what episodes of Buffy would i need to watch in order to watch this? - Angel (1999) Discussion

[–] athomed 9 years ago

It can easily be watched on its own in my opinion, but Angel is a character on the first three seasons of Buffy before the series Angel begins. Angel season 1 aired coinciding with Buffy season 4. If you're so inclined, there are fan-made watch lists following the correct order to watch the series in starting with the first three seasons of Buffy and then switching off between episodes of the two shows.

Drawbacks to watching Angel before Buffy is that you won't have as much background on characters featured and mentioned, and you won't understands certain past and concurrent events infrequently alluded to by the characters.

___
I used to think I knew everything about the world. Now I just know that it's round.

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[–] bcgarant 9 years ago

yeah, i was trying to look to see if there were cross-over episodes where one leads from 1 show right into the other but i had no luck so i didn't know if the episodes aren't like that or if i just couldn't find a list of cross-over sets like that

i just love supernatural type shows

Witches Of East End
The Vampire Diaries
The Originals
Beauty And The Beast
Hemlock Grove
Moonlight
Being Human
Bitten
Teen Wolf
The Gates
Roswell

& so many more

but the main reason i want to get into Angel 1st is i really want to see Amy Acker in it, i just love her in Person of Interest & in Angel she must have been around 20 yrs younger & possibly hotter?

& with Buffy, i still want to see it but i know the show includes Alyson Hannigan & she really annoys the hell outta me

yeah, those drawbacks might worry me

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[–] athomed 9 years ago

There are a few episodes which do have crossover content, but really only a few.

You're going to be disappointed on the Ms. Amy Acker front. Since she is ageless, she doesn't look that much younger.

___
I used to think I knew everything about the world. Now I just know that it's round.

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[–] flyerzzrul 9 years ago

Drawbacks to watching Angel before Buffy is that you won't have as much background on characters featured and mentioned, and you won't understands certain past and concurrent events infrequently alluded to by the characters.

I guess the biggest drawback for me was how weak they made Angel look in early Buffy, and how weak they made Darla look in Buffy when we find out she is the badest of the bad

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[–] athomed 9 years ago

Well, in fairness, they didn't know they'd be using those characters in the future, and Buffy is the one with her name in the title on Buffy, not Angel. Darla's arc on Angel is a strength of the show especially given how they took a character shortchanged on Buffy and turned her into something spectacular on Angel. To have the total and full appreciation of that, you would have to see both. But I'd still say that Angel is almost as standalone as a "spin-off" gets.

___
I used to think I knew everything about the world. Now I just know that it's round.

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[–] 9 years ago

[deleted]

[–] magic-4000 9 years ago

Some of the others have already covered it but the first three seasons of Buffy are important in setting up Angel (and some of the other characters that feature on this show) and giving substance/context to crossover events that happen later on. It's not necessary by any means but the ideal scenario if you'd rather watch Angel is to go through the first three seasons of Buffy before following Angel to the spin-off.

If watching all three of those seasons isn't really an option for you, maybe I could list out a few episodes that are important to Angel. They could give you a better sense of backstories/characters/story arcs that have various degrees of influence on the spin-off:

1. Angel (Season 1, Episode 7)
2. Innocence (Season 2, Episode 14)
3. Becoming, Part 1 (Season 2, Episode 21)
4. Becoming, Part 2 (Season 2, Episode 22)
5. Amends (Season 3, Episode 10)
6. Consequences (Season 3, Episode 15)
7. Graduation Day, Part 2 (Season 3, Episode 22)

Obviously do note that by watching just these first, you miss out on some of the smaller character development moments and interactions. Also, if you do intend to go back and watch Buffy after, this would spoil some of the bigger plot points of the early seasons. So this way is a possibility but with some caveats.

There are crossover episodes guides out there that detail pretty nicely how to watch the two shows concurrently if that's of any interest to you.

Wesley, why can't I stay?

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[–] nileqt87 9 years ago

I would expand that a bit to an even 10.

