthlessness than he could by upholding the life of a hero. Pretty darn bleak.

Gunn, Fred, and Why Illyra Didn't Really Fit
Other than that, there isn't much else to observe. Gunn's arc of street-fighter-turned-lawyer "sell out" is an essentially flawless standalone; it's actually the only character arc that's wholly consistent all the way through. The Illyria story that took over the last third of the season doesn't really intersect with this story at all; anything that hurt Fred would have shown Gunn's corruption, his willingness to sacrifice innocent lives for his own purposes and his subsequent remorse. Illyria herself is irrelevant. That Gunn is barely shown interacting with the character of Illyria clinches it for me; she's an intrusion on a story already in progress, not so much a "hole in the world" as a hole in the universe; like a Marvel Comics character punching into a conference room on The Practice, Illyria is a jarring element, akin to discovering that the characters of ER are suddenly treating patients that have been stomped on by Godzilla. One can't say she doesn't belong in the AtS, a supernatural universe that can ultimately sustain anything, but she adds nothing to the Wolfram & Hart plotline. Her storyline, enteraining as it is on some levels, is a self-contained one, airlifted into the existing plot rather like the sarcophogus she appears from. (It's kinda tempting to wonder if we might have gotten more explanation for Lindsey's role in all this had not Illyria been introduced, although since Lindsey's presence already made no sense as early as "You're Welcome," that's probably wishful thinking on my part.)

With Illyria's intro, the season's tone changes from a wry critque on business ethics and the qualities of a hero to a loud, supercharged opera filled with grief and betrayal and agony and madness; it's Titus Andronicus minus the cannibalism (although you could also argue that element was covered by the earlier episode in which Nina is introduced). Wesley goes mad from doomed love, Angel enters his final downward spiral. Fred pretty much vanishes as a character for S5; her continued presence was for four main reasons: to be pretty (as in "Conviction," which included a superfluous inset shot of Fred lounging with her shoes off in the conference room so we could appreciate Amy Acker's legs), smart ("Science Girl," as Spike calls her), sympathetic, and menaced. All four of these elements are in play as early as "Just Rewards" - the scene with Spike in the espisode's closing minutes shows a pretty girl alone in her lab, approached by a guy who seems kinda sinister. This image is repeated again multiple times over the course of the season, notably in "Why We Fight" - Fred is downgraded to endangered damsel/love interest in Season 5, despite her protests in "A Hole in the World." She's objectified, a victim; knocked out, held hostage, taken over by Illyria. She's the one character that everyone likes and can relate to, and thus is the one character that must be destroyed to set all this in motion. Sigh.

It's worth noting here, as an aside, that Fred was a character I used to intensely dislike. After her introduction as a slave girl in the Pylea arc, which was interesting enough, she was used all too often as sort of a multipurpose Mary Sue who I'd felt unduly pressured to like (a similar complaint could be made recently about the character of Andrew) but who I finally grew fond of after seeing her taser Connor in S4. By the end of that season, and the absolutely terrific Jasmine arc, she'd grown to be practically the most interesting character in the series.

In S5, however, Fred is less a character than "every woman... Wonder Woman!" as Lorne yells in "The Cautionary Tale of Numero Cinco." She's a symbol, a reminder of "the right thing to do" ("Hellbound"). That's something that Angel can't have anymore because S5's arc is about Angel losing his reasons to fight. By the end of the season, Angel has become Lawson, the poor vamp he made during WWII would afterward could never figure out "why we fight." Angel, as someone who's always been given his reasons for fighting from outside sources (Whistler, Buffy, Doyle, Cordelia, the Powers That Be), couldn't keep going without a purpose. And there was no one left to give him one.

So yeah, I see how this fits together now. S5 is about losing hope, about suicidal gestures and futile stabs in the face of destiny. And even more weirdly, it's a comedy.

Comments

[deborahc.livejournal.com]

A great continuity hole or just a flagrant double standard?

Angel/us vs : Spike/Spike.

I've been watching AtS S4, and it's just exasperating how re-ensouled Angel is considered absolutely blameless for all the shit that Angelus got up to, but Spike with a soul is still condemned for his actions while souless.

