Rating: 
Summary: Angel, Cordelia, Wesley and Doyle, this is only the start
Review: we get more into the character of Angel in this season as he goes to L.A. after he left Buffy after an apocolyptic graduation day. Angel meets Cordelia and Doyle. Glenn Quinn as Doyle was only in 9 episodes and then this year Quinn died tradgiclly. then we enter Wesley and we get more into his return as a rouge demon hunter. cameos from Seth Green, James Marsters, Sarah Michelle Gellar and Eliza Dushku spark up the season big time. J. August Richards, who is only in 3 episodes at the end, joins the cast in the 2nd season. a must fan for any Angel fan.
Rating:
Summary: Angel of Mercy
Review: Welcome to Los Angeles, the City of Angels... or in this case, Angel and Angelus. Buffy's (Sarah Michelle Gellar, and obviously of Buffy the Vampire Slayer) vampire-with-a-soul boyfriend has left Sunnydale in order to give Buffy a better life. Now, he fights crime in LA; he has set up Angel Investigations, a Private Investigator for the strange and unusual. Along with him is fellow ex-Sunnydalian Cordelia Chase (Charisma Carpentar), half-demon Allen Francis Doyle (Glenn Quinn), and, after the sad death of Doyle, Faith the Vampire Slayer's old Watcher, Wesley Wyndam-Pryce (Alexis Denisof). Things start off with a case involving a very rich vampire who promises wealth and power to defenseless girls, then eats them. He is a client of a lawfirm called Wolfram and Hart, and said firm gets a bigger and bigger role as the season goes on. They are a special firm; many of their clients aren't even human, and the ones who are are always guilty. They are drug lords, mafia men, and crime kingpins. Their other clients are undead monsters, and they are led by a mysterious group called the Senior Partners. This show, while loyal to its Buffy roots, definitely can stand on its own. It is much darker than its predecessor; clear-cut black-and-white demons=bad is replaced with many shades of gray. Even the theme song is darker; Buffy has a bombastic rock'n'roll riff while Angel has a creepy Celtic orchestral lament. The characters on this show are all great. I wish that they had kept Doyle; he was hilarious. I also liked the direction they took Wesley in. I didn't like him in Buffy because he was too much of a wimp. In this show, he is able to show his true potential. I do have, however, two minor things to bring up. First of all, when the show began, Angel wasn't doing Angel Investigations, and even after they start it, they rarely get paid. So how does Angel afford his nice clothes, great apartment, cool furniture, and all the bribes he makes throughout the season? Also, has anyone noticed the similarities between this season's finale and Buffy's season 1 finale? In the episodes right before them, Angel retrieves a source of prophecies (in Buffy, it was a book, and in this, it was a scroll). In both shows, the prophecies foretell the death of the main character, and, in both, the prophecies come true to an extent (in Buffy, the Master kills her, but Xander revives her, and I won't reveal the secret to this season). This season contained many great episodes, such as I Will Remember You, where Angel became human, Eternity, where an actress wanted to become a vampire to retain her youth forever (not to mention a visit from Angelus, Angel's evil alter-ego), I've Got You Under My Skin, a very creepy story about an exorcism, which had a great twist ending, and finally, the season finale, To Shanshu In LA, with the greatest twist of the entire season; the return of... sorry, not going to tell you. If you like Buffy, there is a strong chance that you will enjoy this show as well, but be warned; as I said, this is no Buffy.
Rating:
Summary: Good start to an amazing show
Review: Angel is one of the best shows on tv.While season one is not nearly as good as any of the others,it is a decent beginning.And it's one of the better first seasons I have seen.Basically,Angel,the vampire with a soul goes to L.A to help people there.He is joined by Cordelia and Doyle in his quest to help people.City Of actually made me anticipate Angel a lot and while season one wasn't as good as I had hoped because of the small cast and because it was directionless at first,it was still pretty cool.I think Doyle shouldn't have departed so quickly to be so awkwardly replaced by Wesley.There's a few really bad episodes too.But it's only season one.I do not believe that Angel ever surpassed Buffy for the simple reason that they are way too different shows to compare.And anyway even if I thought it did,it wouldn't be because of season one.If you like Buffy,give Angel a try.While it does not compare with Buffy directly until season two,season one has a few highlights and it's mostly pretty entertaining.