1. Angel (Season 1, Episode 7)
2. Surprise (Season 2, Episode 13)
3. Innocence (Season 2, Episode 14)
4. Passion (Season 2, Episode 17)
5. Becoming, Part 1 (Season 2, Episode 21)
6. Becoming, Part 2 (Season 2, Episode 22)
7. Amends (Season 3, Episode 10)
8. Consequences (Season 3, Episode 15)
9. The Prom (Season 3, Episode 20)
10. Graduation Day, Part 2 (Season 3, Episode 22)

However, I would greatly recommend that you watch the first three seasons of BtVS first. There are so many things you'd miss on AtS otherwise, despite it being watchable on its own.

Angel's story on BtVS is particularly critical to know about, IMO, seeing as the Angelus arc informs so much of his character afterwards. And knowing a bit about the Fanged Four (Darla, Angel, Drusilla and Spike) as they were originally would be helpful. Besides them, Cordy, Wesley, Faith, Harmony, Anne, Andrew, etc... also originated on BtVS. And of course, Buffy herself. And you're not Alyson Hannigan-free on AtS either, just to let you know; she's in 3 episodes. And really, you need to see much more of BtVS season 3 prior to Faith's appearances on AtS, so that makes that critical viewing.

If you're only watching for Amy Acker, she doesn't even enter AtS until the last 4 episodes of season 2 and only starts being truly prominent in seasons 3-5. However, I would never recommend the Pylea arc to anyone as a first glimpse of the show, as it's nothing like the rest of the show.

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[–] bcgarant 9 years ago

ATS? is another title for Angel? Angel the Slayer?

i actually watched the 1st 4 eps of BTVS a long time ago but idr it too well & u made me decide to watch Buffy 1st, i didn't really want to cuz i really wanted to see Amy Acker soon but that would be 2 seasons of show to watch before i even see her & now gonna be like 5 and while looking on Angel, i seen that Sarah Michelle Gellar, Eliza Dushku, Laurel Holloman, Julie Benz, Elisabeth Röhm were all in Angel too, love all these actresses

Sarah, Eliza & Julie are in a lot of Buffy eps too though, mostly Buffy so i'm just gonna hope they will keep me addicted long enough to get thru 1st 3 seasons

i just watched the pilot of Buffy and i might be able to tolerate Alyson more in this even though she still has that similar char as when she was at band camp

also, Julie Benz didn't look the same to me in the pilot, she was in Roswell around the same time but i didn't see the resemblance between the 2

but since i planned to go back to Buffy in the future & i don't want any major plot lines spoiled, that was what i wanted to avoid by watching Angel 1st but it seems like a mess if i watch Angel 1st and plan to go back to Buffy later

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[–] magic-4000 9 years ago

If you're a big fan of Sarah Michelle Gellar and Eliza Dushku, then you'll definitely have enough of them to keep you hooked through the first three seasons of Buffy. Obviously SMG is the title character and Eliza's character first comes into play in season 3. Julie Benz has limited time on Buffy but Angel's show is where she really shines.

As for Amy Acker's character, the wait is well worth it. I love her character but there's so many amazing things that go on well before she's even introduced that it's not like you'll be twiddling your thumbs waiting for her to show up.

I would say you could draw some similarities between Alyson Hannigan's Willow and Michelle from American Pie but as Willow develops, you'll see they aren't very alike. Willow is one of my favorites in early Buffy.

So it seems you decided to do 1-3 on Buffy before jumping over to Angel then? I'd love to hear your thoughts as you progress through each show for the first time. Be wary of spoilers in title posts on both boards! (I already see a few right near the top here)

P.S. I believe AtS is just an abbreviation for Angel the Series/Show as a way to differentiate between the term Angel referring to the character and referring to Angel the show.

Wesley, why can't I stay?

