Angel (season 5)
Encyclopedia
The fifth and final season of the television series Angel
, the spin-off of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, premiered on October 1, 2003 on The WB Television Network
and concluded its 22-episode season and its television run on May 19, 2004. The season aired on Wednesdays at 9:00 pm ET. This was the first and only season of Angel to air following the finale of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
branch of Wolfram & Hart
at the climax of season four, Angel and his allies are now surrounded by a world of wealth, power and corruption that they find begins to weaken them from within. While Angel takes care of the day to day running of the company itself, the rest of his team
are delegated specific tasks within the firm; Fred
heads up the practical science division, Lorne is in charge of the entertainment division, Wesley
commands the rather impressive research and development department as well as the virtually infinite library and Gunn
becomes the firm's top lawyer after having his brain upgraded with a comprehensive knowledge of the law (human and demonic) at the behest of the Senior Partners themselves. As was the deal that Angel made to save Connor's life, he and Cordelia
would not be joining the team in their new headquarters. Meanwhile, Harmony Kendall
is hired by Wesley to be Angel's familiar-faced secretary and a new character, Eve, is introduced to act as the team's liaison to the partners. At the end of the first episode Angel opens a package containing the amulet used to destroy the Hellmouth at the end of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. From the amulet, Spike is resurrected in a non-corporeal state, unsure of why he is back after having given his life to protect the world. Although Angel is bemused and frustrated by the arrival of his centuries old rival, he continues to assert to his ever more unconvinced squad that they will use the massive resources at Wolfram & Hart to help the world. He does his best to root out the most vile employees and clients within the firm while constantly being set upon at all sides by the evil that surrounds them.
As the team settle into their new surroundings they begin to lose contact with one another because of the time consuming demand of their day to day work. Meanwhile, Spike befriends Fred in the hope that she will be able to use her genius level intellect to find out how to solidify him and bind him to the mortal plane. She begins to abuse her resources (to the worriment of Angel) after Spike informs her that he is constantly slipping closer to hell. Meanwhile, Lorne has his sleep removed to focus more energy on his work and Wesley is confronted by his critical-mouthed father and attempts to deal with his serious issues surrounding his unhappy childhood. In "Destiny", a package is mailed to Spike which magically re-corporealizes him, inadvertently causing wide ranging chaos throughout the world. Eve explains that, because of the Shanshu Prophecy
which claimed that the vampire with a soul would play a pivotal role in the coming apocalypse, the world has been thrown out of order because there are now two vampires with the requisite credentials to fulfill the prophecy. Hearing tell of a quest that will determine the true champion, Angel and Spike fight for the chance of true atonement. Although Spike wins the battle it turns out that the entire event was a trick set up by Eve and her new boyfriend, Angel's long lost rival Lindsey McDonald
. It is at this point that Angel truly begins to question whether he is still the champion he used to be and begins to lose faith in the future set forth by the Shanshu Prophecy which promised him his humanity in return for saving the world.
After Eve and Lindsey's next scheme leaves Angel bed ridden, the gang begin to question Eve's loyalties to the firm and exile her from the building. Meanwhile, Lindsey approaches Spike under the guise of Angel's long dead friend Doyle claiming that he receives visions from The Powers That Be and that Spike has a mission to help the helpless. Spike reluctantly buys into it and ends up saving Angel's life as well as taking on his traditional role as the secret protector of Los Angeles. After Cordelia awakens from her coma she attempts to help Angel get his life back on track and aids him in thwarting Lindsey's plans to take control of Wolfram & Hart for himself. After Lindsey's disguise is foiled, The Senior Partners summon him to some unknown hell dimension in retribution for attempting to take Angel's life. Cordelia reiterates to Angel that she loves him and kisses him, shortly before he receives a phone call reporting that Cordelia died that morning. When Angel turns around, Cordelia is gone. It is later revealed that this encounter—the Powers That Be repaying their debt to Cordelia—allowed Cordelia to pass one last vision over to Angel, giving him the knowledge he needs to bring down the true evil that controls Los Angeles. After the events of "Smile Time" (wherein Angel was transformed into a puppet and began a relationship with the werewolf Nina Ash), Fred and Wesley share a passionate kiss which ignites their relationship, something that had been blossoming all year. However, tragedy befalls the team after Fred is infected with the spirit of an ancient demon named Illyria. Eventually the parasite consumes Fred's body and she dies in Wesley's arms. Once Illyria is brought forth she attempts to raise her temple and summon an army to take back the Earth from the human pestilence. She fails in her endeavor however and finds herself lost in the modern world. She approaches Wesley and asks him to be her guide, to which he agrees, simply because of her striking resemblance to Fred.
