Note: So, as you may have noticed, I’m not reviewing a book today. That’s because I’ve decided to mix things up a little. From now on, I’ll be using Mondays to review/discuss all sorts of media—books, music, movies, TV shows (basically anything I feel like).
Warning: THIS POST WILL
SPOIL EVERYTHING.
If you haven’t seen the show, it’s only 43 minutes, and you can watch it right here because I’m nice and I’ve provided the link for you. And, just as further warning, there are three mildly inappropriate bits. If you are concerned about this, all you need to do is mute or skip from 24:22-25:08, 28:20-28:34, and 31:32-31:38. DOCTOR HORRIBLE’S SING-ALONG BLOG is unrated, but factoring in violence, innuendo, and language, I’d give it a mild PG-13. And if you’re like me and you’re wondering if it’s legal for this to be online, trust me, in this case it really is fine. When Joss Whedon and his gang released this video, they released it directly to YouTube, so there’s nothing to worry about. Problem solved. [Translation: Joss Whedon might possibly be my hero.]
If you haven’t seen the show, it’s only 43 minutes, and you can watch it right here because I’m nice and I’ve provided the link for you. And, just as further warning, there are three mildly inappropriate bits. If you are concerned about this, all you need to do is mute or skip from 24:22-25:08, 28:20-28:34, and 31:32-31:38. DOCTOR HORRIBLE’S SING-ALONG BLOG is unrated, but factoring in violence, innuendo, and language, I’d give it a mild PG-13. And if you’re like me and you’re wondering if it’s legal for this to be online, trust me, in this case it really is fine. When Joss Whedon and his gang released this video, they released it directly to YouTube, so there’s nothing to worry about. Problem solved. [Translation: Joss Whedon might possibly be my hero.]
Okay, now that
we’re done with the really long disclaimer, let’s get down to the fun stuff.
But if you haven’t seen the show already, I highly recommend that you do so
before you read any further. Seriously, I’m not sure this post will make sense
if you haven’t watched the show. And it’s a really good show, even if the title is a little weird.
That said, the
major question I had at the end of DOCTOR HORRIBLE’S SING-ALONG BLOG was,
“Which one’s the villain?”
Let’s start
with our main character, Doctor Horrible (aka, Billy Buddy). With his penchant
for petty theft and his eagerness to become part of the Evil League of Evil, it
seems pretty obvious that he would be our prime candidate. Beyond that strike
against his character, he has a few other things going against him. Like your
average creep, he follows Penny on her date with his nemesis, Captain Hammer.
And when Hammer pushes Billy past his breaking point, Billy decides to murder the Captain. Seems clear-cut, huh?
And when Hammer pushes Billy past his breaking point, Billy decides to murder the Captain. Seems clear-cut, huh?
But wait.
Doctor Horrible
does not fit your average, two-dimensional, villain mold. Oh no. Despite his
evil laugh and his mad genius goggles, he also has a good heart and an
interesting (if not entirely spot-on) moral compass. And fortunately, since
he’s the main character, we get a unique look into his perspective and the
motivations that drive him.
So let’s take a peek at some of the things that might make him “the good guy”. Before Captain Hammer rubs his relationship with Penny in Doctor Horrible’s face, the doctor really has no desire to kill anyone, even though he’s required to do so in order to get into the Evil League of Evil (run by Bad Horse, the Thoroughbred of Sin). Though Doctor Horrible harbors a secret crush on Penny, he doesn’t pressure her to like him back or force himself on her in any way—in fact, he can be very respectful (you know, when he’s not stalking her).
While most villains operate with anarchy as their main goal, Billy views anarchy as a tool necessary to overthrow the broken system that guides humanity.
Whatever the case, he has his finger on the pulse of human nature, and he recognizes the evil that lurks in the heart of humankind. He doesn’t embrace corruption—in his own weird way, he hopes to fight it.
