Rating: 
Summary: perfect with a capital PERFECT!!!!
Review: what can I say..this season is just perfect...with a new cast member in the opening credits...Amy Acker(Winifred "Fred" Burkle), she adds some spunk to this season....this one is more better then the second season..which was 'aight with lots of good episodes but this one is in my mind much better...not the best season but its a good season...we have Angel(David Boreanaz) and his gang, Fred, Charles Gunn(J. August Richards), Wesley Wyndham-Price(Alexis Denisof) and Cordelia Chase(Charisma Carpenter)...this has more powerful moments then in season 2 and 1..its nail bitting and addictive and an adrenaline rush..it gets your blood pumping right as the opening credits hit..its great..the season starts off as Fred still trys to cope coming back..we get more of Cordelias visions she inherited from Doyle(Glenn Quinn) in season 1....throughout the season they become more and more realistic and the end episode where Skip(David Denham) comes and has Cordelia go UP..that UP in the sky was really cool...this season returns some familiar good and evil faces such as Darla(Julie Benz)..her and Angel have a baby named Connor which Wesley slits its throat...theres the Wolfram and Hart firm still cooking with Lilah Morgan(Stephanie Romanov)...shes hot and deadly and also Gavin Park(Daniel Dae Kim) who was in like one episode in season 2 comes back in and the lovable Lorne(Andy Hallett)...you cant hate this man..hes funny as hell..and also the return of The Groosalugg(Mark Lutz) who finds his princess Cordelia..but he finds out she loves Angel and then leaves at the last episode of the season...we see some new faces..like Holtz(Keith Szarabajka) as the vampire slayer who was chasing Darla and Angelus back in the day..he is mentioned in the episode Darla in season 2, he is revived by the Sahjhan(Jack Conley). then theres Justine(Laurel Holloman) shes like Holtz's woman...and then theres teenaged Connor or Steven or whatever the hell you wanna call him(Vincent Karheiser)..if you havent seen this season...Holtz(Szarabajka) goes to hell and finds the baby, Connor...when Wesley slits its throat and then takes it as his own..the 2 escape and Connor finds out his real father is Angel...theres some good drama here with a lot of laughs and smiles..this will satisfy any Angel or Buffy fan..praise this DVD...it'll be good when it comes out..trust me...the fourth season is a lot darker then this but check it out...and the fifth season is already playing..check that out too..Spike(James Marsters) is on...tune it to this and the rest..you'll have a blast..I know I will
Rating:
Summary: Angel hits its stride
Review: Many have called the third season of Angel a "supernatural soap opera". I won't deny it, this season contains many elements that could cause it to be described as such. But it's more than just that - Angel: Season 3 is a character-driven thriller of a story, intent on pulling viewers more directions than they can handle, all at once.The season starts out normally enough; though he has taken some time off to mourn the death of his old lover, Angel returns in a state much better than expected; indeed, no worse for the wear after the news of Buffy's death. Early in the season, the episodes remain mostly of the 'monster of the week' variety, alternating between humorous stories ("Carpe Noctem") and darker narratives ("Billy"). But the seasonal plot arc quickly kicks into overdrive when Darla arrives, pregnant with Angel's child and none to happy about it. Throughout the season, romances are developed between the show's major players. At the forefront is Angel's seemingly unreciprocated feelings towards Cordelia, a development that drew as much distaste as it did intrigue among the viewer audience. The first episode where this really comes into play, and in my opinion one of the best of the season, is the excellent Whedon-penned "Waiting in the Wings". This episode also sees the climax of a love triangle between Wesley, Gunn, and Fred - the results of which are still sending ripples all the way into the early fifth season. As the season passes the halfway mark and begins to draw near to its conclusion, things heat up, with fewer stand-alone stories and more storyline episodes. Things become so dynamic and tug the viewer so many different directions emotionally that you almost long to just have a break from all of the turmoil. You don't get one. The season ends on one of the best cliffhangers ever seen on network television. This is one of my favorite seasons of any television show, ever, for its intensity, character development, and well-executed plot. Make no mistake: this is one incredible buy for any Joss Whedon fan or anyone looking to get into his excellent shows.
Rating:
Summary: Outstanding 3rd Season!
Review: I caught part of Season 1 when I was back in the US. I was hooked! I'm an American living in Europe, so don't have the luxury of catching shows on primetime or even in English for that matter! I bought Seasons 1 and 2 immediately and finished them in a matter of days. The wait for season 3 was awful, but certainly worth it! It seems that the series only gets better from year to year. The storylines are masterfully written and the character development has been superb. I especially like how Cordelia and Wesley have come into their own on Angel. I can only hope that Season 4 and beyond continue with more excellent shows.
