10 Things Angel Did Better Than Any Other Show

6. Romance

Before the vampire craze took off, the idea of vampires falling in love didn't immediately make most people roll their eyes at the sheer mention of it. In fact, the relationship between Buffy and Angel is widely considered to be one of the greatest television love stories which provided, at the time, a fresh twist on the old premise of two people who are meant to be together despite their obvious and many differences. As such, it stands to reason that this love story, begun in 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer', would bleed into its spin-off, 'Angel'. And yet, Buffy only appears in the first season. After that, Angel begins developing feelings for Cordelia, with Buffy only getting a cursory mention every now and then. Angel's love for Cordelia doesn't become readily apparent until the third season, but the writers were repeatedly able to provide multiple satisfying moments between the two characters without ever actually having them pull the trigger and winding up together. A similar situation also happened, concurrently, with Wesley and Fred. However, after nearly three seasons of longing looks, conflicted feelings and two separate but equally doomed relationships, the two of them did eventually wind up together in the fifth season. For about an episode before they were cruelly ripped apart from each other. The writers of 'Angel' were masters of setting up sexual tension, paying it off in interesting ways without actually committing to it, and then using it to further the main storylines. But amidst all of the teasing that was done to the audience, we were also given many great romantic moments and memorable pairings. Suffice it to say, 'Angel' had more than its fair share of romance and matters of the heart. Including one of the most beautifully understated moments of pure love ever committed to television and film. In the episode "Couplet", Wesley is on the phone while Groo is telling a story to Cordelia, Gunn and Fred. After he's put on hold, Wesley casually goes behind a barrier so that it obscures Gunn from his vision. And as he stares at Fred, who is laughing at Groo's story, Wesley smiles. That tells you everything you need to know about his character and their current situation without a single word being spoken between the two of them. And it's little moments like that which prove that 'Angel' is every bit as good at the love beats as they are at everything else.