Did Angel make the right choice?

[Bangelxx]

What did you think about Angel deciding to leave in "The Prom"?? Me? I have a LOT of complex opinions!: erm :

I was very upset that he was leaving and at the time I hated that he chose that moment to leave!::huh1::

I knew that he had to go because it was the 'right thing to do" much as i didn't want to admit it! If angel stayed- he would make it harder for buffy and himself!

Last thing- if angel had never left- thered be no "Angel" TV show!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!
So....whats YOUR opinion???

[Edmund Blackadder]

Did Angel make the right choice?
Yes

[Keanoite]

As much as it pains me to say it, Yes he did the right thing. Buffy herself admitts that in the same ep. It didn't turn out all rosy for either of them but I think Angel needed to define himself on his own, get his own identity nd well the situation with the curse was dodgy to say the least.

[Lyri]

yes, Angel did the right thing...leaving town and making space for Spike! ;)

ok, ok, yes, i'm a Spuffy, but seriously, i do think that Angel leaving Sunnydale was the right thing for him to do. he knew that there was no future for Buffy if she decided to stay with him, and staying in town knowing that they couldn't be together would have been too hard on both of them. with both of them in the same town, trying to work together to save the world, they would have become destracted and probably would have both ended up dead.

by moving to LA, Angel was able to continue on his path to redemption without risking Buffy's live with unnessecary heartache.

[Blondie Bear]

Besides, him leaving kept the whole storyline from becoming too much like that little skit Cordy and Wes did about the relationship:

Cordelia: Lemme break this down for you, Fred. (Being Buffy) Oh, Angel. I know that I am a Slayer, and you are a Vampire, and it is impossible for us to be together, but --
Wesley: (Being Angel) But my gypsy curse, and our hot little loins, sometimes prevent us from seeing the truth. Oh Buffy --
Cordelia: Yes, Angel?
Wesley: I love you so much I almost forgot to brood.
Cordelia: And just because I sent you to hell that one time doesn't mean we can't be friends.
Wesley: Or possibly more?
Cordelia: Gasp! No! We mustn't! You'll lose your soul!
Wesley: To hell with my soul! Again! Kiss me!
Cordelia: Bite me!
Angel: How 'bout you both bite me?

Snicker snicker.

[white avenger]

[QUOTE=Lyri;468605]yes, Angel did the right thing...leaving town and making space for Spike! ;)

The whole Angel leaving/Spike arriving thing might or might not have been a plan by Joss & Co from the very first to give Buffy a second vampire lover, but whether it was then or just developed that way over the months and years, it was a stroke of pure genius. the Spuffy/Bangel debate has been going on strong since before "Something Blue," through "Chosen," and on into Angel, Season 5. The cookie dough/ "No you don't but thanks for saying it..." element was just icing on the cake, and the cherry on top is Joss refusing to give any sort of closure to the biggest triangle since Marc Antony/Cleopatra/Julius Caesar. We'll argue about this until our grandchildren drag us away from the debating tables, and we'll never change our minds one iota.

Pure genius, plain and simple.

[GATEGOD]

The only reason I would say yes, would be that we got an extra 5 seasons, that we would have never received if he stayed in Sunnydale.

[Bangelxx]

I know, sometimes i thats the only reason that I'd say yes too- but really- he did what was right, and that was to leave :(

[Joyce Summers]

I say yes he made the right decision. I mean, yes, they were madly in love, but love isn't always enough. Everyone kinda had a moment of growing up in season 3 and this was Buffy and Angel's; seeing the harsh reality to their relationship, that there is no way it can last.
I love Bangel as I'm such a romantic, but even I saw that when he left it was the only possible way it could end. It just couldn't go on. Buffy and Angel came from different worlds and to keep it going while Buffy aged- at the same time as Angel being old enough to be her ancestor and yet never aging- never able to go out into the sunlight. All of it would only drag one or both of them down. Angel loved her enough to make the hard decision to leave Sunnydale.

