Worst and Most Shocking Death (AtS)

[patxshand]

Saw this over at the Buffy section and, since "Angel" had way better deaths, I figured I'd bring it over here. You know what to do.

[KingofCretins]

You missed the trick -- the answer is Tina, the first woman Angel is sent to protect. Joss mentions in the commentary that they saved it to the top of the third act just to increase the surprise of it, and I think it was *totally* unexpected that in Angel's first episode, his first big solo hero adventure, he'd fail to save the girl.

[LaJaula]

Doyle's was very surprising to me- I was spoiled for it, but I thought it happened in the next episode, since Glen Quinn was credited for 10 eps. So it definitely surprised me- I kept thinking, "Okay, how are they gonna get out of this alive?" And then...they didn't. And the scene with Cordy and Angel watching the tape in the office afterwards always makes me well up.

Cordelia's death also always makes me sad- it wasn't shocking, since you knew she was gonna go, but it just makes me feel such a sense of loss- Angel's the only one of the three left.

[ciderdrinker]

Haven't voted in the poll because "Saddest" and "Most Shocking" are different to me.

Saddest for me was Fred. She was such an innocent and loveable character that had just finally got round to being with the man she loved, and then Bam! deathness.

Most Shocking for me was Lilah. I never saw it coming, and they way she died at the reveal of EvilCordy left me utterly speechless

[patxshand]

You missed the trick -- the answer is Tina, the first woman Angel is sent to protect. Joss mentions in the commentary that they saved it to the top of the third act just to increase the surprise of it, and I think it was *totally* unexpected that in Angel's first episode, his first big solo hero adventure, he'd fail to save the girl.

Shocking enough for a red shirt, but--like Katrina, or even (IMO) Kendra in the Buffy version of the thread--not important (or even sad/shocking) enough to make the list. When you have deaths as shocking as Doyle's and as sad as Fred or Wesley's...

[The Watcher]

None of the deaths were a surprise to me other than Lindsey's. I wasn't so much surprised that he died but that it was at gun point by Lorne of all people. Only afterwards did I realise and understand why Lorne said what he did to Angel before they disbanded to fight.

oh and Gunn died? When did this happen? lol ... he made his way to Angel and Illyria (formly Fred) at the very end of the last episode.

[KingofCretins]

The Watcher, since I know you haven't caught up yet, I'll answer your question, but in spoilers.

Spoiler:

Gunn was turned into a vampire during or after the battle in the alley, and is revealed in "Angel: After the Fall" Chapter 1.

[The Watcher]

^Is that one of those comics made after the tv series ended? I never took an interest in any of those for either Buffy or Angel. I'm completely shocked by this too, I can't believe that happened!!! and tbh i'm kinda disappointed they choose to have him killed off that way. Can I change my vote? lol

[KingofCretins]

Clearly, you may want to reconsider taking an interest in them, since they are part of the ongoing story of the characters you've been following. That's not even the only character from the Buffyverse to be killed between "After the Fall" and Season 8

Transcripts are available for both comics on this site

[Nina]

I'm going for Holtz's death. I knew that he hated Angel, but this step went so far that I was shocked that he did it. It's completly IC, but that didn't changed the feeling. Somewhere I had the feeling that he was cooled down a bit after kidnapping Connor.

I was also shocked after the death of Connor, Angel had to kill his son and somewhere I wasn't sure he could do it. Well, it was turned back ... but on that single moment I really believed that Angel killed his son.

I was the saddest after the death of Cordelia. She was there for so long and Angel's 'thank you' breaks me everytime.

[Pandora's_Box]

I voted for Fred, the writings in that ep are really excellent. The situation itself is so awful, watching his lover die in his arms. Acker made amazing acting!! The last breath is so strong and heart-breaking!

[Signe]

Yeah, I voted Fred. I knew she was going to die sometime in the season. However, Fred and Wes had just gotten together (I mean, finally!) and I was happy, they were happy. Everybody were happy! (Except Spike and Angel who were fighting about astronauts and cavemen... anyways). The point is, I was surprised that Fred was killed so soon, sudden and fast (the death "begun" and "ended" in one episode). Moreover, her death scene (along with when Buffy finds Joyce) are the only two deaths in Whedon-verse that gets to me *every single time*. No matter what mood I'm etc. So that's why I voted Fred I guess.

[alexa]

Shocking and Saddest are really different.
I was shocked when Darla died. Hard to pick, but Fred and Wesley were the saddest. Voted for Wesley in the end because he's my favourite Angel character so I was really pissed that they killed him, even if it was the end of the show and it was a great scene.

Doesn't really seem like Gunn should be in the poll because we havent seen him actually die (yet).

Spoiler:

But now that we know that he did die, and rise as a vampire. That's something else that originally pissed me off because of his background with vampires. But I heard it online ages before I heard that the comic was coming out, so wasn't so much of a shock. I'm pretty much used to it now, and happy that he's at least still involved.. although not sure for how long

[patxshand]

Doesn't really seem like Gunn should be in the poll because we havent seen him actually die (yet).

