What other musical thinger did Joss Whedon direct? (you might ask).  Well, my friends, Joss Whedon directed what was probably the best back-nine episode of Glee, “Dream On.”

Okay, okay, so Glee isn’t strictly nerd, you say.  I say, WRONG.  Glee was totally just a huge event at Comic Con y’all, where it was announced that there will be a ROCKY HORROR THEMED EPISODE which, AMAZING (more on Rocky Horror at a later date).  It is a show about people who dress up and sing songs and occasionally dress up in crazy Madonna/Lady Gaga/Kiss outfits AND SING SONGS and, really, that is so nerdy and lovely.  Also, the fan base calls themselves (ourselves?) GLEEKS.  I think that Dragon*Con is all about the fans, and right now Gleeks own the cultural zeitgeist.

So this episode that Joss Whedon, “Dream On,” has a lot of great points.  Neil Patrick Harris is in it as a rival to main-character/teacher sponsor of Glee club William Schuester.   The character’s name is Bryan Ryan.  This is inspired.  They sing a battle-duet on a the barricade set of a community theater production of Les Miserables, which is genius!!!

The theme of said episode, of course, is “dreams,” and there are some dreams that are possible (playing Jean Valjean in a community theatre production of Les Miserables) some dreams that should be impossible but are possible (finding your birth mother via a recording of “I Dreamed a Dream,” which is a song I don’t like, also from Les Miserables) and dreams that are 100% impossible (dancing your way out of that wheelchair after a childhood accident left your paralyzed from the waist down.  Artie).  Anyhow, this last dream is gloriously realized in a dream sequence version of “The Safety Dance” which is one of the episode’s high points.  It is also a stunning example of how Joss Whedon loves to BREAK YOUR HEART (see: Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along-Blog, Angelus killing Jenny Calendar, WILLOW + TARA, Fred —> Illyria etc.)

P.S. you can watch that number here: Glee: ‘Safety Dance’.

So I believe, over the past three days, that I have summed up why Joss Whedon should direct musicals.  Alas, he is taking a little detour to direct some movie called The Avengers, but I’m sure he’ll get back to his jazz handsy ways before too long.

In 2008 Joss Whedon and his brothers got Neil Patrick Harris, Nathan Fillion, and Felicia Day for a rolicking, wonderful, heart-breaking ohmyGod I bawled my eyes out story of super villain origins called Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along-Blog.  So, it is all on youtube, you can watch it, I’ll give you the first part just to get you started.

See?  Genius?  I could watch Neil Patrick Harris recite my grocery list.  Nathan Fillion too, for that matter.  Really, the main three are so well cast, it just works perfectly.  And it is great to see Nathan Fillion play up his rugged good looks and manliness but turn it on its head alla douchebaggery.  The whole shebang is really humorous and entertaining, and the songs are super catchy and lovely, and the narrative hums along in an uplifting and fun manner until, well, I mean, this is a super villain origin story.  As the saying goes, be careful what you wish for, Dr. Horrible.

Joss Whedon, NPH, Nathan Fillion, I heart all of thee.  Thanks for this.

First off: HAPPY BIRTHDAY BRAT SISTER!  YOU ARE NOW 22!  YAY.

Second off: FIVE WEEKS TO DRAGON*CON Y’ALL.  YAY.

Now to get to it.  I, like you, love Joss Whedon.  And I, maybe not like you, love me some musicals.  This means that the musical oeuvre of Joss Whedon will receive not one, but three days on the Countdown to Dragon*Con blogtacular epic of fun and happiness.  Also, because it is musical week, and because I can do what I want.

Thus, we launch into a three-part respect-a-thon of Joss’ musical ouevre starting with the so-called Buffy Musical aka Once More, With Feeling from season 6 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

So this is fun: a tap-dancing demon played by Hinton Battle comes to Sunnydale and causes everyone to periodically burst into song.  And not just song but awesomely choreographed song.  And occasional harmonies.  Like so:

See?  That was fun.

However, these songs also cause people to reveal their innermost secret feelings, such as:

A) Hi best friends you douchebags totally pulled me out of Heaven and life sucks thanks for making me be the Slayer again fuck.

B) Buffy I want to do you a lot because I am in love with you stop tormenting me with your pretty blonde hair.

C) Oh I love my girlfriend Lilith Fair metaphors except she totally keeps screwing with my mind with MAGIC and making me forget things dammit Willow.

D) Nobody loves me because I am a useless character who always gets in trouble.

E) I am scared to get married to my psycho ex-demon fiance.

F) I need to stop babying the Slayer.

G) So how are we all supposed to remain friends when all we do is lie to each other?

H) Planning theory Scooby montage bunnies!

Isn’t that a clever plot device?  Singing makes everyone be forward with each other?  Also, there is a rock solo about the terrifying nature of bunnies.  Brilliant.

Also, youtube, how am I supposed to post videos for my readers when all you have to offer me are horrible fan creations and montages?  Ick.

Once More, With Feeling demonstrates Joss’ ability to take the seemingly low brow (jazz handsy musical) and meld it with the quirky (vampire slaying as metaphor for the trials and tribulations of young adulthood) to create genius.  This will be a trend over the next few days.  If you are a Buffy fan, you have probably watched this episode twenty million times and may even know the music by heart maybe if you aren’t crazy (cough cough).  If you aren’t a Buffy fan get thee to a Netflix queue and rent the show right now.

The End.