Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog, the review

As you know, I was really looking forward to seeing the internet musical Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog. It was typical Joss Whedon in a number of ways: great music, fantastic casting and acting, intelligent writing, decidedly unhappy ending, random reference to a florist. In another way, however, it did come up short. Whedon is well known as a feminist with incredibly strong female lead characters, and there was not one to be found here. Penny was the least developed character of the three, and primarily served as a prop for arch-nemeses Dr. Horrible and Captain Hammer.

That said, the show as a whole only confirmed to me that Whedon is a creative genius. Whedon is at his best when he explores complex characters that don't follow stereotypes. In Dr. Horrible, he addresses the questions of what makes a hero a hero, and what makes a villain a villain. His "hero" was a bully and a womanizer who cried at the slightest pain; his "villain" was a computer nerd who desperately wanted to fit in. One was in love with the pretty girl from the laundromat; the other just wanted to show her his "hammer." Particularly given the super tight budget of this project, which was filmed during the writers' strike, I have to give it full props. Whedon will continue to feature strong women. But for once, it was enough to simply enjoy the singing, the laughs, and the terrible twists.