Dr. Horrible

[curtana]

Let me preface this by saying that I enjoyed Dr. Horrible, I thought it was clever and catchy and funny and moving, and I think it's especially great that they put it up for free.

Comments

[etrangere]

who's to blamed for misaimed fandoms? who? who?

[curtana]

Well, obviously the answer could go either way - either it's the authors' fault for not being clear/explicit about certain things, or the audience's for only looking at the surface level and not thinking things through to their logical conclusions. I think in this case I'm inclined to put the blame on the audience, not because I think they're all idiots or anything, but because the show's only been out for less than a week, and many people have probably only viewed it once. I watched the whole thing twice, then several segments more times than that, and I'm sure there are nevertheless nuances I've missed. But I think a lot of the points I've mentioned are text, not subtext, and repeated viewing tends to highlight that. I wonder if when it comes out on DVD, there might be some interesting commentary that goes along with it that would help illuminate what the writers were aiming at.

[etrangere]

Honestly, I don't know. I kind of feel that Joss Whedon failed, as a storyteller, if his intent was (as it probably was) to de construct the Nice Guys as Villain, mostly because the focus, up to the very end is on Billy's Man!Pain. That turns him in a tragic kind of anti villain rather than the deconstruction he ought to be, IMHO. It lacks that moment of realisation, dashing the sphere of glamour (that moment was in Dead Things, which is why I compared it to it unfavourably). Then again, you're right. It is very early after we watched it, and people do need to look further into it.

[elanya]

I think you've nailed my impressions pretty much on the head. And I have watched it many many times. Possibly more times than is entirely sane, consideing I haven't even been home for a full week yet ;)

All three major characters have flaws - I was telling Buck earlier that I think it is really most notable in the On The Rise duet with Dr Horrible and Penny, where they are both directly projecting their own personal experiences on to the world at large. They're all a little deluded, but Penny is the only truly selfless, heroic person. She helps people the hard way, because she cares about and *likes* other people.

[miseri]

Thank you for noticing that Billy is Not A Nice Person. Let's not forget all the creepy stalking with the movable bushes in the park.

Personally, I immediately thought of Penny as being more of an icon than a real person. She's so perfect, helping the homeless and everything. She embodies all the good things that Billy finds lacking in the world. So for me, her death is thus about the shattering of these ideals -- and, ironically perhaps, it is by this loss of ideals that Billy gains admittance to the Evil League of Evil.

A) It's the Evil League of Evil. Of course you lose your ideals/innocence going in.

B) Consider Billy's motives in wanting to gain world domination. Twisted, yes, but idealistic nonethesless. This is what makes Penny's death ironic.

C) Is this a statement about what it means to embrace evil, or is it a statement about what one must do to achieve one's goal? Perhaps if one's goal requires the loss of one's ideals, one should take a closer look at the goal in question.

[saoilsinn]

Ah, thank you for that. I thoughht Dr. H was very Entertaining. Period. You know?? Exasperated sigh at all the seriousmongers...

[a_d_medievalist]

This is really nice. chilperic and I watched this the other night, and both felt that there was a disconnect,but this helps to make that less jarring.