Dollhouse ----or Aw, Geez....

[aikakone]

I watched the first episode last night thanks to Fox on Demand. I'm curious enough to stick around and watch a few more episodes online. (Only way I can watch.)

Is Eliza short? She just seemed short in the episode, or is that the whole physical language that goes with her child-like blank persona?

I liked Amy Acker in her role, and I have a suspicion that they might be working the love/crush angle between her scarred doctor and the techie mind wipe guy.

I did get caught up in the save the girl story, so I"m glad they let "Miss Penn" finish the mission and save her.

The thing that confused me was the first scene of Echo (or whomever) with Olivia Williams's character. What was that supposed to do other than confuse? Was it her interview to become an Active?

I also had a "duh!" moment about the Sierra character. I didn't realize that the woman being prepped for her first personality and the woman on the treadmill were the same. It wasn't until her 3rd scene that I realized she was the same person.

So... I'll watch again. Plus, Tahmoh eye candy is good.

[jerry]

Originally Posted by SamIAm

To me Dollhouse seemed a lot like Firefly in that it was okay, but hardly groundbreaking or compelling.

I liked Firefly more or less from the get-go. Dollhouse has some interesting ideas in it, but I didn't find the first episode entirely successful. In the big picture, I think it's got two substantial challenges. The first is that the premise is so stupid that the characters within the show are pointing out that it's stupid (why program someone with the memories of a hostage negotiator instead of hiring an actual hostage negotiator?). The second is that if Echo is genuinely an entirely new person every week, it's impossible to have any meaningful character development. Joss may have a way around those issues, if he gets enough time to try, but time will tell.

[SamIAm]

Originally Posted by aikakone

Is Eliza short?

She's about SMG's height, if I recall correctly. That's pretty short.

Originally Posted by aikakone

The thing that confused me was the first scene of Echo (or whomever) with Olivia Williams's character. ... Was it her interview to become an Active?

Basically. I assume it was meant to establish that the "Dolls" are all volunteers, trying to escape whatever their own life trauma is.

Originally Posted by jerry

...(why program someone with the memories of a hostage negotiator instead of hiring an actual hostage negotiator?).

Yeah, but then, why imbue some 15 year-old girl with the power to slay vampires rather than imbuing an army of physically fit and emotionally stable adults to do it?

For me, the shaky premise isn't the worst part. This:

Originally Posted by jerry

The second is that if Echo is genuinely an entirely new person every week, it's impossible to have any meaningful character development.

... is the worst part. I mean, it's great that Sort-Of-Miss-Penn got to deal with her Sort-Of-Kidnapper/Abuser, but it wasn't really Miss Penn or Echo's kidnapper/abuser. Even if Echo goes on to 'remember' these events that never happened to her, so what? They never happened to her.

Also, and this just may be me, but perhaps imprinting your "dolls" with a suicidal personality isn't the best choice from a business plan perspective.

[September]

I think the big problem for me is that the show's premise is so skeevy that they really need to distance themselves from it. But as ED's hotness is one of her great attributes, the camera endlessly concentrates on it and just makes it seem like they are reinforcing the very message they are supposedly trying to undercut. It's creepy not in the way they intend.

That and both the writing and the acting needs to be a lot better for this to work. ED just can't act well enough for her role.

[aikakone]

So any thoughts on the 2nd episode?

I just watched it this afternoon, and I thought it interesting. For me at least, and maybe I'm willing to suspend a lot of disbelief, I think there were ways it tried to get you to care about Echo and not just the in danger character she was playing. The use of flashbacks helped, though at first when we saw the house from the first episode, I was confused. I wasn't sure if Ballard was walking into the house in the present time line or in the past flashback time.

I am a Mark Sheppard fan, and I liked seeing his too brief appearance. I don't like the super short haircut on the guy who is already lacking in the follicles. It does not suit him. I know he's also not a tall man, but he looks really short when standing next to Tahmoh, who is at least 6'4" if not 6'6".

I know some of you will think it foolish of me to get any hopes up for this show, but when I saw the neighbor with lasagna, I hoped she wouldn't be completely forgotten. I realize this was to show us that he's a guy with his head always in the job, but he could get some lovin' and hopefully not from Echo down the way. That would be too cliched.

