Häufig gestellte Fragen (FAQ) for
"Angel" (1999)

In February 2004 the WB issued a statement saying they had cancelled Angel.

From the press release:For the last seven years Angel and Buffy the Vampire Slayer have been cornerstones of our network. The sum total of the work done on those shows has produced some of the proudest moments in our history... The cast, crew, writers and producers of Angel deserve to be able to wrap up the series in a way befitting a classic television series and that is why we went to Joss to let him know that this would be the last year of the series on The WB."

The decision took Joss Whedon as much by surprise as the fans - with a statement from him saying: "No, we had no idea this was coming. Yes, we will finish out the season. No, I don't think the WB is doing the right thing. Yes, I'm grateful they did it early enough for my people to find other jobs."

There is plenty of speculation as to why WB decided to cancel, but no reason other than the above has ever come out of the WB on the subject - anything else is conjecture.

The WB's announcement that it was canceling the show came at a time when it was rated second only to Smallville among 18-to-34-year-olds. Earlier in the same month, WB's weekly ratings release revealed that Angel had earned "outstanding year-to-year gains" among demographic groups.

Despite the fact that Angel ranked so high in the all important 18-49 demographic, it still ended that t.v. season as the 9th ranked show on the WB in ratings on average for the entire season.

There was also rumors that the WB wanted to do a remake of the 70's show Dark Shadows and add more reality TV which is cheaper than scripted TV. After all the fan related campaigns to save Angel didn't work. But the TV exec who decided to cancel the show was ousted not too soon after.

Angel: the Series. The abbreviation just makes it simpler to write and identify the difference between the character and the show. BtVS obviously refers to Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Also there was an episode of Buffy entitled "Angel" (Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Angel (#1.7)) so AtS helps clear up confusion

These terms are frequently used by fans of Joss Whedon's shows. 'Angelverse' refers to 'Angel: The Series' only. 'Buffyverse' is used to cover all things that relate to both 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' and 'Angel' as they share much of the same canon (a body of work considered "authentic" or "certified" within an illusory universe.). 'Whedonverse' is the collective term for all Joss' shows (so basically add 'Firefly' to the above!)

The Opening Credits Theme music for AtS is called "The Sanctuary" written and performed by pop band Darling Violetta.

The band's music had been previously used in an episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and they were specifically commissioned to write the theme music for Angel. An "Extended Remix" was released in 2005.

All other songs used during the show can be found at http://TVShowMusic.com/shows/angel.html

Websites offering such things are a bit of a moveable feast.

As of May 2008 one excellent site is Buffyworld.com that can be found here- http://www.buffyworld.com/ . It contains trailers, summaries,transcripts and screen caps.

Acknowledging all copyright, disclaimers and ownership details, it might be there for a while... or not!

The simple answer is no, you don't. Lots of people have only watched Angel without it effecting their view of the show.

However, as the character Angel (David Boreanaz) did begin on "Buffy the Vampire Slayer", and was in fact a featured character for the first three seasons, there is a lot of his back story contained there. Also, a lot of characters 'crossover' (see below for a comprehensive list) from time and time and many came to stay - Cordelia( Charisma Carpenter) and Wesley (Alexis Denisof) being the most obvious. Also, as the shows share a lot of canon, there are some benefits in watching both.

But to re-emphasise it is not necessary and nearly everything you need to understand about Angel is explained in the show.

There are several, as some Buffyverse characters are quite mobile! Below is a list of both the main and minor crossovers, with the Angel episodes highlighted in blue and the Buffy episodes in red.

More comprehensive Episode Guides are available at:

AtS: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0162065/episodes BtVS: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0118276/episodes

Main Crossovers:

1. Buffy #4.3 The Harsh Light of Day to Angel #1.3 In the Dark

-Spike follows Oz who has the gem/ring of Amara from Sunnydale to LA

2. Angel #1.7 The Batchelor Party to Buffy #4.8 Pangs to Angel #1.8 I Will Remember You

-Angel goes to Sunnydale to 'help' Buffy and she follows him back to LA

3. Buffy #4.15 This Year's Girl & #4.16 Who Are You? to Angel #1.18 Five by Five & #1.19 Sanctuary to Buffy #4.20 The Yoko Factor

-Faith 'Arc' and Angel revisits Sunnydale

4. Buffy #5.7 Fool For Love to Angel #2.7 Darla

-Flashback to earlier vampire days first from Spike's perspective, then Darla's.