The Double Standard

[thedeadlyhook.livejournal.com]

I've never seen anyone actually address why this is, either inside the show or outside it. I mean, yes, it IS hypocrisy, dictionary definition. Angel does hold himself responsible for Angelus, but no one else seems to, oddly enough because being re-ensouled wasn't something he chose. It wasn't his fault. Spike, on the other hand, who did make that choice, continues getting hit with accusations regardless, because having made a choice, his motives are called into question.

And it makes one wonder - the titular heroes on both shows are people who never made the choice to be what they are, but have had some kind of burden thrust on them and then have to cope with it. Meanwhile, characters who actually choose their actions are treated with suspicion. What's that say about free will?

On Season 5

[(Anonymous)]

I don't agree that Season 5 worked well as an entire story arc. The tone in the story changed too drastically for me -especially after Fred's death. And there were too many plot holes to satisfy me.

But I must heartily agree with the writer that Illyria's presence on the show was irrevelant. And so was Fred's presence. Poor Amy Acker. Stuck with two characters that didn't really contribute much to the Season 5 story.

Re: On Season 5

[thedeadlyhook.livejournal.com]

Oh, I agree the whole thing doesn't hang together. Angel's arc, in retrospect, seems fairly consistent from an emotional standpoint (one would hope so, since he's the main character), but the plot setup for it (the Black Thorn, Cordy's kiss, etc.) was bonkers, and Illyria just confused the issue. And the ending isn't a complete success, narratively, because the point of what they were fighting to achieve was so unclear. It came off as little better than a suicide mission, which was why I felt the end of Angel's story was so depressing.

[deborahc.livejournal.com]

Lest I make a faux-pas, is it okay with you to pimp this discussion to my board and include a link?

[thedeadlyhook.livejournal.com]

Okay with me, and thanks for asking too. I appreciate it.

[thedeadlyhook.livejournal.com]

Thanks! I'm glad it makes sense - I was really starting to get the impression that I'd led people to believe I was saying that Spike-is-better-than-Angel or somesuch, which wasn't what I was saying at all. Morally, there's some room for discussion there, depending on your take on what's required for redemption, but it was the way they seemed to be pitted against each other to draw out just that question that fascinated me.

Up through "Soul Purpose" at least, you really notice the contrast being drawn. Whether any of it was intentionally planned to come over the way it ended up doing as a whole, you can't help but notice the way Angel seems so nail bitingly insecure while Spike seem pretty sure of who he is, either through boasts to Angel or private self-deprecating comments to Fred. You never see Spike stop trying, give up hope, not even in "Hellbound" when he's pretty darn sure he's going to hell, while Angel's key quote from that episode is "some people can't be saved." Angel's talking about himself there every bit as much as Spike - Wesley is right on target in "Numero Cinco" when he pegs Angel as losing hope.... but it was Spike that told Wes it was happening, even. Not per se because he wanted to help Angel, but... it still led one of Angel's best friends to talk to him when he otherwise wouldn't have, and thus we get into the doing-good-without-trying model, which I find kinda fascinating. In that sense, Spike is somewhat like the TV version of The Incredible Hulk, a chaos figure "driven by rage," as we're told, but who somehow usually manages to do good when he shows up, perhaps due to the Bruce Banner within, perhaps due to some cosmic pattern of the universe. Who knows?

But anway, this is one of the big grudges I hold against the Illyria story, much as I like that character. I would have loved to see this dynamic between them explored further instead of being cut off so abruptly in the rush to kill Fred. Sigh.

It all goes back to what kind of men they were....

[(Anonymous)]

Great essay. Loved your assessment that Spike isn't actually evil, "he just likes the look of the coat." And Fer, that "Spike (now) embodies all of Angel's perceived shortcomings."

I think Angel struggles so much in S5 when confronted with the newly-souled-smelling-like-Buffy-just-saved-the-world, Spike because, with all things now relatively equal, what's left, what's different, is the men they once were. Both are somewhat embarassed by their human selves, but if it's relected in the souled vampire they are today, then Angel's not comfortable looking at himself head-on. Whereas Spike can primp and preen in that mirror with little remorse.

