TV Series - Angel
ISFJ
Spoiler Warning
"If nothing we do matters, then all that matters, is what we do."
Who is Angel?
Fresh off the heels of his time in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel settles himself in L.A. and begins "helping the helpless" with the intention of making up for the sins of his alter ego Angelus. He is a man haunted by his past actions, though whether they are 'his' actions at all is highly debatable.
Why do I love Angel as a character?
Well, it's got nothing to do with his time on Buffy, I can tell you that much for sure, and I won't be covering that at all. He's a heavyweight contender for my all-time favourite character, and for many reasons. Angel is one of the best depictions of an introvert hero put to screen, especially for the time period (early 2000s). The poor man just wants to sit and read but instead has to reconcile the fact that he's a vampire with a soul and feels a need to atone for - essentially - someone else's sins. He's written with a perfect blend of sometimes awesome, sometimes awkward and neither ever feel forced + the classic Whedon quippyness at it's best. Beyond that, he's a true hero with a touch of anti-hero that appears now and then which makes him extremely compelling. He's intelligent, cultured and cool as hell. The whole vibe of his character is soaked in Noir, and that's pretty much my catnip. Then there's his incredible empathy. His defining moment to myself and many others is in the episode "Five by Five" and his interactions with Faith therein, containing one of the most powerful scenes I've ever seen in media.
Side note: Humorously, it's not until the final season when he realises he won't lose actually his soul again if he has sex unless it's specifically with Buffy, so up 'til then he is, in fact, the only cool 'Incel' in history.
Typing Angel
It can be tricky to type characters who have been alive as long as Angel, because they've had such a long time to develop all their functions through sheer volume of lived experience. Still, as with anyone, there's an underlying nature to his patterns and motivation. I think it's safe to say that he's not a highly intuitive type. When he starts playing the long-game, it tends to go badly for everyone involved, just ask Holland Manners & co...
That said, I'm quite certain he's ISFJ, so we'll go in that corresponding order: Ego: Si - Fe -Ti - Ne | Shadow: Se - Fi - Te - Ni
Introverted Sensing (Hero)
He's fixated on his past, but that isn't what implies Introverted Sensing dominant, it's because of how he chooses to spend his time when nothing is happening i.e. as little excitement as possible, in his refined palatte of comfort, typically reading or enjoying other culture. Alone.
Si>Se or Symbiotic Extraverted Sensing Dynamic | Needs Work | At the beginning of the show, Angel is definitely lacking here, we can see this when he tries to imagine himself cutting loose and dancing without a care in the world, contrasting his reality and stoic comfort zone of "I don't dance". This reinforces the ISFJ typing also via Extraverted Feeling because there is an element of 'I don't want external judgement of me to be swayed by my goofy dancing.'
Excitement (of the non-dangerous kind) is not only unwanted, it's unwelcome. It's a threat - a Nemesis you could say - to his comfort. And if it wasn't for Cordelia (and the plot), he'd be perfectly fine forever in his routine of saving people from demons and other vampires during the night and then going home to sleep and read. Anyone who imposes on him or his friends is swiftly imposed upon right back.
It's also evident in the lovingly-mocking words of his friend Cordelia: "Right. This is Angel: "Oh, no, I can't do anything fun tonight. I have to count my past sins, then alphabetize them. Oh, by the way, I'm thinking of snapping on Friday"."
He actually improves on this dramatically (I'd say to Pretty Good standard by the end, even) throughout the course of the series, and it's one of the highlights for me since 'fun Angel' is very amusing every time he's on screen.
Si>Ne or Challenging Extraverted Intuition Dynamic | Distorted | He has no intentions towards abtract possibilities at all, again, all he wants to do is exist comfortably and help others do the same. He's very down-to-earth and his case it works because he doesn't really need to be in the world the same way we do in real life. But if he was a person in the real world, he'd be an insular shut-in with little to no bigger picture ideas, even if he sought to do good. In fact, that's why he needs the guidance of the powers that be, otherwise he'd waste his potential as a hero.
That said, he's extremely welcoming of Winifred's Ne zanyness, and finds it endearing rather than annoying, though this may partially be patience in consideration of her trauma.
Si>Ni or Dichotomous Introverted Intuition Dynamic | Distorted | He has barely any concept of the bigger picture when considering the fight against evil, no long-term vision. Just, 'find evil thing, kill it, go home.'
