Joss Whedon will soon be a household name beyond his cult hits, even if your household merely says “Hey, ain’t he the guy who directed the Avengers?”. Ahead of what promises to be the shiniest superhero movie of all time, here’s a rundown of Joss Whedon’s top 5 moments.
SPOILER ALERT: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Firefly, Serenity, Dollhouse. Moments all spoiled below.
05. “Ditch the tech”
Dollhouse wasn’t a huge hit and low ratings threatened its demise early after just one season, but Fox decided to give it chance and a stay of execution following their mistake to ditch Firefly early. The first season ended with the episode ‘Epitaph One’ (1:13), which introduces a new set of characters several years in the future. The technology used to wipe minds and imprint people with various personalities has snowballed out of control following a worldwide army-building plan – one phone call wipes a person’s mind and programs them to kill everyone who hasn’t been wiped! The broken world is divided into those who picked up the phone and those who didn’t.
It was a bold move for Dollhouse, since it set an end-game, telling the audience where things were headed and would be impossible to reverse. So season two, set in present day, had a sense of dread and inevitability to it. Fortunately the risk paid off and the post-apocalyptic feel (season two also ended with such an episode, entitled ‘Epitaph Two’) turned out to be far more compelling than anything else. We’re essentially presented with a zombie survival story, which throws in an array of cool alterations, such as characters who imprint themselves with skills and abilities to better fight their enemies (Matrix-style).
Yes, the show was inevitably axed after season two, but similar to how Buffy lives on in print, Dollhouse is now set to continue in comic book form, following the barely touched upon Epitaph characters (as previewed here). Sign me up!
04. “Mommy?”
Buffy the Vampire Slayer often ran the risk of becoming farfetched nonsense, so Whedon kept the show grounded in emotion (the cornerstone of any decent drama). In season five, Buffy returns home one day to find her mother dead on the couch. What follows is undoubtedly the most emotional episode of television I’ve ever seen. So much so that vampires couldn’t be further from my mind. ‘The Body’ (5.16) shows characters we know experiencing terrible loss. The performances are outstanding (Sarah Michelle Gellar in particular is perfect), the script is heart-wrenching, every camera angle tells a story, and the absence of music is horribly unsettling.
‘The Body’ grounded an uber-supernatural show in painful reality, focussing on nothing more than real human emotion to tell a story.
03. “And yet somehow, I just can’t seem to care.”
Buffy the Vampire Slayer’s spinoff Angel was forever in the shadow of its big sister, but the one thing it did better was darkness. From the off, Angel was meaner and manlier than its predecessor. Forget high school, trendy clubs and social get-togethers; introducing a vampire private investigator, gritty Los Angeles nightlife and car chases. It was a vital move and one that meant Angel went places BtVS couldn’t touch.
Never was this truer than in season two’s ‘Reunion’ (2.10) which saw vampire duo Darla and Drusilla pay a visit to the home of Holland Manners. Packed full of lawyers, it’s the perfect scene for a massacre. Yes, these are morally corrupt, demon-representing lawyers, but they are very obviously human. Angel is faced with the opportunity to save the day just like always. Holland says very clearly: “Angel, people are going to die!” At that, Angel utters “And yet somehow, I just can’t seem to care.” The doors are locked and Angel walks away, giving Darla and Drusilla their massacre.
Buffy stood for one point above all – never kill a human. This was Angel at its peak – going to a place that should find him on the end of a wooden stake. Not only does he let the massacre happen, but he locks the doors, becoming an active participant. ‘Reunion’ was followed by the brilliant ‘Redefinition’ (2.11), which took the show even darker. Season two is, without a doubt, Angel at its very best.
02. “Are you ready to be strong?”
Buffy the Vampire Slayer’s message was clear from the off – female empowerment. Here’s a teenage girl with incredible strength and responsibility. Season seven (the show’s final arc) focused more on that theme than any other, taking things back to basics. The introduction of misogynistic demon Caleb (Nathan Fillion) was no coincidence. His woman-hating rants and fear of equality hammer home the message.
The show’s finale saw Buffy share her powers with every potential slayer in the world. The result was an army of empowered women, who came together to fight legions of vampires. BtVS started with a strong woman fighting the forces of darkness, and it concluded the exact same way:
“From now on, every girl in the world who might be a Slayer, will be a Slayer. Every girl who could have the power, will have the power. Can stand up, will stand up. Slayers, every one of us. Make your choice. Are you ready to be strong?”
01. “I aim to misbehave.”
And misbehave he did. Poor old Firefly was axed way head of its time and sank into history as a failed sci-fi western TV show that very few people watched. But those few people refused to stay quiet. Outraged by their beloved show’s quick dismissal, they fought for its return and what they got was a Hollywood blockbuster and Whedon’s feature film directorial debut.