After losing the one thing on this earth that he ever truly loved, Wesley descends into alcoholism and spends his time researching every last scrap of information on Illyria while he develops an unhealthy attachment towards her. Meanwhile, the rest of the gang are equally devastated by the loss of the one thing they all truly agreed on; their love for Fred. Spike takes out his rage on Illyria herself as the two share a multitude of sparring sessions together. Lorne becomes frustrated by the corruption that surrounds him and eventually leaves it for good. Gunn feels tremendous guilt over his part to play in Fred's death having signed the warrant to allow Illyria's sarcophagus past customs in order to receive a new brain upgrade. While Angel uses Fred's death as a catalyst to truly attempt to topple the Wolf, the Ram and the Hart. In "Underneath" Angel goes on a mission to rescue Lindsey from hell in order to learn everything he knows about the Senior Partners. Gunn stays in Lindsey's place as punishment for playing a part in Fred's death. Later, Angel comes into contact with Connor for the first time since he signed the deal to take over the firm and learns that the magician Cyvus Vail requires Connor to kill the demon Sahjhan, the one responsible for writing the phony prophecy that, to all intents and purposes, lead to Angel's decision to take over Wolfram and Hart. Although Connor succeeds in killing the demon it is not without a price, having had his original memories returned to him after Wesley used Vail's magic to attempt to re-write the past and bring back Fred. Connor, however, understands what Angel did for him and decides to continue living the fabricated life. After Illyria single-handedly rescues Gunn from the Senior Partner's Hell dimension she claims that Angel Investigations owes her a great debt. As her powers continue to spiral out of control, Wesley fashions a device which will draw the negative energy away from her and into its own pocket universe. Although this does work it leaves Illyria far weaker than she was before as well as emotionally distraught over having lost her immense power. Meanwhile, Gunn goes back to his roots, shedding the Lawyer persona and truly questioning where his loyalties lie while Angel and Spike take a trip to Rome after they hear that Buffy is in danger. Although it turns out that she is in fact happy the two come to reconcile their feelings both for her and for each other. Meanwhile, since Eve's betrayal to the partners, Angel was assigned a new liaison to the firm – Marcus Hamilton
.
As the group continually notice a change in Angel's personality, they stage a violent intervention and learn that Angel intends to take down Wolfram & Hart at its very core – The Circle of the Black Thorn. As Angel attempts to gain entry to the exclusive group that claims to operate at the center of the world's woe (doing so by officially signing away his chance to become human again through the Shanshu prophecy), the rest of the team spend one last perfect day doing what they wish to do; Lorne sings at a karaoke bar reminiscent of the days when he ran Caritas, Gunn meets up with his old friend Anne and helps her move furniture to a new homeless shelter, Spike performs his centuries old, awful poetry at a rowdy club to much cheer and applause, Angel spends his time with Connor who is applying for an internship and Wesley spends his day dressing Illyria's wounds (who had been badly hurt by the super strong Marcus Hamilton). Illyria asks Wesley why he does not spend the day doing what he loves to which Wesley replies that the thing he loves is dead. The team share one last goodbye with each other before they all go off to meet their individual destinies. As Angel secretly takes out the leader of the Circle (Archduke Sebassis) he is confronted by Hamilton and, with the help of Connor, wins the fight. Wesley takes on Cyvus Vail as the two battle it out using powerful magic. Wesley fails to kill him however and ends up dying in Illyria's arms who recreates Fred's form one last time before punching her fist through Vail's face. Gunn takes down a demonic politician and her army of vampires while Spike rescues a messianic baby from a demonic cult and Lorne shoots Lindsey dead at Angel's request. With the circle destroyed, Angel Investigations meet up in the rain soaked alley behind the Hyperion Hotel. But with Wesley dead and Lorne departed, his innocence shattered, Angel, Spike, Gunn and Illyria are all that remains of the team. In retribution for Angel's rebellion, The Senior Partners send the armies of Hell against the Earth and, while proclaiming; "Let's go to work!", Angel and his team go out fighting the unwinnable fight as they continuously seek their own personal redemptions or die trying.
served as executive producer, now able to concentrate more on Angel as both Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Firefly
ended. Whedon wrote and directed two episodes throughout the season ("Conviction" and "A Hole in the World"), co-wrote the story for "Smile Time" and co-wrote (as well as directed a number of scenes of) the series finale, "Not Fade Away". Whedon was originally intended to direct the final episode of the show but his commitments to filming Serenity
(the sequel film to Firefly) made it impossible for him to do so. He delegated the task to showrunner Jeffrey Bell who also wrote the episode alongside Whedon. Bell would write and direct only one other episode of the season.
After Buffy ended, David Fury
joined the writing staff full-time as co-executive producer, later promoted to executive producer midseason, and wrote or co-wrote four episodes, including writing and directing the 100th episode. Buffy writer Drew Goddard
also joined the staff as executive story editor and wrote or co-wrote five episodes. Steven S. DeKnight
was promoted to producer, later promoted to supervising producer midseason, and wrote or co-wrote six episodes, two of which he directed. Ben Edlund
was promoted to supervising producer and wrote or co-wrote four episodes, including writing and directing "Smile Time". Elizabeth Craft and Sarah Fain
were promoted to executive story editors and wrote three episodes. Brent Fletcher
, who was a script coordinator, wrote one episode, which was directed by series star David Boreanaz
.
Co-creator David Greenwalt
, who had left Angel in an official capacity at the end of season three
, came back to direct the pro-penultimate episode of the series, "The Girl in Question".
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at the start of the finale. Spike subsequently becomes a main character of the season. Harmony Kendall
(Mercedes McNab
) also becomes a main character and joins the star cast for the last third of the season. Buffy recurring character Andrew Wells
(Tom Lenk
) appears in two episodes ("Damage" and "The Girl in Question"), revealed to be a Watcher-in-training. Andrew states in "Damage" that Xander
is in Africa, Willow
and Kennedy are in Brazil, Buffy and Dawn
are in Rome, and everyone else is in England.
announced that Angel would not be brought back for a sixth season. The one-paragraph statement indicated the news, which had been reported by a web site the previous day, had been leaked well before the network intended to make its announcement. Joss Whedon
posted a message on a popular fan site, The Bronze: Beta, in which he expressed his dismay and surprise, saying he was "heartbroken" and compared it to a "healthy guy falling dead from a heart attack." Fan reaction was to organize letter-writing campaigns, online petitions, blood and food drives, advertisements in trade magazines and via mobile billboards, and attempts to lobby other networks. UPN
was a particular target, as it had already picked up Buffy. Outrage for the cancellation focused on Jordan Levin, The WB's Head of Entertainment.
