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‘Somebody Is Eating A Mint!!’ Friday Brings DOLLHOUSE 1.3!!
SPOILER ALERT !!
I am – Hercules!!
I just watched next week’s “Dollhouse,” in which Echo is programmed to be a quippy safecracker, and I have to say I’m rapidly warming up to this series. Tonight’s episode, “Stage Fright,” was not available for preview, but Fox says:
To protect a volatile pop star from an obsessed fan, Echo goes undercover as her new backup singer. Meanwhile, Agent Ballard is led down a dangerously wrong path in his investigation, and Lubov harbors a secret. Guest Cast: Amy Acker as Dr. Claire Saunders; Reed Diamond as Laurence Dominic; Miracle Laurie as Mellie; Kevin Kilner as Hearn; Jaime Lee Kirchner as Rayna Russell; Jim Piddock as Biz; Cloie Wyatt Taylor as Chantal; Graham Norris as The Fan.
9 p.m. Friday. Fox.
"I love love love DR. HORRIBLE’S SING-ALONG BLOG as much or more than just about anything I’ve seen this year." -- Harry Knowles
Season Eight: Volume Four!!
"I love love love DR. HORRIBLE’S SING-ALONG BLOG as much or more than just about anything I’ve seen this year." -- Harry Knowles
Season Eight: Volume Four!!
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...Isn't so bad, I'll reserve judgement till later in the season
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loved her as Winifred "Fred" Burkle & Illyria on ANGEL. I thought she was also pretty good as machine gun weilding Kelly Peyton on ALIAS!!
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I thought the first episode of Dollhouse was very disappointing, but the second was much better than expected and has shown quite a lot of potential. Obviously I will reserve judgement for later in the season (if it isn't cancelled before then that is) but I think this might be a show that I can watch and enjoy. I still wonder why they didn't do Faith the Vampire Slayer if they were getting together anyway. Which party wasn't interested in that does anyone know? Maybe it was everyone involved. It just seems like Dollhouse is a pretty hard sell and wont have much of a shelf life. As far as I know there is still a rabid Buffy fanbase, they would have all watched without a doubt.
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Sarah Michelle Gellar is widely known as being a gigantic bitch to work with. So then just give Faith her own spinoff or movie. There's still interest in the franchise and the casts are getting older and ugly. Is Joss waiting to remake Buffy with a new younger cast??
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What a classy and smart young woman??? This interview says it all about her--she is the type of woman you want to fall in love with, marry, and have kids with!!! Anyway, to the USA Today interview. Peace, out!-Signed, Metal Water: By Kelley L. Carter, USA TODAYLOS ANGELES — It's rare that Eliza Dushku gets to be, well, Eliza Dushku.
But on this particular Thursday afternoon, dressed in a pair of yoga pants, eating Trader Joe's chili out of the can and hanging out at home with her two dogs, she's at her most comfortable.
"Look," she says, holding her cellphone in an outstretched hand, "my nephew was born today! So cute? They usually don't look that cute when they're a few hours old, right?"
The actress perches in front of her laptop to finish buying a plane ticket to Boston so she can visit the newest member of her clan. She was able to dip into her hometown the next week to coo with the new baby after making talk-show rounds to chat up her latest project, Dollhouse (Friday, 9 ET/PT), a new series on Fox.
The Boston-born actress, 28, who has been in the Hollywood game since she was 10 years old, is calling the shots and doing everything on her terms. Her first priority? Putting more deeply complex stories about women on television.
FIND MORE STORIES IN: Hollywood | Fox | Schwarzenegger | Third World | Buffy | Vampire Slayer | Joss Whedon | Echo | Trader Joe | Dollhouse | Eliza Dushku | De Niro
"My mom is like this hard-core, liberal feminist. She's a professor in Boston, and she's been teaching women's studies for 30 years and international politics," Dushku says. "So I've traveled, and I've heard so many women's stories, and I've heard stories of really, really hard lives. And I just feel like there are so many stories to be told, and it's hard to find someone who can sort of intertwine them with the right kind of action and suspense and use genius metaphors ... while striking a chord with the universal theme of the search for one's true identity."
