Oh man, Wesley S1 and S5 are like two different characters. I wish he was able to revisit Sunnydale just so the people there can stare at him like O__O at how different he's become. Same with Cordy, actually. That's why I'm a sucker for returning-to-Sunnydale fics because I love reading about the perspectives of people on how much the Angel characters have grown.

...except for Angel. Like what you said, it's like all character development of his flows out the window the minute Buffy's name is mentioned. That's why I have tons of issues with The Girl in Question - Spike's obsession with Buffy I can understand, but Angel's? Plus, Cordelia hadn't been dead for months in this timeline. It just... doesn't make any kind of sense at all :(