[US] DollHouse [** Spoilers **] (Renewed!)

robby^5

Terribly disappointing episode, real let down.

Back story was pretty boring. So she's some whiny little peta wannabe who saw too much and didn't understand what it is she saw either, which makes me question why they would bother making her a doll when the evidence was destroyed and all she has to prove anything is her word... meh, pretty uninteresting imo. Also the boyfriend was an awful character, kept saying stupid **** like "that's my girl"

Still I'm enjoying the show and think it has quite a lot of promise even though they've been hit and miss so far. I believe it was mentioned that Caroline was on the run for two years before being caught, so hopefully they go into detail with that and actually make me care about Caroline, because right now I care more about Echo.

lostexpectation

well i guess its more Taken then nikitta it could happen to anyone type thing

iguana

I think that this episode has placed me solidly in the camp of everyone who feels that Dushku is the weak link on the show. I've never had a particular problem with her acting as she pretty much nailed Faith and I've not really seen her in anything else, Tru Calling was stupid. But she isn't a good enough actor to pull off being different characters in the same episode. Each new imprint is still just the same person being ballsy, the same person being sexy, the same person being innocent. It wouldn't matter so much with an ancillary character, but with Echo she is supposed to be experiencing flashes of her true personality, or of other imprints and Dushku's acting ability just isn't up to conveying it properly.

The thing in this episode that really showed her up was Enver Gjokaj's Victor. I thought he was completely different as the NSA guy running the investigation, to his Russian pimp and his innocent Victor. While he was in the lab being intelligent and officious you could almost forget that he's a doll. And it made Mr Domnick's frustration with Topher making him NSA and his apple sauce comments both real and funny. You never get that kind of immersion when watching Echo.

Kipperhell

Well that episode pretty much destroyed any notion of the people running the house being dolls. Echos back story is pretty pathetic and I am not pretty much sure Alpha is her boyfriend who "died". What is kind of irritating about her back story is it is like a Knight Rider/A team simplistic story.

PopBeloved

I think Dushku is the weakest actor on the series after Fran Kranz and there's something off with each of her personas but I still think she delineates the characters well. There was a cluelessness to the last character which seperated her from whom she had played before and there was a shrewishness to her character in the second last episode which seperated her again. I don't think she has the physical control Victor has or the kind of features suitable for projecting a different demeanour like Sierra and she's definitely hit-and-miss but I think she's doing a pretty good job. The problem with Dollhouse is the writing.

ziedth

I also agree that Dushku seems to be the weak link although it wouldn't put me off watching the show like it did with fringe

I'm enjoying the show for the most part I kind of wish that Victor would get more screen time as he seems to be a watchable.

I'll def stick with it but i'm wondering would I be as forgiving if it wasn't a Josh Weadon show!

User45701

ziedth wrote: »

I also agree that Dushku seems to be the weak link although it wouldn't put me off watching the show like it did with fringe

I'm enjoying the show for the most part I kind of wish that Victor would get more screen time as he seems to be a watchable.

I'll def stick with it but i'm wondering would I be as forgiving if it wasn't a Josh Weadon show!

Your 1 from dollhouse is in fringe as well?

ziedth

User45701 wrote: »

Your 1 from dollhouse is in fringe as well?

No Budd,

What I mean is the lead in Fringe (Dunham is it?) is very poor character or actress. It put me right off watching the show. Which is a pity because I quite liked walter and the chap who was in Dawsons creek in it.

Richard Dower

Dushku *is* a major problem, i said it before....she was only hired for her looks/past history of Wheadon shows. She is the weak link, i think they should kill her off and find a new Echo.

robby^5

Well if the show isn't cancelled this season I definitely think the writers should start focusing more on Victor and Sierra maybe tell more of their back-stories and shift the focus away from Echo.

Obviously I don't see Echo being killed off or anything, but if there was less focus on Echo and more on the 3 of them as a group I think the show would definitely benefit.

Looking forward to this weeks episode, as it looks like it could be exactly what I'm looking for judging from the promos.

Richard Dower

Yes, this weeks promo looks great...the Dolls wake up! :-)

Richard Dower

Not long now guys.....SOO EXCITED!! :-)

User45701

my eta says 22 mins but im recked i think ill just wait till the mornin

Mr E

It was a very good episode, but wasn't the revelation I was hoping for. I actually rolled my eyes when DeWitt said "right on schedule..." in the first act, but they took it in a good direction when Echo decided to go back. The scene with Caroline, Topher, and later DeWitt was very good.