So let’s take a peek at some of the things that might make him “the good guy”. Before Captain Hammer rubs his relationship with Penny in Doctor Horrible’s face, the doctor really has no desire to kill anyone, even though he’s required to do so in order to get into the Evil League of Evil (run by Bad Horse, the Thoroughbred of Sin). Though Doctor Horrible harbors a secret crush on Penny, he doesn’t pressure her to like him back or force himself on her in any way—in fact, he can be very respectful (you know, when he’s not stalking her).
While most villains operate with anarchy as their main goal, Billy views anarchy as a tool necessary to overthrow the broken system that guides humanity.
Whatever the case, he has his finger on the pulse of human nature, and he recognizes the evil that lurks in the heart of humankind. He doesn’t embrace corruption—in his own weird way, he hopes to fight it.
(Also, it could
be argued that, had the freeze ray not chosen to malfunction at a critical
moment, it’s possible Doctor Horrible might have been unable to go through with
the murder of Captain Hammer. But that’s all speculation, and it’s a moot point
since the freeze ray DID malfunction. Moving on.)
Now for our
next villain candidate: Captain Hammer. As the one who sets himself up against
Doctor Horrible, it seems pretty obvious that Captain Hammer is our hero. After
all, he continually thwarts the Doctor’s nefarious schemes, he rescues Penny,
and he helps the homeless. Pretty great guy, huh?
Unlike other
heroes, though, Captain Hammer is a major jerk. Throughout the story, it’s
obvious to everyone except Penny that he doesn’t respect her—doesn’t even see
her as more than an object for his own amusement. In fact, I find it very
telling that he rescues Penny from the runaway van by shoving her into a pile
of trash bags—because, had Penny lived, that’s exactly what he would have done
to her in the end. He would have grown tired of her, dumped her like garbage, and
moved on to the next good-looking girl.
Ultimately,
he’s only concerned with what he can get and by how people see him.
As long as the masses fall at his feet, worshiping him for his heroic deeds and his good looks, then he doesn’t worry about whether he’s doing good or not. He looks down on those he considers lower than himself, and continually reminds them of his perceived superiority. And, unlike Doctor Horrible, he doesn’t care about correcting the rampant problems in society (such as the homelessness epidemic), unless by doing so he can make himself look great.
“Wait Liz,” you say, “he does do nice stuff—he does help the homeless.”
But my question is, if you do nice stuff for bad reasons, does that really make you a hero?
As long as the masses fall at his feet, worshiping him for his heroic deeds and his good looks, then he doesn’t worry about whether he’s doing good or not. He looks down on those he considers lower than himself, and continually reminds them of his perceived superiority. And, unlike Doctor Horrible, he doesn’t care about correcting the rampant problems in society (such as the homelessness epidemic), unless by doing so he can make himself look great.
“Wait Liz,” you say, “he does do nice stuff—he does help the homeless.”
But my question is, if you do nice stuff for bad reasons, does that really make you a hero?
Right about
now, you might be thinking “Just be done, okay. He’s hot, Liz, so don’t
question him.”
To which I
answer, “Wait, there’s more.”
As Doctor
Horrible points out in his song (“Slipping”), Captain Hammer’s disguise is
slipping—more and more, what lies beneath his “nice guy” exterior is becoming
evident.
When Captain
Hammer comes across true pain, the kind he has so enjoyed inflicting on Doctor
Horrible, he runs screaming from the room, knocking over a lady on the way out.
The fact that, by doing so, he’s leaving Penny skewered with death ray shrapnel, isn’t at all important to him—and maybe you could argue that he couldn’t have known so he isn’t to blame. Fair point. But if he were a true hero, even though he’s in pain (and not visibly wounded), his first priority should be the well-being of others. Considering that the death ray explosion occurred in his attempt to kill Doctor Horrible and thus is his fault, it’s his responsibility to make sure no one is injured.
Instead he thinks only of himself, leaving Doctor Horrible to sit with Penny during her last moments.