[Tranquillity]

ooh, i just watched the Prom Today. such a good episode! Oh yeah, he made the right decision. Once he moved to LA he became so much more than just the 'boyfriend', so much more interesting and so much more complex. I love LA Angel.

[Buffy obsessed fan]

I think he made the right decision...Meh, I had an explanation but as I wrote it down, it made less and less sense.

[palabravampiress]

I am torn on this issue.

I feel like it was the right decision for the good of the show. Angel was a much more interesting character on his own show than he ever was on Buffy (except when he was Angelus on Buffy, which totally rocked). The Angel/Buffy thing was already played out. I mean, they'd given into their passion, she'd sent him to Hell, he'd come back and recovered, and they were trying the platonic thing. It could have become some endless cycle of high-drama make-ups/breakups (like Sonny and Carly, for all you GH fans out there). I think it still had some life left in it, but not much. I loved AtS, I loved the way that their relationship with one another influenced their future relationships. It was right for the show(s).

That said, I'm not so sure it was the right decision for the characters - or, more specifically, I'm not sure it was made in the right way. I mean, Buffy had all of those abandonment issues from the situation with her dad. Those were clearly exacerbated - intentionally - when Angelus was cruel to her after the Buffy/Angel sex. So what did Angel do? He abandons her. He makes the decision for both of them and acts on it against Buffy's will. Real smart. That has always grated on me. It was really crappy of him not to give her any sort of say at all in the decision. I think there were still a lot of things that they could have tried in order to make it work. I think he owed it to her to at least examine their options together. If they still decided to break up after that, then fine. I think Buffy would have been able to handle that better. But the way he did it was wrong. It had a hint of Angelus to it, actually, in that it totally and kind of cruelly preyed upon her personal issues and insecurities. I believe that Angel's intentions were good, but I really hate the manner in which he chose to act on those intentions.

[Keanoite]

I am torn on this issue.

I feel like it was the right decision for the good of the show. Angel was a much more interesting character on his own show than he ever was on Buffy (except when he was Angelus on Buffy, which totally rocked). The Angel/Buffy thing was already played out. I mean, they'd given into their passion, she'd sent him to Hell, he'd come back and recovered, and they were trying the platonic thing. It could have become some endless cycle of high-drama make-ups/breakups (like Sonny and Carly, for all you GH fans out there). I think it still had some life left in it, but not much. I loved AtS, I loved the way that their relationship with one another influenced their future relationships. It was right for the show(s).

That said, I'm not so sure it was the right decision for the characters - or, more specifically, I'm not sure it was made in the right way. I mean, Buffy had all of those abandonment issues from the situation with her dad. Those were clearly exacerbated - intentionally - when Angelus was cruel to her after the Buffy/Angel sex. So what did Angel do? He abandons her. He makes the decision for both of them and acts on it against Buffy's will. Real smart. That has always grated on me. It was really crappy of him not to give her any sort of say at all in the decision. I think there were still a lot of things that they could have tried in order to make it work. I think he owed it to her to at least examine their options together. If they still decided to break up after that, then fine. I think Buffy would have been able to handle that better. But the way he did it was wrong. It had a hint of Angelus to it, actually, in that it totally and kind of cruelly preyed upon her personal issues and insecurities. I believe that Angel's intentions were good, but I really hate the manner in which he chose to act on those intentions.

In regards to other possibilities available to them to try and work things out, what do you think they could have tried? pure curiousity here, not being smart:) and what you said about the manner in which he broke up her being cruel. I agree and disagree with it. I disagree because I don't there was any other way Buffy would have accepted what he was saying but I agree that it had a awful affect on her. I sometimes think it was worse for her in someways than losing him to Angelus and sending him to hell because he was choosing to leave her, while the whole Angelus ordeal he wasn't in control.

[Werewolf]

well if you think about it angel made the "smart" choice, even though it was really sad.. I think in the long run he made the right choice...

[palabravampiress]

In regards to other possibilities available to them to try and work things out, what do you think they could have tried? pure curiousity here, not being smart:) and what you said about the manner in which he broke up her being cruel. I agree and disagree with it. I disagree because I don't there was any other way Buffy would have accepted what he was saying but I agree that it had a awful affect on her. I sometimes think it was worse for her in someways than losing him to Angelus and sending him to hell because he was choosing to leave her, while the whole Angelus ordeal he wasn't in control.

