Lisa: Goodnight, Sweet Prince

I finally got around to watching the series finale of Angel on my TiVo last night. Putting it off was allowing me to pretend that the show wasn't over, but that only works for so long. Anyway, the ending of the episode was excellent and sad--and I thought it was very appropriate for a show that was always much darker and more adult than Buffy (which ended with an apocalypse being averted and Buffy traipsing off to Rome). The last scene closes on Angel, Spike, Illyria, and a mortally wounded Gunn facing off hopelessly but heroically against thousands of demons. (Molly, it might be difficult for us to keep up that "Angel becomes human and marries Buffy" fantasy.) I guess the ending is still technically open--but I have to say the odds are pretty highly stacked against the Ministers of Grace (even by Kill Bill standards).

Blake (bless his big, tender heart) came up with an alternate ending:
After they start fighting the demon hordes and we fade to black (the episode's actual ending), we reopen outside a house in a sunny neighborhood in a world that is obviously a better place. Inside the house, a bunch of kids are clustered around a seated old man. "Grandpa Spike, Grandpa Spike! Tell us the story about the heroes!" And that's the end. See? Just as open-ended, just as heroic a battle, but with a tiny smidgen more hope. Okay, a big smidgen. Thank you, Blake.

And thank you, Mutant Enemy, for eight years of great dialogue, lovable characters, kick-ass fight scenes, and yummy Angel goodness. I will never forget that leather pants and smoking = evil.