With the recent announcements of Joss Whedon’s Buffy the Vampire Slayer remake and upcoming HBO show, The Nerves, it seems as good a time as any to reflect on the onscreen relationships of one of his greatest creations, Angel.
The successful Buffy spinoff found its unique voice with the vampire detective noir angle and ultimately blew us away by its fifth and final season, but the central romantic relationships in the series left something to be desired. When it comes to onscreen love stories, Whedon is certainly audacious. He’s managed to tear out our hearts by eliminating one-half of nearly every important couple he ever wrote a love story for, and Angel was no exception.
Angel’s story is one of redemption: the tale of a vampire with a soul who hopes to become human again by helping the helpless, fighting demons, and attempting to stop an evil law firm, Wolfram & Hart, at every opportunity. The journey of Angel saw the creation of countless iconic friendships, but the memorable romances were few and far between. Each time a relationship had a flourishing promise, it either faded out or someone actually lost their life.
That being said, some of the less epic love stories on the show were excellent catalysts for character development and there were even a couple pairings that remain timeless.
From the cringeworthy love triangle between Angel, Cordelia, and Connor to the tragic saga of Fred and Wesley, here are 14 Couples That Hurt Angel (And 6 That Saved It).
HURT: BUFFY AND ANGEL
Iconic romance aside, splitting Buffy and Angel up was the right call. These characters desperately needed a chance to grow without each other.
Unfortunately, the weight of their romance loomed over Angel for a long time, ultimately hurting the show.
During “I Will Remember You”, Angel is turned into a human and spends the day with Buffy. Of course, this can’t last and the day is erased in everyone’s mind except Angel’s. It’s a beautiful and beloved episode, but it makes it hard to want to see Angel with anyone else.
The fact that Sarah Michelle Gellar made her last appearance in season two didn’t help things. Fans were extremely disappointed when she didn’t show up after Buffy ended, especially since Spike had made the jump to Angel. With episodes like “The Girl in Question” teasing Buffy’s presence, it always felt like the show was lacking romantic closure.
SAVED: CORDELIA AND DOYLE
While Doyle’s passing made for some compelling television, it’s a true shame that Glenn Quinn’s early departure meant that this relationship wasn’t able to blossom. The first nine episodes of the series were made interesting by Doyle and his complicated feelings for Cordy.
The crush wasn’t reciprocated until his final episode, but it never felt as though he was being a creep. Doyle’s slobbish and occasional low-brow behavior was completely overshadowed by his charm and kindness. Once Cordelia came to appreciate this combination of attributes, it was clear that she had grown as a person in a short period of time.
Their big kiss at the end of “Hero” was also an important turning point for Cordy. She was given his visions and a purpose, which was needed after years of watching her play the self-obsessed mean girl.
HURT: KATE AND ANGEL
It’s a shame the writers never quite knew what to do with Kate, the L.A. cop who became obsessed with the otherworldly dealings in her city.
Elisabeth Röhm, best known for Law & Order, never felt like more than a Buffy substitute.
She was strong, brave, and most importantly, blonde. The character had potential but was never given her time to shine.
It was always unclear what the romantic endgame was for Angel, but in the early days, Kate felt like the strongest contender. Everyone thought he couldn’t fall in love without turning evil, so rooting for his romances was complicated. That could be why Kate and Angel never really came to fruition.
Kate’s chemistry with Angel was undeniable, but she ultimately lifted out of the show easily and was never mentioned again after her season two departure.
HURT: WESLEY AND VIRGINIA
The character arc of Wesley Wyndam-Pryce is one of the best in television history and his first shift in behavior began when he met Virginia while pretending to be Angel in “Guise Will Be Guise”.
The audience finally got to see Wesley as a hero instead of a bumbling sidekick, and it suddenly became obvious that he was handsome and desirable. Virginia’s attraction to him made perfect sense and it was nice to see Wesley get treated as more than a doormat.
All of that being said, Brigid Brannagh only ended up appearing in four episodes of the series so the relationship never had room to grow. When Virginia broke up with Wesley because she couldn’t handle the danger of his job, it was hard to feel invested.
SAVED: ANGEL AND DARLA
The romance between Angel and Darla was the most complex relationship to come out of the series. Darla’s history with Angel was extremely rich and their chemistry was an unstoppable force.
Bringing her back to the present day was a smart decision. Raising Darla from the grave was the fiercest move Wolfram & Hart ever made against Angel.
Her return led to his dark spiral, which was the closest he ever got to being evil while still having a soul.
When Angel finally reached a low enough point to sleep with Darla, it brought about one of the series biggest reveals: the fact that he could have relations without turning into Angelus. This, of course, led to the unheard of vampire pregnancy.
While the entire existence of their son is a touchy subject for many fans, Connor’s birth was a poetic end to the once everlasting romance between Darla and Angel.
