I think that what you point out- that she is treated as an object by the other characters- is intentional
I think you're right. This is what a lot of people at Whedonesque pointed out as well. Also, how much character development can you pour into a supporting character in a 45 minute time slot? But my point wasn't that Penny is a weak character.
Part of the tragedy of Dr. Horrible is that Billy gets what he wants (admission into the ELE) at the cost of something else he wants (Penny). Throughout the movie, we want him to get the girl, then he can't have her, and isn't that so sad? But, I was thinking, what would Penny want? She certainly wouldn't want Dr. Horrible. She'd actually be horrified by him. So this assumption I (and I assume many other people) had about Billy having the option to date Penny is a fallacy. Her choices, presented as Dr. Horrible and Captain Hammer, are a false dichotomy.
I also wanted to explicitly point out how Billy falls into the Nice Guy category. Any time we can point to a Nice Guy in media and say, "No," is a good thing, I think. It's a learning experience for everyone.
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I think you're right. This is what a lot of people at Whedonesque pointed out as well. Also, how much character development can you pour into a supporting character in a 45 minute time slot? But my point wasn't that Penny is a weak character.
Part of the tragedy of Dr. Horrible is that Billy gets what he wants (admission into the ELE) at the cost of something else he wants (Penny). Throughout the movie, we want him to get the girl, then he can't have her, and isn't that so sad? But, I was thinking, what would Penny want? She certainly wouldn't want Dr. Horrible. She'd actually be horrified by him. So this assumption I (and I assume many other people) had about Billy having the option to date Penny is a fallacy. Her choices, presented as Dr. Horrible and Captain Hammer, are a false dichotomy.
I also wanted to explicitly point out how Billy falls into the Nice Guy category. Any time we can point to a Nice Guy in media and say, "No," is a good thing, I think. It's a learning experience for everyone.