Spoilers for Friday night's "Dollhouse" coming up just as soon as I go out for coffee...When a network sends out a bunch of review episodes of a show but skips over one in the middle, it either means the missing episode wasn't close enough to completion to send out (due to F/X work, or reshoots, or other post-production issues), or else it wasn't very good and the network doesn't want critics factoring it into their judgment. "Stage Fright" was the only one of the first four "Dollhouse"s that I didn't see in advance, and now I understand why.
Even more than the pilot and all its plausibility issues, "Stage Fright" illustrated why this maybe isn't a great concept for a long-term series. It's frustrating enough when we have to follow Echo on a mission when she has no idea who she really is, but this one added an additional layer of self-deception: Echo not only doesn't know that she's really Caroline, but she doesn't know that she's really there as the singer's bodyguard. I felt even less connection to her than I usually do, and as the episode kept the supporting cast off-screen even more than before, I found myself wondering why I was watching a bland psycho-drama about a generic Rihanna/Beyonce wannabe. Other than isolated moments -- Eliza Dushku showing she can sing, Tahmoh Penikett reminding us that he can kick ass -- it was a chore to get through.
Dushku's been promising that the show gets much better with episode 6, which jibes with what Joss Whedon told me in our interview. And certainly, "Dollhouse" wouldn't be the first sci-fi show -- or Joss Whedon show -- to need a little while to get its footing, or just to get past that lame "Let's repeat the pilot five or six times in a row in the increasingly unlikely event that new viewers are sampling the show for the first time" phase. So I'm not giving up yet. But it feels like there are much deeper problems at the foundation of this series than there were with, say, "Angel" or "Journeyman."
What did everybody else think?
56 comments:
I thought that showing that much skin throughout the entire episode was a cover for bad writing. It cheapened the whole thing.
I did like the revelation about Victor, though.
I did like the revelation about Victor, though.
I think that's one that would've worked for me if they hadn't included the actor in all the publicity stills dressed as an active. If you managed to miss that and thought he really was a Russian mobster, I imagine it was pretty cool.
I think there's fun potential. Just not in what they're doing.
The operations of the Dollhouse is much more interesting than any "missions" the actives go on.
And I got a weird vibe when Reed Diamond confronted the scientist guy that maybe all the higher-ups our just actives themselves. I'm thinking creepy-boy may have created a company to use his tech for him.
Also, adding some Fringe like super-science or shadowy companies outside of what's happening at Dollhouse would, I think, go a lot further in stretching the plausibility of this so-far set in the real world situation.
I liked the episode - maybe it's because I can't suspend my disbelief and buy into Dushku being a totally different character each time they download a personality into her head - so instead of not caring about her as she's successfully been a negotiator, a rock climber and a back up singer, I've cared about Echo, who seems to have a nice girl acting like those three things.
Instead of a brand new character each week, I've been watching a more scifi version of Alias.
I gave up early in episode two. If episode six air, I may give it another try ... maybe.
What did everybody else think?
I think if this was on Showtime or HBO, the only purpose of the plots would be to get the women unaddressed as quickly as possible.
or undressed, even.
Fox should've picked this or T:TSCC and focused their attention on it. Now both of these shows are looking increasingly likely to be cancelled. Which is a shame because T:TSCC was a good premise and the first season showed it was a well exectued one aswell. Now if Fox continue to allow these shows creators to go off on tangents that please very few viewers, they are going to find themselves showing only "reality" shows.
I'm from UK btw, so if I've missed anything major out, it's probably because I don't live in the US.
I am hanging on by a thread to this show, and really only because of you and a couple of other reviewers.
Everyone keeps promising episode six will be where it gets good. But, it's increasingly hard to sit through these early episodes.
I've never been a fan of Eliza Dushku, but when she's in her element, she's not bad. Clearly, this role (roles?) is not her element...and it's almost painful to watch.
Also, it just feels like the gratuitous T&A is meant to distract the boys...it's almost unworthy of Joss, but more like the producer boys from Las Vegas. (Mind you, this would probably be ok...if they'd give us equal time with Tamoh.)
Alan wrote, Re: Victor, I think that's one that would've worked for me if they hadn't included the actor in all the publicity stills dressed as an active. If you managed to miss that and thought he really was a Russian mobster, I imagine it was pretty cool.
