Buffy and Angel

BUFFY AND ANGEL
a kate west favorite

It's a tumultuous relationship and why wouldn't it be? A Vampire Slayer and a Vampire? They're natural enemies. In Joss Whedon's popular television shows, "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and its spin-off "Angel", Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) and Angel (David Boreanaz) find true love with each other but are destined not to hold on to it. And we get a lot of supernatural fun and magic throughout. Demons, witches, vampires and all sorts of dark beings inhabit these worlds and we enjoy it all the more through the sharp dialogue and imaginative perspective of Joss Whedon. Sci-fi fans can rejoice that Whedon cleverly expanded the original movie with Kristy Swanson into a fascinating successful television franchise.

One example is the BUFFY episode "Once More, with Feeling" - an entire mini-musical in which the characters are compelled to express their innermost thoughts through song and dance. Well, that's what happens when you accidentally summon a musical demon. It has since become a cult phenomenon and often performed in local theaters throughout the country.

In both shows, many of the main characters come into their own, like the adorable Willow the witch (Alyson Hannigan) in BUFFY and the adorable Winifred Burkle (Amy Acker) in ANGEL. By far, the most remarkable transformation is that of Cordelia Chase (Charisma Carpenter), who starts out as a spoiled rich high schooler in BUFFY and becomes an impressive, fearless and strong-hearted warrior in ANGEL. Great writing. ANGEL is BUFFY Part Two and quite a dignified sequel and natural character progression. Be warned though, Whedon is not afraid to kill off favorite characters and defy expectations in either show. The real fun is in the way he humanizes the inhuman. Every character has depth no matter what dimension he/she comes from. (Oh and the men? Just keep getting sexier and sexier every season. I'm looking at you British, undead especially ....)

And it's so realistic. Not the monster bit, no. But the character bit. In fact, William Goldman, award-winning screenwriter, said it best when he claimed "Bambi" was more realistic than "Deer Hunter" because in one movie the mother died and in the other there was all this coincidence about Russian Roulette. So which one was more true to life? The same can be said for our Vampire Slayers being more real than Carrie, Charlotte, Miranda and Samantha in "Sex and the City". Who lives that kind of lifestyle? Michael Patrick King addressed relationships sure, but spent much less time on the everywoman. Miranda was the only character who dealt with an obvious parent, for instance, and how many single women never have to explain themselves to their mothers on a weekly basis? In BUFFY/ANGEL, the characters have deep family histories and complex growth patterns.

But really, the best way to explain these shows is for you to see for yourself. Best part is, if you can't buy/rent, you can see the rerun cycles on TNT and FX, over and over. Enjoy!

BUFFY
Series Directed by
Joss Whedon (22 episodes, 1997-2003)
James A. Contner (20 episodes, 1998-2003)
David Solomon (19 episodes, 1997-2003)
David Grossman (13 episodes, 1999-2003)
Michael Gershman (10 episodes, 1998-2003)
Bruce Seth Green (8 episodes, 1997-1998)
Nick Marck (7 episodes, 1999-2002)
James Whitmore Jr. (5 episodes, 1998-1999)
David Greenwalt (4 episodes, 1997-1998)
David Semel (4 episodes, 1997-1998)
Michael Lange (4 episodes, 1998-1999)
Douglas Petrie (3 episodes, 2001-2003)
John T. Kretchmer (2 episodes, 1997)
Ellen S. Pressman (2 episodes, 1997)
Daniel Attias (2 episodes, 2000-2001)
Marti Noxon (2 episodes, 2000-2001)
David Fury (2 episodes, 2002-2003)
Rick Rosenthal (2 episodes, 2002)
Marita Grabiak (2 episodes, 2003)

Series Writing credits
Joss Whedon (145 episodes, 1997-2003)
Marti Noxon (25 episodes, 1997-2003)
Jane Espenson (23 episodes, 1998-2003)
David Fury (17 episodes, 1998-2003)
Douglas Petrie (17 episodes, 1998-2003)
David Greenwalt (8 episodes, 1997-1998)
Rebecca Kirshner (8 episodes, 2000-2003)
Drew Z. Greenberg (6 episodes, 2001-2003)
Dean Batali (5 episodes, 1997-1998)
Rob Des Hotel (5 episodes, 1997-1998)
Steven S. DeKnight (5 episodes, 2001-2002)
Drew Goddard (5 episodes, 2002-2003)
Tracey Forbes (3 episodes, 1999-2000)
David Tyron King (2 episodes, 1997-1998)
Ashley Gable (2 episodes, 1997)
Matt Kiene (2 episodes, 1997)
Joe Reinkemeyer (2 episodes, 1997)
Thomas A. Swyden (2 episodes, 1997)
Dan Vebber (2 episodes, 1998-1999)

