Angel || 1x01 || Full Reaction

Is there a working link for this episode?

SaraBlair25

RIP Glenn Quinn. He died way too young. Also known as Mark on Roseanne. Died from a heroine overdose in 2002. He actually had an Irish accent. He faked an American accent when on Roseanne.

Greg Davis (YT-nobody you need to know)

I think it's also because with Angel as the main character, they kinda can't escape that *sometimes* there's gonna be scenes in daylight. So they have to play it a bit more fast and loose.

A butt

It's also a callback to the Buffy episode which shows that Cordy pretty much speaks what's in her mind.

JDelwynn

I was all wtf with the intro song at first, but you’ll know that entire violin part by heart soon enough too

ella

I know you love film, so I'll say that the best old Hollywood comparison is the Sam Spade movies, top billing The Maltese Falcon. If you love this and want to retread this supernatural niore in pulp paperback please check out Jim Butcher's Dresden Files.

Fasda

If anyone wonders why MCU >DCEU yeah this is the cornerstone

Fasda

I guess it is a matter of personal preference. There are merits either way depending on your viewpoint. Besides, it's more of a tip-of-the-hat, a nod to the other show, than a true crossover.

GenU

That was heart-breaking...

Stephen Mintac

Welcome to the Buffyverse! The original MCU haha!

Stephen Mintac

Yeah I prefer it as Buffy first then Angel. You're supposed to be confused about the phone call on Buffy, so when you see Angel on the phone and you hear Buffy's voice, it comes together. Doing Buffy first gives you the mystery and then when you get to Angel, you get the pay off. It doesn't work, to me, the other way around. At least, not as well...

Ash Lee Can

I don't know how anyone could prefer the Angel opening over the Buffy opening, but like you said, different strokes. Just listening to the opening without the visuals doesn't do it any favors.

Nebraska

I think it works better watching Buffy first. Its something hanging in the air that you don't see the other side of until you watch Angel.

Nebraska

Just in time as you've finished up Supernatural! I feel like Angel jibes even more with SPN than Buffy even. Might just be the male lead thing and the cool car. But yeah, fun pilot with not subtle at all Batman vibes and references but still a lot of heart in it and Angel seeking to be a protector of those in need. He's just very believable in that role. And so tortured too. Its weird I watched Buffy as it aired and put Angel off for years for whatever reason but it truly compliments it and makes that universe all the more interesting. Just excited you're getting into it.

The Boozer

Yeah, it works either way, though a bit differently, but I'd agree with Angel first is better, but not a big deal.

Loves Bitca

The SlayAlive guide's watching order has Buffy 4x01 before Angel 1x01 which is why Alley was confused with the phone call in the Buffy episode. This is why I had suggested she watch Angel 1x01 first. But, no biggie. It's a minor crossover point in the grand scheme. As usual, I loved Alley's reaction.

GenU

I'm glad she was happy to see her, I just don't think she'd have been any less happy to see her in the credits and get the extra act of TV's worth of anticipation of how she'd turn up, instead of depriving that part of the experience of knowing that someone is going to be on a show but knowing how - a feeling that the creators of the show baked into the experience by intentionally announcing she'd be around before you saw her. And worth noting, I've never heard her say she has a thing about opening credits, I've only ever heard her say patrons are *asking* her not to watch them.

Dan H

Alley is the first reactor I've seen trash Angel's opening credits. Many people say they prefer Angel's opening credits over Buffy's. Different strokes for different folks, I guess.

Tania

Lets just all appreciate that this was released before Toby Maquire's Spiderman, and they totally stole the coffee catching scene from Angel. "Nice reflexes" indeed haha

Chris Hanley

Time for me to say how much I love Angel's theme song. I actually prefer it over Buffy's not that Buffy's is bad by any means. Still a banger but that violin with the beat drop and its emphasized with the intro where it shows Angel in vamp face barging through a door *kisses fingers* just awesome on so many levels

Rockworm

Alley is in the state known as "Jossed." Which is defined as the state of, when you see a major or beloved character, immediately starting to seriously worry whether they'll be killed in the episode. George R. R. Martin has nothing on Joss for killing characters.

John Kress

Best moment is when Cordelia turns around on Russell and says "Hey, you're a vampire!" and he makes this little head movement and mumbles "No I'm not." That never fails to crack me up. 😂

John Kress

I've been looking forward to Alley's reaction to Cordelia being a main character all week. I was not disappointed! Even better because she didn't watch the Intro until the end!

John Kress

Security overall wasn't as tight back then. The only thing keeping you from walking in was a receptionist, rather than a security guard at the door/entry to the offices. Most lawyers wouldn't have a security force at all. A firm that big would likely have security that you could call if there was problems, but they're not already there. Most places would just call the police. Just walk by the receptionist and say "I've got an appointment with ***" and she'll probably try to stop you, but that amounts to "Wait, you can't just.....". In general a law firm is open to the public. They've got clients, couriers, employees that include janitors, and mail room, and assistants, and visiting relatives, and food delivery. They don't really want to keep people out of the building, they just want you to follow protocol of signing in and such.

Loves Bitca

Alley enjoyed being surprised by the Cordelia reveal and yet some people still go with "No she should have not gotten a better experience. You were proven wrong and still cling to it. We're all glad that she didn't see your posts and listened to us instead. Reactors have made clear that they have a different opinion on what they consider spoilers and yet you guys still insist that they should do it YOUR way instead of her way. "Spoiler is what the creator....." No one is worried about the creator being spoiled. The downside of patreon, not being able to block people.