5. Angel #2.11 Redefinition to Buffy #5.14 Crush

-Drusilla travels from LA to Sunnydale

6. Buffy #5.14 Crush to Angel #2.17 Disharmony

-Having departed Sunnydale, Harmony visits her friend Cordelia in LA, Willow appears briefly

7. Buffy #7.17 Lies My Parents Told Me to Angel #4.15 Orpheus

-Andrew/Willow receive a phonecall from Fred that takes Willow to LA

8. Angel #4.15 Orpheus to Buffy #7.18 Dirty Girls

- Willow returns to Sunnydale with Faith

8. Angel #4.22 Home to Buffy #7.21 End of Days & #7.22 Chosen

-Angel takes the Amulet to Sunnydale

Some Minor Crossovers (phonecalls,offscreen references etc):

1. Buffy #4.1 The Freshman to Angel #1.1 City Of..

- Angel 'phones Buffy

2. Buffy #5.22 The Gift to Angel #2.22 There's No Place Like Plrtz Glrb

-Willow goes to LA with news about Buffy

3. Buffy #6.4 Flooded to Angel #3.4 Carpe Noctem

-Buffy and Angel meet off screen

4. Buffy #7.22 Chosen to Angel #5.11 Damage

- The consequences from happenings in Sunnydale are veiwed from LA

(all detail supplied by Angel_Angelus)

Each name represents a 'phase' of his life.

Prior to being sired, Angel (David Boreanaz) was named was 'Liam'. There is no real knowledge of his last name - 'OConnor' is fan-fiction based on Angel's choice of his son's name, not canon. As an unsouled vampire he was known as 'Angelus', finally taking on the name 'Angel' after he was re-ensouled. Angelus was chosen because his little sister, Kathy, invited him in as a vampire when she thought he'd returned to her as an Angel - Angelus is the Latinate for "Angel". (Angel: The Prodigal (#1.15)). Due to his lack of a last name, Fred puts him on Connor's birth certificate as 'Geraldo Angel' (Ans supplied by Nileqt87 and Angel_Angelus)

According to Buffy: The Watcher's Guide: Volume One, Angel's name before he was sired was Liam O'Malley.

In brief, a gypsy curse was placed on him in 1898 in Romania that returned his human soul. The outcome of this is, although he is still a vampire, he is now aware of his murderous crimes and is forced to feel the remorse.

All details of this can be found in Angel's Character Profile here - http://www.imdb.com/character/ch0004917. There are spoiler warnings.

Their sirings are all shown in flashbacks

Darla (Julie Benz) sired in 1609 by the Master (Mark Metcalf)

Angelus(David Boreanaz) in 1753 by Darla

Drusilla(Juliet Landau) in 1860 by Angelus

Spike (James Marsters) in 1880 by Drusilla

That seems to be where they count their ages from. Although, if you want to get really technical, Liam (Angel) was born in 1727. Angel also lost at least 100 years in a hell dimension, but never seems to count those years when calculating his age. As to why their ages are sometimes fudged in the series, there are three possibilities. One is that Giles' (Anthony Head) books are wrong. Another is that, after a few centuries, you begin to forget your exact age. The third is that the writers forgot. (Thanks to Gimpster for taking the trouble to look up all the finicky year stuff and Ryethevampireslayer for collating)

"A wizard did it." Seriously, if you can go along with the concept of a demon inhabiting a human corpse, including walking and talking and suddenly having super kung-fu action powers, then just keep that disbelief suspended a little longer - they're mystical creatures, it's not like anyone has any clue how a vampire would actually work. (PreachCaleb via RyeTheVampireSlayer)

We know they can apparently bleed, heal, have sex and eat without functioning circulatory or digestive systems, and this is part of the mythology accept it!

