Sunday, September 17, 2006 marked the official end of the WB network. It was marked by the showing of the following pilots: Felicity, Angel, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and Dawson's Creek. Angel follows the character from BtVS to L.A. where he's been saving various women from vampires by killing them. As the pilot begins, we hear Angel in voice-over talking about the city and why he left Sunnydale to a stranger in a bar. Josh Holloway before he reached stardom in Lost comes in and picks up a woman. We follow him outside where he reveals himself as a vampire to her with a couple of other ones waiting with him. Angel interrupts and manages to slay them all then tells the women he just saved to go away before the opening credits. Later on, we meet Doyle, a demon whose migraines inform Angel of various potential victims and also from Buffy, Cordelia Chase, who moves to L.A. to search for acting stardom. David Boreanaz, Glenn Quinn, and Chrisma Carpenter are fine in the above mentioned roles and while the episodes were originally supposed to be self-contained, like Buffy it's the serialized story lines that we remember. Joss Whedon and David Greenwalt's writing and Whedon's direction are excellent for a genre series pilot and the darker tone sets it apart from Buffy though the humor is quite similar, refreshingly so. In showing Angel on its last broadcast day, the WB is paying tribute to the quality genre series that they helped flourish with. So here's to you WB, may your spirit live on in the CW...
Review of City of...
