Top 25 Angel Episodes
My ever-evolving list of favourite episodes from the fantastic show, Angel.
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- DirectorJeffrey BellStarsDavid BoreanazJames MarstersJ. August RichardsIn the series finale, Angel reveals that his questionable moral behavior has been part of a bigger plan: to destroy The Circle of the Black Thorn and show the Senior Partners that the power of good can still make a difference. Wesley struggles with helping Illyria adapt to the world, scolding her for her attempts to take on Fred's form. As Gunn continues his quest of self-discovery, Lorne becomes more aware of the lack of happiness in the world. Harmony attempts to seduce Marcus Hamilton for information, Lindsey makes an important decision regarding his alliance, and Eve continues to deal with being mortal. As Spike comes closer to understanding the nature of heroism, Angel pays a visit to the one person he truly loves. On Angel's bidding, the gang goes out and spends each day as if it were their last...The final episode of Angel is so packed with fantastic moments and emotional resonance that it practically has to be #1. Practically every moment hits home and there are too many great ones to count. The payoffs it gives for the entire series are great, and a cliffhanger is basically the perfect way to end the series. Cause the fight doesn't end. It goes on, and we continue, not because we think we'll win, but because it's the only thing to do. And it's that balance of plot, character and profound philosophy that makes the entire series, and this episode, so wonderful.
- DirectorThomas J. WrightStarsDavid BoreanazCharisma CarpenterAlexis DenisofAngel has an epiphany which has him questioning his actions over the past few months. Meanwhile, the three eyed demon clan is after Gunn, Wes and Cordy. It's up to Angel to save them... If they can all start trusting him again.Epiphany is perhaps the greatest arc ending episode of the show. Angel finally snaps back from his darkness through his titular epiphany. That redemption isn't an event, you never win and go home. That goodness isn't great acts, it's a state of being. The only thing that matters is what you do today. It's a perfect storm of character work, paying off from the whole arc of the season, and this great insight into both Angel's character, and the show's philosophy, that brings this episode to #2.
- DirectorTerrence O'HaraStarsDavid BoreanazCharisma CarpenterJ. August RichardsFred calls Willow to re-en soul Angel. She encounters unexpected resistance from a mysterious source. Faith's strategy to capture Angelus has an unexpected side effect. She enters Angel's mind and witnesses some of his past.Orpheus is another episode that fires on all cylinders. It features my favourite character of the series (Faith) and Angelus, who proved himself a fantastic villain, and so much of the episode is just focused on their interactions, complete with the great writing that really makes the show. Willow's inclusion is brief, but great. And though the Connor/Cordy scenes are annoying as ever, Faith beating the *beep* out of the little twerp almost makes up for his entire plotline. The entire Faith subplot in season 4 is fantastic, but this is the culmination of it all, and it shows. Wonderful entertainment.
- DirectorBen EdlundStarsDavid BoreanazJames MarstersJ. August RichardsAngel and the gang set out to foil an evil puppet show that is sucking the brain power of all the children who watch. During their fight, Angel is turned into a puppet himself and must rely upon his friends in order to reverse the spell which holds him at one foot tall.My top episodes are mostly payoff episodes. Lots of elements and plotlines being brought together. But here is an episode with tight focus, and it's fantastic. The Angel Puppet is so inherently hilarious that the episode doesn't even have to try, but it does. So many wonderful scenes and every character gets at least one great line. And the evil puppets are both funny and actually pretty damn creepy. But perhaps the greatest part is the ending battle. It's surprisingly well choreographed and entertaining as hell. The puppet work is fantastic all episode, and the novelty isn't without substance. Best comedy episode of the series.
- DirectorDavid FuryJohn BlushStarsDavid BoreanazJames MarstersJ. August RichardsCordelia awakens from her magically induced coma and returns to help Angel fight an old enemy who has reappeared even more powerful than ever.Looking back on it, I have an easier time getting through Cordelia in season 4, knowing that it's actually Jasmine. But that doesn't change the fact that through the entire season, Charisma Carpenter is so immensely unlikable that it's hard to distance from Cordelia. But after a season one of my favourite characters being immensely unlikable, this episode comes to redeem her. Angel's been going steadily down all season, not coping well with the compromises he's had to make, and generally being an ass. But BOOM, here comes Ms. 0% Nonsense to call Mr. CEO on every inch of his *beep* and it's a wonderful return. And I can't forget Lindsey's great inclusion and faceoff with Angel. I loved Lindsey right from his introduction, so seeing him back for season 5 was great. Just overall a great episode for calling back and moving ahead. One of the strongest episodes of my favourite season.
