Dollhouse

[Ginger Yellow]

There's a trailer out for Joss Whedon's upcoming show. With Faith! And Helo!

[Guest]

Dollhouse

Oh man. I can't help it, I am stealing the first episode of this right now. It's going to be great.

[Guest]

Dollhouse

Helo just looks so gorgeous. I am saving it to watch later but I had to flip through just to see how he was looking.

[erwin]

Dollhouse

Kate Beckinsale ... what a voice!

Scoop me up and stick me in the freezer to get solid again.

[Ginger Yellow]

Dollhouse

Just started, um, borrowing it. It's was a sci-fi extravaganza last night - Dollhouse premiere, Terminator hiatus over, new BSG.

[Ginger Yellow]

Dollhouse

Not quite sure what to make of it. Not many signature Whedon touches so far (besides having lots of women characters, of course) and it seems more straight-up sci-fi than I expected. Fun sci-fi, it's true, but nothing particularly special. That said, it was the first episode and they had to establish the setting (maybe Whedon/Fox are overcompensating for Firefly's launch), and TV critics say a lot of the early flaws are remedied in the next few episodes. Still, the dialogue lacked the usual zing and I doubt Fox will be willing to give the show time to develop complexities over several seasons.

[Ek weet nie]

Dollhouse

I haven't watched much of Whedon's previous stuff but have been aware of his reputation. I thought he was the cornerstone of modern feminism on TV but I've watched the first three episodes of this and I have misgivings.

I haven't seen as many beautiful women as extras in a show since Entourage. The main star has basically been raped twice in three episodes. Every opportunity to see Elisha Dushku in as revealing a state as possible has been utilised. What am I missing here? Does the fact that they can kick ass make this stuff ok?

[Ginger Yellow]

Dollhouse

Yeah, it's been very diappointing so far. And I certainly wouldn't call Whedon the cornerstone of feminism on TV - that's not how he sees it, for sure - it's just that his prolific use of women characters in leading, somewhat "real" roles is sadly unusual. Someone asked why he keeps writing strong women characters, and he said: "Because you're still asking me that question." See his address to Equality Now.

The main star has basically been raped twice in three episodes. Every opportunity to see Elisha Dushku in as revealing a state as possible has been utilised. What am I missing here? Does the fact that they can kick ass make this stuff ok?

Well, in principle, what makes it "OK" is that the show is supposed to be about exploring those questions of agency, identity, consent and so on. So far, however, there hasn't been much of that exploration, just lots of kicking ass. And given the rumours, the rewrites at Fox's behest and Fox's track record, I suspect there' isn't going to be all that much in future. So, so far, it's not OK.

[Ginger Yellow]

Dollhouse

Here's Whedon and Dushku expanding on those points and claiming that things will get more interesting (and justifiable) further into the series. It's pretty evident, though, that Fox has leaned hard on them to dumb it down, which calls into question the whole point of doing the show. These issues need to be handled with a deft touch.

[Ek weet nie]

Dollhouse

That's an impressive speech you linked to.

I'll probably watch another couple of episodes and leave it there if nothing grips me at that stage.

[Ek weet nie]

Dollhouse

Reading between the lines of the interview it's almost as if he's disowning the show. He rewrote the pilot, changed the episode order and made each episode stand alone at the behest of Fox. It doesn't inspire confidence that what we are seeing is the original vision.

[Ginger Yellow]

Dollhouse

No it doesn't. But, then, I haven't had any confidence about that since well before the show aired. I still thought it might be redeemable, though. Whedon's never made a bad show and Fox fucked around with Firefly and it was still amazing.

[matt j]

Dollhouse

I've been watching, and haven't been overly impressed, though I think it has potential. Mainly, the 'backstory' development and FBI agent hold a lot of promise.

Two biggest weaknesses:
1) Dushku
2) The "problem of the week" format

I like Dushku, but she has a limited range. I'd rather see some of the other Dolls in action.

If they could just go into a full-on 'continuing story' type of scriptwriting, the show would be far better. (Why, for instance, does one of Echo's assignments have to stop when the episode does?)

[Ginger Yellow]

Dollhouse

If they could just go into a full-on 'continuing story' type of scriptwriting, the show would be far better. (Why, for instance, does one of Echo's assignments have to stop when the episode does?)

Well, if you believe the interview I linked to, because Fox said they had to, at least for the first five episodes. I can't quite understand why they'd hire Whedon and then ban him from playing to his strengths, but that's Fox for you. I'm skeptical it's going to improve that much after the next couple of episodes, but I'm willing to give it a chance.

[hobbes]

Dollhouse

So any idea when this will appear on Sky1?

[Ginger Yellow]

Dollhouse

Nope, sorry.

Well, that (Ep 1.4) wasn't a good sign. Even allowing for the Fox machinations, suspension of disbelief was just out of the window and the plot holes and characterisation were appalling.

!!!!!!!!!ANGRY SPOILERS!!!!!!!

1) People hire dolls to be midwives now? What the fuck?

2) Apparently the Dollhouse sometimes doesn't know any details of the engagement. And yet it is somehow able to imprint the active with the perfect mind for the job and have the agent's handler in place.

