THE MOVIE

Please note if you have not seen the earlier seasons of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel I strongly recommend that you do not read any more of the plot synopsis. You may also want to read my review for Angel: Season 3 Part 1 prior to reading this review

Containing some of the best plot twists and character development the series has offered so far, the second half of the third season of Angel, is an entertaining, unpredictable and intense ride. Although mostly serious, the successful mix of suspense, horror, and humour of past episodes remains. So much happens in just a handful of episodes it is hard to believe that so few episodes covered so much. I won't provide too much of a summery for the second half of the season as the less you know about the events of these episodes the better. I will say though that there are some dramatic sequences as the year unfolds - the final scene of Forgiving, for example, is an absolute joy to watch.

Every character is affected by the story arc, but perhaps none more so then Wesley (portrayed brilliantly by Alexis Denisof) who changes radically throughout the 11 episodes. As the season moves to its climax, Wesley (Alexis Denisof) is forced to make some hard choices and out of the show's core cast it is Denisof who has the most interesting things to do. By the end of the season Wesley, who was once a source of cheap comic relief, has become a man nearly destroyed by good intentions and despair and in doing so has become one of the most complex and unpredictable characters of the series.

Although the third season of Angel is perhaps the best season so far, mainly due to the dark and twisted season arc the quality of the second half of the season is a lot more patchier then the first half of the third season. The majority of the 11 episodes contained in this boxset are well written, managing to successfully mix humour with horror and the concerns of adulthood, however there are a few more weaker episodes in this batch then in the first 11 episodes of the season. Highlights of the second half of the season include Waiting in the Wings, Loyalty, Sleep Tight, Forgiving, and the season finale Tomorrow while weaker episodes include Provider, Double or Nothing, and A New World.

Angel Season 3 Part 2 contains the last 11 episodes of the third season spread over three discs. The episodes on these discs are:

Disc 1:
Provider
Unprepared for the flood of business brought in by advertising, the Angel Investigations crew splits up to cover more ground. Fred is offered big bucks to solve a demonic puzzle; Angel begins to work for a high-paying businessman and Gunn and Wesley attempt to protect a woman whose zombie ex-boyfriend is stalking her.

Waiting in the Wings
Written and directed by series creator Joss Whedon. As the team looks into a bizarre ballet company, Angel and Cordelia are possessed by the spirits of tormented lovers embroiled in a torrid affair. Meanwhile, Gunn and Wesley put their respective moves on Fred, unaware of each other's designs.

Couplet
Cordy asks Angel to help her with her relationship with Groosalugg (Mark Lutz). Fred and Gunn track an alleged cheating fiancé.

Loyalty
Wesley preoccupies himself with protecting Connor and foiling the prophecy about Angel and his son. Meanwhile, Gunn and Fred investigate a reported vamp nest.

Disc 2:
Sleep Tight
Utterly consumed by the prophecy concerning Angel and Connor, Wesley resorts to extreme measures. Meanwhile Lilah, Sahjhan and Holtz all have their own plans for Connor.

Forgiving
Gunn and Fred concentrate on finding Wesley, hoping he can explain why he facilitated the abduction. Angel desperately tries to find Connor.

Double or Nothing
A deal Gunn made several years before comes back to haunt him. Angel is still trying to adjust to his loss and Wesley begins to face a future without his friends.

The Price
The hotel is infested by sluglike creatures that invade and fatally dry out their human hosts.

Disc 3:
A New World
Connor returns, but the reunion with Angel is not a happy one.

Benediction
Angel and Connor begin to bond, but Holtz stirs things up. Lilah trys to recruit Wesley; and Cordelia's closeness with Angel causes a rift in her relationship with Groosalugg.

Tomorrow
While Cordelia comes to terms with the fact that she is in love with someone other than Groosalugg, Connor is mislead by Holtz and Justine to extract revenge on Angel.

THE TRANSFER

Video:

Released for the first time in widescreen Angel is presented in the original aspect ratio of 1.78:1, and is 16x9 enhanced. It is great to see the series being released in widescreen, especially since it was broadcast on Australian TV in 1.33:1, an aspect ratio which really affected the enjoyment of the series since characters (even when speaking) were often cropped from the picture. The picture itself is sharp and clear, although there is the odd shot that is a little soft. Colours are beautiful, solid and bright. Shadow and black details are quite good. Grain is present throughout, however it is rarely noticeable unless actively looking for it. There are a couple of instances of aliasing but nothing that distracts. I did notice two film artefacts in Couplet, however two artefacts over 11 hours viewing is pretty good. The disc is single sided and dual layered with the layer change occurring between episodes. Overall an outstanding transfer for a television series.

Audio:

The disc features a Dolby Digital 2.0 surround encoded audio track. The mix is very strong, with more bass and directional effects then some 5.1 tracks. Although most of the mix is sent to the front and centre speakers the surrounds and the subwoofer is used effectively throughout to provide ambience, effects, and the score. Dialogue is clear and easy to understand and there were no observable audio sync problems. A great audio track that is one of the best I've heard for a television series.

THE EXTRAS

The boxset contains a reasonable selection of extras which are similar to those found on previous Angel releases.

Disc 1:
Waiting in the Wings: Commentary by Joss Whedon (Writer/Director)
After the somewhat disappointing commentaries featured on the fist box set, Joss Whedon makes a welcome return to Angel episode commentaries for the first time since season one. I'm a huge fan of Whedon commentaries, both for this series as well as those he has recorded for Buffy, and he doesn't disappoint. Whedon provides an amusing and interesting discussion of the episode that covers everything from the original idea, through to actually writing and filming the episode. One of the best commentaries produced for the Angel series so far it unfortunately losses a bit of steam near the end with periods where we return to the original audio increasing until the commentary simply stops a few minutes before the end of the episode.

Deleted Scene from Waiting in the Wings with optional commentary by Joss Whedon (2:15 minutes)
A hilarious deleted dream sequence that Wesley was meant to have while watching the ballet. The scene involves him prancing about on stage next to the graceful Amy Acker. Joss Whedon provides an amusing commentary that describes how the scene was actually the original reason behind the episode but that it had to be cut because it didn't fit with the final edit of the rest of the episode. Best to view this after you have watched the episode and Whedon's episode commentary

Disc 3:
Season Three Overview (32:23 minutes)
Presented in a 1.33:1 aspect ratio and featuring cast and crew interviews, the 30 minute featurette provides a brief overview of all of the 22 episodes of season three, consequently it does tend to reveal all the major plot developments and twists and is therefore best viewed after you have watched all 22 episodes.

Featurette Page to Screen (13:46 minutes)
A nice little featurette that uses cast and crew interviews and behind the scenes footage of the last couple of episodes of season three to show how an episode of Angel is made, from the initial script meetings right through to post production. Presented in 1.33 aspect ratio.

Screentests
Both Amy Acker's (2:33 minutes) and Vincent Kartheiser's (1:47 minutes) screentests are included. A little grainy, Acker's test is presented in 1.33:1 full-frame, Kartheiser's is shown in non-anamorphic widescreen.

Still Gallery
Features 29 behind-the-scenes photos and publicity shots of the main cast.

SUMMARY

Highly recommended the third season of Angel is possibly the best season of the series so far. Featuring excellent video and audio quality and some nice extras (including an impressive Joss Whedon commentary) this is a must buy for fans of the series.