Rating:
Summary: A good start to a great series
Review: Although not as good as the subsequent seasons, the initial season of ANGEL was nonetheless both a superb extension of the Buffyverse, and an excellent start to one of the better spin offs in television history. The first season suffered primarily from two problems, problems that would not be fully resolved until the second season, but which all concerned were able to overcome through superb writing and several strong individual episodes. The first of these problems was that the initial cast was not sufficiently diverse or balanced to provide the kind of interpersonal interplay that made BUFFY such a spectacular show. Over the course of the season, the future core of Angel Investigations is introduced, but they would not coalesce into a unit until the second season. By the end of the season Angel, Cordy, and Wesley are full-fledged members of the team, and Gunn is serving as an adjunct member. Their coming together as a team would be one of the major themes of the second season.The second problem with the first season was the series' inability to develop a compelling central story arc. Similar to the first season of Buffy, the show primarily worked within a monster-of-the-week format. We are introduced to Wolfram and Hart, but it hardly qualified as a structuring tale. One thing the Buffy/Angel team did to inject energy into ANGEL's first season was featuring many guest stars from BUFFY. Spike drops in early on for a memorable episode. One of the funniest moments in all of Buffy/Angel occurs as Spike witnesses Angel saving a woman, providing his own dialog for both hero and saved. Buffy herself is featured in two episodes, first the remarkable "I Will Remember You," and then one of the two superb Faith episodes. Wesley Wyndham-Price shows up first as a guest star, becoming a permanent cast member. One of the great things about Angel/Buffy is the way the characters mature and grow over time. ANGEL features the two greatest examples of this. When we first meet Wesley in BUFFY, he is a pretentious, cowardly twit, and he has not progressed very far from that when he reappears in ANGEL as a "Rogue Demon Hunter." Over the course of ANGEL, however, he undergoes a host of experiences, maturing and growing into a fully adult, flawed, yet great human being. The only character who grows more than Wesley is Cordelia. Watching her in Season Two or Three in ANGEL, it is hard to realize she is the same person who terrorized the Sunnydale High School student population with her bitchy judgments and arrogance. It takes time, but in the end we truly love and admire Cordy. Which leads me to a minor rant: at the moment, just before the beginning of Season Five of ANGEL, we have learned that Charisma Carpenter, who plays Cordy, will not be returning as a regular, despite her interest in doing so. In my opinion, this is a grave mistake. One of the great positive messages of Buffy/Angel has been that people can grow, mature, and atone for their lives. People can actualize their potential. At present, Cordy's story has been put on hold by her having been controlled by evil powers in Season Four. Cordy's story will remain incomplete until her recovery of herself is developed, along with her reintegration into the lives of her friends. Personally, I think this is inevitable, and luckily, nothing in the plotline prevents it from being possible. Season One is a very good show, but those seeing ANGEL for the first time on DVD will be delighted to know that this set is a mere warm up for the greatness that will unfold in Season Two.
Rating:
Summary: Introducing Angel
Review: I have to say I'm sorry I didn't watch this show until the last few eps of Season 4 (eager to see how Willow, Faith & Angel crossed between this show and Buffy's final hour.) Everyone assures me that seasons 3 & 4 were the best this show has seen yet, but I have to say I'm already very impressed with Season 1. It's got a darker, more dramatic feel than Buffy - even with Cordy! I never liked her character much on Buffy, but really enjoyed her, and her newfound maturity, on Angel. Though this season didn't really work up to a Big Bad the way Buffy usually does, (Wolfram & Hart was a more subtle bad and Kate is just plain boring) there were some great oneshots. We've got Faith and Buffy and Spike guest spots, and a whole slew of really cool demon characters - amazing makeup FX. Not to mention some great comedy (Angel dancing! Spike's voiceover!), and some great tearjerking moments. (I liked Doyle a lot, and found myself missing the new blood the late Glen Quinn brought to the show, plus the romantic tension - there wasn't a lot of romance in these eps.) If this season is considered lackluster Angel, I really can't wait to watch him shine - and the season one finale certainly makes me eager to buy the next boxed set - and definitely tune in for season 5! All in all, an entertaining introduction to a dramatic fantasy show.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent series and first season
Review: I bought this DVD collection because I had recently (season three) become a fan of _Angel_ and I wanted more history and back story of the series. These first season episodes proved to be every bit as good as the fourth season episodes, which speaks very highly of a tv series, in my opinion. If you're not already an _Angel_ fan, buy this DVD set and discover a great show. If you're already an _Angel_ fan, the only thing I found disappointing about this DVD collection was a moderate lack of special features (those that we sci-fans love so much!). However, don't let that stop you from buying this collection and being able to watch "Angel's imaginary dance sequence" and "Spike's Angel voice-over from afar" over and over again.
