Fans of Buffy The Vampire Slayer were overjoyed when all seven seasons landed on ITVX. The streaming service also announced that the spin-off series Angel, featuring David Boreanaz, will be available from May 1.
Angel was first introduced in the Buffy series as Buffy Summers' (portrayed by Sarah Michelle Gellar) initial love interest. The vampire with a conscience would alert her to impending dangers and eventually, Buffy and her crew came to trust Angel as an ally.
This trust remained even after it was revealed that Angel was actually a kind-hearted vampire from Galway, Ireland, who had moved to the US to escape his past as the cruel Angelus, following the restoration of his soul by a revengeful Romani clan.
Throughout the series, Angel wrestles with his dual nature as his romantic relationship with Buffy evolves. The character later starred in his own eponymous spin-off series, which ran for five seasons until 2004.
Here's everything you need to know about Angel's journey in Buffy The Vampire Slayer, including his departures and appearances.
Angel made his debut in the very first episode of Buffy The Vampire Slayer, titled Welcome to the Hellmouth.
The character's true identity is not disclosed until the episode named Angel.
In the second season, Buffy and Angel's romance blossoms and they consummate their relationship in the episode Surprise.
In the gripping season finale, Willow (Alyson Hannigan) managed to restore Angel's soul at the last moment, but Buffy is forced to kill him to save the world from the demon Acathla, and Angel is sent to hell.
Season three, episode three, Faith, Hope and Trick, saw Angel return from hell and reunite with Buffy.
Buffy's friends were shocked when they discovered she had been secretly caring for him since his resurrection.
In the episode Amends, the First Evil attempted to convince Angel to murder Buffy, but Angel decided to sacrifice himself by waiting for the sun to rise on Christmas morning.
A a freak snowstorm spared Angel's life, which he takes as a sign from God that he was brought back for a reason.
As Buffy and Angel reignited their romance, Angel became more aware of their limitations as a couple, and he left Sunnydale.
According to IMDb, Angel appears in the following 57 Buffy the Vampire Slayer episodes:
Season One
1. Welcome to the Hellmouth
2. The Harvest
3. Teacher's Pet
4. Never Kill a Boy on the First Date
5. Angel
6. Out of Mind, Out of Sight
7. Prophecy Girl
Season Two
8. When She Was Bad
9. Some Assembly Required
10. School Hard
11. Inca Mummy Girl
12. Reptile Boy
13. Halloween
14. Lie to Me
15. The Dark Age
16. What's My Line Part 1
17. What's My Line Part 2
18. Ted
19. Bad Eggs
20. Surprise
21. Innocence
22. Phases
23. Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered
24. Passion
25. Killed by Death
26. I Only Have Eyes for You
27. Go Fish
28. Becoming Part 1
29. Becoming Part 2
Season Three
30. Anne
31. Dead Man's Party
32. Faith, Hope and Trick
33. Beauty and the Beasts
34. Homecoming
35. Band Candy
36. Revelations
37. Lovers Walk
38. The Wish
39. Amends
40. Gingerbread
41. Helpless
42. The Zeppo
43. Bad Girls
44. Consequences
45. Doppelgangland
46. Earshot
47. Enemies
48. Choices
49. The Prom
50. Graduation Day Part 1
51. Graduation Day Part 2
Season Four
53. Pangs
54. The Yoko Factor
Season Five
55. Fool for Love
56. Forever
Season Seven
57. End of Days
58. Chosen
Following his departure from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel made waves as he transitioned to the bustling city of Los Angeles in his own eponymous spin-off series. Founding the paranormal firm Angel Investigations, the character of Angel remained intertwined with the Buffyverse through several crossover episodes.
Devotees of the cult classic have taken to online platforms like Reddit to vocalise their adoration for the broody vampire. A fan using the handle LightBlueSky55 anointed Angel as their top pick, emphasising: "Obvious choice but he's a very good protagonist and I love characters like him that are very flawed heroes."
The commendations didn't stop there, with Its_the_stars chiming in to share a similar sentiment: "A basic and obvious choice but Angel (the character) is Angel (the show). He's what makes the show, his character has the most consistent development and growth and there's so much complexity to his character."
Adding another layer, they admired Angel's multifaceted nature: "I love that we can have the dark side of Angelus offset by the goofy side of Angel, and all of the shades in between. Angel is one of my favourite characters of all time."
Buffy The Vampire Slayer is available on ITVX
