I agree. The quips worked when they came out of say Xander's mouth to Cordelia or Angel, or Buffy's to a vampire or to Xander. Or Cordelia's to Xander. In the Avenger's - Robert Downy Jr knew how to deliver them, and they worked between him and Captain America. Tony Stark would make fun of Captain America. Spike and Angel's banter works very well - Whedon wrote very good dialogue between Spike and Angel.
but as a rule I think Whedon actually does better at things that he can't make light-hearted (like The Body), because otherwise he gets so smug about being "clever" that he forgets to make "clever" quips actually fit the scene.
I agree a lot with this. Whedon's often at his best when he's not trying to be clever or smug or light-hearted. I honestly don't think he's a good comedy writer - I think he's a better drama writer, or dramedy.
When he's forced to do jokes - he kind of falls flat. Jane Espenson and some of the other writers on the Buffy staff were better at comedy writing. The funniest episodes in Buffy weren't written by Whedon, they were often written by someone else. Same with Angel.
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but as a rule I think Whedon actually does better at things that he can't make light-hearted (like The Body), because otherwise he gets so smug about being "clever" that he forgets to make "clever" quips actually fit the scene.
I agree a lot with this. Whedon's often at his best when he's not trying to be clever or smug or light-hearted. I honestly don't think he's a good comedy writer - I think he's a better drama writer, or dramedy.
When he's forced to do jokes - he kind of falls flat. Jane Espenson and some of the other writers on the Buffy staff were better at comedy writing. The funniest episodes in Buffy weren't written by Whedon, they were often written by someone else. Same with Angel.