G-H-I
G is for... Glee
I make no secret of my love for the television show Glee, but I understand that it is widely hated by many, many people (unfairly if you ask me). Regardless of this, I avoided Glee for most of its first season until I found out that Joss Whedon was to direct an episode. Just out of curiosity as to why a big name like Whedon would want to be involved in a show at the time I thought I hated (how wrong I was) I tuned in to see the episode, Season 1's "Dream On"... the episode is the one staring Neil Patrick Harris, where Rachel discovers a message from her mother played by Broadway legend Idina Menzel. This episode blew me away, and from then on I was hooked. Whedon sure knows how to direct a good musical number as seen in the "I Dreamed a Dream" duet with Rachel and her mother Shelby- emotional and beautiful as anything. Whedon has only directed a couple of other peoples television series' (including an episode of the US Office) so if the show is good enough for Whedon, it certainly is good enough for me. Don't take it too seriously and you'll have a great time, trust me. If still unconvinced, at least check out that one episode.
H is for... Hush
Widely considered to be one of, if not the greatest episode of Buffy The Vampire Slayer (what I consider to be the greatest show of all time), Hush is certainly the most frightening episode of Buffy, and one of the most interestingly directed and written. This episode, like most (not all) of the truly great episodes of the show was both written and directed by Whedon. The show features a scary group of fairy tale demons who enter the town of Sunnydale, steal everyones voices so they are unable to scream, and then removes peoples hearts. Most of the show has zero dialogue. The fact that Whedon can write almost an entire 40 minute silent TV episode proves what a great television writer he is... the fact that it is one of the greatest TV episodes of all time proves that he is certainly one of the best TV writers around. Great viewing for Halloween.
I is for... Ideals
Whedon is not only a great TV and Film writer and director but he is truly a great guy also. Regardless of your personal or religious beliefs (Whedon is a liberal and votes Democrat and is an Atheist- like me) you can't deny that Whedon is a truly thoughtful and kind human being. He has been a vocal advocate for gay rights on numerous occasions having created a truly popular lesbian couple in Willow and Tara who may have helped bring gay rights just a tiny bit forward. He is also one of TV's great feminists- Buffy was all about empowering women, and on every one of his shows and pretty much every film he has ever been a part of there is usually a super-powered woman somewhere to be found. He very almost wrote and directed a Wonder Woman movie remember. In 2009 he was also awarded the 2009 Outstanding Lifetime Achievement Award in Cultural Humanism from Harvard University. This is a guy worthy of your respect, admiration and love.