Short Review: Angel: Season Four
Because of my complete ineptitude, I never got around to a review of the fourth season of Angel. And that’s a real shame, because not only was it another great season of television from Joss Wheadon, it was the best season of Angel had put forth in its short run.
Things started off on a rather sour note, and continued well into the entire season. Angel was awash in the Pacific Ocean, thrown down to the depths my his son and continual enemy, Connor.
As is the case for all Wheadon developed franchises, the plot continued to twist and turn. There are a few standalone episodes (what in X-Files terms was “The Freak of the Week” ) but mostly, the fourth season of Angel was marked by a singular and distinct storyline featuring, what else, the apocalypse and the end of the world. In a distinctive departure from some of the previous seasons, the fourth played out like a funny and dark miniseries.
Speaking of dark, this is by far the darkest TV, visually, that I’ve ever seen. At times, the image is so abstract that only hints of eye sockets and forehead come out of the dark murkiness. At first, it was disconcerting, but now I can say that it’;s some of the most accomplished cinematography that I’ve seen in a network TV show.
All in all, an excellent, exciting and often times heartbreaking season of Angel.
The DVD has all you can ask for: some nice featurettes, a beautiful picture, great sound and very funny commentaries.
If you’re not an Angel fan, the rest of the seasons can be had cheap, and this season is well worth every cent for some good entertainment.