tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post4052179649164501250..comments2024-03-25T19:18:14.047-04:00Comments on What's Alan Watching?: Dollhouse, "Briar Rose": Fairy tale endingAlan Sepinwallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03388147774725646742noreply@blogger.comBlogger78125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-50740020350608327512009-05-12T11:32:00.000-04:002009-05-12T11:32:00.000-04:00Loved the Alpha reveal. I did not have a clue! T...Loved the Alpha reveal. I did not have a clue! Tudyk was so great. He really showed a huge range in such a short period of time. Bravo! <br /><br />Plus, the Whiskey portions were great. Not my fav actress but the twist was sweet!Valeriehttp://billarnold.typepad.com/valerie/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-49535568159520468632009-05-08T13:50:00.000-04:002009-05-08T13:50:00.000-04:00Dr. Saunders is doctor that stays inside the dollh...Dr. Saunders is doctor that stays inside the dollhouse. Well as, Victor is a doll and doll need to be pretty and slash-free. So maybe Victor is leaving after all.<br /><br />Enver Gjokaj is an amzaing actor and I will be sad if he does leaveAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-73929148526507735732009-05-08T05:27:00.000-04:002009-05-08T05:27:00.000-04:00I'm the type of person who read a spoiler and comp...I'm the type of person who read a spoiler and completely forgot about it. So that was surprising!Dilshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13898197137227002309noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-70593198764523270782009-05-07T21:24:00.000-04:002009-05-07T21:24:00.000-04:00Anonymous said...
I was so shocked that Victor was...<I>Anonymous said...<br />I was so shocked that Victor was slashed by Alpha. Does this means that Enver Gjokaj is off the show</I>?<br /><br />I doubt it. Dr. Saunders is still on the show. Heck, dying isn't even a reason to leave a show. Things can be worked out!!Eldritchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02247921343535184791noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-12041935319191004352009-05-07T16:48:00.000-04:002009-05-07T16:48:00.000-04:00DOLLHOUSE IS SO COOL !!!!!!!!!!!!!DOLLHOUSE IS SO COOL !!!!!!!!!!!!!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-3474934017301746382009-05-07T16:43:00.000-04:002009-05-07T16:43:00.000-04:00I was so shocked that Victor was slashed by Alpha....I was so shocked that Victor was slashed by Alpha. Does this means that Enver Gjokaj is off the show?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-33308901982500964452009-05-06T22:56:00.000-04:002009-05-06T22:56:00.000-04:00I keep seeing questions about the girl and her get...I keep seeing questions about the girl and her getting a scan. If I'm not mistaken, when someone does the things she does, and has been through the things she has, they need to take some kind test to determine her mental state and ability. So, if they had done that, and this foster home is somehow connected with the Dollhouse (funding them perchance) it makes sense that way. I'm saying that it's not impossible that Topher got some kind of MRI that was done on her and worked on it that way.<br /><br />Another thing I kept reading was Boyd being an inside man. If anything, he's proved he's loyal to the organization. Or more so protecting Echo. He was even saying it when Ballard was fighting him that they would hunt both of them down and kill them. He doesn't want Echo hurt; he has that fatherly protection thing with her. And as far as him being an actual spy, that's not the case at all. Why would he bring down the man abusing a doll, risk his life to save a doll and become so attached to a doll? As we saw with Dominic, you don't need those things to be a convincing member of the Dollhouse team. He's not a spy, he's a guy who got too attached to his Active and he just wants to see her in good conditions.<br /><br />And Alpha leading Ballard around was done so that when he would finally get to the house he would cause a scene and keep it all open for himself to get the girl. Which he does. Alpha knew that the security would come down hard on him and that it would distract everyone from him. He didn't want to do a whole new confrontation with these people, he wanted in and out. Yeah, he knew where it was and could have done it himself, but they have guns and numbers on their side so he needed the distraction. Alpha is a really smart man and he thought about it all the way through.