The Angel/Spike stuff worked really well in the context of the Connor storyline, and the contrast from Angels POV of "blood" family to found/friend family.

Plus Angel (and DB) were always fun when someone/thing was annoying him and he had to put up with it.

Honestly, other than the Fred subplot, which wouldn't have fit, I wish TGiQ had been put in place of the WWII episode and that they expanded the end run an episode at least - everything else would have fit, I think, and they could have set up the Black Circle thing in a little less of a rush. An episode that light-weight wouldn't have bothered me early on. Other than some minor character notes for Angel, the submarine episode did nothing for me but meh - at least TGiQ made me laugh a lot.

I like Frank's idea. Assuming SMG were available.

Should we mix A:ts in, right from the beginning, or when we get to BtVS season 4?

I'm currently doing this with a friend of mine, and for the first season or so of Angel especially, it really makes more sense to wait until the right era.

We're on seasons 5 and 2, respecitively, right now, and I'm glad we held off on Angel, if only for Fool For Love and Darla going back to back.

I like Frank's idea. Assuming SMG were available.

However, if it meant losing the Fred/Wes/Burkles stuff completely, I wouldn't change it around - that was by far the most important part of that episode, at least for me. I think that could have worked with any episode where Angel was otherwise occupied, though.

I can't do watch and post while it's going on. And a lot of the fun of watch and post (at least when I read through it) seems to be the surprises. For most of us, we're not going to have that with Buffy and Angel. We could start a rewatch thingie though, and do it right in this thread, and whoever wanted to could make it a watch-n-post experience, too.

I think that's a great idea!

Maybe once a month?

I'm sorry. I was falling in love with your tag. Did you say something?

Assuming SMG were available.

Why? She wasn't in the ep.

She wasn't in the ep.

Which, to me, was a contributor to the suckage.

Hell, just knowing it was the back of her head would have eased my eye-rolling.

A little.

Which, to me, was a contributor to the suckage.

Oh, I agree. But her presence isn't necessary just to move the ep up in the season.

Since several people mentioned liking the TGiQ subplot with Illyria & Fred's parents... could someone elaborate on that? I know my feelings for the characters involved didn't make me terribly receptive to that story, but I'd like to at least understand what other people got from it, even if I can't feel it myself. For me, those scenes were far more unpleasant to watch than the Italian hijinks.