Dr. Horrible Finale is a Wonderfully Dark Bash to the Mind

by Josh Roth @ 8:07 pm July 19th, 2008

I don’t want to spoil the surprise of the Dr. Horrible Sing-Along-Blog finale, but believe me it’s perfect. It’s a serious bash to the mind (in the words of Captain Hammer), a bit depressing, and quite dark, but it couldn’t have ended any other way. In typical Joss Whedon fashion Dr. Horrible ends with one hell of a bang. The first act was light hearted and upbeat, the second was slightly darker but still had a glimmer of hope, the third and final act is down right morbid, but with that Joss Whedon touch of charm. Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along-Blog is a rare gem of brilliance in a sea of mediocrity; not just in the internet but in media in general.

OK, maybe I’m being a bit hyperbolic, and yes we have had an incredible year for movies. But for every great film that came out this year there is an equally mediocre one (either already released on on the way). We got Iron Man, The Dark Knight, and In Bruges this year, but we also got/will get Meet Dave, Meet the Spartans, (gods help us) Disaster Movie. It’s nice to see something so brilliant and perfect as Dr. Horrible, from an auteur like Joss Whedon do well, especially on the internet. You can head on over to the official website to read Whedon’s “Master Plan”, which tells the story of how Whedon called in favors and put his own money up front to try and prove a point; that there is money to be made in internet video. On the first day of its launch, Dr. Horrible launched to #1 on iTunes (and has stayed there), and it brought so much traffic to its own website and the Joss Whedon fan page Whedonesque that both shut down in only a few hours.

Whedon’s work isn’t for everyone, there have been a few negative reactions to Dr. Horrible, but the consensus has been really positive overall. Joss doesn’t pull any punches, he loves to put his characters through the ringer, sending them to hell and back (sometimes literally). His work may not be mind numbing entertainment, but it’s better for it. In all of Whedon’s shows he weaves tragic love tales and kills off main characters. Knowing this I still wasn’t prepared for the ending of his latest project. It took me by surprise and left my dumb founded and in utter awe. If you haven’t seen the finale, turn back now, SPOILERS AHEAD.

The last number (starting about where Dr. Horrible shows up and freezes Captain Hammer right up to the end) is incredible. It really shows off Neil Patrick Harris’ brilliance as an actor and a singer, and it gives us insight to the characters and wraps up the story nicely. It could never have ended any other way. Billy got what he wanted, but of course it was a hollow victory. He gets to be in the Evil League of Evil, but he loses Penny by his own doing. I shouldn’t really have been that surprised, there was no way that Penny and Billy (aka Dr. Horrible) could have lived happily ever after after Billy took over the world. But Joss is such a damned good story teller that I was completley wrapped up in the story and characters, I wasn’t thinking ahead.

That’s what he does, he weaves such an intricate and multilayered story that the viewer is so involved they don’t predict Whedon’s next move (which sometimes come from left field). The ending to Dr. Horrible feels like a punch to the gut from Captain Hammer, but by the time the credits finish, and the Mutant Enemy logo comes up, you’re left with a satisfied warm tingly feeling that I’ve come to get used to after watching Whedon work.

So there you have it. Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along-Blog. Hopefully it’ll live on in Internet history, both as a work of art and as a financial success; something of this quality certainly deserves to. At the very least it should hold us over till Dollhouse premieres early next year, and remind us all why we love Joss Whedon.