Things To Keep In Mind While Watching Dollhouse
For those of you not quite as in the know as the rest of the Nerd-a-verse, tonight FOX is premiering the new Joss Whedon show Dollhouse. Dollhouse stars the excellent Eliza Dushku as "Echo", a woman who has her memories completely wiped at the end of each mission she undertakes. She's one of many "dolls" that can be rented out by rich clientele for anything from assasinations, hostage negotiations, mid-wifery (yes, you read that correctly), and even just plain old sex and companionship.
I encourage you to check out this show. Joss Whedon has produced some great TV in his day, and many of us are hoping this next project will pay off for the viewers.
Here are some things you should keep in mind while you're watching tonight's episode:
- Keep your expectations low. This is the sort of world that requires a lot of time to fully flesh out. Also, it's well known that Fox executives "helped" shape the pilot and early direction of the show, plus Joss himself has said that it took awhile for him to truly decide where he wanted to go with the plot, so the early episodes may only be of average quality.
- Buffy the Vampire Slayer didn't really hit its stride till the second season, so a show like Dollhouse may also require patience to hit its stride. I'm going to give the show the full 13 episodes this season to really make an impact on me.
- While you're waiting for the show to really wow you, enjoy the beautiful cast Joss has so thoughtfully assembled for you (see pic below)
- At some point this season, there will be hot girl-on-girl action. If that doesn't make you want to watch...
- Another activity to engage in while you're waiting for the show to get great is to ponder which material Tahmoh Penikett's gorgeous face has mostly likely been carved from: granite, marble or the ivory from a unicorn horn.
FYI - I will be reviewing Dollhouse after tonight's episode premieres, so stayed tuned to the blog for that.
UPDATE: Episode 1 review is posted up here
TIP:
Enter the amount, and click "Tip" to submit!
Erin Judge
Catherine Forsythe
Emily Holleman
Rebecca Sarwate
Martha Nichols
~R@~
Salon.com
Comments
(Umb. - I think Fox posts all its shows online the next day. It's how I get my weekly Wentie *swoon* fix.)
I've already gotten attached to one new galaxy in the Whedonverse and gotten it ripped out from under me.
I don't know if I can handle that happening again.
If it makes you feel better, at the NY Comic Con, Joss specifically said to the audience that Fox was NOT pulling a Firefly. The network has committed to sticking with the show, and has promised to air all 13 episodes (in order!) this time. Joss said he was very happy with the way the network has approached his show this time.
I am conscious of being nervous that it is not going to be as good as Buffy, Angel, and Firefly.
Now, if only I can drag my partner along for this ride. She doesn't like "sci-fi" shows, and fell asleep halfway through my DVD of "Serenity."
Looking forward to the Dollhouse, and your thoughts after the premiere tonight
He's got some mammoth freakin balls for premiering another show on Friday the thirteenth, on fox, just like Firefly, but hey maybe he's not superstitious. Either way, I'm looking forward to it and I'll give him at least one season if they make it that far.
Rated.
Unfortunately I won't be watching with ya'll unless I'm willing to spend hours letting the stream buffer.
thesagejournal, welcome to my blog. This is a designated place to celebrate pervy behavior and general non-conformity, so if that bothers you, this is not the place for you.
Quick reaction: I give it a B- as a pilot. I'll write up some more thoughts later today, but yeah, had this not been a Joss Whedon show, I'm not sure I'd give it many more chances. However, there was enough there to interest me and keep me going.
I don't like the idea of whoring out vacant women for rich men's pleasure, and am hoping that Echo gets some power in her life, as well as some sort of identity independent from her "characters." I like the ex-cop troublemaker with a moral conflict. Not hot on the FBI angle, but we'll see where that goes.
And do they have insurance in case they mess up the schedule and a programmed assassin shows up instead of a call girl. Wouldn't that be a bitch, waiting for some mindless hottie for the ultimate non committal sex and she shoots you in the head.
Sorry, I like a good sci-fi show which usually blends some ethical and philosophical questions in the mix. But, this show is just a glossy high-tech version of fantasy island meets Weird Science.
All that is to say that I didn't watch "Dollhouse" expecting to love it just because it's got Joss Whedon's name attached to it. But I did expect it to be at least be watchable, given what I knew of Whedon's creative track record.
And watchable it was. I enjoyed it, and I'm looking forward to seeing more. It was high-concept, something that doesn't always work in a television show... but it didn't talk down to the audience and explain away its concept in one episode. It assumes we're smart enough and patient enough to let it unfold.
TV has hit a new low with this show. Human trafficking is put forth as entertainment and does not "educate" at all but accepts and takes purient interest in the ugliest part of human nature. It is small wonder that violence against women and the silence against human trafficking (which occurs in every nation in the world as an origin, transit or destination of human slaves), is rampant in our culture.
Just look at what we love to watch.
The fact that a male is required to rescue the women once more puts women in the role of either being used or rescued and does not portray them as actors in their own right as his earlier shows do. I think this show represents his capitulation to the voyeristic aspect of what sells on TV. I would like to see a show about the brave Afghan women who put their lives on the line to be actors in their societies.
It is not a documentary but an entertainment show or why else would it promise "hot girl-on-girl action"?
It is a new low.
Again, I must point out that there are Dolls that are men, so its unfair to suggest that it's a man rescuing a woman - Ballard may focus on Echo, but he'll be rescuing Victor and the other Dolls as well, presumably.
Lastly, the show didn't promise hot girl-on-girl action, I did. Mostly because I like a little escapist fantasy now and then, and despite what some people think, that sort of stuff isn't just for male viewers.