Telling a story:

[butterfly]

Joss has said that he wants the credits to reflect on what the show is (which is why they change every year - he's about the now, not about the then).

First off, everything is color-coded in the Angel credits.

The title is red, and in the border around 'ANGEL' (which is over establishing shots of L.A. at night), we see some interesting things - it tilts down past some demon figures and goblets (things that make me think the word 'treasure' - is this from anything in the show?) to show us an closed book resting on an open book. Then, with the 'ANGEL' still visible, it fades to a woman alone on a street (Anne; Season Three BtVS - thanks theamyrlin).

The title disappears and we see Sharon sitting alone in the bar (Lonely Hearts), which fades to Angel on a rooftop (City Of...) watching as Tina's body is found.

It fades to Rachel (In the Dark), and then Dennis (Rm W/a VU), both looking up in pain and fear, one who was saved and one who Angel was (years) too late to save.

Then Melissa covers her face in horror (I Fall to Pieces), and we fade to Angel chasing Spike through an alley, on his way to a trap (In the Dark) - much as, in S2, he chases Darla and lands in W&H's trap.

We cut to Angel bursting through a pairs of doors in vamp-face, on his way to go save Doyle (The Bachelor Party). There's a very quick flash of Angel looking down that I can't place, as the vamp-face lingers. Then we cut to side view Angel looking down intently, which I also can't place (I haven't watched AtS as much as BtVS, so the credits can be harder to place). We fade into Angel looking through Doyle's apartment, (in between these two shots, there's a bright flash, and in that we can see the side view of Angel mentions above, along with Angel standing near a... door... it's all very bright) then looking down at Doyle's floor thoughtfully (Rm W/a VU).

As he looks up in sudden realization, we briefly fade to Angel leaping down, then cut to his jump out of Kevin's window, as he escapes Kate (Lonely Hearts). That fades to Angel's face, which is then transposed over Angel breaking the mirrors to reach the demon (Judgement). A quick swipe of bright colors, and we've got Angel in vamp face, looking at something and baring his teeth.

A bright flash, and then we're on to the actor credits (wow, look at all that stuff before we even got to David's name).

David's credits are blue and his borders are a cage - looks like it might be a sewer mouth, because there's a pipe running along the bottom on the way beyond the bars. Angel's establishing shots are - the moment in City Of... when he stops pretending to be drunk, him whaling on a vamp from an ep I can't place, a flash of L.A. at night, and then Angel doing that steely stare thing (interesting note - Connor and then Spike also get blue as their color, but it's a darker, warmer blue). Just before the borders fade out, we get a pale flash of Angel in vamp face over an empty room (it's really fast, I only caught it by accident... damn, I'm going to need to go through this frame by frame - which impresses me).

Back to full-screen shots - Angel stakes two vamps at once (City Of...). Cordy proudly holds up their first invoice (In the Dark - thanks brooding_soul). A quick flash, and we're onto Charisma's credit.

Cordy's color is green - the mix of blue and yellow. It's very interesting that the Big Three didn't get the three primary colors and that the red is saved for the title of the show. Cordy's border pans past a bunch of people standing in line... for what, I don't know. Could be to get into a club, could be for an audition. Is the shot from the show? Cordy's first image is (I believe) from where she looks around and see Doyle getting hurt - just before she runs to his aid (In the Dark). Then, with a flash, it skips to the shot of the people she leaves behind as she races out of frame to Doyle. Cordy looks around seriously, we get a flash of the bright lights of L.A., and her final primary image is from when she's talking to Gunn at the end of First Impressions.

With a bright flash of a yellow wall, it's back to full-screen (well, full wide-screen, with the dvds... yay!). We see Lindsey at W&H as a demon looks up (Blind Date?) Bright flash, and it's onto Wes in his ice-cream suit.

Wesley's color is yellow, and his border is filled with demonic drawings. His first establishing image is of him entering the scene with a cross-bow, seeing Angel again for the time since Sunnydale (Parting Gifts). Bright flash of Wes in... what looks like the Hyperion lobby (catching the orb?), the we see Wes chanting to bring forth the Thesulac (Are You Now Or Have You Ever Been...?). It should be noted that Cordy and Gunn are visible over his shoulder, backing him up, while Angel is off to Cordy's side, partly cut off by the border. Quite flash of Wes looking behind himself, then the customary flash of the city. Wes's last primary is him laughing from Expecting ( Again, thanks to brooding... many kisses). He has such a pretty smile.

Our first full shot is Wesley in Barney's hotel room (Parting Gifts). We flash to Angel leaping out of a window onto the Watcher's helicopter (Sanctuary) - we can see Buffy and he doesn't quite leap over her - the picture cuts off before he can go that far in his jump (not over Buffy, though he tried to be.).

Angel stands up in vamp face against Penn (Somnambulist). Quick flash and it's time to introduce J. August.

Gunn's color is orange - the mix of yellow and red. His background is the streets. Sorry, I couldn't help myself. Anyway, it appears to be going down an alley of some sort. So, Gunn stands up in a cute bandanna. Flash of the side of the back of Gunn's head, then Gunn wallops someone on the back. Quick flash, and it's Gunn and that neat knife shot (there's a cute nose-wrinkle going on and he's smiling).

Cut to Angel - and I'm pretty sure that this shot is from Angel/Buffy's dream in Amends, right before he chows down on her. Then Angel looks up into this bright light and he's near the statue of this bearded guy. Then we're on to Angel putting on his coat and walking off with Cordy and Wes. Fade to a shot of the moon, and then Angel's face, before the final shot of Angel walking down an alley (City Of...) that I never get tired of seeing.

Joss packs a lot in his credits (and I bet I'll find more when I do it frame-by-frame). And I think that what's there says a lot about where the show is and where the season is going.

And the Angel credits remind me of nothing so much as a very well-done vid. Of course, Angel is such a visual show, much moreso than Buffy.