I want to stop mourning, but I can't yet. Maybe in another two.

cowmuf | February 14, 16:42 CET

Sniffle... mmm rasberry.

war_machine | February 14, 16:42 CET

The line "Yes, my heart is breaking" broke mine.

Lioness | February 14, 16:52 CET

Thanks, I had not read that before since I'm a more recent watcher of Angel. (Firefly was my intro to the Joss verse).

I'm just now beginning season 5. Sadness, my final season of Joss TV. I'm already annoyed at the cancellation, even though I still have more to see. It was a good show. :-(

Here's hoping for that Spike movie. (Oh, and more Serenifly in any form at all).

AnotherFireflyfan | February 14, 16:53 CET

Not Fade Away had such an emotional impact on me that I've been in a constant state of hebetude ever since. Buffy was a good show, Firefly was a great show. But Angel is the creedal statement by which I live.

Life without Angel is delusive contentment at best.

cowmuf | February 14, 17:10 CET

I've expanded your title to make it more meaningful and for the beniefit for our RSS subscribers as well.

Simon | February 14, 17:17 CET

Aaah, yes, Angel. It never ceases to amaze me how absolutely great that final season actually was. It may very well be my favorite Angel season, period. So at least it went out with a bang. But, wow, that message from the big man broke my heart. It was the end of the Buffyverse, which was (and is) something I was uncomparibly immersed in. The show's still sorely missed.

*raises a toast* Here's to Angel! *drinks*

GVH | February 14, 17:25 CET

I suddenly feel the need to send flowers to the WB offices again. (Wait, there are no WB offices anymore.) Or send money to perfect strangers to buy traveling billboards. Or donate to food banks.

Everytime I read that note, it just hurts. *sigh* I hate Valentine's Day.

XanFan32 | February 14, 17:33 CET

It's been 2 years? Should I still be sad and bitter?

I do miss Angel, and just any Joss tv in general. Here's to a great series that ended too soon. (and no, this time I'm not talking about Firefly- be we can add that too)

nna_funk | February 14, 17:40 CET

XanFan32 (or anyone else who's interested) if you feel the need to send postcards or flowers or whatever, there's a list of addresses at the bottom of the page here that you may find useful.

The travelling billboard was great and I'm still quite proud of Angel's Food Drive. We put up a good fight and all those involved in the show could leave with their heads held high because they knew without a doubt that they were loved.

Angel is dearly missed.

killinj | February 14, 17:55 CET

Ouch! That really says a lot.
I really loved that show, and still do as it's on constant circulation at my house.

nixygirl | February 14, 18:31 CET

For those who missed the painful news when it broke can revisit those fateful days here at whedonesque. Scroll down to the 14th, even though is some of the world when the news broke it was still Friday the 13th.

RavenU | February 14, 18:35 CET

Feb. 14th, 2004: Got the news about Angel, my then relationship pretty much went into meltdown, and then I had to go take the GRE. Ya, fun day. ;)

Tycho | February 14, 18:46 CET

I will never get over it, ive not watched the WB since. While i love the fireflyverse, nothing will ever mean more to me than the buffyverse. Watching the defiant last stand at the end only made it hurt even more. I felt robbed by the wb then, and still feel that way now. It is a subject that will always get to me and is the reason i wish great pain upon Jordan Levin.

pongluver | February 14, 18:58 CET

I too will never forget the day as that is the day that I got CFS (or as I thought at the time a really really huge and long lasting hangover!) Over the last two years I have often considered sueing Jordon Levin for bringing on my long term illness! D'ya think I have a case??

I remember waking up at a friends house after a really good night out, getting a text with the news and then having to be driven the 12 miles home whilst desparately trying not to be sick and not to cry.

Now that two years have gone by I have come to terms with the CFS, but oddly, not with the loss of Angel.

Here's to ya and also here's to the days that good TV shows actually lasted 5 years!

[ edited by Cider on 2006-02-14 17:06 ]

[ edited by Cider on 2006-02-14 17:07 ]

Cider | February 14, 19:00 CET

I was hungover in the morning, glanced at the Whedonesque headlines and said "Bozhe Moi, they've cancelled Angel".

The rallying of the various boards, forums and sites in trying to save Angel was the fandom's finest moment. Perhaps of any fandom.

