Yes, Angel was the king of flighty through most of the first and pre-Angelus second season.
Well he *had* spent a century doing pretty much nothing at all, so it was a step up! ;)

You pretty much nailed it when you said he was developing into a hero, but he wasn't one yet.
I love Angel's journey.

You also nailed the family thing as well. Of course Angel doesn't want to stake Spike and Dru. I'm not entirely sure he is capable of that.
Oh I think he is. And that scares him.

Thanks for the meta, I enjoyed it.
Thanks for the comment! :)