I have never been a sci-fi fan.
Until recently, I thought Comic Con was a glorified speed
dating for geeks in costumes. I have never seen Star Wars (I know it's the one with Harrison Ford—I'll watch
anything with Harrison Ford between American
Graffiti and Indiana Jones and the
Kingdom of the Crystal Skull).I have an unrivaled hatred for The Fifth Element, and I have refrained
from watching Star Trek until I learn
how to do the Spock hand thing.
I thought I could be a sci-fi fan when I picked up the first
few seasons of Doctor Who. I was
wrong—Doctor Who was too complex. Wanting
to venture into something less heavy, I asked my friends for suggestions. An
overwhelming amount of them suggested Firefly.
Warily, I put the first episode of Firefly
on in the background while I wrote a paper—which is not the way to start a
show, nor a way to write a paper).
Again, I wanted to
like it. I just didn't get it.
Thankfully, I was more persistent with Firefly than I'd been with Doctor
Who. I looked up the show on Wikipedia and went through layers and layers of
articles about the show. I decided to give it another chance and I was captivated not even ten minutes into the
pilot.
Thus began my foray into Joss Whedon's oeuvre. First, it was Firefly, of course. One season and a film wasn't enough (and it
will never be enough, Fox Network). I watched The Avengers. I rewatched the Toy
Story trilogy until I could see the distinctly Whedon aspects of the first
that were lacking in the second and third (though anyone familiar with Whedon's
"legacy" might guess that the near devastation at the climax of Toy Story 3 could have been from Whedon,
if you ask me). I watched Dr. Horrible's
Sing A Long Blog three times in one day.
By my 21st birthday, I was so endeared with Whedon's writing
style that I finally gave in and rented the first two season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I finished all
seven seasons in two and a half weeks, and I've forgotten why I hated Sarah
Michelle Gellar in the first place.
I'd wanted a show that was both poignant and funny, that had
deeper conflicts than romantic pairings (though a little romantic subplot did
not deter my interest, admittedly). Buffy,
Firefly, Angel, and Dollhouse—I got
what I wanted, four times over.
Why blog about Joss Whedon?
- His filmography, though hardly spanning longer than my lifetime, crosses many genres: sci-fi, comedy, western, romance, supernatural, drama, horror. He has a little something for everyone.
- As a writer, I'm always intrigued by characterization, and despite having a resume spanning more than two decades, Whedon rarely creates the same character twice.
- He is a male writer.
Reason number three is the one this blog will be concerned
with. In contrast to other shows written
or created by men, Whedon explores gender roles and sexuality in many different
ways throughout his shows. He actively creates female characters that are not simply
plot devices for the male protagonist: they are well-developed, multifaceted,
and they have their own subplots as well.
Sexuality is not always clearly defined for each character, and it does
not define them.
Through this blog, I plan to acknowledge and appreciate how
Whedon's shows challenge the traditional gender roles and ideas of sexuality that other shows
reinforce (or how these others challenge them as well). I will compare and contrast
his shows to others, but I mean no harm or disrespect to those shows or their
creators.
*Also, there will be
spoilers. These posts will be tagged as such.