Simon | February 14, 19:07 CET

Well that was a sad read RavenU...sniff.
Makes me hate network TV even more. Complete and Utter, Utter Ba$tards!

nixygirl | February 14, 19:11 CET

When I heard the news about Angel, I forlornly searched the web for more details. That's how I found this community. I'm glad I did.

m'cookies actual | February 14, 19:29 CET

I didn't realize that Feb. 14th was the day they broke the news of the cancellation. How strange is it that I just received Angel seasons 4 & 5 from my friendly UPS man. I only started watching (buying) BtVS 4 years ago and Angel this year. I woke up very excited for myself that I had two seasons of Joss goodness to watch. Now I am unexplicably sad.

holymother | February 14, 19:41 CET

Well it was a most horrible Friday the 13th that the annoucement first came through. Two years? Seems longer.

*sniffle*

exoticmushroom | February 14, 20:13 CET

Cider - This is probably completely inappropriate (and I am truly sorry that you suffer from CFS), but at least you don't have Epstein-Barr!

"Cordelia: My mom doesn't even get out of bed anymore. And the doctor says it's Epstein-Barr. I'm like, pleeease! It's chronic hepatitis, or at least chronic fatigue syndrome. I mean, nobody cool has Epstein-Barr anymore."

rkayn | February 14, 20:15 CET

I was a fan of Buffy and especially Angel during their first runs. But it was a normal fandom - I had my own business, I was making a ton of money, I was working 18 hours a day. Then I was diagnosed with cancer in 2001 and had to leave everything behind. During the surgery, treatment, and recovery I became a huge fan. While watching the reruns (first Buffy two times a day on FX, then Angel started on TNT)- I found that I had missed an enormous amount of stuff the first time I viewed the episodes. The more I watched, the more I learned to love the shows, the characters, and the creative genius behind them. The 'verse' that is Buffy and Angel actually became a part of my recovery - it drew me out of my self-pity and sickness - Buffy and especially Angel were full of people that I came to really care about as if I knew them.

I felt (as apparently did Joss and others) that it was time for Buffy to end. But I'm also certain that there's still time for the Buffy storytelling to go on focusing on different characters from that show.

Now, onto Angel, my favorite. I thought it was more grown up, darker, more dangerous than Buffy. Being a male in my 30s at the time I related to it more, I guess. But I must admit that I was one of the people who was freaked out about the Cordy/Connor coupling in Season 4 (although I must also admit liking Season 4 alot more after a few viewings). Season 5, however, was fantastic. I thought that Joss had reinvented the show in Season 5 and I could see it lasting for years to come.

Then came the cancellation - it felt like someone just told me that my cancer had come back. Just a terrible testicle whacking, bowel loosening, awful feeling. God I was depressed. It was like having the last member of one side of your family die. So I did what I could - found all of these wonderful sites, and even donated money to "Save Angel". Angel shouldn't have been canceled, period. But cancellation hasn't stopped me from watching reruns (and buying DVDs). I still watch Angel every weekday morning at 7:00am on TNT as I get ready for my day.

I have faith in Joss. I think that the 'verse' will go on - in either TV format (hopefully) or movie format, in addition to the comics that Joss is working on. There are certainly enough stories to be told. As to Angel, I still wonder what happened to him, Gunn, Spike, and Illyria (hell even Lorne) after that last fight. I still hope we'll find out on the screen some day.

Patrick13 | February 14, 20:16 CET

It was a devastating 49th birthday present. I was by turns angry an anguished, and it was not a good day to talk to me.

Chris inVirginia | February 14, 20:22 CET

Of course, this wasn't why the WB failed.

ETA: Happy Birthday, chris in virginia!

[ edited by Nebula1400 on 2006-02-14 18:24 ]

Nebula1400 | February 14, 20:23 CET

I want my Joss TV back.

Turtle | February 14, 20:36 CET

I didn't have a working computer at the time , only found out about it from the cover of SFX. I was really shocked. Pissed off. Sad.
Another reason to hate Valentine's day..damn you, capitalism!!!
Oh, wait...

joH40 | February 14, 20:39 CET

Thanks, Nebula1400...birthday is actually the 13th, meaning for the rest of my life I will remember on my birthday how upsetting that news was!