Things they could have done? Well, the main problem seemed to be that being with Buffy made Angel too happy. It wasn't the sex, exactly, that made Angel perfectly happy. We've seen him have perfectly good sex with other people. I'm trying not to be crude here, but I don't think it's the actual act of intercourse or even the sensation of orgasm that make Angel so happy that he loses his soul. I think it's what that means when he's with Buffy. For them, the vampire and the slayer, sex is the breaking down of all of the barriers that keep them apart. Chastity was the solution that they found not because Angel's some weird sex addict or something, but because as long as there was something between them, some part of happiness that they could never really have, then they would never be perfectly happy. The act of denying themselves a certain degree of intimacy made them less-than-perfectly happy. If they followed their hormones and gave into those impulses, though, then death would follow. Why? Not because of the sex itself, but because of the knowledge that there was nothing between them. At least, that's my understanding of their main problem as a couple.

The solution to that problem, then, seems to be to make sure there is always something between them. It doesn't necessarily have to be sex. They could have tried the long-distance thing. Believe me, that's no walk in the park. My husband and I did the long-distance thing for three years before we got married. They could have had a secret affair in which Angel could never be part of Buffy's family/friendly gatherings. No scooby meetings. No birthday parties. No Thanksgiving dinner. You get the idea. They could have tried sleeping with other people (casual sex, like with Parker) so that they could never really "belong" to one another exclusively. In many ways, this aspect of their story seemed very much like the story of a couple faced with sexual dysfunction or with the danger of passing on an STD. That being the case, they could even have stuck out their self-imposed semi-celibacy just as real life couples do when faced with this issue.

Truthfully, I think it entirely possible that the way things went last time would be enough to render any future sexual encounters tainted by that memory to the extent that they would never be "perfectly" happy again. Knowing that the possibility is there seems like it would make sex a lot scarier from then on out.

These are all things they could have tried -- or at least discussed. I'm sure there are more, too, but this is getting sort of long-winded. No solution is perfect, I'll grant you. And maybe the bulk of discussion should have happened off-screen since it's not exactly riveting dialogue, but it is a mature and frank discussion of their options, at least. It wasn't like Angel thought. It wasn't like they were either together and the world was doomed or apart and miserable. There were plenty of less-than-perfectly-appealing alternatives in the middle. I think he owed her a consideration of these options and a say in the status of their relationship, at least.

[jeansebergmustdie]

Palabra, that was beautifully said. He bailed. Plain and simple- even despite the touching prom gesture with 'Wild Horses' playing in the background. It was immature, and cruel. You'd think someone who'd been alive that long would have a better understanding of that. Also, I really think that more interaction between the two characters would have taken place later in the series. Something akin to that which took place in season 7... And above all else, he dates some werewolf chick??? Argh... I mean I'm clearly biased having watched the show from the day way back when the first episode aired in Canada, and a huge romantic. But, that said, I liked Buffy with Spike towards the end and even earlier on a few of those back porch moments. I just feel that it was so unfortunate that the network troubles and Sarah's aunt and the Joss tension screwed up the moments where we could have watched the Angel/Buffy relationship continue to evolve a little more than a blonde chick's hair flowing on a dance floor or "... In the middle. I'd rather keep this one to myself." (somewhat off topic; but not entirely)

[LadyLavinia]

Yes, he made the right choice. I doubt that Buffy and Angel would have evolved as a couple over the years. I suspect that if he had remained in Sunnydale, his presence would have kept Buffy emotionally regressed.

[palabravampiress]

Yes, he made the right choice. I doubt that Buffy and Angel would have evolved as a couple over the years. I suspect that if he had remained in Sunnydale, his presence would have kept Buffy emotionally regressed.