Series Cast

Sarah Michelle Gellar ... Buffy Summers / ... (145 episodes, 1997-2003)
Nicholas Brendon ... Xander Harris (145 episodes, 1997-2003)
Alyson Hannigan ... Willow Rosenberg / ... (144 episodes, 1997-2003)
Anthony Head ... Rupert Giles (122 episodes, 1997-2003)
James Marsters ... Spike (97 episodes, 1997-2003)
Emma Caulfield ... Anya / ... (85 episodes, 1998-2003)
Michelle Trachtenberg ... Dawn Summers (66 episodes, 2000-2003)
Kristine Sutherland ... Joyce Summers (58 episodes, 1997-2002)
Charisma Carpenter ... Cordelia Chase (57 episodes, 1997-1999)
David Boreanaz ... Angel / ... (57 episodes, 1997-2003)
Amber Benson ... Tara Maclay (46 episodes, 1999-2002)
Seth Green ... Oz (40 episodes, 1997-2000)
Marc Blucas ... Riley Finn (31 episodes, 1999-2002)
Danny Strong ... Jonathan Levinson (29 episodes, 1997-2003)
Tom Lenk ... Andrew Wells / ... (27 episodes, 2000-2003)
Eliza Dushku ... Faith / ... (20 episodes, 1998-2003)
Armin Shimerman ... Principal Snyder (19 episodes, 1997-2000)
Juliet Landau ... Drusilla (17 episodes, 1997-2003)
Mercedes McNab ... Harmony Kendall (16 episodes, 1997-2001)
Adam Busch ... Warren Meers (16 episodes, 2001-2003)
Robia LaMorte ... Jenny Calendar (14 episodes, 1997-1998)
Charlie Weber ... Ben (14 episodes, 2000-2001)
Harry Groener ... Mayor Richard Wilkins (14 episodes, 1998-2003)
D.B. Woodside ... Principal Robin Wood (14 episodes, 2002-2003)
Clare Kramer ... Glory (13 episodes, 2000-2002)
Bailey Chase ... Graham Miller (13 episodes, 1999-2000)
Iyari Limon ... Kennedy (13 episodes, 2002-2003)
Leonard Roberts ... Forrest Gates (12 episodes, 1999-2000)
Sarah Hagan ... Amanda (10 episodes, 2002-2003)
Alexis Denisof ... Wesley Wyndam-Pryce (9 episodes, 1999)

ANGEL:
Series Directed by
James A. Contner (13 episodes, 1999-2004)
Joss Whedon (7 episodes, 1999-2004)
David Greenwalt (7 episodes, 2000-2004)
Tim Minear (7 episodes, 2000-2003)
Bill L. Norton (6 episodes, 2001-2003)
Terrence O'Hara (6 episodes, 2002-2004)
Skip Schoolnik (5 episodes, 2001-2004)
Marita Grabiak (5 episodes, 2001-2003)
Vern Gillum (4 episodes, 1999-2004)
David Grossman (4 episodes, 1999-2002)
Michael Grossman (4 episodes, 2001-2003)
Frederick King Keller (4 episodes, 2001)
Jefferson Kibbee (4 episodes, 2003-2004)
David Straiton (3 episodes, 1999-2003)
Bruce Seth Green (3 episodes, 1999-2000)
Turi Meyer (3 episodes, 2001-2002)
Jeffrey Bell (3 episodes, 2003-2004)
Steven S. DeKnight (3 episodes, 2003-2004)
Scott McGinnis (2 episodes, 1999-2001)
R.D. Price (2 episodes, 2000-2001)
Thomas J. Wright (2 episodes, 2000-2001)
Michael Lange (2 episodes, 2000)
David Semel (2 episodes, 2000)

Series Writing credits
David Greenwalt (111 episodes, 1999-2004)
Joss Whedon (111 episodes, 1999-2004)
Tim Minear (18 episodes, 1999-2003)
Jeffrey Bell (13 episodes, 2001-2004)
David Fury (12 episodes, 1999-2004)
Steven S. DeKnight (12 episodes, 2002-2004)
Mere Smith (11 episodes, 2000-2003)
Elizabeth Craft (8 episodes, 2002-2004)
Sarah Fain (8 episodes, 2002-2004)
Shawn Ryan (5 episodes, 2000-2001)
Ben Edlund (5 episodes, 2003-2004)
Drew Goddard (5 episodes, 2003-2004)
Jeannine Renshaw (4 episodes, 1999-2000)
Howard Gordon (3 episodes, 1999-2000)
Jim Kouf (3 episodes, 2000-2001)
Jane Espenson (2 episodes, 1999-2000)
Douglas Petrie (2 episodes, 1999-2000)
Tracey Stern (2 episodes, 1999-2000)
David H. Goodman (2 episodes, 2001-2002)
Scott Murphy (2 episodes, 2001-2002)