Oh, and anyone that compares the feeble, personality-less, between-jobs dolls to children... has obviously never met any children. They are full of personality and violence and so much more.

[SamIAm]

I thought it was better than the pilot, but I'm still having trouble caring about whatever happens to these people. No matter what their trauma is, they're just going to forget it. I mean, it's one thing for Giles to trust Buffy (and vice-versa), but Echo and what's-his-name trusting one another? Echo does but doesn't know why, and what's-his-name can only trust Echo to the extent her programming will allow.

Then there's still the question of why any of this is worth the time and effort.

That all said, it was a step up. Next week is the original pilot, right?

[Livvie]

I think the biggest problem I'm having right now is where this is going to go. How many episodes of Echo being someone's dream woman or being brought in to play hero can they do before it just gets really boring and old? At least the old Monster of the Week eps of Buffy had different sorts of monsters with different agendas.

I thought it was better than the pilot, but I'm still having trouble caring about whatever happens to these people. No matter what their trauma is, they're just going to forget it.

Totally agree with that there. And then the fact that they signed up for it? It's a little hard to really give a crap about people who willingly enter into this program, have their original personalities erased, and then get erased every week.

I just don't see a whole lot of room for story growth. If Echo remembers and leaves, there goes your premise for a show.

[SamIAm]

Huh. It would appear that whatever happens to Dollhouse, it will happen without Amy Acker. See the second paragraph.

[DamnSkippy]

Originally Posted by SamIAm

Huh. It would appear that whatever happens to Dollhouse, it will happen with Amy Acker. See the second paragraph.

You mean without Amy? Huh. Is "Happy Town" a comedy? Because if so, I'm going to be POd that Amy got one and CC didn't. Hell, even if it's a drama, I'm still POd that CC didn't get it.

[SamIAm]

Originally Posted by DamnSkippy

You mean without Amy?

Um, yes. Yes, of course. What else would I mean? You can't just read what I wrote and think that's what I meant!

Originally Posted by DamnSkippy

Is "Happy Town" a comedy?

I got this:

The "Twin Peaks"-esque "Happy Town" is set at a small town grappling with a murder -- its first crime in seven years -- and centers on Tommy (Stults), the town's newly appointed sheriff who has to solve the case.

from here. Acker is in the pilot as the sheriff's wife.

[ophelia]

I think this last ep is going to be the last straw for me. It was BEYOND bad....it was actually kind of embarrassing.

[aikakone]

I must have a VERY high tolerance for mediocrity. I'm still willing to give it a chance. I'm not saying it's great TV, but it's amusing enough since I'm not watching anything else.

I did think the main song reminded me of Britney Spears's "Womanizer." I also thought the obsessive fan looked like Topher the science guy. Further, I wonder if the Australian accent used by Sierra in character is the actress's own as she was raised there.

[Bryan]

Originally Posted by aikakone

I must have a VERY high tolerance for mediocrity. I'm still willing to give it a chance. I'm not saying it's great TV, but it's amusing enough since I'm not watching anything else.

I did think the main song reminded me of Britney Spears's "Womanizer." I also thought the obsessive fan looked like Topher the science guy. Further, I wonder if the Australian accent used by Sierra in character is the actress's own as she was raised there.

She's an Aussie............

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1901842/

[aikakone]

Yeah, I knew that. Hence the comment about her being raised there. But she was also born in Kathmandu, Nepal.

Even so, there may be subtle differences in accent. I have several Australian friends, and I notice a certain sound of Melbourne, Victoria. The character of Audra was from Brisbane. That doesn't mean it's where Lachman is from. So her own accent, while still probably Australian, could be different. Or the same. That's why I was wondering about it.

[SamIAm]

Originally Posted by ophelia

I think this last ep is going to be the last straw for me. It was BEYOND bad....it was actually kind of embarrassing.

It wasn't good, even skipping past the "singing". If this was the original pilot, I can see why Fox wanted it changed.

Also, the sleazy creep factor hit 21 on the ten scale with that comment about getting the twins ready.