Chris inVirginia | February 14, 20:41 CET

For all of us, it's sort of a defining moment on a par with "where were you when Kennedy (or John Lennon) was shot?" and "Where were you on September 11, 2001?"

Nebula1400 | February 14, 20:44 CET

Not inappropriate at all rkayn - I think of that line whenever I need some cheering up. Which I do today - so thanks. Also my hubby just came home with chocolatey goodness for me - so the day is getting better!

Cider | February 14, 20:58 CET

Yes, this was a sad time indeed; m'cookies I agree about this community; I had been lurking for awhile and this is where I heard about the cancellation. It was within a week that I registered because I just had to get some of the grief out with others. I was so caught up in the "Save Angel" campaign. I'll never forgive WB but I guess that doesn't matter now. I only hope the verse can somehow go on in some form.

spikeangellover | February 14, 21:15 CET

I didn't see the headline here until the next day and it had almost dropped off into the archives. I still remember just staring at "The End of Angel". I couldn't believe it. But Joss' "road less traveled" post was so moving and witty--and for him to share the pain of what happened and somehow comfort all of us at the same time-- that it made me realize I would follow this storyteller anywhere.
The news did push me to emerge from lurkdom and finally register at Whedonesque and I must say that is something that has been all good. XOXO, Whedonesquers! You are all my Valentines today.

[ edited by bloodflowers on 2006-02-14 19:25 ]

bloodflowers | February 14, 21:19 CET

When I saw this link "Full of Grace" started playing at my Winamp without warning, so I'm a bit sentimental right now, and I've never even really liked the song out of its “Buffy” context.
Damn.

Anyway, here the "Angel" situation is pretty good. We've got "Angel" twice a day, every day (on one channel, the beginning of the 4th season, and on another, the middle of it), and season 5 is on the weekend, showing for the first time.

Having that said, I’m totally agreeing with what Turtle said. I want new Joss inc. stuff on my TV screen too.

Safe | February 14, 21:39 CET

killinj said: "The travelling billboard was great and I'm still quite proud of Angel's Food Drive. We put up a good fight and all those involved in the show could leave with their heads held high because they knew without a doubt that they were loved." (I don't know how to quote here)

Thanks for the link, killinj. And I too am really proud of Angel's Food Drive. It was such a positive way to channel all our energy. While we were hurting from the loss of the 'Verse in all its forms, folks being helped by the LA Food Bank are hurting from much more. It was one of many many ways I've seen Joss fans do something for others. And it makes me proud to be a fan.

XanFan32 | February 14, 21:56 CET

You know at first the admittance of the current WB leadership that canceling Angel had been a mistake felt like some vindication. A sense of 'HAH! SEE!?' was nice, but now that more time has passed, it actually only pisses me off more. It makes the cancellation yet more stupid and ill-conceived in hindsight.

Well, nothing to be done but raise a glass...

EdDantes | February 14, 22:24 CET

Nebula 1400...you think the WB's cancellation of "Angel" isn't the reason why the network failed?
Well, I bet they regret it, which is why we have "Supernatural" I still have a memorial page on my website recalling what I remember as "Black Friday".
I just hope somehow, Team Angel is still fighting...and we'll see it.

impalergeneral | February 14, 22:32 CET

I cried when I read the news, then I kicked myself for crying about a TV show, then I cried some more, then I got angry.

Two years and I still miss my dead gay vampire show.

debw | February 14, 22:33 CET

Re: The WB and its demise.

Angel gave The WB credibility. I really can't think of any other WB show that did.

Simon | February 14, 22:39 CET

Oh, I cried when it happened, I cried last year rereading Joss's post. I haven't read it since. Then today, I read, and cried again.

It's been two years, you'd think I'd be over it by now. But nope. Still hits me just as hard every time. I seriously don't think I'll ever be able to. The 14th of February will always be a dark day in my mind.

*kicks WB in the shins in an attempt to feel better*

zimshan | February 14, 22:46 CET

Yeah, I'm still pissed about this. Such a great show. Now, arrested development...

It's a world that has continued to stay mad.

smog | February 14, 22:50 CET

Cider - hey, I have CFS too! Of course, I think mine's been since childhood, but it did seem to get worse about two years ago . . . hmmm, I smell class action . . . ;)

kalia | February 14, 22:57 CET

It wasn't just the demise of one show. It was the end of lots of littler communities around the web. Goodbye also to my long lost BigBadBoard (Howdy HAUNT! and everyone else from there) I am everso greatful for this lovely board.
I am also sticking my tongue out to the WB - you killed a good show that had a following and now you all are scratchin' your heads wondering why you have to merge with UPN. pppfffttt!!!!

