That’s the lesson I’m learning from this season of Angel, anyway.

Take Harmony, for starters. I was a little wary when I heard that she was going to be around this season, initially commenting that she’s better in small doses. I need to amend that. She was great in small doses. On Buffy. On Angel, she’s a big old horse pill of crap. She’s the ostensible comic relief, but that’s not really working, as it turns out that she’s no longer very funny. The only thing she’s done so far this season is serve as Spike’s scratching post when he inexplicably became corporeal. Lucky girl. I wonder how the Spike-lovers felt watching him rut away like he was nailing the desk they were on top of instead of an actual person. The Spuffistas, I’m sure, were pleased to note his total lack of concern for his partner’s enjoyment. Clearly, he only cares about taking his true love Buffy over the finish line with him.

But we probably shouldn’t trouble ourselves with how spineless a character Harmony is and, subsequently, how shabbily she’s treated. After all, she’s only there to call Spike dorky nicknames, er, make us laugh.

Eve, on the other hand…Well, actually I have no idea what Eve is there for. To make Lilah fans alternately rage and weep? To piss off the entirety of the audience by constantly referring to Angel and Co. as “kids”? Her presence seems even more pointless than Harmony’s, who at least has some history in the Angelverse. Eve is just an irritatingly smug and condescending exposition supplier we’re being forced to endure, despite the fact that she hasn’t had a single line of dialogue that couldn’t plausibly have been given to one of the other characters. You know, one of those people we actually want to hear talking.

So we all hate Eve. And, at best, we can feel only pity for Harmony. But fear not, we’ve still got Fred! She’s a main character (in the credits and everything)! And she’s smart!

She’s also terrifically lame and annoying. And, judging by her lack of Wesley-fucking, batshit insane (the man shot what he thought was his father to save her spindly little ass and still, nothing. Unreal). Words can’t begin to describe how much I hate Fred. The way she talks, the way she dresses, her bizarre fixation with Spike, the fact that she viewed Wesley wanting to protect her in “Lineage” as “patronizing” yet seemingly had no problem with the fact that Angel feels the same way (witness his tearing Wes a new one for bringing Fred with him). I can’t identify with her, I can’t look up to her…I basically have no use for her.

It wouldn’t be so bad if she weren’t the only major female character on Angel. But she is. And considering that this show is the creation of Joss “Girl Power” Whedon, it’s pretty damn pathetic that they can’t provide even one strong, smart, compelling woman for their audience to root for. I should take that back. They did provide us with one. And then they gutted the shit out of her before putting her into a coma while they presumably figure out some new and exciting ways to crap on her even more. Thanks tons, guys.