That very notion led her to help create, produce and star in Dollhouse. In the dramatic series, which she crafted with writer/director Joss Whedon, she plays a young woman called Echo, a member of a group of people who have had their personalities wiped clean so they can be imprinted with any number of new personas. Women such as Echo are hired out for particular jobs, crimes, fantasies and the occasional good deed.
"I asked Joss to create it with me and for me, and it was really special to me," she says. She worked with Whedon on Buffy the Vampire Slayer from 1998 to 2003. "I wanted the chance to get back together with someone who writes for me in a way that shows the most colors that I have."
It's a series filled with interesting twists and turns, she says, but it mirrors what she has been doing for almost two decades as an actress.
"I wake up and play a different person every day. Playing all these different characters and trying to figure out who your true authentic self is at the core of that as you're playing all these different roles, and man, that self-awareness starts to come into effect," she says. "And you start to see who you really are. That was an important parallel of art imitating life for me."
And in real life, Dushku is becoming self-aware, too.
The single actress recently kicked a longtime smoking habit, stopped drinking and says she hasn't had a sip of coffee this year. For fun, she signs up for online trips to explore Third World countries.
One of these days, she says, she'll head back to Boston and perhaps follow in her mother's footsteps.
"I wanted to be a political science professor and go to school in Boston. I never wanted to be a big, famous movie star and TV star. It kind of found me. I was at a point where I could have packed it all up and gone back to Boston, and I would have been fine and happy. And a little richer, both financially and having had the experiences that I've had since I was 10 working with people like De Niro and Schwarzenegger.
"But I thought if I was going to get out of this business, I wanted to end on a strong note. I wanted to do something that I put my heart and my hard work into full force. And this is that."
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Joss was preparing a Faith series and appeared to have a green light from Fox television, but...Fox at the last minute, blocked Eliza's casting, and stole her for the show Tru Calling right out from under Joss' hands and feet??? When that happened, Joss gave up on the Faith series...as Fox was bluntly telling him they didn't want it with that casting move they pulled...and the rest is history.
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more and more of Angel's first season, which is a good and bad because while I enjoyed the odd mishmash of stand alone procederal-ish saving one person per week episodes with a smattering of mythology, I don't know if it's going to get to the point quick enough for people to stay with the show as it builds. I'm hoping the writers pulled out all the stops for the later episodes. I'm highly confident that Whedon and Minear are going to give us some tour 'de force stuff by the end of the season.
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lots of shows & movies are doing that more frequently now. TEAM Buffy & TEAM Angel adventures could continue in that format. Focus on the minor or create new characters for the movie.
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And so far it has been, already lost interest and wont be watching.
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Feb 27, 2009 4:09:48 AM CST
'To protect a volatile pop star from an obsessed fan'
by kwisatzhaderach
Wow, cutting-edge storytelling.
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I actually heard otherwise SMG seems pretty awsome in fact, if anything it was the dude who played her BF (in college) and her sister that were the ones most hated on set.As for an Angel movie DB said a while back he could see it being a big screen outing but anything less and he was not doing it, just would'nt be doing the show justice. Anyhow dude has another hit show now so most likely does not wish to return to the Angel role anyway.You do have to wonder what it is about Whedon that most suits feel they can resoundly fuck him over time and time again. He needs to man the fuck up and quit with his creepy tween antics.....maybe?
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Dish had the first episode as #2 (we knew the first episode was pushed back), but last Friday's was #4 (I was expecting #1). Is this getting Fireflied? I liked the second episode a lot better than the first, but was it an attempt to get maybe one of the more action packed episodes earlier even if it's a little weird having her regain her memories so early?
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It's Kate!
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the buffyverse no longer exists, nor the firefly universe.. ( look.. the comics just aren't the same) i thought the first ep was weak, and considering how long they had to get it right ( they have the expeirence and knows what works and doesn't) it was below par, 2nd epsiode not so bad. i'll stick around, but i'm not getting upset if fox decide to axe it. a) its what i expect from fox b) im not that invested yet
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when one of the Actives snaps the neck of the programmer and they wheel him out in a body bag. Then they can bring in someone who's more suited for the role.
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I always thought the action was the worst part of Whedon's shows, and this seems to be focusing on that. Still don't like any of the characters except Acker. Do an Illyria show.
