Recycling my comments from Spoilers ...

The execution was appaling. The underlying idea -- that Angel's Charlies fight the good fight for its own sake even though they're doomed to failure -- could definitely have worked. But the idea was a 11th hour addition to a lackluster season, and poorly implemented. The Black Circle (or whatever the heck it was called) had no resonance with the audience. They were a bunch of comedy villains that Angel decides, out the blue, to sacrifice his team to destroy. I had zero investment in any of it, it felt sudden and pointless. And that goes for just about everything, from Lorn turning into Leon to the rediculous Lord Of The Rings ending. I kept waiting for Spike to say, "There be orks, 'undreds of the buggers!"

It could be argued this mess is because of the sudden cancellation, but I think it's fairly clear Joss has been building upto this all (mediocre) season. It's been a ragged year kept afloat with witty dialogue and some classy stand-alone episodes (just as the finale was kept afloat by occasional flashes of brilliance like Spike's effulgent farewell), but now it's time for it to slip beneath the waves.

---

by Byron
Recycling my comments from Spoilers ...

---

I never look in the Spoiler section. In alergic to the future.

I'm with option 1. Can't believe they cancelled such a brilliant show.

I loved the last episode and thought it was a superb way to end the show. I can kind of understand why people are disappointed but I think this is largely because with the late notice of cancellation things were slighly rushed and it had to be kept open in case another network picked the show up. Neither of these things could really be avoided due to the idiots at WB.

I thought it was a fitting end. The fight is never over, hence the open ending, kind of... we don't know if they survived the fight with W&H's worst. I think if Angel had gotten his shansu, then i'd have felt a little cheated. It also left it open in case the movies happen (which they probably won't, but hey i can dream)

I agree that the Black Thorn circle or whomever were brought in a little too late without sufficient backstory but i thought it worked. And the explanation of Cordelia's kiss and Angel's vision was a bit left field but i thought it worked. Did not see the demise of Lindsay coming, and while i understood why Angel made that decision, i didn't agree with it, and obviously Lorne didn't either. That shocked me (Lindsay's demise).

Oh, and there's rumblings on the Internet grapevine that Jordan Levin has stepped down at the WB... hope it's true.. and it's no less than he deserves...