She Saved the World (Again), and All We Got Was This Broody Vampire

If there’s one constant in the Buffyverse, it’s that women save the day — and get punished for it. But nowhere is that tragedy more concentrated than in Angel. This isn't just frustration. This is heartbreak. Because the women of Angel deserved better. All of them. Every single one.

Cordelia Chase. Fred Burkle. Winifred-as-Illyria. Kate Lockley. Darla. Lilah Morgan. Even Harmony, chaotic disaster that she was. They were strong, layered, messy, brilliant—and the show consistently failed them.

Cordelia Chase: From Queen to Coma

Cordelia’s arc should have been a triumph. She clawed her way from shallow to sacred. She grew into a woman with agency, compassion, power. And just when she reached her full potential—they stripped her of it. Possessed, used as a vessel, discarded into a coma. All while Angel moped and the show moved on. Cordelia was not just a sidekick. She was the heart. And she was treated like an inconvenience.

I have many, many feelings about this and have covered the complete character assassination of Cordy more extensively here. Also fuck you, Joss Whedon.

Fred Burkle: The Light That Got Snuffed Out

Fred deserved better than to die scared in a lab coat. She deserved more than to be a plot device for Wesley's man pain. Her death was powerful. It was narratively justified. But it still feels like a betrayal of everything she fought for. Fred was pure potential — scientific brilliance, stubborn hope, awkward courage. And instead of letting her grow, they sacrificed her to remind us that "goodness" is fragile.

Kate Lockley: Dropped Without Ceremony

Kate was messy, complicated, broken in ways that could have made for some of the richest storytelling on the show. But once her pain got inconvenient, she was shuffled off-screen, no closure in sight. Another woman left behind because her trauma wasn't useful to Angel's journey.

NOTE: I know the actress had another job, but like let me be.

Darla: The Tragedy That Could Have Been a Revolution

Darla's arc was one of the most compelling in the Buffyverse — a vampire seeking redemption, grappling with love, motherhood, sacrifice. And yet, her ending was rushed. Her rebirth as a mother should have been the start of a radical new chapter. Instead, it was a plot twist to further Angel and Connor's drama. Don’t even get me started on Connor.

Lilah Morgan: Villain, Victim, Visionary

Lilah was never going to be a hero. That was the point. She was ruthless and brilliant and self-serving—a woman who survived by being smarter than everyone else in the room. And how was she rewarded? Brutally murdered, posthumously puppeteer-ed, her legacy tainted by a narrative that couldn’t stomach a woman thriving on her own terms.

Every woman on Angel was a survivor. Not just of battles, but of writing choices that consistently undermined their depth. They were heroes, villains, victims, warriors—and so often, they were treated like stepping stones for male characters to "grow."

Imagine a version of Angel where Cordelia leads the team with full agency. Where Fred becomes the head of Wolfram & Hart’s science division without dying because of a man’s mistake. Where Lilah burns the system to the ground and walks away in Armani, smiling.

We deserved that show.

The women of Angel deserved that show.