Favourite Season

[fitri]

What's your favourite season of Angel? I'll see what others post before I write down my opinions.

[bellylove]

Season 2 because Angel and Darla are love . I ****ing love them together.

[Spuffy4l87]

At first it was Season 2, I loved the whole dark Angel and him with Darla. There is something about the two of them I really enjoyed watching, even though I am a big Cangel shipper.

But, Season 5 stole my heart and my vote. I laughed and cried in that season and most of the episodes were some of the best and most powerful we have seen through out the course of Angel. Plus, SPIKE!! I love the two of them constantly bickering, but I also loved the weird friendship ( if you can call it that) that they had. We got to see a different side.

[LaJaula]

Season Four. Season Two is close, but Season Four wins. I mean, you've got

• Deep Down. My favorite Ats episode ever. Plus all of the other great ones, like Supersymmetry and Spin the Bottle and Players and The Magic Bullet...
• Dark!Wesley. Whom I alternatively love and hate at random points throughout the season. I love his gradual acceptance back into the MoG, his creepy obsession with Fred (back when it was still supposed to be creepy and not adorable), the fact that he spent all summer looking for Angel and Cordy, and his relationship with...
• Lilah. In all her wonderfully bitchy glory. She was great the whole season, and managed to keep knocking 'em dead at Wolfram and Hart while believably falling in love with Wesley.
• Fred. This is her best season in my mind. She's tough and strong and knows how to keep it together when things are falling apart. I love her speech to Gunn about "shells", made all the more poignant by Season Five.
• Angel and Connor. I love their relationship more than any other in the Buffyverse. All of it, too-- I love when Angel kicks Connor out of the hotel, and when he hugs him in relief in Wolfram and Hart.
• The arc-ness. You can barely catch a breath this season, and it really keeps you on the edge of your feet. My least favorite episode this season is The House Always Wins, because it always feels like a pause in the story. But technically, even that episode is necessary, because of the Lorne-ness.
• The retcon. I know many people hate it, but to me it's fascinating. Angel has always been about destiny and prophecy; this just furthered that. Plus, while there may be some small holes, this for the most part connects the whole series. After you've seen Inside Out, you realize that the entire story of Angel has been leading up to this point. Awesome.
• Angel and Cordelia. Not so much any lack of emotion on Cordelia's part, but rather Angel's love for her. He forgives her in Awakening when I couldn't, and I love how he kisses her forehead in The Magic Bullet before he cuts her.
• Faith. Showing that she can be a good girl and still kick some ass. Finally working with Wesley after four years of hating one another. Really, the Angel/Wesley/Faith story is amazing-- carried on from Consequences to Five by Five all the way 'til now, in Salvage and Orpheus. Angel and Faith, with Wesley always in between. [That sounds a lot dirtier when I say it than when Angelus does. How is that even possible?]
• The Big Bads. Or little bads. I like the Beast for what he was-- a scary, threatening demon guy who killed anything in his path. Not really much deep meaning there, but hey? That's what Jasmine's for! She was a really great concept-- Angel damns the world into pain and misery instead of saving it.

Of course, there are a few points against it:

• Connor and Cordy. But even this is easier on rewatch, because I wind up feeling worse for both of them. Cordelia, of course, isn't herself. Connor really doesn't know what he's getting himself into, and in episodes like Inside Out and Peace Out, his inner conflicts are portrayed so well that I completely understand him. VK is made of awesome.
• Cordelia. She's one of my favorite characters, so I hate that she's gone this season. And I hate that, at the beginning of the season, I hated her. But at least it wasn't really Cordy, right? I just focus on You're Welcome if it's ever hard for me to keep the Cordy love in Season Four.
• Home. Specifically, the Wolfram and Hart bits, because other parts of it kick ass. But I hate Gunn and Lorne's (and somewhat Fred's) reactions to W&H: Oooh, new toys! Okay, I'll be semi-evil!
• The Angelus/Angel-are-two-separate-entities. There's....really no getting around this. I hate it. But everything else more than makes up for it.

