Joss Whedon seems to be a popular subject these days. I recently reviewed an academic work on his art (Reading Joss Whedon), but I don’t think there’s a need to go through his history again here to explain his appeal. Suffice it to say, this is a creator that has always interacted with his fans and appreciated them. From days in internet forums when Buffy the Vampire Slayer had a cadre of loyal fans to last years Firefly anniversary panel at San Diego Comic-Con where he broke down publicly in tears, nerds love Joss Whedon because he seems like he feels the same way about us. Well, and he creates some awesome stuff too. This new biography, Joss Whedon: The Biography from first time author Amy Pascale, covers everything you could possibly expect from the life of the nerd king. The book comes in over 400 pages and actually covers more years than his life, but that’s explained easily enough.

The biography begins after a heartfelt foreword from Whedon’s friend and collaborator Nathan Fillion, and then begins to explain how Joss became Joss. Apparently his parents both were involved in art in various ways, and his mother involved specifically in feminist activism. It’s easy to see the point the biography is making: this is where he gets it from. There’s a common motif of “strong female characters” throughout the book, which has been something Joss has explicitly talked about many times. There’s a bit here Joss’ childhood, but where it gets legitimately interesting is when he begins to work in Hollywood and experiences his first failures and triumphs. Utilizing interviews with producers, actors, friends, and Joss himself, the biography tells the story of Whedon’s unlikely rise to one of the most successful directors in the industry. From his work on the Toy Story script to Alien: Resurrection, each failure and success is demonstrated to build to the next one. A bit slow at first, but then the reader gets quickly drawn into this unlikely story.

I found this book a very engaging read; although it’s a bit slow to get going, the pace gets quick and the material is jam-packed with all sorts of behind the scenes trivia. Recently a letter from Tom Hiddleston to Joss shown in the biography has gone a bit viral online, but for me it was more interesting to read about how the death of Joss’ mother influenced on his views on art. I would guess that people unfamiliar with specific works of his, like his work on Astonishing X-Men, may find those parts dull or unimportant. But I think the book achieves in its goal, to show how each piece of Whedon’s life led inexorably towards him succeeding beyond anyone’s wildest dreams with the extreme box office of The Avengers, the second (or third, I haven’t yet seen Guardians of the Galaxy as of writing this review) best Marvel movie. If you want to know what Joss really thought about his Wonder Woman script but know that Warner Bros will never let you read the actual script, that’s the sort of balance fan perspective that’s ideal for a reader. I think it’s interesting that a biography was written about an artist with plenty still left to do, but it did mean that many people could be interviewed about it.

Perhaps that means an update will needed after Avengers: Age of Ultron or whatever comes after that. Here, Amy Pascale has written an interesting, well-written take on the life and art of Joss Whedon; any true fan should take a look.

Joss Whedon: The Biography is currently available for sale. This review was based on a promotional copy provided to CliqueClack by the Chicago Review Press for the purposes of review.

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Writing academically on culture is nothing new; scholars have written seriously about movies for decades, and even television has been seriously analyzed in such works as The Revolution Was Televised by Alan Sepinwall. But usually it’s on those common targets like Steven Spielberg or Orson Welles, more of the “high” culture targets and not so much on popular or cultish art except to decry its worth in modern society or be dismissive in general. Joss Whedon is an interesting focus for a work, as he started as a very obscure artist, just a well known writer within the screenwriting industry working to fix up scripts (although his notes were often ignored).

His show Buffy the Vampire Slayer, a switchup of the critically and commercially hated movie of the same name, gained him many fervent fans, though a relatively small amount. Soon enough he had gained enough success to create the Angel spinoff, which was a moderate success, and then the beloved Firefly, which was cancelled after one season but it is still considered one of the finest seasons of television ever by its rabid fanbase. After another cancelled show (Dollhouse) and online movie (Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog), Joss was brought into the domain of Marvel comics, writing an excellent run of comics (Astonishing X-Men) and being hired to write and direct their ambitions movie The Avengers. Somehow that movie made a billion dollars, so now Whedon is a household name.