I saw the stills but when there was no reveal at the end of the first episode, I started to think the photo was wrong. And now we have to ask why the Russian mob is using dolls to fill its ranks.
At least there's nothing else on at the same time...
I'm friends with a few Whedonmaniacs, so I'll let them watch episode 6 and let me know if it's worth coming back to. Until then, like Cartman, I'm getting the fudge out.
I actually am a Whedonmaniac, but I'm finding this show tough to stick with. (Also, the two-hour lead-in to BSG, while only three more weeks long, is hard on the eyes and the head - and when it was over on Friday, all I could think of was what had happened in BSG - the other two shows had basically been wiped from my memory. Uh, so to speak.) And yeah, lots of female skin being shown for no compelling plot or character reason that I can fathom.
Totally had me about Victor, though - I hadn't seen the promo shots and didn't see it coming.
I was actually sort of excited by this episode, based on the fact that they really pulled the Ballard story into things, which was something I was worried about- that it would continue to serve as a distraction rather than become a bigger part of the plot. The Victor revelation completely worked for me as well. It was the first episode that ended with me being excited for the next one instead of wondering when it would start to feel like Joss.
The only episode I thought was remotely interesting was the second episode.
But, I remember not really liking Buffy or Angel in the first handful of episodes, so despite a lukewarm feeling I've had watching, I'd probably still bow down to the powers of Whedon and keep on watching. Though I am hoping it really would get better.
before I read this, I'd like to say that i like the show more after ep 2 and i really think that ep 2 should have been the pilot (and if it *was* and was aired second due to Fox, then Fox continues to be stupid)
I've alread y forgotten the premise of this week's ep but I liked it well enough.
A show can grab me with mysteries - the Pretender did - just as long as I have a hope of getting an answer in the end. (the Pretender had two movies and *still* couldn't help but make the mysteries deeper)
I still can't get paast the premise: why does anyone need to hire someone from the Dollhouse? Daughter kidnapped? My first instinct would be to go to the authorities. Pop singer in jeopardy? I wouldn't hire a fake singer with a hidden agenda to solve the problem.
No matter how much explaining they do, I'm having a hard time buying into the premise.
Additionally, if every mission provides some sort of glitch for the active's programming, then isn't the whole show's already weak premise even harder to buy into as a viewer?
Maybe I just don't get it.
I agree with Gayle. Why call the Dollhouse when you're in trouble? Also, why can't Ballard just pretend he has a problem and find them? Everyone else seems to. (That's probably a plotpoint that I've missed, in my paying only half-attention to it, I bet.)
The justification for her being the bodyguard was there, pretty lame but there. It makes sense that you wouldn't get authorities involved in kidnappings when directed not to, and provided you had the money/knew about the place, the Dollhouse is plausible, though Dushku being the operative is a stretch, even if Echo is the 'best' operative they have.
The main flaw, as Ryan states, is that the assignments are by far the least interesting aspect of the show. However, by virtue of the fact that it is Dushku and Echo's show, I can't see it veering too far from that boring structure.
If 6 changes the status-quo completely, and it no longer becomes a show built around some interesting background stuff with a crappy central storytelling, strand I will be happy. The question then becomes, why on earth did they ever start out like this in the first place?
I'm not a big fan of the premise, since I can come up with about half a dozen ways that the basic concept of people getting abilities/personalities implanted could have been done better, but I thought this episode was the best by far.
We had the FBI agent actually doing stuff, finally giving the audience a character to root for. We had small but nice moments for the overall narrative, like Victor being an active, Echo deciding to protect her friend despite her programming as Jordan, and Boyd and Dr. Fred becoming friends. The dialogue was also snappier than it had been in the past. Particularly the genius guy who seems like he is supposed to be the funny, sarcastic character but was mostly just annoying to this point. His commenting that of course Boyd and Dr. Fred would be friends and would then have "scowly" children and his telling off the Dominic guy that he is a genius and Dominic is a security guard in a nice suit, followed by his admission "Wow, that does sound kind of bad" were both the kind of dialogue I was expecting from a Whedon show. And finally the moment at the end between Boyd and Dr. Fred about how Echo is special and how that is a bad thing. The first two episodes mildly entertained me, while this one not only entertained me but actually made me want more.
