After the success of Buffy Season Eight, Joss decided to revisit the other show in the Buffyverse, Angel. Whereas Buffy ended because some of the actors wanted to move on and the show was allowed to reach a good conclusion, Angel was canceled in its best season (and what stands as my single favorite season of television). The finale must have pissed off a good 2/3 of the fans, with another character’s death and a seemingly anticlimactic ending that showed our heroes on the verge of an epic battle. While I personally thought the ending fit perfectly with the show’s theme of gradual redemption and a daily grind against evil instead of one big showdown, I still think it would have worked better as a season finale instead of a series closer.

Enter Angel: After the Fall. Starting a few months after the end of the show, it opens in a Los Angeles that has been sent to hell as retribution for Angel and co.’s actions. The Angel Investigations team is scattered all over the place: Angel is still at Wolfram & Hart with a ghostly Wesley. Connor has shacked up with Gwen and Nina (he always did like older women, though I don’t get why they put up with his whiny shit) and is helping save humans from the new demon overlords. Illyria has become a lord and her “pet” Spike is also helping humans. And a special friend is the lord of Silverlake.

**minor spoilers and more after the jump**

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