Kirkland resident Matthew Teton reported Thursday that he has not yet decided if it is worth four dollars on iTunes to download the hit internet supervillain musical Dr. Horrible.
Teton insists that his indecision has nothing to do with the entertainment quality of the production from Firefly producer Joss Whedon, describing it as “totally hilarious” and “a must-watch.”
“Neil Patrick Harris was perfect as the aspiring villain and bumbling romantic Dr. Horrible,” said Teton. “But is it worth four dollars to be able to have Dr. Horrible on my iPhone… I just don’t know.”
The ability to view the forty-three-minute musical for free online further confounds Teton’s ability to come to a decision. “It’s like, on the one hand I feel like I should support Joss’ efforts to produce such an awesome show,” Teton explained. “On the other hand, I could almost buy a footlong at Subway for four bucks.”
According to roommate Andrew Scarville, Teton has watched Dr. Horrible “at least fifty times” since it was originally posted online two weeks ago. “He also spent ten or twelve hours making this enormous Excel spreadsheet to weigh the pros and cons of buying it off iTunes,” observed Scarville. “You should have seen him when Futurama hit iTunes. Yikes.”
Added Scarville, “I think he may be over thinking it just a bit.”
Teton is confident that he will arrive at a decision on the purchase sometime in the next few weeks. “I just have to give it a little more thought is all,” he said.
On the web: Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog
Trailer:
Actually, it’s six bucks, now. It was four bucks to buy the entire season before the whole thing became available, but now you have to buy all three episodes at $1.99 each. For six bucks you could get a bag of chips and a soda with your sub.
Yeah, you could buy a sandwich. But after a few minutes it would be gone. And then, did it really feed you? You could have Dr. Horrible forever for the $4 and it will feed your heart and soul for a long time to come.
It’s like at the beginning of the Simpsons movie: “Why should I pay to go see a movie for something I can watch on tv for free?” haha.
I totally had this conundrum. I ended up paying.
I can’t even begin to understand this. I don’t have internet at home, and no iTunes at work. I have a friend who bought it from iTunes. If I could have given him money to buy another set, I would have, but apparently iTunes doesn’t quite work like that. I don’t know. As it is, he was kind enough to bring his Mac over, and I recorded it on my VCR to watch on the television. I’d send the 6 bucks straight to Joss if I could. Can’t wait for the DVD! Any decent person who is a fan of this work and would like to see more of this kind of creativity, but isn’t willing to shell out a little money for it is just asking for more reality television. Just what we need. Joss would be so proud.
It’s a great show, and one you have it, it’s yours. Subway sandwiches are not that great anyway, and they don’t last forever. If you’re really spent 10-12 hours making an Excel sheet of “pros” & “cons” for it, over $4-$6, I would suggest getting a job. At $8/hour, you could have bought it on iTunes, got your Subway meal, and took your girlfriend out to a movie, with change leftover. From one day of work. That 10-12 hours were wasted, and you’re still not gratified. Sorry dude. It’s on HULU though.
I’m sure he will encounter a Captain Hammer sometime that will bash in his mind upon hearing that he watched dozens of times without paying.
Just get a job like a real person and buy Dr. Horrible on iTunes. I would pay fifty bucks for those three episodes… that’s how good they are. Just get a job.
Can’t get enough of that wacky singing mad-scientist bent on world domination!? Then check out Doctor Steel! more Toys, Robots, Nurses, Fun, Happiness and Mind Control Cookies than you can shake a freeze-ray at!
Listen for free at http://www.doctorsteel.com -> Audio Experimentation
In this world of torrents and piracy I think it is very important that we not only show our support of the arts, but also our support of all the hard work put into any production; from the leading star to the craft service people. Listen, everyone who put Dr. Horrible together did it with no expectation of a monetary reward. And even with millions of downloads, it will still take them sometime to come out on top. If you consider a movie ticket these days is about $10.00 and you’ve watched the show 50 times already, that’s $50.00 you would have spent had this been a big studio production. At that price I think you can afford to buy the show and get a sub for you and your roommate!
I am currently unemployed and wondering how to pay my bills for the month. But because I enjoyed Dr. Horrible so much, and because I believe in what Joss is trying to accomplish by putting himself on the line like this, I paid the $4. In a week, you will not even notice the difference of having saved $4 to spend at Subway. But you’ll have Dr. Horrible at your fingertips whenever you want. And better yet, you’ll have the knowledge that you’ve provided support for Joss and helped pave the way for entertainment to be placed back in the hands of the artists, rather than suits who don’t care about the fans.
@Jim in Buffalo: You can still buy the whole thing for $3.99, you just have to choose the Buy Season Pass option. TOHtally worth it!
$10.00 times 50 viewings is $500.00. Ack.
Bravo, Emerald! We have no one to blame but ourselves if we don’t support the artists we respect when we have the chance, and then are stuck watching the reality TV trash that networks try to ram down our throats. It’s $4.00, not even the price of a Subway hero, and about ten percent what cable service costs monthly (on the low end). I would pay an annual subscription quite a bit higher than that directly to Joss (and others) to have him develop and produce quality programming, and leave network TV in the garbage, where much of it belongs. Imagine what would happen if we abandoned the corporate sponsorship model and each of us subscribed directly to watch what we wanted to watch.
Dude. It’s SIX DOLLARS. That’s NOTHING. Just buy it already! Support the guys who made it!
Wtf? Uh, dude, if you love a video that much and are deathly afraid of parting with four whole bucks, starve yourself for a lunch or two. Or, better yet, save money buying food at the grocery store. I hope you know how to make a sandwich.
It’s a two second decision. The time you’re wasting vacillating is time you can spend earning money. This guy’s crazy.
I don’t have iTunes (or an iPod for that matter) and I’m not going to install it only to watch Dr. Horrible. I’ll get the DVD when it comes out, but until then I’ll make due with my “unofficial” verion on my Zune or stream it from Hulu when in front of a computer. Teton and I have a lot in common.
I’m beginning to wonder how many commenters don’t realize this is a spoof.
dude, nobody jokes around on the internet. That’s where news lives.