Date: February 2000
Price: £2.75
Page Count: 52
Editor: Martin Eden
Stake Out
Thanks to some last minute schedule changes on Sky One, British viewers had a choice this month. We could watch the first three episodes of Season 4! Or if you were watching on BBC2, the end of Season 2! The first news from the fourth season had started to come in, including hints on stories to come this season.
But tucked away, in a small box on page four, is a look at the first three episodes of Angel. What’s interesting to note, when comparing the ratings of the two shows on the same network, Angel attracted the most viewers, outperforming the show it spun from. A very impressive start!
The news this issue also give a hint at the first crossover, with James Marsters the first confirmed returning character to not only return to Sunnydale for an episode, but also bother Angel in Los Angeles as well!
An Angel set report takes up the main feature of this issue. It’s also the first time many of us had seen pictures of the new series, which, at time of publication, was just days away…
The World is a Vampire by Mike Stokes
The set report takes place during the filming of Season 1 episode In the Dark.
It’s the beginning of a new television year, and of all the new shows slated to debut, few have generated as much interest and anticipation as Angel. An hour-long spin-off pulsating with action, drama and wit, it recently began airing right after the series that spawned it, Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
The show stars two of the key players from the Buffy cast as David Boreanaz and Charisma Carpenter reprise their roles as the title character and Cordelia Chase. Joining them is Glenn Quinn, who, as Doyle, reluctantly serves as Angel’s right-hand demon. The series is also executive produced by Buffy‘s David Greenwalt, and though Angel promises to have a darker tone and be less of a serial than Buffy, it will at times serve as a companion piece with occasional character crossovers.
Following Angel to his new home as the vampire tries to start a new life away from the Hellmouth and college-bound Buffy, it should come as no surprise that the big city setting also provides plenty of opportunities for Angel and his rag-tag staff of evil fighters. For all the vampires and demons in Sunnydale, it seems that, believe it or not, Los Angeles is also teeming with literal and figurative bloodsuckers too, though no agents, lawyers, or the former running backs they represent are expected to be harmed during the course of filming.
Another aspect reminiscent of Sunnydale is the light mood on set. On this particular day of filming, veteran director Bruce Seth Green (no relation to Oz) seems to be having a ball while he literally calls the shots. In a particularly dialogue-heavy scene, the combination of an early morning casting call and hunger pangs – jolted by the aroma of grilled chicken and spicy jambalaya being prepared for lunch – have made it tough to concentrate. The nurturing director urges everyone just to relax and try again, eventually nailing the scene and calling for a short break as the crew adjusts the lighting to shoot close-ups.
During the break, hot sauce-loving Carpenter is delighted to find jalapeno peppers to munch, while Quinn’s natural Irish brogue abruptly switches to a dead-on imitation of Sesame Street‘s Grover while he jokes with some of the crew. Seth Green, on set appearing as Oz in the first Buffy/Angel crossover retreats to a quiet corner with a book, but is soon socialising with the crew and eyeing up which props that he thinks might look cool in his own home. When the director is ready to begin shooting again, everyone is refreshed; the short break seems to have been just what the cast needed as they cruise through their lines heading into the afternoon.
By the time cast and crew break for lunch around two o’clock, the day has become hot and bright. It’s a sharp contrast to the dimly lit set of Angel’s tattered office. The sun, unimpeded by gift parasols, an eclipse or a freak southern California snowstorm, is blinding as it beats down on the alleyway between stages where Boreanaz, in a white tee-shirt sweats and tennis shoes, eats lunch with Quinn, Green and a few crew members. With all the elaborate sets, the history of the place, and movie stars cruising past on golf carts on the lot of Paramount Pictures, it’s the sight of David Boreanaz casually eating lunch in direct sunlight which is most amazing.
The cast and crew still have a long day ahead of them, though today’s schedule shouldn’t run nearly as late as many nights. Since Angel isn’t as impervious to sunlight as Boreanaz, the show often assumes a vampire lifestyle of its own, shooting on-location in and around Los Angeles into the wee hours of the morning. And while the schedules sometimes play havoc with their sleep routines, the Angel team also appreciates not having to drive through the infamous L.A. gridlock to get to work.
