The Last Episode of the WB's Angel - Buffy the Vampire spin-off

Vampirism isn't something that should be admired, but vampire mythology holds many truths; despite it's many flaws. It does teach many valuable lessons about the flaws of human nature.

The last episode of Angel addresses a truth about vampires that many vampire stories fail to empahsize. In the last episode, Angel - The Vampire with a Soul, fights one of Wolfem & Harts elite. For those of you who do not already know, Angel is one of those 'good' vampires who use their evil power to fight evil. Truthfully, I don't think such a thing is possible. A good vampire is a contradiction in terms, no matter how you try to rationalize it. Wolfem and Hart is a law firm in the series that is designed to specifically cater to evil clients. It's a law firm of devil worshipers to be blunt, although I should note the series never tells you this in so many words. I must admit though, like the Nazis in Indiana Jones movies, this law firm does do well in it's role as antagonistic villian of the series.

Anyway, in the last episode, Angel has an epic fight with a representative of Wolfem & Hart. This representative seems human, but has some evil power that makes him invincible. He has strength that is far beyond what Angel is able of handling. It seems Angel is loosing, and then the invincible rep. says something along the lines of 'how Angel can't defeat him because his power is in bred, that it is in his blood'. Now Angel is used to using barefisted brawling tactics to defeat his enemies. Somehow, though, the reps comment causes Angel to realize that he must use his vampirism to defeat his enemy. So he uses his fangs to sink his teeth into the neck of the representative of Wolfem and Hart and he drinks as much of the reps blood as he can. Somehow doing this gives Angel strength equal to the strength of the rep, thus allowing Angel to defeat the evil enemy.

What should be emphasized is how Angel the 'good' vampire was able to steal the reps essence and gain the reps abilities. This seemingly inconcequential scene points to a trait that all vampires have. When a vampire drains another man's blood, he also drains his essence and in the process he takes all the good and all the bad that person has to offer. Basically he steals that persons life from him.

In the New Testament of the Bible, we are taught that the greatst gift is love and that the "least is the greatest and the greatest amoung us is the least".

Matthew 23:11 . . .
11 But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant. 12 And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.

The truth is the vampire is just one of many types of demon who seek to steal the life of men (i.e. succubus and incubus). These demons power comes from taking it from others.

love may not seem like a strength when your up against some Mike Tyson type brute who wishes to beat you into a pulp, or when a bully at school or at work constantly seeks to take advantage of you, but ultimatly it is. It may be difficult to take the idea of turning the other cheek into heart, but it is this trait that defeats vampires.

many people, in their attempt to adhere to a false image of strength, adapt traits that can be used against them.


While vampires don't exist in the real world, one must remember that they do represent an aspect of man we often try to sweep under the carpet. The vampire is an archtypial character representing the consequences of sin, which ultimatly leads to death.

Spirituality in Jackie Chan's Adventures

Spirituality can be found in many places, especially in animation. One example of spirituality in animation is the WB Kids show, Jackie Chan's Adventures. When I first heard of this show, I thought it was too gimmicky. A cheap attempt to use a star to promote show using a big name star, but nothing could be further from the truth. This show is actually pretty good.

The stories are interesting and the art is very appealing. One image that stand out for me is the image of chi. Chi often takes on this type of energy that floats in the air like smoke, but glows like light. It is a fascinating dichotomy. Instead of portraying chi as a type of laser effect, the show goes into greater depth by showing a combination of spiritual ideas that the general public is often oblivious to.

For the record, smoke is very important because it represents the spirit. Not all smoke is good though. Good smoke attracts good spirits. Like incense, the smell of the smoke attracts people to the smoke while at the same time bringing out a subtle happiness. In contrast evil smoke suffocates you, like smog.

In addition, to great story telling and a beautiful artstic style, most important, this show has subtle spiritual references. On the show Jackie Chan's Adventures there are 12 talisman's.


Each talisman has a power which it bestows upon it's user. The show may just be a cartoon, but this does not mean it is unintelligent. There is a great deal of spiritual depth not only in the talismans themselves, but also in the overall series itself. I plan on covering these spiritual significance of each talisman.

About DaHolyGrail

This blog is about the various metaphors found in everyday media (i.e. shows, animation, movies, video games, etc.). When good writers write stories, they don't just write anything that comes to their head, but instead they write about what life has taught them. They project their own brand of spiritual wisdom into the stories they write. It is this wisdom that gives depth to their stories. Writers are prophets. The truths these prophets convey are a reflection of the writer. Be careful though, not all prophets are righteous. There are many false prophets out there as well.

If the writer is virtuous then the story will teach virtues (i.e. The Bulletproof Monk). If the writer is viceful then the story will teach vices (i.e. Dogma).

"The Holy Grail" stands represents the spirituality found in all movies (i.e. The movie Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade). Remember, while the true grail will bring you life, the false grail will take life from you. It is up to you to determine what forms of media hold the true grail and what forms of media are the false grail.

By the way, I used 'Da' instead of 'The' because TheHolyGrail was already taken, go fig.