I was kind of pissed off when everything was wrapped up in a nice little bow by the second last scene (yep, I rolled my eyes again - sedative released when they had closure - seriously?), but the last scene was a nice sting in the tail.

Very good episode, but not as good as that promo promised.

Richard Dower

It was good, but not great and not as good as the promo made it out to be. We learned that the dolls choose to be dolls, interesting plotline for Mellie that her daughter died, is it me or does any think that Victor is getting better?....i rather like his character, and the can act and has some "range", unlike Dushku who plays it the SAME every damn week.

Victor and Sierra definately have a past and a connection outside of the Dollhouse...we now know why he has feelings for her, from within the Dollhouse at least....nice to see that Victor even in Doll mode always waited for her and checked to see she gets to bed ok, it made sense that she smilies at him and is relieved when she is about to jump into her pod.

But i didn't quite understand Sierra's problem?...as in that guy she went to see, he raped her right?...but was he a client of the Dollhouse or was he someone she knew before becoming a Doll?...and how did he know about the Dollhouse and that Victor might be her handler?

But it was good that we got to see the Dolls and introduced to Tango and Mike, overall it was good, but not great. It needs to set up a little.

Mr E

*sigh*

CBS won the night despite two out of its three shows being repeats. The results for Dollhouse should finally end any discussion of the show’s renewal prospects, unless DirecTV plans to save it in the same fashion it saved Friday Night Lights and there are at least a couple of reasons why that doesn’t seem likely for Dollhouse (it doesn’t have the 40+ 37 episodes under its belt with critical acclaim that FNL had before the first deal and it doesn’t match DirecTV’s “football exclusives” pattern).

Otherwise Dollhouse is done on FOX after it finishes its run. But this being the Internet I’ll have to endure hearing about how wrong I am probably at least until the upfront announcements of next year’s schedule in late May.

http://tvbythenumbers.com/2009/04/04/friday-ratings-cbs-wins-with-mostly-repeats-dollhouse-looks-done/15945

Richard Dower

NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!...i seriously think Wheadon is cursed at Fox, what is it about this network?...they cancel great shows non stop. Sucks...but again i say a large part for this is Dushku, Wheadon should have written all the episodes and taken great say in the production of the show.

Thats two for two so with Wheadon at Fox, time to move on buddy!

Sherifu

Just started watching the first few episodes this week. Liking the Joe 90 vibe and two of the stronger actors from BSG popping up is good. Also helps to have Eliza Dushku in there. Some nice eye candy every week.

Go Joss Whedon go.

fredmc

Mr E wrote: »

*sigh*

That sucks so much...

Richard Dower wrote: »

But i didn't quite understand Sierra's problem?...as in that guy she went to see, he raped her right?...but was he a client of the Dollhouse or was he someone she knew before becoming a Doll?...and how did he know about the Dollhouse and that Victor might be her handler?

She refused to have sex with him before she was a Doll so he paid for her to become one(?). Now he hires her out to have sex with him as revenge, since he was never turned down before. I think he mentions raping her as one of her engagements with him.

iguana

fredmc wrote: »

She refused to have sex with him before she was a Doll so he paid for her to become one(?). Now he hires her out to have sex with him as revenge, since he was never turned down before. I think he mentions raping her as one of her engagements with him.

She said men with guns came to take her to the dollhouse, so I don't think Sierra went willingly.

Is there only 26 dolls per house? And when will we meet the ones with funnier names? Hotel, Papa, Whiskey and Xylophone.:D

fredmc

iguana wrote: »

She said men with guns came to take her to the dollhouse, so I don't think Sierra went willingly.

Sorry, I meant he paid the Dollhouse to force her to become a Doll, didn't really make that clear in my post.

iguana

fredmc wrote: »

Sorry, I meant he paid the Dollhouse to force her to become a Doll, didn't really make that clear in my post.

Ok, that's what I think happened. Which completely makes a mockery of Adele's insistence that all the dolls volunteered.

Basq

Haven't seen any episodes since episode 2.. but will catch up tonight!

(have spent the last few weeks catching up on 4 seasons of 'How I Met Your Mother' and watching the first few episodes of new series 'Kings', not to mention starting on 'The Mentalist' again after so many great reviews here!).

matrim

I wasn't that impressed with this episode. It was ok but I felt they let you know that the twist that the dollhouse was behind the breakout too soon.

anotherlostie

Yeah, the reason behind the twist was a letdown, but it was well executed after that. I felt sorry for the poor extra in Echo's podroom who got bumped once November returned from seducing Ballard. She would have got a few lines tonight. I too was impressed with Victor's new personality, but not so much with the others. Nice spin with Caroline getting through to Ballard. Though it looks like we'll never get to find out what the endgame was...