Reading Joss Whedon is a collection of scholarly essays on Whedon’s various works, some specific to one work and others analyzing ideas and themes over several. As in any collection, the quality is mixed, from excellent and engrossing to dry and dogmatic. But you won’t get anything else out there with this level of research and analysis, so the benefits of reading those gems outweighs the downsides of skipping the less interesting essays. The book is edited primarily by Rhonda V. Wilcox with help from Tanya R. Cochran, Cynthea Masson, and David Lavery. Wilcox and Cochran also wrote books on specific Whedon works, including Investigating Firefly and Serenity, which I quite enjoyed. One thing that I found particularly good in this collection was the level of research done, collating together disparate interviews, books, movies, and television episodes to convey fascinating insight. There were a few pieces that were exceptionally dry and primarily listing bits of episodes in simplistic ways, but those can easily be dismissed.

I had a few favorite pieces in the collection, including Hero’s Journey, Heroine’s Return by Janet K. Halfyard on Buffy and the Orpheus myth, connecting the classical Greek tale with the allusions in the show. Similarly, the myths of Echo and Narcissus were addressed in Reflections in the Pool by K. Dale Koontz, which addressed the male gaze in Dollhouse and the meanings behind the names of the various characters. I always enjoy a bit of meta-analysis, so Problematic Storytelling in Buffy the Vampire Slayer by Richard Albright was fascinating to me, seeing how storytelling is utilized in the show and sometimes intentionally mangled for various reasons. As one of the few that didn’t hate the controversial season five episode of Angel “The Girl in Question,” What the Hell? by Cynthea Mason on defending it finally gave me something I could use to buttress against the hate. And of course, the piece on The Cabin in the Woods was great, as were all of the essays on Firefly and Serenity, but perhaps I’m biased in that regard.

I would’ve liked to see a bit more on The Avengers, which only got one piece I didn’t think was that insightful, and anything at all on Astonishing X-Men, which I loved, although I recognize it’s the least famous of Whedon’s stuff. Still, this is an excellent book for the Whedon fans and intellectuals alike; for every essay you don’t understand, there should be two that’ll give you new understanding into his work and its impact on culture.

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I fell in love with the pilot of Agents of SHIELD. As I’ve said to others, it had the stink of Joss Whedon all over it, and I was taking it all in. Alright that sounds gross, so let’s just say it had all the elements I love about Joss’s writing style, and it glued me to the TV. I admit I’m a big-time fan of all things Whedon, but I  don’t let that get to my head and simply flat-out love everything he does unconditionally. Dollhouse, for example, was not what I consider a fine example of what Joss is capable of, and I had a pretty hard time finishing that short-lived series. For me, Dollhouse had the same thing plaguing it that SHIELD now does: I’m unable to connect with its characters.

After that fantastic pilot, for me, the show took a slight downward turn in its enjoyability somewhere. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it, but I knew it was clearly not as strong. After the third episode, things were pretty much level with the second, but not improved. I started to peel back the layers to put my finger on what was wrong. I put aside that this was a Whedon project, that this was an awesome geek-fest of Marvel shout-outs and cameos, and Chloe Bennet’s cuteness. What I was left with was the story and the characters. The stories weren’t faulty: it was the characters. With the exception of robo-or-something Coulson, I don’t give a shit about any of them. They’re not exactly unlikeable; I just don’t connect with them at all. I care about Coulson and what happened to him … or what he really is. But I don’t care about Skye and who she’s working for, what the deal is with Fitz and Simmons, or anything, really, about Grant Ward. The only other character I might have some interest in is Ming-Na Wen’s Melinda May; I admit she’s definitely bad-ass, but she’s not given enough to do beyond being tough.

