Angel

With the Beast unleashing hell on ’’Angel,’’ the soulful vamp’s good-old, bad-old days of pining for Buffy are starting to look downright comforting. Luckily, nostalgia trippers can rewind to the show’s early episodes now that the first season of ’’Angel’’ has been released on DVD. EW.com talked to star David Boreanaz about the big twist that’s around the corner, the death of Glenn Quinn, and how he’ll feel when ’’Angel’’ bites the dust.

To watch the DVD is to be reminded of how large a part Glenn Quinn (Doyle) played on the show. How has his death affected the cast? I honestly am not in the greatest position to talk about it yet, only because I’m still grieving over it. That’s the real Big Bad.

Are you ever tempted to watch early episodes of the show? I don’t even watch the new ones. If I do accidentally catch myself in an old ’’Buffy’’ episode, I’ll think, What the hell was that? But I think it’s great the DVD is coming out, because people can catch up. Right now there’s so much sh— going on this season that it’s like, Whoa, how do you begin to understand this without knowing the history?

A lot has changed since the beginning of the series. How do you keep all the storylines and shifting mythology straight? Well, Angel has evolved, so if I were to go back and look at why he’s become what he is, I think maybe that would just mess me up more. I just stick to having an understanding of what the next episode is going to be and how I’m going to work on it, period. But it’s funny, because we’re coming to a point in the show now where all of the questions about the Big Bad are about to be answered, which is strange for all of us, because there’s a big twist happening. And all I can tell you is that it’s really weird.

How much of a warning do you get before the writers throw you this kind of curve ball? They’re kind enough to give me a hint of what’s going to happen. I’ll have a general idea, but I don’t need to know where I’m heading. That would be boring. I like to be surprised as much as the next person. And let me tell you, I was pretty surprised with the latest script I read, so it keeps me interested.

Occasionally we see Angel sucking down a cup of joe on the show. Since when do vampires drink coffee? He can drink coffee, but it really doesn’t do much for him. Maybe he needs the pick me up?

Tell the truth: How much fun is it to play Angelus and dump that sensitive, angsty Angel shtick? We’re in an arc of my playing four or five episodes of me being evil, so I enjoy it. You ask any actor, and every one of them loves playing evil. Angel’s just a big misfit, man. And Angelus is so extravagant and boisterous and sarcastic. There’s an episode coming up where I’ll be playing Angel and Angelus side by side, and they battle each other. It’s cool, like ’’Adaptation.’’ Plus we see Angel in the 1970s. I looked like David Cassidy with the wig. It was trippy!

There have been rumors that this season could be the last for both ’’Buffy’’ and ’’Angel.’’ How will you feel if the show is canceled? If this is the end, I’d take it for what it was and what it is. I think that the finale to any show is really a testimony to the work you put out there from day one, and I’m very pleased with the work I’ve done. It’s made me grow as a person, and as an actor. So if it has to be, then it has to be, and you just move on. I have no regrets, and nothing bad to say.