More Singing Along with Dr. Horrible

So, if for whatever reason– illness, family emergency, personal crisis– you haven’t yet managed to see Joss Whedon’s Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog, a three-act internet musical starring the super awesome Neil Patrick Harris as a blogging, low-rent super villain named Dr. Horrible, who longs to gain entrance into the Evil League of Evil and talk to the pretty girl at the laundromat, feel free to take a look-see at the sneak preview:

Teaser from Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog on Vimeo.

Okay, so I have now seen all three Acts, and DUDE. I have Thoughts. Of course, my thoughts would be considered spoilers to any and all Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog virgins, so be warned. DO. NOT. CLICK. Unless you want to be spoiled. For real. Clicking equals No-No. Unless you’ve seen the whole thing, in which case, come on doooooown! (In other words, click on the “read more” hyperlink below… if you dare. Mwah ha ha.)

Okay, so here’s the thing. I should have expected it. I really should have. I have watched enough Whedon to know that he is allergic to The Happy. And I have to admit, at first– at very first!– I was disappointed. There I was, be-bopping along to the music– honestly, how many of use weren’t sucked into the campy goodness that was Acts 1 and 2?– then BOOM. Hello to the pain.

See, dude bends genres. Yep. That’s what he does. Thinks outside the box. So I’m thinking “romantic comedy with a twist.” Joss, on the other hand, had other plans. I mean, I get it now… in the end, Penny HAD to die. She couldn’t be secretly evil and kill Captain Hammer herself. She couldn’t stop Dr. Horrible from killing Captain Hammer and live happily ever after with him. It couldn’t have ended any of those ways because everybody watching already thought those would be the perfect ending. They were predictable. And the obvious ain’t how Whedon rolls, yo?

Still… right at the end there… who was waiting for Penny to shout out, “Billy! NO! Don’t do it!” as the music swelled? Who was sure that Dr. Horrible would realize he could be plain old Billy Buddy with the love of a good woman? Huh? Who?

*raises hand*

Stupid, I know. Of course, I realize now that what I was watching wasn’t a romantic comedy with a twist. Not at all. The story went from campy to heavy in less than 45 minutes because what I was watching was actually an origin story for a super villain. A super villain wannabe who loved a genuinely good-hearted girl who believed the world could be a beautiful place if you just had hope… and then she dies, and it’s Dr. Horrible’s fault (albeit inadvertently), and her last words cut him to the quick, extinguish all hope in his heart: “Don’t worry… Captain Hammer will save us.”

So Dr. Horrible really did end up in the Evil League of Evil. With Bad Horse, the Thoroughbred of Sin. And that? I was not expecting.

And that is why I love Joss Whedon.