One of my biggest gripes about these characters are Fitz and Simmons. I get these two are the geniuses of the SHIELD team (or, at least, among the ones we follow), but they’re overly contrived and cliché without being funny most of the time. The show sort of gives the duo a pass for bumbling on the job from time to time, but it’s a hard pill to swallow given the situations they’re in.

Ivey has, in the past, often called out the famous line by Ronald D. Moore, after his Battlestar Galactica series ended: “It’s the characters, stupid.” The saying is meant to defend a show’s faulty storyline — or overall plot, for that matter — by pointing out that the story’s been about the characters themselves all along; that the characters are what you should be paying attention to. I can’t say that holds true with SHIELD. I never really agreed that character connectivity mattered that much for the enjoyability of a show, but — at least with SHIELD — that’s the case for me.

I will say that this latest episode saw some improvement on the characters front, but only slightly. If it doesn’t find a way of bringing out something about the non-Coulson characters that make me care about them, we may be parting ways sooner that I’d ever expected.

At this year’s San Diego Comic-Con, I got to talk to actor Mark Sheppard (currently on Supernatural as Crowley, though you may have seen him on many other shows: Firefly, Battlestar Galactica, Dollhouse, Leverage, 24, Warehouse 13 … just to name a few. Three years ago I’d met up with Mark at SDCC, when he was at a signing booth with his son. At that time he’d kinda-sorta hinted he hoped to be included in the then-upcoming Avengers movie, when I asked if he was going to be working with Joss Whedon anytime again soon. Being that I apparently like to beat a dead horse, I asked Sheppard about it again at the following SDCC. Mark didn’t appear in the movie, though we may never know if he was ever really vying for a part in it.

Yet that horse still looked like it needed another beating.

This year I asked Mark what new we’d be seeing him in, seeing as Leverage was over and Warehouse 13 (where, yes, his character died) is ending. Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., perhaps? Watch the video for his answer.

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We don’t see a lot of Shakespeare these days, except in the derivative storytelling sense, of course. Yes, there was the terrible 2011 movie Anonymous that claimed ol’ Willie didn’t write a bit of it, and the barely seen 2012’s Coriolanus and this year’s Warm Bodies, which was very loosely based on Romeo and Juliet. But every year there’s usually at least one, even if they aren’t widely seen. Impressive stuff for an author that hasn’t written anything new in 400 years. I suppose those themes and characters are still resonating with people even today, despite the language barrier we all faced reading those book in high school. By my troth, there’s an awful lot of antiquated colloquialisms in those plays. But the words are one thing; not everyone can pull off a Shakespearean monologue believably. On the other hand, some people totally can.

Much Ado About Nothing is an adaptation of the play by the same name from Shakespeare, this time by not terrible director Joss Whedon. I hadn’t read the play or seen the Kenneth Branagh version (I think that guy has adapted more Shakespeare plays than were actually written), so my perspective is one familiar with the parlance of the day, but not the precise material. So at first I was lost, confused by who was whom and what was going on. But that soon changed. It’s all vaguely in a modern day, although considering that no words are changed, it does seem a bit anachronistic, probably by design. And boy, this movie is filled with Joss Whedon regulars and favorites. We begin in Messina with Beatrice (Amy Acker from Whedon’s The Cabin in the Woods, Dollhouse, and Angel), niece to Leonato, the governor of Messina (Clark Gregg from The Avengers), which I guess is where they’re supposed to be, alongside cousin Hero (newcomer Jillian Morgese who just had an uncredited role in The Avengers that led to this casting). Hero is a girl, by the way, which is obvious when you watch the movie but perhaps not from the name. All are in a kerfuffle because of the impending arrival of Don Pedro (Reed Diamond from Dollhouse), prince of Aragon, with his entourage a-coming. Among these are two important people, Benedick (Alexis Denisof from — deep breath – Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Dollhouse, and a hidden role in The Avengers), who has a longstanding war of words with Beatrice, and Claudio (Fran Kranz from Dollhouse and The Cabin in the Woods), who immediately falls in love with Hero. Yes, a bit cliched, but that’s par for the course for these sorts of stories.