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[–] bcgarant 9 years ago

yes, i loved SMG in I Know What You Did Last Summer (not looking forward to the remake which is rumored to have the actress in it that plays the harmony girl in BTVS & Angel), Cruel Intentions & the tv show Ringer

& Eliza Dushku in Tru Calling, another supernatural show i had forgotten to mention that i really liked

i have seen some more stuff with them but these are the only ones i really liked where their chars were memorable to me

i can't speak too soon but Julie Benz isn't really doing anything for me so far but i've seen her face more as a monster than in true form so i guess will have to wait for more char development and see although u said she shines more in Angel so could be a much longer wait

i really don't like the monster faces the way they are, vampires,demons etc... compared to shows like TVD or The O's but i am adjusting as i think the story line is more important than that

yeah, i've already accidentally seen some spoilers, it seems there is no way to prevent from seeing those when you're checking threads for answers before asking questions, that goes for any board pretty much, especially more famous shows and movies

i also noticed Eliza & Amy Acker are both in Dollhouse as well, may have to watch that in the future after Buffy & Angel despite the cancellation, so many nice shows have been cancelled after 1 season compared to others that go on & on & wish they would go away, + it seems that is by the same creator

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[–] stargazer_1682 9 years ago

AtS stands for Angel the Series; best way to differentiate from Angel the character.

"Bara, bara himble gemination!"

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[–] Joxerlives 9 years ago

Best to watch Buffy s1-3 first and then start Angel, if you watch Angel first you'll just inevitably end up watching Buffy too.

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[–] stargazer_1682 9 years ago

Cliffs Notes to watch Buffy as a primer, before starting AtS?

"Angel" - Season 1, episode 7
"Prophecy Girl," Season 1, Episode 12
"School Hard," Season 2, Episode 3
"Halloween," Season 2, Episode 6
"What's My Line," (Parts 1 & 2) Season 2, Episodes 9 & 10
"Surprise," Season 2, Episode 13
"Innocence," Season 2, Episode 14
"Passion," Season 2, Episode 17
"I Only Have Eyes for You," Season 2, Episode 19
"Becoming" (Parts 1 & 2) Season 2, Episode 21 & 22
"Faith, Hope and Trick," Season 3, Episode 3
"Beauty and the Beasts," Season 3, Episode 4
"Revelations," Season 3, Episode 7
"Bad Girls," Season 3, Episode 14
"Consequences," Season 3, Episode 15
"Enemies," Season 3, Episode 17
"Earshot," Season 3, Episode 18
"Choices," Season 3, Episode 19
"The Prom," Season 3, Episode 20
"Graduation Day," (Parts 1 & 2) Season 3, Episodes 21 & 22

"Special mentions," that don't strictly drive Angel's story, but either do tie-in with stories dealt with in the above episodes; or are just great Buffy eps in general (or both):

"Phases," Season 2, Episode 15
"Anne," Season 3, Episode 1
"Band Candy" Season 3, Episode 6
"Lovers Walk," Season 3, Episode 8
"The Wish," Season 3, Episode 9
"The Zeppo," Season 3, Episode 13
"Dopplegangland," Season 3, Episode 16

"Bara, bara himble gemination!"

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[–] bcgarant 9 years ago

thx for this, i did start watching Buffy too and watching Angel too, i finished 8 eps of Angel & 5 eps of Buffy, i actually like Angel a little more than Buffy & i also like Cordelia more in Angel than i do in Buffy but maybe it's cuz she changes somewhat later on in Buffy, idk

it has been pretty standalone so far but i don't want to go too far before stopping, might stop after E08 of Angel for a while

Buffy was in it & kinda spoiled that they were together but i kinda had a feeling that was gonna happen anyway the way things were happening in Buffy so it wasn't so major

then there's the spoiler that Cordelia was once rich but now poor, also saw the Spike & Oz chars which i guess were in Buffy too but idc about them anyway but as it's coming close to what was a mid-season finale at this time, i'm feeling like i might want to stop where i'm at

but based on ur cliff notes i may have to watch nearly all of S02 & 1/2 of S03 & nearly skip rest of S01 lol

but the ? is... by skipping the remainder of eps not mentioned will i miss out or get confused on plot lines when i go back to Buffy?