[ShinyFirefly]

Season 2. There isn't one episode I hate in its whole run. I've listed the reasons so many times before though that I won't bother to again. Let's just say I love it all, from Judgement to Pylea and everything in between!

I find it hard to rank the other seasons, but I usually put season 5 next in order of favorites as it has a lot of my favorite episodes after 2. But every season had its ups and downs so its difficult for me to say.

[fitri]

After reading the comments, I've decided to agree with LaJaula. Season four is my favourite. There's just a lot of great episodes and moments in it.

[Daihrin]

See, I have a relatively easy time ranking Buffy seasons compared to Angel seasons. All in all, I've gotta say 2 is my favorite because of Darla, Lindsey, Gunn's arc (continued, of course, into Season 3), and Dark!Angel. Angel feels like he's really tortured, that he wants to atone but doesn't know how. Season 1 Angel (moreso than Buffy!Angel, but only slightly) was always just "Mmm. Fight evil. Brood." It wasn't personal -- most of the time, anyway. But Season 2... that's totally got that little extra something I needed. Oh, and Cordy's a perfect mix of bitch and hero.

I think 5 comes next, because it gives a satisfying conclusion to Wesley's series-long arc, has the whole Spike/Angel interaction, cavemen vs. astronauts, and I love being inside Wolfram & Hart. Then I'd say either four or three, depending how much I'm in for the Cordy/Connor thing. Initially, I liked 4 the best of all of them, but I think that's going down now, because I didn't like Jasmine all that much -- it was just...I donno. I liked the metaphor, but I didn't like her, you know? But 1 is still really good, with Doyle (wish he couldv'e come back later...) and the one off episodes. I mean, I'm all for the mythology (hence 4 initially being my favorite) but... well, some of those one offs were really neat, 'f you ask me. Plus, again, Doyle. So, you know.

[vampmogs]

I picked season 4. I re-watch that season the most, I love the darkness of it, the Beast, Faith's return, caged Angelus and I even liked Jasmine! It did have some faults, I don't feel that it felt entirley natural having the Beast and then moving onto Jasmine, to much of a tonal shift. But I still love all the episodes.

I don't think Ats really hit its stride until s3 of the show. Season 2 had some amazing episodes and I adored anything with Angel/Darla and then Dru, loved it. But it also had some incredibly weak episodes and I didn't really enjoy the Pylea arc, unpopular opinion I know, I thought it was lousy how Dru just left like she did, poor writing, and I didn't enjoy how Darla just left as well. Yes she comes back, but I guess I'm more of a fan of Btvs how you have a big bad and they stick around all season, I like that way of storytelling better.

Season 3 was when the show turned darker, I think the quality suddenly became much better, the stories far better, and I think that was large in part, due to Holtz and the big bad kind of storytelling rather than the detective cases monster of the week style episodes that made season 1 so hard to love for me.

Season 5 was great, it had the some of the shows best episodes. Consistent wise, I'd say it was probably the best. BUT I liked Cordy more than Spike, the Hyperion over Wolfram and Hart, Lilah over Eve and I do feel the show lost some of it's gritty darkness. And Angel seemed to regress into dark and gloomy more so than being personal and really connecting with people. So I can't say it's my favourite, but still, a very good season.

I'd probably rank it;

1) Season Four
2) Season Three
3) Season Five
4) Season Two
5) Season One

Season five and season three constantly go back and forth, and whilst I'd have loved to have season 2 up higher, it's lows end up out weighing it's strengths for me.

[alexa]

Guess the season thread died. I'm still voting for season five. I just think it rocks, not sureif this is because Joss could focus on Angel more now, Spike was there, and we had this awesome arc and new characters like Illyria. It's the season of Angel I watch the most and just seems very together.
Although I still enjoy the other seasons, but not as a whole. My order right now would be..

season 5
season 1 (really good one shot episodes and classic lines)
season 2 (also good one offs and nice arc)
season 4 (I guess it was well thought out and a huge arc, but a little too dramatic for me)
season 3 (Liked a few of the episodes, but not a fan of the Holtz arc or Cordy/Angel)

[fitri]

My favourite seasons, in order are:

Season 4
Season 5
Season 2
Season 3
Season 1

[Nina]

Season 4 is also my favourite season, and I agree with all the reasons LaJaula posted, only Deep Down isn't my favourite episode ... but I do love the episode.