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I know he wrote comics that extended the story line, but as much as I enjoy them they always seem a little out of step with the series. I say go with a TV movie or something to wrap up the series.
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The dialogue is just so embarrassingly God AWFUL.
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C'mon man, this show sucks. You've got Battlestar, Lost, 24, and DOLLHOUSE TBs? Can this shit show, I don't think any of us who have even been watching want to talk about it much. It took Fringe a whole season to get one TB, but this gets one...why? Because of Whedon? Or Dushku's transcendent acting ability?
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C'mon man, this show sucks. You've got Battlestar, Lost, 24, and DOLLHOUSE TBs? Can this shit show, I don't think any of us who have even been watching want to talk about it much. It took Fringe a whole season to get one TB, but this gets one...why? Because of Whedon? Or Dushku's transcendent acting ability?
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It just makes me look stupid! I didn't double-post! I swear!
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Third episode sounds like crap as well, but the fourth sounds better. The only thing is, will this series actually survive to broadcast a fourth episode?
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Classic Whedon heart in that one. Hes at his best when dealing with the inner working of his characters. This show is only going to get better and better.
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I haven't been buying the comics individualy but those books above instead and I'm really liking them a lot.
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And IIIIIIIII EEE IIIIIIIIIII will always love yoooouuuu oo oo oo
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Dolls should be impostors or infiltrators, not babysitters.
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is that they can be anyone you need. It's not just spies, criminals or whorish stuff.
That's just how Fox wants it right *now*. They are trying - in their "Fire pretty, tree bad" fucked up way - to garner a typical audience, not the usual Whedony type fan (they know they already have those).
So let's say you remove all the typical things a Doll could be, spy, criminal, bodyguard, whore, etc., what else would you need a Doll for?
They suggested last episode that although the Dolls services are expensive, if they get hurt (or killed?), you just get charged more money for damages. That is a serious opening for sick puppies with lots of disposable cash. -
Feb 27, 2009 10:47:06 AM CST
Don't Worry, Not Many Of These Whedon-Obssessed TBs Left
by aquatarkusman
Four, five more episodes?
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Cut some of the budget and make it more personal, like the series was all along. Serenity tried too hard to be a big budget movie, and couldn't make back enough to show enough profit. Scale back. We want our big damn heroes.. just on a smaller scale.
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I'd give a thumbs-up to both episodes of this series so far, but last week's still-not-all-too-funny, but still-thrilling-and-filled-with-decent twists episode was even more enjoyable than the pilot. I'm looking forward to tonight!
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How the network meddled
Who's idea it was to use a billion dollar operative as a sperm receptacle. Network or Whedon. -
Fucking amazingly hot. I'd program her to be my sex slave.
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pleased with the direction so far and liking the Harry Lennix character.
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Whedon's actual huge fanbase, the women who live alone with cats, uniformly hate this show. I've read nothing but "mehs" and "OMG, this SUCKS it's so offensive to women!" comments on my old Buffy boards and lists. So I guess its audience is made up of the batshit insane Whedonites, 13-year-old boys wanking in their bedrooms, and guys who live in their parents' basements. Nice demographic, that.
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DOLLHOUSE reminds me a lot of shows like THE SIX MILLION DOLLAR MAN, THE INCREDIBLE HULK, and KNIGHT RIDER. These shows were premise-heavy, character-light, and episodic. To be honest, I don't see a return to that as a bad thing, necessarily. I've become so tired of shows being so steeped in mythology that you can't miss an episode without being totally lost. There's some good television that is like that, like GALACTICA for example, but it's frustrating when you can't come to a series late and easily jump in. I stopped watching LOST about midway through the second season because I felt like the creators didn't know where they were going and were making it up as they go along. Now, I understand that the show has regained its focus and is great. However, because I stopped watching so long ago, there's no way that I have the time to go back and catch up with the series on DVD. I'd love to, but real life has other plans. A show with a fun concept that has enough of an ongoing story retain my interest but is episodic enough to allow for casual viewing is the kind of thing that is sorely lacking on television, as least as far as Sci Fi is concerned.
I admit that it's impossible to make a clear judgment about the tone and structure of a series when only two episodes have aired, but that's the vibe that the show has given off to me so far. As much as I love Whedon's other shows, I kind of hope that DOLLHOUSE sticks with this vibe. It most-likely won't, because we all know how Whedon loves his mythology.
