Where a Whedon Limit is Sacrilege

top five whedon characters

My top 5 Whedon characters, with some huge oversights and I am cheating a little by throwing in 2 honorable mentions.

Honorable Mention #1: Alpha - this is an honorable mention only because I feel like it’s a little too early (and probably a little ridiculous) to have such a new character on my list of top five favorite Whedon characters.  But hear me out, ok? Yes, Dollhouse has its faults. No, it doesn’t really feel like a Joss show. Aren’t they like… prostitutes? Is Joss really doing a show about… pros? Okay, I’m not here to talk about that? I probably shouldn’t have mentioned that then but those are pretty much the biggest gripes with the show. But for all its faults, you can’t help but be intrigued by this mystery Alpha dude. Who is he? Why was he so extraordinary that he was able to bust through all the imprints and become, well, Alpha? Why is he so obsessed with Echo??
Above all else, Alpha is awesome because the actor who plays him is awesome and so spectacular in pulling off the role and the pivotal moment when his true identity was revealed to us. That moment, that whole half of the episode, made it onto my list of biggest wtf just happened moments of my television-viewing history, in case you’ve forgotten, with good reason!

Honorable Mention #2: Dr. Horrible - I’d like to think that Dr. Horrible’s awesomeness saved the television industry via the internet. Ha, that makes no sense. But what makes sense to me is an adorable geeky boy who sings his emotions. And if he turns out be an aspiring evil villain? Well that’s cool.

5. Wesley - because you probably didn’t think too much of him when he was on Buffy except maybe you hated him a little bit in the beginning because it just seemed like all he was good for was getting in Buffy’s and Giles’s way. Or maybe you were skeeved/confused by the requited attraction he shared with Cordy? But then he became a regular on Angel and boooyy did he evolve. The same old Wes still lives on: the gentle, kindly, soft-spoken, brilliant with books librarian never died. But life in LA was hard for Wes. As the seasons went by (or more like after the whole Connor thing) he became a completely different person. He was ruthless. And cold. And it’s funny (in a tragic way given the circumstances of how it came into being) that he started life on Angel as a “rogue demon hunter” with his motorcycle and laughable leather pants (I’m not making this up, am I?) when he was anything but - and then he actually became one when he was outcast from Angel Investigations.*tear Wesley Wyndham Price really came into his own on Angel and it was a brilliant transformation. The way he handles things is just so… classy.

4. Buffy - I think it’s tough to strike a balance between recognizing a strong character like Buffy out of a great ensemble cast without overlooking everyone else. And SciFi is right: you have to give credit where it’s due and it definitely takes a lot of gumption for a female lead character to carry a show for 7 straight years. But that, for me, is not a good enough reason to put her at the top of the list. So why is she only at number 4? I don’t really know. I just know that I love her enough to have her in my top 5 but I know that I love Faith, Oz and Spike more than I love her so.. there you have it.

3. Spike - Dude, from the first moment that William the Bloody swaggered into Sunnydale with his long leather coat fanning out behind him in slow motion (in my head, it’s in slo-mo though I really can’t tell you if it was slo-mo for reals, though I doubt it…) I was SOLD. Even when he got defanged, he was still a bad ass vampire. Even without a soul, he was a hopeless romantic - ahem, love’s bitch, if you will, but man enough to admit it. I love Spike because he proves that you don’t need to be a cursed Moody McBroodster to be a champion. And you don’t have to sparkle in sunlight or scale trees with girls on your back to be a sex symbol. [Sorry, I just had to squeeze in another swipe at Twilight..]

2. Oz - Oz didn’t speak much. When he did it was either short and cryptic like he was dropping proverbial pearls of wisdom or it was in very heartachingly tender dialogue with Willow. For a teenaged werewolf, Oz was surprisingly the most logical person on the show. I really think that out of all the characters on Buffy, Oz was the only one who had never acted on an irrational thought - his werewolf tendencies aside. And for some reason, it fits.

