One of the things that's interesting about all the slut-shaming is how automatic it is in the series for the women as well. Buffy and Willow both criticize Xander heavily for dating Cordelia because she's...Cordelia. It plays a lot differently because their criticisms are more sedate -- but also because there are different levels to the story. Cordelia and Angel are both, in a sense, the enemy -- but Cordelia is the enemy in a teen social setting drama, and Angel is the enemy in a gothic horror, as you point out. Well, so I don't they are equivalent in-story, but I feel like they come from the same place, if you know what I mean. (And Willow's horrified reaction to Xander and Cordelia is very close to Xander's feelings about Buffy and Angel....)
I like the point about Angel as Rosencrantz. I have realized a lot lately how much Angel actually is not really a character in seasons 1-2. Buffy obviously is. Xander and Willow are; I'd argue that Giles, Jenny, Joyce, and Cordelia are all more well-rounded than Angel. In fact, even Spike and Dru are -- at least, before Angel loses his soul. We actually get almost no scenes from Angel's POV before Innocence -- and the few we do are still arguable. Like, he has scenes with Darla and Drusilla and Spike -- and he is ostensibly a more important character. But it's still Darla and Dru and Spike who talk to Angel, and Angel reacts to them; we have a very clear sense of what they want, but not what Angel wants. I think part of the reason the Angel soul loss works so well as a story is that Angel was always a bit of a blank slate, and Angelus, from his first scene, feels like his own man (the killing of the prostitute, while horrible -- is primarily from Angel's POV). In season three, when they are setting up for AtS, Angel (with a soul) starts to have a POV, but it takes until then.
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branchandroot
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Date: 2012-01-28 12:15 am (UTC)I like the point about Angel as Rosencrantz. I have realized a lot lately how much Angel actually is not really a character in seasons 1-2. Buffy obviously is. Xander and Willow are; I'd argue that Giles, Jenny, Joyce, and Cordelia are all more well-rounded than Angel. In fact, even Spike and Dru are -- at least, before Angel loses his soul. We actually get almost no scenes from Angel's POV before Innocence -- and the few we do are still arguable. Like, he has scenes with Darla and Drusilla and Spike -- and he is ostensibly a more important character. But it's still Darla and Dru and Spike who talk to Angel, and Angel reacts to them; we have a very clear sense of what they want, but not what Angel wants. I think part of the reason the Angel soul loss works so well as a story is that Angel was always a bit of a blank slate, and Angelus, from his first scene, feels like his own man (the killing of the prostitute, while horrible -- is primarily from Angel's POV). In season three, when they are setting up for AtS, Angel (with a soul) starts to have a POV, but it takes until then.