The fact that, by doing so, he’s leaving Penny skewered with death ray shrapnel, isn’t at all important to him—and maybe you could argue that he couldn’t have known so he isn’t to blame. Fair point. But if he were a true hero, even though he’s in pain (and not visibly wounded), his first priority should be the well-being of others. Considering that the death ray explosion occurred in his attempt to kill Doctor Horrible and thus is his fault, it’s his responsibility to make sure no one is injured.
Instead he thinks only of himself, leaving Doctor Horrible to sit with Penny during her last moments.
“Okay, Liz,
you’ve made your point. Can I go home now?”
Wait, I’m still
not done. Because there’s one more villainous candidate.
“WHAT? ARE YOU
CRAZY? YOU HAVE GOT TO BE JOKING. TELL ME YOU’RE JOKING.”
I’m not joking.
Because our
next candidate is Penny—sweet, innocent, naïve little Penny who harbors such
compassion for the dark and gritty areas of society.
“Liz, you
monster, I can’t believe you. Poor darling Penny has probably never hurt anyone
or anything in her life. She puts herself at risk just to collect signatures
for a building she hopes to convert into a homeless shelter. Even to the end,
despite the way he treats her, she still refuses to recognize the evil in
Captain Hammer. She doesn’t judge Doctor Horrible. And she’s just so stinking
nice. Liz, you really are a heartless, soulless, cold—”
All this I
know.
“Didn’t you
listen to the songs? Didn’t you hear Penny say she believes there’s good in
every heart? Didn’t you—”
There you have
it, and I couldn’t have said it better myself. Yes, Penny is a sweetie, and I’m
not arguing so much that she is the problem, but that she has contributed to
the problem. And please don’t assume that I’m at all victim-blaming. The fault
of her death lies with both Captain Hammer and Doctor Horrible, and we can
discuss the blame at a later date. But as Billy so aptly points out, Penny is
treating a symptom—homelessness—rather than the problem.
And you can’t help people until you find out what’s wrong with them. Sure, if you have a headache, I could give you ibuprofen, but that really won’t take care of your festering brain tumor. If I were truly concerned about you, I’d do everything I could to make sure someone took that tumor out of you before it killed you.
And you can’t help people until you find out what’s wrong with them. Sure, if you have a headache, I could give you ibuprofen, but that really won’t take care of your festering brain tumor. If I were truly concerned about you, I’d do everything I could to make sure someone took that tumor out of you before it killed you.
I’m not blaming
Penny for wanting to help the homeless—I think that’s admirable of her, and we
need more people willing to do that. Honest to goodness, that’s not the issue.
But I want to challenge her ideology. If there really is good in every heart,
then why do homeless people exist in the first place? When Penny dies, she dies
believing that Captain Hammer is her shining, selfless hero and that Billy is
her sweet laundry buddy.
And while that makes Penny a genuinely loveable person, in order to help people, you have to see them as they really are, broken and messy and imperfect. No one is going to save the world through idealism—and rose-tinted glasses have a way of blinding people to reality.
And while that makes Penny a genuinely loveable person, in order to help people, you have to see them as they really are, broken and messy and imperfect. No one is going to save the world through idealism—and rose-tinted glasses have a way of blinding people to reality.
So there you
have it, your three candidates. Now who do you think is the true villain? Or is
it fair to single out only one individual? Also, on a scale of one to ten (ten
being the greatest), how mean am I for even considering Penny as one of the
baddies?
THE THING HAS NATHAN FILLION IN IT I MUST WATCH IT.
ReplyDelete*saves for later*
Really, though, this seems super interesting, and I'm totally going to watch it.
IT DOES, IT DOES. *dies*
DeleteI'd love to know what you think of it when you do watch it, and I hope you like it. :)
LIZ YOU HAVE RUINED MY LIFE!!!
