The Casefiles : Volume 2 (Angel)

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Summary: The saga of Angel and son Connor in "Angel" Seasons 3 & 4
Review: After seeing the watered down final volume of "The Watcher's Guide" for "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," I had some trepidation for the second volume of "The Casefiles" for "Angel." But Paul Ruditis and Diana G. Gallagher follow in the footsteps of Nancy Holder, Jeff Mariotte, and Maryelizabeth Hart and you will find more of the same: a Character Guide, an Episode Guide for Season Three and Season Four, and Actor Profiles. Volume 2 is a hundred pages shorter than Volume 1, and the book is also a shave smaller in both height and width than Volume 1, which you will discover as soon as you put them side-by-side on the shelf. Since Volume 3 is only going to cover the fifth and final season it is probably going to be at least a hundred pages shorter as well.

The character guides are for Angel, Cordelia Chase, Wesley Wyndam-Pryce, Charles Gunn, Fred, the Host, Connor, Lilah Morgan, Darla, Captain Daniel Holtz, Justine Cooper, Jasmine, Sahjhan, Gavin Park, Linwood Murrow, the Groosalugg, Skip, the Beast, Faith, Gwen Raiden, Willow Rosenberg, and Knox. These are not background descriptions, but take each character through Season Four. For example with Angel/Angelus/Liam you get a complete history of the character, which consists of brief summary of the "BtVS" years and the first two seasons of "Angel," and then focusing on what happens during seasons three and four. For the minor characters (e.g., Faith and Willow) the emphasis is just on those episode of "Angel" on which they appear.

Because these casefiles cover the third and fourth seasons, the focus is on the saga of Angel and his son, Connor. Each episode is covered in three main sections: (1) From the Files of Angel Investigations commences with the "Case No" for the episode number, and a list of the writer, director, guest stars and costars, and then the "Action Taken" (plot synopsis) and "Resolution" (episode climax). We then have a whole bunch of possible categories. "Dossiers" covers the client, civilian support (e.g., Merl and Lorne), and suspects. "Continuity" covers familiar faces and providing other details that help explain what is going on, while "Office Romance" keeps us up to date on the tangled love lives of the gang and "Quote of the Week" provides a choice exchange of words; (2) The Devil is in the Details looks at the sub-categories of "Expenses", "Weaponry," and "The Plan+ (such as it is). Here is also where you will find "Demons, Etc....," which keeps you up to date on what specific bads are running around in the episode, and can include a look at things like The Vampire Rules. "As Scene in L.A" explains where things are taking place in the episode relative to the real Los Angeles; (3) The Pen Is Mightier is the choice section where you get to see parts of the episode that did not make the "Final Cut," and have all of the "Pop Culture" references identified and explained for you. "The Name Game" explains the episode's title while "Six Degrees of..." covers anybody in the episode whom we have seen before on "Angel," one of Joss Whedon's other shows, or any other place that makes them familiar faces. "Tracks" records any instance of Angel singing anything. "Our Heroes" is where cast and crew members get to comment on the episode (or the series in general).

There are two 16-page sections of color photographs, the first devoted to the major and minor characters, and the second providing candid shots of the making of "Angel." There is a Season 5 Teaser, "Look Homeward Angel," and a tour of the Wolfram & Hart sets with production designer Stuart Blatt and set decorator Sandy Struth, "The Changing Facing of Evil." Last, and also least, are the "Actor Profiles." These were skimpy in Volume 1 and we are treated to more of the same in Volume 2. If there is an area where "The Casefiles" had lagged behind "The Watcher's Guide" volumes it has been in giving the cast and crew ample room to talk about their characters, the show, Joss, and whatever else enters their minds.

Overall I would grade "The Casefiles, Volume 2" as a 4.5, mainly on the strength of the episode guides, where we are still getting the level of detail we have come to expect. I round up because I do not want to give it the same rating as I gave "The Watcher's Guide, Volume 3." I suspect that since "Angel" stopped production last spring the volume is now considered more as a reference book and less as a way of feeding the show's fan base. The final season of "Angel" will be out on DVD early next year and then it is just a question of how long we have to wait for "The Casefiles, Volume 3." Hopefully by then Joss Whedon will have finished with his "Astonishing X-Men" comic book limited series and with his "Firefly" film and will be back in production on the small screen. I suspect he would like to make feature films, but I really would rather have a television show that I can enjoy twenty-two weeks a year that one hit film.