[makd.livejournal.com]

Found my way here via Indri's LJ. Glad I stopped by; great discussion. Great essay, too. Lots of food for thought.

[thedeadlyhook.livejournal.com]

Thanks - welcome to the party!

Season 5 review

[(Anonymous)]

My observation is that much of the things that occured in Season 5 were due to the push from the WB to change the show in order increase the audience. I don't believe that Spike would have been a main character if the WB had not pushed it, rather I believe he would have been a reaccuring character used at some point to show Angel's confliction. As for the whole Angel taking over Wolfram and Hart, I don't believe the Angel from Season 1 or 2 would have ever cocidered it. Yeah I realized Angel has changed in the past few season's but not that much, even in trying to save Conner he would have found a better way. Again I believe the change was to reduce the expense and make it more audience friendly. I think the first part of the season was spent trying to explain all the changes they had to make in the show including finding a place for Spike. So for the most part I found Season 5 lacking in many ways. It was not until the episode "Welcome Home" that I really began to enjoy the show again and it appeared that the writers were back on track. Having said this, I still loved the show and the actors were terrific as always. James Marsters is a wonderful actor and I had concerns that his character would over shadow Angel but in my opinion David Boreanaz and the writers held their own. The show continued to be about Angel and his crew.

Re: Season 5 review

[thedeadlyhook.livejournal.com]

I actually agree that a lot of this came about because of the WB's request for more standalone episodes and to include Spike - not really knowing what to do with him, I think he was used for contrast with Angel and through sheer repetition of image (again, all likely unintentional on the staff's part) Spike comes away looking less conflicted. azdak had a good point somewhere in this post, about Spike being a character whose story is essentially "done," so of course he plays as less gray compared to Angel, who is still gnashing his teeth over whether or not the W&H deal was the right thing.

[mfnlaw.livejournal.com]

Gah. I'm speechless. This is a very insightful analysis of a seemingly disjointed season. I tend to think it's a combination of factors: the changes mandated by the WB, the necessity of keeping the characters fresh and interesting (which normally isn't a problem for ME, but seemed a bit strained this year), and the discovery that they had half a season to wrap up a universe. Or we could all be wrong and Joss intended it to be this way from the beginning.

I still can't bring myself to rewatch S5 yet. I suppose the wound is still fresh, which is magnified by the fact that I won't be turning to the WB on Wednesdays at 9 pm for Season 6 as we should be for next week.

(You have been friended. I look forward to reading more of your insights. Do you mind if I post a link to this in my journal, with all attributions, of course?)

[thedeadlyhook.livejournal.com]

Welcome, Friend. Please feel free to post a link!

[claudia-yvr.livejournal.com]

You make me want to rewatch the season. Right. This. Very. Second.

I'm still in denial about the cancellation of the show, but the continuing analysis and debate and fanfic continue, which gives me great pleasure.

Many thanks for sharing your thoughts!

DUDE, WHERE'S MY SOUL

[(Anonymous)]

My take on your essay was a "Spike is better than Angel"...which I totally disagree with. In my opinion, Spike is a very simple character. He is not conflicted, because he is very self-serving. Angel's take on the soul thing was..."I spent 100+ years suffering and agonizing, you spent 3 weeks in a basement, and to get into a girl's pants." Whoop, there it is!

I think that in writing this essay you overlooked a few important facts...mostly clues from comments from Joss. The fight is never over, it is everyday. Although an extremely grim situation, I believe the gang escapes the alley. Remembering that this could be a series ender, but that this tale takes up in another medium, i.e. movie, book. I don't believe the fans will allow it to die here, regardless of Boreanaz's willingness to reprise the role. With that said, Illyria's powers would probably play a big part in that escape.

Also, because of the nature of fighting the good fight (according to Joss). Good guys fall down, but they get up. Just as Angel did in Season 2 with Darla through Epiphany. Although filled with self doubt, he still takes a sizable shot at what can never be won...the total elimination of evil. Even when the outcome appears to have no reward for him. I believe this illuminates Angel's humanity, although he has yet to see this in himself. I believe that to be the missing piece. He does not need the Shansu, he only needs to realize his redemption for himself.