if i could watch just these & go back to all the other eps remaining in S01-03 later without losing out on continuing story lines in Buffy and the remaining are just normal monster of the week episodes which focus just on that day's episode, then i would love to just watch these & go to Angel & come back later to finish the rest

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[–] nileqt87 9 years ago

You shouldn't watch AtS with BtVS season 1; that's not how they go together. Watch BtVS seasons 1-3 first instead. Then rewatch the first episodes of AtS perhaps when you get to BtVS season 4/AtS season 1 (which aired together and have crossovers).

You didn't care about Spike or Oz because you had no idea who they were. And AtS 1x08 isn't going to mean much to you if you don't care about Angel's past relationship with Buffy. And then later in the season, Faith's appearance won't really mean a lot without seeing all of BtVS season 3. You've got some spoilers already for Angel's arc on BtVS, but seeing it is quite different. And yes, Cordelia was the rich, popular b!tch of Sunnydale High. You've got to watch BtVS to understand what just happened to her, too.

Just watch ALL of the episodes without skipping any. Even super minor Monster of the Week ones have character development (and some developments aren't minor at all). And no, DON'T skip the second half of season 1. You're not even to 1x07 yet! 1x12 is also a very key episode with major consequences. But you'd still lose a lot just watching two episodes. 1x11 is a big Cordy episode and has stuff that leads into 1x12 (Giles and Angel scene). Nothing is quite as inconsequential as you are thinking. Every episode contributes something.

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[–] bcgarant 9 years ago

back to Buffy & i have gotten to S01E07 now lol, it was a good episode & as i said before i actually love Buffy and Angel together & i really liked Angel S01E08, it was the best episode of Angel i have seen thus far

idk about Spike or Oz, i may still not care about them after i see them in Buffy, only time will tell

i'm actually surprisingly really liking Willow

Faith, all i know about her is that she's played by Eliza Dushku who i also really like as an actress

planning on finishing Buffy S01 today but thing is... i also have 15 weekly shows this week & even more than that in coming weeks when some others come back, another reason i had been wanting to try and get to Angel much sooner thru a shortcut but i've decided to just watch the 1st 3 seasons of Buffy for now, it helps that Angel has been entering more frequently as well

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[–] nileqt87 9 years ago

You should really stop trying to watch them together. They aren't concurrent.

And you shouldn't have watched 1x08 yet! That was a terrible idea to jump ahead and watch the end before the beginning. I realize you know Angel is a vampire (that was actually a spoiler when BtVS was airing), but now you've got a lot more spoilers added and the end before the beginning. Please stop with AtS before you get any further. You've got a lot of stuff to learn about the characters earlier in their stories.

Amy Acker isn't going anywhere. You don't have to race forward if you actually like BtVS.

BtVS season 4 is concurrent with AtS season 1. Drop AtS for a while, rewatch those early AtS episodes later with the crossover BtVS season 4 episodes they aired with instead. It really makes a difference and you'll catch things you didn't before. Your watching timeline is all screwed up.

You won't meet Spike and Oz until BtVS season 2. You'll find out a whole lot more about Angel in BtVS season 2 that you might not entirely realize is part of the character yet and what his history really is by the time he goes to L.A., despite Doyle narrating it a bit. If you keep going, lots of developments won't have the same impact (actually, you're already kind of screwed with spoilers for something huge). You need to see BtVS season 3 with Faith before you get any further in AtS season 1, because you'll be missing most of her story. I mean it.