Loves Bitca

I didn't take names, but if you choose to out yourself. The fact that you say it was better that she was surprised by Cordy's appearance, shows that it would have spoiled her reaction. It's been stated over and over again that just because WE knew something at the time, does not mean it isn't a spoiler to reactors, and their standards for what is a spoiler. And some (again I didn't take names so I'm not saying you, if you didn't) continued to try to spoil it more while denying it was a spoiler. Saying "It's not a spoiler because we all knew who was going to be in the cast", revealing it was a cast member which could easily be deduced as Cordy missing from Buffy, while we were trying to keep what the spoiler was vague.

Loves Bitca

I've worked in offices where once you've gotten past the receptionist you can get anywhere in the building without issue. Also I know people that work in Infosec and they sometimes get paid to actually try to get into an office and try to access the computer systems physically to test the security and often just being confident is enough for people to not question your presence. So Angel getting in there is more than believable. Also unrelated to that, when that woman said "I wouldn't leave him unattended", she meant that some other woman is going to snatch him up because he's a hunk of a man.

Nikolai5

Bottom line is that Charisma being on the show is no more a "spoiler" than David Boreanaz being on the show was. It was a known fact all summer, and she's in the credits because - at most - the only suspense hanging over it is how she gets mixed up in all of this. Spoilers are things that *the creator* doesn't want you to know in advance. I'm sure if Mutant Enemy ever wanted a character's appearance to be a total surprise, that character would just show up in the episode out of the clear blue and the actor not credited until the closing credits. To me, reactions are best when they are seeing someone experience what we, the audience, experienced - what they would get if they just sat down and this show "Angel" was on cable and they watched it. It should be a fan-curated experience to "perfect" the creators' own choices for them. Same reason it makes my teeth itch when people hassle reactors to watch their high concept "ideal" viewing order for concurrent shows or movies (MCU reactions, but Buffyverse is a good example) when the ideal way is to just watch it as they aired so we all have it in common. FMV - fan made video, btw

Dan H

The only explanation you get for who Whistler is is the explanation Whistler himself gives in the Buffy S2 finale, and what we see him doing in that two-parter. Which is that he's a demon sent down to protect humanity from demons and that he set Angel on the path to goodness. He showed Angel Buffy when she was called, resulting in Angel wanting to protect her. But other than that, no, they didn't. Although, if you think of Doyle as Whistler, that's your explanation--they're essentially the same person.

Raven Dark

If Angel comes out during the daytime, then when does he plan to sleep?? lol

Koh_Kae

Wait so did they ever explain who Whistler was?

Koh_Kae

Dan I agree with you about the intro. But most people do not. I think the reason most people think the intro is a "spoiler" is because they know we will get a much better reaction when Cordelia shows up. LOL. What's FMV?

Kirby

Same. I was much older than Buffy when I watched the original airings - in my thirties. I think Buffy is a masterpiece. Angel is a decent TV show. I love Noir, too. I don't get the "more adult show" thing. I guess because it's supposedly "darker". Buffy explores very human issues that apply to all of us, even if it's set in high school and college. I prefer Buffy because it is a much more cohesive show. Angel is so uneven. I don't want to bring up spoilers one episode in, but there are so many things that I have problems with regarding to, Angel (the series). I'm hoping I can stick with these reactions and not get too annoyed and/or bored with Angel.

Kirby

That's my favorite part of this episode. So funny and awesome. Vampires can't fool a Sunnydale gal. I also love Russell's reaction. Deny, deny, deny.

Kirby

If you're referring to me, my intention was not to "spoil" Alley. I would dispute that watching the intro is a spoiler. Granted her reaction to Cordy showing up was enhanced for us because she didn't watch the intro.

Kirby

Agree the lawyers comment seems spoilery because I don’t think she particularly picked up on the law firm angel, just the rich guy angel

AdoptDontShopPets

When I watched Angel a few months ago I really saw the similarities between David and Batman. There seem to be a rumor that David was in the talks of actually playing the superhero in Batmans Begins but there is no solid evidence.

CrookedCat

my brain tries its best

Alley Box

OHHH! okay thank you! i wouldve been really confused bc he even got to Tina’s place during the day and i was v confused, but that makes sense. he has a little underground system to travel during the day.

Alley Box

im used to that format on supernatural as well with special guests so im usually p good about not reading the names :)

Alley Box

ahhhh okay, thank you for the clarification!

Alley Box

ooooo 👀

Alley Box

So happy you’re now set to watch Angel. I love Buffy and love Angel even more. The intro theme is awesome and fits the tone of the show so well...Angel’s dark, sad and lonely feeling and angsty yearning to do good. I like this show because the setting is more grown up than the high school/college settings for Buffy. But I’ll also be honest...love the bad boy with a heart of gold ❤️ (and the cool coat and car). I also cannot help but think of the Impala whenever I watch this show now. Angel is a more brooding, non-human Dean Winchester.

AdoptDontShopPets

I don't think I implied that, I just made a joke that they were there. I think it's clear from the call at the end that we'll see them again sometime. (The test I use is "might I make this joke if I hadn't seen any further episodes" and I think I likely would.)

Dan

lol its not a big deal... she watched it at the end to get the full experience AND she got the epic Cordelia reveal. Did you not see how happy she was when she saw Cordy? That happiness would be far less if she already knew it was coming. It made the episode for her. Obviously it was a good move to wait...

Bisibia

If she had watched the intro she would've seen Charisma Carpenter was a regular on the show. It would've ruined the surprise. That's why people didn't want her to watch it. It has nothing to do with the scenes in the intro.

Rae

It's an interesting point. I personally would not class the Angel intro as a spolier, even though it confirms Cordelia is part of the main cast before she appears in the episode. My idea of a spoiler is something that alters the viewing experience from what we had back in the day when it first aired. Obviously none of us closed our eyes during the title screen so I dont really expect any reactor to. But I guess people have different definitions of spoilers.

