Characterization In The Buffyverse — ‘Angel’ Season 1, Episode 11
by Benjamin Hall
This is part of a bi-weekly series concerning the characterization of Buffyverse characters. The first installment in this series can be found here. Arguably the best place to begin reading this series is at the beginning, but that is up to each reader. As a reminder this column will cover major and some minor characters from the shows Buffy The Vampire Slayer (1997-2003) and Angel (1999-2004). Other Buffyverse media, such as the graphic novel Spike: Into The Light (2014) are not pertinent to this series. Also there will be no referencing real world events that have direct relation to either show in this bi-weekly series.
This week: Angel/Angelus (David Boreanaz) has trouble sleeping. Meanwhile, a serial killer copies Angel’s old methods to kill.
(Warning of spoilers from this point on!)
Angel displays a lot more cryptic behavior in this episode than previously seen in this series. Partly, this is to make the subplot of Angel potentially sleepwalking and killing work. The other reason: to stretch-out this episode since the writing is rather weak and all the relevant characters need something to do. Yet, this behavior makes things more dangerous for Detective Kate Lockley (Elisabeth Röhm). As for Angelus’s tutelage of Penn (Jeremy Renner), it suggests a desire to be a father figure in a narcissistic way. Angelus is trying to figuratively replicate himself with Penn. It is also narcissistic due to how Angel views himself in Penn’s place in the apparent vampiric psychic link to Penn within Angel’s dreamstate.
Wesley Wyndam-Pryce (Alexis Denisof) exhibits a good memory and some believable deductive reasoning regarding Angel’s evil past — at least what is in the Watchers Council’s files, anyway. Unfortunately, he spends most of the episode as a delivery system for exposition and comedy.
Cordelia Chase (Charisma Carpenter) is like Wesley in that she also provides exposition and comedy. Yet, this means that she does not serve any real purpose to the story except for doing those two things and giving Kate’s name to Penn.
Kate apparently is so lonely — thanks to being a workaholic detective — that she will ignore the rules for Angel. This, and her trust in Angel being a mysterious source of knowledge about the serial killings, makes her rather foolish. Her ability to profile is a positive trait in this episode, as is her tendency to thoroughly research all possible avenues of information. However, she mainly acts as both a generic damsel-in-distress/action hero in a horror movie and a replacement for Buffy Summers (Sarah Michelle Gellar).
Penn is a child of Angelus with the potential to be a multi-episode character. He imitates certain murderous methods used by Angelus in the bad old days. Also the pair’s shared history other could generate a lot of stories. However, like the later villain Sam Lawson (Eyal Podell), Penn only gets one episode (Season 5, Episode 13, ‘Why We Fight’). What we do know about Penn’s modern day self is that he is still following the methods of murder from Angelus’s tutoring, and that he looks a lot like Angel in terms of fashion. Thus, his potential sees the hindrance of not just being in one episode, but being a bit of a generic character.
The Skateboard Kid (Nick McCallum), Uniform #1 (Paul Webster), Task Force Member #1 (Brien DiRito), and Chris the Precinct Clerk (Kimberleigh Aarn) are all stock characters. They really only exist to further fill out the universe.
The majority of this episode is full of cliché characterization thanks to a flimsy story. This problem combines with the small number of characters and results in little to no character development.