A Long Afternoon, a Glass of Sparkling Red, and Singing in the Laundromat

I have to share with you one of this season's greatest enjoyments. I embraced Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog, which is actually a web-based show. Joss Whedon (of "Buffy" and "Angel" fame) and his brothers Zack and Jed created it back in the slogging writers' strike of 2008, just as a way of having a small-sized project to employ friends.

Being as hip and cool as you are, you're probably rolling your eyes and muttering, "Big deal. That's so eons ago!" You probably gobbled up this tasty tidbit when it first came out. But I take my time getting to things. Even though I knew about the Blog and I knew I'd love it, based on my past Joss-related encounters, I didn't want to rush into anything.

The long summer afternoons finally begged for just this sort of amusement.

And it is FANTASTIC.

Just so funny and creative and touching and off-beat but bitter. I love Neil Patrick Harris anyway, fondly remembering his Dougie Howser days, and he brings an awesome blend of sincerity and depth to the lead character, Dr. Horrible. Plus Captain Hammer is a great hero-villain antagonist. Ah, the complexities of the Whedon universe.

Only 45 minutes long (dangnabbit! I could watch a whole series!), and completely unsatisfying at the end in a perfect Whedon-esque way (you've been warned), I've watched this over and over.

Fans of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer Musical episode will recognize the lyric combinations and catchy rhythms of the songs twined throughout the action. Since I have to admit to not only owning the Buffy Musical CD but to playing it so often in my car that my daughters beg for songs by their lyrics, I'm obviously a fan of Whedon's musical oeuvre.