Angel

Question: As it becomes increasingly obvious that we will never see Charisma Carpenter as Cordelia again on Angel, it prompts the question: Why doesn’t Joss Whedon just give the character an offscreen death? Is he so intent to remove whatever importance she held over the last four years that he’s going to deny Cordy that much? Between his downplaying her lead status; not even saying a "thank you" or "good-bye" after seven years of employment; the insulting "no story lines left" excuse; and his saying "well it’s up to Charisma" (which became even more grating after the interview CC gave to The Boston Herald, saying she hadn’t even been approached by Joss - hey, a Catch 22). Heck with it. Really, what I want to know is that in the seven years during which Charisma was employed, did Joss ever have an ounce of respect for her, the character she played and her many, many fans? Joss needs to make a statement. His attempts at using Spike and the possibilities of Buffy the Vampire Slayer cameos to distract fans will not work. He shouldn’t forget that a large number of Angel fans have never seen Buffy, so they don’t care who Spike is. Nor do they go on the Internet or read trade magazines, so they have no idea that CC was unceremoniously cut from the show. Their reaction will decide the future of Angel. I will not lie in that it wouldn’t bother me one bit if it explodes in Joss’s face. I wish Charisma the best of luck and hope that she knows there are many people who do respect/appreciate the work she has done - even if those who should don’t. Not to be a cynic, Matt, but considering you are all "rah! rah!" about Spike and the supposed genius of Joss Whedon, I don’t expect you will answer this. It’s worth a shot anyway. - Misbegotten3

Matt: I don’t know where you got the impression I didn’t air contrary opinions, but the fact is that I, too, will miss Cordy. But I’m not going to prejudge the new season of Angel. I’ll wait and see how her absence is addressed and respond accordingly. It seems clear to me, though, that nothing will appease her most ardent fans except the unlikely event of her returning to the show. But what’s this about Angel fans who’ve never seen Buffy and who don’t troll the Internet for news about their obsession? Where do these people even exist?