Well...

Spoiler:

I think the reveal of him as a vamp certainly constitutes a death scene. It was devastating for me, at least as much as, for example, Tara's death scene in BtVS. And "After the Fall" is a part of the canon, so I think it would be weird to not have him in the poll.

[vampmogs]

I had a real hard time coming up with one pick for the poll, I was praying you could pick more than one

But I went with Lilah just because it was so bloody unexpected. I guess I didn't expect her to die, and especially not from Cordelia of all people. Lilah is one of my favourite characters ever in the Buffyverse, I adore her, so I was sad to see her go.

But I also would like to mention some others;

Lindsey's death was very shocking and eerie, mostly because it was Lorne who shot him and I wasn't expecting it. To see Lorne do that blew me away, just everything about that scene gave me shivers. How they dulled down any music so you could really hear the gun shots, the silence, Lindsey's whimpering and Lorne's "Goodbye folks" was just eerie.

Wes: He had the whole "then I guess I'll just have to do this the old- fashioned way" which is usually a sign that a character is going to do something cool after a little wit. But Wes couldn't deliver the goods, I was shocked when Vail snatched his hand then stabbed him.

Doyle: Pretty shocking as well because I expected him to be around longer and this was at a time when I was still pretty young and didn't know about spoilers

Cordy's death definitly falls into the 'sad' category, it was heartbreaking but a great last scene for her character. She'll always be one of my favourites, and Fred's last words were just horrible and made me really feel for her.

Yikes.. a lot of people died in Ats huh!

[Nikole]

I voted for Wes. Although it was more sad than shocking. Never cried so much at anyone's death as much as I did for Wes.

I'd say Lindsey's was most shocking just because of who did it. When Lorne shot him out of nowhere I was just like WTF. Did that just happen?!

[NimNams]

Easily Fred for me. Anything sadder than an innocent victim? Especially one just finding happiness? And she's so cute, too...Plus, I thought the moment was handled excellently. A big, long send-off, lots of emotion, lots of gripping TV.

[Heather]

See, with "Angel" I think this topic is split into two very different categories - the most shocking death and the saddest death. So that's how I'll split my post up.

On the poll, I voted for Fred since her death, to me, was the saddest. The entire episode was absolutely heartbreaking, what with the flashbacks and Fred's dialogue and how desperately everyone wanted to save her but, in the end, they couldn't. It was devastating - to the characters and to me. And, to make matters worse, they had to go and end the episode with a sad, yet optimistic for past!Fred, scene that just...gah! AND Amy Acker? Blew that episode out of the water with her performance which sold it all for me. I was sobbing.

As for the most shocking death, I would have to say Lilah. I wasn't as invested in the character then (when the episode first aired) as I am now since season 4 was the first season I watched of Angel - while it was airing on the WB - but when that episode came about, I literally screamed. It was so out of the blue! So random! So...gah! And rewatching the scene only makes matters worse since now I DO love the character and seeing evil!Cordy plung that knife into her neck just...gah. It kills me.

[Ehlwyen]

I'm going for Holtz's death.

Waaahaahahaaa!!! I totally agree it was shocking, I thought since he was annoying we'd be saddled with him for a long time. So I was quite elated with his death. I'm a bad girl.

Shocking and heartbroken, I'm torn between Doyle and Lilah. Doyle was sad because he got such a good death. He saved people and was remembered and mourned in later episodes. Lilah was so sad because she wasn't loved and she had so much potential as a character. I think I'll choose her in the poll.

Cordelia's death wasn't shocking as much as it was frustrating and enraging. I'm lucky I didn't throw something in the television after it. Wesley's was equally frustrating and useless. It felt like the show was just trying to ratchet up the body count.

I found Fred's death more sad in the episode AFTER she dies when we get her flashback and song. (I'll bawl through a box of tissues.) The episode in which she died had us pretty prepared for the outcome.

[sherrilina]

Well the saddest death was definitely Fred--even Cordy's death wasn't quite as sad, since she seemed to be much more at peace with dying in YW than Fred was in AHITW.

As for shocking, it'd be Darla without a doubt--that was the only death I think that truly shocked me to the core, that I hadn't seen coming at all. See, I was pretty spoiled when it came to Angel, since I didn't begin watching it until after I had discovered the Buffyverse online. So I knew that Doyle would die for example (after looking him up on imdb to try to figure out why he wasn't in the season 4 cast photo, only to find out he was off the show after epp 9!), and Fred and Cordy and Wes, and I think I was spoiled about Lilah too. But with Darla, I had seen her mentioned as appearing in season 4 (though not that she had been a vision at the time), so I thought she was still alive then, and couldn't believe it when she died. It's like how shocked I was when Spike died in Chosen I guess, since I had thought he was the only one I knew for sure would survive given that he was in season 5 of ATS!

And yeah, a lot of people did die in ATS, it was a much sadder/darker show than Buffy....where the death toll of main characters (not including Buffy or Angel since they both came back on the show) being....what, 4? (Joyce, Tara, Anya and Spike--since Spike didn't come back on Buffy)