Comics wank, must be... a day ending in y

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So, angearia, who has once again been a VERY BAD GIRL over at Whedonesque, linked to this thread about the Dark Horse "announcement" that they are maybe acquiring the rights to the Angel series or something. As usual, there is wild speculation about it, all of which is pretty ridiculous, given that we have zero details about what it means or even what actually is happening. All I can really do is roll my eyes at the fact that Dark Horse STILL has not done anything about the unmitigated incompetence that is their PR department.

However, the comments on that thread brought up something I thought was interesting. God only knows what it has to do with licensing, but there was discussion about whether or not Season 8 should have included some backstory about Connor and the other Angel characters.

Some people said that such a conversation has no place in S8, since most of the Buffy characters don't even know who Angel's people are anymore, and there wasn't really an opportune time for Angel to explain to Buffy exactly how he acquired a son, nor would it be in his best interest to do so, if he wants Buffy to trust him. Not to mention the fact that there likely would be a licensing issue preventing them from mentioning any Angel character who did not originate on Buffy, so there's a good possibility they couldn't mention Connor even if they wanted to.

Others argued that, without that information, it is impossible to understand Angel's character, since in Angel we were led to believe that Connor was the most important person in the world to Angel, and it's hard to believe that he would willingly destroy a world that has his friends and especially his son still in it.

I agree with both of those things.

Setting aside the fact that S8 isn't over, and we could yet get such an explanation, I think this illustrates exactly why Angel as Twilight was a bad storytelling decision. Much like Willow's appearance in Angel S4 and Angel's appearance in Buffy S7, there really isn't space to fill in everything that's been happening to the character in the other series. But that doesn't negate the fact that these characters do have entire lives going on elsewhere, and those things affect them. A good writer doesn't just ignore character development because it doesn't fit into the story he wants to tell.

IMO, if they can't figure out how to portray a crossover character in a way that is both in character and does not require elaborate backstory explanations that bog down the story, then they shouldn't use that character. Period. Come up with a different story that's more workable.

Incidentally, I think the crossovers worked a lot better early on, before too many changes put the two series on increasingly divergent paths. It was easier to provide exposition when the characters mostly knew each other and not much had happened since they'd last seen each other. Once both series brought in new characters and major plot developments, the necessary exposition becomes far too unwieldy, so the choice is either abandon the idea of crossovers or ignore important developments because you can't explain them properly - or stick to characters (like Faith) whose backstory doesn't require a lot of explanation.

Comments

[mikeda.livejournal.com]

I think all the explanation needed was in Angel's vision near the end of Angel: After the Fall.

Angel in an apocalyptic scene. Leading an army of demons with dead bodies all around.

His future. His worst nightmare.

He goes looking for an alternative and he finds Twilight. Or it finds him. And he WANTS to believe he's doing the right thing because he doesn't want his vision to happen.

[xlivvielockex.livejournal.com]

So he would rather subject his son to a world where demons come flowing in, into basically what is Hell on Earth AGAIN just so that HE can have a perfect world with Buffy? It still doesn't make any sense. I mean, he mindwiped all his friends, his family, to save his son. I can't come up with any explanation where he would allow Connor to die fighting on Earth, die an unwinable battle, just because he has a vision that may or may not come true. With the knowledge of what will happen in the future thanks to the vision, he has the ability to stop it. Not to just give up and go in search of some super-poon that will end the universe as we know it.

He seems to pretty clearly realize that he and Buffy will be the only ones in Twilight and that everyone else will be left on Earth to battle and die. I just can't see him going 'oh yeah, I will totally let my son die down there cause me and Buffy gots the perfect place. YAY! '

[mikeda.livejournal.com]

End the universe as we know it to create a new perfect universe. I can easily see Angel wanting to do this.

Rfcrpvnyyl vs ur qbrfa'g frr nal orggre nygreangvirf.

[mikeda.livejournal.com]

Should probably mention that the odd-looking text is an rot-13 spoiler for the Riley one-shot.

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That still doesn't explain his reaction in #35. Even if he thought he was saving the world with Twilight, by #35, it is obvious that they are in fact destroying it. Buffy is upset and refuses to abandon her friends and family. Angel... doesn't seem to care, and only agrees to help because Buffy insists on going back.

[stormwreath.livejournal.com]

It seemed to me more like Angel was in denial, because he'd devoted the last year of his life to this Twilight scheme and would rather turn his back on the downside of it (literally) than admit he was wrong. But in the face of Buffy's adamant insistence on doing what she thinks is right, Angel ruefully reaches the realisation that in fact, he's been a bit of a plonker, and decides to do it her way after all.

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I don't see how that makes it better. The downside of it is that everybody dies. He's willing to turn his back on his son rather than admit he was wrong. We're talking about the guy who was willing to change the entire world in order to save his son, and now he'd turn around and do this? I just don't see it.

[stormwreath.livejournal.com]

I don't think Angel was expecting the apocalypse - he was just expecting life to go on as normal in the old world. And yes, everybody dies. It's a side-effect of being mortal (unless you're a vampire).

When he saw what was going on, his initial reaction was shock; his second reaction was to try and convince himself (and her) that it was just business as usual. "They can handle this, Buffy. It's no different than when you died. They'll survive. They always do."

And really, you know, you're making the same argument to me that Buffy was making to him in the pages of the comic. :-) Angel was being all philosophical and detached - easy to do when you're immortal and have already outlived most of the people you've ever known and loved - but I'm certain that had Buffy had known about Connor and IDW had given her their permission, she'd be demanding to know how Angel could turn his back on him a well. The moral of the whole scene is about whether loyalty to family should come above loyalty to an abstract cause, even if that cause is all about making a better world.

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I don't think Angel was expecting the apocalypse - he was just expecting life to go on as normal in the old world.

Well, I think he was deluding himself if he thought that he and Buffy could live in paradise without there being a price to pay. And I think trying to convince himself that it's business as usual is equally delusional. And when it's Connor's life at stake, I don't see Angel being that careless, even to salve his own conscience.

And really, you know, you're making the same argument to me that Buffy was making to him in the pages of the comic.

Well, keep in mind here that I'm not arguing whether it's morally right or wrong. I'm saying it's OOC for Angel to do it, not because it's wrong (since Angel's got plenty of experience doing that) but because I can't believe he wouldn't put Connor first.

[stormwreath.livejournal.com]

I think he was deluding himself

Yes, I agree. I think that's pretty much the plot for Season 8 which Joss came up with. :-)

I do disagree that it's out of character for Angel, though I suspect we may have to agree to disagree on that one. In my eyes, Angel always needs a Whistler or a Buffy or a Doyle or a Cordelia to kick him into getting involved actively with people, even people he cares about. His natural instinct is always to fade away into the shadows and manipulate from a distance. He did it with Buffy in Season 1, he did it with Connor at the end of Ats Season 4.

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I guess I don't see how it's getting actively involved with people. I mean, all he has to do is NOT be Twilight. Stop what he's doing. He doesn't even have to actively go save Connor (since Connor's not allowed to show up, lol). He just has to stop the destruction of the world that will get Connor killed.