HuntingSwan

My headcanon is that it's part & parcel of drinking the slayer blood at the end of Buffy season 3, it didn't just heal him but actually gave him a pretty significant boost to durability & strength... similar to Spike, who's stated to be pretty young for a vampire but who we've also already seen is tougher & more durable than other older vampires.

Stewart Denew

The teaser to this episode is so epic. They leaned really hard into the Batman/Blade of it in the pilot and I was there for it. Love the absolute badass shot and chaser of Angel telling "messenger" Doyle "I'm the message", and then stepping out of the shadows to tell Russell "I have a message. From Tina." Also Thumbnail Alley Box is like pure happy Baby Yoda energy EDIT: What is with people and telling reactors not to watch the credits? It's not a FMV, the credits are part of the artistic creation of the show, there is nothing in them that the actual creators deemed to 'ruin' anything. I actually wince she's got to ask "what is this music" and "is this the vibe" when nobody should be depriving her of the matching edit that pairs the music to the mood and confirms the vibe

Dan H

Yeah he's actually irish but iirc producers worried about people not necessarily understaning his particular accent (like Britain, Ireland has a *lot* of regional accents) so they asked him to Americanise some pronunciations.

Stewart Denew

I'm so excited for you to watch Angel. It's my favorite show ever. I get tired of Buffy and only watch certain episodes, but I'll never skip an episode of Angel. The darker tone, and *especially* the characters are just IT for me. *chef's kiss*

Rae

I like the theme, Darling Violetta is an excellent band. Is it just me or did Cordelia's "you don't know who he is... you're gonna get your arse kicked" bit have shades of "Ooo I'm gonna need some popcorn for this"? the way she went from "oh crap i'm in trouble" to "oh, this is going to be fine after all" as soon as Angel appeared :) Doyle was initially supposed to be Whistler, the guy you've seen before in Buffy, but there were some issues with the actor plus there was already a vampire with an assistant named Whistler (Blade, owned by Marvel) so switching to the different character ultimately helped. As for how he got in to give that guy an introduction to the sunlight... presumably there was an underground car park.

Stewart Denew

To marvel superhero perhaps?

Lee Wilcock

I think the snow storm coming out of nowhere at the end of 'Amend' was also a clue, after the First said 'your not supposed to die, it's not part of the plan, but it'll do'.

Lee Wilcock

QOTD for next week perhaps?

Lee Wilcock

As an aside, I think this also perfectly encapsulates just how much Angel and Angelus are the same person. Angelus' flair for dramatic showmanship didn't come out of nowhere, every last thing about him is already present in our Angel.

Rachel Espiritu

I really appreciate that they go with a different vibe, and really a different theme with Angel. Most spin offs, are very much the same as the original (not including back door pilots which can vary a lot). It's cool that they made it a spin off, set in the same universe, some of the same characters, and yet be a totally different show. I actually didn't care for Angel when I first watched it, and while I would never miss an episode of Buffy, I didn't bother to tune into most episodes of Angel. I appreciate it a lot more now and have watched all the episodes on reviewing. It's a more adult aimed show in some sense, which is odd that I didn't enjoy it, since I am a little older than they usual Buffy fan, so it was more aimed to me, and I am a fan of Noir. I still like Buffy much better, but I do like the show Angel now.

Loves Bitca

I think the recapping Angel's history wasn't just to remind us, but they wanted the show to be more than just a spin off of Buffy. They wanted it to be it's own thing, and even have people watch it that had never seen Buffy, so it was pilot exposition for new viewers. A bit brief but it gives you all the details you need to know without having to have seen anything else.

Loves Bitca

I love that Cordy is smart enough to figure out quickly that he's a vampire, but still clueless enough that she just blurts it out.

Loves Bitca

I know you mean well, but it's really best not to say anything regarding future episodes. Like, at all.

Anthony

Love your reaction to the Cordellia reveal. Glad that wasn't spoiled for you. Some were very intent to do so.

Loves Bitca

"I wouldn't leave that one unattended" Alley: "What you think he's going to steal someone" Nope, she thinks some other girl is going to steal him up.

Loves Bitca

Little bit of trivia (if you see this comment!) - they really wanted to differentiate this from Buffy and have it be much darker so in the script, angel was supposed to taste her blood after he finds her dead but either the censors said no or Joss thought it might have been too much.

Allan

Nothing wrong with compare and contrast and it's a valid way to evaluate a show (or book or movie). While I'm not really into Supernatural, I could still appreciate the points you were making with comparisons to explain or critique Buffy. And you can compare a show to something else and still accept it on it's own merits and as it's own entity, which you do very well.

Loves Bitca

That makes a lot of sense actually. Forgot that he owned the building.

Hilde Olaussen

If she'd held up a tissue box, I'd proclaim her a full Jedi ;)

Jean Olenick

mine is angel and airwolf theme song

Damon Pearcy

Well, it <i>is</i> a universe full of magical things...

FernWithy

When you were bemoaning the loss of Cordelia Chase from Buffy, 'twas all I could do not to tell you to keep your eyes open of Angel.

Bryce Carlson

They play with sunlight more in Angel. Sunlight does NOT hurt a vampire unless its DIRECT rays. So. Angel can stand in a room filled with daylight so long as the sun is say on the opposite side of the building without wi dows.

Corey Wolf

They fix the makeup issues in future episodes.

Jeff Walker

You've already "said something". This is a spoiler, please edit or delete.

Megan Krajewski

We've only seen one and there's no implication in the ep that they are a defining feature of AtS, which the comment implies. It's spoilery, if not an outright spoiler.