Rating:
Summary: Angel and the death of the WB
Review: I was crushed when Buffy was cancelled. But, I could live with it because of Angel. Now, that they are cancelling the best show on the newtwork, everything else on the WB has become unwatchable. They are fools.
Rating:
Summary: The best season yet of a remarkable show
Review: Warning: Lots of spoilers. Season Three of Angel remains, in many ways, my favorite of the show's run. The shows are persistently good, but if I had to put my finger on a specific reason I like it so much, it is that the cast meshes together perfectly. By the end of the season, there would be major--at the time seemingly impossible to mend--rifts between some of the members of Angel Investigations, but the core group was the best to date. Angel, restored to the group as their spiritual if not technical leader, has recovered his sense of purpose. Cordy (whose presence is missed mightily in the Fifth Season--I hope she and Joss Whedon patch up their differences and work her back into the show where she belongs--Note: their differences, apart from the official rhetoric, apparently revolving around her leaving the show for a few episodes near the end of this season, and her delayed announcement of her real-life pregnancy in Season Four, causing significantly rewriting--my gut feeling is that she will be back after a period of "punishment") has completely accepted her role as the contact to the Powers That Be, and both works hard at becoming a more important member of the team and manages to work a compromise to deal with the extraordinary physical toll the visions are taking on her (by becoming part demon--a gigantic step that one could hardly imagine the Cordelia of the first three years of Buffy making). Wesley and Gunn are both taken by the new resident of Hotel Angel, Winifred aka Fred, the scientifically brilliant but psychologically traumatized young woman they had rescued from Pylea. And finally, Lorne, formerly known as The Host, moves in when his karaoke bar has to close. It is a great group, and the interaction between all of them is extraordinary. And the romance! Well, the potential of romance. Fred is initially smitten with Angel, her rescuer. Wes and Gunn gradually fall in love with Fred. And Cordy and Angel are both quite obviously growing closer and closer to one another. Against this background of interpersonal relationships, Angel unexpectedly becomes a father. Darla, with whom he had had sex in Season Two in a futile attempt to lose his soul, returns to LA, in an exceedingly pregnant state, all the more remarkable for the fact that vampires cannot reproduce sexually (they reproduce through that biting thing). The result is a cute baby Angel dubs Connor, which is all well and good until he is kidnapped and taken to a demon dimension, where he grows up to be an uber angry, obnoxious kid bent solely on revenging himself on Angel, who he has been taught to hate by the man who kidnapped him. In the entirety of Buffy/Angel, the Connor story line might be the least popular in the history of the show. Still, it doesn't keep this from being a very good season indeed. Unlike most years of Buffy/Angel, Season Three is carried less by the season-long story arcs than by the individual episodes. There are some great shows, and many marvelous moments. The most harrowing might be the torturous decision that Wes has to make, and the enormous payment he has to pay for attempting to obey the dictates of conscience. One of my favorite moments in the season occurs when the writers engage in one of the great in-jokes in TV history. On Season Six of Buffy, Buffy is so broke that she has to take a demeaning job slinging hamburgers and frying processed chicken product patties at a fast-food joint called Doublemeat Palace. It is probably the most biting joke at the expense of the fast-food industry in the history of TV (especially ironic given the fact that Sarah Michelle Gellar's career began as a very small child in a famous series of commercials for Burger King explicitly attacking MacDonald's). As a result of the Doublemeat Palace episodes, MacDonald's and other food outlets ceased advertising on Buffy. Meanwhile, on Angel, Wesley is researching a prophecy and is striving to solve the last piece of the puzzle. To do so, he needs to consult an idol in the shape of a statue, but when he goes to the coordinates, he sees not an imposing statue, but a personified plastic hamburger (think the Hamburgler from MacDonald's). The image of a dumb plastic hamburger person being a powerful and all knowing entity is funny enough on its own, but knowing about the conflict with the fast food industry on Angel's sister show gives the scene an entire different dimension. The show ends on a spectacularly chaotic note. Angel, unlike Buffy, has tended to end each year with far more loose ends. Every season ends with as many questions raised as answered. Of no season closer is this truer than this year. The final episode sees Angel and Cordy, both obviously with strong feelings for one another, agreeing to meet on the beach near Malibu to "have a talk." (No mention is made about that nasty little curse afflicting Angel, which I found curious. No curse and Angel would have been back with Buffy.) But Cordy is unexpectedly called upon to become a Higher Being and ends the season by ascending into the Higher Realm, and Angel is bushwhacked by Connor and, in one of the most nightmarish moments in the show, encased in a metal cage and lowered to the bottom of the Pacific. The season started off with everyone feeling pretty good about things, but ends with Cordy no longer on Earth, Angel on the bottom of the ocean, and Wesley recovering from a near-deadly wound and utterly alienated from all his friends. And all of this sets up the utterly remarkable fourth season.