1. Faith - Oh, Faith. I once said I was going to do an in-depth character study on Faith but I never got around to it because I have a problem following through on promises I make to the internet. ETA: Oh but look! I’m making good on one promise! So the shorthand version of why Faith is my number one favorite Whedon character is this: she’s just like the most bad-ass character ever, ok? Sure, she didn’t sacrifice her life twice, or impale her beloved cursed vampire boyfriend with a magic sword and send him to hell, among other things, to save the world. But she helped! When things got too whiny and annoying on Buffy that final season, who swooped in, fresh from [busting out of prison by jumping out a window to psychically/cosmically duke it out with Angelus and almost dying because she was weak but wait no she persevered because she’s strong! She’s a SLAYER dammit! and thereby] saving the world.. or LA? That’s right. Faith Lehane did.

dollhouse season 2: 7 reasons why you should be punched in the stomach for missing it.

(originally posted on pinkraygun.com)

Ahh, Dollhouse. How you enjoy toying with our fragile emotions. I had so many conflicting feelings while watching your first few episodes (you’re created by JOSS FRICKIN’ WHEDON!! But I’m confused by this plot!! Faith was like, my favorite character on Buffy!  But why do I find Echo so unconvincing??? I’m glad there’s an Asian-looking female main character!! But what’s up with all these sexual engagements?? OMG, Fred’s a doctor, and she has a face-scar!!  But why is Helo so surly?? EXCLAMATION POINTS and QUESTION MARKS!!!??!). Anyway, somewhere down this emotional journey, it became stunningly clear that you KICK SERIOUS ASS (Briar Rose and Omega were quite possibly the best TV episodes of this year), and it was kind of at this precise moment we had reason to fear that you’d meet a Firefly-like demise. Oh the despair and heartache that would come. But then!! Fox actually renewed you!!! The joy! The rapture! The gift of a Whedon Season 2!

*Spoiler alert regarding Season 2 guest stars and plot developments from Season 1.

7. Joss has promised that there will be less self-contained episodes in season 2 . Which means that we’ll have less episodes like That One Where Echo Was a Back Up Singer, and more room for substantive conspiracy-plot and character development.

6. Umm, it’ll be like a frickin’ Battlestar Galactica and Everything Joss reunion up in here! Jamie Bamber, aka Lee Adama, is set to star in tonight’s season premiere (man I hope he’ll have his British accent), while Michael Hogan, aka Colonel Saul Cyclops Tigh, is reported to come through this season’s second episode. Meanwhile, Alexis Denisof (OMG Wesley!! How I’ve missed you so) will be donning his native American (not Native American) accent as a U.S. Senator, while Summer River Glau will play a Dollhouse employee who shares a past with Echo. Thankfully, Amy Acker will be reprising her role as Whiskey slash Dr. Saunders, and Alan Tudyk, aka The Awesomest Guy Ever, is rumored to continue to scare the bejeebus out of us as the hauntingly psychotic Alpha.

5. Meanwhile Dexter’s Keith Carradine is set to star in at least two episodes as a high powered business man, while RAY WISE (he effortlessly exudes badassery, and was easily the best part of Reaper) will be guesting as the head honcho of another Dollhouse.

4. Aren’t you kind of totally curious what’s going to happen to Victor?? What kind of engagements will he be able to participate in? Will gender biases become apparent if he’s treated differently from Whiskey?? Enver Gjokaj blew me away last season (especially his Dominic impersonation), and I’m so looking forward to what’s in store for his character.

3. And Whiskey! I don’t think I’m alone in thinking that Amy Acker is unbelievable. I need to know what her story is, and how she adjusts to her knowledge of her prior active status. She hates Topher! Like, REALLY hates him! I kind of love that, because it’s also awesome to see Topher all sad-like and multi-dimensional.

2. Hasn’t Eliza really grown into her role as Echo? I used to have to make an effort not to cringe when she’d wake up in The Chair and recite, “Did I fall asleep?” but now…I don’t know. I’m suddenly so fond of her, and find her individuality as an active so compelling. What makes her so unique and special? Has she been able to retain all of those personalities??

1. Have you seen Epitaph One? No? Really? Um, can you watch it now? Like, this minute? It’s available on DVD and itunes. I’ll wait. I have time. Seriously, it’s pretty much an amazingly done episode. Apparently Joss was “bitter as hell” that Fox never aired it, but he promises this season will definitely touch upon some of the mind-blowing things that happened in Epitaph. And really, doesn’t that in itself warrant an obsession that induces you to Google Alert any and all updates of the show? Not that, you know, I do that or anything.

Dollhouse season 2 premieres tonight, 9 PM on FOX. Who wants to go out on a Friday night, anyway, when you could be chillin’ at home with these hot peepos?

-jaykay