Megan Krajewski

Hahaha oh god the transitions, scaring the shit out of viewers since 1999. The transitions will never go away. But they're not between EVERY scene, and I've grown to like them for this show specifically. I think it's just easier to be nostalgic about 90s vibes than 00s vibes, and Buffy feels very 90s (esp in its first season) while Angel feels very 00s.

KT

Tbh I disagree that there are any spoilers.

KT

Cordelia's was done a lot better. Not perfect, but it is a difficult task to fit all that info in.

KT

Yeah I try to headcanon that it's done that way on purpose but it still really falls flat to me. Joss *should* be giving people the basics of Angel's history on Buffy, that's a perfectly reasonable request, and we know he can smoothly integrate exposition when he wants to. Edit: unless he did actually write a pilot with smoothly integrated exposition on Angel's backstory and the network was just like "it's not explicit enough" or "you can't subtly stretch it out over a few episodes, everyone needs to know everything right away" in which case, yeah. Boo.

KT

Definitely. Though I will admit that some of the lighting in this ep is tonally confusing. Angel's office space has very awkward lighting at times, though I think it works in that last scene (Cordelia being a beacon of light and all). The scene where he's trying to keep Tina from going into the light probably would have worked better somewhere else. I think Angel's basement apartment is gorgeous (very Angel) and really works in that respect. I'm glad they put several of the serious scenes down there instead of the office. And I enjoy the static corporate atmosphere of the scenes with Russell and his lawyers, which is partially achieved with the lighting.

KT

Ironically, Glenn Quinn's AMERICAN accent on Roseanne was aces!

L-o-l-a

I just looked her up. Holy crap, she's 50. Wow, that makes me feel old.

L-o-l-a

I'm so pumped that you like it so far!

Luke

Agreed!

L-o-l-a

I like how you are thinking of the show in terms of style and atmosphere. One of the cinematic influences is film noir (the urban detective, the dark alleys [no pun intended!], the steam & fog, the long nighttime shadows, the steely voiceover narration like we see/hear in the first scene of this pilot). And, as you pointed out, a lot of Batman vibes! I'm trying to paste an image from film noir here - not sure it'll work...nope, didn't work...

L-o-l-a

SPOILER this counts as a spoiler, please edit. Alley should not know right now if the BB has been introduced or not.

David Neal

SPOILER ALLEY DO NOT READ sorry, but we know very little about Lawyers at this time.

David Neal

That’s so funny. Reminds me of the moment at the party when Angel is approached by the talent manager, “you’re an actor.” “No.” “That wasn’t a question.” It was a statement of fact and he wasn't wrong.

tc3

He owns the building so I'm sure he has secret entrances to get in. Maybe the building has a parking garage.

Jess Mac

Imagine the other people in that boardroom with Russell and the lawyer don't know that Russell is a vampire and see him get kicked out a window. I mean it's still death as an end result but shit! I'm pretty sure I remember the vamp effects getting better. Russell looked pretty bad. This shouldn't be a spoiler but I think they really went for the "direct" sunlight being the issue because they couldn't just shoot at night 100% of the time.

Dusty

🌲 tree pretty

CeNedra

So as not to step on any of the toes that have hokey-pokied into the comments already, I'll just add that Angel is a complete tool, and has the same basic taste in "cool guy car" as every random D-bag in Hollywood. And that scene where he hops in the wrong convertible is my favorite part of an already kicking pilot.

Ed Badalucca

The Angel theme is one of my all time favorite themes. It might even be the number 1. Just lovely music

Elisa H.

This is my only real 'complaint' as well. The vision this episode only has one real purpose in imo. The vision Doyle gets of Tina is supposed to lead Angel to the party and run into Cordelia, that's it. But then they go and kill Tina, like they always do. If anything I just find it a bit repetitive. Thanks for bringing this up.

Rafael Lemus

Lol do you know how much i luv Leverage

Justin Jefferson

So hyped for Angel luv this show and you had me dying over how crazy u went over Cordy lol.

Justin Jefferson

They've been there on Buffy this whole time, so even if spoiling a crossover is a bit sadder than spoiling a character's return, I don't think Alley should change her behaviour now. Also, it must be annoying.

CadenceLo

The opening theme tune is as iconic as Buffy’s in my opinion. It sounds so amazing

John

That's him. Mister Captain Vampire Hero. Our beautiful boy.

BOO

Yesss major CSIxSuperhero vibes!! Cordelia is absolutely my fave part of this show

Georgina Cussans

I laughed so hard reading this!

matt

And the smell doesn’t stick to your clothes.

Ryan

One of the darkest moments in this episode to me is Cordelia saying "What do you want me to do?" It breaks my heart because Cordy is many things, but she isn't stupid. She knows why a rich and powerful man would want to meet an aspiring young actress and get her connections, but she is literally starving. Only when she realized he was a vampire did the situation change, but if he was a human slimeball, Cordy had accepted her awful fate.

Eric C. Johnson

I love that sequence. I never thought about it until I started watching reactions and analysis, but the ridiculousness is superb.

FernWithy

I like Angel so much better here than I did in Buffy! :D Buffy is still my favorite, but as openers go, this one was put together with more expertise and confidence. They all knew each other, and what they had the capability of doing, and it was... a lot more proficient than "Welcome to the Hellmouth." It was gutsy to have Angel completely fail his first case. Develop Tina, and then she no holds barred dies... it sets stakes very efficiently. I laugh at Cordelia complaining about Angel not having money. I mean... in a couple of months, he's got a roomy apartment and office space in LA, is keeping himself fed and well-armed, and apparently can keep her on the payroll. He may not be Russell Winters rich, but the dude is not hurting. They made a definite choice to have a different aesthetic this year--Buffy's got the light, super-saturated colors, while Angel is in a noir palette. Way to differentiate immediately! As to getting around... I find it easiest with <i>Angel</i> to just accept that every place in LA has direct access to the sewers, and all the sewers are easy to stand up in.

