Once they introduced Gunn, Angel lost it's edge.

POSTED BY: chrisisall
UPDATED: Saturday, December 2, 2006 21:08
VIEWED: 7833
PAGE 1 of 4

1 2 3 4 NEXT PAGE

CHRISISALL

Monday, August 21, 2006 3:07 PM

Gunn streetwise? How about streetdork.
The actor was fine, they just couldn't write a real black street kid with smarts and natural leadership ability.
Gunn came off as a comic book character, and they totally mishandled him. He finally got something interesting to do in season 5, but mostly he was wasted IMHO.

Getting a ball rolling Chrisisall

JAHZARA

Monday, August 21, 2006 3:25 PM

I have several problems with Angel, and the way it was handled, but I hardly think that Gunn is to blame.

Angel definitely lost its edge, and arguably before Gunn showed up, of after, depending on the fan, etc.

The major problem I have with Gunn is that he is SO not hard. I mean, I've been in some pretty rough neighborhoods (though not ANYTHING like LA) and Gunn would have SO gotten his ass kicked. I mean, J. August Richards is a good actor, but he got on my nerves as Gunn.

I think Gunn was an attempt to address the large minority populations that are in LA. Um, is that an oxymoron?

I do see, in that universe, street kids fighting vampires, etc., and doing it all on their own simply because no one cared enough to help or believe them, and I wish that had been explored more.

Gunn would have worked better perhaps as an associate or occasional part of the gang, but as a regular, it just seemed he got softer and softer. His gang would have been a hell of a lot more upset that he ran off and started playing Captain America with the white folk. And that's what they would have told him, sad as it is.

I mean, Gunn was sassy and all, but he wasn't hardcore. Several times during the show, my sister and I looked at one another, shaking our heads, knowing that's not how it would have even gone down.

CHRISISALL

Monday, August 21, 2006 3:49 PM

Jahzara, you put into words what I...didn't.
Fine analysis. I don't blame the Gunn character for everything, he was just the most distracting thing for me personally.

And the nameChrisisall

MAVOURNEEN

Monday, August 21, 2006 3:57 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by chrisisall:

And the nameChrisisall

Are you referring to her screen name?

"Jahzara" is Ethiopian for "Princess"
My friend named his daughter this...that's how I know...I'm not personally from Ethiopia.

Were you taking it to be a reference to "Al-Jazeera?"

I hope not.

Oh, and I agree with you that Gunn was distracting.

"Have you ever been with a Warrior Woman?"

CHRISISALL

Monday, August 21, 2006 4:03 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Mavourneen:
Quote:
Originally posted by chrisisall:

And the nameChrisisall

Are you referring to her screen name?

LOL!!!
No, I was referring to the name "Gunn"- laughably tough for a softy like him.
They could have made him all scarred and angry an' s**t, but he was so fluffy....

Her name is great Chrisisall

MAVOURNEEN

Monday, August 21, 2006 4:08 PM

omg...

See what happens when you jump to conclusions, kids???

You look like a dough head.

And here I was, all offended like!

"Have you ever been with a Warrior Woman?"

CHRISISALL

Monday, August 21, 2006 4:37 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Mavourneen:

You look like a dough head.

Sure an' ya don't, lass. 'Twas nuthin'.

Chrisisall

GROUNDED

Monday, August 21, 2006 4:40 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by chrisisall:
Gunn streetwise? How about streetdork.
The actor was fine, they just couldn't write a real black street kid with smarts and natural leadership ability.
Gunn came off as a comic book character, and they totally mishandled him. He finally got something interesting to do in season 5, but mostly he was wasted IMHO.

I agree he wasn't handled all that well, but I don't think his introduction had a negative effect on the show beyond the character himself. S2 was an absolute blinder of a season - Gunn as a character had little or no genuine effect on it, so while he was perhaps superfluous he didn't actually degrade the quality of the stories.

DESKTOPHIPPIE

Monday, August 21, 2006 5:00 PM

I liked Gunn! Okay, as a character he wasn't always handled brilliantly, but I thought the fact that he wasn't nearly tough enough to lead a gang was sort of the point. He forced himself into that role to help protect his sister. When she died he lost a large part of what kept him fighting, so he didn't have the same fire that made him a natutal leader. Hence him leaving his crew to their own devices and them abandoning him in turn.

It makes sense to me that he would fall in with Angel and the gang rather than stay somewhere that reminded him daily of (what must have seemed to him) his dismal failure to protect his sister. Some of the writing for him was a bit forced at times, but he still wound up being one of my favourites from the show.

More animations available at http://desktophippie.googlepages.com

CHRISISALL

Monday, August 21, 2006 5:12 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by DesktopHippie:
When she died he lost a large part of what kept him fighting, so he didn't have the same fire that made him a natutal leader.

Okay, good point...

Both sides Chrisisall

1 2 3 4 NEXT PAGE