<br /><br />Saunders as a Doll is pretty revealing. . . and it's something to look out for in the finale because I think we are going to see Alpha going on his rampage. If we see her getting messed up, then it's a safe bet she isn't a doll. If we don't, fuel to the fire. It makes sense as well as to why they would use a doll instead of going to find one. It's a moral problem and I find it hard to believe that all of those people believe/know in what they are actually doing. So it makes perfect sense.<br /><br />The real question to ask is what is going to happen with Ballard now. Undoubtedly he helps Boyd and the house stop Alpha, but what happens next? I've seen some pictures from Epitah One and Ballard is in them standing next to Echo in the one. Could he be turned into a Doll? Does Boyd get killed (Joss loves to kill the main characters) and Ballard gets the security job as a way to keep him quiet about the whole thing and in the end save the girl? Does he trade himself in to save Caroline? That last one seems something like what Boyd would do because he's protective of her, but they are questions that need to be asked.<br /><br />And as far as the series continuing, there are still plenty of things that are unanswered for us. Exploring all of the backstories of the characters, particularly the backstories and reasons why the main dolls are there, answering the questions if Echo will become self-aware and become another Alpha. What is the main motivation for the Rossom Corporation and the Dollhouse? How can they take down all of the Dollhouses around the globe? Sierra came face to face with the man that forcefully put her in the house, will she ever get her full revenge? How will the Dollhouse be brought down if they have so many connections to political and police forces? Would (and has) someone used the process to make their life go on, like in the episode Haunted? And finally, what exactly is the attic and how do Actives end up there? So many questions to ask and so many storylines that can be looked at. It has a massive potential to be an amazing show if given the chance. If nothing else, Joss has proved that all of his shows have had some kind of connecting storyline at first thought pointless later to be revealed as something that deserved a second look.<br /><br />I hope the show is brought back, I'd be just as excited as I was when I first started watching it. Sorry for the long comment, I just really love this show.Jon Knoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-51315717496550720252009-05-05T14:16:00.000-04:002009-05-05T14:16:00.000-04:00I buy that Saunders is a doll...imprinted with the...<I>I buy that Saunders is a doll...imprinted with the "real" Saunders' personality... How exactly could that happen, unless "real" Dr. Saunders submitted to a scan before being sliced and diced by Alpha?</I>.<br /><br />I'm not sure there had to be an actual "Dr. Saunders" who was scanned in the first place. <br /><br />In the movie "Dark City," memories from different people were combined or separated -- mixed and matched, so to speak -- to form new personalities. <br /><br />I think that's what Topher does. He has a bank of memories and skill sets which he can combine to form the personalities needed for each doll's assignment. They may have scanned the appropriate medical skills from someone and combined those with the questionable ethics from someone else who would work in a morally bankrupt organization. Add a dash of sympathy and concern for patients, and presto, you have "Dr. Saunders." Perhaps they've manufactured a "Dr. Saunders" in the other 19 Dollhouse's around the country.<br /><br />In other words, there never was an original Dr. Saunders, just a doll who given the skills and false memories to believe she was a doctor. Then she was lucky enough to survive Alpha's attack. <br /><br />Or: The original Dr. Saunders was killed and when Topher programmed Whiskey to be the replacement Dr. Saunders, he was able to program false memories in her to give her the illusion that she remembers the attack. After all, she must think she remembers going to medical school and having a childhood.Eldritchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02247921343535184791noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-1733640485998631712009-05-05T09:05:00.000-04:002009-05-05T09:05:00.000-04:00I buy that Saunders is a doll, and all the signs d...I buy that Saunders is a doll, and all the signs do lead to that, but it is the part about her being a doll imprinted with the "real" Saunders' personality that bothers me. How exactly could that happen, unless "real" Dr. Saunders submitted to a scan before being sliced and diced by Alpha? Do all staff have scans done, just in case? Because otherwise how on earth did poor scarred Whiskey suddenly acquire all of Saunders' expertise? Color me confused.justjoan123https://www.blogger.com/profile/03333328551629388436noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-27462115620646118642009-05-04T22:14:00.000-04:002009-05-04T22:14:00.000-04:00"Why does Alpha have to put on doll clothes when B..."Why does Alpha have to put on doll clothes when Ballard is strutting around in street clothes? Certainly, if one needs a disguise then both do."