Series Cast

David Boreanaz ... Angel / ... (111 episodes, 1999-2004)
Alexis Denisof ... Wesley Wyndam-Pryce (101 episodes, 1999-2004)
J. August Richards ... Charles Gunn (91 episodes, 2000-2004)
Charisma Carpenter ... Cordelia Chase (90 episodes, 1999-2004)
Andy Hallett ... Lorne (76 episodes, 2000-2004)
Amy Acker ... Winifred 'Fred' Burkle / ... (70 episodes, 2001-2004)
Stephanie Romanov ... Lilah Morgan (35 episodes, 2000-2003)
Vincent Kartheiser ... Connor (28 episodes, 2002-2004)
James Marsters ... Spike (24 episodes, 1999-2004)
Christian Kane ... Lindsey McDonald (21 episodes, 1999-2004)
Julie Benz ... Darla (20 episodes, 2000-2004)
Mercedes McNab ... Harmony Kendall (18 episodes, 2001-2004)
Elisabeth Röhm ... Detective Kate Lockley (15 episodes, 1999-2001)
Daniel Dae Kim ... Gavin Park (12 episodes, 2001-2003)
Glenn Quinn ... Allen Doyle (11 episodes, 1999)
Keith Szarabajka ... Daniel Holtz (11 episodes, 2001-2002)
Sarah Thompson ... Eve (10 episodes, 2003-2004)
Mark Lutz ... The Groosalugg (9 episodes, 2001-2002)
Laurel Holloman ... Justine Cooper (8 episodes, 2001-2002)
Jack Conley ... Sahjhan (8 episodes, 2001-2004)
Vladimir Kulich ... The Beast (8 episodes, 2002-2003)
Sam Anderson ... Holland Manners (8 episodes, 2000-2001)
Jonathan M. Woodward ... Knox (7 episodes, 2003-2004)
Juliet Landau ... Drusilla (7 episodes, 2000-2004)
John Rubinstein ... Linwood Murrow (6 episodes, 2001-2002)
Eliza Dushku ... Faith (6 episodes, 2000-2003)
Matthew James ... Merl (6 episodes, 2000-2001)
Gina Torres ... Jasmine (5 episodes, 2003)
Adam Baldwin ... Marcus Hamilton (5 episodes, 2004)
Thomas Burr ... Lee Mercer (4 episodes, 1999-2000)
David Denman ... Skip (4 episodes, 2001-2003)
Jennifer Griffin ... Trish Burkle (4 episodes, 2001-2004)
Brigid Brannagh ... Virginia Bryce (4 episodes, 2000-2001)
Carey Cannon ... Female Oracle (3 episodes, 1999-2000)
Randall Slavin ... Male Oracle (3 episodes, 1999-2000)
Alexa Davalos ... Gwen Raiden (3 episodes, 2002-2003)
Sven Holmberg ... Delivery Guy / ... (3 episodes, 2000-2002)
Sarah Michelle Gellar ... Buffy Summers (3 episodes, 1999-2000)
David Herman ... David Nabbit (3 episodes, 2000)
Gary Grubbs ... Roger Burkle (3 episodes, 2001-2004)
Jarrod Crawford ... Rondell (3 episodes, 2001)
Ryan Alvarez ... Demon Slave (3 episodes, 2003-2004)
T.J. Thyne ... Lawyer / ... (3 episodes, 2003-2004)
Mark Colson ... Izzy (3 episodes, 2004)
David Fury ... First Worshipper / ... (3 episodes, 2001-2004)
Julia Lee ... Anne Steele (3 episodes, 2001-2004)
Alyson Hannigan ... Willow Rosenberg (3 episodes, 2001-2003)
Gerry Becker ... Nathan Reed (3 episodes, 2001)
Jackson Bolt ... Pylea Demon / ... (3 episodes, 2001)


Find Both at:
Buffy the Vampire Slayer - The Complete First Season

Angel - Season One (Slim Set)

The Original Musical:
Buffy the Vampire Slayer - Once More, with Feeling

More Whedon (and vastly underrated show):
Firefly - The Complete Series

The Next Obsession:
Lost - The Complete First Season