Lastly, while I love James Marsters and the character of Spike, not the Buffywhipped version, he could never, in my opinion, show up Angel. And he knows in his heart, not just self-loathing, that Buffy is not IN LOVE with him. Also, I am not buying the sudden shift in thought that he was consciously fighting for his soul in Season 6 BTVS, as the writers conveniently decided to have us believe.

hmmmm.....

[(Anonymous)]

Hi... I haven't read all the posts, so forgive me if I'm repeating something that was already said. *s*

As far as the Angel-v-Spike debate goes, "who is the real champion?" I don't think it could be Spike. Yes, he is innately good, regardless of how hard he tries to be bad, but to truly achieve redemption you have to fight something a lot bigger than the monsters in the outside world. You have to fight yourself, your own temptation, your own desires. No matter how difficult it gets to see the light at the end of the tunnel, you can't give up. It's about sacrifice. What has Spike really given up on his own free will? Not to say that it's fair to question his motives just because he chose to have a soul, rather than having it forced on him, because, however you look at it, it isn't fair. But having had to fight so much, and give up so much, and still keep on fighting, even though that light seems to be getting dimmer instead of brighter, makes Angel the obvious champion. The fact that he was willing to give up his dream of becoming human again only confirms that.

Another thing we need to remember about the plot turns, and the characters, is that they didn't find out the series was ending until they were almost finished writing the entire season. Joss was told when there were only like 6 episodes left (I think). So everything that was originally planned for Illyria/Fred, and the real meaning of Cordy's kiss, had to be trashed (most likely anyway). If the show had run for another season or two, things would probably be a little more "connected" than they appeared to be in the end.

Re: hmmmm.....

[thedeadlyhook.livejournal.com]

Another thing we need to remember about the plot turns, and the characters, is that they didn't find out the series was ending until they were almost finished writing the entire season.

I've clarified this in some of the other comments, but I was actually talking about how the show plays now as a single piece, regardless of whatever was originally intended/planned. The impressions one gets from a continuous watch - and I've noted people saying the same sorts of things about other seasons once the DVD sets came out - tend to be a little different than one gets from watching them week by week at the time. This essay was about the impressions I got from that kind of rewatch.

And no, I'm not saying Spike is a better champion than Angel, only that's what Angel is afraid of, how it looks to him. His insecurities and doubts come through loud and clear throughout the season - he's put in a lot of time and energy and suffering into making amends and is worried that it might (as measured by some outside judge) not really amount to anything. His main complaint about Spike is that he's had it too easy (three weeks moaning in a basement). So yeah, there's no question that Angel has put more conscious work into the redemption tour, and you could definitely make a case for him having fulfilled the kind of redemption criteria his own subsconcious laid out in "Soul Purpose" - that he earned a reward by not doing it for a reward, because at the end he gives the Shanshu away, expects nothing from his last stand, not even fame. (Like Cinco, whose brothers were not even remembered as heroes.) The question left standing at the end of the season is not "who deserves redemption more" but "what kind of rules is this redemption thing being judged by?"

Personally, I'd say they're both pretty well redeemed by the end. Although I found Angel's loss of hope to be very sad.

[beerbad.livejournal.com]

Very thoughtful, illuminating, great read.

Sending Spike on the baby-saving mission is symbolic for Angel - he's passing the torch he himself has given up by deciding he can do more good with Angelus-like ruthlessness than he could by upholding the life of a hero.

Interesting - this had never occurred to me, but you're right, it makes sense!

I might add that, as many fans have pointed out, Illyria served to give Wes purpose after Fred's inevitable death. It's been theorized that Wesley finally succeeded as a Watcher, i.e. Illyria's, and therefore he didn't have to die a completely miserable death.
[I didn't read any of the comments so I'm not sure if someone else has brought this up.]

[corvus1970.livejournal.com]

You can thank buffy.nu for my appearance here.