ReplyDeleteMy train of thought -
Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog? That sounds stupid. There's no way I'm watching that. Uh, well, I do have some time to spare, and Liz likes it, so may as well. (5 minutes later). Hey, this is pretty good. (38 minutes later) I LOVE THIS (2 minutes later) WHAT NO WHAT JUST HAPPENED IT CANNOT END LIKE THAT WHY JUST WHAT EVEN!!!!
In other words, thank you for introducing me to that, and how could you introduce me to that?!!? It's so sad!
Ok, commenting on the actual blog post now. I'm going to go with both Dr. Horrible and Captain Hammer are the villains, and they're both the heros. If the story was told from Captain Hammer's POV, he would be more sympathetic because maybe he used to be awkward around girls and now he has a girlfriend and he had body image issues and etc etc but we just don't get to see it. It was told from Horrible's POV though so we see his awkwardness and genuine kindness and want to fix humanity by cutting off its head... They both have redeeming qualities and qualities that aren't so redeeming (being a jerk, wanting to introduce anarchy to society) and neither of their motivations or goals are terribly heroic. But they kind of are. HOW IS THIS THING SO DEEP??!?!?!!
I'm going to go with a third approach and say that Penny represents all of us. We can be naive at times and believe what we want to see (like Lance Armstrong) or miss out on things like someone is actually an evil scientist (or, you know, a kidnapper or something (I couldn't really think of another example off the top of my head, sorry) or that someone actually likes us when we thought we were just friends (think every YA book with a love triangle ever). We're a little stupid sometimes and can't always fix the problem at the source so we run around trying to patch the leaks. And that's ok. That's part of being human, and we can't all be evil scientists/good looking heroes. And while she contributed to the problem, she didn't have all the facts to try to fix things either. She didn't know that Billy was an evil scientist and she didn't know that Captain Hammer was his nemisis, so she can't be 100% blamed for being so naive. That's just like us, too. We don't always know all the facts, so we make mistakes too.
So yeah, to sum up that long winded comment, that show was awesome. I loved that the typical villain was actually a good guy who was bad and that the hero was a bad guy who was good and aaaah mixing sterotypes always makes me feel happy. People have two layers and we need to see both of the layers to make a decision about someone.
Thanks so much for introducing that to everyone! It was awesome.
MUAHAHAHAHA.
DeleteThe title does make it sound so stupid, though, doesn't it? I wouldn't have checked it out by myself, but my cousins love it and they have great taste, so I can totally understand your initial aversion. :P I loved your train of thought--it was very similar to mine when I was watching it.
You're welcome, and I'm sorry for introducing it to you (no, I'm not--yes, I am--no, I'm not).
You make a good point. It's true that it's easier to be biased toward Doctor Horrible because we get to see into his head and understand what drives him. If Captain Hammer were the main character, we might view Doctor Horrible in a completely different light because we wouldn't understand him as well. And it would be rather interesting to get an actual peek into Captain Hammer's head, because on the one hand I could buy the body image issues explanation, but on the other hand, he seems sooo self-centered, it's hard to know what's going on inside that noggin'. Personally, I would give them both heavy shares of the blame, but I prefer Doctor Horrible because he's nicer and he's so visibly vulnerable. And his face when he sees Penny-- *melts into a puddle of sobs* But seriously, one of the things that struck me about the story is that it's so silly and yet simultaneously deep, and the makers of the show balanced those two aspects remarkably well, in my opinion. There are so many facets to the narrative and to the characters, that it's pretty much impossible to put a label on anyone.
Oh yes, I miss out on people being evil scientists all the time. :P But it's true though--we're so gullible, and mainly that's because we want to be fooled, or, to put it another way, we want the lie to be true. Just like you could see Penny half-questioning at times whether her relationship with Captain Hammer was really all that and a bag of chips, but she kept duping herself because she wanted him to be the handsome hero who could save her and her hurting town. Also, I like the way you put it--patching the leaks. And you're right, we can't always be the movers and the shakers--there's nothing wrong with plugging a leak with your pinkie until someone else comes along and fixes the wall before it bursts (bonus points if you get that reference). I like that you compare her with us, and I think she could also be what we would like to be, on some level. Sometimes we know too much about the evil--we see it everywhere--and even if it's a little bit irresponsible, we still would like to be blind to it for at least a little bit. We're Captain Hammer, and we're in love with Penny.
