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Angel - Season Four

Angel - Season Four

List Price: $59.98
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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: just some concepts I wanna clear up for you guys
Review: alot of people who give this season low ratings just doesn't seem to understand it, but wholly grades it depends on whether he or she enjoyed the show or not and failed to see the brilliancy and deeper meanings that's revealed in the show.

1. Connor's character- I understand why Connor isn't a likeable character. with rest of the gang being cool Connor just doesn't seem to fit it. And it is true that he is very annoying. BUT if you really think about it. Connor's character is absolutely brilliant. because he represented a typical confused teenager. because he is Angel's son, we expected him to be as cool as Angel. but he can never be because he doesn't know as much as Angel. That's one thing I like about the show, that Angel and rest of the gane have reasons to be cool. for example, Angel, his living of 200 years gives him wisdom. wherase Connor did not even live in the world, not to mention 200 years. Connor's relationship with Cordelia is like exactly what a confused, rebellious teenager would do when they feel like they don't have anything- get an obsession and stick to it. Connor's always wanting to kill Angel is another thing- he's ashamed of Angel by his vampiric condition, but because Angel is good, he can't even kill him and be proud, so he kept looking for a reason to kill Angel so to prove that he's right. Connor is actually a really sympathetic character and a very important one because he represented sooo many things.

2. the sex between Connor and Cordelia- Again I understand why it is disgusting. but if you really think about it, if Connor is with any other girl he would still have the age problem. so how is Cordeia any different??? because she used to change Connor's diper??? well how is Connor gonna remember that??? And besides, the reason Connor had sex with Cordelia was because the world seems to end. people do crazy things when they are facing death and the end of the world, they would think nothing matters anymore. that's what it was like when Connor had sex with Cordelia, that he thought the world was gonna end so nothing really matters anymore. the sex takes place while the sky was raining fire is just beautiful to me, beautiful in an ironic way that is.

3. Jasmine- alot of people say that Jasmine is such a bad villian. but Jasmine isn't a villian at all. She is beyond a villian, she is the apocalypse. What she does cannot be defined in a way of good or evil. According to Jasmine, she was to bring paradise to this world and all the "evil" she has done is just things nesssary to her plan, or nessary sacrifice. Angel stoped her only to do what he knows he must, which is to avert the apocalypse.

4. someone said about Darla should be part of Connor's new family- but that would be completely empty if that happened. one thing that's really good about this show is that everything has an ending. if Darla was with Connor in his new family, than the whole Darla's death would be meaningless.

overall, season four is depressing, it's true- well it's suppose to be, it's about the apocalypse!!!! But it's a great show not because of it's entertainment, but the meaning behind every plot. LOOK DEEPER!!!!

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: unplayable dvds dont rock
Review: although i have buffy 1-6, and angel 1-3 (as well as many other movie dvds) this edition was put out by a different company, as determined by different packaging. it will not play on my (cheap) standard american dvd player giving an 'out of area' error. i suspect buying an expensive dvd player might work, but since it is supposed to be an american dvd to be played on a standard american dvd player, which i have, im not about to go shopping right now. the dvds i have are completely useless to me.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: The weakest season of Angel but still great
Review: Angel season 4 is easily the weakest season of Angel throughout it's 5 year run.

The show dropped all pretense of having stand alone plots and became one long 22 episode arc, although to the hardcore fan this should be wonderful news, it doesn't exactly work.

The problem is the plot isn't all that strong, it starts great, and than becomes more and more disorganised, Conner, Lorne and Cordelia are all given less than stellar material to work with, and the plot sags a bit near the end.

That doesn't mean this season is in anyways bad, a bad angel season is still much stronger than the vast majority of television shows. It is still better than the weakest Buffy seasons (season 4 and 7 in my opinion) and it is still very entertaining even at it's weakest point.

If you bought the first 3 seasons this is a must-have, and leads into the phenomenal but different final season.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Solid effort some of the best writers in television
Review: Angel season 4 was definitely one of the more ambitious seasons of the show. While it was certainly not the best season, the overall story arc is very entertaining. The writers set out to wrap up the Connor story arc which began at the beginning of Angel season 3. It also set out to deliver the first true Angel apocalypse which is something that it's sister show, Buffy did pretty much every season. This was also a season that features a continuous storyline which means very little stand alone episodes and none from "Apocalypse Nowish" and on. While I agree with many people that this provides an intense approach to television storytelling, it wasn't executed as well as it could have been. This is mainly due to the unforseen circumstances of Charisma Carpenters pregnancy which led to extensive rewrites of the second half of the season. That being said, I give the writers a ton of credit because they did a great job of integrating the two halves of the season with the episode "Inside Out", and they did it in such a way that actually made sense.