Writer and producer David Fury
"guarantees" that if Joss Whedon hadn't requested an early renewal Angel would have been back for a season six:
s – Best Network Television Series (tied with CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
), Best Actor in a Television Series (David Boreanaz
), Best Supporting Actor in a Television Series (James Marsters
), and Best Supporting Actress in a Television Series (Amy Acker
). While Alexis Denisof
was nominated for Best Supporting Actor in a Television Series and Charisma Carpenter
was nominated for Best Supporting Actress in a Television Series. The series, Marsters, and Acker also received nominations again in 2005.
"Smile Time" and "Not Fade Away" were nominated for the Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form.
The Futon Critic named "Lineage" the 32nd best episode of 2003, "Smile Time" the 21st best episode 2004 and "Not Fade Away" the 4th best episode of 2004.
The fifth season averaged 3.97 million viewers, slightly higher than season four
.
comic books, Joss Whedon
announced a canonical
comic book continuation of Angel would be published. Titled Angel: After the Fall
, published by IDW Publishing
, written by Brian Lynch (along with the help of Whedon), the book takes place after the events the final episode, with Los Angeles in Hell. The first issue was released on November 21, 2007. Originally released as a 17-issue limited series
, the book spawned into a ongoing spin-off series.
; "Destiny" by writers David Fury
and Steven S. DeKnight
, director Skip Schoolnik
and actress Juliet Landau
; "Soul Purpose" by writer Brent Fletcher
, actor/director David Boreanaz
and actor Christian Kane
; "You're Welcome" by writer/director David Fury and actors Christian Kane and Sarah Thompson; "A Hole in the World" by writer/director Joss Whedon and actors Alexis Denisof
and Amy Acker
; "Underneath" by writers Elizabeth Craft and Sarah Fain
, director Skip Schoolnik and actor Adam Baldwin
; and "Not Fade Away" by co-writer/director Jeffrey Bell. Featurettes include, "Angel 100", a look at the 100th episode celebration party; "To Live & Die in L.A.: The Best of Angel", where Joss Whedon discusses the best episodes of the show; "Halos & Horns: Recurring Villainy", interviews with cast members who played villains over the course of the show; "Hey Kids! It's Smile Time", a featurette on the making of "Smile Time"; "Angel: Choreography of a Stunt", detailing the a performance of a stunt and interview with stunt coordinator Mike Massa; "Angel Unbound: The Gag Reels", a series of outtakes from all five seasons; and "Angel: The Final Season", a summary of the season featuring interviews with cast and crew members.
Angel (TV series)
Angel is an American television series, a spin-off of the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The series was created by Buffys creator, Joss Whedon, in collaboration with David Greenwalt, and first aired on October 5, 1999...
, the spin-off of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, premiered on October 1, 2003 on The WB Television Network
The WB Television Network
The WB Television Network is a former television network in the United States that was launched on January 11, 1995 as a joint venture between Warner Bros. and Tribune Broadcasting. On January 24, 2006, CBS Corporation and Warner Bros...
and concluded its 22-episode season and its television run on May 19, 2004. The season aired on Wednesdays at 9:00 pm ET. This was the first and only season of Angel to air following the finale of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Season synopsis
Having been handed the reins to the Los AngelesLos Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
branch of Wolfram & Hart
Wolfram & Hart
Wolfram & Hart − Attorneys at Law is a fictional international, and interdimensional law firm featured in the television series Angel, as well as other extended materials in Joss Whedon's Buffyverse.-Fictional history:...
at the climax of season four, Angel and his allies are now surrounded by a world of wealth, power and corruption that they find begins to weaken them from within. While Angel takes care of the day to day running of the company itself, the rest of his team
Angel Investigations
Angel Investigations is a fictional detective agency run by the title character Angel previously on the WB television series Angel . It is sometimes abbreviated as AI...
are delegated specific tasks within the firm; Fred
Winifred Burkle
Winifred "Fred" Burkle is a fictional character created by Joss Whedon and introduced by Shawn Ryan and Mere Smith on the television series Angel. The character is portrayed by Amy Acker.-Character history:...
heads up the practical science division, Lorne is in charge of the entertainment division, Wesley
Wesley Wyndam-Pryce
Wesley Wyndam-Pryce is a fictional character created by Joss Whedon for the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel...
commands the rather impressive research and development department as well as the virtually infinite library and Gunn
Charles Gunn
Charles Gunn is a fictional character created by Joss Whedon for the television series, Angel. The character is portrayed by J. August Richards, and was named by Whedon after filmmaker James Gunn and actor Sean Gunn, both of whom had worked with Whedon...
becomes the firm's top lawyer after having his brain upgraded with a comprehensive knowledge of the law (human and demonic) at the behest of the Senior Partners themselves. As was the deal that Angel made to save Connor's life, he and Cordelia
Cordelia Chase
Cordelia Chase is a fictional character created by Joss Whedon for the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer; she also appeared on Buffy's spin-off series Angel...
would not be joining the team in their new headquarters. Meanwhile, Harmony Kendall
Harmony Kendall
Harmony Kendall is a fictional character created by Joss Whedon for the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and its spin-off Angel. The character is portrayed by Mercedes McNab...
is hired by Wesley to be Angel's familiar-faced secretary and a new character, Eve, is introduced to act as the team's liaison to the partners. At the end of the first episode Angel opens a package containing the amulet used to destroy the Hellmouth at the end of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. From the amulet, Spike is resurrected in a non-corporeal state, unsure of why he is back after having given his life to protect the world. Although Angel is bemused and frustrated by the arrival of his centuries old rival, he continues to assert to his ever more unconvinced squad that they will use the massive resources at Wolfram & Hart to help the world. He does his best to root out the most vile employees and clients within the firm while constantly being set upon at all sides by the evil that surrounds them.