In any case, it has held my interest so far and I hope that Fox gives it a chance to grow and mature. -
I think this is what I’m most worried about. Given, it’s a stupid premise. Same as cheerleader hunting monsters. Same as a vampire detective. Same as a western in space. But episode 1, we get that scene where Galactica guy is getting asked the most obvious problem with the show’s concept, “even if the technology existed, if you have limitless funds, why wouldn’t you just hire the person most suited for the specific job?”. His response, “they’ll never be perfect”. Okay… but then five minutes later Echo proves how imperfect she is by getting confused when the dad is getting frustrated with the negotiations and grills her about her lack of experience/picking on her that she's not who she thinks she is. Ten minutes later, she shuts down during the transaction. Then this week they show an operative going nuts and hints at various other “glitches”. So we’ve got expensive, highly immoral, primary jobs appear to be prostitution, glitches in the technology, the law is sniffing around, seemingly obvious recruitment issues (what do you do if a recruit says no?), and now they’ve proven “not perfect”. I don’t know, I don’t remember quite as many attempts to explain away the concept in the other shows. They seemed to more accept that it was stupid and the characters tended to more make fun of the crazy situation than sit down and talk about it (to explain to the audience). I thought the trust stuff in last week's episode was handled similarly poorly. Sure, maybe it’s meant to be kind of the opposite of the Slayer/Watcher relationship with it brainwashed in rather than earned, but ignored when convenient like a typical teenager… but I’m just saying I have my concerns. They really need to take advantage of the wide canvass this premise gives them rather than fall into the Bait of the week issues the Inside hide (which really got good in the unaired episodes when it got out of that pattern). Right now it's like a crappier version of Alias where she's just a whore.
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The show is bad. Dushku is hot, but she's a horrible horrible actress - and im sorry, but with a premise that requires your lead actor to be able to portray, convincingly, different human beings every single week, why in heaven's name would you cast someone who simply doesn't know how to act?
I had to double check to make sure I wasnt watching The CW network.
Or UPN. -
This show is rapidly turning into a guilty pleasure!
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http://tinyurl.com/cype53
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And I think the British chick wants to screw me. NICE!
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he played a huge dick in journeyman, i hated him, until his character turned around in an episode. he was really good.
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Show sucks.
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...turned into a dick in "Homicide". He was pretty good at it.
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That's what is bugging me too. I can see why they might want to hire someone outside of regular channels but why are they paying that much money for something that is flawed? Is there a money back guarentee or something? Cause I wouldn't have hired a negoiator with if I knew she had asthma. Just saying.
And I would also like to find out what the perimeters are storywise. So far it's been pretty basic. But Joss has mentioned that Echo plays an old woman. Huh? Why would someone hire a young girl to be an old woman? Do they need the old woman's memories and they just happen to have her downloaded? Or is she physically going to be an old woman with prothetics? I'd like to know the structure of this world and how far they can push it.
Interviews with Joss, Eliza and others have said after episode 6, things really pick up. Funny enough, that was when Fox exec Reilly said that they started leaving Joss alone so he could find his own voice. -
yall are a negative lot
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Not trying to go out of my way to be negative, like some.
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and people are already saying it sucks. If the networks listened to you knee jerkers, then Supernatural would never have carried on.
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Jerkers of knees. But only two eps so far. What did Dollhouse do on itunes last week? Not that it matters much but I thought more people would be tuning in via hulu or that. Only natural, I suppose. Who wants to get invested in a show nowadays, I ask you? Firefly about killed me and when I finally got around getting over my "stupid execs" phobia and started tuning into Daisies...Fucking fucked me again. However, with Dollhouse, most everyone agrees that will let it play out the season, along with T:TSCC, even if it doesn't get renewed(You guys betting on it being cancelled before then don't know shit).
I am looking forward to see Patton Oswalt's guest spot - Did you know he pitched Joss a Serenity comic story and he is in the process of writing it?? COOL! - and to see the emergence of Alpha and the person playing him on the show. -
heh heh
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I thought that russkie guy was a Doll because in promo pics he was standing, ya know, with the Dolls.