A superb essay, and you echo many of my thoughts about season 5, and also suggested many thing I hadn't even considered.

I really liked this...keep it up! :)

[kita0610.livejournal.com]

I'm hesitant to comment here at all, cause I'm sure my Angel-ho-ness precedes me, but I'm certainly not a Spike-hater, although Spuffy is *so* not my cuppa.

That said.

I think your analysis of Spike on Angel (heh, also I'm a slash fan, so watch for falling double entendres) was interesting, but incomplete. I don't think Spike took over the show, first off, and yea, as an Angel fan, I was grateful for that. But I especially don't think he took over a- or THE role, either. I think it's way more complicated than that implies.

Angel and Spike have long been compared by fans because supposedly they have so many similarites- but other than them both being vampires who ended up with souls and wanted to fuck Buffy, frankly, I don't think they have much in common at all. And while those defining characteristics SEEM to be, well, defining, they are much less so than a cursory glance would indicate. Not that I think *you* gave it a cursory glance, well, Ok, I think you may have given Angel one, to be fair.

Angel never believed he would get a reward, because Angel never thought he deserved one. And the boy is Catholic to the core, man; it's all about Redemption and Absolution for him. But as he says to Lorne in S2, after his "beige period", there is nothing at all he can do to atone, to make up for what he did. It's impossible. He learns this over and over, the hard way, every time. He keeps trying, and failing, and falling down, oh yea. But he does keep trying.

Angel's flaw is not that he wants to be a hero and can't- it's that he wants to be a man and can't. He can't get close to anyone lest he get too happy, vs. Spike who is all about the social. Spike *is* Id, in so many ways "LOVE MEE ME ME!" is his mantra. Angel is way more the martyr-(actually Angel is like my Jewish grandmother "no, I'll just sit here in the dark, alone. Never mind me.")

Spike couldn't take Angel's role, and IMO, he doesn't even WANT it. The whole idea that they fought for centuries over a girl (Dru, Buffy, etc.) which then became fighting over Shanshu was so much macho posturing. In the end, they saved one another's asses- hand holding in the Illyria ep (be still my slasher heart), Angel taking a stake for Spike in the AU of the ep where she blows up, and of course, Spike going into the fray with Angel in NFA, knowing they're probably all gonna die.

Angel is bigger than Spike- NOT in any sort of shipper/character lover-hater way. Angel is, like Buffy, a sort of icon, or symbol of something else.Of The Big Fight, wtf Joss decides that is for the moment. That's why people followed them even if they didn't like them as people, or knew the battle was to the death. Angel IS the mission, which is why when he loses it momentarily everyone around him freaks out. It's not that they CAN'T do it on their own (hell, they tried and Wes did OK when Angel fired them) it's that somehow, something is missing. Angel's the reason. This has nothing to do with him being a nice guy, or a better person than Spike. It's the virtue of it being Angel's show. It's why Angel keeps suffering, and always will. Angel? Will never win. That's the archetype he represents, and that's why I love him.

And so I don't think Angel failed, or lost anything, to Spike or to anyone else. The show ended with him lifting his sword in an alley. Nice full circle. Still and always a hero. That Spike chose to stand beside him in my mind, is just an added bonus of symmetry. (and slashy goodness *cough*).

Thanks for letting my put in my 2cents.

[thedeadlyhook.livejournal.com]

I actually love your take on all this. You've put a lot of it far better than I ever could. (I especially love the image of Angel as a Jewish grandmother.) So I don't think our viewpoints are really all that far off. I probably just didn't express it all that well, since I never thought this piece would get so much attention. I mean, I write junk like this all the time, but this is the first time so many people have really turned out to look at it. Go figure.

