I think I'm becoming a Whedonite

So, I just realized, with some surprise, that I seem to be becoming a Joss Whedon fan. This is good, but I have a slight reservation in that much of Joss' fanbase is rather... rabid. There are mainstream religions that garner less devotion than Joss Whedon. I will attempt to remain a sane fan, but if I do go off the deep end, let's just say that I won't be surprised.

So, you might be asking, 'Who the hell is this Joss Whedon guy?' Joss Whedon is a screenwriter, producer, and sometime director. He is best known for creating Buffy the Vampire Slayer and other cult shows. Also, according to him, any problems with his work are totally not his fault, even when they actually are. Still, he's one of the most consistently entertaining artists out there, and definitely worth a look.

I've known about Joss' work for years. Everybody's heard of Buffy, for example, even if they haven't actually seen it. I first actually became interested in Whedon's works after becoming a regular of tvtropes.org- they pretty much worship him there. Despite my interest, I didn't follow up on it for a few years.

The thing is, I've watched more television in the last several months since I got rid of my cable then I ever did when I actually had it, thanks to Hulu and Netflix. My friend (who I shall only refer to as Mr F, in reference to Arrested Development, one of the shows that he introduced me to) reacquainted me with television this summer, when I visited him up in Cape Cod. I haven't been a big TV person since I entered my teenage years. Aside from Futurama, The Colbert Report, and the few History Channel documentaries that aren't How Nostradamus Predicted Hitler's Biblical Lovechild and the Engineering that Built It, I haven't really watched much television. Mr F, on the other hand, is a big TV buff (or at least he is compared to me). While up in Cape Cod, he introduced me to Arrested Development (which is without a doubt one of the funniest goddamn shows ever aired) and Lost (which I have already mentioned my love for). When I returned home, I used the Internet to follow these shows, and this led to me branching out into other series.

Last December, I started watching Buffy. This happened more or less by accident. Hulu is, as of this writing, only showing one season at a time of several of its shows, Arrested Development among them. Having finished the first season of that show, I now had a few weeks before Hulu would put up the next one. Looking for another way to waste my time, I decided to prove my troper credentials (if you don't know what I'm talking about, see the aforementioned tvtropes.org) by watching Buffy. I was hooked. And thus was I first introduced to Joss Whedon.

Last week, I was horribly sick to my stomach one morning. I tried to fight this ickiness with the awesomeness that is Star Wars The Clone Wars, but sadly, really great animated TV shows are not a scientifically proven method of fighting stomach pain. So, I went up to bed, barf bowl and laptop in hand, and hoped for the best. I had already seen all the Buffy that Hulu was going to offer until April, so I had to look for something new to amuse myself. And so I found Firefly. I'd heard of this show before, but never actually watched it. "Let's see if this is any good," I said to myself.

Half an hour in, I would have shouted the word 'fuck' out loud, had I not been aware of other people in my house, one of whom was recovering from surgery. I did think it, though, and I like to imagine that every psychic in the county suddenly felt offended at my language. The reason for this was because it just hit me: this show only lasted for one season. I had been watching for half an hour, and I was already pissed off at the fact that it was canceled. That, my friend, is good television.

Seriously though, guys: check Firefly out. It's a Western in space. If that isn't enough of a recommendation for you, then you clearly have deficient taste. Or you just have a different opinion, but I'm going with the former because it makes me feel special.

So, now I'm a Whedonite. I'm probably not going to be obsessive or anything (I've already got Star Wars, Nintendo, and the Wold Newton universe eating my brain, thank you very much), but you have been warned.