I still feel that this premise was poorly developed and because of that the show is not going to last. However, give me more episodes like this and I will actually be sad about that.
What I think is that I'm done. This is beyond bad TV. I can look at ED pictures on the net, since the eye-candy is the only thing worth watching. Plus, with these dismal ratings, it won't be around long. Yet another flop from the alleged genius.
I've been going along with the show so far, and I didn't have a problem with this episode. It turned some cliches in different directions and gave some more insight into Echo's potential. I also liked the little moment between Echo and Sierra at the end, as well as the Victor reveal (I hadn't seen or paid attention to promo photos). My empathy for Echo comes from seeing her in a situation (the Dollhouse) that seems questionable at best, wanting here to get out of it. I'm also intrigued by the possibility the Alpha character sets up for her -- freeing herself from the Dollhouse but not by becoming who she was but some amalgam of who she's been as an active. Would she become a new person or the potential person inside who she used to be?
The show is far from perfect, and I'm encouraged by the talk of episode 6 on, but I think it's far from a train wreck, too.
This show is really disappointing. It's even more disappointing because it's from Joss Whedon.
Firefly is easily one of my favorite shows of all time, and Serenity is easily one of my favorite science fiction films ever.
This show doesn't even come close to approaching the quality of Firefly. In fact, the only reason I'm still watching is because it IS Joss Whedon. If somebody else was behind this show I doubt I would have even watched the second episode.
I didn't actually think this episode was that bad, but I've said since the show's premise was announced, that this is cannot be the real premise, and that sometime soon this is all going to blow up. Like the Alias pilot.
Dollhouse is probably the best soft porn/sci-fi series ever. Although it is the only soft porn/sci-fi series I can think of.
I really want to like this show. The actors/models are great, the cinematography is fantastic, and some of the dialogue is hilarious. But like everybody else said, the premise is just stupid.
You can't build a show around a character if that character is completely uninteresting. People watch 'House' because of Gregory House, and 'The Mentalist' because of Patrick Jane. 'Dollhouse' is similarly built on Echo, but Echo doesn't even exist, she doesn't have a personality or a purpose.
All this talk about just-wait-for-episode-6! reminds me of the desperate attempts from 'Heroes' creators to pimp their latest season, because it is so much better this time!
Oh well, I was still impressed by Dushku's singing abilities.
Is it just me, or is Dichen Lachman (Sirra), better at this doll thing than Eliza Dushku? I get three vibes from Dushku -- Faith, Missy and little girl. Lachman, on the other hand, has done pretty well in brief stretches as the gun-toting assassin and nervous fan. The audition sides released for the show had some complicated monologues for Sierra, so I'm looking forward to what's in store for her. It might just be that I find her more interesting because, unlike Dushku, I have no previous impression of this actress, and it's easier to see her fit into different roles.
Overall, this installment felt like it could have been on any show. A few different scenes and no Dollhouse, and it could have been a very thin film script. Again, the assignment is the least interesting part of the show, though I found some of the Whedon-songs mildly amusing.
Spoiled on the Victor thing, though it was well-handled; the scene with him and Ballard at the party came from the original pilot script. It looks like they're probably going to cannibalize bits of that, as opposed to airing it later in the run.
This has until episode 6...
I totally agree with Archie Goodwin above. I didn't know about the Victor reveal, so that was a nice surprise. I thought this was the best ep of the 3 so far, but the "assignments of the week" just keep stretching the whole Dollhouse premise. As others have said, maybe it would be better if the big ep 6 turnaround would be along the lines of Sidney taking down SD-6. Get rid of the problem element of the show, but keep the stuff that's interesting. The Alpha mystery and the Ballard stuff have real potential, as well as the mystery of why dolls join the Dollhouse and what happens to them psychologically. But the missions? Eh.
FYI, Eliza D. just happens to be in the movie I'm watching right now, an indie with Alan Rickman called "Bottle Shock." She's playing sassy bartender chick so far. It appears she's done two films with Rickman lately.
Allow me to disagree with people who say the Superbowl episode of 'Alias', when SD-6 was attacked and destroyed, was a success. On the opposite, I think that show got worse and worse after that.