I'M SO GLAD YOU THOUGHT THE SHOW WAS AWESOME. asdlkjsdljk I LOVED the stereotype swap, and I love that Doctor Horrible does win in the end even though he loses as well. And I love that Captain Hammer gets shown for who he really is because I'm spiteful and I love to see narcissistic people get taken down a notch. "People have two layers and we need to see both of the layers to make a decision about someone." Yes, I agree, but I also have to site Doctor Horribly, just because you left yourself wide open for it: "And sometimes there's a third, even deeper layer, and that one's the same as the top surface one... Like with pie."
You're welcome--I'm glad that you enjoyed it! :) (And thank your for taking the time to write such a long comment--I love long comments. XD )
Yes, the title makes it sound so stupid! Then you watch it and are like, WHAT EVEN ARE WORDS!?!?!
DeleteAnd I'm sure Cap Hammer could be spun in a positive light if we were seeing stuff from his POV, but I'm glad we didn't because then the stereotype swap wouldn't have worked as well as it did. And yeah, it'd take a LOT of explaining to make Cap Hammer more sympathetic, especially because he's such a jerk, but if anyone could do it, Joss Whedon could. And yes oh my goodness I ADORE DR HORRIBLE HE'S AWESOME AND SO SWEET AND ASDFJKLSDF!!!! I adore though how they're both the villains. Granted, Dr Horrible is the typical "bad guy" but he isn't at the same time even though he shares the blame with Captain Hammer 100% for what happened in the end.
And yeah, that's one of the things that are so brilliant about the show. It's so silly and a little low-budget and ridiculous (I loved how they handled the musical part of it. BRILLIANCE! It both simultaneously mocked and embraced musical-ness) but it's also really deep and asks such great questions about humanity and what it means to be the bad guy and the good guy. For example, just because you're building a homeless centre, does that make you the good guy?
YES I AGREE!!! We want to believe that the new miracle cream will make us young again and that our heroes are actually heroes and that our boyfriend/girlfriend's not cheating on us and that the politician is telling the truth and etc etc. (And I'm going to guess that the reference is Ice Age 2 with Scrat in the beginning? *hides head in shame if wrong*) And yeah, it can get really depressing sometimes, and often we just want Captain Hammer to come save us instead of realizing that he's part of the problem. And yes!!! That's an awesome comparison. We just want to see the world as being beautiful instead of having to deal with all the evil lurking on the video blogs...
Yeah, I think that's the best tragedy; when the MC gets his goal only to find that it's not what he wanted, and now he can't go back. (The only example I can really think of is Macbeth, but he got his goal so early in the story that it's a bit different.)
It's great that Captain Hammer's brought down low, and it's great that Dr Horrible is too. They both realized their character flaws in the end (ok, it could be argued that Captain Hammer didn't, but it could be argued that he did. Either way) Hahaha, yeah, I had that one coming for me. I'd love to see what happened after the ending; does Captain Hammer come to realize that he was just using Penny and feel sorry about it? Does Dr Horrible leave the Evil League of Evil (or whatever it was) after he realizes that his evil goal came at the cost of his true love? Do the two of them come to an agreement over frozen yogurt? WHAT EVEN HAPPENS!?!?
I could hardly keep that comment short. There were too many things to discuss. Humanity depends on it.
Et je ne sais pas que vous pouvez lire Francais! C'est très génial. Je peux lire et écrire mieux que je peux parler, mais je essai.