<br /><br />That part was explained- Ballard would lay low while Alpha went out in the open to find a computer he could access to shutdown security cameras. Once the cameras were shut down, Ballard would be able to act more freely.Kevinnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-33263830117844151612009-05-04T15:58:00.000-04:002009-05-04T15:58:00.000-04:00- We already met Mike and Tango in the "resolve so...- We already met Mike and Tango in the "resolve something" issue<br /><br />- I'm more inclined to say Topher is the doll in the house because of how similiar Alpha is to Topher in mannerisms<br /><br />- SOOO much satisfaction in Topher getting tased<br /><br />- SOO much sadness in seeing Viktor getting slashed<br /><br />- SOOO much hawtness in seeing Alan/Alpha with that psychotic look and half smile playing on his face<br /><br />- Echo who? <br /><br />- I had HEARD Alan would be Alpha, but didn't fully believe it, I knew he wasn't a hippie pot dude, but the transformation still rocked for me<br /><br />- I'm sure Alpha sprinkled the breadcrumbs for Ballard to be used just as the pawn he as <br /><br />-Ballard is an SOB for using November like that. Why on earth does he care about Echo? Echo is nothing compared to the whole Dollhouse picture he knows now.<br /><br />- I believe in consensual slavery, but only if it's fully informed free consent<br /><br />-EmeraldLizAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-57025793006662332562009-05-04T14:36:00.000-04:002009-05-04T14:36:00.000-04:00I had seen the Tudyk/Alpha spoilers - here, actual...I had seen the Tudyk/Alpha spoilers - here, actually, before you had a chance to rein them in - but I still found it fun trying to guess if Kepler was Alpha's real personality, or if he might've been imprinted with something new. I actually didn't guess that he'd been faking the Kepler personality until he started talking to Ballard about people just being cells, that's when his voice started to change and I thought "he's been Alpha all along!"<br /><br />I totally missed the Whiskey-Saunders thing, but you have all convinced me completely. And I think Alpha's vicious slashing of both Whiskey and Victor is to ensure that they CAN'T be used out in public again as dolls. It's cruel, but it's another way to try to bring down the Dollhouse.<br /><br />I really hope they don't make Ballard a doll. And I'm very curious to see if Echo's new personality is a variation of Caroline or if it's an entirely new personality that has developed as an amalgam of the imprints and her inner rage. This could be fun!Stefhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10024186205791001584noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-37352054705432878392009-05-04T08:36:00.000-04:002009-05-04T08:36:00.000-04:00I had heard the Alpha/Alan Tudyk spoilers but I pu...I had heard the Alpha/Alan Tudyk spoilers but I put so little faith into spoilers that when he showed up as a different character I just assumed the spoilers were wrong. The reveal completely surprised me.Grunthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03308246886810700890noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-13578445156408342962009-05-03T20:37:00.000-04:002009-05-03T20:37:00.000-04:00Back around the time of the much-hyped Episode 6, ...Back around the time of the much-hyped Episode 6, I saw in several online sources that Tudyk would be appearing <I>in Episode 6</I> as Alpha. At the same time, Tudyk's IMDB profile showed him as playing Alpha in Dollhouse, and the Dollhouse page on IMDB showed Tudyk as Alpha. I'm not sure if that was deliberate misinformation or if the sources just got it wrong. When Tudyk showed up on this one, I tried to convince myself that it was all a fake-out, that Ballard was Alpha and Tudyk was merely in the episode where Ballard's identity was revealed, and the misinformation was spread about Tudyk to preserve the surprise. Ah well...<br /><br />There were a number of things in this one that felt contrived. This whole business of Alpha sending encrypted information to Domenic about Tucson? Why? And how did Alpha know to kill and take over the environment guy's identity at <I>exactly</I> the same time that Ballard figured that all out? Why does Alpha have to put on doll clothes when Ballard is strutting around in street clothes? Certainly, if one needs a disguise then both do. Lucky they just happened to pick a doll who wears the same size clothes as Alpha. Clearly, the disguise was useful: they got caught by Topher seconds later.