Joss Whedon, from Buffy to Dollhouse
The Writer's Film Comic Book and TV Career
Whedon shot to prominence with the success of the TV show Buffy the Vampire Slayer. His movie script of the same name had been filmed years earlier, to a mostly negative reception, however Buffy was to be a critical hit. This gave Whedon the necessary approval to create a spin-off series, using the Angel character from Buffy, set in the new environment of L.A. Angel's darker tone attracted older viewers, and although not reaching Buffy's level of accomplishment, was still well received and long-lived. Whedon's third television creation, Firefly, was not able to achieve a similar amount of fandom whilst on air and so was swiftly cancelled, with only 11 episodes aired out of the 14 written, although the movie Serenity was later made to carry on the narrative.
Comic Books - Firefly Season 2/ Buffy Season 8
Whedon's love for graphic novels colour his work. Renowned for creating whole new worlds for his compositions, Whedon has always seemed unwilling to let them fade away. Hence the creation of the miniseries Fray, which takes place in the 'Buffyverse', albeit in the distant future; other 'Buffyverse' comics are Tales of the Slayers and Tales of the Vampires. Whedon's love of comics allowed him to continue with the Buffy the Vampire Slayer stories even after the Television series had officially ended by producing Buffy's Season 8 episodes as graphic novels. This was a tactic utilised again after the cancellation of Firefly, as Whedon knew that the movie sequel, Serenity, was to be too little to satiate fans' (and his own) appetites. Thus he produced Serenity: Those Left Behind, and Serenity: Better Days, both to fill in the gaps and plot holes left by the series, and to create a web of Firefly media for his beloved Browncoats (the name of the show's supporters).
Whedon and Feminism - Equality Now!
Joss Whedon is regarded by many as one of the greater aids to the feminist movement in modern media. Feted by the Women's Rights group Equality Now! for his work in promoting strong women, both in his writing and his actions, Joss has still managed to attract criticism. More radical feminists have before claimed that Joss has no right to be lauded as one, indeed that he is symptomatic of a trend to praise men for the smallest gestures, regardless of how much they actually hurt 'womyn'. Evidence for these claims, however, proves thin, with his critics often ignoring Whedon's good deeds to focus on his bad. Whedon's fans too have proved their worth to the feminist cause, with the Serenity Now! movement. These are sponsored showings of Serenity, all money raised going to Equality Now!, with the added benefit of more publicity for the Browncoats.
Whedon's Families - Buffy and Giles/ Kaylee and Mal
An aspect of Whedon's writings often seen is in his creation, and demolition, of families. The theme of a family being made up of friends and colleagues rather than blood relatives is most easily seen in Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Firefly, especially in reinventing the father-daughter relationship. In Buffy, the eponymous heroine lives away from her father, and so he is replaced by the older Giles (Anthony Head). In Firefly Captain Mal (Nathan Fillion) can be seen in a paternal manner to both Kaylee (Jewel Staite), and later River (Summer Glau). It is not impossible to see this trend having a larger affect, as Whedon inspires such loyalty and affection from his casts that he keeps them around for more projects, almost as a second, extended, family.
Whedon's Projects - Dr. Horrible and Dollhouse
During the writers' strike Whedon came up with the idea for a superhero movie where the audience emphasises with the villain. And it's a musical. The eventual result was Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog. Again featuring one of Joss' 'family' in Nathan Fillion, the series will hit the web for free in three separate acts, starting from the 15th July. Following on from that will be the TV series Dollhouse, this time starring Whedon favourite Eliza Dushku. Dushku's character will perhaps not please the feminist perspective, as she plays an inhabitant of a laboratory whose memory is erased after each assignement - potentially interpreted as a plaything of a patriarchal society. Whether Dollhouse will receive the reception awarded to Buffy or to Firefly remains to be seen.