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isn't the best thing in this economy
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is wearing Krevlorswath's suit!
Nice singing, btw. A bit Destiny's Child but... -
a $Billion dollars$?
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Re: Dr Horrible
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all that tech, the staff and support network
They're not charging a couple grand to jizz in her -
Feb 27, 2009 8:18:58 PM CST
Is it just me or is this show creepy (and not in a good way)
by jccalhoun
Watching this I can't help but feel this whole show is just some kind of vehicle for Whedon to get some bizarre fetishes out and just dress up Eliza Dushku in skimpy little outfits every week or something? Or Whedon has some kind of fixation on her and created the whole show as a vanity project for her to show how versatile she can be? I'm also having a hard time finding any feminist angle that Whedon and Dushku are supposed to be big on when all the episodes so far have been about showing off Dushku's body.
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Ruskie Doll. You can't see me but I looked vindicated.
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I don't trust them.
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Couple grand to jizz in a cumbucket is moot.
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And badass. I think I love him.
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Is that the core of the show? Because everyone is abundant with it.
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I have found is a very affective to get people to listen to you. And how cool was that Velvet Goldmine hommage?
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has a nice ass
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"First" posters apply now!
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Kellerman is still a sexy bitch.
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and nice lighting.
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Uberdork and super!Kellerman
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Joss knows how to tell a good story and maybe Dollhouse is going to do that.
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Connection between Sierra and Echo - Is there something the uberdork doesn't know?
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this needs to get better and more plausible, fast.
Aparantly everyone but the FBI knows about the dollhouse if pop star managers can hire them -
I think Joss started her off that way (whore) on purpose. Just like he started off Buffy as vapid on purpose. Not only will it create a greater juxtaposition when Echo doesn't follow that path but I think it will also create a stronger character having her surpass viewer's expectations.
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They are downloading *memories*, for pete's sake. It only has to be plausible within the rules of the narrartive - which on the 3rd epiosde, we haven't found out those bounds yet. It's very frustrating, I know.
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"What we are told by people (almost without exception) is that
1. I don't like the show, but
2. I will keep watching it as an expression of gratitude for a better, more engaging program he made back when he was making better, more engaging programs" Also: "Maybe it does improve... That doesn't mean I have to watch this lurching, stymied thing stagger around in the interim. There are other things I can do with my Goddamned television." Good ole PA, telling the truth. -
still has a golden Joss Whedon idol though. When they tear it down like Saddam's, then I'll be worried.
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Better than ep 1 for sure. An interesting reveal, and a few hints that a part of her remembers. Wonder where they can/will take the "she remembers" premise, though... She remembers, now what?
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Those beta tapes that uberdork uses to download to the Dolls - are they download only or do they memorex the engagement as well? Because during last week's wipe, shouldn't they have seen that Echo was on the verge of a "composite event"?
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Good catch. I thought I noticed a gesture/look from Echo that she and the other doll kept memories they shouldn't have have retained. On a different note...
Anyone else feel like they're rushing too much too quick, almost as if they know they're not going to get enough eps to really flesh out the series before cancellation?
Finally, please let someone kill the "genius" programmer. Quickly. -
as well as during the ep when she repeated that friends help each other. I also wondered if they were moving too quickly, but the first ep already established how the actives normally operate. Her awareness is supposed to be the premise, and they may as well get to it. I don't think I'd be watching if the 2nd ep was more of the 1st ep. :(
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@Mindtrip - The first 7 or so episodes were filmed before the show aired, so I don't think they are rushing anything for fear of cancellation. The premise of the show was said to be about her becoming self aware. Hell it's taken 3 episodes to introduce us to every character that was first shown in the promo shot.
Watching the show because you liked Whedon back when he was making better stuff? He hasn't made a bad thing. He just got done doing Dr. Horrible. I have no problem if someone is going to wait till the show gets better before they start watching it, but based on prior experience I have no reason to doubt Joss. But that doesn't mean it is going to get better. Plenty of great Show Creators have had misses. -
everything I have ever wanted in a series. hot girls, twisty plot, Sci-fi action, and Joss Whedon writing. Fuck television is great now. galactica, Lost, and DOllhouse. it dosent get much better
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First episode was okay. The 2nd episode was much better. Tonight's episode was pretty bad. The worst of the 3 eps so far. Damn.