PopBeloved

I think it's strange that an episode that's about as good as any the show has produced has been the one to make me give up on it. At least when Echo was running around a vault or a cult compound, the programme wasn't squandering its (ridiculously bountiful) potential with dull story choices and dull, dull storytelling techniques. Dollhouse is crazy graceless.

Basq

OK, so I've been playing catch up and I've just watched episode 6 which was absolutely miles ahead of the first 5 episodes of the season.

The episode seemed to be in a different ball game.. fantastic guest appearance from Patton Oswalt (one of the more impressive comedians-turned-actors out there), some genuinely shocking plot twists and some nice humour injected also.

Which brings me to the point that it would be ideal to we have 6 episode season with episodes just written by Joss Whedon? I know it's not plausible but whenever I see a written by / directed by Joss Whedon on screen, I can't help but get giddy!

Don't get me wrong.. we've had some other impressive writers on 'Dollhouse' (Tim Minear etc) but Whedon has a way with dialogue and writing that's un-matched.

Anyways, episodes 3 - 5 were distinctly average. Nothing too impressive in them with episode 5 (blind "Echo" / Esther in the cult) being wholly un-entertaining. But episode 6 pumped me up completely.

Will watch 7 and 8 tomorrow evening... too knackered tonight!

EDIT - Oh, and two peeves I have regarding Dollhouse:

i) That fecking dialogue when they're in doll state is getting extremely agitating.. I know they're in that zen-like / what-seems like-a-comatose state but I'd almost prefer no dialogue than hearing:

(shower scene)
Sierra: "Hello"
Victor: "Hello"
Sierra: "Mmmmm... water's warm!"
Victor: "Yes, water is warm"
Sierra: "Water warm?"
Victor: "Warm water"
Sierra: "I see"
Victor: "See what?"

Christ, shut up!! :rolleyes:

ii) That woeful theme music..

"Da-da-daaaaaaaaa-da-da-dad-da-da-daaaa-da-da-da-da-daaaaaaaaaaaaa-- tink-tink-tink-tink-tink-tink!"

It's just a shame as Angel, Buffy and Firefly all had great memorable theme tunes. The 'Dollhouse' theme tune sounds almost sleazy with a hint of a childish nursery rhyme (suppose it follows closely with the theme of the show), but it's woeful.

EDIT 2: Oh.. and another thing. I'm sure this comparison have been drawn before elsewhere but all this talk of the game-changing episode 6 (which was fantastic) and the fact that in this world and plotlines just uncovered, anyone could be a doll - does think remind anyone of a certain Sci-Fi show just ended and the mysterious identities of the ummmm... rhymes with "Pylons"?

BlitzKrieg

hmmm

episode 8 should have easily won me over into *I'm a fan* catagory

but while I dislike using *plothole* the mechanics of this episode were very obvious and came back to bite the writers in the arse.

Plainly two points:

As someone has pointed out Sierra didnt willingly volunteer, and while one could argue bosslady doesnt know she didnt volunteer, she did just watch the entire events of this episode so she should know now and be releasing Sierra right now, but she's not and if something else arised between yer man kidnapping her and sierra becoming a doll that allowed her to volunteer its gonna be hard to explain away why they continue to let the b*sterd 'rent' her out.

It would have been easier if he was just a client with rape fantasies that she had imposed the memories of her carer on.


More blatanly though is the unexplained fifth man. Why was there a fifth wiped man in the group if he didnt need closure? Mr I think they are aliens didnt become subdued when he found out they werent and he freaked out when they pulled him away.

If it was a planned performance to encoruage them to escape then it destroys the whole purpose of the experiment. They literally wove a red flag in their faces shouting *WE EVIL YOU RUN!* rather then letting them find closure naturally as they tried to explain at the end.

So I've slided back to the I dont know its not great catagory. (but yes Victor is awesome in it.)

It doesnt help that it went up against my 2 other big shows, both of which decided to kill off my favourite characters in both which has me gnawing my furniture in anger.

Mr E

BlitzKrieg wrote: »

It doesnt help that it went up against my 2 other big shows, both of which decided to kill off my favourite character...

Terminator, and... ?
(I'm trying to think of another Friday night show, and all I can think of is the Late Late Show )

Lirange

Mr E wrote: »

Terminator, and... ?
(I'm trying to think of another Friday night show, and all I can think of is the Late Late Show )

If they'd killed off Pat Kenny BK might've been doing somersaults instead of eating his furniture.