Whedonesque

I love everything Joss Whedon does. Let me reiterate. I love EVERYTHING Joss Whedon does. It's really remarkable how he doesn't have that huge of a fan base, but it's the fan base he does have that keeps most of his shows afloat for as long as they are on air (usually not long.) If these fans are anything like me, they are die hard, say-the-name-Joss-Whedon-and-I'm-there kind of fans. I pretty much want to live in this man's brain kind of fan. There was my adolescence, based solely on the influences of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and her snarky determination to live the life of a normal teenager in the face of supernatural adversity. Oh the parallels between her world and mine. I suppose that was the point. There was Firefly, and then Serenity, brought to my attention through a vagabond group of Missouri college students sleeping on the beach for the summer and surviving on bread and mustard. Of the many memories I took home from that island trip, Joss Whedon persisted. Perhaps it was here that my nerd-ish and somewhat unexpected appreciation for sci fy was born, because after Serenity came Dollhouse. Which brought me through high school and into college. First of all, anyone who consistently casts Nathan Fillion in their series deserves a round of applause, and second, the same string of actors playing dramatically different roles really gives voice to their versatility as well as the writing. But it's not just that. It's that Joss Whedon is a master at combining action, comedy, fiction, reality, and a deeper, darker meaning to everything he does. He has conquered the paradox, and maybe that's why I find him so fascinating. He wrote my favorite quote in the entire world, courtesy of Buffy of course. It may be the only thing I'll ever tattoo myself with, because I have a tendency to write the entire thing on my arm whenever I am feeling sad or broken. It is the deepest truth I can muster when i have no explanation for why what happens, happens.

“Passion, it lies in all of us, sleeping... waiting... and though unwanted... unbidden... it will stir... open its jaws and howl. It speaks to us... guides us... passion rules us all, and we obey. What other choice do we have? Passion is the source of our finest moments. The joy of love... the clarity of hatred... and the ecstasy of grief. It hurts sometimes more than we can bear. If we could live without passion maybe we'd know some kind of peace... but we would be hollow... Empty rooms shuttered and dank. Without passion we'd be truly dead.”