Not if he had treated her like an adult and worked on making decisions together. As I said in my previous post, they had options. He just didn't even allow for a dialogue to take place. He didn't even want to discuss those options. That's my main problem with it. He wanted to make the decision he thought was best and have that be that. I think that if he had treated her like an equal and given her equal say in the decision making process, she would have been unable to remain emotionally stunted.

[Jules]

I think he made the right choice. Buffy needed to move on. She needed to see if she fit into a normal life and having ties with Angel would have prevented that. She said it herself in the tunnel with him ''How am I supposed to stay away from you?'' Keeping up any pretense of a long distance relationship wouldn't have helped Buffy move on. Even as a Bangel, I can see at this stage in their life that they are too consumed by each other. It wasn't healthy for either of them. It was definitely that first love's dream that everything would be alright if they were together. But it wasn't going to be for them. They separated and became two different people. I'm adding this last bit as a pure Bangel response: but their love didn't stop it just matured :)

[groovygarden]

I have to admit that I'm a complete Cordy/Angel fan, but I've just watched Prom and don't get why A left...

I agree with the earlier poster that Angel going was best for the show, but if we leave that aside, I don't get why Angel & Buffy the characters felt they had to part...? There were problems (no jiggy, no kids, Buffy ageing) but these same problems existed for Cordy and Angel and yet Angel seemed to want to give that relationship a shot. And anyway, as a Slayer, did anyone actually expect B to have a chance to be in functional relationships, grow old, have kids etc?

Thoughts?

PS: Hi all. I'm new! Got Buffy 1-7 DVDs for xmas, and am rediscovering the joys...

[palabravampiress]

I have to admit that I'm a complete Cordy/Angel fan, but I've just watched Prom and don't get why A left...

I agree with the earlier poster that Angel going was best for the show, but if we leave that aside, I don't get why Angel & Buffy the characters felt they had to part...? There were problems (no jiggy, no kids, Buffy ageing) but these same problems existed for Cordy and Angel and yet Angel seemed to want to give that relationship a shot. And anyway, as a Slayer, did anyone actually expect B to have a chance to be in functional relationships, grow old, have kids etc?

Thoughts?

PS: Hi all. I'm new! Got Buffy 1-7 DVDs for xmas, and am rediscovering the joys...

Well...

I kind of compare this to another of my favorite characters on another show (Robin on GH, coincidentally, the actress who plays her is the former live-in love of SMG's husband). This character has HIV, so she has an abbreviated lifespan. She's only 30, but now that she's got her dream career, her fans are pushing pretty hard for the dream wedding and the baby (not necessarily in that order -- Robin's pregnancy is making me do a happy dance!) because not only is that what she always wanted for herself, but it's what her first love wanted, too. Unfortunately, her new love isn't so much stepping up the plate. That makes the long time fans groan and miss the dead guy. lol. HE would have been tickled to death if Robin had gotten pregnant instead of getting HIV.

The point here is that neither Robin's abbreviated lifespan nor the inherent danger involved in an HIV+ person seeking these things puts the kabosh on the desire to have them. Instead, it sort of makes the clock tick faster. I think the same thing is happening with Buffy. She's got to experience as much as she can with the time she's got left. Just as Stone (the now-dead first love) wanted all of that for Robin because he, as someone who couldn't have it, realized how precious it was, I think Angel wants a taste of that normal life for Buffy because, as someone who can't have it, he realizes how precious a normal life is. Where the analogy falls apart is that Stone couldn't help but die, (he did NOT do it willingly; *cries*) while Angel voluntarily up and left.

Angel wants Buffy to have a life that he can't give her. That's good and noble and wonderful and everything. I've got no complaints with the sentiment. My issue with Angel is that he didn't even bother to ask Buffy what she wanted or to try to work it out. Based on the men she chose later, (a juiced up demon fighter and another vamp) it doesn't look as though she wanted a "normal" boyfriend. She wanted a man who could stand beside her against the forces of evil. She wanted a partner. An equal. A friend who could understand and participate in her life as a slayer. Angel could have been that man if he hadn't been foolish enough not to trust Buffy's judgment of what Buffy wanted/needed.