In fact, it's a core element of his character growth in season 5, where he has to face the challenge of leadership on a much grander scale and how much more consequence he now has to contend within that role. He is, however, balanced enough in his external perception of Ni to recognise and respect Wesley for his Ni traits, even before Wesley actually develops enough to be respectable. This imbalance also highlights an important aspect I will probably repeat ad nauseum within these assessments: being imbalanced isn't an absolute negative, so long as you properly advocate for the virtue of your bias. Case in point, this absolutely golden quote from Angel himself:
"All I wanna do is help, I wanna help because... I don't think people should suffer as they do. Because, if there's no bigger meaning, then the smallest act of kindness is the greatest thing in the world."
I am an Ni dominant, this quote is literally anti-Ni, and yet here I am giving it an eternal one-man standing ovation.
Si Hero verdict: Distorted - Angel's Si Hero is pretty tyrannical over his other functions, and all of its dynamics are out of balance.
Extraverted Feeling (Parent)
Angel shows constant awareness and attunement to social and cultural perceptions, ettiquette, and has a rather intense preoccupation with his social image, mostly concerning whether or not people think he's "cool". This suggests Fe over Te, since a Te social consideration would be image regarding what one can achieve, which Angel is only ever concerned with when he's in direct competition with someone (typically Spike). He is also a literal Fe Parent with his son, repeatedly and emphatically expressing that he loves Connor, even when the boy is being the pain in the ass he just can't help being.
Fe>Fi or Symbiotic Introverted Feeling Dynamic | Balanced | This man is no pushover, nor a people pleaser by any means. He's there to help, be kind and heroic. That doesn't mean 'nice' unless warranted. He makes it very clear that he wants to be left alone 97% of the time, and only listens to Doyle and Cordelia's offers of cooperation and cameraderie once they give him good reasoning.
Fe>Ti or Challenging Introverted Thinking Dynamic - Balanced - It would be hard for anyone to be so removed from normal society for so long, and still be swayed by group sentiment. Aside from reading, his main down-time activity is ruminating. Very strong internal logic which we see him use all the time.
Fe>Te or Dichotomous Extraverted Thinking Dynamic - Pretty Good - Pretty much his entire character arc in season 5 is about this very opposition, having to become so pragmatic and big-picture orientated it practically forces him to be an INTJ. It also speaks volumes to me that the writers of the show set his main antagonist force as a big impersonal Te force against his Fe 'helping everyone' motivation. Pretty on the nose. See? This "theory" really is hard-baked into reality, y'all just don't know it... yet.
Fe Parent verdict: Balanced - All 3 dynamics are positive, and the Parental attitude of Fe isn't super overbearing.
Introverted Thinking (Child)
He's essentially a supernatural P.I. in the first season. Very strong internal logic which we see him use all the time, like when he immediately deduces why Darla suddenly 'has' a soul through reason alone. Introverted Thinking in the Child attitude enjoys engaging with the internal world of thought, which Angel very much does in tandem with Si Hero.
Ti>Te or Symbiotic Extraverted Thinking Dynamic | Balanced | Has no trouble taking the council of his friends and comrades most of the time. Frequently defers to or even seeks out Wesley and Fred's book-smarts. (Obligatory 'except in season 2')
[Btw if you don't know what happens in season 2, it might sound like I'm bashing the writing. Couldn't be further from the truth, it's just the most anti-hero Angel ever got. He was having a tough time okay, his long-term girlfriend/vampire-mother came back from the dead, evil law firm tryna psyche him out... it was a whole thing. We forgive him tho, he earns it.]
Ti>Fe or Challenging Extraverted Feeling Dynamic | Pretty Good | To be expected really of someone with Fe Parent, he may be awkward at times but he knows how to read emotions and handle emotional matters. On the other hand, he can have trouble actually expressing his emotions outwardly sometimes because he is so used to ruminating on his internal world.
Ti>Fi or Dichotomous Introverted Feeling Dynamic | Balanced | Angel has little difficulty allowing himself to feel his emotions and no great emphasis on logic. His logic rarely interferes with his values or his moral compass. He's perfectly capable and feels comfortable with allowing himself to be emotionally vulnerable, even if he doesn't talk about it, you can still tell he engages with his emotions rather than avoiding or supressing them.
