I feel like he's far more sidelined this season, but I could be wrong.
I still feel that he AND Spike is one wacky sidekick too many.
Well, then, this is a day I'll feel good to be me.
Mal ,'Trash'
Angel 5: Is That It? Am I Done?
[NAFDA] This is where we talk about the show! Anything that's aired in the US (including promos) is fair game. No spoilers though -- if you post one by accident, an admin will delete it.
bon bon - May 14, 2004 8:52:49 am PDT #213 of 3531
It's five thousand for kissing, ten thousand for snuggling... End of list.
§ ita § - May 14, 2004 8:56:24 am PDT #214 of 3531
Well not canonically, no, but this is transformative fiction.
I think Spike could have been better used (to draw parallels and show growth in Angel) than he was.
I also agree Lorne could have been better used, but hell, even the time he's been given this season has been wasted. Since about mid (I'm fudging the timeline), he's been useless. Gunn, Angel, Wesley, even Spike get to use what they're good at to move any given episode along. Lorne, NSM.
Though I cheered this week when Angel said Lorne was right -- about his viewpoint on good vs. evil. Because that's the one I'd always thought he had, whether or not he's actually right.
Bishop - May 14, 2004 8:59:06 am PDT #215 of 3531
Lapsed Lurker
In the first third of the season, I found Spike actively annoying, and wanted him off my show. Since then, he's been better integrated, but I'm still not sure the season's been made better by his presence. He's fine, but whatever.
I agree that he doesn't really add to the show. However, I think he fits into Angel's Avengers (hee) a ton better than he ever fit in with the Scoobies. He just gels better with this cast, even if he doesn't really improve anything by being here.
Steph L. - May 14, 2004 9:03:21 am PDT #216 of 3531
Unusually and exceedingly peculiar and altogether quite impossible to describe
He just gels better with this cast,
Oh, I think exactly the opposite. I like Spike, and I've thought he's been more or less fine this season, but he has seemed so completely out of place in LA.
And I'm sure a large part of that is because he came over from 5 seasons on BTVS. He belongs to Sunnydale, in my mind. AND he was dropped into the 5th year of AtS, so it felt like cramming a Sunnydale character into an already-cohesive LA whole.
There wasn't a similar problem with Wes joining the cast, in my mind, only because he was a small part of BTVS (not even a full season), and he came to AtS partway through the first season, when it wasn't a cohesive whole.
As always, Your Beagle May Vary.
Jessica - May 14, 2004 9:09:16 am PDT #217 of 3531
And then Ortus came and said "It's Ortin' time" and they all Orted off into the sunset
I'm with Steph, mostly. I do think he's gotten to the point where he fits better with AtS now than he did with BtVS late-S7 (and I have a theory about that), but in the beginning of the season, he stuck out like a sore thumb.
bon bon - May 14, 2004 9:12:07 am PDT #218 of 3531
It's five thousand for kissing, ten thousand for snuggling... End of list.
His size may have been difficult to work around.
Toddson - May 14, 2004 11:24:10 am PDT #219 of 3531
Friends don't let friends read "Atlas Shrugged"
In other news, I now have seasons 1, 2 and 3 on DVD ... so I can enjoy what was, even though there won't be any more.
Polter-Cow - May 14, 2004 11:28:52 am PDT #220 of 3531
What else besides ramen can you scoop? YOU CAN SCOOP THIS WORLD FROM DARKNESS!
In other news, I now have seasons 1, 2 and 3 on DVD ... so I can enjoy what was, even though there won't be any more.
Ooh. I'm almost done going through my DVDs. It's fun stuff. I can't wait for S4 on DVD. Mmm.
victor infante - May 14, 2004 11:30:15 am PDT #221 of 3531
To understand what happened at the diner, we shall use Mr. Papaya! This is upsetting because he's the friendliest of fruits.
I've actually much more enjoyed Spike now that he's settled in a bit--his scenes with Illyria have been excellent, and some of the old married couple stuff with Angel has been funny.
On the whole, I'm OK with it. In fact, at this point, if there were another season, I'd be fine with him coming back.
That being said, I'm sure there's someone around FOX who's floated a Spike spin-off.
Madrigal Costello - May 14, 2004 11:44:19 am PDT #222 of 3531
It's a remora, dimwit.
I do feel like they could have done a lot more with Lorne and Harmony, since they're the soul-less good guys. They're not M's oG out of conscience or guilt or anything but a desire to do good that's greater than a desire for evil. In fact, I'd put the reformation of Harmony as possibly one of the MoG's greatest goods - I mean, yeah, so far she's sucked at being an evil genius, but they've gotten one vampire to switch sides. In fact, I think they could have done a lot more good if they did start working on a small scale and then let it build - they get Harmony, and then she brings in a couple more vampires, and they bring in more, and pretty soon they can branch out to some demons - and then it's not just everybody against the humans anymore.