Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #5068 in DVD
• Released on: 2005-10-03
• Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
• Format: PAL
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English
• Number of discs: 6
• Running time: 999 minutes

Synopsis
This box set contains the entire second season of the popular BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER spin-off starring David Boreanaz as a repentant vampire. Episodes include 'Judgment' (featuring Eliza Dushku), 'Are You Now or Have You Ever Been', 'Darla' (featuring James Marsters), 'The Thin Dead Line', 'Disharmony' (featuring Alyson Hannigan), 'Over the Rainbow', and many more.

Customer Reviews

Drawn further into the Whedonverse
Many TV series hit their stride with their Season 2 and this seems to have happened with "Angel". Season 1 was not at all bad, setting the scene and introducing the characters, with an abundance of decent plots, demons, action, and good characterisation and dialogue. But Season 2 takes it to a new level as the various story arcs develop.
The team is expanded with the addition of Gunn, while the increasing role of the Holtz is apparent, and Fred is introduced. Cordelia becomes less self-centred, Wesley continues his transformation from wimp to James Bond figure, and Angel remains good (despite attempts to render him dark again). As the schemes of (literally) evil law firm Wolfram and Hart play a larger part so we see more of the workings within the firm and some welcome character development there. More of Angel's back story is revealed, and we have a good scattering of guest stars as various characters from "Buffy" appear for a short time in the LA setup. Not only do we have gloom and demonic threats aplenty and action galore, we also have some very witty dialogue and truly funny moments, all the better for being short or in the background and not milked or drawn out.
All in all a very good demonstration of the remarkable talents of the remarkably-talented Joss Whedon and his team.

Angel struggles with his sophomore season...
Angel season 2 is good. When it's good, it's brilliant. But it doesn't really start off, or finish on a high.

And although there is not as much cross referencing with Buffy season 5 as there was between Angel 1 and Buffy 4, this season is still best viewed alternatively with episodes from Buffy 5.

Of course, all the gang is back. Angel in particularly is very well portrayed by David Boreanaz, who seems to have grown with the character. He has really developed a sense of humour in this series, but still has his very dark moments.

Wesley and Cordelia are the same they've ever been, and Gun gets a bigger role now. Occasionally he gets annoying, but not too much. The best new character is The Host, a green skinned red horned mind reader. He's funny, and really brings a needed energy to the series.

The returning of Darla is also most welcome, and gives the storylines an added impetus regarding her relationships with Angel and her manipulation of him, and make fascination watching. There is such a rich backstory to all these characters, and the episodes which go back in time to show Angel becoming a vampire and living with Darla are among the season's best. In those episodes you also get cameos from Spike - always a plus!

The whole middle part of the season is superb - Wolfram and Heart are trying to destroy Angel, and every means necessary is used to accomplish that, including Darla. Angel is not a very epic show, it just has deep, involving and rich storylines.

Which is a shame that the beginning and ending of the season are let down. At first, the first quarter of the show is quite formulaic. The first Angel season built a decent formula that worked for that series - Cordelia has a vision, Angel helps the person involved with the vision, big fight, episode ends - and this formula is repeated at the start of this season. But although that was fine for the introductory series, now it just feels like it's a repeat.

Of course, it doesn't last long as the middle section of the series really pulls its weight and offers great viewing, but leads up to a disappointing end. As I've already said, Angel is about fantastic stories, and the ending takes the heroes to another world, and tries to be all epic fantasy. Sure the fights are good, but it seems a decent storyline has been put on hold because of that, and it was ultimately a unfulfilling end to the season.

But not watching season 2 because of that reason, is like not getting into a Caribbean cruise boat because it might sink. You'll miss an awful lot of fun! And Angel is always fun to watch. The superb Wolfram and Heart storylines are among the best in the entire 5 series show. (oh, and I suggest not watching any of the featurettes on the DVD before you've watched all the episodes, because they do occasionally give some plot points away!)

One of the best series around
In the second series, Angel really hits its straps.

Rather like Buffy before it, in the first series it is just finding what it is good at, what works and what doesn't work. Though while stronger than the first series, it still has its problems.

David Boreanaz plays both the dark brooding Angel, and the socially awkward clown very well, but the character doesn't so much arc between the two as flip-flop wildly, making him rather difficult to truly believe or relate to.

But the stories are much stronger, and action is perfectly balanced and the humour wonderful done.

In particular, Charisma Carpenter is just plain wonderful. As the series progresses, so her character becomes darker and more intriguing. She manages to give the character a kind of nobility and tragedy, and to somehow balance this with genuine humour. The true star of the series.