Angel/Buffy vs. Edward/Bella

***Note: This is a reposted entry from my livejournal, circa 2009.  It's been a long time since I read that first Twilight novel, but I don't think my opinion has changed.  My opinion about Angel on the other hand is a little different this time around.***

I read an article the other day about the vampire romances in pop culture and the young girls who love them, a la Edward Cullen.  It mentioned the Buffy/Angel relationship in the Buffy Series and called them similar.  I said, "ha," at the time.  So I sat down last night and watched most of season 1.  It's been several years since I've seen any of these episodes and the storyline, in my mind, was sketchy at best. 

First let me say, that I can see the article's point.  Angel is a vampire, with a soul, who is going against his nature to get along with the humans and help them against his own kind.  The article said the vampire in any teen romance was like the ultimate reformed bad boy.  And, I have to admit the author had a very good point.  Angel is actually much more attractive than I remember him being.  He's dark and mysterious, only showing up to warn Buffy of potential danger.  I always thought he was whiny and preferred Spike.  However, after watching the first 8 episodes of Season 1, I can admit that Angel is not that bad.  In fact, I find myself wanting them to get together.

The major differences between Buffy/Angel and Bella/Edward:  First, Joss Whedon and his team of writers are ten times better at conveying emotion and crafting plot than Stephanie Meyers.  Second, Angel's attraction is not based on the fact that she's his favorite smelling snack.  Third, as the slayer, Buffy knows the dangers for real, real.  She walks away from Angel, at the Bronze.  They both acknowledge their attraction, she realizes what he is and she walks away.  Fourth, Angel doesn't sparkle, he can't go out in the sunlight, and he doesn't feel the need to repeat high school over and over again.  Fifth, Buffy actually has super human strength and can hold her own with the vamps.  So she's not this constant damsel in distress.  Their relationship, when it happens, is the meeting of two equals, so to speak.  Sixth, one of Buffy's biggest  "no" points for a relationship with Angel is that he's "like 224 years older." 

Seventh, the actor playing Angel, David Boreanaz, is built.  The actor playing Edward, Robert Patterson, has the skinny emo look.  Angel actually wreaked havoc through Europe for at least a century before having his soul restored and being reduced to dark and emotional.  Edward is just lame from the beginning.  Angel is paying penance for evil deeds he committed before the soul restoration.  He's been the big bad and he's come back from it.  He actually admits to Buffy that, when Darla framed him for attacking Buffy's mom and Buffy sought his destruction for the attack, he wanted to kill her, but he doesn't.  Edward is just self loathing from the get go. 

So perhaps it is the introduction of this newer, whinier, lesser vampire, Edward Cullen, or perhaps it is seeing the episodes through older, different perspective eyes, but Angel is not half as bad as I used to think he was.

Other thoughts:  The Hyena episode, where Xander is possessed, is kind of awesome.  First, Nicholas Brendan is kind of hot.  Second, the other hyenas eat the principal.  Kind of brilliant