Television spin-offs are always a tricky thing. Most of the time they fail miserably because whatever chemistry that made a particular TV series great can be lost in transit to a new show. More often than not, the spin-off character doesn’t have what it takes to carry an entire series. It’s hard enough for sit-coms, but can be an even bigger challenge for a dramatic series. One of the exceptions to this in recent time has been Joss Whedon’s “Angel”, which spun-off of the uber-popular “Buffy, the Vampire Slayer.” I can see some of you shaking your heads because you don’t consider either series to be dramatic or even particularly good. Some might even consider them to be stupid based entirely on the fact that you’ve never seen either show, and are only going by the titles. Of course, if you are one of these people, just remember that I know better than you. (I used to be one of you, and then I watched an episode of “Buffy” and saw the light.

I now realize that it holds the distinction of being one of the best TV series ever.)

For the uninitiated, Angel (David Boreanez) is a vampire with a soul, whose purpose is to find redemption for his past indiscretions. Of course, using the term indiscretions is a bit mild. As the evil Angelus, he cut swath of blood for centuries. And as we would hear, and occasionally see with flashback episodes, he didn’t just kill. He was the cruelest of vampires, often torturing his victims. As Angel, his story is different and he became Buffy’s love interest, which led to some of the best written stories on television as well as some of the most heartbreaking scenes ever filmed.

When Angel moved on to star in his own series, there was a little bit of doubt if the show would be as good as “Buffy”. Those fears were laid to rest from the first episode. The main premise was the same, but the dynamics were entirely different. Over the course of that first season, the casting changed a bit and by the final episode, the core of the team was set. With Cordelia Chase (Charisma Carpenter) and Wesley Wydham-Price (Alexis Denisof) in tow, Angel was ready to battle the forces of evil.

Before the third season even aired, there was a lot of concern for the fate of “Angel”. There was no doubt that the series was a hit with fans, but it also marked the first time that it would go it alone on the WB schedule. Due to various reasons, the WB opted to let “Buffy” go over to UPN. It would no longer be a lead-in for “Angel”. The series had to prove it could stand on its own. Fortunately, due to the strength of its core audience and the overall quality of the series, it made it through the third and fourth seasons, but finally lost the battle at the end of the fifth and was summarily cancelled.

Fox Home Entertainment has been following up its DVD releases of “Buffy” with sets “Angel” and is now geared up to release the fifth and final season. And what a tumultuous season it was. Following up from the unusual season finale of the 3rd season where we saw Angel and Company given free rein to run the L.A. offices of Wolfram & Hart. The initial though was that by joining the enemy and utilizing their wealth and power, they could more easily defeat the forces of evil. As the season progressed, we were left to wonder, who was really controlling who.

The fifth season was an uncomfortable one to watch, not just because we saw the demise of some favorite characters, but because we knew fairly early on that this would indeed be the swan song for the series. There were very few weak episodes to speak of, and in fact there were some that really stood out. In the case of absolute hilarity, one only has to turn to the episode “Smile Time”, which pits our crew against a horde of killer puppets. I won’t say why it is so funny, but trust me, you gotta see it to believe it.

The rest of the season is peppered with both good and bad episodes, and a lot of storylines were tied up. We saw the brief return of Angel’s son Connor in the episode “Origin”, which turned out to be surprisingly bittersweet. Along the way, we meet (sort of) Wesley’s dad, and are introduced to a new member of the Wolfram & Hart elite squad. Known as “Hamilton”, he is the ultimate corporate guy and is played with ruthless aplomb by actor Adam Baldwin. Baldwin is another of the Whedon gang, who had previously been cast in “Firefly.” He’s been a favorite actor of mine for years, and his addition to “Angel” was quite welcome.

The only real disappointment I had for the series came in the finale. Again, I don’t want to give away how it ended, but I had mixed feelings about it. It was very cool, and gave us a little hope that there may be more someday, but the ambiguity was a bit of a letdown. I really wanted to see ‘what happens next’, instead of being left to speculate.

The release of the fifth season of “Angel” continues Fox’s commitment to delivering excellent DVD sets. It seems with each new release Fox keeps adding better extra features. This time around we have yet even more commentaries, though the best always seem to be those from Whedon. Since this was the final season, though there seemed to be commentary input by almost every member of the cast and crew.

The best feature however, comes in the form of a Season 5 overview. When I read about the one in the third season set, I figured it would just be a collection of scenes edited together to deliver a literal overview. But it turned out to be, much more than that and so does the one here. An extremely lengthy watch, the feature summarizes the events of the season, but also peppers it with interviews with just about everyone involved in the production. You’ll also find several featurettes focusing on everything from the puppets used in “Smile Time”, a gag reel, and a look at some of the stunt work done in the series. Once again, making an “Angel” set more than worth the money.

There are a lot of TV shows I really enjoy, but two stand out amongst the crowd. “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “Angel.” I still can’t believe they’re both gone, with little hope of any newer episodes, ever. Both shows delivered more social commentary in a single episode, than most series do in an entire season. It was just wrapped up in a tight package of humor and horror, and if you watch it now on DVD all it needs is a little imagination on your part, dear viewer, to unlock it.

Episodes:
Conviction
Just Rewards
Unleashed
Hell Bound
Life of the Party
The Cautionary Tale of Numero Cinco
Lineage
Destiny
Harm’s Way
Soul Purpose
Damage
You’re Welcome
Why We Fight
Smile Time
A Hole in the World
Shells
Underneath
Origin
Time Bomb
The Girl in Question
Power Play
Not Fade Away

Starring: David Boreanez, Alexis Denisof, Charisma Carpenter,
Extras: Selected audio commentary by Joss Whedon, David Boreanaz, Alexis Denisof, Amy Acker, Sarah Thompson, Christian Kane, Juliet Landau, Adam Baldwin, Skip Schoolnik, David Fury, Steven S. DeKnight, Jeffrey Bell, Brent Fletcher, Elizabeth Craft, and Sarah Fain, "Angel: The Final Season" overview with cast and crew interviews
Featurettes: Hey Kids! It's Smile Time, Angel 100, Angel: Choreography of a Stunt, To Live and Die in L.A.: The Best of Angel, Halos & Horns: Recurring Villainy, Angel Unbound: The Gag Reels
Specifications: Widescreen (1.78:1), English Dolby Surround
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Release Date: 2/15/2004
Region 1
MPAA Rating: NR
Website

We'll give Angel: Season 5 an A.