After three seasons on "Buffy the Vampire Slayer", David Boreanaz has got his own show. "City Of" is the first episode of the spin-off, and it gives us a taste of what the entire series is about.
What sets this premiere apart from the pilot of Buffy? Well, for starters, length. Buffy had a two part episode to find its footing. Angel only gets 40 minutes. But the episode pulls it off.
The episode itself is rather simple. Nothing really out of the ordinary. Angel has isolated himself away from Buffy, although all he does is move to another city in the same state as her. While in Los Angeles, CA, Angel is contacted by an Irish half demon named Doyle. Doyle tells Angel that they have a mission to save people. Their fist assignment? A young, blonde woman working as a waitress. Her name is Tina, and she's got that wounded bird feel to her that our brooding hero can easily connect with. Tina is being hounded by someone called Russell, and she apparently needs protection.
Angel drives her around Los Angeles and they eventually end up at a party. At the party, Angel sees another Buffy alumni, Cordelia Chase. Cordelia comes off as her usual self, but, as we see later in the episode, she is struggling without her old, glamorous life. Meanwhile, Angel takes Tina back to his Batcave or Fortress of Solitude, whichever you prefer. While there, the two have a very touching moment, up until the point when Tina starts freaking out because she thinks Angel may be stalking her. She runs off, right into the arms of the vile Russell, who is revealed to be (of course) a vampire. We see Angel rushing to save her, and he stops Russell from eating the poor Tina. OH WAIT! Nope. Angel actually FAILS to save the blonde girl, in a pretty fun twist. I mean, wow. Way to lay on the hurt, Joss.
Angel then goes on a one-man rampage as he tries to hunt down Russell, who has now set his eyes and teeth on Cordelia. Angel and Doyle rush to Russell's estate, where Angel and Russell have a small fight and Angel rushes Cordelia away. In the climax of the episode, our villain is meeting with a snappy young lawyer (the recurring character Lindsey McDonald) who says they are currently looking for Angel. But Angel barges into the office and threatens Russell. Russell counters with a monologue about how things are different in L.A. (as opposed to Sunnydale). He basically tells Angel to grow up and start living in the adult world, not high school (something said by Doyle earlier in the episode). Russell then gloats a bit more before Angel sends Russell OUT A WINDOW, where Russell burns alive from the sunlight before he even hits the ground.
At the end of the episode, Angel, Cordelia, and Doyle have a group meeting of sorts, where they decide to start "Angel Investigations", the group that will be the center of the entire series. Angel ends the episode with a simple phrase: "I'm game." The end.
So, now for the review. I do like this episode overall. It's certainly not as strong or as fun as other episodes in the series. But it is the first episode, so I'm going to cut it some slack.
WHY WATCH IT: Three reasons: 1. The scene with Tina and Angel in the apartment, where Tina says Angel is in the wrong town. 2. Cordelia and Russell in his house. 3. Angel killing Russell in one of the best vampire killings in the whole Buffyverse.
And, hey, it's the first episode. It gave us our characters and a good plot to start off with. The only reason I don't rate it higher is because there are really better episodes out there. 8/10 from me.
What sets this premiere apart from the pilot of Buffy? Well, for starters, length. Buffy had a two part episode to find its footing. Angel only gets 40 minutes. But the episode pulls it off.
The episode itself is rather simple. Nothing really out of the ordinary. Angel has isolated himself away from Buffy, although all he does is move to another city in the same state as her. While in Los Angeles, CA, Angel is contacted by an Irish half demon named Doyle. Doyle tells Angel that they have a mission to save people. Their fist assignment? A young, blonde woman working as a waitress. Her name is Tina, and she's got that wounded bird feel to her that our brooding hero can easily connect with. Tina is being hounded by someone called Russell, and she apparently needs protection.
Angel drives her around Los Angeles and they eventually end up at a party. At the party, Angel sees another Buffy alumni, Cordelia Chase. Cordelia comes off as her usual self, but, as we see later in the episode, she is struggling without her old, glamorous life. Meanwhile, Angel takes Tina back to his Batcave or Fortress of Solitude, whichever you prefer. While there, the two have a very touching moment, up until the point when Tina starts freaking out because she thinks Angel may be stalking her. She runs off, right into the arms of the vile Russell, who is revealed to be (of course) a vampire. We see Angel rushing to save her, and he stops Russell from eating the poor Tina. OH WAIT! Nope. Angel actually FAILS to save the blonde girl, in a pretty fun twist. I mean, wow. Way to lay on the hurt, Joss.
Angel then goes on a one-man rampage as he tries to hunt down Russell, who has now set his eyes and teeth on Cordelia. Angel and Doyle rush to Russell's estate, where Angel and Russell have a small fight and Angel rushes Cordelia away. In the climax of the episode, our villain is meeting with a snappy young lawyer (the recurring character Lindsey McDonald) who says they are currently looking for Angel. But Angel barges into the office and threatens Russell. Russell counters with a monologue about how things are different in L.A. (as opposed to Sunnydale). He basically tells Angel to grow up and start living in the adult world, not high school (something said by Doyle earlier in the episode). Russell then gloats a bit more before Angel sends Russell OUT A WINDOW, where Russell burns alive from the sunlight before he even hits the ground.
At the end of the episode, Angel, Cordelia, and Doyle have a group meeting of sorts, where they decide to start "Angel Investigations", the group that will be the center of the entire series. Angel ends the episode with a simple phrase: "I'm game." The end.
So, now for the review. I do like this episode overall. It's certainly not as strong or as fun as other episodes in the series. But it is the first episode, so I'm going to cut it some slack.
WHY WATCH IT: Three reasons: 1. The scene with Tina and Angel in the apartment, where Tina says Angel is in the wrong town. 2. Cordelia and Russell in his house. 3. Angel killing Russell in one of the best vampire killings in the whole Buffyverse.
And, hey, it's the first episode. It gave us our characters and a good plot to start off with. The only reason I don't rate it higher is because there are really better episodes out there. 8/10 from me.