As the team settle into their new surroundings they begin to lose contact with one another because of the time consuming demand of their day to day work. Meanwhile, Spike befriends Fred in the hope that she will be able to use her genius level intellect to find out how to solidify him and bind him to the mortal plane. She begins to abuse her resources (to the worriment of Angel) after Spike informs her that he is constantly slipping closer to hell. Meanwhile, Lorne has his sleep removed to focus more energy on his work and Wesley is confronted by his critical-mouthed father and attempts to deal with his serious issues surrounding his unhappy childhood. In "Destiny", a package is mailed to Spike which magically re-corporealizes him, inadvertently causing wide ranging chaos throughout the world. Eve explains that, because of the Shanshu Prophecy
Shanshu Prophecy
The Shanshu Prophecy is a prophecy that appears in the fictional universe of the television series Angel. Contained in the Scrolls of Aberjian, the prophecy first appears in the episode "Blind Date" and is more fully revealed in the season finale of the show's first season, "To Shanshu in L.A."...
which claimed that the vampire with a soul would play a pivotal role in the coming apocalypse, the world has been thrown out of order because there are now two vampires with the requisite credentials to fulfill the prophecy. Hearing tell of a quest that will determine the true champion, Angel and Spike fight for the chance of true atonement. Although Spike wins the battle it turns out that the entire event was a trick set up by Eve and her new boyfriend, Angel's long lost rival Lindsey McDonald
Lindsey McDonald
Lindsey McDonald is a fictional character from the television series Angel. He first appeared in the series' first episode, "City of," and featured prominently in the story arcs of seasons one, two, and five. Lindsey is the only character besides Angel himself to appear in both the first and last...
. It is at this point that Angel truly begins to question whether he is still the champion he used to be and begins to lose faith in the future set forth by the Shanshu Prophecy which promised him his humanity in return for saving the world.
After Eve and Lindsey's next scheme leaves Angel bed ridden, the gang begin to question Eve's loyalties to the firm and exile her from the building. Meanwhile, Lindsey approaches Spike under the guise of Angel's long dead friend Doyle claiming that he receives visions from The Powers That Be and that Spike has a mission to help the helpless. Spike reluctantly buys into it and ends up saving Angel's life as well as taking on his traditional role as the secret protector of Los Angeles. After Cordelia awakens from her coma she attempts to help Angel get his life back on track and aids him in thwarting Lindsey's plans to take control of Wolfram & Hart for himself. After Lindsey's disguise is foiled, The Senior Partners summon him to some unknown hell dimension in retribution for attempting to take Angel's life. Cordelia reiterates to Angel that she loves him and kisses him, shortly before he receives a phone call reporting that Cordelia died that morning. When Angel turns around, Cordelia is gone. It is later revealed that this encounter—the Powers That Be repaying their debt to Cordelia—allowed Cordelia to pass one last vision over to Angel, giving him the knowledge he needs to bring down the true evil that controls Los Angeles. After the events of "Smile Time" (wherein Angel was transformed into a puppet and began a relationship with the werewolf Nina Ash), Fred and Wesley share a passionate kiss which ignites their relationship, something that had been blossoming all year. However, tragedy befalls the team after Fred is infected with the spirit of an ancient demon named Illyria. Eventually the parasite consumes Fred's body and she dies in Wesley's arms. Once Illyria is brought forth she attempts to raise her temple and summon an army to take back the Earth from the human pestilence. She fails in her endeavor however and finds herself lost in the modern world. She approaches Wesley and asks him to be her guide, to which he agrees, simply because of her striking resemblance to Fred.
After losing the one thing on this earth that he ever truly loved, Wesley descends into alcoholism and spends his time researching every last scrap of information on Illyria while he develops an unhealthy attachment towards her. Meanwhile, the rest of the gang are equally devastated by the loss of the one thing they all truly agreed on; their love for Fred. Spike takes out his rage on Illyria herself as the two share a multitude of sparring sessions together. Lorne becomes frustrated by the corruption that surrounds him and eventually leaves it for good. Gunn feels tremendous guilt over his part to play in Fred's death having signed the warrant to allow Illyria's sarcophagus past customs in order to receive a new brain upgrade. While Angel uses Fred's death as a catalyst to truly attempt to topple the Wolf, the Ram and the Hart. In "Underneath" Angel goes on a mission to rescue Lindsey from hell in order to learn everything he knows about the Senior Partners. Gunn stays in Lindsey's place as punishment for playing a part in Fred's death. Later, Angel comes into contact with Connor for the first time since he signed the deal to take over the firm and learns that the magician Cyvus Vail requires Connor to kill the demon Sahjhan, the one responsible for writing the phony prophecy that, to all intents and purposes, lead to Angel's decision to take over Wolfram and Hart. Although Connor succeeds in killing the demon it is not without a price, having had his original memories returned to him after Wesley used Vail's magic to attempt to re-write the past and bring back Fred. Connor, however, understands what Angel did for him and decides to continue living the fabricated life. After Illyria single-handedly rescues Gunn from the Senior Partner's Hell dimension she claims that Angel Investigations owes her a great debt. As her powers continue to spiral out of control, Wesley fashions a device which will draw the negative energy away from her and into its own pocket universe. Although this does work it leaves Illyria far weaker than she was before as well as emotionally distraught over having lost her immense power. Meanwhile, Gunn goes back to his roots, shedding the Lawyer persona and truly questioning where his loyalties lie while Angel and Spike take a trip to Rome after they hear that Buffy is in danger. Although it turns out that she is in fact happy the two come to reconcile their feelings both for her and for each other. Meanwhile, since Eve's betrayal to the partners, Angel was assigned a new liaison to the firm – Marcus Hamilton
Marcus Hamilton
Marcus Hamilton is a fictional character that appeared on the final season of the TV series Angel. The character is played by actor Adam Baldwin, who also worked with Angel creator Joss Whedon in the series Firefly, playing mercenary Jayne Cobb....