[Slayerfest 99]

After watching the prom episode I don't think Angel had any intention of leaving or breaking up with buffy until Joyce came along and talked to him. I was upset with Joyce in this episode but I can understand where she comes from.
Joyce: Good, because when it comes to you angel she's just like any other woman in love, your all she can see of tomorrow. but I think we both know that their are some hard choices ahead if she can't make them Your going to have to.
Yes Buffy is 17 in this and she does have her whole life ahead of her, but why didn't Joyce try to talk to Buffy about her relationship with Angel? I wonder if she thought buffy would even listen to her and that's why she went to Angel and IMO- give him a guilt trip about makeing the right decision for buffy if she's not capable of it.
Joyce:I know you care about her I just hope you care enough.
----I'd wright more but I gotta go to work --- seeya

[groovygarden]

Agreed. If Joyce hadn't put the idea (and the guilt) into Angel's head, I don't think he would have left. Naughty Joyce.

Palabravampiress makes a good point above. Although no one says it, everyone knows that Buffy's life expectancy is pretty short, and that could explain why B/A's relationship was so intense and angsty.

So maybe Angel left to give her "normal", instead of "this freakshow". On one hand that makes sense, but on the other, B's life is so far from normal, why bother? Better to have someone who can be a boyf and evil-fighting partner, rather than, say, a Scott Hope type.

And why were things different with Angel & Cordy? How come Angel thought a "freakshow" was OK for her but not for Buffy? I'm sure Cordy could have done with a bit of safe and normal in her life too! Maybe Angel had grown up a bit by then? A&C's relationship seemed to be based on friendship, rather than fueled by angst!

[Keanoite]

I think the reason that Angel didn't feel like he was keeping Cordy from a normal life ar two fold.

1. Cordy chose to be part of the world of demons and monsters. She had the normal life, she knew what she was giving up, was offered a normal existence as an actress but turned it down to continue to fight and help Angel. Cordy knew what she was doing, Buffy at the time hadn't even graduated High School. There was a whole other world waiting for her, or at least that is what Angel believed. Cordy had had the chance to experience both and then decide Buffy hadn't and really would never had if Angel hadn't pushed it.

2. The curse, one the main reasons for Angel's departure. Why was he not worried about it with Cordy? Honestly i think it's because Angel didn't believe he would achieve perfect happiness with Cordy. Sure he loved her, but you only have one soulmate and she was in Sunnydale. His soul would have benn safe if they ever did get around to Kumshukking.

[palabravampiress]

I think the reason that Angel didn't feel like he was keeping Cordy from a normal life ar two fold.

1. Cordy chose to be part of the world of demons and monsters. She had the normal life, she knew what she was giving up, was offered a normal existence as an actress but turned it down to continue to fight and help Angel. Cordy knew what she was doing, Buffy at the time hadn't even graduated High School. There was a whole other world waiting for her, or at least that is what Angel believed. Cordy had had the chance to experience both and then decide Buffy hadn't and really would never had if Angel hadn't pushed it.

2. The curse, one the main reasons for Angel's departure. Why was he not worried about it with Cordy? Honestly i think it's because Angel didn't believe he would achieve perfect happiness with Cordy. Sure he loved her, but you only have one soulmate and she was in Sunnydale. His soul would have benn safe if they ever did get around to Kumshukking.

Man! Poor Cordy!

I just can't believe that if things between Cordy and Angel had been given a chance to develop, she wouldn't even have had a chance of making him perfectly happy. I just don't buy the idea that we all have our one perfect love and then -- poof! It's over and your one chance is gone. All future loves are doomed to mediocrity. I don't think that's fair to Cordy. She was cool! She could have made him happy!

[UlaGan]

Man! Poor Cordy!

I just can't believe that if things between Cordy and Angel had been given a chance to develop, she wouldn't even have had a chance of making him perfectly happy. I just don't buy the idea that we all have our one perfect love and then -- poof! It's over and your one chance is gone. All future loves are doomed to mediocrity. I don't think that's fair to Cordy. She was cool! She could have made him happy!