Of course, a series of comic misunderstandings and tragedies follow quickly, as might be expected. But come on, with bumbling constable Dogberry (Nathan Fillion from Buffy, Firefly, and Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog) on the case, how won’t they discover the evil machinations of Don Pedro’s evil brother Don John (Sean Maher from Firefly)? It’s one of Shakepeare’s comedies, which usually means nobody dies and everyone gets married (as opposed to tragedies, where everybody dies). Whether or not that happens this time I won’t spoil, although the story has actually been spoiled for about 400 years. Obviously the writing is good here, so the question becomes simple: How well was it pulled off? The movie does look good, shot in black and white and claustrophobically filmed inside an LA house (I wonder whose house it was? Spoiler: It was Joss Whedon’s). The acting is certainly excellent across the board, but some people manage it a bit better than others. Reed Diamond is a bit stiff at times and Alexis Denisof’s line readings are occasionally a tad stilted. But he has amazing chemistry with Amy Acker, who is just fantastic, subtle, hilarious, and emotional at precisely the right moments. For the other couple, both are superb; Jillian Morgese makes wonders of the simplistic maiden and Fran Kranz is affecting and heart-pulling as the noble youth who believes in true love. Of course, I can’t forget Nathan Fillion, who is quite amusing indeed.

Gee, what a surprise. Above all, these people are having boatloads of fun here, and there’s no question how much Whedon adores the material and the cast in equal measures. Everyone gets their moment to shine, and although it takes a bit of time to get into, and the story itself seems a bit dated at times (can’t be helped), there’s no question that this is just a fun, classy movie that’ll make you feel great afterwards. By my troth, I am off!

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Who needs Nathan Fillion? Although the Castle big wig cancelled a couple weeks ago, I barely missed him during the uproarious Firefly panel. I couldn’t stop enjoying the bawdy dialogue of Gina Torres, Adam Baldwin, Jewel Staite and Summer Glau. Seriously, who knew an entire cast playing a crew of off-kilter individuals, shared those same sensibilities? Jewel had the dirtiest mind, followed by Gina and, after Gina, Adam.

While they interacted more with the crowd more than each other, their personalities reminded me of their Firefly counterparts. Jewel typically spouted something highly inappropriate and incredibly sensual. Minutes later Gina slid her own charged statement into the audience. Then seconds after her, Adam Baldwin tried taking it to an EVEN dirtier plane, before Gina reigned him in with an eyebrow. Sound familiar? Summer, like River, appeared the most withdrawn until the moderator started drawing her out.

The cast has done INCREDIBLY well for themselves. After listening to Adam detail the difficulties of a struggling actor two years ago while chugging beers (seriously), it’s clear that Firefly, Serenity and Joss magic helped all of their careers. Jewel will be in The Killing. Gina is on Suits and Hannibal. She briefly thought she dropped a Hannibal spoiler, but she didn’t. Fishburne’s character always talks about his wife in creepy confessionals with Lecter. Also, Gina is “queen of the world.” And, Adam’s filming the Last Ship. Would they answer the Joss call if asked again? Fuck, yea. Joss has the Midas touch. Are there any Joss shows they wish they starred in? Dollhouse got a lot of sleep and Gina needs a good dose of that. The cast all agreed Joss kept Summer busy.

What do they miss most about the show? The cancellation ticked Jewel because Kaylee never got laid. Not having sex was her Kaaaaaahhhhhhhnnnnnnn. If she could’ve said that while orgasming, she wouldn’t’ve been so ticked. Gina loved/missed Firefly‘s communal kitchen scenes as that’s when she interacted with the female cast members. While watching her tete-a-tetes with Adam amd remembering past episodes, I realized that she was right. Her character never really talked to the women folk all that much. Although Adam loved using the catwalk to watch filming, he exhorted getting to know the propsmaster. While Gina/Jewel busted on him, he didn’t deny that always using props meant they edited him into scenes even when he sat in the background. Gina also found the more true she felt to the scene, the more they included her reaction shots because it added to the world the directors wanted to portray on screen. Likewise Jewel and Summer discussed remaining present and trusting their acting instincts.