Here's a watch order AFTER you get through BtVS seasons 1-3:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/16L21WDcTEzpbHn8oeris3PXuGaZFzENwKOusL_65NGs/edit?usp=sharing

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[–] bcgarant 9 years ago

i did stop after Angel E08 yesterday before my last 2 posts even, i'm starting Buffy S01E10

i've stopped racing forward already, finished S01 of Buffy today but still waiting on more interesting chars to appear

so far, for me, it's just Buffy, Willow & occasionally Angel

i really like Julie Benz usually but her char didn't do anything for me in Buffy, i do realize she'll be in many more eps of Angel later on, either in flashback or resurrected but i know in Buffy she meant nothing to me, i couldn't even tell it was her tbh

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[–] nileqt87 9 years ago

Proud of you for taking our advice! I hope you're loving the show. The second half of season 2 is much-loved, but it does benefit from its buildup.

And I think you can see from the likes of 1x07 and 1x12 that the show has more than just Monster of the Week plots even in the early days. AtS season 1 is also considerably more MotW heavy than later seasons (AtS season 4 is extremely serialized). They always remain, but there's a serialized plot starting to pick up speed. Missing out on episodes would mean a loss of sometimes quite profound character developments turning up in less arc-heavy episodes that might not make it on a '2 1/2 seasons whittled down into a handful of episodes' list.

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[–] bcgarant 9 years ago

yeah, i'm liking it, i'm now at S02E12 of S02

i'm not so much into a lot of the fantasy stuff or the monster's faces as mentioned before but i like it overall

also saw appearances from Clayne Crawford (his very first acting appearance according to imdb, short as it was), Jason Behr of Roswell, Bianca Lawson (never ages) & John Ritter although Jason Behr's performance was the only one i cared about, prob the 1st time i ever saw an episode of anything with Bianca Lawson where i didn't like her except for her 1 line, "you ripped my favorite shirt, it was my only shirt" or something like that

the more i watched Drusilla, the more i didn't like her, it was like watching a strung out drug addict

no change in my like of Spike or Oz either, my fav chars remain Buffy, Willow & Angel still, hope there are better seasons to come

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[–] madman_salv 9 years ago

How's the viewing going?

Hope you have haven't watched anymore Angel before finishing Buffy S3!

Just in case....

Buffy S1-3
Buffy S4/Angel S1 (watch together)
Buffy S5/Angel S2 (watch together)
Buffy S6/Angel S3 (watch together)
Buffy S7/Angel S4 (watch together)
Angel S5.

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[–] jsawyer44 9 years ago

You left off season three "Amends".

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[–] bcgarant 9 years ago

what about S03 Amends? it goes before or after a particular Buffy episode?

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[–] nileqt87 9 years ago

No, Amends is BtVS 3x10 and was left off of that big list of BtVS' Angel-centric episodes. I'd insert that one instead of Earshot.

As for Angelus... He's the reason, which is a major part of the tragic circumstances of why Angel and Buffy couldn't ever be together, you needed to see BtVS before you kept going through AtS. David Boreanaz did an amazing job playing dual roles (three roles, really). The Angelus arc is arguably the most praised arc of the entire franchise.

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[–] bcgarant 9 years ago

no need then, i am watching the 2 part finale of S02 now

& i will watch all of S03 before starting Angel so the ep isn't important to being a cross-over in the seasons after S03 which is when i would go back & forth, maybe watching more Angel than Buffy if i know when the cross-overs are so i don't lose out on combined stories

do you mean the fact that having sex with a human and having happiness being the curse as to why they can't be?

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[–] stargazer_1682 9 years ago

Man, I can't believe I forgot Amend; that's my bad. I also don't come to the Angel board nearly as often as the Buffy board, or I would have seen this sooner. I remembered this thread, but for someone reason I thought it was on the Buffy board.

"I don't know; maybe a mutiny of clowns?"

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[–] SilentDues 9 years ago

There you go, just watch Seasons 1-3 of Buffy, it will help greatly with making sense to various references. As for crossovers once Angel spins off, there's only about 10 eps from Buffy Seasons 4-7 that have direct crossovers or at least enough elements you'll truly understand Angel's full story. The concurrent Seasons 6 of Buffy and 3 of Angel don't really have any, other than one tiny offscreen thing both shows do early on those seasons, but the others do.