Season 2, the Darla arc is my favourite arc in the verse. I love Angel & Darla together, the chemistry between JB and DB is amazing and I love the epiphany speech. The stand alones aren't that great, but AYNOHYEB is fantastic. Pylea was funny, but a bit of a let down after the great episodes like Reprise, Epiphany etc. And Reprise in my favourite episode of Ats.

Season 5 and 3 are tied ... I love the character developments and the Holtz arc in season 3. Angel is amazing in this season as a person and Wesley's arc is great. But somehow, this season can't win my love and I'm not sure why. Season 5 had a very slow start with some fun or interesting moments but most of the time they were adjusting to the new situation. I missed Cordelia, didn't know what to think about Spike in the series, Harmony was funny ... but also a little bit overused, Angel was closed off, Lindsay was lame and the friendships between the main characters weren't there. But the second half, when everything really started ... amazing. I love almost every episode of the second half. Connor came back and he was great, Angel was back, Gunn stopped being a scary W&H lawyer, Spike found his place in the team, less time for Harmony and Illyria who I don't like but she brought a lot of story with her. Of course there is poor Wesley, who is a serious contestant for the title; worst live ever. And it ended with my favourite finale ever, Not Fade Away.

And on the last place, season 1. It was a season of searching. And it had some great episodes. But the power of Ats is in the arcs, and there wasn't an arc.

[skinless]

Let's see
Season 5
Season 1
Season 2
Season 3
Season 4

[Nenya Awakens]

I went for season to, I really love the way cordelia grows in this season, and Over the rainbow & through the looking glass are two of my FAVOURITE episodes!

The whole Darla story was great especially the episode "Darla" very interesting to see a bit of history for this charactor, she finally accepts what shes done and starts the long road to redemption, only for it to be snatched away from her By Dru and Wolfram and heart.

The whole Illyria Arch in Season 5 cut me up, Freds Death haunted me, it was so hard to Watch, especially when she died in wesleys arms, and her last words wer

"why cant i stay" such a shame that the characters never got the chance to be split like they were intended to be

[Pandora's_Box]

Still hesitating between Season 4 and Season 5...One has 10 episodes in my top 20 but the worst Season ending of the Buffyverse, the other has 5 episodes in my top five and three of 'em are my 3 favorite episodes of the show....

OK, here it is:

1. Season 4
2. Season 5
3. Season 2
4. Season 3
5. Season 1

EDIT: The same as fitri!!! Maybe we have the same top for BtVS

[lee]

Heres mine:

1. season 2
2. season 3
3. season 1
4. season 5
5. season 4

[buffyholic]

I chose season 2 because it has the Darla arc 2 who is simply awesome. I love the dark Angel angle and just outstanding episodes, like "Darla", "Dear Boy". The Pylea arc may be a little weak but that does not hurt this amazing season.

My list:

Season 2
Season 5
Season 1
Season 4
Season 3

[Fuzzy]

Love me some season 4 & 1 action

My list:

Season 4
Season 1
Season 3
Season 2
Season 5

Its hard coz i really adore all seasons except for 5...

[kudagirl]

Season 5 is my favorite.

First of all because of Spike joining the show. That would be enough, but I loved how the other characters developed. Gunn became the lawyer and ended up finding the cost was more than he thought it would be. Poor Fred finally found some happiness with Wes and then died which gave her a great scene. I loved watching Wes and Spike with Illyria. Loved the relationship between Spike and Angel. Angel started out by showing how petty he was about Spike. Then he had to admit Spike was a good guy. Then they had banter which was so good.

Season 1 was finding themselves and developing what the show was going to be.

Season 2 had Darla. Season 3 and 4 were okay, not my favs.

[Tie was here]

I picked season 5. The last eight episodes completely win it for me.

[skinless]

I love all the season 5 love on the thread. its awesome