I Think I Need a Shoehorn

Okay, let’s try this Dr. Horrible banner thingy again:

Yeah, so Dr. Horrible. Sweet! It ain’t gonna be free much longer, so get it while the gettin’s good. If it’s too late already (and I’m pretty sure it is), you’ll have to pay for it. May as well; you get higher resolution and you support this new media thingy.

So, to review.

What was the first musical Joss Whedon saw while growing up? Company.

What did Joss say after sitting on a panel with Stephen Sondheim at Sondheim’s 75th birthday? I’ve met Stephen Sondheim. I can die now.

So is anyone surprised that it’s not a happy musical? Really surprised? Hey, he’s been doing that thing he does at the end for years, going back to when the Reavers threw that spear at Giles out in the desert. Or maybe I’m a little confused.

Anyway, I loved it. Dr. Horrible, I mean, not Buffy season 6, or Company. I mean I loved them too, but that’s not what I’m reviewing now. Right. So.

The Good

NPH does a spectacular Nathan Fillion throughout. I didn’t know anyone else could do that. Jenna hates gay actors who can’t play straight, so that made her all happy and stuff. That and the eyebrow thing NPH does. He’s got almost a John Belushi kind of thing going, only a little more toned down, and so, y’know, funnier. Plus he’s got a great voice. Johnny Booth was a headstrong fella… Sorry, that was another musical. The one where I found out NPH is in fact awesome. Now he’s all With my freeze-ray I will Stop! the world…

Except. At the climax of Act 3, after Nathan finishes his It’s all about me! superhero song, which though it doesn’t sound like anything from Urinetown, would have fit just fine in that show, and then, with a glorious color change from whichever of the Green family was shooting this (I forget which one it was), we go right into Neil’s “what are you all not looking at?” song, which is pure Sondheim.

Yeah, the music is better than the Buffy musical. Which I loved, but this is just better. Apparently his whole family is talented at the level nobody should be allowed to be. Bastards.

The Bad

Really, nothing.

The Ugly

Bad Horse. Well, not really ugly, he’s a fine horse. But Joss loves him some Western, so the Evil League of Evil is ruled by a horse, of course of course. It is said that one of Bad Horse’s singing deliverymen is Joss’ brother. I’m gonna go with the one with the red mustache.

Moist. Best superpower ever! You need anything dampened?

And, best line of the thing: My penis is the hammer. Gotta find a chance to use that. Was that in the script, or did Nathan make that up on his own? I could go either way on that.

So now all I want to know is what’s next? A sequel? A Broadway musical? Hey, Sondheim’s not gettting any younger, and Jonathan Larsen is dead. We gotta get some new stuff that’s not Abba on the stage, and the Whedons are the people to do it. Just because I can, I’m gonna predict that the next musical thingy Joss does will also include Alex Gemigniani. Anyway, it should. And NPH worked with him in Assasins, so there’s the necessary connection.

So, to sum up: We likes us our Joss!