HURT: ANGEL AND FRED
Thankfully, this potential relationship never blossomed into anything real, but the early days of Fred crushing on Angel were unbearable. While it’s understandable that any woman trapped in a hell dimension for five years would gravitate towards her savior, it made Fred hard to like at first.
Up until this point, we had seen Angel save countless women, but this was the first time one actually stuck around. Her erratic behavior mixed with a puppy-like affection for Angel even annoyed the other characters, which makes us wonder who this arc was even for.
Luckily, the show eventually allowed her to set her romantic sights elsewhere, which finally made her seem less childlike and more like the woman she was meant to be.
HURT: DARLA AND LINDSEY
The return of Darla was enough to sustain the energy of the show without Lindsey’s delusional feelings creeping in. Despite working for Wolfram & Hart, Lindsey often came across as someone with a bleeding heart, so it’s no surprise that he found himself falling for a vulnerable woman.
Falling for his enemy’s sire was a bit soapy, even for Lindsey.
Darla was just using him to get to Angel, but it occasionally felt like she returned the feelings. No matter the intentions, their relationship only ever felt forced and awkward.
The storyline ran its course rather quickly and was forgotten as soon as Lindsey skipped town.
SAVED: FRED AND GUNN
Gunn’s love for Fred finally allowed him to present the softer side of his personality. Until this relationship, he was always flying off the handle and looking for something to hit. Fred’s love for Gunn was proof that she was moving past her days as a captive in Pylea and growing into a more mature, independent person.
On a more dramatic note, everyone from Cordelia to the viewers at home knew about Wes’ feelings for Fred and watching him watch the Fred/Gunn romance blossom was heartbreaking. It was also a turning point in Gunn and Wesley’s friendship, which had incredible growth and an incredibly believable decline due to their overlapping feelings for Fred.
HURT: CORDELIA AND GROO
On paper, Groo was perfect for Cordelia. He was valiant, handsome, kind, and called her “princess” without any hint of irony.
He truly loved her, which is why it was difficult to watch as she strung him along for half a season.
Their relationship felt like nothing more than a catalyst for Angel’s jealousy, which never quite worked the way it did in the Fred/Gunn/Wesley triangle.
It didn’t help matters that Groo wasn’t given much to do. He occasionally joined in on the fight, but his purpose was mostly to swoon whenever Cordy walked into a room. His entire existence on the show was centered on his feelings for her, making him and the relationship rather forgettable.
SAVED: WESLEY AND LILAH
This was a bad relationship that is still appreciated for allowing both parties to have character growth. At this point in the series, Lilah’s attempts to corrupt or eliminate Angel via Wolfram & Hart had become tired, but she still had a charming likability that left us wanting more.
Lilah’s complicated relationship with Wes proved that there was more to her than evil plots and self-preservation. For Wesley, this was just another step in the direction of darkness and loneliness.
When all of his friends abandoned him, Lilah became the only source of comfort for Wesley, and the fact that they were fighting on opposite sides of the big war made it a more torrid affair.
HURT: GWEN AND GUNN
Despite only being in three episodes, Gwen was one of Angel’s more memorable side characters. Whereas most powered people who appeared on the show were demons, Gwen had the unique trait of being a human who could manipulate electricity.
In the episode “Players”, Gwen finds a way to stifle her powers and is finally able to touch another human for the first time. This leads to an encounter with Gunn, which wound up breaking Fred’s heart and ruining her sweet romance with Gunn.
Unfortunately, that was her last appearance on the show, leaving the audience to wonder what the heck happened.
HURT: ANGEL AND EVE
Eve never felt like anything more than Lilah Jr. and while her brief encounter with Angel had a humorous edge, the fact that these two hooked up under a spell never sat right.
It was supposed to funny when she says, “Angel, it’s not like this is the first time I’ve had [relations] under a mystical influence. I went to U.C. Santa Cruz.” but it’s really just unnerving.
The audience is supposed to see Eve as a carefree, unfazed powerhouse, but instead, are left to wonder if her traumatic past led her down an evil path.
While caring about her isn’t a bad thing, it’s clearly not what the writers had intended at that moment.
HURT: FRED AND KNOX
When season five began, it was clear that Fred and Gunn were officially over, making room for Wesley and Fred to get together.
The show just had to throw in another obstacle for Wesley.
Any eagle-eyed Whedon fan knows that Jonathan M. Woodward had recently played Holden Webster in “Conversations with Dead People”, one of Buffy’s last iconic episodes. Whedon clearly liked his acting, but his reappearance on Angel as a new character just felt forced.
Knox was cute and breezy, but ultimately spent a bunch of episodes just getting in the way, never really proving what made him interesting to dear Fred. By the time you find out he’s evil, it’s too little and too late.
