Dollhouse

I'm definitely getting into it quite strongly now, now that it's a few episodes in. It's got a few pretty interesting long-term story lines going on.
 
I've watched just one episode (the second), and it seems interesting. Look forward to seeing more of this series. Hopefully it's picked up soon by a network here, although it's probably expensive.
 
Err, im watching my back as i write this... but.. i never understood the enthusiasm in Buffy, it was funny and ok but there are much better shows out there ?

Dollhouse is MEH for now, the idea is nice but the execution is boring.
The bill gates look-like expert is very trashy.
 
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Buffy sucks! Stupid 30 year old high-school superheroes.

Firefly remains the only Whedon series I've ever liked, but then again I liked it rather a lot so maybe it weighs up for my hate of Buffy and Angel.
 
I think that from an acting standpoint it would be extremely challenging to potray a role in this tv series for those being "reprogrammed." That is my excuse for the subpar acting :)
 
Many of you know that my wife and I are big Whedon fans.

So far we're underwhelmed by Dollhouse. Even tho it is worth remembering that Buffy wasn't stellar the first year either.

I have several issues that concern me about the show.

1). I think it is going to be very difficult to avoid "whore of the week" episodes. And even when they do, like this week's "singer's bodyguard" ep, they still sexed it up to the max for no particular reason.

2). The very concept of the show makes it extraordinarily difficult for your lead actor to have any significant character development over time. How could she? They are playing around just a touch to suggest she'll have glimpes of remembering past incidents, but I don't think they can get very far with that without destroying the concept.

3). Why the hell does Amy Acker's character have those scars working for such a well-funded organization? Helloooo, plastic surgery can't do better than that?

4). I really loathe Joss' doppelganger (like Zander was Joss in Buffy) in this show. The young-know-it-all scientist kid. He's simply not old enough to have developed that tech and grown that organization to that size. And, btw, who the hell funded that group in the first place? Any rate, science boy has no redeeming personality traits (unlike Zander) that have been apparent to me yet.

I'm sure we'll keep watching, but so far we have our doubts if this one will work out.
 
I don't think Topher (the scientist kid) is supposed to be a cipher for Joss. And you're definitely not supposed to like him.

That's the real problem with the show's premise and execution. Joss is at his best when creating a cast of character we love and identify with, despite their flaws and foibles. Then he takes the ones we love the most and blindsides us by killing them. No matter how often this happens, we never see it coming...

But Dollhouse is filled with amoral pricks we aren't supposed to like and a few blank slates we can't identify with. It's hard to love a show like that, especially in the face off all Whedon's other work. It hasn't even managed something akin to what The Shield did with a character like Vic Mackey who, on the very first episode, shoots a fellow cop in the face but still manages to be lovable in his own way.

I'll keep watching just to see where it goes, Joss has earned my loyalty that far. But I'm not going to pretend I think what we've seen so far is very good.
 
2). The very concept of the show makes it extraordinarily difficult for your lead actor to have any significant character development over time. How could she? They are playing around just a touch to suggest she'll have glimpes of remembering past incidents, but I don't think they can get very far with that without destroying the concept.
I get the feeling after last week's episode that it's significantly more than just glimpses now...

3). Why the hell does Amy Acker's character have those scars working for such a well-funded organization? Helloooo, plastic surgery can't do better than that?
Haha, that's a really good point.

4). I really loathe Joss' doppelganger (like Zander was Joss in Buffy) in this show. The young-know-it-all scientist kid. He's simply not old enough to have developed that tech and grown that organization to that size. And, btw, who the hell funded that group in the first place? Any rate, science boy has no redeeming personality traits (unlike Zander) that have been apparent to me yet.
Aside from Brad's comment above, I'd also like to mention that in reality, most famous scientists made their breakthroughs when they were young. As in under 30 years old. So his age doesn't seem out of place to me at all.
 
Watching this shallow POS just reminds me how great MowE was :cry:

It had a similar silly premise( but still more believeable than selling personalised whores ), a good main actor which managed playing multiple personalities and no stupid for-the-12-year-olds partygirl & hooker-in-love crap.
 
