Why I Love Whedon: A Meta for Whedonland
So I thought for the End Of Phase challenge I would do a meta, among other arty things. I've never done a meta before and I only have a rough idea of what it means (like an essay, right?), so forgive me for any mistakes! Also, I've only just ordered Buffy (*shock*) so forgive me for any mistakes there!
What? It's a long show that wasn't on any channel I could get, and originally showed when I was a little girl! I've only just got enough money and time to watch it! Plus I kinda resented it because Firefly was cancelled so that Whedon could concentrate on Buffy... But I got over it!
Why I Love Whedon
I was introduced to Firefly first. I was 15 and was doing the American West in history, and was pretty much obsessed with cowboys. And sci fi. So my friend realised Firefly was a perfect mix and lent me her dvds. I must have borrowed them 10 times before I finally got my own for Christmas!
This was easily the best show I had ever seen. The writing was a perfect mix of humour, poignancy and suspense, the characters had depth and reality, and the plots were brilliant. Plus there was River. Who I adored from the start.
And thus begun an obsession that is likely to last me a lifetime.
So here are the reasons I adore the boss that is Joss, organised in neat little paragraphs for ya!
His Genius
Because come on, the man's brilliant. His plots are so well formed, starting episodes in advance with hints and intruiges, then blooming into brilliant arcs that keep you guessing as to what's going to happen next. He blends so many themes and messages into his stories, without them being intrusive or you even realising first time around. I still discover new things on rewatches, even with Firefly which I can basically recite. Even in Glee, which he didn't write or have any control over anything apart from the direction (he wanted to have more live songs) his genius bled through with his gorgeous camera angles, use of light and Safe To Dance which was just fantastic.
His Characters
They're just so real! Even smaller roles have a depth and story that other shows rarely write for their minor characters. Whedon will never (in my experience of his shows) let any character just become a stereotype or one-dimensional. For example, it would have been quite easy to let characters like Bennett or Perrin (Dollhouse) become just plot placements. But they had excellent backstories and full characters that you empathised with, even though they were only in a few episodes. And of course, Joss' major characters are some of the best I've ever seen. It helps that there are brilliant actors to bring them alive! By making his characters so believable and sympathetic, Joss challenges how we see things, truly showing a different point of view. A good example of this is Inara (Firefly). I've never been judgemental of prostitutes, but I did look down on the profession. But by the time I'd finished watching Firefly I was envying Inara! I mean, of course to be a Companion is different from most prostitution today, but her point of view made me see the idea of prostitution differently, and understand why some women would choose that life. (Obviously, I'm not saying it's all rainbows and flowers, but you get what I mean.)
Another great alternate POV character is Billy (Dr Horrible). He was just so human and sweet and sympathetic that I couldn't help falling in love with him! Plus, with his point of view, Joss revealed how people could become villains, how they could be pushed by bullying and shyness into this mindset. Now, whenever I watch a superhero film I feel more empathy for the villain than the hero!
There is a Joss character for everyone out there to empathise with, and it's his ability to show so many different points of view that makes this possible.
His Feminism
This is something I didn't even realise until I watched a few other shows and realised just how amazing Joss' female characters are, and how they are represented. Before Firefly I'd only really seen Dr Who (I was more into films and sitcoms back then), and of course Dr Who's women are pretty impressive, in the new series anyway. So I just took it for granted that women would be written this way. But once I'd seen some other shows (which I shall not name, to avoid any offence!) I finally realised what it is Joss is doing. He is giving us a voice, showing women as strong, powerful characters, equal to any male character. And that kind of equality doesn't happen in many shows. You just have to research Buffy to realise this. One of his main reasons for creating her was to destroy the stereotype of the weak little blonde girl that always gets killed first in horror movies. And he pretty much succeeded - Buffy is now so integrated into pop culture that I knew about her way before I knew about Joss or the show. Plus, I haven't seen many horror films, but the ones I have seen the girl survived (in the latest Texas Chainsaw Massacre she was blonde, too). Together Buffy, River and Echo are some of the best female characters in TV, ones that show that women can be strong, beautiful and human all at once.
Also, Joss doesn't just do this without putting much thought into it. He is a self proclaimed feminist, and I will always adore him, simply for that.
His Talent
Finally, I love him because underneath the genius, the purpose, the messages and the politics Joss Whedon is just a brilliant storyteller. And that's really all we need to adore him.