The thing is, Sidney was an engaging and interesting character. She was working for bad guys, and she didn't know it, but at least her actions were consistent. Echo, on the other hand, is a void. End the Dollhouse organization and what do you get from Echo? Nobody knows, even after three episodes.
Alias is actually an interesting comparison. Jennifer Garner and her character of Sydney Bristow were far more engaging than anyone in The Dollhouse has to offer. The plots may have been convoluted as hell, but at least J.J. Abrams set a premise that was plausible in the fictional world in which Alias was set.
For that matter, if The Dollhouse didn't have outside clients dictating the personas for each "mission" but instead had the proprietors of The Dollhouse manipulating their employees for their own means (good or bad), it would at least be a lot easier to accept.
I sadly take my seat next to Gayle and Joy, as I'm finding the premise an obstacle as well. The mission in this episode had Echo on stage with a hyooooge pop star. Is the FBI that incompetant or is the Dollhouse boss that incompetant? Echo was on full view, in front of a mob of camera-wielding fans. She dealt with the staff and entourage. Doesn't that leave her secret identity rather exposed? An attempted murder investigation is in progress and two witnesses just vanish? Did the manager not actually call the police? How is that remotely possible? It's the only way the last scene could have been played out, with the handlers strolling in and out again with the witnesses.
The notion that 'it all points to Echo' kinda doesn't, so I'm not seeing the 'Echo is special' line the show is presenting. Alpha is already off the reservation, Sierra is apparently borderline, so it all points to Creepy Mad Genius' technology not being as foolproof as one would expect. Not that one would expect memory replacement technology to be foolproof. Which, duh. Of course it's going to be glitchy! If the writing wants us to think there's something heroically indelible about her (Caroline) then we need to see Caroline. About whom I do not yet care (she seemed a bit daffy).
So much as I'd like to, I'm stuck on some details. I'm trying, Mr Whedon, really I am. My love for Amy Acker is unshaken, but plot has to come first. The weak spots are only getting more obvious, and venal tittilation doesn't distract me.
P.S.: Victor didn't surprise me as much as I'd have liked. Even if the promo monkeys hadn't babbled, his name was a give-away.
P.P.S.: "Dr Fred." Thanks, Archie.
P.P.P.S.: Who I'm really suspicious of: Ballard's pining neighbor. She's evil.
well,
since you mentioned Journeyman, i'd like to note that
a. i loved Journeyman
and
b. the ep of Life on Mars i watched last night had a confusingly similar doomed rockstar/bodyguard thing going on, which reminded me of at least two eps of Quantum Leap and the most fun in it was seeing Maggie Siff recur (yes since you aren't watching, I'm behind (as with Boston Legal)
hey guys, great news! i avoided all publicity stills (Shonda taught me well) and i was surprised
See, here is the thing that it seems like a lot of folks don't seem to be getting about Dollhouse. If this show is going to go anywhere (and if I have any understanding of how Whedon works by now), the highly creepy apparent premise of the show (i.e. Echo as a high tech hooker ninja with no personality, and all the main non Dushku characters being reprehensible except for Boyd and Dr. Fred) is all just set up. And by episode 6 or 7, Echo and Boyd are going to be out of the Dollhouse and on the run, and Echo is going to be a "normal" person (well, presumably with residual super powers) trying to get away from The Dollhouse, who will be the actual villains of the series. Kind of like The Fugitive. But hot.
Except the show will have been cancelled by then.
@Corvus: Holy crap! I didn't even think about that. In retrospect, probably because Victor is his assumed persona's name and we don't actually know what name he was given in the Dollhouse. But damn, that's a pretty good observation.
I still preferred The Most Dangerous Middleman to this one, but I did enjoy it more than the pilot.
I'll stick through episode 6, and maybe even one or two after that, assuming it's still around by then.
I kept waiting for the singer to turn out to be an active that was cracking under the strain of prolonged programming.
I didn't understand the purpose of sending Sierra to take focus off the singer, but not give her the ability to handle him if he went for the bait. Surely the dolls aren't quite that disposable.
The show doesn't have the feel of Whedon's past shows. It lacks the witty dialog and plot lines. It feels like a Foxified version of a Whedon idea.
