Season one has a lot going for it. It ends on a really big cliffhanger, it introduces something which can drive Angel’s ongoing adventures, and the show develops and sympathizes a character just so they can kill him in the ninth episode. Many people think that Glenn Quinn was canned, but Joss Whedon was clear from the beginning that the character was going to be killed heroically shortly; it was something he wanted to do with Jesse in Buffy the Vampire Slayer but didn’t get a chance to accomplish.

The show was much less serialized than in later years, but you could still see the reverberating consequences of stories. The most interesting aspect of the season is the growth of Angel. As Wesley said, it’s our desires that define our humanity and, while there was a tacit understanding of why Angel fought the good fight, the Shanshu prophecy gave Angel something to desire; something to make him human. Angel moves from that view as his story continues, he begins to fight the good fight because it should be fought, not because of some base self benefit. Angel is always seeking redemption, but somewhere along the way he realizes that redemption isn’t a destination, it’s an ongoing process.

Already in the first season, you can see how the stories told on Angel will be much darker and ambiguous as to who is evil and what is moral. And neither the questions nor the answers get easier as the show progresses.