DeleteAh, vous lire et ecrire aussi--tres genial! XD (Je m'excuse--les accent marques n'existe pas sur ma verification orthographique [?], et je ne ecris pas bien.) Je parler un petit peu, mais pas couramment. :P
Delete:P That's my feeble attempt at writing French without any sort of spell check to mask my errors. Hopefully it's not too embarrassing. So when did you start learning French?
So anyway, now I will answer your previous comment. :P
When I started writing the post, I was like, well, I really want to share this with people because it's awesome, but everyone's going to look at the title and be like, "Ew". So I'm glad you were able to forgive the goofy title. And, having watched the show, I'm a little bit fond of the title now, just because I think it sort of fits the essence.
You're right--how could I forget? JOSS WHEDON IS THE MOST BRILLIANT MOVIE PERSON EVER. He could probably make Captain Hammer look like a saint if he wanted to. But, like you, I'm glad he went with Doctor Horrible's view point, because then you get the confusingness of trying to figure out who's the hero and who's the bad guy. And Doctor Horrible is such a compelling character--like, I related to him on so many levels (okay, that could be interpreted wrongly). I really like that, Doctor Horrible sees himself as being in the right and yet simultaneously he sees himself as the bad guy. And he's cool with that little paradox.
Exactly, it's so deep and the music is so well-done. I'm amazed by what they were able to do in only six days of filming with a low budget. I mean, these people are geniuses. And I guess everyone was closely involved with writing the script, so I wonder if that's what helped make it so deep--like, it had so many layers of thought to it. *shrugs* I hope they'll make the sequel--they said they'd make it, like, eight years ago, and they still haven't. *sulks*
"...often we just want Captain Hammer to come save us instead of realizing he's part of the problem"--you worded that so well. Like, it covers so much of life. We keep turning back to people who hurt us because we somehow think it will be better this time. We Americans ask the government turn to the government like it's our savior even though it's so riddled with issues (sorry, shoo politics, no one wants you). And I was actually referencing this, but I can think of several scenes in Ice Age 2 that would apply as well.
Isn't it the best though? Like, it hurts so much more when the victory is no longer a victory, that they get what they want and yet they don't. (Macbeth is a good example, also, in a way, Frodo in LOTR because he saves the Shire but he doesn't really fit in there anymore--sorry if you haven't read/LOTR.)
Yeah, it definitely could be argued that Captain Hammer is still blind to his issues, but at least he got deflated a little. I mean, now he has to deal with the embarrassment of seeking therapy to deal with the traumatic experience of feeling pain. And everyone has seen him for what he truly is--a homicidal, egotistical, cowardly, sadistic, chauvinistic, whimp. And yes, I would love to see what happens next. I guess the sequel they were/are planning includes, like, a robot of Penny or Penny's evil twin or something. I'm not sure about the details, but either way, I HAVE TO SEE IT. *pouts*
Yes, there are way too many things to discuss. And you're right, HUMANITY DOES DEPEND ON IT. Thank you for saving humanity, Victoria. I knew you were special.
Nah, it was great :) *technically* I've been learning for 7 years, but I don't like to count grades 4-7 because the only things I learned was "quel temps fait il" and the numbers 1-10. I've been actually learning it for about 3 years. You?
DeleteYeah, now that I've seen it the title makes sense. It really fits the tone of the show. And it's great that they stuck with Doctor Horrible's POV because it gave the show a whole other level... which they actually brought up in regards to the characters. This show is so deep. I love how Dr Horrible is so relatable; pretty much all of us can relate to wanting to fix society (even though his means are a little evil) and the whole romance thing helped pull our sympathy strings.
6 days!?! That's so cool. I knew it was low budget but that takes serious dedication. *sighs* they so need to make a sequel.
Yeah, that's a great point. Politics :/ (Aaand I tried. I've never heard of that before, but it's cool. Definitely fit the point.)