Yes, I agree to that. I don't buy such things either.
Can't say much about Cordy, yet to see full Angel series, but it is unfair.

As for living Buffy, he did make right choice. There just were no future for them, and she's young girl, a human being with her needs she would be struggling to resist with age...
It would have hurt them more if he stayed.

Just mature kind of act..

Sure it was extremely painful and sad.

(Am I turning into Spuffy? (I was Bangel before, but Spike went more appealing to me gradually.. Sorry, Bangel folks, by being Willara or Tillow I'm trying to keep neutrality).

[Tranquillity]

Very well argued Pala; i'd give you karma but you're apparenty the last person i gave it too. Nice analogy to the GH character earlier.

I don't think you can blame Joyce for Angel's departure. I think joyce was just the icing on the cake - Since he came back from hell Angel had been thinking about what he was, why he was back and what he could do with himself. He's looking for personal purpose beyond helping Buffy. The Mayor gives them a few home truths and Joyce really just confirms what he's already thinking.

[Keanoite]

Man! Poor Cordy!

I just can't believe that if things between Cordy and Angel had been given a chance to develop, she wouldn't even have had a chance of making him perfectly happy. I just don't buy the idea that we all have our one perfect love and then -- poof! It's over and your one chance is gone. All future loves are doomed to mediocrity. I don't think that's fair to Cordy. She was cool! She could have made him happy!

Hey I adore Cordy! she rocks on countless levels! but perfect happiness? thats about as elusive as elusiveness can get. To find it once is a miracle. Twice? I don't think so. There is no doubt in my mind that Angel loved her greatly and she made him very happy but what he had with Buffy is a one shot deal in my book.

[Angel's vision]

Angel made the right choice and not only that, he was scared that the curse would break again even if they didn't have Kumshuk, he dreamt of their wedding and Buffy burnt, so yeah he is gonna make a choice even if her mother said things to him.

As for them talking about it, it would of achieved nothing, but Angel going over the same conclusion, and Buffy really didn't see his view because she was in love with him, and wanted to see reasons why they should of stayed together.
Maybe Angel was being selfish, not asking her opinion, and not talking it over, but I can't see his not wanting to take the risk of his curse reversing again so ending it being selfish.

As for Cordy well he got to take a diff approach to relationships later on learning to be happy but not 100%, as Wes put it you can be 99.9% happy and
not have that 1% thus being able to take that something and make the most of it, even if it isn't the full wack.
Before he assciated sex with the curse thing and stayed away from any form of relationship, being paronoid about it.

[palabravampiress]

Angel made the right choice and not only that, he was scared that the curse would break again even if they didn't have Kumshuk, he dreamt of their wedding and Buffy burnt, so yeah he is gonna make a choice even if her mother said things to him.

I know this is slightly off topic, but who else loves that the Buffyverse gave us a new word for "have sex?" I mean, we've needed a suitable verb for soooo long. I, for one, am glad we now have it in "kamshuck." I think I'm actually going to start using it in non-Buffyverse related sentences. lol.

[Jules]

I don't think Angel would ever have found true happiness after Buffy (yes, that sounds like a very Bangel thing to say) but he knew what would happen to him if he ever took that final step with someone and I don't just mean with sex either. There would guilt that he was being selfish and fear of what would happen if he let his guard down. Having those two feelings would never let Angel have a moment of true happiness.

I think the Mayor had a major part to play in his leaving, not just Joyce. The Mayor just seemed to drive home the fact that Angel and Buffy's relationship was not going to end happily ever after. I always wanted Buffy to find out that Joyce had spoken to Angel about him leaving. I know we had to wait till season 7 before Buffy found out that Willow hadn't encouraged Buffy to kill Angel in season 2, but there was no revelation about what Joyce had said.

[LadyLavinia]

Not if he had treated her like an adult and worked on making decisions together. As I said in my previous post, they had options. He just didn't even allow for a dialogue to take place. He didn't even want to discuss those options. That's my main problem with it. He wanted to make the decision he thought was best and have that be that. I think that if he had treated her like an equal and given her equal say in the decision making process, she would have been unable to remain emotionally stunted.