- DirectorJoss WhedonJohn BlushStarsDavid BoreanazJames MarstersJ. August RichardsWhen an ancient sarcophagus arrives in the laboratory at Wolfram & Hart, Fred opens a small compartment and is infected by an ancient disease that slowly begins to kill her. As Angel and Spike travel across the world in order to help her, Wesley slowly begins to realize that there may be no stopping this disease.An episode dedicated to a character death is certainly nothing unique, this episode remains special. While something like The Body from Buffy was a quiet, artful meditation on grief, this episode was a continuous series of slaps across the face. A brutal and uncaring viewing session, so incredibly fitting for the occasion. While the continuation, Shells, showed more direct grief, Amy Acker's heartwrenching performance aces it out for me. Her final moments are absolutely haunting and left perhaps the biggest impact of any single moment of the show. Absolutely wrecked me. 10/10.
- DirectorJefferson KibbeeStarsDavid BoreanazJames MarstersJ. August RichardsA psychotic vampire slayer has escaped from her asylum, and is now on the loose in Los Angeles. Angel and Spike are on the hunt for her, before she does more damage. Once she is found, looking for pieces of her past, she believes that Spike was the man who drove her towards insanity, and wants to seek revenge.This episode accomplishes so much in the show's arc, while being an incredibly strong standalone as well. The actress who portrays Dana is wonderful and I love how the episode show's an unexpected consequence to Buffy's actions. Angel's all about that, taking the big scale stuff and bringing it down to the individual level. Andrew's inclusion was great and I liked getting an update on the Scooby Gang's various goings on. But perhaps the greatest part of all was Dana's role in Spike's arc. Finally, he comes face to face with what he's done. He's never been forced to think about the trail of victims he's left behind before now. And boy does it hit like a truck. The final scene between him and Angel is fantastic, and really sells the entire episode. A wonderful showcase of what a show like this can do in just one episode, while furthering all its major arcs. Great television.
- DirectorBill NortonStarsDavid BoreanazJames MarstersJ. August RichardsWhen Lorne gets his sleep removed to prepare for the firm's Halloween party, he doesn't realize the consequences. At the party, everyone is mystically compelled to do what he tells them; Spike is thinking positively, Gunn is "marking his territory", Angel and Eve get a room, and Wesley and Fred are drunk. Things get worse when the sleep-deprived Lorne's empathic subconscious begins manifesting itself as a huge demon.
- DirectorTim MinearStarsDavid BoreanazCharisma CarpenterAlexis DenisofCordelia meets the Groosalugg while Wesley, Gunn and Angel get a good look at the beast that lives within Angel.While silly, this 3-part finale to season 2 is incredibly fun to watch. It's like 1 long action adventure movie, and it even introduces one of the best characters of the entire show. I loved Cordelia's time as princess, showing an old side of herself without setting her character back. Angel got to play the bona fide hero and save the helpless damsel. And we got to see some great creatures and the design of Pylea is great. It really feels like a different place and I love the worldbuilding. It's fun in the best way possible, and doesn't take itself too seriously, just as I expect from a Whedon creation. Immensely entertaining.
- DirectorTerrence O'HaraStarsDavid BoreanazCharisma CarpenterAlexis DenisofTo save Connor's life, Wes takes him away from Angel; Angel uncovers Lilah's plot to have him kill Connor; Holtz finally attacks.
- DirectorMichael LangeStarsDavid BoreanazCharisma CarpenterAlexis DenisofAngel attempts to reform Faith as Kate, the Watchers Council, and even Buffy Summers pursue her.I struggled a bit between including this episode and it's predecessor, Five by Five. But while the final scene of FbF is absolutely fantastic, this entire episode is great. We learn so much about both Faith and Angel, and the thematic underpinnings of the episode are fantastic. I love every single interaction, and Buffy's appearance, while a little random, only added to the strength of the episode. Faith needs help, and Angel's been through the same things as her. And he's gonna help her his own way. This episode is when Angel finally starts getting great.