Out of the entire cast, River and Kaylee’s portrayals always seemed the least confident in the TV series. It never made sense considering Summer’s Terminator performance and Jewel’s randy backwater mouth. But, now I know why. They were both around 19 when Joss cast them. And, now, they’ve grown into their skills. While discussing their favorite non-crew members, Summer liked Early’s quirkiness, characterizing him as a non-villain, while a disbelieving Jewel cried nay.

Should the show return? Maybe in animated form, but otherwise, hell, no. The cast wisely realizes they don’t need to return. Adam paraphrased Joss’ construction of the show as a beautiful far-off castle, best remembered that way. Where are their characters now? Adam joked Jayne would run a school for companions while Summer darkly hinted she always wanted to be a pilot. Jewel envisioned bringing Simon home to meet her folks followed by lots and lots of babies. During Serenity, I thought Joss hinted at a Zoe-wash pregnancy. But, when Wash died I tossed that out the window. Evidently Gina shared my suspicions. Oh, and Gina’s ringtone? Wonder Woman. She calls Wash her best fake husband ever, even though her current husband plays her fake husband on NBC. Why did a show featuring so much “terrible” Chinese (inside joke — a questioner confronted the cast about their bad accents and more), not feature any Asian actors? Who knows?

I still can’t believe a show with only 14 episodes inspired such a rabid following. Even more than that, I can’t believe the PA Browncoats didn’t do a rousing demonstration. All the same, I definitely miss Nathan Fillion during this awesome Firefly panel. In fact, I believe it’s Nathan who missed out.

Check out more Philly Comic Con happenings here. Check out past Firefly episodes on Hulu. For the audio of the panel, listen below.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=KriDfhzbjcY

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This list is far from complete; if I were to yap on and on about everything I liked, this list could last until the pumpkin pie is served on Thursday. So this is just a survey; some of the many, many things that I count myself fortunate to watch or listen to:

Shawn Ryan – His latest show Last Resort might not have been a good – or successful – as I’d hoped, but Ryan continues to be one of my favorite showrunners in television today. While I wasn’t nearly the fan of The Shield that others are, I love The Unit and The Chicago Code immeasurably, and think that his season of work on Lie to Me was incredible. I’m not sure what he’s got up his sleeve once Last Resort ends, but I know I’ll be watching from day one.

Star Wars and Disney – There is a great deal of trepidation in the fanbase as Disney announced their purchase of Lucasfilm and their intentions to produce Episodes 7, 8 and 9. I understand why, considering just how disappointing and uneven the prequel films were. But I’ve got faith. While some of the people I’d been hoping to be involved with the project have indicated they won’t be a part of it (damn yous Brad Bird!), I’ve still got faith. Plus, as a big amusement park guy, I know there’s no way after watching the insane success that Universal Studios had with the Wizarding World of Harry Potter (and it’s planned sister zone in California and as-yet-announced-but-not-secret Orlando expansion), that I’m going to be able to walk through the Millennium Falcon sooner rather than later.

Joss Whedon – I’m just going to leave this name here, and expect you to understand why. If you’re having trouble, I suggest looking up the following projects: Avengers, Dr. Horrible’s Singalong Blog, Dollhouse, Angel, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Firefly/Serenity. Plus, he also gave us Amy Acker, so: bonus points.

Suits – It is simply the best show you’re (probably) not watching. I’m not going to sit here and tell you how much you’ll like it. I’m just going to look down my nose like the Dowager Countess until you give it a chance.