Overall, my personal favorite arc of this season is the Jasmine storyline at the end which I felt was an unexpected twist to the traditional apocalypse that they appeared to be setting up early on. As far as the Cordelia storyline goes, I understand why they did what they did, but I didn't necessarily like it. However, I do not believe as many do that this was the ruination of her character since it was revealed later on that she was being controlled by a supernatural being. If you want the true ending to Cordelia's character you will have to wait until Season 5's "You're Welcome".

I felt the Angelus arc was a bit of a let down but I had went into those episodes with high hopes that they were going to blow me away. Overall they were solid episodes but they didn't really wow me all that much. The first episode, "Soulless" was an excellent chance for the character of Angelus to really interact with a new cast of characters whom have for the most part never encountered him. The episodes "Calvary" and "Salvage" were also very entertaining. My personal favorite episode of the arc and possibly of the season was "Orpheus" which had enough intense action and drama to be a season finale.

The final episode "Home" is also among the best of the season. This episode acts both as a conclusion to this season and a beginning to the next chapter in Angel's life. The Connor storyline comes to an end and Wolfram and Hart (the shows original big bads) come back into the picture with an offer that Angel simply cannot refuse. This acts as a setup to the final and in my opinion best season of Angel, Angel season 5.

Overall this is a solid collection of episodes. The heavy drama drags sometimes and I think this season could've used a few more funny episodes such as "Spin the Bottle". However, they did a remarkable job of wrapping up lingering storylines while creating a new challenge in Jasmine that is both unique and entertaining. If you enjoy the long arcs you will probably enjoy this set more then any other Angel set.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Excellent plotting at the expense of character development
Review: Despite some glaring weaknesses this was a brilliant season of Angel, and I am truly torn between a 4 and 5 star review (4.5 stars, if possible). On the action/adventure/epic front the show has never been better, with an engaging and consistent story arc, punctuated by some of the best fight scenes and special effects ever seen in the Jossverse. The season tracks the course of a powerful entity's attempt to incarnate itself and gain control of the world, through an intricate plan, which entangles Connor, Cordelia, a powerful (and very effective) demon called the Beast, Angel(us) and to a lesser extent the rest of the team.

Unfortunately the grinding wheels of the oncoming Apocalypse dwarf the sophisticated human interactions and subtle character development that were always a hallmark of Angel. Connor, who displayed intriguing potential in season 3, becomes a whiny, annoying nuisance. The less said about Cordelia in this season the better, but suffice to say that the character was literally sacrificed to the plot and Charisma Carpenter lacked the acting range to make the transition credible. Gunn, Fred and Lorne all have brief moments in the sun, but ultimately there is very little change for any of them beyond Fred and Gunn's messy breakup and post-homicidal angst. To be fair there was some attempt to triage the Gunn situation towards the end of the season, with an acknowledgement by the writers that he was being treated as the 'muscle' by the rest of the team, but it was no enough to advance the character significantly. Only Wesley, who is even better at dark, brooding heroism than Angel, emerges with some degree of grace (particularly in his scenes with Wolfram & Hart's delicious Lilah), though not to the standard of his amazing work in the previous season. There is little real development on the Angel front in season 4, but for the particular treat of the return of Angel's evil alter ego Angelus, though the character was somewhat blunted by the decision to keep him (somewhat implausibly) from killing any humans. Angelus' best moments are (in a Hannibal Lector turn) when he proceeds to verbally tear team Angel apart; upon his escape he becomes far less intelligent and effective.

I know that I must seem overly harsh for a 4 star review so I would like to emphasize that what worked in this season worked very well. On my first viewing on regular television I was bowled over. It was only when I watched the DVD's that I began to discern the flaws that I describe (particularly after previously rewatching Angel Season 3 and Buffy Season 5). I would still strongly recommend this season to all fans of Angel and quality television in general.



Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Most people
Review: Didn't understand the brilliancy of this season, or didn't give it enough credit. I think the fact that Connor was so different then the rest of the cast, and was whiny and never seemed to fit, might give people a reason not to like the guy. Also, the absense of the real Cordelia, instead we get a very smart demon trapped in Cordy's body who geniously plots out everything. I thought Charisma did a good job for being pregnant, and deserves more credit then she got.