Rating:
Summary: Angel : The Year That Beat Buffy
Review: Many people doubted it. Many thought that there would never come a day when "Buffy"'s sister series, "Angel", would surpass the cult phenomenon it was spun off from. But it did. And this was the season that did it. This was the first season of the show that was no longer connected to "Buffy" because that show had made the move to UPN. "Angel" was left on it's own and many questioned it's fate. Surprising to all, it had found it's feet and was stronger than ever. The death of Buffy at the end of season five is mentioned in the premiere, "Heartthrob", which was one of the better seaosn premieres of the show. We are then back in Gunn territory with the "That Old Gang Of Mine" episode. Gunn-centric episodes have usually been the worst ones, but this one is an exception. Very good. Cordelia is given mind numbing visions in "That Vision Thing", courtesy of evil law firm Wolfram & Hart. To end the pain, Angel must do them a favor. Fred gets her turn to shine in an un-exceptional episode called,
"Fredless". After these minor, but very entertaining eps, the show kicks into gear and delves into the seaosn long arc. Angel's former love, Darla, is back. And she is carrying Angel's child. The one night they spent together last season has brought them to this new situation. "Offspring", deals with Darla's return to the hotel to deliver Angel the news. But the real bad news is that vampire hunter Holtz, who was after Angelus and Darla in the 18th century for killing his family, has been brought to present day by a demon named Sahjhan, to finish off Angel. "Quickening" deals with all walks of life, from Wolfram & Hart, to demon monks, after the unborn child. The big climax is in the next two episodes. "Lullaby", a gorgeous, perfect episode, gives way to an incredible moment where Darla sacrifices herself to give birth to the baby. This was a real turning point for Darla. In the rain. In an alley. A classic moment. "Dad" is a more action packed episode where the hotel is under siege by villains as Angel tries to protect his new son. These are two important episodes. We then get two episodes of filler, "Birthday" and "Provider", until the best season yet continues with the Joss Whedon penned and directed, "Waiting In The Wings". A brilliant episode that finds our gang going to the ballet, where a ghostly presence brings out romantic scenarios within the gang. The biggest, and best, twist, was the new road that Wesley(Alexis Denisoff)takes. In "Loyalty", he discovers a prophecy that says that Angel will kill his son. Wesley's actions to protect baby Connor come crashing down on him, and everyone else, in the #1 episode of the season, "Sleep Tight". This was the episode that changed everything. This is the episode that brings out the best in the series. Shocking, surprising, thrilling, and unrelenting. This episode is "Angel" at it's perfect best. Holtz also kidnaps Connor and disappears with him into a portal into another dimension. The follow up episode, "Forgiving", is almost as good. Angel kidnaps the head of Wolfram & Hart to torture him to reveal what he knows, and the end delivers another jaw dropping scene that came out of nowhere and gives more proof of how the show has gotten to be so good with it's twists and shocking surprises. Something that "Buffy" used to do, but started to lack in. A couple more filler episodes, and then we have "A New World". Connor has returned from the other dimension, and he has grown into a 16 year old kid. It'll explain how. Don't worry. He is wild, a fighter, and doesn't take interest in sticking with Angel. More comes out in "Benediction", as Holtz figures back into the equation and reveals his plans for Angel. And Wes, declining even more, becomes involved with evil lawyer, Lilah. It all comes to a head in the finale, "Tommorrow". This episodes really gives you a couple of cliffhangers that seaosn finales of this show don't normally do. I won't spill it here. Season three of this show was, and still reamins, the best season of the show. It was exciting, thrilling, and had many mouth dropping gasps that ultimatley made it the better show between itself and it's flagship series. The writing was strong, creative, mind blowing, sad, and funny. The cast equaled the quality of the excellent writing this season with performances that really drove the greatness of it home. David Boreanaz continues to grow as a performer, and gets better with each passing season. Alexis Denisof tho, was the real treasure of the season. His character went thru so much later in the season, and his transformation was amazing to watch. Fantastic. While "Buffy" was still good, it wasn't the show it used to be, and "Angel" took over, surprising many by becoming the show that was better than it's sibling. This, like the 3rd season of "Buffy", was the season that defined the show. Superb and essential.