Picking up shortly after Firefly’s final episode, Serenity keeps the TV feel and quirky characters, while also introducing new fans to the ‘verse. It has almost everything you could want from a smart sci-fi movie, from thought-provoking themes (religion, power, birth, death et al), to compelling characters. And then there’s witty dialogue, epic space battles, heroic last stands, hand-to-hand combat, and space zombies galore!
Everyone thought Firefly and the crew of Serenity were dead. But as Mr. Whedon said: “You can’t take the sky from me.”
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20 Comments
That line from Buffy makes me tear up every single time. I am currently on lunch at work, wiping away a tear. I love you Joss.
It’s a powerful line. The whole episode, particularly THAT scene (the horrible ‘What if I’d got there in time?’ moment) make me sad. It’s an episode you have to ration yourself with….
Just seeing the picture of Joyce from the episode ‘The Body’ gives me chills every time. It’s probably one of the most upsetting episodes of any show I’ve ever seen, and definitely the most prominently disturbing lack of background music in any Buffy episode.
I knew that moment would go down well – the lack of music really reminds you how often TV uses it normally.
“The introduction of misogynistic demon Caleb (Nathan Fillion) was no coincidence. His woman-hating rants and fear of equality hammer home the message.”
Heh, I see what you did there.
Yes…..that was absolutely intentional. Certainly not a crazy, random happenstance. He really was an evil dude, though!
This is a fantastic top 5! I have very few writing heros…though I’m a writer myself (even a soon to be published writer) but Joss is IT for me…he’s brilliant w/o being overpowering and yet his gentle hand holds the punch of a thousand men. He’s my hero, in every aspect of the word. I can only pray my female leads in my fantasy books can hold a candle to what he can do.
Thanks Tamsin. I share your love of Mr Whedon and I figure you have one of the best role models you could find, so I’m sure your writing will make the cut. I suppose Joss has the likes of Ellen Ripley and Sarah Connor to thank for his strong women characters. Good luck with the writing!
-Neil.
I think I would switch #1 & 2, Buffy’s finale is arguably the best series ender in television history that only Six Feet Under and Lost come close to rivaling. But other than that this list is very agreeable!
Very good list!
Joss is a genius and have given tv fans some a the strongest female characters.
Love River Tam and love Summer Glau!
One – no two – of the best or worst moments in “Joss history” also come from Angel.
Hole in the World: “Please, Wesley, why can’t I stay?” will never NOT make me sob. Watching Wesley, at the start of the ep, rejoice in finally having found love only to have her die in his arms, taken over by something he has no hope of defeating. Amy Acker and Alexis Denisov brought that scene home. Supremely powerful!
Not Fade Away: “Would you like me to lie to you now?” Again, Wes and Fred, only not. It’s Wesley and Illyria, and Wesley is moments from dying. Then Illyria shifts into Fred and it’s Wesley’s turn to die in her arms.
ERG!!! Makes me wish there could have been 7 greatest moments….
Ah yes, the old Joss Whedon trope – pulling the rug out from under you when your feet and so firly on the ground :(
What I really love about the Wes/Fred relationship is that in their own twisted way, like you say – they both die in each other’s arms.
The scene that had me crying in The Body was Anya and her NOT understanding death.
As much as I cried with and for Spike, the crying turned into sobs in Angel with the Fred/Illyria Lie to Me scene. In fact as I type this there are tears.
Anything that has Joss Whedon involved I will watch.
You must be looking forward to the Avengers then? I’m also one of those people who will religiously watch anything Joss Whedon has a hand in, simply because it’s him. What I’m not looking forward to however, is the Buffy movie WITHOUT Joss – not impressed!
Oh yes Avengers and Cabin in the Woods, Joss does my kind of shows.
Well chosen moments. I too love everything Joss does so I don’t know whether I could narrow it down to five, but these are good choices.
I really like your description of “Serenity”. I’m the organiser for Can’t Stop The Serenity in Vancouver (BC) and I’m wondering if you would let me use that description in our program (credit to you, of course) for CSTS Vancouver 2012.
Thanks, Samatwitch. It was very difficult to narrow things down – this list started out with (I kid you not) 20 best moments. It was an epic contest to cut down to five. Seriously, there’ll be poems! And yes, you’re more than welcome to use what I’ve written for your program. -Neil.
Oh my, that episode “the body” really made me cry. Its even hard to re watch it. Its like im feelin buffy’s vulnerability right there. She’s so strong, she can stop the apocalypse but she cant save her mother. =(
Exactly, a very emotional situation.
You forgot Dr. Horrible — when he sings “Here lies everything, the world I wanted at my feet” and Penny’s body is right there, that just make my heart bleed everytime.
I also agree with previous posters about the Wesley’s death scene, when Illyria asks if she should lie to him now, that one gets me every time.
And I love the scene in “Ariel” where Mal is holding Jayne hostage outside the airlock. That’s the scene that firmly cemented Jayne as the most complicated of Joss’ characters.