From Season 4 of Buffy, I'd watch concurrent with Angel Season 1:

Buffy's "The Freshman": After "City of"
Buffy's "The Harsh Light of Day": Before "In the Dark"
Buffy's "Pangs": Before "I Will Remember You"
Buffy's "The Yoko Factor": After "Sanctuary"

From Season 5 of Buffy, I'd watch concurrent with Angel Season 2:

Buffy's "Fool for Love": Before "Darla"
Buffy's "Crush": After "Happy Anniversary"
Buffy's "Forever": Before "Disharmony"

From Season 7 of Buffy, I'd watch concurrent with Angel Season 4:

Buffy's "Lies My Parents Told Me": After "Salvage"
Buffy's "End of Days" & "Chosen": After "Home"

Superman & The [Red-Blue] Blur = The Man of Steel

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[–] bcgarant 9 years ago

good to know, so after i finish 1st 3 seasons of Buffy, if i choose to move further along in Angel than Buffy, i can follow these cross-overs

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[–] bcgarant 9 years ago

just as Jenny Calendar dies, i was just starting to care for her char after so many of her eps

also starting to like Drusilla as a villainess

liking Cordelia a little more in Buffy, she's hilarious, prob the funniest of the bunch but in a serious way

Cordelia & Xander together though, just horrible lol

dark Angel (hating)

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[–] SilentDues 9 years ago

Yep, if you choose to stick just with Angel's story, only them 10 episodes are necessary. Angel only actually returns to Sunnydale a total of 4 times ("Pangs", "The Yoko Factor", "Forever", and "End of Days"/"Chosen") while the character and actor each have a blink-&-ya-miss-it cameo in another ("The Freshman"), and Angel appears in newly shot flashback material for a pretty iconic two-part flashback story between shows ("Fool for Love"). The few other eps I listed pretty much just tie up loose ends, set up important elements to come, and help fill in any other gaps without an actual crossover ("The Harsh Light of Day", "Crush", "Lies My Parents Told Me").

Superman & The [Red-Blue] Blur = The Man of Steel

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[–] bcgarant 9 years ago

naw, i stuck with Buffy

starting S03E10 now, Faith is alright as are most of the chars but Buffy & Angel are my favs, i especially like the music it plays when they are in scenes together or longing for the other

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[–] SilentDues 9 years ago

Do you now intend to wstch all of Buffy Seasons 4-7 concurrently with Angel Seasons 1-4? If so, I can provide my custom episode list for the best way to do that IMO. Up to you?

Superman & The [Red-Blue] Blur = The Man of Steel

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[–] bcgarant 9 years ago

Do you now intend to wstch all of Buffy Seasons 4-7 concurrently with Angel Seasons 1-4? If so, I can provide my custom episode list for the best way to do that IMO. Up to you

well, i may want to go further into Angel a while if possible, so the more i can watch of that without hitting cross-overs & colliding stories w/ Buffy so i don't see stuff that hasn't happened yet before stuff that does

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[–] SilentDues 9 years ago

I think the biggest spoilers you'd get with Buffy's story would be an ep like Season 5's "Forever", featuring the aftermath to a prominent character's death, then Season 7's "End of Days" and "Chosen" are the show's final two eps that basically wrap everything up. Even without the crossovers from Buffy's side you'll still get a few spoilers from Angel's side of things. How Angel's side tells half the story of Faith's character, a main character's sexual orientation is revealed (not to mention major negative events said character does at one point), the major consequences of what happens with Buffy's character at the end of Season 5 are also touched on early in Angel Season 3, plus a globally spanning war within Buffy Season 7 is touched on in a few Angel Season 4 eps.

Kinda damned if you do damned if you don't sadly. There's either 1) watching just Angel by itself, 2) going through Angel with simply the 10 Buffy crossover eps I listed, or 3) following all of both shows concurrently. My suggestion is settling for the least of evils number 2, you'd still get some spoilers anyway if just watching all of Angel by itself (not to mention the show's post-Buffy final season), may as well say heck with it IMO and make the occasional collisions to get 100% of Angel's story. Up to you.