Rating: 
Summary: Like Father like son
Review: This is the most complex of Angel's Five (alas) seasons. It's only fault are the horrifying permutations of Cordelia's hair throughout. I tend to go between Season 2 and 3 as my favorites of the series. Two has some beautiful character development and manages to switch gears wonderfully when it ends with the "Pylea Trilogy". But Season 3 is the consequences of Season 2. The birth of Connor, the return of the Gruselagh. Cordy's visions. Cordelia's ultimate fate is set this season. Much is made of Connor's unlikeability. I think this works well. I don't think we are supposed to like Connor. I think that's the point. How many likeable teenagers are there, really?
It's about the change being a father brings to Angel. His own sense of devotion and of course, the betrayal that comes up later. It's a great season and ofcourse, Joss Whedon's "Waiting In The Wings" is a fantastic addition to the series. This is the last clear season for Angel. Season 4 suffers from Whedon's distraction with Firefly and Season 5, while often brilliant, suffers from the WBs mistreatment of the series in it's unwillingness to renew it properly. By the way, The WB
stinks.
Rating:
Summary: Don't Cancel This Awesome Show!
Review: Angel is one of the best TV shows on the WB, the other best show is Charmed. Season 3 of Angel is definitely one of the best seasons and just as good as seasons 1 and 2 while season 4 though having some good episodes was sort of a disjointed season and they dragged some of the storylines on too long but season 5 is pretty good and I'm really miffed that the WB is cancelling this show especially since it is still being watched by lots of fans. It was bad enough when Buffy was cancelled and there will never be any new episodes of that awesome show and I really don't like that Angel is being cancelled! After they cancel Angel the only good show on WB will be Charmed and they will probably foolishly cancel that soon too. Hopefully The WB will come to their senses and keep Angel going or another network will buy the show and continue it!
Rating: 
Summary: brilliant writing.
Review: This season should have won an emmy, the storylines are just brilliant. Not my favourite season, but it really shows how great the actors are.
A must buy for any fan.
Rating:
Summary: The Best Season of Angel By Far
Review: This season is by far the best season of Angel. There are many reasons for that, I'll go through each one individually. The first reason is the continual story arc. I hate it when there are just a lot of stand alone episodes, like in season 1 and some of season 5. I want to watch a show where if I miss one episode, I've missed important information. I like wanting to watch the show every single week. I like being attached, and stand alone episodes just dont do that for me. Another reason is the element of surprise. There are many episodes that are very surprising in this season. You want to know why? Because this show has excellent writers. They know how to make a jaw-dropping hour of television. I dont want to give anything away, so I'll just say the most surprising plot twists are at the end of episode 12 Waiting in the Wings, episode 19 The Price and episode 22 Tomorrow. No, wait, those episodes all had a shocking ending, but I missed about 7 episodes. The whole second half of the season is filled with cliffhangers, and I loved every minute of it. The third reason that this season is the best is that romance is thrown back into the show. Romance had been seriously lacking on Angel. Probably because of Angel's curse and the death's and additions of characters. Something that kept me hooked this season was the triangle between Gunn Fred and Wesley. Although I was kind of disappointed with who she choose, even though her choice is also a great guy. The other romance was between Cordy and Angel. Im a Buffy/Angel shipper, but I gotta admit that Cordy and Angel just seemed so right together. Of course Joss had to throw them a couple of curve balls though. He never lets a couple on any of his shows stay happy, but it sure makes for some interesting stories. And my final reason why this season is the best of Angel is just two words: Amy Acker. She becomes an essential member of the cast starting with the episode Fredless. She quickly became my favorite character and just like with Willow in Buffy, I found myself crying whenever she would cry, especially in Carpe Noctem. Which is a particularly funny episode, that is my favorite of the season. Amy Acker really shows her acting range as Illyria in 5th season, but she still shines in this season and practically steals the show away from everyone else. I'm so glad they brought her back from Pylea. The special features of this season are the best of the Angel series so far. There is a screen test with Amy Acker and Vincent Kartheiser. Both in what seems are lost scenes. Well, Vincent's scene as Connor would never have happened on the show, but it was entertaining none the less. The outtakes are extremely funny, but they didnt do too good of a job with censoring the f words. The beeps were kind of off. They seemed to have at least one blooper with every cast member, unlike in the Buffy season 5 and 6 bloopers. I liked it. The deleted scenes from Waiting in the Wings and Birthday weren't that interesting. The one from Waiting in the Wings was just a dream of Wesley and Fred doing ballet and the Birthday one was just a continuation of the Cordy! theme song. Overall, I was very satisfied with both the season and the special features. You'll be making a mistake if you dont go out and buy this right now.
|