<br /><br />The best part for me was the bit where Victor is imprinted with Domenic's memories, "Domenic's" realization that he in the attic, that his memories are being imprinted on a doll, and his horror at that realization. Great work from the guy who plays Victor, and a great job of assuming the mannerisms of a character we've all seen before.<br /><br />I confess, I didn't put together the "whiskey" reference in that scene, but I went back and rewatched it... yeah, he's using it as a name. Although even that doesn't make much sense: Domenic knew that Whiskey had been imprinted long-term as Dr. Saunders, he had been calling her Dr. Saunders for a long time, so why would he suddenly call her Whiskey?<br /><br />I'm not sure how I feel about all this... it feels like they're working toward a big resolution of Alpha, as if Alpha were what the whole show was about... except that Alpha was really just mentioned in passing most of the way through the series, and never felt like much of an ongoing theme. I'm not sure how satisfying that will be as a resolution.Traceynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-87111272421600896982009-05-03T19:35:00.000-04:002009-05-03T19:35:00.000-04:00I think the biggest problem with the series is tha...I think the biggest problem with the series is that the main character isn't even a character, she's just a blank slate with a different artificial personality every week. There's nobody to sympathize with, there's no character development, there's no arc. Her story, almost always the A Story, are almost always boring. <br /><br />The only character I care about is Ballard. That's why this episode was better than most. Maybe they should re-work this concept and just make Ballard the main character.Steve Steve the Stevenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-14142771735899127772009-05-03T19:05:00.000-04:002009-05-03T19:05:00.000-04:00It seemed obvious to me that he was talking to Sau...It seemed obvious to me that he was talking to Saunders when he said Whiskey. The way it was phrased made it clear - in fact, the interpretation of it as a request for a drink seemed jarred. and pulled me out of the scene a little.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-37445058875162351222009-05-03T17:23:00.000-04:002009-05-03T17:23:00.000-04:00The Whiskey thing blew right past me when I watche...The Whiskey thing blew right past me when I watched the episode, but I rewatched that scene, and it <I>sounds</I> like a plea, not a request.Michael Cowgillhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09324339889209417464noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-24960878556522247702009-05-03T16:01:00.000-04:002009-05-03T16:01:00.000-04:00I actually think that, Alan Tudyk's character asid...I actually think that, Alan Tudyk's character aside, this episode had some of the worst writing yet in the series. Okay, there's a metaphor here. WE GET IT. YOU DO NOT NEED TO KEEP HAMMERING. WE KNOW THIS ALREADY.<br /><br />The reason why Echo's scenes were so bad in this ep is because they kept hammering in METAPHOR. There was no purpose for those scenes, except to set up the idea of Echo as princess-going-to-rescue-herself. But it wasn't well done. <br /><br />Whiskey was an obvious reference to a doll. I hadn't thought it was Saunders, though - that would be interesting. <br /><br />I'm interested in everything about Dollhouse except the actual plot. There's a lot of interesting things here - but rarely have they even been scratched. Ballard and Echo bore me. The acting is fantastic, but the writing varies from good to downright bad, sometimes in the same episode.Rachelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11066020648885170225noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-49856480315302370972009-05-03T13:25:00.000-04:002009-05-03T13:25:00.000-04:00I wish we had seen Tudyk in earlier episodes, play...I wish we had seen Tudyk in earlier episodes, playing the environmental guy. It would have established him as a quirky character we would not suspect as Alpha. The second I saw him in this episode, even though I didn't read any spoilers, I had a feeling he'd turn out to be alpha. If we had seen him in earlier episodes, established as a harmless character, the reveal that the real environmental guy was dead would have had that much more impact.<br /><br />It was a good episode overall though, and while the premise still doesn't make any sense, I'm enough of a sci-fi and Joss Whedon fan to want another season.