A brief list of functions relatively unique to AtS/BtVS is as follows:

Breathing: Apparently vampires don't breath and are unaffected by poisonous gases. Angel visits Jasmines home dimension with no ill affects and survives underwater. However having said that, they do seem to have functioning lungs, which allow them to speak, smoke and pant. They can be choked, though apparently they can learn to ignore it

Smell: Vampires have an acute sense of smell. They are especially sensitive to the smell of blood and can detect it in the smallest amounts. A vampire can distinguish individual humans and vampires by scent. Spike in particular has an acute sense of smell demonstrated when looking for Buffy in Sunnydale and tracking a rogue slayer. But, Angel can apparently tell by sniffing Wes that he had sex with a bleached blonde the night before!

Taste (Eating and Drinking): A vampire's normal diet consists solely of blood, obviously human, but other animals will suffice pigs, rats and otters (!) apparently the most common. AtS and BtVS make no distinction between whether blood is from a living or dead source. They will not die without drinking blood, but rather become living skeletons (Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Pangs (#4.8)). However, the craving for blood seems to be controlled by the demon within and is almost irresistible.

Other Food is not required and Angel says they have little flavour. Spike enjoys quite a varied diet but a deleted line of script says he does it mainly to pass the time. Both comment the vampire constitution means they take longer to be affected by alcohol. Angel occasionally drinks coffee.

Strength: From the moment of siring, vampires seem to become unusually strong. It seems strength increases with age, but varies from individual to individual. Strength and recuperative powers can be enhanced by drinking blood from special humans like slayers (Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Graduation Day: Part 2 (#3.22)) and other 'special humans or demons'.Although they can be injured or drugged to the point of temporary incapacity, they are largely immune to most fatal injuries and heal with exceptional speed.

(There are a lot more; these are the ones most asked about. You can post questions on the board for others)

The short answer is no. In the Buffyverse, vampires are choosy about who they turn and the process is called 'siring'. The vampire who turns you (and apparently anyone in the prior bloodline- according to Joss!) is called your 'Sire.'

A vampire bites his intended victim then makes him or her drink some of the vampire's own blood - apparently, according to Darla, the urge to do this is irresistable! Following this, the victim presumably dies of blood loss. After a greatly varying time (from minutes to days) a demon takes over the body and a new vampire rises. That vampires are 'demons in human form' is why their faces change when attacking and why they are referred to as 'half breeds'.

There is reference to rituals of burial etc. but these (including actually being buried) are apparently not necessary to the outcome.

You can't 'kill' a vampire as they are already technically dead (undead?). In these shows however they use the term 'dusting' as when one of the following methods is applied both vampire and his clothes turn to ashes in a number of seconds.

1. Wooden stake directly to the heart. Although any wooden object will do (Willow uses a pencil!) as long its directly into the non-beating, walnutty heart. Nothing else will work and we frequently see Angel stabbed, shot, impaled and pummelled with only pain and injury ensuing.

2. Decapitation. Removal of the head, and only the head, will dust a vampire. Cutting off any other part of their body will not kill them nor dust, and 'the part' does not regenerate.

3. Sunlight. Exposure to natural direct sunlight causes a vampire to ignite then dust. However older vampires seem to be able to stand some exposure(depending on how important they are to the story!)

4. Fire. If set on fire and completely engulfed in flames the vampire once again smokes then dusts. Once again this is not always consistent.

Other things usually associated with killing vampires like Holy Water and crucifixes seem to burn, smoke and cause great pain (The Trial, Destiny etc) but not necessarily kill. Cordelia hangs garlic in her room with no explanation (Angel: Rm w/a Vu (#1.5)). Silver is never mentioned.

Wolfram & Hart is a law firm, but it is also the latest incarnation of an evil international organization run by ancient demons called the Wolf, the Ram and the Hart, or as their employees call them, the 'Senior Partners'. The organization has always existed in one form or another since the dawn of human history (the Spanish Inquisition and the Khmer Rouge are known previous incarnations) and has always worked to corrupt the world and the people in it.

As a law firm, Wolfram & Hart exploits and manipulates the legal system to favour their criminal and demonic clients. Other endeavours include searching for beings with special abilities and turning them to evil, hoarding prophecies and mystic items, and working on their plans for the apocalypse.