.
As the group continually notice a change in Angel's personality, they stage a violent intervention and learn that Angel intends to take down Wolfram & Hart at its very core – The Circle of the Black Thorn. As Angel attempts to gain entry to the exclusive group that claims to operate at the center of the world's woe (doing so by officially signing away his chance to become human again through the Shanshu prophecy), the rest of the team spend one last perfect day doing what they wish to do; Lorne sings at a karaoke bar reminiscent of the days when he ran Caritas, Gunn meets up with his old friend Anne and helps her move furniture to a new homeless shelter, Spike performs his centuries old, awful poetry at a rowdy club to much cheer and applause, Angel spends his time with Connor who is applying for an internship and Wesley spends his day dressing Illyria's wounds (who had been badly hurt by the super strong Marcus Hamilton). Illyria asks Wesley why he does not spend the day doing what he loves to which Wesley replies that the thing he loves is dead. The team share one last goodbye with each other before they all go off to meet their individual destinies. As Angel secretly takes out the leader of the Circle (Archduke Sebassis) he is confronted by Hamilton and, with the help of Connor, wins the fight. Wesley takes on Cyvus Vail as the two battle it out using powerful magic. Wesley fails to kill him however and ends up dying in Illyria's arms who recreates Fred's form one last time before punching her fist through Vail's face. Gunn takes down a demonic politician and her army of vampires while Spike rescues a messianic baby from a demonic cult and Lorne shoots Lindsey dead at Angel's request. With the circle destroyed, Angel Investigations meet up in the rain soaked alley behind the Hyperion Hotel. But with Wesley dead and Lorne departed, his innocence shattered, Angel, Spike, Gunn and Illyria are all that remains of the team. In retribution for Angel's rebellion, The Senior Partners send the armies of Hell against the Earth and, while proclaiming; "Let's go to work!", Angel and his team go out fighting the unwinnable fight as they continuously seek their own personal redemptions or die trying.
Main cast
- David BoreanazDavid BoreanazDavid Boreanaz is an American actor, television producer, and director, known for his role as Angel on the supernatural drama series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel, and as Special Agent Seeley Booth on the television crime drama Bones....
as Angel - James MarstersJames MarstersJames Wesley Marsters is an American actor and musician. Marsters first came to the attention of the general public playing the popular character Spike, a platinum-blond yobbish English vampire in the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and its spin-off series, Angel from 1997 to 2004...
as Spike - J. August RichardsJ. August RichardsJaime Augusto Richards III is an American actor. He is perhaps best known for his portrayal of vampire hunter Charles Gunn on the WB cult television series Angel.-Early life and education:...
as Charles GunnCharles GunnCharles Gunn is a fictional character created by Joss Whedon for the television series, Angel. The character is portrayed by J. August Richards, and was named by Whedon after filmmaker James Gunn and actor Sean Gunn, both of whom had worked with Whedon... - Amy AckerAmy AckerAmy Louise Acker is an American actress. She is best known for her roles on the television series Angel as Winifred Burkle and Illyria and on Alias as Kelly Peyton. She is also known for her role as Dr. Claire Saunders/Whiskey on Dollhouse.-Early life:Acker was born and raised in Dallas, where she...
as Winifred "Fred" BurkleWinifred BurkleWinifred "Fred" Burkle is a fictional character created by Joss Whedon and introduced by Shawn Ryan and Mere Smith on the television series Angel. The character is portrayed by Amy Acker.-Character history:...
/Illyria - Andy HallettAndy HallettAndrew Alcott "Andy" Hallett was an American singer and actor best known for playing the part of Lorne in the television series Angel. He used his singing talents often on the show, and performed two songs on the series' 2005 soundtrack album, Angel: Live Fast, Die Never.-Early life:Andrew Alcott...
as Lorne - Mercedes McNabMercedes McNabMercedes Alicia McNab is a Canadian-born actress perhaps best known for playing Harmony Kendall on Buffy the Vampire Slayer and its spinoff Angel...
as Harmony KendallHarmony KendallHarmony Kendall is a fictional character created by Joss Whedon for the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and its spin-off Angel. The character is portrayed by Mercedes McNab...
(From "Underneath" onward; recurring previously) - Alexis DenisofAlexis DenisofAlexis Denisof is an American actor who is known for playing Wesley Wyndam-Pryce in the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and its spin-off Angel.-Early life:...
as Wesley Wyndam-PryceWesley Wyndam-PryceWesley Wyndam-Pryce is a fictional character created by Joss Whedon for the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel...
(Does not appear in "Destiny")
Recurring cast
Crew
Series creator Joss WhedonJoss Whedon
Joseph Hill "Joss" Whedon is an American screenwriter, executive producer, director, comic book writer, occasional composer and actor, founder of Mutant Enemy Productions and co-creator of Bellwether Pictures...
served as executive producer, now able to concentrate more on Angel as both Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Firefly
Firefly (TV series)
Firefly is an American space western television series created by writer and director Joss Whedon, under his Mutant Enemy Productions label. Whedon served as executive producer, along with Tim Minear....
ended. Whedon wrote and directed two episodes throughout the season ("Conviction" and "A Hole in the World"), co-wrote the story for "Smile Time" and co-wrote (as well as directed a number of scenes of) the series finale, "Not Fade Away". Whedon was originally intended to direct the final episode of the show but his commitments to filming Serenity
Serenity (film)
Serenity is a 2005 space western film written and directed by Joss Whedon. It is a continuation of the short-lived 2002 Fox science fiction television series Firefly, taking place after the events of the final episode. Set in 2518, Serenity is the story of the captain and crew of a cargo ship...