HURT: LINDSEY AND EVE
No one exactly asked for the return of Lindsey, but there’s no denying that it was a fun little twist. However, linking him romantically to Eve felt like grasping at straws. The question of whether or not Eve was evil was a fun one, but it was abruptly and lazily answered by her connection with Lindsey.
Eve had a lot of promise when the season began, but was quickly deemed irrelevant once it became clear that her motivations were just based on a desire to help her boyfriend exact revenge.
This headstrong, powerful woman fell in love and it ultimately cost her. Disappointing, to say the least.
SAVED: ANGEL AND NINA
Towards the end of the series, it felt as though Angel was romantically doomed. It seemed like he’d never get over Buffy or Cordelia, and the idea of him finding someone else was no longer on anyone’s radar.
The introduction of Nina provided a nice reprieve from all the drama.
Sure, she was a werewolf, but successful werewolf relationships had worked in this universe before.
Theirs was a lighthearted courtship, proven by the fact that it began when Angel was turned into a puppet. Once they had relationswithout him turning evil, it was a pleasant liberation from his past encounters. He may not have been in love with Nina, but he still cared for her and enjoyed her company.
HURT: SPIKE AND HARMONY
When Spike and Harmony were revealed as a couple in Buffy’s fourth season, it was absolutely hilarious. Spike was on the rebound from Dru, and Harmony was a fresh vampire looking for something to cling to. It never had any staying power, but their charisma made it impossible not to enjoy every scene they shared together.
Unfortunately, reuniting them on Angel felt like a setback for both characters. While they only had a quick tryst after Spike became corporeal again, it felt like a disservice to Harmony, who deserved to be more than Spike’s plaything.
It also felt wrong for Spike, now an ensouled champion, to take advantage of anyone, even a ridiculous person like Harmony.
HURT: ANGEL AND CORDELIA>
When you’ve created an iconic couple such as Buffy and Angel, it’s hard to see them move on with anyone else, especially someone who was around during those early days. Whedon managed to make it work on Buffy’s end with Spike, but the same cannot be said for Angel, which forced a romantic entanglement between the show’s leads that seemed to come out of nowhere and then never lead anywhere.
In truth, Cordy and Angel could have worked, especially if you’re able to detach yourself from Buffy.
Sadly, the execution was sloppy.
By the time Angel and Cordy admitted they had feelings for each other, Cordy was swept away to a higher plane and didn’t return as herself until 34 episodes later, only to be written off again.
SAVED: WESLEY AND FRED
Wesley pined after Fred for years and despite a passionate kiss during the apocalyptic mess in season four, she always seemed fairly oblivious to his feelings.
Their chemistry was palpable and the wait was practically unbearable. Unfortunately, we’re dealing with a Whedon romance, so it was only natural that Fred had to perish as soon as she realized she felt the same way about Wesley. The fact that her body was taken over by Illyria, the powerful God-like demon, was a heart-wrenching after effect that caused him to spiral.
Of course, Wesley wasn’t long for this world after Fred’s demise, which wasn’t surprising considering how broken he became. Despite all of this being utterly devastating, the long saga of Wesley Wyndam-Pryce and Winifred Burkle was one of the best romantic arcs on television.
HURT: WESLEY AND ILLYRIA
The sudden passing of Fred and the appearance of Illyria was shocking, to say the least. The show had just eliminated Cordelia, its longest-running female character, three episodes earlier. To do it again so quickly was a bold move, but made easier by the fact that Amy Acker was able to remain on the show.
Wesley instantly became attached to Illyria, which is unsurprising considering her form, but theirs became a co-dependent relationship a little too quickly. Considering her distaste for humans, it took her an unbelievable amount of time to become attached to him. Wesley was never someone to forgive and forget, so the fact that he quickly began defending Illyria felt irksome. She did, after all, cause the passing of the woman he loved without a single shred of remorse.
While they never quite reached a romance, the attraction leftover from Fred and Wesley was always an uneasy presence looming over them.
HURT: CORDELIA AND CONNOR
It’s hard to imagine how anyone thought this was a good idea. Of all the questionable couples in the history of the Whendonverse, this pairing was by far the most cringeworthy.
Only a few months before their apocalyptic roll in the hay, Connor was a literal baby. He grew up in a different dimension, putting many years between the baby days and present day in his mind, but the same cannot be said for Cordy.
Only a few months earlier, she was basically acting as his mother.
She was also in love with his father, making this the creepiest love triangle imaginable.
Even without the oedipal ick factor, she looked like a grown woman next to a baby-faced teen. Maybe audiences could have moved past this if it ended there, but the subsequent pregnancy added to the cringe. In retrospect, it’s a little better once you learn she wasn’t really Cordelia at the time, but it was still too late.
What’s your favorite couple from Angel? Let us know in the comments!