Resurgence of Genre films – Avengers, Hunger Games, Looper … these are my kinda films. I absolutely bask in the fact that we’re getting some really great geek stuff in the theatres these days.

Game of Thrones – Yeah, I still to this day remember an instant message conversation with Carla before GoT premiered where I said that I wasn’t sure if I would get into the show or not. I hadn’t read the books, and had seen similar shows like Pillars of the Earth fail. I couldn’t have been any more wrong (I highlighted that part out as a pull quote because it has been inferred that I never admit to being wrong … it just doesn’t happen often); I am addicted to everything Game of Thrones/A Song of Ice and Fire. Since the show premiered I’ve read the full set of books twice, I participate in online discussions about theories regarding future books and love the weekly column Bob Degon and I produce when the show is on the air.

The Voice — Or, more specifically that the next cycle starting next year will be missing Christina Aguilera. I won’t particularly miss Cee-Lo’s inability to make a comment to a female contestant that doesn’t start with how beautiful she is, but I won’t miss anything about Christina.

Delta Rae – The first night of San Diego Comic Con this year, as I sat down with Keith McDuffee, Michael Noble and Tara Shrodes, somehow the topic of my favorite band came up. Keith and Mike were so kind to point out to me that they where incredibly aware of just how much I liked the band. Apparently, I mention them on Facebook and the Twitter quite often. Like, way often. But I don’t care. I’m no music critic, so I can’t break down their work like I can a TV show or flick, but I do know I like the band. So, instead of telling you, I’ll just leave you with their latest video:

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=lPOM0IUsd_0

Grey’s Anatomy – I get a great deal of flack for being a fan of this show, but I don’t really care. While I admit that there are shows on the air that I think are better, there’s no show I look more forward to each week than Grey’s. Make fun of me all you want, but I’m hooked. The far-reaching repercussions of last season’s plane crash have created several great character arcs … even if it did mark the departure of two of my favorite characters on the show, Mark and Lexi.

Nashville’s Clare Bowen’s voice – Nashville is a pretty good show. I — like all Friday Night Lights fans – am a big, big fan of Connie Britton. I also remember “Save the Cheerleader, Save the World.” But the biggest surprise of the show has been Clare Bowen’s performance, and her amazing voice. Her vocals on each of the tracks – but especially “Fade into You” – are just haunting. Bowen, who nails her southern accent despite originally hailing from Australia – is easily my favorite thing about the new television season. It helps that her part of the Nashville story is much more interesting than either Britton or Hayden Panettiere’s thus far, but it all comes down to her voice. I just can’t get enough. (Oh, and the second best vocal performance on the show thus far? Lennon and Maisy Shelly – Britton’s daughters on the show – singing “Telescope”)

My CliqueClack family – I wanted to end with Bowen’s voice (because, damn), but the guilt finishing with anything but Team CliqueClack would eat at me all through Turkey-Day (Except when the Washington Redskins take on the dastardly Dallas Cowboys … nothing gets through after kickoff). I have the great fortune to work with an incredibly talented group of writers … and Michael. We’re a fairly diverse group as far as individual backgrounds, shows & movies we’re fans of … heck, we’re even spread out across this great nation of ours. In the end though, I’m pretty lucky to have these guys as friends.

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What are the TV episodes that scared the heck out of you THEN that you still remember NOW? In the 90s, right after I graduated from college, Buffy‘s “Hush” scared the crap out of me. It might’ve come out in December but it felt pure Halloween 180%. After that, Dr. Who’s “Blink” comes a close second. Like “Hush,” I watched it on my couch, while clutching a pillow, utterly terrified. No joke. I am still afraid of stone angels to this day.

So, I called the CliqueClack gang to ask people about the most memorable TV episode that scared the crap out of them. Although almost everyone claimed they didn’t watch scary TV, almost everyone had one. Interestingly enough, Bob pointed out that no American Horror Story episode made the list. Although I couldn’t include as-of-yet unaired episodes of The Following or The Cult on the list. James Purefoy in The Following gives me nightmares.

