I’ve always loved Buffy more then Angel.

Now don’t take that statement that I DON’T like Angel because I most certainly do.

Did I care for him in the Buffy series? Not really. I found him a cliché bad boy who draws in the Slayer with his broodiness. I understand the role he played and how he is part of growing up and having your heart broken but… meh.

I grew to love Angel, as a character, ONLY after he had left and was on his own. So back off before I hit you with the tazers and pepper spray, ya fan boys and girls. Easy there! Simmer down!

Buffy’s story is a different journey from Angel’s. Buffy goes from surviving the horrors of high school, first love, duty and responsibilities, making the transition to being on your own and finally having to suddenly be THE adult.

BtVS is about growing up and realizing there is a LOT of evil around you and that everyone has some evil inside of themselves no matter how true you are.

Angel started as a noir style detective story, being in the adult world, the daily grind of urban life and being used to the evil around you. It is the journey of stepping up, overcoming what you were and becoming what you want to be and fighting that evil around you.

Both shows moved WAAAAAAAAAAY beyond those original ideas. That is what shows should do that sticks around for 5+ years. Any show should grow, expand, move forward but still stay true to their characters. Again this is not to say that characters should stay static and not change, grow, and move into interesting places.

Of course this is a quick and dirty interpretation but there are PLENTY of places on the web that go into incredible detail about the Buffyverse. There are podcasts, blogs, live journal communities, fanfic havens and the like that are completely dedicated to all things Buffy/Angel/Firefly/Joss. So you want EXTREME detail, find them and immerse yourself.

I might suggest Joss’d, Upside Down and Halfway to Happyland, Buffy Between The Lines, and Strangely Literal, just to mention a few places.

So back on track! Buffy - why she is > than Angel.

The Scoobies -They bring so much more to the table then the grouping of Wesley, Gunn, Cordelia and Fred.

Xander, the throw toy and comic relief, Willow techno pagan, and Giles the father replacement/mentor. That core was always there and grew with Buffy. She relied on her friends to help support her and they were part of the journey rather the JUST a supporting cast.

I also like how the roster for the Scoobies changed as the series progressed but there was ALWAYS the core. Angel’s companions were window dressing mostly. Angel seemed eternally alone even when he was surrounded by his companions and that seemed to be by choice.

Perkiness vs. Captain Broody pants – Buffy is fun and perky even when things are going poorly or she’s getting beaten up. Angel is broody and scowling. ‘Nuff Said.

The journey, the friends, the attitude that is what makes me love Buffy The Vampire Slayer more then Angel. I believe that if Angel had a couple of more years on the air that it would have been as solid as Buffy ended up being. Angel was changing to rely more on this companions and realizing that it was more then just him saving the world.

I also love that the stories of Angel and Buffy are still continuing in comic book/graphic novel format. It’s a great time to be or BECOME a Buffy/Angel fan. So go forth, enjoy, explore and become immersed in the amazing universes that Joss Whedon has created.