(the sequel film to Firefly) made it impossible for him to do so. He delegated the task to showrunner Jeffrey Bell who also wrote the episode alongside Whedon. Bell would write and direct only one other episode of the season.
After Buffy ended, David Fury
David Fury
David Fury is an American television Screenwriter and Producer, best known for his work on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Lost, 24, and Fringe.Fury was a Co-executive producer and Writer for the first season of Lost...
joined the writing staff full-time as co-executive producer, later promoted to executive producer midseason, and wrote or co-wrote four episodes, including writing and directing the 100th episode. Buffy writer Drew Goddard
Drew Goddard
Drew Goddard is an American film and television screenwriter and producer best known for his collaborations with Joss Whedon and J.J. Abrams .Goddard joined the crew of Lost as a freelance writer for the first season in 2004...
also joined the staff as executive story editor and wrote or co-wrote five episodes. Steven S. DeKnight
Steven S. DeKnight
Steven S. DeKnight is an American television screenwriter, producer, and director. He is best known for working on Smallville, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and Angel. He has also written "Swell", a story in the Buffy the Vampire Slayer season eight comic series, and served as a consulting producer...
was promoted to producer, later promoted to supervising producer midseason, and wrote or co-wrote six episodes, two of which he directed. Ben Edlund
Ben Edlund
Ben Edlund is a comic book artist and writer and television screenwriter. Prior to his involvement in TV, he was best known as the creator of the satirical superhero character The Tick. He is currently an executive producer and staff writer for The CW series Supernatural.-Background:Edlund was...
was promoted to supervising producer and wrote or co-wrote four episodes, including writing and directing "Smile Time". Elizabeth Craft and Sarah Fain
Elizabeth Craft and Sarah Fain
Elizabeth Craft and Sarah Fain are American television screenwriters and producers, mostly working together as partners. They have also written two young-adult fiction novels together.Craft is married to producer Adam Fierro.- Angel :...
were promoted to executive story editors and wrote three episodes. Brent Fletcher
Brent Fletcher
Brent Fletcher is an American television writer. He has worked on television series such as Lost and Angel.He was a freelance writer for the first season of Lost...
, who was a script coordinator, wrote one episode, which was directed by series star David Boreanaz
David Boreanaz
David Boreanaz is an American actor, television producer, and director, known for his role as Angel on the supernatural drama series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel, and as Special Agent Seeley Booth on the television crime drama Bones....
.
Co-creator David Greenwalt
David Greenwalt
David Greenwalt is an American screenwriter, director and producer.He was the co-executive producer of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and co-creator of its spinoff, Angel. He is also co-creator of the short-lived cult television show Profit...
, who had left Angel in an official capacity at the end of season three
Angel (season 3)
The third season of the television series Angel, the spin-off of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, premiered on September 24, 2001 on The WB Television Network and concluded its 22-episode season on May 20, 2002. The season aired in a new timeslot, Mondays at 9:00 pm ET...
, came back to direct the pro-penultimate episode of the series, "The Girl in Question".
Episodes
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Crossovers with Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Buffy the Vampire Slayer concluded the previous season, therefore there are no official crossovers between the two series'. Despite this, references are made throughout the fifth season of Angel that relate to Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Spike is resurrected (after his death in "Chosen") by the magical amulet Angel gave to BuffyBuffy Summers
Buffy Summers is a fictional character from Joss Whedon's Buffy the Vampire Slayer franchise. She first appeared in the 1992 film Buffy the Vampire Slayer before going on to appear in the television series and subsequent comic book of the same name...
at the start of the finale. Spike subsequently becomes a main character of the season. Harmony Kendall
Harmony Kendall
Harmony Kendall is a fictional character created by Joss Whedon for the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and its spin-off Angel. The character is portrayed by Mercedes McNab...
(Mercedes McNab
Mercedes McNab
Mercedes Alicia McNab is a Canadian-born actress perhaps best known for playing Harmony Kendall on Buffy the Vampire Slayer and its spinoff Angel...
) also becomes a main character and joins the star cast for the last third of the season. Buffy recurring character Andrew Wells
Andrew Wells
Andrew Wells is a fictional character in the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel, played by Tom Lenk. The character also appears in Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight, the canonical continuation of the series....
(Tom Lenk
Tom Lenk
Thomas Loren "Tom" Lenk is an American stage and television actor best known for his recurring role as Andrew Wells in the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and its spin-off Angel.-Early life:...
) appears in two episodes ("Damage" and "The Girl in Question"), revealed to be a Watcher-in-training. Andrew states in "Damage" that Xander
Xander Harris
Alexander LaVelle "Xander" Harris is a fictional character in the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, as well as in numerous items in the series Expanded Universe, such as comic books, tie-in novels and video games...
is in Africa, Willow
Willow Rosenberg
Willow Rosenberg is a fictional character created for the fantasy television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer . She was developed by Joss Whedon and portrayed throughout the TV series by Alyson Hannigan...
and Kennedy are in Brazil, Buffy and Dawn
Dawn Summers
Dawn Summers is a fictional character created by Joss Whedon and introduced by Marti Noxon and David Fury on the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, portrayed by Michelle Trachtenberg. She made her debut in the premiere episode of the show's fifth season, and subsequently appeared in every...
are in Rome, and everyone else is in England.