So, in no particular order, find the most memorably terrifying TV episodes ever from the CliqueClack gang.

• “Blink” – Dr. Who
• “The Empty Child“/”The Doctor Dances” – Dr. Who
• “Hush” – Buffy
• “Home” – X-Files
• “A Private Life” – Six Feet Under
• “Lonely Souls” – Twin Peaks
• “Green Fingers” - Night Gallery
• “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” – Twilight Zone
• “The Tale of the Dollmaker” – Are You Afraid of the Dark
• “Bert and Ernie in a Pyramid” – Sesame Street
• Boris Karloff’s Thriller series
• Without Warning
• Nothing from American Horror Story

An: My scariest TV ep ever is “Blink” from Dr. Who. But my favorite scariest TV episode for the 2012-2013 season is the Following pilot (which I know isn’t out yet, but seriously it scares me) and, after that, this season’s Haven premiere. Any other thoughts?

Katie: I’d still say the two-parter “The Empty Child”/”The Doctor Dances” on Dr. Who. You will never not be afraid of the word mummy after it (and not in the way you might think).

Christina: I am not much into scary stuff (don’t get scared by the usual stuff), so I’d go with those Who episodes as well. Oh, and the Gentlemen from the Buffy episode “Hush” were pretty creepy.

Brett: For me, the X-Files episode “Home” still tops the list.

Bob: Is that the one with the “surprise” under the bed?

Brett: Indeed. The most frightening “under the bed” reveal ever.

Michael: To date, I can’t find this episode. I want to say it’s in Boris Karloff’s Thriller series, but I’m uncertain and IMDB doesn’t tell me anything:

When I was a kid, I remember seeing an episode about a burglar who broke into an undertaker’s business to steal from the dead. A dead woman, who the robber was burgling the rings from her atrophying fingers, suddenly opened her eyes. I believe he thought her eyes were open originally and shut them timidly, only to feel her move as he tried to remove one particular ring. He looked up and she was staring at him menacingly. Scared the shit out of me.

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First of all, don’t get all on me because I didn’t behave like a good little Whedon-ite and line up for the first showing of The Cabin in the Woods at the local theater, when it was released in April — or, better yet, flew to SxSW in March to see it early. A trip to a theater for me these days is such a sad rarity, but we won’t get into that right now. The point is, I finally caught Joss and Drew’s horror film collaboration last weekend. While it was one hell of a great trip, my only complaint would be the very final scene — I was looking for a little more.

What struck me throughout the film was watching Dollhouse‘s Fran Kranz as burnout — and destroyer of all life on Earth — Marty, once again reciting lines put to paper by Joss Whedon. But what was different this time was that this character was more of what I wanted out of Dollhouse‘s Topher.

In one way, this is a good thing. I’ve learned that it wasn’t at all the performance Fran Kranz gave to his Dollhouse character that made him less likable and funny, but was instead the material given to him. It’s likely that a show like Dollhouse wasn’t ever meant to have a Xander-like pot-head character amidst what was meant to be a more serious show than Buffy. Perhaps that’s where Dollhouse ultimately lost its way. Joss has an incredibly strong and rather unique sense of humor that I love, and that shows through in most things he produces. However, when you’re not given enough opportunities to allow for that kind of humor — like with Dollhouse — an overly-comical character like Cabin‘s Marty just wouldn’t quite fit.

Kranz is involved in another Joss production, Much Ado About Nothing, along with a whole bunch of other actors Whedon’s worked with before. It’s good to see Joss regularly recognizes and reuses great talent, so I’m hoping he’ll have a place for Kranz in any future television series he might have planned. Like, maybe as Agent Leo Fitz in a S.H.I.E.L.D. series? Could that sort of humor work in a show about The Avengers? Definitely.

Fran Kranz + Joss Whedon = A good thing. Though let’s stick with the material that makes that formula shine.

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