Ti Child verdict: Balanced - All 3 dynamics are positive, and there's very little brattiness in Angel's Ti.
Extraverted Intuition (Inferior)
He's not the most creative. His solutions are often limited to 'hit thing harder', and he's certainly not particularly at home with the abstract. His Ne is actually quite developed because he doesn't much display the near-paranoid pessimism/risk aversion that ISXJs can struggle with. Sure, being basically immortal might be a part of it but he also deals with world-ending threats without disappearing into a brainstorm of potential bad outcomes on the reg. Or maybe that's just what he does when he's brooding offscreen.
His M.O. is also tied to Ne, via the somewhat abstract possibilities of 'if I help this person, their life could be better'. Creating more hopeful branching pathways for people is just part of his routine.
Then there's this gem of a line from Angel to his son Connor:
"Doesn't matter where we come from, what we've done, or suffered, or even if we make a difference. We live as though the world were as it should be, to show it what it can be."
[And that makes three separate quotes from him that I live my life by.]
Ne>Ni or Symbiotic Introverted Intuition Dynamic | Pretty Good | Mostly due to an overall absense of both in his character. He definitely isn't worried about having limited options or novelty.
Ne>Si or Challenging Introverted Sensing Dynamic | Pretty Good | Obviously as an Si dom, he isn't going to be worried about Si taking full precedence over Ne, but he isn't completely closed off to possibilities either.
We do sometimes see a little bit of the 'worrier' tendencies associated with Ne inferior come through such as when he's constantly checking-in on Faith to make sure she's okay (or still there for that matter) in the season one episode 'Sanctuary'.
Faith: "It was touch-and-go for those four minutes you left me alone, but somehow I got through it."
Ne>Se or Dichotomous Extraverted Sensing Dynamic | Pretty Good | Again, similarly, he has no interest in abstract pursuits so he isn't going to care if those are imposed upon by reality and is a very grounded man who never gets lost in fantasy or daydreams (Season 2).
Ne Inferior verdict: Fair - Despite having decent balance in the dynamics, the Inferior attitude itself isn't very good, having little consideration for its relevant function.
Extraverted Sensing (Nemesis)
Pretty blatant in his tendency to jump to violence or indimidation as the first solution to his problems, not without good reason in his line of work to be fair but still.
Se>Si or Symbiotic Introverted Sensing Dynamic | Fair | He's not the best at learning from his mistakes, since even later in the series he's still prone to being kinda reckless and punch-happy. Really comes into conflict with this in Season 5, where his new position means he can no longer afford to without significant consequences.
Se>Ni or Challenging Introverted Intuition Dynamic | Pretty Good | He has the grounded, everyday sense of meaning and importance, he's certainly no cynic or hedonist, but often ignores the long-term consequences of his impulsive actions.
Se>Ne or Dichotomous Extraverted Intuition Dynamic | Needs Work | Is often shown getting very impatient if too much conceptualising is done over taking action. I can think of many instances where the Angel Investigations gang are bringing up potential outcomes he doesn't want to hear or concern himself with. He wants to do the heroics, and he wants to do them quickly.
Se Nemesis verdict: Fair - Given its position as Nemesis, it fittingly wouldn't be fair to give Angel's Se any lower rating than this. He's better with it than a lot of Si doms.
Introverted Feeling (Critic)
He may as well be the poster-boy for this function attitude. A massive amount of self-flagellation and guilt even when 'his' sins were entirely outwidth his control. Although not explicitly stated, Angel very likely suffers from the 'guilt of being guilty' shame-spiral associated with Fi Critic: 'I shouldn't be so focused on my internal emotional experience, that's selfish.' And yet, because of Ti Child, internal rumination inevitably ensues, and this becomes a vicious cycle.
The Critic is also evident when he calls out Buffy's self-absorbed mentality when she shows up to get revenge on Faith (she had every right to be angry, but no right to, in her own words: "beat to death" someone who was legit trying to change and required delicate handling).
But on the flipside, Angel's own attempts to murder Wesley in season 3 for making an (admittedly horrendous) mistake lose him a lot of points here.
Also, we see him getting rather precious about his unique individuality in being the only "Vampire with a soul" when Spike not only does the same, but earns his, rather than having it forced on him, seriously grating against Angel's guilt complex. This is such a good highlight of Fi critic.
