Feature: Angel

Exterminated Angel

As the shock of cancellation sinks in, we take a look at a final season filled with surprises... David Boreanaz talks about working at Wolfram & Hart…

Like oil and water, Good and Evil do not mix. However, a certain vampire, with a soul, named Angel is determined to prove otherwise. At the end of Angel’s fourth season, our hero took over as CEO of the Los Angeles branch of Wolfram & Hart, an evil law firm that once sought to control him. This (fifth) year, Angel and his friends have used the company’s resources to better balance the scales of Good and Evil. They’ve allowed some of Wolfram & Hart’s clients to carry on with business as usual, while convincing others to mend their demonic ways – or else. Angel will be the first one to admit that it has been a struggle and sacrifices have had to be made. It’s no wonder he had some initial trepidation entering into such a partnership, as did the show’s leading man, David Boreanaz.

“When I initially heard about the change I was slightly sceptical as to how it was going to work out,” recalls the actor. “However, after we shot the final episode last season I had a better grip on the situation. I knew that the show was heading in the right direction as far as getting Angel Investigations out of the hotel and mixing things up with our characters. Each of them was sure to be affected in one way or another as a result of us climbing ‘into bed’ with Wolfram & Hart. That, in turn, would be an asset when it came to storytelling.

“So I felt more comfortable once I had an idea as to where we were going. [Series creator and executive producer] Joss Whedon and his writers wanted to make the episodes more stand-alone as well as lighten up some of the plotlines. They were also interested in creating smaller [story] arcs rather than longer ones. Then, of course, there was the addition of James Marsters’s character of Spike to the ensemble. Here, again, I was somewhat apprehensive, but his presence has turned out to be a big plus for the show.

“I’m both pleased and enthused with the changes and I feel Joss and his team have done a great job of reinventing and re-energizing Angel going into our fifth year. I’ve been extremely impressed with the episodes that have aired so far and those coming up later this season are going to be just amazing.”

In Angel’s fifth season opener Conviction, Angel’s first day at Wolfram & Hart turns out to be a memorable one but for all the wrong reasons. He must prevent a ruthless criminal from going to jail or else risk all life in California being wiped out by a deadly virus. Things go from bad to worse when at the end of the day Angel returns to his office to find an envelope containing an amulet. It begins to spin around until suddenly releasing the non-corporeal spirit of Spike…

by Steven Eramo

Get the full interview when you buy
TV Zone #175

Photo © Warner Bros
Feature © Visual Imagination 2004. Not for reproduction

Taken from

TV Zone #175
May 2004
ships from Apr 8 2004
News-stand Price
UK £3.65 / US $6.99

Buy it now!

VI DIRECT
Stores Info

You can order any of
our magazines via this
secure service.
To buy this issue:

To SUBSCRIBE to
TV ZONE, use these
links to our stores: