Dr. Horrible's Sing-A-Long Blog (whaaaa?)

Adamence · July 18, 2008, 11:55:55 PM

I've gotta say, after watching Part 3, only one thing came to mind

[spoiler]

:o

[/spoiler]

I so hope they find a way to make more.

Glitch Girl · July 19, 2008, 05:03:06 AM

Gotta agree, it was the only way it COULD end really.

But... wow.

Alaric · July 19, 2008, 06:25:59 AM

Yes. I had been trying to figure out how they were going to end it- hadn't thought of it ending like this, but it's probably the best (for the story) way they could have ended it...

[spoiler]It's interesting how each installment ended with Dr. Horrible simultaneously winning and losing in some way. The first installment ended with him successfully completing his theft from right under Captain Hammer's nose, but Penny starting to fall for Captain Hammer, the second ended with Captain Hammer emotionally crushing Dr. Horrible, which paradoxically seemingly solved the Doctor's dilemma, and the third ended with Dr. Horrible successfully defeating Captain Hammer and getting into the Evil League of Evil, but at a cost so terrible that none of those successes mean anything to him.[/spoiler]

I also hope that they can find a way to continue this somehow- I definitely want to see more of

[spoiler]-the Evil League of Evil... I paused the credits so I could get a good look at all their names...[/spoiler]

Bugbear · July 19, 2008, 02:26:54 PM

This was simply brilliant, on every level. I'll definitely be buying the DVD when it's released.

The ending was very powerful.

-BG

catwhowalksbyhimself · July 19, 2008, 03:47:17 PM

QuoteThe ending was very powerful.

I agree with you there.

[spoiler]It is one of the rare modern stories with a tragic ending that is well done. Most that try to pull something off leave you thinking, "that's a horrible ending. It should have gone down this way" but a good tragedy is not a tragedy simply because the writer wanted to write a tragedy, but because the story demands a tragic ending. As previously discussed, there is no way any other ending could have really held water. Oh, I suppose I would have accepted it, but the whole story would have merely been a simple, shallow diversion, and would not have held up under much analysis. The tragic ending, while being the only one that really fits, also transforms the whole story into something greater. The fact that I, and probably most, assumed it would have a happier ending, makes the impact much stronger.[/spoiler]

MJB · July 19, 2008, 04:59:38 PM

Quote from: Bugbear on July 19, 2008, 02:26:54 PM
I'll definitely be buying the DVD when it's released.

Me too.

-MJB

bredon7777 · July 19, 2008, 05:15:54 PM

Ok, so am I the only who thought

[spoiler] That him robbing the bank, getting in to the ELoE, etc were just hallucinations he had- and that last word with him in front of the camera was what actually happened?

I mean I don't deny that he met Bad Horse's conditions, nor that Captain Hammer was defeated - I just think he went home and doesn't really care about any of that stuff anymore [/spoiler]

catwhowalksbyhimself · July 19, 2008, 05:40:24 PM

No, I'm pretty sure

[spoiler]That all of that really did happen. By day, he is Dr. Horrible, evil mastermind villain who killed Captain Hammer's girlfriend and vanquished the hero for good. At night, by himself, he is just a lonely man. After all, there is no reason, given your scenario, that he would even be tempted to imagine the other stuff.[/spoiler]

bredon7777 · July 19, 2008, 06:23:34 PM

Sure there is
[spoiler]
He imagined it because he thought it would make the hole caused by killing Penny go away. and it didn't. So he didn't do it.
[/spoiler]

Glitch Girl · July 19, 2008, 07:09:20 PM

[spoiler]I think all that did happen. Him donning the darker costume I think was indictative of his new state of mind, where the "Billy" side which was more idealistic was completely crushed and all that was left was the "Dr. Horrible" side. That bit at the end was the real him the "Billy" side, living with the empty success he'd achieved because the one good thing in his life was gone.[/spoiler]

UnkoMan · July 19, 2008, 07:20:29 PM

Oh my. That WAS a great ending. I, too, did not see it coming.
In fact...
[spoiler]
I just assumed Dr. Horrible would lose again, still not have the girl, and generally go even more downhill. In light of that I was pleasantly surprised, actually. I would very much enjoy to see further adventures of Dr. Horrible.
[/spoiler]

And my favourite part of this whole thing? His twitch. Really added to the character.

crimsonquill · July 19, 2008, 08:00:42 PM

Quote from: Glitch Girl on July 19, 2008, 07:09:20 PM
[spoiler]I think all that did happen. Him donning the darker costume I think was indictative of his new state of mind, where the "Billy" side which was more idealistic was completely crushed and all that was left was the "Dr. Horrible" side. That bit at the end was the real him the "Billy" side, living with the empty success he'd achieved because the one good thing in his life was gone.[/spoiler]

I second that reaction... plus I also agree that Joss really needs to do a superhero project on the big or small screen.. because he really has been thriving in that genre lately.

- CrimsonQuill

Previsionary · July 19, 2008, 08:12:06 PM

Quote from: crimsonquill on July 19, 2008, 08:00:42 PM

...plus I also agree that Joss really needs to do a superhero project on the big or small screen.. because he really has been thriving in that genre lately.

- CrimsonQuill

That depends on who you ask. :P His comic work of late outside of Buffy/Angel isn't garnering the high praise it did back when Astonishing first began. *shrugs*

Now...to check out what set you guys abuzz...*disappears*

Podmark · July 19, 2008, 09:23:01 PM

Ending surprised me, but I really liked it.

Also I love Bad Horse. Greatest villain ever.

Viking · July 20, 2008, 12:01:27 AM

Also very much enjoyed it. Such an intriguing take on the whole hero-villain-civilian point of view. Makes me wonder if there's supposed to be some message hidden in there:

[spoiler]
Having also looked at the tie-in comic featuring Captain Hammer, I interpret several ongoing, running themes.

1) The one hero that we see, Captain Hammer, is a jock and a jerk. He's in it for the glory and adulation, and the opportunity to have fun beating on nerds.

2) The villains that we see are generally a melange of lameness and corniness - everything about how they appear just does not give a sense of menace. Moist. The Pink Pummeler. The Purple Pimp. Bad Horse and his Western-styled chorus. Fake Thomas Jefferson. Professor Normal. The Evil League of Evil. It's a club for the socially awkward, nerds and geeks.

3) And then there's the society of civilians, who worship muscle-bound jerks like Captain Hammer, and are oblivious to how Captain Hammer treats them like poodoo.

It's like that triumvirate of groupings closely mirrors public high school life - the strong and athletic are revered, and the nerdy and geeky just can not fit in.

Another element that I really find fascinating about this whole mini-series is how it turns a supervillain trope on its head. Namely, lots of supervillains are traditionally insane people who lament how "nobody gets them." Whereas in the Dr. Horrible point-of-view, Dr. Horrible really is the one person who seems to have clarity of vision, in a world where everyone else seems to be insane.

In the classic golden-age superhero genre, Captain Hammer really would be a paragon of virtue, and Dr. Horrible really would be an insane villain with a skewed vision of society. Like the traditional insane villain, Dr. Horrible would be misinterpreting each defeat at Captain Hammer's hands as a personal act of persecution. In the final, climactic battle, the villain would kill off the love interest, and end up blaming it on the hero in a burst of self-denial. The pain felt by the hero would not be something physical, but the emotional pain of losing the love interest.

And that's completely inverted in this mini-musical. Captain Hammer is a jerk, and all of his actions against Dr. Horrible really do stink of bullying and persecution. The love interest dying at the end really is due to Captain Hammer pulling the trigger when he didn't need to, whereas Captain Hammer flees the scene due to feeling physical pain, while Dr. Horrible feels the emotional trauma of losing the loved one.

It's like.... deep, man.[/spoiler]

Silver Shocker · July 20, 2008, 12:20:59 AM

I really liked this series. At first it just seemed like a light-hearted fun little spoof thing, and then at the end, it was really not. I kinda surprised the story was told so well in three relatively short parts. Kinda wish there was more.

Alaric · July 20, 2008, 07:23:14 AM

Quote from: Viking on July 20, 2008, 12:01:27 AM
Also very much enjoyed it. Such an intriguing take on the whole hero-villain-civilian point of view. Makes me wonder if there's supposed to be some message hidden in there:

[spoiler]
Having also looked at the tie-in comic featuring Captain Hammer, I interpret several ongoing, running themes.

1) The one hero that we see, Captain Hammer, is a jock and a jerk. He's in it for the glory and adulation, and the opportunity to have fun beating on nerds.

2) The villains that we see are generally a melange of lameness and corniness - everything about how they appear just does not give a sense of menace. Moist. The Pink Pummeler. The Purple Pimp. Bad Horse and his Western-styled chorus. Fake Thomas Jefferson. Professor Normal. The Evil League of Evil. It's a club for the socially awkward, nerds and geeks.

3) And then there's the society of civilians, who worship muscle-bound jerks like Captain Hammer, and are oblivious to how Captain Hammer treats them like poodoo.

It's like that triumvirate of groupings closely mirrors public high school life - the strong and athletic are revered, and the nerdy and geeky just can not fit in.

Another element that I really find fascinating about this whole mini-series is how it turns a supervillain trope on its head. Namely, lots of supervillains are traditionally insane people who lament how "nobody gets them." Whereas in the Dr. Horrible point-of-view, Dr. Horrible really is the one person who seems to have clarity of vision, in a world where everyone else seems to be insane.

In the classic golden-age superhero genre, Captain Hammer really would be a paragon of virtue, and Dr. Horrible really would be an insane villain with a skewed vision of society. Like the traditional insane villain, Dr. Horrible would be misinterpreting each defeat at Captain Hammer's hands as a personal act of persecution. In the final, climactic battle, the villain would kill off the love interest, and end up blaming it on the hero in a burst of self-denial. The pain felt by the hero would not be something physical, but the emotional pain of losing the love interest.

And that's completely inverted in this mini-musical. Captain Hammer is a jerk, and all of his actions against Dr. Horrible really do stink of bullying and persecution. The love interest dying at the end really is due to Captain Hammer pulling the trigger when he didn't need to, whereas Captain Hammer flees the scene due to feeling physical pain, while Dr. Horrible feels the emotional trauma of losing the loved one.

It's like.... deep, man.[/spoiler]

[spoiler]It's also interesting how, between the "Captain Hammer" tie-in comic and the musical itself, it's strongly implied that jerky heroes like Captain Hammer actually create villains, by treating social misfits as if they are already villains.[/spoiler]

Gremlin · July 20, 2008, 07:57:17 PM

I enjoyed this. Viking was spot-on. I love subversion and deconstruction, and this shines in those areas.

[spoiler]My favorite part, the bit that made the ending really hit for me, was when Penny was dying and she says, "I'll be alright. Captain Hammer will save me."[/spoiler]

crimsonquill · July 25, 2008, 04:43:48 PM

Joss has been making his rounds during the SDCC.. and reaction from the crowds to his Dr. Horrible Blog has been loud and positive... so today he made an announcement at one of the panels that Part 4 is on the way and further parts are being written. He also made a quip that maybe a superhero film might be in his future if his fans keep rallying behind his projects.

- CrimsonQuill

Midnight · July 29, 2008, 09:17:02 AM

For anyone who missed it, is too moral to pirate it and is too cheap to buy it off iTunes; Dr. Horrible has been reposted on Hulu.

catwhowalksbyhimself · July 29, 2008, 11:11:19 AM

Nice! Hulu hosted the videos in the first place, so I'm glad they decided to pick up it on a more permanent basis, with the full Hulu ad treatment. I like Hulu, a lot, and I'm quite glad they decided to do this.

Podmark · July 29, 2008, 07:47:57 PM

Well thats very nice. Glad they did that.

catwhowalksbyhimself · July 29, 2008, 08:37:41 PM

Do yourself a favor and read the intro on hulu that Joss wrote. It's a riot.

MJB · July 29, 2008, 09:15:02 PM

Where can one find said intro?

-MJB

catwhowalksbyhimself · July 29, 2008, 09:28:45 PM

It's on the bottom of the days of summer category. It's also on their blog, dated 7-29-08, and it currently the top entry.

Midnight · July 30, 2008, 07:12:08 AM

The blog link is here.

Dr.Volt · July 30, 2008, 07:42:24 AM

Quote from: Midnight on July 29, 2008, 09:17:02 AM
For anyone who missed it, is too moral to pirate it and is too cheap to buy it off iTunes; Dr. Horrible has been reposted on Hulu.

AWESOME! Thanks man! I thought I came too late. Can't wait to watch them!!

Dr.Volt · August 02, 2008, 12:51:18 PM

Ok, finally saw it! It's hilarious! And I couldn't help but really liking Doc Horrible. Very sad in the end as well. Whedon et al did a great job!

BentonGrey · August 07, 2008, 01:23:44 PM

Man....I finally found time to watch this, and it was quite awesome! I am surprised by just how GOOD it was. You can't help but like Billy, and the end is genuinely touching. Joss Whedon is still the man.

docdelorean88 · August 17, 2008, 08:07:39 AM

I found this absolutely fantastic, "You don't happen to like frozen yogurt do you?"