Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog.
The name doesn't quite strike one as something appealing, but it does carry a particular allurement. But despite being a bit mundane and slightly misleading, the title is fairly straightforward in detailing the contents of the miniseries.
Written by writer/director Joss Whedon, Zack and Jed Whedon, and actress Maurissa Tancharoen during the 2007-2008 Writer's Guild of America strike, the series was created for the purpose of being small and inexpensive yet professionally done.
Dr. Horrible (Neil Patrick Harris) diligently blogs videos of himself describing his exploits and, like most musicals, bursts into song in order to communicate his thoughts in feelings. Other central characters are subsequently introduced in the duration of his first seen blog post. His arch nemesis: Captain Hammer (Nathan Fillion), the superpowered, self-centered antihero; his love interest: Penny (Felicia Day), the idealistic girl from Dr. Horrible's laundromat; his sidekick: Moist (Simon Helberg), his friend gifted with the underwhelming ability to dampen things.
I found the plot to be rather uncomplicated, but elegantly composed given the fourteen-minutes per episode. The Whedons expertly arrange the information given into small packages, ensuring that all essential facts are introduced within an incredibly short amount of time.
There's a presence of a mastery over musical composition that Whedon exhibits through this series, capable of enthralling viewers and leaving the melodies resonating through their minds for days. His capacity for composing is great, and I was disappointed when I reached the final episode knowing that it was over, that was it.
The characters were unparalleled in their wit and (depending on the intention of the creators) their ability to allure or repel completely. There are certainly no archetypes being explored with them as each has a rich, deep personality- even in spite of some being shallow and predictable but that is a success of their character.
I believe much of my captivation with the show is due to the realistic emotion displayed that evokes a desire to reciprocate emotion, regardless of the unrealistic circumstances of the storyline. This connection on an emotional level creates a metaphorical representation of the very basest aspects of our lives: love, longing, anger, revenge, regret, and the very complex emotion that is derived from wondering if our aspirations are correctly directed and how far we will go to achieve those, even if it means achieving nothing else.