Rating: 
Summary: Inconsistent, but a good start to the show.
Review: Joss Whedon wanted Angel to be a monster-of-the-week show, and this is where it fails. In the next seasons it has a season-long story, which works much better. In this season we don't get enough character development or interesting stories which results in boring villains and throw-away episodes. However, the show has some great episodes which you'll be seeing in my episode-by-episode guide below: **SPOILER ALERT** Please note this guide contains spoilers for all season one episodes. EPISODE 1: City Of - 4.5/5 - A great start to the show. Loved the atmosphere and how they made Angel seem like a superhero figure for the town. Very promising. EPISODE 2: Lonely Hearts - 3.5/5 - Some scenes are overlong and are sometimes boring, but the episode has a neat premise which works really well. EPISODE 3: In the Dark - 4/5 - Some interesting insight into the character of Angel and the decisions he must make to seek redemption. This is a gorgeously shot episode, which also guest-stars Oz and Spike. EPISODE 4: I Fall to Pieces - 1.5/5 - I found the episode to be lame and unnecessary to the show. EPISODE 5: Rm W/A Vu - 3.5/5 - A cool ghost story that doesn't maintain it's interest in the second half, however it picks up in the third and fourth and has some interesting Cordelia characteristics. EPISODE 6: Sense and Sensitivity - 4/5 - A hilarious episode that was just plain enjoyable. EPISODE 7: The Bachelor Party - 2/5 - Had nothing to do with anything that was going on and wholly unnecessary to the plot and story-arc of the show. EPISODE 8: I Will Remember You - 4/5 - A bit overrated by Buffy/Angel shippers but a good episode, however it isn't paced very well. EPISODE 9: Hero - 4.5/5 - Doyle's leaving is very sad to watch but a necessary move for off-screen reasons. I loved The Scourge - I made an analogy that they were like The Nazis, which made the episode much more interesting for me. EPISODE 10: Parting Gifts - 3/5 - The episode starts well but goes downhill in the third and fourth acts. Shame. EPISODE 11: Somnambulist - 3.5/5 - A link to Angelus' past, but not really one we needed to see. This episode contained some cool imagery and fun scenes but it could've been written with a more interesting flair. EPISODE 12: Expecting - 0.5/5 - This was a horrid episode with a terribly bad story. Just watch it, you'll understand what I mean. EPISODE 13: She - 0.5/5 - Just as bad, if not worse, than the episode above. A pointless episode that is boring and plain ugly. EPISODE 14: I've Got You Under My Skin - 3.5/5 - I thought they could've done more with the exorcism idea, however this remained an interesting and stylish episode. EPISODE 15: The Prodigal - 4.5/5 - Extremely interesting back-story on Angel and a heartbreaking current story. One of the season's best episodes. EPISODE 16: The Ring - 4/5 - I dug the idea and really got into the fast pace and neat stlye of the episode. EPISODE 17: Eternity - 4/5 - Angelus' brief return is a very interesting one. This episode succeeds thanks mainly to the amazing performances of David Boreanaz and Charisma Carpenter. EPISODE 18: Five by Five - 5/5 - An incredible episode, full of story developments that will be brought up later in both shows Buffy and Angel. Best episode of Angel ever if you ask me. EPISODE 19: Sanctuary - 5/5 - Faith is on the road to redemption, but its not going to be easy. Buffy's visit to LA is necessary for her and Angel's conflict and the alliance between Faith and Angel was very interesting. EPISODE 20: War Zone - 2/5 - This episode was deeply boring though it had some good drama and the introduction of Gunn. EPISODE 21: Blind Date - 4/5 - Very interesting character development made on the part of Lindsey and his alliance with Wolfram and Hart. EPISODE 22: To Shanshu in LA - 4.5/5 - A scary and exciting finale with lots of hints for the coming seasons. There were some great episodes, but too many duds. However, I'd say this is a necessary package if you want to start an Angel collection of DVDs, you'll get good use of this set because quite a few episodes are rewatchable.
