Cheap Angel - Season Four (Slim Set) (DVD) (David Boreanaz) Price

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Customer Reviews of Angel - Season Four (Slim Set)

Four is to ANGEL, as six is to BUFFY
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>Before I get into the real review of Angel: Season Four, I have to admit that the way everything was tied together was utterly brilliant. Angel winning Darla a second life, but the life really going to Connor, why Cordelia only saw a portion of what Angel was saying about her, why she "ascended", everything. It's all beautifully woven together to make way for the main arc of Season Four. <
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>THE RISKS: And what a risky arc it was. Having a main character being controlled by an "evil" higher being was more than risky. The character of Cordelia, in this Season, was misused for the point of the story. I'm not sure if this was an ultimately bad idea, but it was very uncomfortable watching Cordelia sleeping with Connor and, especially, kissing the Beast. Also, creating something epic enough to follow Angel: Season Three, the best season yet, is hardly an easy feat. <
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>THE VILLIANS: There were three "Big Bads" in this season, pretty much: The Beast, Angelus, and Jasmine. The Beast was perhaps the most terrifying demon in Angel history, so that was a treat. And as for Angelus, I've been waiting for his return since the second season of Buffy (!), though I think he would have been more entertaining her if Joss Whedon wrote an episode or two that had him. Jasmine was all right, albeit annoying, though her ambiguity was wonderful. <
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>THE GOOD GUYS: Angel is, as always, wonderfully played by David Boreanez. Wesley, Gunn, and (especially) Fred come to the forefront in this season, and I only wish that there was more of Gwenn (electro-chick) to go around. Connor, however, was a disappointment. He was acted AND written to be overtly melodramatic and the result is unlikable. His movements are jerky and his dialogue forced: Booooo! <
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>THE MAJOR HITS AND MISSES: This season is far more arc-dependant than any other season of Angel, which is good. It's rewarding to have such a long story finally come to an end and pay off, but I wouldn't have minded a few "monsters of the week" here and there. However, it just doesn't seem to have the emotional intensity of the third season. This season is Angel's weakest, though it's still thoroughly enjoyable. <
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>EPISODES TO DEVOUR <
>1. Deep Down (Can't help but cheer when Angel confronts Connor) <
>5. Supersymmetry (Fred shines) <
>6. Spin the Bottle (This is, perhaps, the best episode of the Season. I thought it sounded like a silly idea for an episode at first, but it was amazing) <
>7. Apocalypse, Nowish (The most popular Angel episode, and for good reason) <
>9. Long Day's Journey (Anyone who knows what the title is referencing gets points) <
>10. Awakening (Tricks the audience. Completely marvelous) <
>17. Inside Out <
>19. The Magic Bullet (Things start to fall back into place) <
>22. Home <
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>8/10

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An Incoherent Let Down
After an amazing season 3 culminated in tragically hopeless catastrophe, I had such high hopes for season 4. Episodes 1 - 6 are dark and interesting, but season 7 is the beginning of the downward spiral. None of the characters are likable or interesting after that point. <
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>The story line was leaden. After growing into a self-less champion for good in season 3, Cordelia acts like a depraved moron until she is revealed to be little more than a body suit for a dark force...except it takes *FAR* too many episodes to reveal this. Much of the final 15 episodes are made up by long, boring, circular talks between Cordelia and Connor (yawn). In the words of Buffy: "Alright! I get it - You're evil!" The blah blah Oedipal/Modred weirdness of the whole season is just not appealing or well-written enough to be intellectually stimulating. Would that Cordelia had never come back for season 4, because it's just too awful that her sassy-yet-big-hearted self was nowhere to be found. <
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>Connor and the Cordy-suit have a baby - a goddess figure named Jasmine...who is kind of like a cross between LaFawnda from Napoleon Dynamite and a New Age yoga instructor. A full five episodes are filled with long, dull scenes of people being adoring acolytes of this unimpressive villain. Connor's character doesn't develop...period. Sorry folks, but he doesn't get gone until the final scene of the final episode. In a word, blah. <
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>Some good stuff: The gang releases Angelus for interrogation purposes and he goes postal, of course. It's well-played by Boreanaz and highly entertaining (Oh, and Angel's hair is slightly shorter and darker, which is a nice change). Faith returns for a few episodes, the best of which is Orpheus. Faith and Angelus share flashbacks of Angel's good deeds ("Dude, you just saved a puppy!"), while guest star Willow works to restore Angel's soul and give guidance to floundering Wesley.

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Standout season!
While the season starts out slow in the first few episodes (I missed not having Cordelia in the mix), the season picks up once the cast is reunited. The events that drive the relationship dynamics between various characters is particularly good. The story arc for the season was fantasic and carried a great amount of dramatic weight. It is a shame that the network wanted more stand alone episodes after season 4, because season 5 was a much weaker overall effort because of that restriction.