To be fair, Angel isn't really in S3 that much. He pops up, but his screen time is minimal. And Boreanze looks bored - because he is given little to do outside of a handful of episodes.
The B/A relationship had sort of run its course by the end of S3. There was nothing else they could do. The angst was so over-the-top that it is actually funny in places and eye-rolling in others. I tried to re-watch Lover's Walk and Graduation Day today, and couldn't stop giggling at the angst. I loved it at the time, but now...years later, after watching so many other similar things...including the Twilight movie, it seems rather silly.
So yes, it does drag the season down a bit. Spike was actually more interesting in S7 - because for the life of me, I couldn't figure out how the writers could get the couple past Seeing Red and Spike's guilt. Angel after S2...got back with Buffy much faster...and the conflict was basically, we can't be together because of the curse, which got old after a bit. With Spike, it was far more complicated. Also, unlike B/A, we weren't even sure that there was a B/S or if Buffy loved him or could love him. Much more friction and conflict.
I honestly think the writers screwed up how they brought both Spike and Angel back in S3 and S7. They should have drawn it out a bit more, and made it more ambiguous for the audience. We knew for both characters by literally the second or fifth episode that they were good guys. There was no suspense. The writers made a huge mistake telling the audience what happened to Spike in S6. Or for that matter that Angel was good in Amends. They should have made it less clear...like in Enemies. If the whole season had him acting like he did in Enemies, except with Buffy not in the loop, it might have been more interesting.
Whedon didn't know what to do with Angel and Spike...which showed. He reluctantly added them. And lacked the imagination to really play with them.
Sorry that was a bit of a ramble...worrying about work tomorrow, so distracting myself. ;-)
no subject
The B/A relationship had sort of run its course by the end of S3. There was nothing else they could do. The angst was so over-the-top that it is actually funny in places and eye-rolling in others. I tried to re-watch Lover's Walk and Graduation Day today, and couldn't stop giggling at the angst. I loved it at the time, but now...years later, after watching so many other similar things...including the Twilight movie, it seems rather silly.
So yes, it does drag the season down a bit. Spike was actually more interesting in S7 - because for the life of me, I couldn't figure out how the writers could get the couple past Seeing Red and Spike's guilt.
Angel after S2...got back with Buffy much faster...and the conflict was basically, we can't be together because of the curse, which got old after a bit. With Spike, it was far more complicated. Also, unlike B/A, we weren't even sure that there was a B/S or if Buffy loved him or could love him. Much more friction and conflict.
I honestly think the writers screwed up how they brought both Spike and Angel back in S3 and S7. They should have drawn it out a bit more,
and made it more ambiguous for the audience. We knew for both characters by literally the second or fifth episode that they were good guys. There was no suspense. The writers made a huge mistake telling the audience what happened to Spike in S6. Or for that matter that Angel was good in Amends. They should have made it less clear...like in Enemies. If the whole season had him acting like he did in Enemies, except with Buffy not in the loop, it might have been more interesting.
Whedon didn't know what to do with Angel and Spike...which showed. He reluctantly added them. And lacked the imagination to really play with them.
Sorry that was a bit of a ramble...worrying about work tomorrow, so distracting myself. ;-)