How I Met Your Mother

When I fall in love with a new project from one of my favorite writers I usually have plenty of time to spend with it before it comes to an end.  That's not the case with Joss Whedon's Internet musical extravaganza, Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog.  The three-act series about a lovelorn supervillain just started last Tuesday, and today the final installment was released on iTunes and at DrHorrible.com.  It'll be available for free on the website until Sunday, then will disappear until a DVD packed with special features is released sometime in the future.  Though it's sad to see such a wonderful, unique project come to an end, at least Dr. Horrible goes out on top.

The third act of Dr. Horrible kicks off with our titular hero finishing up a death ray that he plans to use on the hilariously egotistical Captain Hammer (Nathan Fillion).  As Hammer sings a song at the opening of the local homeless shelter ("Everyone's a Hero in Their Own Way"), Dr. Horrible (Neil Patrick Harris) bursts in for a final confrontation with his arch-nemesis.  I won't give away too many plot details, but Whedon has a twist up his sleeve that brings an unexpected level of emotion to the grand finale.

I was blown away by Neil Patrick Harris (How I Met Your Mother) while watching act two of the musical, and during the final 15 minutes I was completely amazed by Nathan Fillion.  Who knew he could sing so well?  His song to the homeless is both extremely funny and terribly insulting ("Everyone's a hero in their own way, in their own not that heroic way").  It's hard to imagine anyone else playing a self-obsessed jerk with such comedic panache.  Though Fillion nearly steals the show, viewers should also keep an eye out for humorous cameos from Buffy the Vampire Slayer scribes Marti Noxon, David Fury, Doug Petrie and Drew Goddard.

Now that Dr. Horrible has come to a glorious conclusion, I'm happy to proclaim it the best supervillain Internet musical ever made.  There's no word on when the DVD will be released, so I suggest heading to DrHorrible.com or buying the entire 40 minutes on iTunes as soon as possible.  This is something that needs to be seen over and over again.  Just remember to watch out for the thoroughbred of sin.


- Don Williams, BuddyTV Staff Writer
(Image courtesy of The Los Angeles Times)