CS Daily Archive > DVD of the Day > 02/11/05

Staked!

by jason davis

Joss Whedon, David Fury, Ben Edlund, Sarah Fain & Elizabeth Craft, Stephen S. DeKnight, Jeffrey Bell, Drew Goddard, and Brent Fletcher
Created by Joss Whedon & David Greenwalt

With Angel (David Boreanaz) and company taking control of the evil law firm Wolfram & Heart, season five places the principal characters inside the belly of the beast they've been fighting while asking, "Can you fight evil from the inside?" The WB's mandate for standalone stories in the re-tooled season creates a marked contrast from the soap operatic season four, while the writers still manage to sneak season-long character arcs into the series in lieu of epic storylines. The poetic "A Hole in the World" illustrates the series at its best as the team seek to save the dying Fred (Amy Acker) from a demonic infection, while the series finale, "Not Fade Away," offers an elegant thematic summation of a show that was all about the fight with little concern for who wins or looses. With the expectation that the show would survive into its sixth season, Whedon's team took a lot of creative risks that still pay off in the short term, but would have greatly altered the course of the series in the long run. The usual array of production featurettes illuminates the season's origins, while six exemplary commentaries (featuring writers, directors, and actors) delve into the creation of some of the season's best installments.

Angel: The Complete Fifth Season
Twentieth Century Fox Home Video
Not rated; 990 min.
$59.98

Buy it now for only $38.99 (save 35%)

At the age of 21, Jason Davis was hit in the face with a car. He has since devoted his life to writing. His words have appeared on TBS, MSN.com, and CS Daily, where he serves as DVD Coordinator. He lives in Burbank.

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