<br /><br />But I'd like to see the plot holes and "make-it-up-as-they-go" stuff disappear.Adamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02622796651693248198noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-85953710900650842532009-05-03T13:24:00.000-04:002009-05-03T13:24:00.000-04:00Tudyk has long been an actor I always want to see....Tudyk has long been an actor I always want to see. I wasn't spoiled, even for him being in the episode, so what a treat it was to see his name in the credits. I wish he were playing Topher. He'd be a completely different character. Maybe just as nuts, but not even half as irritating.<br /><br />What a great reveal re: Alpha. It happened so fast it took a few seconds to register.<br /><br /><I>But then again, it showed that Alan Tudyk is a marvelous actor and not just the pirate guy from Dodgeball...</I>He was the best pirate guy ever.<br /><br />Gjokaj was exceptional this week. Even as Victor, he's instilled the character with something extra, certainly enough to make me care about him. "They were fighting on me." So sad.<br />And he was amazing as Dominic.<br /><br />I loved this episode, even with the question of how Susan's personality was captured. I might think about it a little, but I don't really care much about that kind of thing. Suspension of disbelief works very well for me.<br /><br /><I>I'm all for speculation and perhaps some good-natured complaining; I just wonder if some viewers should at times give show-runners -- when they've earned it -- the benefit of the doubt and accept a little week-to-week confusion. Sometimes we're supposed to be confused or left wanting.</I>I agree, Jim. I don't mind being left hanging for a while. There's definitely a point at which it feels like things are being dragged out just for the sake of it, but I'm very patient. I learned that from watching Mad Men. :)maurahttp://occasionalblond.vox.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-47087936523216538382009-05-03T12:29:00.000-04:002009-05-03T12:29:00.000-04:00I'm surprised after reading the comments that no o...I'm surprised after reading the comments that no one mentioned that Topher said, "Frak".Ann T.https://www.blogger.com/profile/18169774666181193615noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-89149835099396169332009-05-03T10:21:00.000-04:002009-05-03T10:21:00.000-04:00Alpha can't be the good guy in the Dollverse. How...Alpha can't be the good guy in the Dollverse. How can anyone justify his abuse of the dolls, the way he slashed up Victor and Whiskey (yeah, I'm just going with Saunders is Whiskey)?<br /><br />I guess it's possible we'll learn that Whiskey and Victor were baby-eating serial killers or something before they became dolls, but I hope not.<br /><br />On an unrelated note, I really hope FOX reconsiders and airs the Felicia Day episode.Kensingtonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09745826428431759073noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-42202661653004156902009-05-03T05:05:00.000-04:002009-05-03T05:05:00.000-04:00Alan Tudyk played the evil baddie "Pepe" in a movi...Alan Tudyk played the evil baddie "Pepe" in a movie called <A HREF="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0357182/" REL="nofollow">Rx</A>. It's the only other time I've seen him play the bad guy. Of course, in the Dolhouse universe, I'm pretty convinced Alpha is actually the good guy.Derek Powazekhttp://powazek.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-77407150427132819252009-05-03T02:56:00.000-04:002009-05-03T02:56:00.000-04:00I just wonder if some viewers should ... accept a ...<I><A>I just wonder if some viewers should ... accept a little week-to-week confusion. Sometimes we're supposed to be confused or left wanting</A></I>.<br /><br />I'm good with that. But isn't that when viewers need to discuss and speculate the most?Eldritchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02247921343535184791noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-1399177868103760662009-05-03T00:28:00.000-04:002009-05-03T00:28:00.000-04:00I'm all for speculation and perhaps some good-natu...I'm all for speculation and perhaps some good-natured complaining; I just wonder if some viewers should at times give show-runners -- when they've earned it -- the benefit of the doubt and accept a little week-to-week confusion. Sometimes we're supposed to be confused or left wanting.<br /><br />Of course, ask me about this weeks ago, when Echo was busting up a cult, and I'd champion your right to bitch all you want :)Jimhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13033518419347521623noreply@blogger.com