Fi>Fe or Symbiotic Extraverted Feeling Dynamic | Pretty Good | His internal emotional state can sometimes intrude upon situations and interactions with others but he displays absolutely no need to push his values onto anyone, nor is he at all sensitive about people being inauthentic.
Fi>Te or Challenging Extraverted Thinking Dynamic | Fair | He struggles with the notion of people paying for his services. This dynamic is also pretty much the focus of his character in season 5, he clearly struggles putting pragmatism above his personal values and moral compass even when for the greater good. Also seen with how he deals with Jasmine in season 4, despite the potential for literal world peace: "The price was too high."
Fi>Ti or Dichotomous Introverted Thinking Dynamic | Balanced | His emotional response and logical reasoning never really conflict with each other, he recognises the importance of both.
Fi Critic verdict: Needs Work - Angel's overall use of Fi isn't stellar, the Critic attitude has way too much power over him and the dynamics are a mixed bag. The only thing saving him from Distorted is how incredibly balanced Fi-Ti is.
Extraverted Thinking (Trickster/Blindspot)
He's actually pretty pragmatic when he isn't jumping into danger to save the innocent, assertive, and displays good delegation skills far beyond what an undeveloped ISFJ would, but as a centuries-old vampire, he's had a lot of time to develop.
Te>Ti or Symbiotic Introverted Thinking Dynamic | Fair | Isn't much one for data or research at all, it's clear he personally much prefers subjective deductive reasoning over objective processes of reaching truth, but he's typically willing and open to listen to those who are better in those areas.
Te>Fi or Challenging Introverted Feeling Dynamic | Balanced | Angel represses none of his personal values, nor does he overwork himself, and takes an abundance of 'me-time'. He also has a deftness when it comes to handling others' emotions.
Te>Fe or Dichotomous Extraverted Feeling Dynamic | Balanced | He's pretty far from the hard-ass, bottom-line-focused boss archetype found in distorted Te. He is mostly a well-liked and very well-respected leader of his team. And his difficulty expressing himself emotionally has nothing to do with needing to adhere to objectivity.
Te Trickster verdict: Pretty Good - The Trickster attitude is mostly dismantled, and overall the dynamics are positive.
Introverted Intuition (Demon)
If there's any perfect example of how ubiqitous the ideas of this theory are, it's when stuff happens like the writers who most likely have no conscious knowledge of it writing one of Angel's biggest challenges of having to face his own demonic function (as I said previously, having to act like an INTJ in season 5) through the external representation of him doing so in a literally and metaphorically demonic setting. And this is also how Wolfram and Hart almost trick Angel and co. into being their pawns, if not for Lindsay, through Angel's inability to see beneath the surface of their intentions; poor use of Ni. Goddamn chef's kiss, honestly.
Then there's the representation of what happens when Ni Demon takes over in season 2, Angel plays the long-game against Wolfram and Hart in such a way that he ends up letting dozens of ambiguously innocent people get slaughtered in the crossfire.
Ni>Ne or Symbiotic Extraverted Intuition Dynamic - Needs Work - Angel is prone to tunnel vision and not very good at branching out to other possibilities than the one he's envisioning. His tunnel vision is almost more of an antagonist in season 2 than the actual antagonists.
Ni>Se or Challenging Extraverted Sensing Dynamic - Balanced - Has almost no Ni, so comparatively having difficulty living in the moment isn't really an issue. He's not lost in any visions of a grand plan, that's for sure.
Ni>Si or Dichotomous Introverted Sensing Dynamic - Balanced - As an Si dom, he's obviously not going to be over-favouring Ni, but he does consistently dedicate his time for something he has decided is important, over other things he could be doing, even if that importance is not particularly abstract in nature, it's still Ni.
Ni Demon verdict: Balanced - Very balanced, in fact. Angel has integrated his Demon Function to a degree rarely seen in people, you have to be pretty far along in self development to do so. But again, he's been around for centuries.
How Balanced is Angel?
Balanced: 13
Pretty Good: 9 (10 by series end)
Fair: 5
Needs Work: 3 (2 by series end)
Distorted: 2 (a lot more in season 2)
Final Verdict: Exemplary Role Model
Angel is far from perfect, and given how imbalanced his top function is I might be being too lenient here, but at his best, he's just such a good example of integrity, determination, leadership, compassion, sensitivity without being a wuss, and much more. He deserves nothing less than this rating.
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