10 Reasons Angel Is Better Than Buffy
2. Shades of Gray
The world of Buffy was always very straightforward. From the first season, the world was presented in a very stark black and white. Demons were soulless, evil things that had to be killed or else they'll destroy the world. Angel was considered the exception because of his soul. Yes, as Buffy went on more nuance was added, but overall it was more black and white.
Right from the first episode, Angel took a different route. He's paired up with Doyle, a half-demon who receives visions from the Powers That Be to help Angel save people. The episode "Bachelor Party" introduced the idea of demons who had assimilated into humanity.
Angel and his allies helped, worked with, and even employed numerous demons over the course of the series. But some of the show's greatest villains, such as Lindsey McDonald and Lilah Morgan, were 100% human.
The shades of gray used in Angel portrayed a world that wasn't always black and white. Which made doing the right thing much harder, because it wasn't always clear what the right thing was.
The final season dealt heavily with this ambiguity when the Fang Gang was given control over Wolfram & Hart's LA offices. It forced Angel to make compromises, never knowing if the action he took was something that would lead to the Apocalypse or further taint his soul.