I am (finally) wrapping up watching through all five seasons of Angel. I’ve owned the DVDs for a while, and have seen the series before, but I had lent them out, for what had become a very long time, and was exited to have them back. I’ve been fighting back continually talking about Angel, albeit admittedly not well, both with my Moonlight Virgin Diaries, and, well, other posts. Looking at the characters of Angel, Wyndam-Pryce really stands heads and shoulders above the rest when you look at the journey he has taken (especially including exactly how far he had to grow from his original appearance in Buffy).
Wes had an interesting childhood. If the doppleganger of his father we met in “Lineage” is any indication of the original, Wes the child grew up in a world where he just didn’t measure up. Not even at the Watcher’s Academy, where he was Head Boy (A fact that later becomes a field day for Spike), was he ever really respected (The Academy supposedly had an off year). Despite his father’s disappointment, he’s assigned two Slayers after Rupert Giles was fired. Finally on his own, out from under his father and the Academy, he is irrelevant again, not accepted by Buffy, and generally ignored by Faith.
No look at Wesley is complete without discussing his relationship with Faith. Most of Joss Whedon’s characterizations include a failure of some kind, and Faith is most certainly is Wes’s. Where his role is to train and chaperone his charge, Faith goes all crazy-psycho-killer. His failure is exemplified in the first season of Angel when Faith tortures him. He could not teach, nor protect, nor save Faith. It took Angel to do that. Wes actually fails Faith several times. It is only when he reaches the depths he does later that he and Faith finally connect.
The true evolution of Wesley’s character began in the second season of Angel. When he took over Angel Investigations, he almost started to mature in front of our faces. One of my favorite benchmarks was in “There’s No Place Like Plrtz Glrb” when Gunn confronts Wes about his plan which will most certainly result in deaths of their team, he simply states that he knows. Knowing, and planning that he will have to sacrifice men to defeat their enemy could never be expected from the ponce that we met in Buffy.
Sacrifice is a theme that follows Wes. It takes an odd strength of character to be able to kidnap your friend’s son, and to actually think that you were in the right. The price he paid was being responsible for losing the child to Angel’s mortal enemy. And getting his throat cut. And losing his friends. The Wesley that experienced all that loss, and still persevered, is probably my favorite. Alienated from his friends, he found Angel. He had the answers to save Fred. He continued to fight the good fight in the way that he could. And he made a new friend.
His relationship with Lilah was one of the best in the entire Buffyverse because despite their history, and the sides of the battle they fought for, it was so right. Fred might be the popular choice (and often times mine), there’s a lot to be said for how suited these two were for each other. Wes’s darker side came out because of his circumstance, but it eventually defined his character, even after the karmic reboot that started the fifth season. Wes cared for Lilah more than he could admit to anyone, especially himself. She challenged him in ways Fred never could, and thus showed audiences how conflicted he truly was. This arc was so good, that the arc in the following season with Wes, the death of Fred, and the birth/growth of Illyria, while great, wasn’t as good (That being said, we can never have enough scenes of him shooting Wolfram and Hart lawyers not helping Fred).
If you were to stand our first glance of the Head Boy next to the man he became, they wouldn’t recognize each other. Great writing goes into the development of a great character, but you need strength from the actor as well. Alexis Denisof was obviously up to the challenges that the portrayal presented. His performance is incredibly underrated, standing out in a crowd of wonderfully performed characters throughout the Buffyverse.
Clacked by Ivey West 
on Jun 12, 2009 @ 11:00 EST5EDT
One of the things I was most impressed with in Angel was the transformation of Wesley, from complete dork to intimidating badasss. Possibly I’d go so far as to say that was a Blow the Hatch aspect of the show, but it’s not really a single moment to center on.
*POST AUTHOR*
If there was a turning point in the whole thing it would have to be the kidnapping of Connor. And the best “bang” moment there would be getting his throat cut :).
I think if Angel HAD one moment, it would either be Darla’s return in S1, Darla and Dru at the Wolfram and Hart “dinner party,” or Darla showing up pregnant in S3. Hmmmm… I seem to have a thing for Darla.
Wesley became my favorite character on Angel. I loved his character arc. His relationship with Lilah was my favorite. I preferred it to his relationship with Fred. Lilah and Wesley fit together in so many ways.
*POST AUTHOR*
Its weird… I did like the idea of Fred and Wesley, but you’re right in that Lilah was so much a better fit.
Wesley’s character development was the single best part of Angel. As all of the changes in Wesley’s character we taking place throughout Buffy / Angel, I never once thought, “Wesley wouldn’t never do that” or “That’s really out of character for Wesley.” All of the changes in his character were backed up by the experiences the writers put the character through. So, although, as mentioned, the Wesley at the end of Angel would not even recognize the Wesley from the Buffy years, all of the changes seemed natural and appropriate. It’s rare to see a character actually developed on TV, as opposed to just made to do whatever the writters feel like during a given episode.
*POST AUTHOR*
Its impressive especially compared to the other main characters.
Cordelia experienced a very similar growth over time, but that arc was marred by the S4 storyline (even if it wasn’t the same character, its too hard to separate). Fred grew a lot, but really didn’t have enough time to experience what the others did.
Gunn didn’t grow at all. Embarrassingly so compared to the others. The only time his character got fun, during S5, he ended up regressing instead of evolving (Though the quick wrap up of everything factors in here).
Angel is the worst of them all. Truly didn’t change in 8 seasons (Yeah, some added in darkness in S2 of Angel but then he got fake nice, and then back to normal). Having a son didn’t change him at all (motivated him, sure, but he was still the protective but broody vamp he always was).
Wesley was definitely my favorite character and, in my opinion, the most developed and best one there. I completely agree with everything said, save the Lilah bit, though I’m still undecided on that. I’d have to re-watch to determine whether I agree.
That’s what Whedon does with his characters though and that’s what makes him so great. Too often do characters stagnate as what they began as. But I’d say most of Whedon’s characters found growth in some way or another.
Since you’ve charted Wesley’s journey and maturation, I’m surprised you didn’t mention the memory loss episode of Angel where we did see him revert to the ponce, and it was quite hilarious and discombobulating at the same time (406: Spin the Bottle, aired 11/10/02 – had to look that one up).
*POST AUTHOR*
Spin the Bottle was a great episode, because it showed how different the backgrounds of these people were. Honestly, though, I could never get past the comparisons to Tabula Rasa.
Yah, it is awfully hard to beat the father-son duo of Rupert and Randy Giles.