I don't think that Angel was really capable of treating her like an adult. If you look back on their history together, he always had this tendency to treat her as a child who required his protection or guidance. I think that he maintained his original view of her - as a fifteen year-old sucking on a lollipop - even after their last encounter in "Chosen". I remember during a Season 5 episode of ANGEL, in which he had dreams of her as that seventeen or eighteen year-old preparing for the prom, instead of the twenty-two year-old young adult he had last seen before Sunnydale's destruction.

I also suspect that Angel was meant to represent a part of Buffy's adolescent . . . someone she would have eventually had to bypass or get over in order to develop into an adult.

[InsaneMystic]

Well aside from me being an avowed polyamorist and thus finding it hard to stomach the thought of "only one true love per life"...

Doesn't "Awakening" in Angel S4 make it quite clear that Angel would be able to find perfect happiness with Cordy? I mean, perhaps I'm getting this wrong, but the way I see it, the only thing this Chinese mojo did was providing Angel with an absolutely lifelike illusion, nothing else... so, if in that dream scene kumshukking Cordy at the end of a great day fulfills the "wow I'm so happy I'll turn into a ravenous monster"-clause, why on earth should it be any different if it had really happened??

[hidden]

lets not forget the most important line in awakening
and that word is

buffy

[Vampmogs]

I feel that Angel made the right choice, and it's a choice that Buffy eventually came to accept as the right choice as well. And he's not alone on this, Joyce sees it as the right choice, as does Willow who says "I think he's right, I mean I hoped for the best" and it's also something the Mayor came to realise in 'Choices.' Buffy eventually admits to Willow, "He's right, in the long run, I think he's right." And then in the Ats episode 'I Will Remember You' basically recites the problems in their relationship down in the sewer, this time not being talked at but reciprocating and acknowledging the problems to Angel as well.

I'm not sure it would have done any good to talk to Buffy about it in 'The Prom.' Obviously Joyce, despite the fact she acknowledges that sometimes she even forgets how young Buffy still was, doesn't believe Buffy can make those hard choices. And Buffy showed that she couldn't either. Deep down she knew he was right, after further reflection on it later she comes to such a conclusion and at the end of 'Choices' she's kidding herself when she says "we'll be okay." You see both Buffy and Angel knowing the truth as they gaze into the night in that episode, not saying anything, but being unable to fool themselves.

It was hard enough for them to break up, it needed to be sudden and swift and not talked about, one of them needed to act or they weren't going to do it.

I think Angel made the right decision to leave, it was ultimately the most selfless and heartbreaking decision for him. Here was a man who had no faith in humanity or himself and as soon as he saw Buffy he was inspired to become somebody, “somebody to be counted on.” That’s huge, and shows how much he cares for her. Joyce says it as well, his actions here determined just how much he did care for her, and letting her go gave her the opportunity to live life at the fullest. I don’t think he was particularly wrong in the things he was stating either, even if at the time she tried to deny it. She says she doesn’t want children, but in ‘Bad Eggs’ you can see the disappointment on her face when he tells her as a vampire he’s unable to have any, and she says she doesn’t care about the sex, and yet with Riley in ‘Where the Wild Things Are’ they were so wrapped up in the sex they unleashed a sexually charged supernatural force into the frat house.

I also believe Angel’s dream in ‘The Prom’ reflected so amazingly well, what Buffy would be feeling if she’d had stayed with Angel. He feels what she feels, he saw what she would see. Everything is perfect during their vowels, they’re in love. But slowly the ominous music begins as they’re walking towards the door, and as they get outside they’re separated by the light and the dark, one goes where the other cannot follow. Angel seeing Buffy burn up is a reflection of what Buffy could see in Angel, and in that moment he understood it wasn’t fair to her. It had nothing to do about him, it was all about to do with her.

It’s horrible it’s tragic, they were in love and probably always will be, but he made the right call. It’s just another tragedy of Angel’s circumstances, he’s ultimately just a very tragic character. I feel for him and respect him for the decisions he made, in particular this one.