- DirectorJames A. ContnerStarsDavid BoreanazCharisma CarpenterAlexis DenisofWolfram and Hart arranges for Lindsey to get a new hand, but when it turns out to be evil, Angel investigates the firm's source of body parts.
- DirectorJefferson KibbeeStarsDavid BoreanazCharisma CarpenterJ. August RichardsAngel returns from the monster's dimension and finally defuses Jasmine's all-encompassing power.
- DirectorSkip SchoolnikStarsDavid BoreanazJames MarstersJ. August RichardsSpike receives a mysterious box in the mail, which emits a flash that somehow re-corporealizes him. He's thrilled to be solid again, but it also causes reality to start deteriorating at Wolfram and Hart; the Shanshu Prophesy is thrown into confusion by the presence of two ensouled vampire champions in the world. Angel and Spike's rivalry descends into a fierce brawl as they fight over a mystical grail in order to resolve the conflict.
- DirectorSkip SchoolnikStarsDavid BoreanazCharisma CarpenterJ. August RichardsConnor gets locked inside Wolfram and Hart with the big bad doomsday beast, who turns the legal firm's staff into an army of zombies.
- DirectorTuri MeyerStarsDavid BoreanazCharisma CarpenterAlexis DenisofAs Fred and Gunn search for Wesley, Angel searches for Sahjhan and casts a spell to make him corporeal so he can be killed.
- DirectorDavid GreenwaltStarsDavid BoreanazCharisma CarpenterAlexis DenisofA scythe-wielding demon targets Angel's allies as Wolfram and Hart lawyers attempt to summon a powerful force from beyond.
- DirectorVern GillumStarsDavid BoreanazJames MarstersJ. August RichardsHarmony is having trouble adjusting to working for Angel; she is unappreciated by her boss and snubbed by the other employees of Wolfram and Hart. Her troubles get a lot more serious when she flirts with a stranger in a bar and wakes up the next morning to find him dead in her bed - a man who happens to be the head negotiator in Wolfram and Hart's peace summit between two feuding demon clans.
- DirectorBruce Seth GreenStarsDavid BoreanazCharisma CarpenterGlenn QuinnSpike and a colleague torture Angel in hopes of ascertaining the whereabouts of a ring that makes the wearer invincible.
- DirectorMarita GrabiakStarsDavid BoreanazCharisma CarpenterAlexis DenisofFred prepares to go home to her parents--until she earns a place with the group by figuring out the key to an attack launched by large bug demons.
- DirectorJoss WhedonStarsDavid BoreanazCharisma CarpenterAlexis DenisofAngel and his friends attend a ballet, where Angel realizes he saw the exact same dancers on stage over a hundred years ago.
- DirectorJoss WhedonStarsDavid BoreanazCharisma CarpenterAlexis DenisofAngel attempts to help a girl with telekinetic powers before she falls into the hands of Wolfram and Hart.
- DirectorR.D. PriceStarsDavid BoreanazCharisma CarpenterAlexis DenisofWolfram and Hart are sponsoring a fund raising benefit for a local teen shelter. Angel is suspicious of their motives and starts investigating. Meanwhile, Wes, Gunn and Cordy work to establish their own detective business.
- DirectorJames A. ContnerStarsDavid BoreanazCharisma CarpenterAlexis DenisofAngel encounters an amorous Darla in his dreams; Cordelia vows to protect Gunn after she experiences a vision of him in mortal danger.
- DirectorKrishna RaoStarsDavid BoreanazCharisma CarpenterAlexis DenisofAngel meets with a swami to end his obsession with Darla. Meanwhile, Wesley assumes Angel's identity and plays bodyguard to a businessman's daughter.
- DirectorJames Whitmore Jr.StarsDavid BoreanazCharisma CarpenterAlexis DenisofOn the eve of a 75-year review at Wolfram and Hart, Angel seeks a magic ring that will take him to hell to look for the firm's "senior partners."