But night or day, the buzz of excitement is audible as the veteran cast and crew prepared for the new episodes to debut. They seem to sense that they’re working on a hit, and while maintaining the pace, fun and creative environment they remember from the past three seasons on the Buffy set, this chance to take their old roles in new directions is a challenge everyone is ready to accept. It’s a proposal certain to please existing fans and attract new ones as well.
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels! – Part 2
The second part of this feature covers new ground, as some of the bad guys were new to BBC2 viewers at the time. Earlier this issue, in a way to help fans decide, the magazine introduced Spoiler Warnings, with some articles sporting a number for the season readers could avoid reading about if they hadn’t seen it yet.
Like last issue, the feature goes through the major villains and some of the guests. There’s a look at Principal Snyder, Gwendolyn Post [Revelations], Ethan Rayne, Coach Marin [Go Fish], robot Ted, the Worm-Guy, the She-Mantis and Harmony Kendall. We’re not sure that last one is much of a threat, but brief interviews with the actors who played them are spread over the eight page feature.
Armin Shimerman as Principal Snyder
Usually the writing is better on fantasy shows. And certainly, in the case of Buffy, it’s superb. It’s ironic. One would think because I’m a series regular on Star Trek Deep Space Nine that that’s where the popularity would come from, but of course, I’m totally disguised there. But Buffy is such a popular show, watched not only by teenagers, but also by lots of adults. Our industry happens to love Buffy and lots of people in the industry watch it.
Serena Scott Thomas as Gwendolyn Post
One line I really liked, and perhaps the insinuations were a little bit too rude, was ‘You’re becoming too American.’ The English can be very scathing about America. I think it’s jealousy, actually, about how nice and comparatively easy life can be here. England is all sort of dark and dreary and rainy. Everyone’s miserable all the time, and they hate you if you succeed. Really, they’d all like to be living over here.
Robin Sachs as Ethan Rayne
My favourite scene so far was when I knocked Buffy on the head with a plank of wood after having gentlemanly allowed her to go first.
I thought that summed up the character.
I would love to come back, but that’s up to them. Everybody’s so charming when I go there, it’s a joy to work with them all.
John Ritter as Ted Buchanan
The only thing I miss is when Nicholas Brendon goes over to the closet in my perfect Fifties world. I wanted to see remnants of his robot’s body, or something a little bit more.
I wanted to see the dead bodies, but they said to remember it’s TV. People are eating dinner.
Kelly Connell as Norman Pfister
It was kinda one of those ‘Oh, by the way’ ways of telling me about the bugs. I can work with animals. It didn’t bother me at all. The creepier the better, certainly. I really wanted this guy to just be creepy. In the end, there were thousands of them! In the final version, you didn’t really see how many there were. There were worm wranglers there who brought them in and train them, They can do amazing things; they can jump through hoops. they’d just set them down and we’d try it different ways.
Charles Cyphers as Coach Marin
I go back to the 50s and coaches were pretty rough guys. They were just guys who didn’t take any guff. Not like today where you give people some tongue. They didn’t take any of it then. They just tossed you off the team. I remember doing the scene where I get Buffy to jump in the tank and tell her about winning. How important winning is, you know, win no matter what you have to do. Where’s your school spirit?
Musetta Vander as Natalie French
I found the show really easy to work with. Of course, most of my scenes were with Nicholas Brendon. He was really the person I spent most of my time with. But I was impressed with how hard they all worked. People were really great, from the producers and director on down to the cast. I had a really great time on the show.
Mercedes McNab as Harmony Kendall
Just because she’s so influenced by other people, she’s a villain. She’s not smart enough to think for herself and know that it’s not right to treat people so badly. I guess she’s borderline – she needs to get smarter.
Comic
Reprinting A Boy Named Sue from Buffy the Vampire Slayer #11.
Poster
A Season 4 publicity shot of Buffy.
The Watcher's Guide 