But.. I guess I saw Angel not so much as never really believing he could redeem himself as the sort of person who talks a negative game, but holds secret hopes in his heart. So S5 felt to me like watching him let those last shreds of hope go, falling deeper and deeper into despair, and it felt like Spike was being held up as a contrast to that. - like you said, because he never really cared about redemption the way Angel did, he never loses hope in the same way. The one thing he does seem to lose hope on, and that did matter to him, was Buffy, thus leading to the slashy brothers vibe we got that year. (Which I also quite enjoyed.) Spike basically seems to just want to belong somewhere (again, that whole "divine fool" thing I was talking about; he makes choices based on his own personal wants and instincts). Angel has higher aspirations as both a hero and a man... but he also spends a lot of brain energy thinking about right and wrong and what moves he should make.... he sets a very high bar for himself. But given his ambiguous actions in the last few eps, I have a hard time viewing Angel as anything but having let at least some of those aspirations go. He takes morally objectionable actions in order to focus on the "big picture," and that's the kind of thing that he used to argue against. Something changed, and to me, it seemed like it was him.

So to me, that last battle felt like a desperation move. I think Angel had stopped feeling he had anything to lose... which kind of freed him, in a way. Likewise, I think Spike and all the other fighters in the alley were free of pretty much anything but that battle - like Wesley, there was nothing else in the world that they either wanted or thought they could reach.

So in one way, Angel was definitely being heroic, in those last moments, by continuing to fight even if it accomplished nothing. Likewise, everyone who stood with him. But I still felt sad that in order to do that, go down fighting, he had to throw away his future and his hope. I can kind of feel happy for the mood of the fighters in that alley, but not the circumstances and attitudes that brought them there... if that made any sense. ; )

Thanks so much for coming by to comment! I've seen your writings in other places and always respected your point of view.

She fits

[disequal.livejournal.com]

The fifth season had a big theme about the meaning of power. This did show up in Angel vs. Spike, and fit on the meaning of W&H. How power can shake when someone just proves they can't control everything (the point of the last episode). So Illyria makes perfect sense.

She was a god, had so much control and everyone and everything worshipped her. She found her kingdom gone in "Shells" and even had most of her power taken away from her in "Time Bomb". Illyria is the symbol for loss of power, the things she once knew as maggots are taking hold of her, and painful truth of a beaurocratic conglomerate running the universe unlike a kingdom should. This contributes a large amount with the fifth season, from the emotional arcs of Angel in the appearance of Spike and especially showing what Wolframm & Hart truly is, and finally the outcome of the final episode to "prove this power wrong". Illyria is the emotional representation of a fallen god.

[affectations.livejournal.com]

Hi, I just came across your essay. It's very insightful and I really like your take on season 5.

The rules had changed, and nobody had told the audience yet.

I agree with this because the jump from season 4 ( and even from the previous seasons) was jarring. To a certain extent, it was the fact that there were more stand-alone episodes but it was also the Wolfram & Hart, Angel loses his heart arc. The more I think about it, the more I realize that seasons 5 was meant to be that way.

I agree with Spike taking over the show to a certain extent until about..."A Hole in the World" probably. Yes, I do agree that he sort of replaces Angel as the hero figure even to the point where they put Spike in nearly the same scene as Angel in 'City Of' where he saves the girl in the alley, up to the exact same music used in 'City of.' I do agree that he pushed Angel into doubting himself as a champion.

I like what you said about Fred being nothing more than an image. I think it is very sad considering that I really loved her character in season 4. I don't like it when characterisation is sacrificed to get a point across.

So yeah, I see how this fits together now. S5 is about losing hope, about suicidal gestures and futile stabs in the face of destiny. And even more weirdly, it's a comedy.

Thank you, this is season 5 in a nutshell. You've just completely captured season 5. I think season 5 is the darkest of all the seasons and I didn’t like the humour.

I whole-heartedly agree with what you've said about Angel. Yes, S5 was about Angel losing his reasons to fight because Cordelia was gone, Wesley was descending into madness and no one attempted to help him. No one was there to say "Angel, do something" like Lorne did in "Happy Anniversary" in Angel's beige period.

Something changed, and to me, it seemed like it was him.

So to me, that last battle felt like a desperation move. I think Angel had stopped feeling he had anything to lose... which kind of freed him, in a way.

You said this in a comment to someone else and I agree with this. I did not like the end because I felt like they were fighting because there was nothing left for them to do. I felt like Angel had lost his original intentions for fighting i.e genuinely wanting to help people because they shouldn’t suffer like they do. I felt that he was just doing it. It’s a bit hard to explain and I might not be doing it right.

