Angel : season 4 review

2003

22 50 minute episodes

SF elements

vampire redemption

Review

Wow! The whole season is essentially a single arc -- from Angel's rescue, Cordelia's return, The Beast, through to The Master -- each episode ends with a stunning cliffhanger or revelation of more to come. This gives a depth and richness to the season not achieved in any of the previous with only their "monster of the week" or mini-arcs.

I hear that the next season will be back more to individual episodes. I understand the rationale -- even all the complex "previously, on Angel" initial segments serve more as reminders and road maps for avid watchers than as easy introductions for a new audience. But it's a pity that we will have to makes such a sacrifice for ratings, when we now have evidence of just how powerful an arc can be.

Rating: 2.5

[ unmissable | great stuff | worth watching | mind candy | waste of time | unfinishable ]

reviewed 17 April 2004