We still have joss and his brain and dvd's so that is some consolation. How is the super seekrit project to preserve joss's brain coming along? Ooops - that sounds way creepier than I meant it to.

RIP Angel and Co. - you are sorely missed.

ruthless1 | February 14, 22:58 CET

I'm only gonna say one thing: real heroes do not fade away (no matter how cancelled they are).

MySerenity | February 14, 23:04 CET

You mean aside from Buffy? I always figure that was the first show that really put the WB on the map....

acp | February 14, 23:08 CET

Time has flown, my wounds of that cancelation day have healed a bit, I felt like someone I have known died when I heard it was canceled. The characters are just too damn freaking good, everyone involved in that show did work that I'm proud to show someone else and I hope the entertainment media of the future can keep this work of Angel intact.

A Spike movie, or David B doing a Angel film-direct to dvd, would definately heal the wounds, I feel we have waited patiently, and was looking forward to a new slayerverse project by now, I'm still hungary for it.

SeanValen | February 14, 23:37 CET

I truly found BtVS about 2 years ago. When I realized what an amazing show it had been, I came on line to find out more. I was just in time to catch an episode of Angel before it was cancelled. I did not get a chance to give all of you my condolances at the time, but I freely give them now.

newcj | February 14, 23:40 CET

what i think is odd, is that if buffy or angel came back on today it would be far more popular. Look a at a lot of the posts on this page, a lot are people who found the show either close to or after the end of them. Along with the original population the new fans would make the popularity skyrocket. I have a friend who used to make fun of me for watching, but his love of Serenity convinced him to try buffy and now he's hooked, think of all the others that would make a new spinoff series popular. Joss you readin this? Eliza aint doing nothing...hint, hint.

pongluver | February 14, 23:59 CET

I woke up this morning, thinking of Angel and the final scene in the alley, feeling all bittersweet. I'd forgotten (consciously) this is the anniversary of the cancellation. It still makes me sad. I wish we could see Angel again, if only once. A Spike movie sounds fine, an Illyria movie sounds better, but I'll always miss my broody hero and his rag-tag, chosen family.

looking | February 15, 00:27 CET

Angel was gay???? this is news to me!!! Damn! Or are these the words of a slash fan? hehe.

Anyway, I shall commiserate with the rest of you on this. I am not a crazy fan of Buffy or Angel, as Firefly, but Angel was one of my favourite must see shows. There was quite a few entertaning moments, and the amount of pain, and frustration and drama...*phew* not many of shows would have been able to sustain it believably, but Angel had. I have only seen the episodes while they aired and reruns on Space( when they stopped airing the reruns at a convenient time for me, I was sad. I don't own the DVD's... but maybe I should start investing).

*raises a non-alcoholic drink* Cheers to the fans of this show, I share your pain and misery. May it be asuaged and soothed by more Jossy goodness in the future, Buffy/Angel 'verse or otherwise.

kurya | February 15, 00:46 CET

Nebula 1400...you think the WB's cancellation of "Angel" isn't the reason why the network failed?

That was sarcasm, impalergeneral.

Nebula1400 | February 15, 00:50 CET

I was with my grandparents in Florida when I found out ATS was cancelled, and it was Friday the 13th. Something has always struck me about that day, because the WB decided to cancel a supernatural drama on the unluckiest day of the year. First, I was laughing because of its irony, and then because of the idiocy of the people who chose to cancel it when it was the network's second highest rated show and was getting more consistent and higher ratings than "Buffy" ever did. I didn't actually read Joss's post at the Bronze Beta until about a year after the show was gone.

Yes, the cancellation made me hella angry, and I hated Jordan Levin for standing by his original stance (kind of like a current political leader I know), even though he realized his own network was slowly crumbling to the ground. I thought it sucked that good actors (and writers) were losing their jobs, who had given amazing performances and had meant so much to so many people.