Superman & The [Red-Blue] Blur = The Man of Steel

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[–] madman_salv 9 years ago

Keep us updated OP!

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[–] bcgarant 9 years ago

i have a lot of weekly shows atm, 21 shows i had this past week even but 4 or 5 ended & a couple i dropped + i was behind on quite a bit, a total of 14 episodes coming this week so i've kinda been off the radar with Angel & Buffy but i watched around 1/2 or so of S01 of Angel & up to S04E06 or around there in Buffy

and i have just 2 shows i am behind on to catch up on which will be pretty soon so planning on getting back to these pretty soon now that so many of my shows have ended lately

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[–] bcgarant 9 years ago

just finally finished S04 of Buffy, have gotten to like Riley (like the Matt Lanter of the 90s,early 2000s) as David Boreanaz is the Paul Wesley of the 90s,early 2000s) only i like Angel way more than i do Stefan Salvatore

also really liking Tara, she's my fav to watch on-screen atm

but that S04 finale was the worst Buffy episode i ever seen, so painfully boring & worthless, one day when i re-watch this show, will have to remember to not watch that one again

it is like the 1 or so eps in Roswell or the 1 ep of Pretty Little Liars (bunch of dreaming & telling us only stuff we already knew the entire episode) or groundhog day ep in the current S07 of The Vampire Diaries that was completely worthless, why do shows make these completely worthless eps? to make decent shows have a nearly impossible to watch episode

even the typical filler episodes of these longer shows are usually better than these bs ones, there's really no reason for them

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[–] PreachCaleb 9 years ago

Restless is not even close to worthless.

It's themes and foreshadowing underscore where the Scoobies have come from and where they're going.

Let's be bad guys.

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[–] bcgarant 9 years ago

i see, but it was still painful to watch, seeing IMDB rate it like 8.8 with so many voters annoyed me too

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[–] PreachCaleb 9 years ago

People love it. It's a nice coda to the season, which helps it stand out from other finales. It tells four individual stories all connected through the first slayer. And it's a beautiful character study of our heroes.

Let's be bad guys.

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[–] bcgarant 9 years ago

People love it. It's a nice coda to the season, which helps it stand out from other finales. It tells four individual stories all connected through the first slayer. And it's a beautiful character study of our heroes.

whatever floats peoples' boats i guess

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[–] PreachCaleb 9 years ago

My boat is floated by Restless.

Let's be bad guys.

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[–] domester82 8 years ago

best way to watch is as originally aired. Buffy seasons 1-3, and then watch Angel season 1 and Buffy season 4 together. There's a lot of crossovers, particularly in ATS season 1 and Buffy season 4. The crossovers become a bit less as the shows go on, though.

After season 5, Buffy transferred to another network, UPN, so the networks got funny about crossovers.

I watched both shows religiously, but I suppose Angel can work as a standalone. You just wouldn't get some of the frequent references characters make to Buffy.

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[–] HippieDrillSealOfApproval 8 years ago

If you watch Angel on its own you'd be missing a lot of in jokes and back story if you haven't seen Buffy first. Angel isn't so much a "spin off" as it is a continuation and often two shows overlapped/coincided and events that happened on Buffy are explained in more detail on Angel.

What are words for when no one listens anymore

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[–] bcgarant 8 years ago

yeah, i enjoy both nearly the same now with their own nice theme songs & all

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[–] HippieDrillSealOfApproval 8 years ago

i enjoy both nearly the same now

Me too. The shows are so similar in so many regards that it's hard to imagine how anyone who loves one wouldn't love the other. The only significant difference between them that I can see is superficial. Buffy was more of a supernatural teen drama whereas as Angel was more of a supernatural adult soap opera. But the writing, charterer development, and humor of both are top notch.

What are words for when no one listens anymore

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