FernWithy

I would understand it if it was on a different night of the week, but it aired right after Buffy! I got into the fandom circa 2003. I can see people already watching Buffy and not watching Angel or watching the first episode and not continuing, but were there people during S1 of Angel who watched it but didn't watch Buffy an hour before?

Eric C. Johnson

I definitely think that is intended. Russell's makeup is a little different than to Angel's when the sunlight hits him or the vamps at the beginning, although none are like the Buffy ones. Russell's makeup looks sickly and almost corpse like, while Angel and the opening scene vamps have these big pronounced eyebrow muscles. Russell's IS because he is supposed to be an older vampire, but it still leaves the other makeup unexplained...

Eric C. Johnson

Loved your reaction Alley. The vamp makeup is never CGI however it does get way better throughout as does the show. As for the reason Angel nonchalantly kicked Russel out the window and got away with it. Vampires don't have a body or DNA after being killed so there was no proof Angel killed him (assuming there wasn't a camera in the room. )

Bastion33

This reaction was everything I was hoping for! You will have such fun with the editing of this show lolol! But your reaction to Cordy reveal was everything!

Phoenix Dawn

BVEBMTLAADAEDIOB

UTU49

I love Tina. I thought Tracy Middendorf did a great job. In the DVD commentary, Joss talks about how difficult it was to find an actress who could play the balance of being fairly sensible but a little naive.

UTU49

About the transitions between scenes (blipverts), back in the day, you could (sc)roll the VCR slower and watch them. They are actually very high speed montages of scenes/images in the show.

Jill

They were originally going to call this show... "Buffy's Vampire Ex-Boyfriend Moves to L.A. and Does an Entirely Decent Imitation of Batman". I love the tone of the humor in this episode. When Angel jumps in the wrong car. I love when Doyle tries to drive through the gate and says, "That's a good gate." And when Doyle refers to Cordelia as "a stiffener".

UTU49

Just started the vid but I have to say the Angel theme is a BOP

TaraFromTerra

My kids love Buffy and I convinced them to watch the first episode of Angel. They didn't like the transitions in between scenes so much that they won't watch any more episodes. I read a comment that mentioned guest stars names appearing at bottom of screen after opening credits but I don't recall Alley noticing them on Buffy so she may be ok?

Josie Ball

Very excited to join you on this ride. It's a crazy one.

Tomas Gabrielsson

LMAO

Raven Dark

Thank you! Every time I see this ep I know Tina seems familiar but I can never remember why. Guess it's because I've seen New Nightmare so few times. If she were from Dream Master or Freddy's Dead I woulda caught it.

Nica Marie

A "mid eternal" ..... hahahahaha OMG that cracked me up! thank you

Ashtara Levin

“They won’t kill her in the first episode, right?!?” Buffyfam: No more teaching does she require. Already knows that which she needs

Jean Olenick

Ashtara Levin

No body no murder. I guess they could’ve arrested him for vandalism.

Cheyne Johnson

Possibly "too cool" - he's a vampire. And is living in Southern California. And drives a convertible. A _convertible_.

Dave Ford

I just pressed play, 110bpm on my watch, i think this is going to be epic!

Nikho_Ronin

Yes, you should delete this. I once said in an episode of season one Buffy that the show gets so much better after season one and I had to take it down.

Raven Dark

I’m so excited that you’ve begun your journey with “Angel.” And right off the bat, there’s so much to be excited about. And that’s just the appearance of Cordelia!

Andrew Pulrang

I feel like I am watching this for the first time because I remember zilch!(except for Cordy at the party and Angel pushing Russell out the window which was awesome.) I know everyone couldn't wait to see Alley flip out when she saw Cordy. And basically I remember nothing except for a few eps that I've seen more than once or key storylines. I didn't remember the vamp makeup being so weird so I'm not loving it.And I don't remember if it gets better which I hope it does. Alley is going to have a blast!

Val

I remember when they announced that Cordie was switching to Angel, I thought it was absolutely brilliant! Angel is wound so tight and Cordie can be so-o-o-o exasperating, my mind was reeling at the possibilities. Those cutty transitions you love so much are called "blipverts." I thought you might want to put a name to your pain.

matt

Ah. What else was he in? I don't recognize him in anything else. It's probably stuff I don't watch.

Raven Dark

I don’t get why people get all up in arms about it either. Like do they not want her to draw parallels between what she is watching and things she already knows? Are they just after pure reactions with no insightful commentary at all? If that’s the case she could just make a video her pulling faces with no context... actually I would like to see that video.

Ryan

Oh my god! I am so happy and excited! you are going to enjoy their SO much, Angel is more flashed out in his own show and Cordelia takes a much greater part and really gets to shine. I think Buffy as a whole is a more cohesive show, but growing up it was Angel that I watched (actually without knowing it's connection to Buffy at first.. ) - so I have a warm place for it in my heart and I keep coming back to it A few things: 1. The episode's name is "A city of..." - it doesn't say "angels" - which I think is to indicate a more of an open ended question for what we'll find (and in what variety.. ) as well as telling you yeah, he's name is "Angel".. but he's no angel... 2. Doyles' character was supposed to be played by the same actor we met in "Becoming" and him having the visions is the explanation to the phrase "I thought he was supposed to stop Acathla, not bring him forth" - meaning he set Angel in Buffy's path after receiving a vision that he'd be a part in the the battle with Acathla. The actor refused to come back, which is when they cast Glenn Quinn, but the kept the same get up and costume (Doyle's hat for instance) so that you'd make the connection. 3. Angel was always envisioned to be more of a Noir show and that's what the lighting and tone represent.