But now here we are, in 2006, and the CW merger is taking place. I find some justice in the fact that all major WB suits responsible for Angel's cancellation do not have important jobs now (They have millions anyway). But there are also thousands of employees at both the WB's (and especially UPN's) local affiliates scrambling to join another station or be shut down completely. In other words, this is just how it happens. Television is one of the most unstable job markets in the country. If I decide to work in Hollywood someday I will probably not have any success until I am cancelled (or more accurately, fired) at least five different times.

This doesn't make it right. Angel was a remarkable show that gave me a lot in my life. Joss Whedon is an amazing person, and I completely respect his work. But I cannot compare my reaction to the magnitude of Angel's cancellation as on par to that of Kennedy's assassination or even more importantly, the day of September 11th 2001. That is just asking too much of me.

Maybe I'm too much of a cynic, and I'm aware that in this post it sounds like the show itself did not mean too much to me. But it really did. It was just that kind of show. The message that a person must continually keep fighting in their lives is timeless, and I would love for Joss to continue spreading that message.

Of all the quotes ever said on Angel this is the one that has always meant the most to me:

"There's love. There's hope...for some. There's hope that you'll find
something worthy... that your life will lead you to some joy... and that
after everything... you can still be surprised."

Maybe in future we'll end up being pleasantly surprised.

[ edited by Gwendolyn Post on 2006-02-14 22:54 ]

[ edited by Gwendolyn Post on 2006-02-14 23:29 ]

Gwendolyn Post | February 15, 00:53 CET

When Nebula said that Angel's cancellation was on a par with Kennedy's assasination I think she meant in terms of we all remember what we were doing when we heard the news, rather than that it was as tragic an event.

Cider | February 15, 01:29 CET

Two years ago ... god, what a horrible night that was. I logged on here just minutes before midnight my time, saw the headline and went icy-numb. I can remember suddenly not feeling my hand on the mouse, and a sense of all the blood draining out of my head. It hurt so badly to lose this 'verse, just when we'd all been hoping we'd have one more year with Illyria to really tie everything up. I'll always love my husband for waking up when I finally came to bed, for holding me while I cried and cried, and for never once saying, "Don't be silly, it's just a TV show." I was depressed for weeks, feeling betrayed and bereft; I channeled a lot of that grief into sheaves of polite but enraged daily postcards. Let's just say: the less said about Jordan Levin and the WB, the better.

While it's true that time heals and the pain has lessened, the memory of the way AtS was cut short -- especially considering the show's reinvigoration and creativity in S5 -- remains a cruel reality I can't completely let go of. I've only been able to rewatch S5 of Angel in the past month. It was wonderful, seeing the characters again and reimmersing myself in the immediacy of their lives, but I'll always be anguished by the storyline we never got to see with Illyria and the rest who survived.

I treasure Joss's worlds the way I do favorite books. They live vividly in me, becoming a part of my heart and soul, and I'll carry the characters and their words with me until the day I die. I'm glad for the good that came from the fandom, how everyone came together ... for everyone else who found Angel afterwards, and for this place, where something so personally important to so many of us can be mentioned and understood without ridicule. I only hope the stories in this 'verse (and all other Joss-verses) that are left to be told can someday find a worthy outlet.

Wiseblood | February 15, 01:38 CET

"Two roads diverged in a wood, and I took the road less traveled by and they CANCELLED MY FRIKKIN' SHOW. I totally shoulda took the road that had all those people on it. Damn."

One of my favorite Jossisms ever. But... sad. :(

fortunateizzi | February 15, 01:46 CET

"Two roads diverged in a wood, and I took the road less traveled by and they CANCELLED MY FRIKKIN' SHOW. I totally shoulda took the road that had all those people on it. Damn."

One of my favorite Jossisms ever. But... sad. :(

That's just it. It's not like he does abstract expressionism (which I've heard is so mid to late 80s), but there's something different about what Joss does that is common enough to be accepted by a good number of people, but not so base that it's the "Big" thing.

The road traveled might be a smoother journey, but it's far less interesting. And I can't believe I just typed that.

Caleb | February 15, 01:58 CET

Damn. I remember that so well. It wasn't too long after I joined here. Sad.

marmoset | February 15, 02:16 CET

When Nebula said that Angel's cancellation was on a par with Kennedy's assasination I think she meant in terms of we all remember what we were doing when we heard the news, rather than that it was as tragic an event.

That's exactly what I meant.