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I'm a huge fan of Buffy, Angel and Firefly but so far I'm finding this pretty bad (though 2nd ep was passable). If this weren't Joss I'd probably tune out now, but episodic television is where he's at his best ... and that when he has a chance to create a rich mythology to his world. I have to assume that the current badness is a direct result of studio meddling. Right now it just doesn't fell like a Joss Whedon show at all. I really hope that will change.
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I think so far we have seen episodes that all seem like failed pilots for a very good concept...one meant for a much better show which its creators haven't quite figured out yet...or grasped??? Tonight's episode was interesting...and showed sparks of brilliance, but much of it felt like an episode of the old Charlie's Angels...one without base personalties for the lead characters to better interact, or for the audience to better relate to, and cheer for, that being the Dolls (the Angels) themselves...and I think, once again, as I have said before, that this fact is hurting the show overall. How can you relate to a show where the lead character, has no central personality, from week to week, that we can get to know and latch onto, and so far, no ongoing villain(s) for her to clash with...over some continuous interpersonal issue? When you don't have that, it only serves to weaken a show?Anyway, I hope that the last episode of the series, whatever it is, will end with it being revealed that all of Echo's memories that we are seeing in the Dollhouse series, are being cyphered through the mind of another Doll named River...sometime in the far future. We then see a young man asking questions about her in the midst of a scientific programming session...and then, he attacks everyone in the room with a stun weapon as he reveals himself to be Simon, River's brother...a brilliant and young doctor. We see him come for River, and their escape from this super secret institute called the Dollhouse...run by a mysterious group called The Blue Gloves, and instantly realize, that this is the beginning of the film...Serenity: The End.That would be a nice gift to Joss Whedon's fans.
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Penny Arcade is completely off base. I'm a Whedon fan, but not a big one. I'm watching this show because I'm enjoying it, and for no other reason. I do expect the plot to keep moving, but thats because of cues in the show itself, not because I'm assuming anything based on Whedon's track record.
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What is Whedon and Goddard’s Cabin in the Woods Actually About?
Posted on Friday, February 27th, 2009 at 10:59 pm by: Brendon Connelly
Joss Whedon and Drew Goddard have done their very best to keep the details of their upcoming “horror movie to end all horror movies” Cabin in the Woods as absolutely under wraps as they can, but there was always going to be some point when the cover would be pulled back and we’d get a good look at what they’re building. For me at least, that point came this evening with a good thumb through the screenplay.
Neither of the two things that most struck me is actually the essential premise of what Whedon and Goddard are brewing up here at all. Rather, I was taken aback how quickly the cat has fled the bag and also, very sadly, how uninspiring the basic idea is. After the break I’ll be truffling in some sort of basic spoiler stuff - so snout on cautiously.
Editor’s Note: While the following contains a review of plot details, no specific details from after the first 30 or so pages is revealed. Of course, scripts and early plot synopsizes are not an indication of the final product, and as many of you know — a lot of the time the final product turns out much differently than the courier typed highly-formatted pages of one of possibly many drafts. The following is a review of the concept, and nothing more.
When Kevin Williamson’s Scream first hit, the ripples pulsed quickly through the slasher genre and rapidly redefined the audience’s expectations of boogeymen in creepy masks and their cinematic slaughter sprees. It was a pioneering work and one of the genuinely visionary films of the 90s. The idea with Cabin in the Woods is, I think, to do something similar. The means, however, are not as simple and definitely not as fresh.
The film will begin with the “white collar” characters we’ve already had casting for - Richard Jenkins and Bradley Whitford as Sitterson and Hadley (though they aren’t necessarily taking the roles in that order - there are still some secrets to unlock). It then cross cuts between these two and a group of five college-agers headed up to a cabin for the typical cabin based shenanigans. A cabin, somewhat unsurprisingly, in a wooded area.