Ashtara Levin

If memory serves, the actor playing Whistler was getting a lot of film roles at this point and he didn't want to commit to a series. You can definitely see the influence on Doyle's character, tho.

matt

@Patrick, I had the same thought. Even Joss Whedon has to take "suggestions" from studio execs in suits. But I guess they do pay for the show, so....

matt

Love this show

Magpie's Nest Productions

Doyle: You game? Angel: *dramatically sprints out of the room* Angel: *dramatically grabs boombox on the way out* Angel: *dramatically leaps out the nearest window, does a superhero landing* Angel: *dramatically climbs up the fire escape ladder* Angel: *dramatically leaps rooftop to rooftop, boombox in hand* Angel: *dramatically picks a nice tall skyscraper with a good city skyline view* Angel: *dramatically plays dramatic music on boombox then waits for a perfect breeze* Angel: *dramatically turns to camera* Angel: I'm game.

Rachel Espiritu

Yes! Leverage and Lost two great -very different- shows. And two great actors!

Miranda

The theme song is by Darling Violetta who performed two songs in the bronze in the Buffy episode 'Faith, hope and Trick'.

Daniel Stimson

I’m so glad you went back and watched the opening credits. 👍🏻😎

Koz

Awesome reaction. Looking forward to these seasons of buffy and angel with you!

Holi117

Totally agree about the editing and look being very much of its time. Buffy’s look and editing 90% of the time feels like it could be a recent show. The opening and cuts are like CSI!!! I never made that connection until you pointed it out, but I can’t unsee that. Not a bad thing, the original CSI is a very good procedural for around 8 seasons imo. Like: whenever Cordy’s on screen the episode felt so much livelier (pun intended). Moving her over to this show as a title character was brilliant, because she’d started to become sidelined on Buffy and Cordy is too great a character to waste. Also good choice to make the other main characters [Doyle, Cody] talkative and energetic if Angel is going be the lead lol. Episode showed that just because Angel tries to help someone, it doesn’t mean it will all go smoothly or even well. Russel presenting a vampire more integrated into society, who can use it’s corruption to protect himself and prey on the more vulnerable. Don’t Like: Too heavy-handed on the Batman vibes and visuals for me. Buffy’s opening scene was a mission statement. Angel’s opening is almost the opposite of that scene. Two blonde girls get lead into a dark alley to be killed by vamps, a mysterious troubled stranger saves them and walks off into the night. Being a spinoff of Buffy they could have done something different. I think they lost some of the Buffy audience just with that scene which is too bad because I think Angel is a very good show, worth watching that adds to the Buffyverse. Looking forward to all the reactions!

Shashank

On the subject of shielding your eyes from the opening credits, you might also want to avoid the list of guest stars (that are shown immediately after the opening credits) from here on out. Maybe cover up the bottom part of the screen or something for the first few minutes? I know there are several episodes (on both shows) where surprise guest appearances can be otherwise spoiled.

Chris

In retrospect, I now see Russell Winters as a pretty blatant Harvey Weinstein call out. Yeah, where BtVS is a sort of Spiderman/ Peter Parker, balancing the super hero calling with everyday responsibilities. Angel is more of a detective Noir, with a sort of damaged main character. And where Btvs has the highschool as hell metaphor, Angel sort of has (I think this okay to say, guys I'll edit if it's not) a recovering alcoholic vibe, with the opening scenes about Angel a.) getting over a breakup, b.) drinking, c.) focusing on the bloody forehead of the girl he saves d.) being told by Doyle (his sponsor) that if he keeps living this way he'll start drinking (blood) again. e.) He learns he has been slipping, he fails to save Tina, so then he lets Cordelia into his life. So he can healthy attachments.

Miranda

I always thought Tracey Middendorf (Tins) was an underrated actress. As a horror movie fan, I loved her in Wes Craven's New Nightmare. Anyway.... The biggest takeaways from this episode is Cordelia, yay! But also they are giving Angel more of a personality here. On Buffy, he only really showed a personality when he was evil, and of course he was more interesting when he was evil as a result. I do love that you caught on really quick that Angel might have been brought back by someone/something not the First, as it claimed in the episode Amends.....or is it?!?! MWAHAHA

TheyCallMeJeff

That's fair. And I don't mean to overstate it, but I think the problem for me is primarily that he is presented as something of a traditional romantic hero rescuing the damsels - and to be clear I'm only talking about this episode, not looking ahead. The Buffyverse writers are usually so particular about subverting tropes and I wish there was a little more nuance here. I still think this is a really good pilot episode despite the one detail that I find to be a bit of a bummer.

tc3

Should I delete comment? I thought I was being vague enough and also adding IMO to every statement. I don't want to spoil anything for her. I more just wanted to say that Angel is in its first season and it takes a while to find its feet. Very much like buffys first season is very hit and miss imo.

Salix

The shots of Russell Winters going out the window and going up in flames is some of the coolest shit I've ever seen in anything. Welcome to the badass world of ANGEL.

Blain H Granado

The thing I always think about.... does anyone else notice the rainbow flag at the bar in the first scene lol?

iagas

I love when you compare shows. Please don't stop

Calvin Allen

What!? I love the Angel intro music.. !

Ashtara Levin

You have every right to your opinion, but I don't think Alley wants to know this when she just finished the first episode. She likes to go in without expectations.

Hilde Olaussen

It actually works the other way in Hollywood. Because Charisma is in the credits they have to pay her for every episode whether she is used or not.