It's so great. I love when it's a hollow victory because the author understands what it is that the character wants but is cruel enough to give it to them once they no longer want it. It is the ultimate way to be cruel to your character, and it really gets the readers sobbing. Frodo's a great example, but Bilbo is even more so. He only wanted to go back home, and in the end when he's back all he wants to do is go again.
Yep, Captain Hammer definitely got knocked down a few notches. It was great too, because it was what he deserved. He needed to realize what real pain felt like and that not everyone thought he was amazing for good reason.
It does give me hope, though. You see so many movies/books/stories which have absolutely no depth whatsoever and have a run time of a million hours (or are made into a trilogy/series) but at the end they're paper thin. This show was only about 45 minutes but there's so much depth to it, and it was funny and entertaining and challenged some great stereotypes.
Thank you :-) humanity is saved! *cape blows in the wind*
Well thanks--I guess I won't point out the error or two I found after I posted. :P Technically, I've been studying it for eleven years now, but there were a few years, like you, where I didn't get a whole lot done--so I think the actual count would be closer to seven years. Considering I've been studying it that long, I've made abominable progress. I can read books in French just fine--but I'm not sure I'd even be able to order a meal in France. Which is just a tad depressing. :P
DeleteI agree, Doctor Horrible is very relatable, which makes what happens to him so much more impactful. He has this cute crush, and we just naturally want to root for him. Joss Whedon is so good at manipulating viewer emotions and painting such deep characters. I love the way he takes what seems, at surface level, to be just a silly storyline, and he takes it and makes it say something so profound.
Yes, I love what you said about the hollow victory--it's so much more painful that way, because the author is taunting the character. I think another example of a hollow victory would be Katniss in a way (I don't remember--have you read Mockingjay? I wouldn't want to spoil it if you haven't.)
Yeah, Captain Hammer really needed to have his eyes opened. Maybe he'd started out as nice hero--but if he did, he totally let this saving people and being awesome business get to his head. And you could argue that Doctor Horrible saved the people by dethroning their little god. I can't imagine falling all over a guy like that would be any sort of healthy in the long term. And maybe once the people straighten themselves out, things will get a little better. I dunno. *shrugs*
I love what Joss was able to do in such a short time. I mean, it's just brilliant. He tells the story, tells everything that needs to be told, tells it brilliantly, and then finishes it when it's done. He didn't feel the need to turn it into a gimmick. He didn't bother trying to stretch it out into several movies so he could make money. I mean, he released it for free. Clearly he did it, first and foremost, for the sake of art. And I so respect that. I wish we had more art like that (although, I'm totally all for paying artists--I just mean that I wish art were the ultimate driving force, rather than money).
Yes, Captain Victoria's here, cape blowing in the wind....
*hangs head in shame*
Well, if there was an error I didn't catch it. Hahaha, I'm struggling to get through Charlie and the Chocolate Factory at the moment, but I could totally order a meal in France - je voudrais une salade, s'il vous plait! And I'm sure you're a lot better than you make it out to be.
DeleteYes, Joss Wheadon is amazing. He can make something that sounds stupid and make it so awesome.
Yes! The Hunger Games has such a hollow vicotory. I've never thought about it like that before, actually. I kind of just assumed it was the whole taking down the government thing that was the goal, but it was really Prim the whole time. *sobs*
I think we need a Captain Hammer backstory here. Like really, that would be awesome. Captain Hammer, the man who stood up for good only to find himself turning to the dark side... AND YES! "Doctor Horrible saved the people by dethroning their little god." That is perfect. LOVE IT. He saved them by trying to destroy/rule them all. THAT IS PURE AWESOME!!! Thanks for pointing that out. I must try to fit that into one of my manuscripts somehow...