The teenagers are given rather clear and clever introductions, but I won’t go into them here lest I spoil a high point of the movie. En route to the cabin, the characters meet the character Mordecai, a name which has been an aka for the film for sometime now. He’s first seen as a gas station attendant though there’s much more to him than that…
Once the “victims” arrive at the Cabin, the full extent of the white-collared ones’ plan comes into focus. They are luring the kids here to have them “transgress” so that they might then be “punished”. They are god-like manipulators, shady business dealers, adults to be suspicious of, aloof yet blood hungry audience and cynical film makers all rolled into one.
The cabin is rigged with carefully selected props, gimmicks and cameras that allow the overseers to both spy on and interfere with the college kids. As things are warming up we are given the idea that there are many different ways in which it could go very wrong for the victims, and that employees of the mysterious organization behind this scheme have held a sweepstakes on just how it’s going to pan out. The various possibilities are shown to include Vampires, Werewolves, Aliens, Clowns, Scarecrows, Zombies and, ho ho, an Angry Molesting Tree.
By the end, Cabin in the Woods goes through a whole gamut of horror cliches in a way not entirely dissimilar to the Scary Movie series, riffing on images and ideas you’ll recognize from any number of recently popular or classic spook flicks. As a result, I think that fifteen or twenty years from now when we have a whole set of cliches to deride, Cabin will probably seem somewhat dated.
Things definitely get busier and more exciting towards the end of the story, but the basic concept is just too simple and easy to digest for this to feel like a real meal. But I do think it’s going to be a nice snack. If this were a feature length Angel or Buffy, and just part of the overall series, it would be dynamite. As a standalone statement it’s just too light and too easy to outrun: the two things that neither horror films or satirical arguments should ever be.
Oh… and definitely try not to see Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon first. It has so many similar ideas that it’s basically a walking spoiler for Cabin’s late, talky explanation scenes.
Is there anywhere new for the deconstructed horror film to go? I think so… but I also thought Joss Whedon and Drew Goddard would take us there. Are our hopes now pinned, with some improbability, on the Scream rehash?
Now… I’m off to enjoy Dollhouse. Good, isn’t it?
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Feb 28, 2009 5:02:55 AM CST
Whedoneque.com: Threatening Another Poster...Yet Again???
by media messiah
A poster by the name of Phong just added a post that stated that she/he wasn't so happy with the show Dollhouse...especially the 3rd episode which aired last night. Quickly, a Whedonesque moderator named Zietgeist, threatened Phong with a banning warning??? That is my problem with Whedonesque.com...those folks over there that run the blog are zealots, and if you say anything contrary to their views, they will attack you, and ban you for no reason, other than the fact that you dared to think for yourself...and that is a real shame!!!
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You copy & paste a headline link from whedonesque, yet you have the gall to bitch at them in almost the same breath? Whedonesque is a MODERATED FAN SITE! Do you understand what those words mean when they are put together? There is no finger pointing, no name calling, no shout-outs of any kind. You were banned for a reason, you tin foil chewing 'tard.
PS: You still haven't proof of your "genius" revelations when it comes to the inner workings of Fox exec. You should be fucking off now. -
First, You're no Messiah, quoting other press releases on AICN doesn't make you special.
Second, Dollhouse is pretty good so far the only thing I'm wondering is where the series is headed, the 3rd EP didn't exactly grab me with the whole Pop-star thing...
Third, you're a fuckin' idiot and given you float in and out of talkback posting garbage like a troll, I treat you as such.
Fuck. Off. -
You seem like a real jerk and another mindless drone so why don't you fuck off!
Whedonesque has always been a play where radical and crazy Whedon fans go in blind faith to tell themselves everything was perfect when it wasn't. I like Dollhouse and see the potential in the show but episode 3 sucked and that's the reality.
Those lame nutty fans need to grow up and get a clue. -
I take a bit of offence, girl. I'm sorry that you are on the rag but when did the fuck I say that this episode in any way "rulz"? Shove one of those nuts up yer twat.
*Dramatic Squirrel* -
I always think of how the first two episodes of Buffy were rather pedestrian exercises. Then came "Witch", still one of the series best episodes. It was the episode where the show found it's voice.
Last night's episode was similar in that it had some good social commentary. I can except the idea of an organization that sells out mind controlled slaves as a genre plot device.
