Who grew most on Angel over the course of 5yrs

[Jonography]

I definitely think it would be Cordelia on the most part. I loved her as a character since Buffy season 1, but her personality changes dramatically over the course of Angel seasons 1-3, with a giant increase of change after the season one finale. I really wish they did more to finalize Cordy in season 4, rather than having her out of character for the entire series. I think they could have found a different way to implement Jasmine into the story, although the way they did end up including her wasn't bad.

To be honest, I really wish that Charisma didn't want to leave the show, so that Cordelia would have possibly stayed alive. She's ultimately one of my top favourite characters.

[slayerthorn]

I'd have to say either Wesley or Cordelia. When I look at the first episodes he was in and then the last ones it is obvious how much he has changed for the better. Cordelia changed a lot too but I think she retained more of her original personality compared to Wesley because even though she becomes more mature, she was still superficial at times.

[redapple31]

Hands down it has to be Wesley he did a complete 180. It's not a stretch to say he grew more than any other character in the buffyverse. Second would have to be Cordelia.

[Just Willow]

It's a toss up for Wes adn Cordy, gotta say. they both changed SO muich. Wes more so, though, cause Cordelia was still a little ditzy towards the end. But by that time it was part of her charm rather than just irritating.

[Inappropriate Starches]

I would say a full change for the better would be either Cordelia or Angel. Cordelia of course went from Queen C to do gooder and general heart of the group, and Angel went from general quiet/reserved creature of the night saving people to being able to see the big picture and planning something like taking on the black thorn.

Everyone else made remarkable changes on the show, but someone like Fred simply became more sure of herself and confident but she was always good and smart. And Wesley while he changed for the cooler and more relatable, I don't necessarily think it was for the better, at least not in the way of world saving. He became a wildly different character who was more interesting but his morals became comprimised and very depressed.

Gunn of course changed drastically and kind of changed back, learning a lot in the process. He was also always good and wavered from that selfishly to come back to who he had been a little wiser. Lorne came slowly crashing down to earth and again, stayed good but much more jaded.

So in the sense of 'grew' in an improved sort of way I'm going with Cordelia and Angel, but in simply changed, Wesley and Cordelia. They were the ones who more or less changed the core or 'stalk characteristic' that we originally knew the most.

[AngelFaith]

I would go with Wesley. Cordy grew a fair amount, but she always retained traces of her "Cordy-ness." Wes, however, was such a completely different character to the one he started out as on Buffy. I loved watching his character grow and change, especially in the latter half of Season 3 and early Season 4.

I also think that Spike grew a lot in Season 5, it's when he truly started his redemption and grew to become one of the good guys. I think one of the biggest pieces of evidence proving how far he came is in the episode Power Play when they think Angel might have gone evil. The fact that Spike can't seem to wrap his head around Angel turning to the other side shows that, despite their pettiness, he knows now that Angel is truly good, that he is a hero. And then he is the first one to volunteer in killing off the Black Thorn. Huge character growth.

[alex_krycek]

i think when looking at which character developed the most, you have to look at which actor adapted the most.

wesley went from joke to an intelligent associate at angel investigations. he betrayed angel only as a means to save a life. he was nearly killed by angel, banned from the team, and left to his own devices.

from there, he developed an interesting relationship w/ darla, and a connection to wolfrahm and hart. still having feelings for fred, and the desire to do good, wesley helped angel & crew with no favors ever asked.

alexis not only mastered the comedy of wesley, but displayed believeable characteristics in a person who has undergone all of the above. and lets not forget alexis' scene with his father on the top of wolfram & hart, or the violence from wesley to gunn over the loss of fred.

put simply, no other character in the show had to evolve as much as wesley. and no other actor/actress (not even boreanaz) could make me feel that what i was seeing was as genuine as alexis did.

[AngelFaith]

May 20, 2010 12:47:50 GMT -5 alex_krycek said:

from there, he developed an interesting relationship w/ darla, and a connection to wolfrahm and hart.

I'm guessing you're referring to Lilah, not Darla.

[dusk3333]

Man, you guys are soo missing the obvious here. Connor grew the most. I mean come on now. He went from being a little bitty fetus to a full-grown teenager all within one season. Now that's some major growth right there. . . Oh, wait, you aren't talking literal growth, are you? lol.

Sorry, was just being goofy guys.

I would have to go with Cordy, because she really changed over the years. I really liked the way Wesley developed as a character, but Cordy really matured and learned to put others first and transformed into an amazing woman.

[alex_krycek]

May 20, 2010 17:24:51 GMT -5 AngelFaith said:

May 20, 2010 12:47:50 GMT -5 alex_krycek said:

from there, he developed an interesting relationship w/ darla, and a connection to wolfrahm and hart.

I'm guessing you're referring to Lilah, not Darla.

haha, yeah, i meant lilah. brain fart

[AngelFaith]

^^ Lol, we're all guilty of brain-farts. The other day I had just watched HIMYM before I started talking about Buffy, and I kept calling Willow "Lilly."

[alex_krycek]

^ hahaha. i know, it's horrible, right? here i was trying to give a really good answer why i chose wesley, yet i couldn't give the right name for the girl he spent half the time in bed with

[lightandmagic]

Feb 25, 2010 0:40:08 GMT -5 Jonography said:

To be honest, I really wish that Charisma didn't want to leave the show, so that Cordelia would have possibly stayed alive. She's ultimately one of my top favourite characters.

Just for reference, Charisma didn't want to leave the show, she assumed she was coming back for Season 5 and then was actually informed by a member of the press (not Joss & co.) that she wasn't going to be a regular in the next season/be back at all. She talks about it in an interview (for those who want to know, don't remember what it's from but she discusses it in some panel discussion with Kristy Swanson and Julie Benz, don't remember what the panel was though). But apparently her and Joss are good now; they weren't so much back then.

Edit: here's the video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_igTbXKPck&feature=related

Start around the 4:00 minute mark. The questioner kinda rambles.
(As a sidenote: I love Charisma in interviews, she is always so candid and says exactly how she feels. I like how truthful she is about the whole situation and doesn't come across as petty/bitchy about it either. It makes me sad about how everything went down.)

----

As for who's grown the most: if we look at who has simply changed to most it is hands down Wesley. His character from Buffy Season 3 and Angel Season 5 are almost completely different people if taken out of context, but luckily the writers handled it amazingly well throughout the show.

If you go by who has grown the most, I would hands down give it to Cordelia. Don't get me wrong, I effin love Cordelia on Buffy, but she was for the most part shallow, vapid and selfish. She grew and matured a helluva lot on Angel to the point that you would often forget that she was only in her early 20s, she displayed the maturity of a middle aged woman, with a lot of wisdom and knowledge behind her. She got a bit too saintly at the end of season 3 though. I'm glad the writers fixed that when she came back in Season 5 and gave her the same knowledgeable personality, but with some of the old Cordelia sass.

[Angel Beast]

Don't know if she counts since she didn't become a major player in Angel till season 5 but I think Harmony grew up some on Angel. She came a long way from being Cordy's ditzy follower in Buffy.