3) Again, suspension of disbelief is fine, but randomly glossing over fairly substantial plot points is not. Vaults are just not that easy to crack with no tools whatsoever, and for that matter I doubt they usually come with safe style tumblers. How the hell did Echo get from the vault to Boyd, especially in her state? I have no fucking idea, and it kind of renders the supposed tension of the whole grey hour thing redundant.

4) Joss, I love you man, but "blue skies" is no "five by five". And "five by five" wasn't a great catchphrase to begin with.

5) If you're going to explain away an obvious plot hole, do it with panache. Simply not answering the reasonable question "How the hell do you have reception in here?" is not an acceptable approach.

!!!!!!!ANGRY SPOILERS END!!!!!!!!

[WOM]

Dollhouse

Just watched this for the first time.

Meh.

I really do wish I could get as excited about these sci-fi shows as others do, but I'm astounded at how bad - or just dull - some of them are.

[Guest]

Dollhouse

I'm quite enjoying Dollhouse. I see all the problems but I'm interested in the world, so I'll keep watching at least for now. I don't have so much of a problem with the fact that the dolls are hired out as prostitutes as much as they are as bodyguards, probably because that actually makes sense in a brutal kind of, "well, we make them want to do it and then we take the memory away anyway" logistical way. If you're going to make a show about exploitation and identity and so forth, then acknowledging this ultra pragmatic aspect of human nature makes sense. And Helo is there to be the ethical hero; investigating human trafficking and commenting all the time on the baseness of capitalism and so on.

You could list plot holes forever:

spoilers follow

eg my favourites are: Helo going to that mob meeting in the cellar alone, the loon
the background check on crazy outdoorsy rapist-serial killer guy being fine once, but easliy seen through next time
if people hire dolls to do stuff cos the dolls will have no memory of it, fine, but what about all the other people who see them, eg the kidnapped girl?

and also too much unnecessary, no doubt executively-induced, commentary, eg:

Helo's boxing match intercut with his interview - you see how he fights back against hte bigger guy and won't give up? See?
dialogue like "did they grow you in a lab?" and countless other clunky "ironies". I mean, we get it, the blank slate thing; we've seen eg the Buffy ep Tabula Rasa, we've seen the Buffybot, Mr Universe's girlfriend, the creation of River, etc etc etc. But if you're obsessed with a theme, you just are, can't really criticise Joss so much for that.

and characterisation, I mean, Topher is just an amalgam of Jonathan/Andrew/Warren, with a bit of Marshall from Alias thrown in. I hate Sierra
already, although she's probably, sorry, Eliza, a better actress overall than Faith; Lennox's motivation will no doubt become clearer, again he's a bit like DIxon from Alias, but until we know more, he makes no sense; no idea what's going on with Victor or why; etc

But I like plenty about it too; Fred; the Alpha mystery; Olivia's frocks; Helo's crazy obsessed but sweet stalker neighbout, for not being stick thin and having gorgeous eyes; and like I say I'm engaged enough with the overall world to keep going. Although the comfy shoes bit annoyed me. She's wearing 5" stilettos. Even if its a super ironic joke, it didn't work for me.

[Ginger Yellow]

Dollhouse

Although the comfy shoes bit annoyed me. She's wearing 5" stilettos. Even if its a super ironic joke, it didn't work for me.

Yeah, that was very weird indeed.

Anyway:

[Guest]

Dollhouse

I quite enjoyed last week's. Lots of unnecessarily obvious Biblical parallels etc, but I'm happy to go along, for now, with the 'Fox interference' explanation. Apparently last night's is where it really gets going, so I'm looking forward to it.

[Guest]

Dollhouse

Even at Bible-bashing Amish-esque weird nutjob cult camp, though, where everyone wears voluminous aprons and mumsy blouses, her shoes had at least a 4" heel. It was slightly chunky, I guess, but, still.

[Ek weet nie]

Dollhouse

Episode 6 is much much better. A much closer inspection of the murky world the Dollhouse inhabits morally. No shit missions getting in the way. Lots of questions about the ultimate purpose of the organisation.

Shallower reasons include seeing plenty of the sexy neighbour and a couple of moments of genuine laughter (the porn moments).

[Ek weet nie]

Dollhouse

Although, just to add that there were aspects that bugged me.

*******Spoilers for epidoed 6**********

Most of them involved the FBI agent. Man recovering from a bullet wound who has just been tasered beats up three bodyguards. Trusting his neighbour with details of secretive FBI case (I know you can argue it's because nobody in the FBI will isten to him but it still doesn't make sense to me). When he is in the Chinese restaurant he sees the waiter go through a door and sees a reflection of Echo when the door is ajar. The reflection means that she is obviously standing to the left of the double doors in the next room but he walks past her without looking left and allows her to rob the gun. The fight scene push the plausibility stakes too but I can live with that since she obviously gets implanted with super fighting skills.

[Ginger Yellow]

Dollhouse

Yeah, Helo sure has some nifty moves. He must have been seconded to the FBI from some crack team of instant-healing ninjas. He sure wasn't hired for his detective skills.

Anyway, that was a lot better. Which raises the question: why are Fox so fucking shit at television? Do they derive their pleasure in life from crushing the creativity of others?

[Guest]

Dollhouse

Really, though, a busy restaurant kitchen with no staff in it?? However I overlook the blatantly stupid things like this because there's no point worrying about them. I enjoyed the recent couple of episodes; more thoughtful stuff about morality etc. Typically, I *love* that Caroline was an animal rights activist.