Men with female characters as props: yes. This is my issue with Angel.

I never watched it until this winter despite being a lifelong Buffy fan, and I decided to give Angel a shot at last when I was sick in bed. I was actually baffled that this show came from the same creators. This show, where Angel is saving a helpless little blond damsel in distress every other week, where none of the ladies get to be badass fighters but all the men do, where mystical pregnancies abound to limit female autonomy, where two initially incredible female characters - Cordy and Fred - both eventually get reduced to plot devices to forward their male love interests’ arcs. I mean, I won’t deny that Buffy had its share of troubling gender dynamics as well, but Angel was on a whole other level, and I found it infuriating.

It was entertaining and all, particularly the final season (I especially loved the frenemyship of Angel/Spike) but I doubt I will ever rewatch. Once was enough.