Thank you!

Nebula1400 | February 15, 02:50 CET

To Nebula 1400...
sorry about my last comment.

But I can't help but think the demise of the Frog started with that decision to clip Angel's wings at least a year too early...yet "Charmed" is still on the air. You're right to say that the announcement is something you don't forget...along with what you were doing at the time. The same thing goes with the announcement Buffy was going to UPN after season five

[ edited by impalergeneral on 2006-02-15 00:55 ]

impalergeneral | February 15, 02:53 CET

We can all rest easy knowning the haneous "Charmed" is finally in it's last season though...along with "7th Heaven"

MySerenity | February 15, 03:45 CET

I am still missing Angel terribly. *sniffle*

Lunakitty | February 15, 06:11 CET

I'm sitting here crying like a baby just reading all of your posts and knowing that there are others as sad about this as I am. I loved season 5, and have it on DVD, but almost can't watch the second half because it makes me so sad. Then I'm crying again and my nose gets all stopped up and I just hate that. I've never liked tear-jerker movies, but some things are worth the tears.

TexLuvsAngel | February 15, 10:20 CET

Angel is the Jossverse show I miss the most. The second half of season 5 was so brilliantly painful. Season 5 of Angel is the only season I've yet to watch on DVD. I can't bring myself to do it, to further confirm that it really is over. I remember I being upset mood after learning of its cancellation and my parents snapping at me to get over it, which only made me feel worse. It doesn't feel like it’s been two years already. I miss Wesley.

Aviva | February 15, 11:13 CET

Still can't bring myself to watch NFA since its broadcast in the UK and the Season 5 Boxset has been sitting on my shelf for over a year. (I just about make up to Shells).

Perhaps when the announcement about SpikeMovie is made I'll be ready to watch the episode.

Of all the Joss shows I miss Angel the most.

The Do That Girl | February 15, 18:46 CET

Kurya, a friend of mine from Tv.Com (say hi, Tjaman) tells me it's a reference to "Heathers".

Cheers

NickSeng | February 15, 19:25 CET

Every once in a while I write to the WB and tell them that I'm still not watching. It makes me feel a little better but I'm sure they wish I'd just get over it.

whedonite37 | February 16, 03:09 CET

Okay, first of all a big "shout out" to my fellow BigBadBoard exile Ruthless! Good to "see" a familiar face... shame it has to be under such sad circumstances.

Secondly, I have to high five ChrisinVirginia. February 13th is my birthday as well, so I share your pain on that particularly unpleasant birthday gift the WB got for us. Ass-hats!

And lastly I applaud Gwendolyn Post in her choice of Angel quotes. That piece (from Wesley at the end of 'Shells') still tears me up.

Rest in peace, Fang Gang. :*(

Haunt | February 16, 04:42 CET

I'm a little late to this thread, largely due to being away from the internet for the most part last week. Hard to believe that it's only been two years, if i'm honest. Seems so much longer since we left Angel and the gang in that alley. maybe that is because in all that time i've never found a bunch of characters that mean so much to me.

With the exception of the Sunnydale scoobies, the Serenity crew and the crew of Moya (Farscape for all you non-Scapers out there) there has never been a group of television characters that meant so much to me. Buffy and John Crichton's teams got the sendoff they deserved. Mal's crew even got a final hurrah to give us the chance to say goodbye. Angel's team are still fighting, in my head at least, and that makes it so much harder.

Don't get me wrong, i absolutely love Not Fade Away and i totally get the message that Joss was giving to us about how the fight never ends. Still doesn't change the fact that i can't say goodbye.

The last we saw of Buffy and the gang they were happy in the knowledge that the First was defeated and moving on to new horizons. The last we saw of John and Aeryn they were flying off on Moya to raise their child, the Peacekeeper War behind them. The last we saw of Mal and the crew they had just kicked the ass of the Alliance leaders and were heading off to whatever new job came their way. The last we saw of Angel and the team, they were fighting for their lives in a battle that we all know we were supposed to see the end of, if only the execs at the WB had a braincell between them.

What else can i say? I miss Angel and i wish that i was currently watching the final season on Tuesday nights at 9pm on Sky One, as things were meant to be. I don't think i'll ever forgive the WB for the fact that i'm not.

Buffysmglover | February 24, 15:22 CET