[continued from previous message]   
      
   That common theme continued to bond the characters and served as a useful   
   shorthand for why they stayed together. In contrast, several members of the   
   Scooby Gang felt like they were just fighting evil with Buffy because they   
   had nothing better to do.   
      
   Nowhere was the redemption theme on better display in Angel than the final   
   (and finest) season. A lot of people have criticized Angel's series finale,   
   but it's actually one of the greatest finales in TV history.   
      
   The entire finale is all about fighting against insurmountable odds. The   
   final image of the Fang Gang facing down against the demonic hordes of   
   Wolfram & Hart with no chance of success, and Angel just saying, "Let's go   
   to work" perfectly encapsulates the show.   
      
           **It seemed to me that the finale came way too fast, like they only   
   found out the show was canceled with only four or five eps left in the   
   season.**   
      
      
        6. Angel and Spike   
   Spike may have been the most popular character on BTVS by the time the show   
   ended, so it was no surprise that Joss Whedon made the decision to bring   
   Spike over to Angel once Buffy concluded. On the surface, it might seem like   
   a ratings ploy. But it also made for some wonderful character moments and   
   story potential.   
      
   Whedon himself has said that Spike and Angel were his perfect couple. The   
   antagonistic friendship between the two of them, which we first got a taste   
   of in Buffy's second season when both characters were evil, fully exploded   
   in Angel's fifth season.   
      
   Spike himself had gone through some difficult moments in the final two   
   seasons of Buffy. After the "what were the writers thinking" attempted rape   
   of Buffy in season six, Spike fought to regain his soul, but in Buffy's   
   final season, he felt like a broken character who had been dulled.   
      
   But going over to Angel, it felt like Spike regained his edge. The fact that   
   he fought to regain his soul as opposed to Angel who was cursed with a soul   
   also provided a very interesting dichotomy to their relationship.   
      
   And of course, that's without even mentioning all the entertaining banter   
   between the two. The astronauts vs cavemen argument is still the funniest   
   thing on either show.   
      
           *No argument here. Adding Spike was genius.*   
      
   David   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)