Cancellation
On February 14, 2004, The WB NetworkThe WB Television Network
The WB Television Network is a former television network in the United States that was launched on January 11, 1995 as a joint venture between Warner Bros. and Tribune Broadcasting. On January 24, 2006, CBS Corporation and Warner Bros...
announced that Angel would not be brought back for a sixth season. The one-paragraph statement indicated the news, which had been reported by a web site the previous day, had been leaked well before the network intended to make its announcement. Joss Whedon
Joss Whedon
Joseph Hill "Joss" Whedon is an American screenwriter, executive producer, director, comic book writer, occasional composer and actor, founder of Mutant Enemy Productions and co-creator of Bellwether Pictures...
posted a message on a popular fan site, The Bronze: Beta, in which he expressed his dismay and surprise, saying he was "heartbroken" and compared it to a "healthy guy falling dead from a heart attack." Fan reaction was to organize letter-writing campaigns, online petitions, blood and food drives, advertisements in trade magazines and via mobile billboards, and attempts to lobby other networks. UPN
UPN
United Paramount Network was a television network that was broadcast in over 200 markets in the United States from 1995 to 2006. UPN was originally owned by Viacom/Paramount and Chris-Craft Industries, the former of which, through the Paramount Television Group, produced most of the network's...
was a particular target, as it had already picked up Buffy. Outrage for the cancellation focused on Jordan Levin, The WB's Head of Entertainment.
Writer and producer David Fury
David Fury
David Fury is an American television Screenwriter and Producer, best known for his work on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Lost, 24, and Fringe.Fury was a Co-executive producer and Writer for the first season of Lost...
"guarantees" that if Joss Whedon hadn't requested an early renewal Angel would have been back for a season six:
The only reason that Angel didn't come back...it's a very simple thing. Because our ratings were up, because of our critical attention, Joss specifically asked Jordan Levin, who was the head of The WB at the time, to give us an early pick-up because every year they [would] wait so long to give Angel a pick-up [and] a lot of us [would] turn down jobs hoping that Angel will continue – he [Joss] didn't want that to happen. So, he was feeling very confident and he [Joss] just asked Jordan, "Like, make your decision now whether you're going to pick us up or not," and Jordan, sort of with his hands tied, with his back up against the wall, called him the next day and said, "Okay, we're canceling you." Jordan's no longer there and The WB has since recognized...I believe Garth Ancier at The WB said that it was a big mistake to cancel Angel. There was a power play that happened that just didn't fall out the way they wanted it to. We wanted to get an early pick-up, we didn't. In fact we forced them [The WB] to make a decision, and with his hand forced he [Levin] made the decision to cancel us.
I guarantee that, if we waited as we normally did, by the time May had come around they would have picked up Angel. I can guarantee that.
Reception
The fifth season won four Saturn AwardSaturn Award
The Saturn Award is an award presented annually by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films to honor the top works in science fiction, fantasy, and horror in film, television, and home video. The Saturn Awards were devised by Dr. Donald A. Reed in 1972, who felt that films within...
s – Best Network Television Series (tied with CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation is an American crime drama television series, which premiered on CBS on October 6, 2000. The show was created by Anthony E. Zuiker and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer...
), Best Actor in a Television Series (David Boreanaz
David Boreanaz
David Boreanaz is an American actor, television producer, and director, known for his role as Angel on the supernatural drama series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel, and as Special Agent Seeley Booth on the television crime drama Bones....
), Best Supporting Actor in a Television Series (James Marsters
James Marsters
James Wesley Marsters is an American actor and musician. Marsters first came to the attention of the general public playing the popular character Spike, a platinum-blond yobbish English vampire in the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and its spin-off series, Angel from 1997 to 2004...
), and Best Supporting Actress in a Television Series (Amy Acker
Amy Acker
Amy Louise Acker is an American actress. She is best known for her roles on the television series Angel as Winifred Burkle and Illyria and on Alias as Kelly Peyton. She is also known for her role as Dr. Claire Saunders/Whiskey on Dollhouse.-Early life:Acker was born and raised in Dallas, where she...
). While Alexis Denisof
Alexis Denisof
Alexis Denisof is an American actor who is known for playing Wesley Wyndam-Pryce in the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and its spin-off Angel.-Early life:...
was nominated for Best Supporting Actor in a Television Series and Charisma Carpenter
Charisma Carpenter
Charisma Lee Carpenter is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Cordelia Chase in the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and its spin-off Angel, for which she was nominated for four Saturn Awards. In her most recent film she starred opposite Sylvester Stallone and Jason...
was nominated for Best Supporting Actress in a Television Series. The series, Marsters, and Acker also received nominations again in 2005.
"Smile Time" and "Not Fade Away" were nominated for the Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form.
The Futon Critic named "Lineage" the 32nd best episode of 2003, "Smile Time" the 21st best episode 2004 and "Not Fade Away" the 4th best episode of 2004.
The fifth season averaged 3.97 million viewers, slightly higher than season four
Angel (season 4)
The fourth season of the television series Angel, the spin-off of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, premiered on October 6, 2002 on The WB Television Network and concluded its 22-episode season on May 7, 2003...
.