The original pilot Echo was never aired and will never be aired unless leaked. It got revised 6 or so times and still didn't match with Fox's vision and by the final edit it didn't make follow other elements of the show.
If this were on showtime or hbo it'd probably be a much more darker dramatic tv show then what we're seeing here. It'd probably make a lot more sense and be less about the stand alone action episodes and more about the characters.
While Whedon defends his current relationship it doesn't seem too different then the one on Firefly-a major disagreement on how the show should be. If anything it sounds as if Whedon has lost some of will to fight and is compromising which is all dandy, one has to make a dollar, but sucks for good tv.
While the general premise of the episode was kinda bland, I did very much like the direction things took towards the end: when Echo went beyond the mission parameters and attacked the mission in a completely different way. It suggested a level of self-awareness, and it was fun to see her rattle cages.
Peter D. - I hope you're right. That's the kind of thing I was thinking about when I related it to Sydney and SD-6 - not necessarily that Echo needs to destroy the Dollhouse (it is indeed the name of the show) but that her relationship to it needs to fundamentally change. How can we root for her and Boyd (and Dr. Fred?) if they continue to work for such a shady place? But if they start to work against it, they become heroes again and the whole show will feel better to watch. If that's the direction it's going, I'm all for it and hope FOX stays out of the way.
I think the first episodes are supposed to show the life of Echo as an active "in submission", maybe after some time, she and some others will rebel. As seen in "Target" and "Stage Fright", we are given subtle hints of her forcoming awareness of her situation especially when she is deprogrammed at the end.
However, I'm a bit disappointed by the first episodes....
But then again, my opinion is kinda biased because I'm a Whedon fan, he hasn't let me down in the past, so I have faith in the show to be better in later episodes...
I totally disagree with your take on this one, Alan. It was my favorite of the three Dollhouse eps aired so far, and that was largely because of the centrality of female characters and their point of view -- something that isn't too common in Hollywood productions, but is somewhat more prevalent in Joss Whedon's work. I was pleased to see that Maurissa Tanchareon (of Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog) was one of the writers; I give credit to her and her partner, Jed Whedon.
I spent today reading some commentary on this episode, and I was surprised to see it savaged by so many people. Generally I agree with your assessments of shows I follow, particularly Battlestar Galactica, so I was surprised to see you so down on this episode. I thought it had quite a few divergences from what was expected in a plot like this, and that it fit quite well with the depiction of the Dollhouse and the whole theme of personalities put on to make money and impress a crowd.
Maybe the real problem with this show's premise is that most of the audience is not going to be happy to see their role in the star/fan diad critiqued?
So I'm not giving up yet.
I am, at least until Ep 6. This show, as it's aired so far, is a bore. I mean, I saw a pretty implausible film today ("Taken"), but at least it had a lot of stuff in it that held my interest (okay, it had Liam Neeson kicking serious ass). "Dollhouse," OTOH, is like a visual sleeping pill.
Eh, I didn't think it was too bad. Liked the Victor reveal- I was expecting Mellie/Nellie (which is it?) to be a reveal, but maybe that comes later. I liked that Rayna was a Death Seeker type and how Jordan/Echo used that information. Clever girl, indeed. And I can see how a very undercover bodyguard could work given the situation- though then I wish they hadn't pointed out that a whole mess of new bodyguards had been hired recently too. Way to undermine!
I do wonder about that little "no no, not now, we're being watched" look Echo gave Sierra at the end.
Echo as a high tech hooker ninja with no personality
Hah! I don't know if this was Whedon's actual pitch to FOX, but it very accurately sums up the series, so far.
Presumably something happens at episode 6, but it probably won't improve things that much, and in any case the show will be canceled quite soon.
I didn't understand the purpose of sending Sierra to take focus off the singer, but not give her the ability to handle him if he went for the bait. Surely the dolls aren't quite that disposable.
Isn't she the second (or third, or whichever) Sierra, though? I'm not saying they're disposable, but apparently, they are replaceable.
@ Peter D Bakija
So Dollhouse is going to change from an Alias rip-off to a Dark Angel rip-off? Pure genius!
Last week, I mentioned this show was a guilty pleasure for me. Now? You can rip the "pleasure" out of that statement. I will continue with it, but am really tempted to go underground with my viewing so my husband doesn't know I am watching such a hot mess of Lame.
