Is Joss Whedon a one-trick pony or a flawed genius?

[AmbersKnight]

Don't get me wrong, I think Joss is a really good and innovative writer, but having seen Buffy fall apart during season 6 and never recover, Angel fall apart during season 5 and Firefly really never get off the ground (although I will admit it just didn't do anything for me but I accept it is very popular with its fans and Sci-Fi generally) I am beginning to wonder if Joss has burned out.

 

The first 5 seasons of Buffy were excellent and up until the musical in season 6 it was holding well (the musical was truly stunning) but after that the whole season fell apart as one bad decision after another snowballed to the point where the final 4 episodes are just embaressing to watch and the whilst it tried hard to regain some of tis lost momentum in season 7 it was really too little too late.

 

Angel suffered a similar fate during season 5 when it again fell apart.

 

So is Joss a flawed genius? Is he someone who perhaps started believe that he was invincible and God-like, incapable of doing any wrong? Or did he get it right all the way through?

 

I leave the discussion open

[DavidB]

Well, I think he's proven he certainly isn't a one trick pony considering the vast amount of work he has accomplished in his career, and the differences between his various projects.

 

A flawed genius though? Yeah, probably. But then who isn't? No-one's perfect, and every 'bad decision' for one person is a 'good decision' to someone else. So it does come down to personal taste at the same time.

 

I highly doubt Joss believes he can do no wrong.

[Mr.Jones]

Like with any writing, people have different perceptions about work done. From my point of view I found the networks hindered some of Joss's later seasons of Buffy, and totally shafted him with the last season of Angel as he was told it was cancelled after Season 5, thus causing him to rewrite the latter episodes to provide some sort of closure instead of the planned ending he had to go into Season 6.

 

Firefly didn't do the best figures on TV, but became a cult hit on DVD so much that he got funding for Serenity.

 

His writing on the X-Men comic has been superb. And he has more work to come out.

 

If you have ever met him, or seen him in interviews, you will see he is a humble and friendly man.

 

To me personally, as someone who is a writer (albeit unpublished at the moment), I find him neither a one trick pony or a flawed genius. He has made errors of judgement with some of his work, but he has been the first to admit it. I compare him to the likes of Kevin Smith and Seth MacFarlane - two of my favourite writers.

[Daniel]

He created Buffy. To me that alone makes him a genius for life.

 

To follow that with Angel and Serenity. I just can't put that into words..........