Angel

Starring David Boreanaz, Alexis Denisof, J. August Richards, Amy Acker, Andy Hallett and James Marsters

Created by Joss Whedon and David Greenwalt

Written by Joss Whedon and Jeffrey Bell

Directed by Jeffrey Bell

The WB

Premieres Wednesday, May 19, at 9 p.m. ET

Just one year after Buffy the Vampire Slayer said goodbye, Joss Whedon’s spinoff Angel meets its demise, taking his richly creative vamp- and demon-filled universe with it. The fifth-season and series finale, "Not Fade Away," takes Angel and his gang into some very dark places. It features the elements that have made this spinoff one of the best shows on television.

Previously, Angel (Boreanaz) told the gang the reason he was acting like, well, an evil bloodsucking vampire. In "Not Fade Away," he unveils his plan to take out the nasty Circle of the Black Thorn, a group of powerful demons that do the Senior Partner’s dirty work on Earth. To pull off his ambitious plan, Angel recruits Lindsay (Christian Kane) and Illyria (Acker). He believes they just might have a chance to stop the upcoming apocalypse by attacking each demon separately. However, he doesn’t believe they’ll survive the Senior Partner’s wrath once the deed is done.

With everyone agreeing to put their lives on the line, Angel tells them to take one last day for themselves. They scatter back to their previous lives for a moment of peace, except for Wesley (Denisof), who tends to an injured Illyria. Meanwhile, the Senior Partner’s henchman, Hamilton (Adam Baldwin), does a little detective work to try and figure out what’s really going on.

As their day comes to an end, the gang members head off to kill their assigned bad guys. However, as Angel makes one last stop at the Wolfram & Hart office, Hamilton is waiting, and he’s not about to let Angel’s little plot against the Senior Partners and their demons proceed.

An end as dark as the beginning

Come next fall, Joss Whedon won’t have a series on the air. Sure, there will still be reruns of both Buffy and Angel, but there won’t be any new shows for fans to sink their teeth into. It’s a sad state of affairs indeed. And while we can mourn the fact that both Buffy and Angel are gone, we’re certainly better off for having gotten to spend some time in Whedon’s twisted imagination for all these years.

No doubt the talented Whedon will return to television at some point in the future with a new exciting show. Until then, we have to take heart that he was able to take Angel, which began as little more than a lesser spinoff of Buffy, and make it into a fine series that stood up on its own terms and took us to places Buffy never could. Darker and more adult than its predecessor, the final episode of the series, "Not Fade Away," is a fitting finale, although not one that’s wrapped up tight with a little bow.

Angel, gang and other familiar faces play a part in the big finale in one way or another, including Eve (Sarah Thompson), Lindsay, Hamilton and even Connor (Vincent Kartheiser). Some loose ends are tied up, and some others are not. In the end, there will be betrayal and death, just like any other episode during Angel’s run. It’s good stuff and writers Whedon and Bell spin their tale together in a satisfying way that will allow Angel and his pals to live on in our hearts and minds.

The only complaint has to do with the sudden introduction of the Circle of the Black Thorn. Whedon usually sprinkles hints throughout the season and provides more direction about where a given season is headed. However, that didn’t happen this year, and the final battle doesn’t have the depth of past battles. This is primarily because this season’s Big Bad is actually the Senior Partners, who are invisible and intangible. Cool idea, but hard to visualize. Taking on the face of the Senior Partners was Eve, who started out with promise but ended up whiny, and Hamilton (played by the wonderful Adam Baldwin), who hasn’t been around long enough to get under our skin.

However, it’s a small criticism and one that exists only because Angel has been so good at building up bad guys. In the end, this series was a good as Buffy, and Joss Whedon’s world will be missed.

It’s good to join Angel, Wesley, Gunn, Lorne, Spike and even Illyria on one last adventure. These characters have suffered a heck of a lot, and I’ve been with them all the way. They are heroes in the truest sense of the word-people and demons who chose to fight the good fight for no other reason than because it is the right thing to do. Whedon never forgot that heroes don’t always win, but they always keep fighting, and that’s what’s made Angel so good. - Kathie