Yeah, see, especially now after going and reading Dushku's interviews on the show, I'm strongly convinced that the show is going to take a significatly different direction soon; all these early episodes are set up. The reason the computer geek guy (who is not the Xander/Wash character; he is the Warren character...) is so creepy is 'cause he is not a good guy.
So yeah, it might have shades of Dark Angel (which in turn only existed 'cause of Buffy), but it is, if things play out as I hope, going to be a better show than it initially appears to be.
Due to the promo monkeys, the Victor reveal didn't do anything for me either. It's not like I went looking for spoilers. The promos came to me. So, I feel ripped off and pissed about missing the one potentially good thing about the show.
I also didn't buy the premise of the bodyguards-who-didn't-know-they-were story line.
I love the score. Very Twin Peaks-y.
Dollhouse as a train wreck is fascinating though. How did this poorly conceived show get the ok? If things are going to significantly change after ep six, what was Joss thinking? That the audience would watch really bad tv for hours and hours, and then when the show changed, be grateful? How can Joss hope the audience will stick around to ep six? Is he simply changing things, beyond the pilot, as he goes? Was he secretly taken over by a pod person? For a man with his experience, I am shocked that he is behind Dollhouse. This needs to be an E! True Hollywood Story.
If things are going to significantly change after ep six, what was Joss thinking? That the audience would watch really bad tv for hours and hours, and then when the show changed, be grateful?
I know people like that. When ST:TNG started, one of my friends would do nothing but complain about it--for two years! I guess it got better in year three because he started to love the show after that. I could barely stick with it for a few eps, let alone two years. But there are people out there who are willing.
Yes, and then when it gets to episode 6 they will say it gets better around episode 10. And then when we get to episode 10...
It's the old Heroes trick. Come on, Alan, you're smarter than this.
This show stinks!
MrGlass said: "Dollhouse is probably the best soft porn/sci-fi series ever. Although it is the only soft porn/sci-fi series I can think of."
I told you Joss was no feminist!
Further proof Joss ain't no feminist:
Karen said, "And yeah, lots of female skin being shown for no compelling plot or character reason that I can fathom."
MrGlass said: "Dollhouse is probably the best soft porn/sci-fi series ever. Although it is the only soft porn/sci-fi series I can think of."
What about "Emmanuelle in Space"?
Huh. I experienced no epiphanies or gestalt switches or paradigm shifts or anything, but I think, incrementally, the show has managed to hook me in. Yeah, I'm in for however many seasons.
Re: Victor's being an active: keep a lookout for anyone called Mike, Romeo, Oscar, or Charlie. Adriana Lima should guest-star as "Lima".
The ED school of acting: throw your palms up while keeping your elbows pressed to your sides.
Superficial comment: I don't mind the soft-porn aspect of the show--but it does help if the people involved all have waists.
Does anyone know if Tahmoh Penikett had any CGI/wirefu assistance when he did that superman punch while kickboxing a few eps back?
Been a Joss Fan for years - don't know what happened here, except to say always remember the original Buffy movie was a big flop, so flops are very possible with Joss.
For this show, I can't suspend disbeleif. Usually I get so wrapped up in a good show I don't think of the plot holes until someone else points them out. In this show, the plot holes won't be quiet long enough for me to enjoy it.
Soft Porn without even a nipple showen... you just know wen your talking to americans. ;-)
I just saw the first three episodes in one sitting... while i did not feel anything groundbraking nothing drove me away from consuming it.
Than again i seem to have kind of a different tast on TV than most other people seem to... no one in Germany seems to like The Shield... i think BSG turned bad after Season 2 and Lost is mind numbering stupid... yet still people keep on raving about this stuff.
Even though everyone seems to loathe My Own Worst Enemy and this show being compared to it, there is one comparison that is fair. Christian Slater had the "different personality, same person" thing down to a science, something Ms. Dushku has yet to be able to really do.
Slater made it easy to tell when it was Henry and when it was Edward because each had a certain way of talking, a certain of moving, and each had their own tic. You could tell they were different people.
What Dushku needs to do is give each new personality she's given something specific that makes us believe this is a new person, you know? She hasn't really done that yet.
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