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Summary: Buy This To Nearly Complete Your Collection
Review: At first on appearance this book is thinner then case files 1, but dont be deceived inside is packed full of information from seasons 3 & 4. Even though this 2nd book is written by different authors it still resembles case file 1 on presentation. I fully support anyone buying this to put it next to case file 1.

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Summary: angel casefiles
Review: the angel casefiles volume 2 is the a great read after you have watched the episodes

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Summary: Something To Sink Your Teeth Into
Review: When I first heard that a new writer was going to take over the reins for "The Watcher's Guide 3", I was a little worried. I had never heard of Paul Ruditis. My worries were not unfounded when the third volume, while still fun and competently written, came out and was a huge disappointment because it lacked so much. So, imagine my horror when I learned he was going to do the new Angel book. Oh no. Well, was I so happily surprised!. Teaming up with Diana Gallagher, Ruditis has redeemed himself with a book that stays true and faithful to the first book, and makes WG 3 a distant memory. Ruditis and Gallagher pretty much keep the same pattern and style as Nancy Holder on the first Casefiles. Sadly, and oddly, the book only covers seasons 3 and 4. WG 3 managed to fit in the final season, and Nikki Stafford's excellent "Once Bitten" did too, so why not this one?. Hmm. Included here are the always welcomed "Character Bios", something lacking in WG 3. It goes through all the major players, and most of the recurring players thru the two seasons. They also have "Actor Profiles" as well. They do make some mistakes. Such as saying that Connor, in the character bio part, was 18 when he came back, when he was actually 16. Although they do change it in the actual episode guides. They also mention the song "Lady Marmelade", and say it was by Aretha Franklin, when it was by Patti LaBelle. The episode guides are always the main focus of these books, and the authors don't disappoint. With long, detailed synopses of each episode, they bring the same categories and facts and such with each ep as they always do. The episodes, like the first book, are designed as actual case files. What are they?. Every episode summary is titled "Action Taken". We have "Dossiers", which is a section that informs of who the client, clientele, or outside support is(if there is any in a particular episode)that they deal with. Then there is "Continuity", which deals with the ongoing story and arcs and history that the show has come from. "Quote Of The Wek" is pretty self explanatory. No need to go into that one further. "The Devil Is In The Details" portion has "Expenses", which shows pretty much what you'd expect. "Weaponry" tells exactly what kind of weapon was used, or if it was a weapon at all. "The Plan" is basically what the gang's, well, plan is for this episode's situation. "Demons, ETC...." is a section dealing with what kinds of ghouls ans goblins, if any, were seen in that particular episode. And there is a handful more, like "Tracks", which is for music featured in the episode. "The Final Cut" which is things that didn't make it to the end episode. "As Scene In L.A." is stuff from Angel's city. "Pop Culture" is pretty much saying it there in the title. "The Name Game" tells about the meaning of an episode's title. "Six Degrees Of..." is basically a "Where Have I Seen Them Before?" thing, and a few more. There are also interviews and little tid bits from cast and crew about that particular episode in the guides as well. The episodes are finely detailed and the format for each episode in the casefile way is fun and clever. Afterwards, there is a section called "The Changing Face Of Evil", which is a look at the new design and sets for Wolfram & Hart. And season five doesn't go entirely unnoticed, as there is a section towards the end which gives an overview on what happened. Wether or not we see something on season five in a AC 3 is unclear and not mentioned, and that is this book's one sore spot. I doubt there will be another book for one season. It wouldn't fill a book. If there isn't anything, it would be Angel getting the short end of the stick again. Like The WG's, this book also comes with two sections of photos, all in glorious color. If anybody was upset with Ruditis' work on WG 3, then you should know that this book pretty much stays on course with first book, and makes WG 3 seem all the more like a wasted opportunity. This one is not.