I think one of the themes of the season is about corruption. You cannot fight from within the belly of the beast, you cannot compromise, you will end up being corrupted. Throughout it all, there were signs that W & H was a trap. To me, Angel biting Hamilton and drinking his blood is sort of a metaphor for this arc, that you have to be corrupted in order to win and I don’t like that. I felt like this was against everything the show had once stood for and gone was the theme of helping people, of the small acts of kindness. So to me, the fight at the end, heroic or not, felt sort of empty, hollow because essentially the heart was gone.

Great essay and sorry about my huge rant.

[(Anonymous)]

As for the original post i disagree with your belief that Angel is no longer a hero. If anything by the end of the season/series Angel is more of a hero than he has ever been. Prior to this season Angel has always been driven by the ultimatly selfish desire to obtain redemtion, he fought the good fight only because one day he would become a real boy, (and back in the day end up with Buffy). He wasn't simply fighting because it was the right thing to do he was fighting because he had something to gain. Then in the finale when Angel signed away the Shanshu this wasn't some way of saying that he gives up, this was the moment that Angel stopped fighting for a prize and stared to fight for all the right reasons, because it was the good thing to do. He was taking down the circle and putting a clog in the machine for one brief moment because it was the good thing to do it was what a hero does, lives as the world should be, where evil can be fought, as opposed to the reality of the world. Although Spike also does grow up i mean he isn't hero because love is making him be. Spike has always been driven by love (dru then buffy) and this season when there was no real 'love interest' other than the on going buffy-love he was confused for a while and then he did the good thing and fough like a hero but by no means did he replace Angel as champion. Angel was more of a hero than ever. Spike represented the very thing which Angel had to over come, that being fighting to gain something rather than because it is the right thing to do. Spike died in the hellmouth because he loved Buffy if there had been no Buffy in the mix Spike would not have cared any less. This season ALSO saw him depart from fighting for personal gain and began to fight for what was right. They both grew.

[quasi-hayley.livejournal.com]

Sending Spike on the baby-saving mission is symbolic for Angel - he's passing the torch he himself has given up by deciding he can do more good with Angelus-like ruthlessness than he could by upholding the life of a hero. Pretty darn bleak.

That's something I've been trying to explain to my friends for a while and you've just summed it up in one sentence. There is one little thing I disagree on though, I feel that by doing this it means that Angel is a true hero. He accepts his flaws and still does the right thing which admittedly makes him a tragic hero but, in my eyes, a hero nonetheless. Even so, you've given me a lot more to think about and I thank you for that.

I was wondering if you'd mind me archiving the first section of this at Archaic Reputation (http://onenine85.net/angel) please? I think it's something that Angel writers should read if they really want to get a handle on his motivation. May I?

[thedeadlyhook.livejournal.com]

Wow. Thank you. I'm honored that you feel this warrants archiving - it was just a general impression of the season I'd kind of cobbled together at the time without much intent for real intensive character analysis.

But... I kind of wonder, if this might seem a little out of place on an Angel-based site? I'm not horribly eager to get a lot of angry mail from serious Angel fans on this, especially since it was not really intended to be a hard look at Angel's overall character, but just kind of a temperature-taking of the S5 arc... I'd have covered a lot more ground if I'd meant to tackle Angel's heroism in general, starting with my list of the main reasons for why I thought Angel's last stand came across to less heroic that it could have been (mostly about the shoddiness of setup for the Black Thorn menace, which hardly came off as throw-our-lives-away-worthy, and various dodgy political points). So I don't know if this essay is really strong enough as a standalone to really sum up Angel's decisons there.

Funny thing is, I do agree, most definitely, that Angel is heroic in those last episodes for going forward even though he's passed beyond all hope of his own redemption (in his own eyes, that is). I could even argue that there's a parallel between Angel in "Not Fade Away" and Spike in "Chosen" - in both cases, the last fight is the one they don't expect to survive winning. Which can't help but be tragic.