Ryan

Ahahah! Thanks for my new official headcannon 😂

Hilde Olaussen

While the Buffy intro IS iconic, the Angel theme has always been my favorite of the two. It was a permanent part of my 00's angsty teen playlist. It just sets this dark and extremely melodramatic mood so well, basically screaming tortured soul watch me brood. Which lets be honest, is like 90% of Angels character at this point XD

anna hvidbjerg poulsen

So, you already met the most terrifying, jump-scare provoking adversary in Angel: the trippy transitions XD

Khanach

for all the more advanced viewers, this shouldn't be a spoiler really more of a theory that occurred to me, when Doyle says he works for "the powers that be" we think of that as meaning what we'd interpret as God right? When you think about it it could just as easily be referencing the writers of the show, because they didn't give Doyle the vision with the intent for Angel to save Tina because he didn't save Tina, they gave Doyle the vision to try to save Tina so Angel could run into Cordelia. Mind blown!

Cameron Rayburn

My guess: They didn't really want to but were ordered to. So they did it intentionally obvious. Hence Angel's "Why're you telling me my life's story?", which I actually found rather funny for us viewers of Buffy.

Patrick Armbruster

A few thoughts.... They needed something truly evil to give this show a darker tone compared to BtVS, so... lawyers. Re "I wouldn't leave this one unattended" I think that was a comment on Angel's looks rather than his potential affinity for silverware. The theme is Sanctuary by Darling Violetta - there's a full length (~3.5min) version. I think it shows that Angel is a new show and is still quite rough - it isn't as polished as typical contemporary BtVS episodes. They never really change the "rules" but there's a general move away from "vampires only come out at night" and towards "they just need to stay out of direct sunlight and can get around during the day by various means", presumably for plot reasons. A powerful person in Hollywood preying on young women who want to be actresses, though? These shows can be so unrealistic sometimes...

Dan

This show came out when I was a teen, and I watched it as it came on only because it was related to Buffy, but I never rewatched the show as a whole. I think being in high school at the time, I related more to Buffy and found Angel boring because of the show being more mature and adult themes. But as an adult now, having to do adult things, I feel like I will appreciate the show more and with fresh eyes watching with you, so I can dig deeper into the themes too. It was well known at the time that Angel was gonna be separated onto his own show, and that Cordy was going to be on it. Had it failed, they would be back on Buffy but thankfully the show was a success. I'm guessing they were still figuring out what kind of show Angel will be, because I got so many vibes from it but mostly it trying to be a Batman saving the city from bad guys kind of thing. But the best part is, we get to know more about the universe outside of Sunnydale and so many stories to be told. We've seen the horrors of high school turned into metaphors, let's see what they can do with adult metaphors.

Koh_Kae

He seemed to have employees. Probably put him in a container and carried him around or something. :)

Patrick Armbruster

Well, yeah. Buffy's the hero of her show, and people need her help. Here, we're in Angel's show, and people need his help.

Patrick Armbruster

The earlier scene where they showed Angel coming back from the library through tunnels was supposed to let the audience know that that's how Angel gets around during daylight hours. So he came up into Russel's building through the basement. (Either that, or he entered at night then hid somewhere until the meeting started.)

Tim St. Croix

Alley, the reason Angel is fine when you see that the sun is out, is that he has to be in DIRECT sunlight to be hurt by it. The "beams" of the sun has to hit his body. So he can be out in daytime, just has to not be in direct sunlight. :)

Øyvind Jenssen

Salix

I loved this reaction so, so much. Your reaction to Cordelia was priceless. And now you know why we were telling you to skip the intro. :D I thought it was great that you watched the intro at the end. It was so much fun to see you play it, listening to it at the beginning with your eyes closed (that was better than the suggestion to skip it entirely, actually). It was fun, because I could see Cordy show up in the intro but you couldn't, and it had me literally bouncing in my seat, knowing you were going to lose your shit when you saw her. So, so good. LOL Oh, before I forget. Remember the character Whistler from Buffy's season 2 finale? The character of Doyle was supposed to be him. The original plan was for Whistler to be the exact same character Doyle is, including the visions. Minus the Irish accent, because Whistler had a NY one. That's why Whistler was only hinted at and not very much was explained about him in Buffy. The intention was to bring him into Angel and then expand on him in Angel. I forget why the plan fell through, but they ended up creating Doyle to replace him when Whistler didn't work out. So happy you love Angel's show. Can't wait to see more.

Raven Dark

I noticed that too. Like how she would come into a scene in late Season 3 to say something mean to the Scoobies and then leave. I think because she's part of the main cast and in the credits and had to be in certain number of episodes.

Koh_Kae

Some people tend to forget theirs not one irish accent, although Doyle softens it a bit which is fair

brian quinn

The new vampire makeup doesn't last very long, like i don't remember it lasting past this episode.

Joel

You should have heard all the people complaining about Doyle's bad Irish accent back when this first aired, not knowing that Glenn Quinn was actually Irish.

Tim St. Croix

Same! I'm gonna wait with the watch until I'm reassured it's well done. Been down this road too many times with other shows, not gonna get fooled again!

DB

"Really?......... "Can you fly?" My favorite line

Isac christensen

*Recieves Alley Box notification email* Me: "Finally.... the Bat signal"

Neil Carleton

Also jfc I forgot how much exposition they had to cram in this pilot for the potential non Buffy viewers. Super clumsily done tbh Anyway I'm excited for this, it's been a while since I've seen this show!

DB

+1 for Leverage. Hope the reboot doesn't mess things up too much.

Dave Miller

After her breakup with Xander it definitely felt like the writers weren't sure what to do with Cordelia in Buffy, and it kind of felt like they were trying to force her into scenes she wasn't relevant to just to keep her in the show, but on Angel they're finally able to really do her character justice. I think you'll really enjoy how the writers handle her on this show.

