I do agree the last ep wasn't as satisfying, but it was also several minutes shorter in order to include the credits. It lacked a final twist/gag. Although I have to say, having now seen Bad Horse, the line "or he'll make you his mare" is even funnier.

I thought it was great. Perfect ending of an origin story. And fridge? What?

I just wanna cry . And I wanna see more. I totally missed my grrr, argh. I didn't realize quite how much. This can't be all there is! There should be more. I want more. With more music, and funny, and clever, and, and, MORE.

And yes, it could be Tim , but it still feels like classic Joss to me.

eta: I know this is Buffistas, and we're supposed to be all coherent in our passion, and not all blobbering fangurl, but I can't help it. It's been so long. With this short webcast, Joss and company have turned me into a blathering idiot.

Actually , the more I think about Penny the more I know her non- place in the world was Very deliberate -- in the paper after her death ,she was called 'what's her name". In comic books/ superhero stories the victim is only there so the hero and villain have a reason to fight. GFs are only there to die tragically or to plotted against by the villain and be rescued by the hero. And since this was a spoof...

Hmm... as a spoof, it's just this side of too sincere to work for me. Were it more clearly spoofing, and had there not been previous clearly and utterly sincere variations on the trope in ME history, I'd probably be less uncomfortable.

Tamara: [link]

I see your point Plei, but for me it wasn't her death that bothered me so much as that it didn't have a strong enough visual/narrative payoff.

Yeah, that doesn't work for me, Plei, but then I save my feminist rage for other things. Typical Joss Whedon just doesn't push those buttons.

I knew that it was going to end that way for someone. And it is the perfect set up for a sequel.

Burrell, the shallow part of what irks me about that particular trope is that it's SUCH fucking shorthand, and I've seen it SO often, so for me, it never ends up feeling earned. And maybe they could have pulled it off with four acts, or with broader performances all around (Side note, when NPH strides in and is doing the full-on Dr. Horrible in control thing after freezing The Hammer? Damn, he was scary. He'd be a good Judas in JC Superstar.), but it didn't work for me there.

Joss has pushed them for me a few times.

See also, A Hole in the World. Where he was pushing them like someone frantically trying to get a crosswalk signal to switch over to walk already. I blame comic books for this reaction. Although I have to say, in Veronica Mars S1's finale I almost laughed myself sick when they stuck her in AN ACTUAL FRIDGE WHERE SHE HAD TO BE RESCUED, which I'm pretty certain wasn't intended to make me think of what it did. But oh, man. That was comedy gold.

You are right about it not feeling earned, perhaps needing another act. Oh and also about NPH making a wonderful Judas.

Okay, I better get to bed so I can wake when the monkey boy gets up.