The vampire Angel
(Boreanaz) has a human
soul, but committed terrible crimes in the past. Seeking
forgiveness and trying to redeem himself, he moves from Sunnydale (and a relationship with Buffy Summers) to Los
Angeles, where he helps the downtrodden by thwarting the
supernatural creatures that prey on them.
CRITIQUE
As you may know, Angel was cancelled by the WB just before
Valentine’s Day of this year. As I am writing this review, there
is only one episode left to air. This review is one of the most
difficult I will ever write because thinking about how
extraordinary and beautiful Angel has been is so painful
right now. I love the show. But somehow I must get around to
reviewing Angel: The Complete Third Season on DVD. So here
I go.
Angel’s
third season is possibly the most amazing season of television I have
ever seen (it’s only rival being the fifth season of Buffy the
Vampire Slayer). It no longer shared its network and night with
Buffy, and it took this opportunity to thrive on its own. Every
episode is solid – even the lesser episodes (“That Old Gang of Mine”
and “Double or Nothing”) are ten times better than most TV shows, plus
they’re entirely rewatchable. The best episodes (“Billy,” “Sleep
Tight,” “Forgiving,” “Waiting in the Wings,” and my personal favorite,
“Lullaby,” among others) are some of the greatest hours of television
I have had the pleasure to experience. Watching “Lullaby” makes me
ecstatic – it is horribly heart-wrenching and painful, but it is also
an incredibly beautiful episode.
The
level of excellence in this season is something I feel lucky to have
discovered. Maybe I should be discussing the show’s flaws, but I
can’t. Angel is almost over, and I have nothing but love and
respect for it. I love the show more than I can possibly say. It has
made me cry so hard that I feel like I can’t breathe. It has made me
laugh until I thought I would never be able to stop. It has inspired
me, too. Next year, there won’t be a single Joss Whedon show on
television. We viewers will be left with that heartless, unoriginal
noise that fills up so much of the season’s schedule.
22 episodes on 6 discs:
Heartthrob, That Vision Thing, That Old Gang of Mine, Carpe Noctem,
Fredless, Billy, Offspring, Quickening, Lullaby, Dad, Birthday,
Provider, Waiting in the Wings, Couplet, Loyalty, Sleep Tight,
Forgiving, Double or Nothing, The Price, A New World, Benediction,
Tomorrow
THE VIDEO
Fox presents Angel in 1.78:1 fullscreen. Colors
look good, black levels are fine, the print image is pretty
decent, and lack of clarity is not an issue here.
THE AUDIO
Fox presents Angel in English 2.0 Dolby Surround Sound.
This is a decent soundtrack presentation. Dialogue is clear and
easy to understand. Sound effects are presented well but not very crisp.
There are also French and Spanish Dolby Surround dub tracks,
plus English and Spanish subtitles.
THE EXTRAS
The 6-disc DVD set contains
several featurettes and commentaries as well as
outtakes, deleted scenes and screen tests for
Amy Acker (Fred) and Vincent Kartheiser (Connor). The
featurettes are for the most part moderately entertaining, but
the one that details the development of an episode is quite
interesting. The commentaries are, as always, excellent. The
outtakes are very funny, especially one in which Wesley hacks at
a door with an axe and the blade comes off. The screen tests are
also a nice feature.
A complete list of the
features:
Commentary by Tim Minear and
Jeffrey Bell on "Billy"
Commentary by Tim Minear and
Mere Smith on "Lullaby"
Commentary by Joss Whedon on
"Waiting in the Wings"
Deleted scenes with commentary
by Tim Minear and Mere Smith ("Birthday")
Deleted scenes with commentary
by Joss Whedon ("Waiting in the Wings")
Featurettes: "Darla: Deliver Us
from Evil," "Season 3 Overview," "Page to Screen"
Series outtakes
Screen tests for Amy Acker and
Vincent Kartheiser
Still gallery
FINAL THOUGHTS
All I
can say is I love the DVD. So what else can I say about Angel: The Complete
Third Season? Buy it. Watch it. Share it with your friends and
co-workers (but make sure they don’t get the case all bendy). It’s
very good stuff.