Rating:
Summary: R.I.P. Glenn Quinn
Review: Just wanted to strongly reccomend this season to any of you buffy fans out there who havent seen angel.trust me,its great.this is definitly the best season so far.i also wanna send a very special shout out to the late great Glenn Quinn who's amazing and wonderful potrayal of the irish half demon "Doyle" for only 9 episodes will never be forgotten,nor will Glenn.We love and miss you Glenn.R.I.P. Glenn Quinn 1970-2002.
Rating:
Summary: A Fantastic Series
Review: I give this set Five Stars because the show is just that good. It is wonderful to be able to see these episodes again and watching them one right after the other, unedited is a bonus. The picture quality is better than that of any current Buffy set. Still, this is a set you buy to watch quality television, regardless of the lack of quality extras. The episodes in this season provide some classic moments for the series as a whole. Even in the less than stellar ones, there are moments that make them worth watching, or at least having so that you can use the chapter selections provided for each episode. The dark tone of S4, which just ended, was introduced in the first episode of this season. The scene in which Angel gets the blood of a dead girl on his hands is creepy and shows that Angel really is no ordinary hero. A lot of the greatness of the season is owed not just to the writing, or the characters, but to the actors who portray them. Davis Boreanaz as Angel knows how to brood and act creepy. Charisma Carpenter as Cordelia Chase shines and brings more of her own brand of tortured funny. Glenn Quinn as Doyle is only on the show for 8 episodes, but he takes a stellar turn as a half demon who helps Angel fight the good fight while atoning for his own sins. Alexis Denisof as Wesley is wonderful as well.
There is so much good to say about this season. It is a wonderful addition to any DVD collection. However... The care and attention given to the Buffy Discs is not really given here, so the extras amount to a couple of so so commentaries, the best one being the one for City of... (the pilot) by Joss Whedon and David Greenwalt, the show's creators. Also, there are a few silly little short clips highlighting Cordy and Angel that don't really bring any new or enlightening information to the table. Also missing is some indication as to what extras are found on each disc. The insert booklet is lacking in the information catergory that the Buffy S1-4 sets provide. The packaging is the same fold out design as that of other Fox sets, however, the cover art is more striking and the disc labels ditch the actors' faces in favor of a more grown-up approach by using the discs to spell out ANGEL. It gives the discs a better overall look and is oddly soothing to look at before inserting the disc into the player. This is a grown-up show that dared to be different and worked hard to separate itself from that other show about the tiny blonde girl with super strength. And in the end, it does just that.
Rating:
Summary: Another score fore Joss Whedon!!!!
Review: Angel is not Buffy but is still great in its own right. When Angel starts off he is fighting evil on his own in L.A. That is until he meets Doyle who was sent by "the powers that be" to help him. He gets the visions- Angel rescues them. In the pilot they save Cordelia from a corporate vampire and her, Doyle, and Angel begin thier investigation company. Doyle is very important for the first half of the season as he gives us most of the shows mythology. He talks about the mysterious powers that be, shows us the oracles, and gives the overall point of the show-atonement, redemption. In the first half of the season most everything is set up. Wolfram & Hart the big bad law firm, mythology, characters and so on. I love the episode "I will remember you" where Angel becomes human. This is when he first sees the oracles who clue into everyone what is supposed to happen later. He has the opprotunity to be with Buffy but realizes thier is big stuff coming that he needs to be a part of. So he becomes a Vamp with a soul again. The shows nineth episode "Hero" is one of my favorite episodes. This is where Doyle finally redeems himself for his past crime, but has to die doing it. He ends up passing his power to Cordelia, who from then on gets the visions from the powers that be. Maybe it was because Doyle was not part of "Buffy" that kind of messed with the chemistry because when Wesley gets on the show everything just works. The chemistry is pitch perfect. Through the first season we see great character developement, and introductions of reoccuring characters like Kate and Gunn. There are many great episodes my favorite being "RM W/A VU". With no real story arching going on in this season the season finale is surprisingly good. It gives Angel a new purpose- when he fullfills his destiny he shall be made human (I'm thinking the series finale will have him turn human and then go with Buffy.) The finale also gives the plot for the next season. Overall "Angel" season 1 is a good introduction and a good installment for anyones DVD collection.
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