Deep Down- 5/5 The opening episode of the season, where Angel is at the bottom of the ocean, Cordy is a higher being, Wesley is sleeping with Lilah and an outcast of the group, while Fred and Gunn take care of Connor, who was the one who sent Angel down to the bottom of the ocean. While Wesley overhears Lilah talking, he decides to take Justine out for a boat ride, who he has held in his closet, prisoner. And the boat ride is obviously to save Angel. Meanwhile, Fred and Gunn find out it was Connor who sent Angel away, and after Wes saves Angel, Angel kicks Connor out of his house.

Ground State- 4/5 Welcome, electra Gwen. Angel tries to find out where Cordy is.

The House Always Wins- 4.5/5 Angel/Fred and Gunn take a trip to Las Vegas to visit Lorne, who is secretly being held by an insane boss who is purposely using Lorne to destroy lives.

Slouching Toward Bethlehem- 4/5 Cordy is back, with no memmory of anything. While Angel is just so happy to see her, they have to figure out where she was and how they can get her memmory back.

Supersymmetry- 5/5 Fred finds out that one of her professors was the one that sent her to Pylea, now she wants her revenge.

Spin the Bottle- 5/5 After a guarenteed promise by Lorne, that they can get Cordy's memmory back, with no side effects, he realizes what an idiot he is when it turns them all back to when they were 16, you know, except Lorne himself. Cordy's the popular you know what, Wes the total prick and dork, Fred the rambling on geek, who smokes weed, Gunn the racist, who's even more commanding and demanding then he is now, and Angel, or Liam, from the 18th century. After the confusion, Cordy gets her memmory back, which unleashes the demon that came within her.

Apocalypse, Nowish- 5/5 Angel and his gang come across a demon that is nearly invincible.

Habeas Corpses- 4.5/5 After spotting his son with the woman he loves, Angel is ticked. Meanwhile, the so-called demon named the Beast makes Wolfram & Heart a slotter house.

Long Days Journey- 5/5 Gwen is back, meanwhile, the Beast is one step closer to blocking out the sun, for eternity. Cordy has a vision of the Beast standing on a field, only she doesn't get it all at once, it ends up revealing the Beast was talking to Angelus. Wes decides it is time to bring him back.

Awakening- 5/5 After the demon within Cordy convinces Angel to go with the plan, and turn himself back into Angelus, Angel goes into a dream where the shaman is evil, they kill the Beast, Connor forgives his dad and Angel gets what he wants... Cordelia.

Soulless- 5/5 Angelus is back, and he reluctantly reveals his knowledge of the Beast, when the gang decides to re-insoul their leader, they find the soul is missing.

Calvalry- 5/5 After Cordy fakes getting a vision, pretending there is a way to re-insoul Angelus, she puts the whammy on Lorne and sets the demon loose. Meanwhile, Angelus hunts Lilah down, after he doubled-back, leaving Connor/Gunn/Wes/Fred in the middle of nowhere, Lilah manages to escape Angelus only to find Cordy, Lilah, "He's trying to kill us." Cordy, "I know." She stabs Lilah in the neck, "Why do you think I let him out?"

Salvage- 5/5 Wes decides to bring Faith into the game. Only she gets a big beating from the Beast, and Angelus kills the Beast.

Release- 5/5 Faith and Wes take on Angelus.

Orpheus- 5/5 After Angelus wins the fight, he finds that Faith has used a drug on herself, called Orpheus, putting them both in a coma, while Willow comes to restore Angel's soul, Angelus and Faith relive Angel's good deeds.

Players- 4/5 Gwen comes back, setting up Gunn while she looks for LISA, a device that will cure her electric touch. Meanwhile, Angel and the gang find out about Cordy's pregnancy and Angel puts the pieces together.

Inside Out- 5/5 After Cordy says a few of the same words the Beast's master did, Angel figures out it was her the whole time. While Angel heads off to kill the girl of his dreams because he has no choice, Cordy gives birth to her baby.

Shiny Happy People- 4/5 Jasmine is loose among the world, set to bring peace to everyone, except Connor and after Fred tries to get blood out of Jasmine's shirt, she becomes Jasmine's first target.

The Magic Bullet- 5/5 After Angel tries to kill Fred because he believes she is evil, Fred turns him against Jasmine, and they figure that Cordy's blood would do the same. They are able to get Gunn, Wes and Lorne back on their side, but Connor still is confused by the lies of Jasmine in Cordy's body, and takes her side, leaving Angel and the gang on the run.

