Which Joss Whedon TV series was better: Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Angel?

Angel

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by Ian W.

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There is no doubt that Angel would not exist without Buffy the Vampire Slayer. After all, the Vampire with a Soul was introduced in that series, so without it, we would not be aware of the character. Both shows were a mix of comedy and drama, and both shows walked the line well.

I have to say, though, that Angel was the better of the two. Sure, folks will argue that Buffy gave us the same things as Angel-existential exploration, the fight between good and evil, good characters, said characters having to overcome their own limitiations and humanity-and I won't argue with that. Nor will I argue with the fact that Buffy places this all within the context of a teenage girl's life, something that is hard enough without the added pressures of fighting demonspawn from hell.

However, Angel gave us all of these things too (minus the high school angst) placing them within the context of a monster who was trying to reform. Buffy is a hero, as are the members of her Scooby gang. Granted, they sometime embrace the darkness, but deep down they are warriors for the good and the righteous. They have no other way to be.

Angel, on the other hand, is a vampire. A spawn of the devil. An evil creature struggling to regain his humanity and prove himself worthy of redemtion. To me, this is a much more interesting premise than that of a hero who has always been a hero. Angel (Angelus) was one of the meanest vampires ever. He would not think twice about slaughtering a family just for the fun of it, or turning a mentally retarded girl into a vampire because he thought it was a good idea. He is an evil crerature, and even when he plays the hero, he struggles against that evil every moment of his existence.

He was never a good gut, at least until he got his soul back, and that is what makes Angel a compelling character. He has lived in the abyss, reveled in it in fact, and now he wants to make up for it. He does that by fighting his own kind, and blurring the lines of what a hero is. Angel is the kind of hero that will do whatever it takes to win the day. I reference his torching of Drusilla and Darla after Darla returns from the dead. I also reference his putting his life on the line to save Darla's soul, even though that does not work out.

Angel is an anti-hero, ultimately more interesting than a straight up hero because of the flaws and hurdles he must overcome. And like any good anti-hero he has a strong support group that he claims he does not want or need. Gunn, Fred, Wesley, Lorne and Cordelia are all essential to Angel's success. He would never admit that, of course, and that is why he fires them all the time, but without them he would be fighting a losing battle for no reason. Anyone seeking redemption needs friends, and it is Angel's friends that keep him from giving into his dark side more often than not. His friends are there to comfort (and mock) him as he goes about his mission of redemption.

Of course this is all subjective, but I maintain that Angel is the better series of the two because it deals with the issues of moral ambiguity, the need for friends to fight off the darkness, and the quest for redemption-all in the more mature context of the adult world. Buffy is a good show, no doubt, but it often lacks the emotional weight and resonance of Angel. Though, to be fair, when Willow went evil it came close. But then, that just proves my point, a hero in need of redemption is always more interesting than a hero who always does the right thing.

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