The Gem of Amara

[hellmouth]

If you were in Angel's position, would you destroy the gem of Amara?

How would the Angel series have been different if he had kept the ring?

[FaithLehane]

I wouldn't have destroyed it(But thats me)
I really do understand why Angel did
But it could have come in handy
Using it Periodically wouldn't have changed anything....It would however become abit tedious.

[ali_enchanted]

I don't think I would have destroyed it either, and I'm not really sure I buy Angel destroying it... The desire to keep a ring like that would have been tempting, and although his reasons sounded good, I feel he would have been more conflicted than he appeared to be.

I think in the Buffyverse it would have made more sense for Buffy to have destroyed it in ""Harsh light of day". I understand that it gave the Angel team a great store (and really, ANY excuse to feature Spike and Angel together gets a big thumbs up from me  ) but as the Slayer she should have known what Angel knew: In the wrong hands, it would eventually mean the end of the world.  Imagine if the Master had found the ring?

[FaithLehane]

Your last point makes me wonder if maybe apart from Opening the Hellmouth
Was the Master looking for the Vamp eqiv of the holy grail?
Or was he one of the Vamps that thought it was a Scarytale Lol

[ali_enchanted]

He was old so I imagine he would have believed, and who knows, maybe it was a side agenda. I mean he couldn't have been sure it was in Sunnydale, but if it was, score for the Master. If not, open the Hellmouth, and still score one for him.

Win - win maybe.

[Princessmela]

Spike heard about it from somewhere did he read a lot since last leaving Sunnydale?

[FaithLehane]

Spike heard about it from somewhere did he read a lot since last leaving Sunnydale?

They made it sound like it was some story that all vampires were told.
But it was also in Giles' Books....It's one of those one ep wonders.
The extent of what we were told about the Gem is limited to 'Harsh Light Of Day' & 'In The Dark'.
In the end it was just some silly plot device to put Harmony&Spike back into the fans minds and to get Spike&Oz over to Angel.

[beth]

In the end it was just some silly plot device to put Harmony&Spike back into the fans minds and to get Spike&Oz over to Angel.

It's definitely a plot device, but I'm not so sure it's a silly plot device.  My initial reaction was that it was completely unbelievable that Angel would destroy the gem, and that this was done simply because, as a practical matter, there would be no show if Angel could walk around in the day and couldn't be killed. I still think the excuse he gives to Doyle (about people not needing him in the daytime) is lame. But now I find his destruction of the gem a little more believable.  I think his torture-induced confession to Marcus about wanting forgiveness, and Marcus's accurate statement that Angel won't just accept forgiveness, but feels the need to earn it, is what really motivates his destruction of the gem.  He feels he hasn't earned the right to enjoy what the gem can offer him.  He feels the need to make sacrifices as atonement. So in that sense, I feel like the gem is a plot device, but an important one.

[FaithLehane]

I questioned using the word Silly.
But I agree with everything you said.