Sacrifice- 4/5 Angel and the gang remain on the run, while Wes discovers something that could help them. Angel heads off to a different world... Jasmine's.

Peace Out- 4.5/5 Angel comes back with a way to cure all peace in the world, and let people have choice, the freedom to which he believes people should have. That's why he fights. He has a big fight with Jasmine, and after he loses, Connor shows up and kills Jasmine, with nothing left. Meanwhile, Lilah shows up at Angel Investigations, only dead.

Home- 5/5 Turns out Lilah offers Angel to be head of W&H, he takes it despite it being everything he is against. He is forced to kill his own son when Connor tries to blow up a bunch of civilians, including Cordelia.

Overall, this was a great season. Though seasons 2 & 5 are far better, this season is amazing. Angel is one of the best shows ever created, you shouldn't miss this season.

Special Features- 5/5 Include bloopers, a season 4 overview, audio commentary by Alexis Denisof and Andy Hallett and the writers and crew, and other features throughout the season, including the hotel, the Beast and Jasmine, and Wolfram & Heart.

Definitely buy this season.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: yeah
Review: I don't know a single season of Angel I didn't love. I can't say the same for Buffy. It was hit-or-miss for me...

Season 4 make's and "dark" season of Buffy look happy. Everything that we've seen in Angel season's 1-3 has lead to this. I won't ruin it for you! I have to say this ending has been the best so far! The Angel team go what was owed them!

I'd recomend this show over Buffy any day! Go buy it!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Angel
Review: I love Angel and give it a 5 cos' it is excellent but one major annoyance for me is that it kills me that we can't buy the DVD on the States but here in the UK they have all the seasons for sale so much earler on than in the States. Unfortunately even though i live here temporarily (military) i only own a US DVD player. Whats up with this!!! The shows made in the states but you have to go to the UK to pick a copy of it up.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Flawed, but still Angel
Review: If this season were rated in the context of the show as a whole, it would receive 2 and a half stars. But independently, it deserves at least 4. It's still Angel, and chuck full of the dark comedy/action/horror/drama Whedon fans have come to depend on.

This season probably the worst of the series. Why?

-The Connor/Jasmine/Cordelia arc did not mesh well, and did not adhere to the core statement of the show. The story arc was so accomodating to Charisma Carpenter's pregnancy and suffered as a result. Forget about emotional resonance and provocative messages (when's the last time outside of Jerry Springer that a woman was having an affair with both a father and a son?).

What it comes down to is that this was a very experimental year. The writers tested what worked and when that didn't, they altered the story line accordingly. Connor and Cordelia too gross? Make Cordelia evil. Charisma Carpenter pregnant? Make her baby evil. The Jasmine story arc was fine, but very disjointed from the rest of the supposedly "tight-knit" story arc because it was originally not intended to take place.

Even the Angelus mini-arc was sadly lacking. The character never hurt anyone, merely taunted them like a high school bully. In addition, the writers really dropped the ball when they made Angel and Angelus two different characters. The reason why Angelus is so frightening is because he IS the character we know and love.

Flaws from the central arc and Angelus arc aside, it was still great television. The season premiere and finale were well thought out "Live life as it should be to show the world what it could be." Gwen Raiden was an awesome, and sadly underused, new character, Lilah, Wesley, Fred, and Gunn had some of their greatest moments on the show, and the Whedon directed "Spin the Bottle" was a fantastic romp (although very similar to a season six buffy episode).

I'd recommend you pick up this DvD only if you are a die-hard fan of the show, because you would have to own the prior seasons to make much sense of what's happening. If you are a casual fan, borrow it from a friend and wait to purchase the fantastic season 5.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Denisof, Romanov steal the show
Review: Picking up where its amazing 3rd Season left off, Season 4 of TV's Angel was without a doubt the most shocking, dramatic and intriguing. Despite a few creative low points, the cast and crew rose to the challenge of Angel's new full fledged story-arch format, with all 22 episodes weaving together to create one feature-length episode.
The season deals with issues such as fascism, religious persecution and world peace brilliantly, staying subtle, yet getting the message across perfectly. However, the season's real highlight is the shocking relationship between Wesley (Alexis Denisof) and Lilah (Stephanie Romanov), creating one of the series' most eerie, dysfunctional and altogether fascinating relationships.


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