Buffy sucks! Stupid 30 year old high-school superheroes.

Firefly remains the only Whedon series I've ever liked, but then again I liked it rather a lot so maybe it weighs up for my hate of Buffy and Angel.

I wasn't a big fan of Angel (unlike my wife), but loved Buffy - especially the first three seasons and the last season. A great mix of serious and non-serious themes, depth and shallowness, and linguistic creativity.

I wasn't a huge fan of Firefly (didn't like the American revolution aspects of it, didn't really like the space cowboy bits either) but I liked it enough for the acting and the summer glau storyline, and my wife loved it.

There's always a matter of taste in play. ;) But the Dollhouse, well I've only seen episode two so far, but it seems an intesting premise that allows for a fair bit of flexibility as well as long-term story development. The original premise in Whedon's work is rarely original - it's where he takes it is what's interesting. It's just a shame I can't watch it properly anywhere as it's not being broadcast over here yet. Tempting to resort to downloads, but I think I'll just be patient.

I do think that once you've seen The Wire and Deadwood, it changes your tolerance for unrealistic things. You need to retrain your suspension of disbelief a little ... :D
 
The Wire is epic. My brother and I bought the two first seasons on DVD for our parents for Christmas. One day I received a call from my mother "did you say there was more The Wire? Find, buy, gimme" etc. :D
 
Aside from Brad's comment above, I'd also like to mention that in reality, most famous scientists made their breakthroughs when they were young. As in under 30 years old. So his age doesn't seem out of place to me at all.

From a "breakthrough" pov, perhaps. But I'm thinking more of a software maturity model pov and the time necessary to refine the process to the current level shown in the show. SLI at Nvidia took a team how big how many years to get to reasonable maturity?

Consider the timeframes involved in even collecting all those personalities (which are supposedly real people) in the first place!
 
From a "breakthrough" pov, perhaps. But I'm thinking more of a software maturity model pov and the time necessary to refine the process to the current level shown in the show. SLI at Nvidia took a team how big how many years to get to reasonable maturity?

Consider the timeframes involved in even collecting all those personalities (which are supposedly real people) in the first place!
Perhaps, but I got the impression from the last episode that the technology was developed elsewhere (from something the FBI agent said), and adapted for the uses of the Dollhouse.
 
The hope I see for this show is that Echo won't be in the Dollhouse program for very long, otherwise it's not gonna make it. :(
 
The hope I see for this show is that Echo won't be in the Dollhouse program for very long, otherwise it's not gonna make it. :(

Well, that's a point. If she gets hooked up cooperatively with Alpha trying to bring the Dollhouse down that might give it some life.

The Battlestar Galactica guy is amsuing me in that I'm thinking his only character is himself. I was going "Oh, look, Helo-as-a-cop".
 
Helo played the douchebag antagonist in Need for Speed Carbon. I hate him.
 
Well, that's a point. If she gets hooked up cooperatively with Alpha trying to bring the Dollhouse down that might give it some life.

The Battlestar Galactica guy is amsuing me in that I'm thinking his only character is himself. I was going "Oh, look, Helo-as-a-cop".

I'm guessing the names in Alpha and Echo are definitely not chosen by accident (Adam and Eva), Josh Whedon being a Eng Lit major (just as I am). ;)
 
I'm guessing the names in Alpha and Echo are definitely not chosen by accident (Adam and Eva), Josh Whedon being a Eng Lit major (just as I am). ;)
You have to be a Literature major to know bout Adam & Eve?
Heck I can probably predict the storyarc for the first season and Im a proud maths-autist (unusable for just about anything else) :D
Alpha and Eco have a common history (done bad things to others), Alpha breaks out of his imprinted Memories and kills anyone but Echo, and now tries to breaks her mind out the same way as he did. Like by putting her into stress-situations in Episode 2.
Echo initially will turn agains the Dollhouse and then find out Alpha is the worse evil, fight him and save the Dollhouse. End Season 1.
Hopefully no season 2
 
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