(Ans supplied by Wolfram-And-Hart)

The Shanshu Prophecy is first mentioned in Angel: Blind Date (#1.21) when Angel, with the help of Lindsey, breaks into the vault at Wolfram and Hart to steal some CDs. Without knowing why, he is drawn to and steals the Prophecy. Part of the "Scrolls of Aberjian" one of the prophecies it contains says that the "vampire with a soul" will play a pivotal role in the apocalypse but doesn't specify whether for good or evil. Though it goes on to say, once the vampire has done this he will have his slate wiped clean and become mortal (this means turning into a human).

As Angel is (at least at that time) the only known "vampire with a soul" he can only assume it related to him. So it becomes part of what he aims to achieve throughout the series - he believes he will find redemption if he can fulfil the prophecy. It is last mentioned when Angel goes to the Circle of the Black Thorn in Angel: Not Fade Away (#5.22).

Angel's level of belief in the Prophecy varies greatly throughout the series. What he actually wants to achieve from it is one of the debates of many fans and entirely up to the viewer.

The scrolls predicted a series of events - the Tro-clan - each event having some greater significance. Angel's team believed that if the scrolls were correct, it would bring about the ruination AND purification of mankind.

It was revealed in the episode Angel: Forgiving (#3.17) that the scrolls were false. They had been edited by a demon called Sahjhan. The scrolls originally read: "The one sired by the vampire with a soul will grow to manhood and kill Sahjhan". So Sahjahn edited them in the hope that the original text would not become true.

i. Kate Lockley: Detective Lockley was part of Angel for the first two seasons and a potential love interest for Angel. The actress Elisabeth Röhm was also performing on Law & Order at the same time. After season two of Angel she originally planned to do both shows. But with Law & Order being filmed in New York it wasn't realistic for her to frequently fly back and forth. Having decided to stay with Law & Order, Kate disappears from the Angel cast with no real explanation.

Edit: Not quite. Kate let her career spiral out of control after Angel came into her life and especially after her fathers death. She became known around the presinct for following the "crazy" leads. She was forced to resign from her job and attempted to kill herself. Angel saved her and it was in this she found her strength to go on because she had never invited him in to her home yet he was still able to enter and save her life. It's safe to say that she was going on to brighter pastures rather than being stuck in LA knowing what goes bump in the night.

ii. Dennis the Ghost: The last we "see" him was when the gang were packing Cordelia's (Charisma Carpenter) things in Angel: Deep Down (#4.1). Dennis is a ghost, and ghosts usually have to haunt a particular place, so he probably couldn't leave the apartment. If Cordelia's apartment was rented to someone else, presumably Dennis stayed with the apartment

Alan Francis Doyle (Glenn Quinn) - half Brachen Demon, former school teacher. He sacrificed himself protecting Angel and some hybrid demons in Angel: Hero (#1.9) aired late in 1999. We have no definitive reason why the character was 'killed off' except for 'story reasons'. All else is speculation.

Actor Glenn Quinn born in Dublin in 1970 had previously had a role on Roseanne. He landed the role on Angel when the actor Max Perlich, who played Angel's mentor Whistler on Buffy, didn't take on the part. Glenn died of a drug overdose in December 2002.

Because the visions drive him crazy, thus showing Cordelia that she was meant to carry them (the visions).

But this explanation does not explain why the visions made Angel crazy. In fact, Angel should have been able to handle them even better then Cordy because he is part demon.

Edit: The DVD extra says that Angel goes crazy because he doesn't have Cordelia there to keep him sane, not because of the visions.

This is my view that angel stayed there in the 50s when he left after being accused of murder he left eveyone else in the hotel to be fed of. if he never stayed there in the 50s these people would not have been left there so the demon would have nothing to feed on thus moving on

This doesn't answer the question by any means. Besides the fact that the demon says there was plenty of paranoia there, regardless of Angel showing up, Angel getting the visions would effect nothing in history prior to Doyle giving them to him.

However, since it is an alternate reality, there is no definite possibility that the hotel could not have been open. There are other ways of ridding a paranoia demon.

Throughout the Angel Series, we don't REALLY know who The Powers that Be are!! If they're good, why would they let a former power take over Cordelia. Some say that The Powers that Be are actually The Senior Partners of Wolfram & Hart, working for good and evil!