I have to admit I was a little taken aback by the ending of Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog (now only available via Itunes, drat them, until the DVD comes out), but then I realized it was pretty much Joss Whedon’s modus operandi: if the first two parts are mostly light comedy, then the third act is inevitably going to throw us for a loop and turn serious. Being serious and funny at the same time is what Whedon does (and what distinguishes him from his imitators, including some of his own writer-producers on Buffy, who tend to separate everything into “serious” and “comic relief” scenes).
It’s maybe a bit too close to those sitcom episodes that turn serious in the last five minutes and then have an occasional laugh to remind you that it’s still a comedy, but after all, Joss Whedon did start out writing for sitcoms.
