Interesting interview. I don't agree with David's view of
Angel when he is speaking about Spike and states that
"If he becomes the thing that has no moral ambiguity, that's Angel.”
If anything, especially in the last episode of Angel when he makes the questionable choice to take over Wolfram and Hart, Angel is shown to be a more complex character than David gives him credit for and definately shows moral ambiguity.
Also, Jasmine was destroyed because Angel seemed to say the ends does not justify the means, but Wolfram and Hart's offer was accepted showing a complete contradiction to that.

Linda | June 25, 00:28 CET

Oh and how did I forget to say Wow!!!
I hope it's true that
"Sarah Michelle Gellar is going to come back to Angel for a few episodes".
I miss Buffy.
I can hardly wait for the new season of Angel.

Linda | June 25, 00:35 CET

To add to that, Linda, Angel's had several soul-filled decades and Spike's had one year. I agree that Spike was not right for Buffy, but she was hardly the best choice for him, either. I think it was destructive for both of them; I'm sure Spike's demon side would agree.

Plus I loved David's daughter going "Sarah is my best friend." That is so sweet.

lynsa | June 25, 02:23 CET

damn eliza..no spinoff...grr arghh...:'(

narky | June 25, 03:18 CET

woohoo

harmony is confirmed for coming back :D :D

aapac | June 25, 06:12 CET

I don't think Mr. Fury means to imply that Angel is a complete 'white-hat' with no questinable or ambiguous motives just that he is a more straight forward heroic figure than Spike. It's hard to imagine Angel wearing Nikki's coat.

Unitas | June 25, 09:55 CET

I found it interesting that he doesn't hang out online anymore because of the few fans that get so weird and hateful. So thanks to everyone who goes on about how they love the show, but Spike/Sarah/Marti/Connor/whothehellever completely ruined it and now it sucks the chrome off a doorknob. I never understood those people and now I really don't like them because they ran off the writers.

*bitter much?*

Cris | June 25, 16:35 CET

"but Spike/Sarah/Marti/Connor/whothehellever completely ruined it"

I don't think that's the criticism they get. I think most of the criticism is about writers 'ruining' the characters. David Fury got a lot of flak for his comments on Spike fans and for 'hating Spike', and in B/G circles for writing Helpless.

When you write something you feel passionately about, and want people to feel passionately about, you're going to get passionate responses. Much like your own here. And yes, people go over the top with it.

Also, the reason Fury mentions for not posting at the board anymore has nothing to do with fan-anger. He specifically mentions an identity hoax. This has nothing to do with fandom, and all to do with a wider online phenomenon of which "Kaycee" is probably the best known among weblog affionados.

Caroline | June 25, 16:45 CET

I think Fury's reference to Spike's and Angel's differing moral standards is interesting. I think thier moral standings ARE dissimmiliar and should be; remember they became re-ensouled under two totally different circumstances. Angel had his thrust back into him and Spike travelled over land and sea to reclaim it.

And about Angel excepting the "offer of a lifetime", he chose because of the blinding love for Cordy and Conner, he knew it wasn't the best choice to make, but he couldn't bear the alternative. This shows that he's not neccessarily losing his morality but, becoming more human. This goes along with why he wanted to stop Jasmine...he's lived his whole vampire life as a puppet of a demon with no choices. He was evil and that was that. So to Angel, one of the best parts of being human is being able to choose. Jamine was detroying that and he couldn't let that happen.

protector | June 25, 18:20 CET

In all fairness, Fury does mention that the boards becoming much more personal in there criticism over the years as a reason for not going on as often (as well as identity hoax).

Unitas | June 25, 19:43 CET

I still think that has more to do with the detachment of internet communication than with obsessive fandom. People tend to gush more and to hate more with the barrier of personal contact removed.

Caroline | June 25, 20:43 CET

Very true, and there's also something to be said for rules and good moderators. Also reminded of that spate of Tim Minear impersonators last year, very stupid and immature.

Simon | June 25, 21:05 CET

Although I've only read a very small handful of posts and emails threatening physical violence toward a writer over the years, I do receive desperate and hateful emails on a regular basis from "fans" who seems to value the fiction that the writers create far more than the writers themselves. It's as if they believe that the story writes itself, and the writers periodically interrupt the story to muck it all up.

Have you ever seen the film Misery?

It's much like that. On the occassions that I respond to hatemail, I often ask the sender if they realize that Fury is human, and that (Spike, Buffy, Cordy, enter random fictional character here) is really just something that the writers imagined.

It's always greeted with great offense, like I'm calling the sender an idiot. That's not really the case. I wish folks would stop and think before they compose their emails, and remember that the writers CREATED the characters that they love. Where was the emails praising the writers when they were falling in love with the characters?

I don't mean to encourage sycophantic adulation, i.e., "When there was only one set of footprints in the sand, that's when Joss was carrying me!" There's a way to convey a message, when writing to the producers, that doesn't contain hate, threats, and general insanity. "I will STOP WATCHING IF (CORDY, ANGEL, INSERT RANDOM CHARACTER HERE) DOESN'T DO EXACTLY WHAT I WANT!

As if there's going to be a meeting in Santa Monica. "Yeah, guys? Susan Cheeseknuckle of Farmertown, Wyoming isn't going to watch anymore if we don't hook Fred up with Drusilla. Yeah. She says she has a Nielsen box. Gotcha. We'll get right on that."

I think fan opinions are taken into consideration, like when Oz was made to be more palatable because fans weren't getting the love-on with Willow. But really, it wasn't haterbation that caused that, just general discussion going on at the Bronze. "Well, we want the audience to like Oz, so maybe we need to tweak this."

Bucketfulls of hatemail only alienate the writer from the audience.

I know it's just a personal opinion, but as long as the writers REALLY bring me there, they can do as they wish with plots and characters. I'm looking for a story, well-written, to which I can escape. I don't care if Spike is a good guy or a bad guy in the end, as long as the writers knock the story out of the park and bring me there. These are their stories, to do with as they wish. I can't hate them, or make demands. I can voice disappointment when I think the writing didn't bring me to the place they wanted me to go.

Whoa. Tangent. Sorry.

Allyson | June 25, 21:43 CET

Well said there Allyson.

Simon | June 25, 22:15 CET

And I STILL think people wouldn't carry on like that if they met the writer in person. They'd be fanning themselves in the presence of 'celebrity'.

Caroline | June 25, 22:40 CET

Allyson - "Did you ever seen the movie Misery?"; I did enjoy that the writers managed to get that line into the dialogue during season 7 :)

Yorky | June 26, 00:03 CET

Also reminded of that spate of Tim Minear impersonators last year

This brings up some very odd images that I hope a good night's sleep will remove from my brain.

lynsa | June 27, 04:17 CET