Patricia Cripps

BtVS actually makes me forget how sexy a real Irish accent is haha! But this show brings it all back.

Jamie Morgan

Thanks for posting this before my European bedtime! I'm rewatching Angel along with you for the first time in years. The lighting was something I noticed too. I don't really get how Russel got into Tina's apartment in the middle of the day.... But he probably had a passage in the sewers or something. Idk

Hilde Olaussen

I’m glad someone else brought up Noir so I don’t have to be repetitive! The too-bright-too-dark thing you mentioned, Alley, is the Noir influence coming through.

Jamie Morgan

Nice to see Alley’s excitement over this episode. I think it’s a really strong pilot. I only watched a bit of Supernatural, but I’ve always thought the better recommendation for a Supernatural fan would be Angel, not Buffy. I think Buffy is objectively the greater show, but it's a different experience altogether. I don’t think it’s a spoiler to say there might be some growing pains early on because I think that should be expected, but after one episode my only real complaint is that out of the five women in this episode four of them needed Angel’s help.

tc3

So happy to see how happy you were about Cordelia! I have only rewatched Angel once many many years ago, but will be looking forward to re-watching with you.

Kitty

I love the intro music! It always felt like it had a Celtic vibe to me to remind us human Angel was Irish. Also awww you didn't recognise Josh Holloway as one of the vamps from the bar (I assume you never watched Lost?) But most importantly you didn't recognise Christian Kane who guest starred on SPN this season as Dean's bar owner ex hunter friend (ex bf IMO ;)). I assume you never watched Leverage? Put it on your list, it's a fun show.

DB

She spotted it.

Dollface

Wait, seriously!? How did I not know this 😂

Jamie Morgan

They were trying out something new with the makeup, so the vampire faces will go back to normal in a couple of episodes

Brittney

I was so excited to see your reaction to this premier episode! I can finally say now when this was first being promoted on TV the Cordelia thing was spoiled because they emphasized her crossing over to this series from Buffy. It certainly has a different feel from Buffy and cannot wait to see your reactions to both Buffy and Angel now :)

Patrick Lyke

I enjoyed the reaction ^^ Glad to see we have quote of the day on Angel too. Curious about what the next one will be.

MagnusVD

What were those suits supposed to do when there was no body but only a smashes chair on the sideway? ;)

Inb4close

Russel was just some vamp going through a mid eternal life crisis.

Ryan

Alley's Brain: Do a howl. Alley: Woof! Woof! Alley's Brain: Good Job.

Cole Crouse

Like they were just gonna drop Cordy like a sack of potatoes. Nobody in their right mind would just write off Cordelia Chase. Hope you enjoy the show Alley, it’s a good one. It’s not Buffy but then again there are not many shows that can be credited like the Sopranos with kickstarting the golden age of television. Season 1 of Angel like season 1 of Buffy takes a bit to really find its groove, the first season experiments with episodes until Joss and Co figure out what they want this show to be, sometimes it’s a banger sometimes it’s a wet fart.

Ryan

This reaction was EVERYTHING I've been wanting!!! Your Cordy love could light up cities! With your film buff knowledge, I can't wait to hear your thoughts on all the film noir riffing. My headcanon for Russell's vamp face is that he is way older than Angel or Darla, but not nearly as old as the Master or Kakistos. Middle-aged vampire.

Joshua Gosdin

The vampires looked like Star Trek aliens in this episode for some reason.

Dollface

Yeah the vampire faces in the first episode of Angel are weird. I believe they went back to the original vampire aesthetic after the pilot, they wanted to try something new but it didn’t work

Dhevian

did twilight....? yes yes it did.

mr_chillington

Yessssss 💃💃💃💃

CeNedra

In the opening credits did you notice a few camera shots from Buffy season 3 Episode 1 'Anne'? Looks like Angel might have moved to Buffy s old neighborhood, or probably just the same City Los Angeles.

Lee Wilcock

Told you that you were going to love Angel, Alley! :D It is a different feel than Buffy. I feel it has sort of a "40's Noir-feel" to it. :P And it only gets better. Season 2 and 3 are amazing! :D

Øyvind Jenssen

The best thing about Doyle, is they used an actual Irish person, so I don't have to be forced to listen to an horrendous accent 😂

brian quinn

Did you spot the Buffy crossover scene? The reason why the viewing guide tells you to watch Buffy and Angel episodes 1 together. Time of writing I haven't seen your Reaction yet.

Lee Wilcock

I was waiting for this.

Jaren

OMG yay!

AngelicMouseGirl

Some of the best character arcs in TV history begins.

Allan Cornett

I guess now you see why everyone wanted you to skip the opening creds, I know Cordelia was the last person you expected to see.

Keenan White

REFRESH SQUAD LEMME SEE YOU TURN TF UP

Anastasia Bartocha

oop-

Alley Box

I have been waiting for your reaction to Cordelia for what feels like eons, also do you think Doyle would stick around if he heard Angel's god awful Irish accent?

Valkyrie

YEEEEEEEEEEAH BOIIIIIII

Dollface

Yay!!!!

Hannah LI

Yasss! Was just scrolling through Netflix not being able to decide what to watch. This. I want to was this! 🤩

N.orgen

Fun fact episode 1 of Angel is just called "city of" but everyone always mentally fills in the angels part 😊

Elisa H.

YAY! Good European time. Can't wait to watch.

Collinson

So excited, I could burst!

Paul Thomas-Humphreys

I just dropped EVERYTHING to watch this, I’m so excited for your reactions!

Jamie Morgan

*Fist pump!*

Raven Dark

It begins!

Superfan Giovanni