Yep, I've said it once, and I'll say it again. Joss Wheadon is totally amazing. I love it when people make art for the sake of making something beautiful. And it could be argued that Doctor Horrible's Sing-Along Blog isn't beautiful, it's silly, low-budget and a waste of time. But then you look at something like our discussion about simultaneously good and evil and about seeing a reflection of ourselves in an unwitting antagonist and realize that it IS beautiful, it's making us think and question and reason and fangirl. It was created for the sake of making something to reflect ourselves and flip sterotypes and have a bit of fun and frozen yogurt while we're at it. And that's what makes something beautiful :)
Gah, I've just realized I've spell Joss' name wrong not once BUT TWICE. I apologize from the deepest depths of my soul.
DeleteI'll just pretend you didn't spell his name wrong, since you were kind enough not to pay too much attention to my French grammar. And okay, well, I might be able to order some stuff. But I get nervous and forget like, almost every word I've ever learned when I'm talking to someone who might actually be able to critique my French. :P
DeleteMockingjay... Prim... *flops on ground* *wails*
And you're welcome. :) I'm glad you liked my point--and yes, you should totally use that in a manuscript. I agree that we should get some Captain Hammer backstory. If they ever get around to making that promised sequel, I hope they delve into his character a bit more. Like, where does he go from here? Does he realize how and why he's been such a brat? I MUST KNOW ALL THE THINGS.
I think art can't be defined by the money used--only the talent. Joss could have been burdened with a bazillion and nine dollars, and he could still have made something awful if he didn't delve into the hearts of his characters, if he didn't build up characters and situations that mirror aspects of our own psyches. And despite the low budget, I'm not sure how much more the show could be improved, because all the important stuff is there. I'm glad you feel the same away about it. :)
Now if he would just get on to making that sequel...
*sobs* I NEED A SEQUEL! Ok, got that out of my system. Yes!!! I totally agree. It's nothing but heart, and that's what makes it so amazing. And the way it mirrors different people in real life... It's awesome. I can see myself in each of the charaters, which is not an easy thing to do.
Delete*sobs with you* SO MUCH HEART. *sobs harder* I know--isn't it awesome. I felt, especially, that Doctor Horrible is a lot like me--just different, since, you know, I don't go around trying to introduce anarchy and overthrow the social system.
DeleteI resent you and Victoria for making me scroll that far to comment. Just kidding. Getting long comments is one of the joys of being a blogger, eh?
ReplyDeleteAnyway, you have basically melted me because I LOVE VILLAIN ANALYSES AND if it doesn't bug you, I might stick this on my WBI page on my blog, just because I like to give people other resources than my own. :)
Anyway, I think the best part of Dr. Horrible is the moral ambiguity, and as you so deftly point out, each one of the three main characters has severe moral shortcomings and we have to ask those questions: If Dr. Horrible does evil with good intentions, does that make him good? If Captain Hammer does good with poor intentions, does that make him evil? And if Penny does good but doesn't really keep evil from happening, is she really doing good? These are awesome questions to ask and I honestly need to rewatch this because it has been a long time since I did... BUT WHATEVER. The point is, I love your analysis and I love that you made me ask questions I've never stopped to think about.
Though if you were to ask me, I would say that Dr. Horrible and Captain Hammer are villains, and Penny is just an antagonist. *nods* Again, that's just my interpretation. Thanks for your thoughts, Liz! :D
XD I know, there's a lot of long commenting going on up there. *hugs post* It really is one of the joys though. I love discussing stuff in depth, and I love that someone is willing to take the time to comment and hash out and asdljasdk.
DeleteI'M SO GLAD YOU LOVE MY VILLAIN ANALYSES. And it totally wouldn't bug me--in fact, I'd be honored. :)
I love the moral ambiguity, and I love how you boiled down my analysis into those three, great questions. *hires you as ghost writer on the spot* And yes, you should rewatch. I fell in love with it so much, I even went out and bought the DVD so I could actually hug it. And I'm so glad I could make you think new thoughts about it. :)
I think I agree with your final decision, but I think I'd go further to say that Penny is an unwitting antagonist, because she really does mean well.
You're welcome, and thanks so much for commenting!