CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – We all know the difference between realists and idealists. Realists know how to solve a problem and idealists know why a problem is worth solving. But alone, an idealist never makes anything, and a realist never makes anything worthwhile.
There is a third kind of person, the kind that tries to be an idealist within the limits of reality. These ‘real-dealists’ have an idealist’s brain but a realist’s hands. In other words, they make the ideal real.
The ultimate point of the story is not for good to triumph over evil.Hollywood writer/director Joss Whedon’s latest creative endeavor is called “Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog,” and it is as much about the title character as it is concerned with the struggle between realism and idealism. In this story, the evil villain is the dreamer; the naturally endowed crime-fighter is, in practice, useless. And their mutual love interest tries to change the world by conventional means with only half a personal mantra (“Well, everything happens …”). Born out of this year’s writers’ strike, “Dr. Horrible” was written, filmed, edited, produced and distributed at professional quality with well-known actors, except entirely independent of the studio system. The Universals and Paramounts that have so long dominated entertainment had nothing to do with it. The project’s stated mission, since the beginning, was “To show the world there is another way.” The ultimate point of the story is not for good to triumph over evil. It is for the writers themselves to seize control of the story-telling apparatus. If it sounds like a revolution, that’s because it is vaguely communist and, thus, completely revolutionary.
Whedon’s rebellion was the work of the man himself as much as his many friends, whose triumph the story also is. Every good rebellion needs more than just a leader.
[Joss] Whedon’s rebellion was the work of the man himself as much as his many friends...And it was inevitable. Show business, as we know it, is the aftermath of the constant battle between creative idealists and industry realists, and it was only a matter of time before one side looked at the other and said, “Oh, I can do that.” Some say this has already happened with reality TV. But Whedon and company did it by sacrificing neither realism nor idealism. On its own merits, “Dr. Horrible” shines – a gem among the pebbles of Web-based entertainment. Compared to any 42-minute stretch on regular TV, “Dr. Horrible,” whose three acts total the same length, offers more genuine laughs, thought and heart.
And, on a deeper level, the characters play out Whedon’s own struggle.
Inspired by intractable battle lines and the breakdown of genuine negotiation in this year’s writers’ strike, Whedon and his brothers wrote it while all other writing had stopped. And in accordance with the values of good writing, the story itself symbolizes the struggle that gave it life.
And, on a deeper level, the characters play out [Joss] Whedon’s own struggle.“I’m talking about an overhaul of the system – putting power in different hands,” monologues Dr. Horrible. He speaks for Whedon. During the writers’ strike, Whedon said at a rally in Cambridge, Mass., “When you take what has always been considered a necessary evil – the studio system – and you take away the word ‘necessary,’ you’re pretty much left with one thing.”
Whedon adds, again through Dr. Horrible’s mouth, “The fish rots from the head, as they say, so my thinking is cut off the head.”
Captain Hammer, Horrible’s nemesis, is seen by all as a hero but is merely equal parts cheesy and useless; when addressing how he got all his power, which he wields clumsily, he smirks, “I’m just naturally like this.” One can imagine the studio system feels the same way – I mean, if a system could feel.
As expected, Whedon’s “Master Plan”, which accompanied the video at its debut, puts it perfectly: “It is time for us to change the face of Show Business as we know it. You know the old adage, ’It’s Show Business – not Show Friends?’ Well now it’s Show Friends. We did that. To Show Business. To show Show Business we mean business.”
Everyone reacted differently to the writers’ strike. Idealists dreamed that it would end with a changed world. Realists simply prayed that they would have their favorite shows back, unchanged and soon.
“The fish rots from the head, as they say, so my thinking is cut off the head.” – Dr. HorribleReal-dealists wanted something very different. They wanted to see the balance of power shift from the producers to the makers. (In show business, ‘producer’ is the name given to the only person involved who doesn’t actually produce anything.)
By dint of his own finances, his writing and an intimidating cadre of loyal show biz types, Whedon did begin something worthwhile and named it Show Friends. I hope the name – and more importantly, the concept – sticks. It will be interesting to see who follows his lead, though it is also perfectly reasonable to fear that Whedon set the bar too high.
Still, one might have thought the desire to see the system changed – to have the means of creative production returned to the hands of creative people – outrageously idealistic. And yet a bona-fide story of stories was made: the real deal. This is what comes from being real-dealistic.
[Dr.Horrible, Hulu, Whedonesque, YouTube, Dr.Horrible2]
Jeff Dubbin is a contributing editor for TheSequitur.com. |
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