Comic book continuation
After the success of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season EightBuffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight
Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight is a comic book series published by Dark Horse Comics. The series serves as a canonical continuation of the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and follows the events of that show's final televised season. It is produced by Joss Whedon, who wrote the...
comic books, Joss Whedon
Joss Whedon
Joseph Hill "Joss" Whedon is an American screenwriter, executive producer, director, comic book writer, occasional composer and actor, founder of Mutant Enemy Productions and co-creator of Bellwether Pictures...
announced a canonical
Canon (fiction)
In the context of a work of fiction, the term canon denotes the material accepted as "official" in a fictional universe's fan base. It is often contrasted with, or used as the basis for, works of fan fiction, which are not considered canonical...
comic book continuation of Angel would be published. Titled Angel: After the Fall
Angel: After the Fall
Angel: After the Fall is a comic book published by IDW Publishing. Written by Brian Lynch and plotted with Joss Whedon, the series is a canonical continuation of the Angel television series, and follows the events of that show's final televised season...
, published by IDW Publishing
IDW Publishing
IDW Publishing, also known as Idea + Design Works, LLC and IDW, is an American publisher of comic books and comic strip collections. The company was founded in 1999 and has been awarded the title "Publisher of the Year Under 5% Market Share" for the years 2004, 2005 and 2006 by Diamond Comic...
, written by Brian Lynch (along with the help of Whedon), the book takes place after the events the final episode, with Los Angeles in Hell. The first issue was released on November 21, 2007. Originally released as a 17-issue limited series
Limited series
A limited series is a comic book series with a set number of installments. A limited series differs from an ongoing series in that the number of issues is determined before production and it differs from a one shot in that it is composed of multiple issues....
, the book spawned into a ongoing spin-off series.
DVD release
Angel: The Complete Fifth Season was released on DVD in region 1 on February 15, 2005 and in region 2 on February 21, 2005. The DVD includes all 22 episodes on 6 discs presented in anamorphic widescreen 1.78:1 aspect ratio. Special features on the DVD include seven commentary tracks—"Conviction" by writer/director Joss WhedonJoss Whedon
Joseph Hill "Joss" Whedon is an American screenwriter, executive producer, director, comic book writer, occasional composer and actor, founder of Mutant Enemy Productions and co-creator of Bellwether Pictures...
; "Destiny" by writers David Fury
David Fury
David Fury is an American television Screenwriter and Producer, best known for his work on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Lost, 24, and Fringe.Fury was a Co-executive producer and Writer for the first season of Lost...
and Steven S. DeKnight
Steven S. DeKnight
Steven S. DeKnight is an American television screenwriter, producer, and director. He is best known for working on Smallville, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and Angel. He has also written "Swell", a story in the Buffy the Vampire Slayer season eight comic series, and served as a consulting producer...
, director Skip Schoolnik
Skip Schoolnik
Stuart “Skip” Schoolnik is a film director, producer and editor who received his degree from the University of Connecticut and currently resides in California....
and actress Juliet Landau
Juliet Landau
Juliet Rose Landau is an American actress best known for her role as Drusilla on Buffy the Vampire Slayer and its spinoff show Angel, the latter appearance earning her a Saturn Award nomination. She is also known for co-starring as Loretta King Hadler in Tim Burton's Ed Wood.She has appeared in a...
; "Soul Purpose" by writer Brent Fletcher
Brent Fletcher
Brent Fletcher is an American television writer. He has worked on television series such as Lost and Angel.He was a freelance writer for the first season of Lost...
, actor/director David Boreanaz
David Boreanaz
David Boreanaz is an American actor, television producer, and director, known for his role as Angel on the supernatural drama series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel, and as Special Agent Seeley Booth on the television crime drama Bones....
and actor Christian Kane
Christian Kane
Christian Kane is an American actor and singer/songwriter of Native American descent. He currently stars as Eliot Spencer on the TNT series Leverage. He is best known for his roles in the television shows Angel and Into the West, and the movies Just Married and Secondhand Lions.He is the lead...
; "You're Welcome" by writer/director David Fury and actors Christian Kane and Sarah Thompson; "A Hole in the World" by writer/director Joss Whedon and actors Alexis Denisof
Alexis Denisof
Alexis Denisof is an American actor who is known for playing Wesley Wyndam-Pryce in the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and its spin-off Angel.-Early life:...
and Amy Acker
Amy Acker
Amy Louise Acker is an American actress. She is best known for her roles on the television series Angel as Winifred Burkle and Illyria and on Alias as Kelly Peyton. She is also known for her role as Dr. Claire Saunders/Whiskey on Dollhouse.-Early life:Acker was born and raised in Dallas, where she...
; "Underneath" by writers Elizabeth Craft and Sarah Fain
Elizabeth Craft and Sarah Fain
Elizabeth Craft and Sarah Fain are American television screenwriters and producers, mostly working together as partners. They have also written two young-adult fiction novels together.Craft is married to producer Adam Fierro.- Angel :...
, director Skip Schoolnik and actor Adam Baldwin
Adam Baldwin
Adam Baldwin is an American actor, known for his roles as Animal Mother in Stanley Kubrick's Full Metal Jacket, Ricky Linderman in My Bodyguard, Knowle Rohrer in The X-Files, and Marcus Hamilton in Joss Whedon's Angel...
; and "Not Fade Away" by co-writer/director Jeffrey Bell. Featurettes include, "Angel 100", a look at the 100th episode celebration party; "To Live & Die in L.A.: The Best of Angel", where Joss Whedon discusses the best episodes of the show; "Halos & Horns: Recurring Villainy", interviews with cast members who played villains over the course of the show; "Hey Kids! It's Smile Time", a featurette on the making of "Smile Time"; "Angel: Choreography of a Stunt", detailing the a performance of a stunt and interview with stunt coordinator Mike Massa; "Angel Unbound: The Gag Reels", a series of outtakes from all five seasons; and "Angel: The Final Season", a summary of the season featuring interviews with cast and crew members.