But something about this premise still feels silly. Whenever a client is pitching their need for an active to Olivia Williams, it reminds me of people with money could always find the A-Team but the government never could. It doesn't exactly fill you with confidence in Tamoh Peniket's character, playing the guy who has to chase the A-Team and fulfill a plot device that effectively ends the show. Hopefully, Joss has an exit strategy for this season so that the DVD will feel like a complete story was told. If and when things don't work out then at least we should be able to look forward to Tamoh storming the Dollhouse come May
I love Buffy, Angel and Firefly. I like this show. It's entertaining as hell, even if it's lacking in the humor that make Joss shows great. But I think it's premise is too strange to pick up a mass audience. I'm sure I'll buy the Blue Ray set, though. It's such a bittersweet tragedy having this, Connor Chronicles and the last episodes of BSG on at the same time. Every Friday I get approximately 140 minutes of mind numbingly awesome sci-fi on my DVR, yet I know its all fated to end soon. I wish Fox would realize that they're never going to get anything better in that time slot and just keep them there to humor us.
I wish would could stick Rupert Murdoch in the active's chair and program him to be a media slave for Joss, J.J. and Ron Moore so they could control the entire Fox Network.
God, I'm high, right now. I love California's medical marijuana laws. I'm so glad it's Saturday... -
imo the whole first season was pretty bad, same with angel
By the 2nd seasons the actors had found the characters and the writing and production had improved -
Your TB name is a misnomer.
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Why can rich clients find Dollhouse but no one else?
Rich bastards would be bragging everywhere about hiring Dolls for RPG prostitution. -
to get you caught up to the superior S2: "Welcome to the Hellmouth", "The Harvest", 'Angel", "Out of Sight, out of Mind" and 'Prophecy Girl".
(Then again, you do miss Sid in all his puppety bad ass but it's a stand alone). -
It's the only way to sluff of the sleeze.
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Can't see them doing a lot of things for free.
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I didn't think it could get worse then Terminator:SCC, then I saw Dollhouse. I want my hour back you lame fucks.
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But it's just not coming together for me. It's hard to get attached to main characters that don't have consistent personalities.
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What elevated the story this week as that excellent 'oh shit' moment when it revealed that Paul Ballard's informant was a programmed dollhouse operative (or whatever they call them). Is Ballard FBI? I don't recall. Anyway, I like his part of the story more than Eliza's part. The whole story is silly, actually, and very contrived. It's hard to believe that Joss Whedon wrote this.
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If the show was more focused on Paul Ballard and his investigation, that would make more a more interesting show especially if they had kept the Dollhouse more of a shadowy secret that kept the audience guessing like Ballard if it was real or not. The, every so often, cut to Dushku doing her thing and making us think WTF but in a good way. Instead it's just Dushku assignement of the week and I think that was the wrong way to go with this show. I hope we see more of Paul Ballard. He grounds the show.
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It was Marissa and Jed. Steven DeKnight wrote last weeks; Joss wrote the pilot.
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is being recruited by the D'house
That's why they're laying trails
He's being tested -
It's a shame Whedon has been reduced here to have to make a show that tries to appeal to so many yet alienates his fan base. This episode especially with all those dreadful musical dance numbers that went on too long.
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Can I steal that from you MP? Cause it's awesome. If you require payment, I have .23 cents, a stick of Trident gum and a Werther's hard candy (Mmmm- candy!)
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I have .23 cents and gum. -
Here's my problem which this show and Fringe. The studios have the writing talent, but all they want is shows that are derivative and formuliac with a twist. Part of the reason we loved shows like Lost and Firefly because they were so original.
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Not only do you get to see Patton Oswalt but you get to see the person cast as "Alpha".
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Nope, sorry, just copywrited it
And created a WOW character with the name (Night Elf Death Knight) -
This show feels so 8 years ago.
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Fox needs to expose the show to as many eyeballs as it can, which isn't happening on Fridays. Since Fringe is on hiatus until April, put it there for a while and see if new viewers will follow it back to Fridays.
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Originally Paul met Echo (as Shauna Vickers) in the abandoned building and she later shot him. Because next week's episode was originally meant to be the second episode, they needed have an explanation for Paul's gun shot wound. They used the original pilot footage of him entering the building but the attack by the henchmen was a reshoot.
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Last night's episode would have been the perfect way to introduce the show to the American Idol audience. If Fox won't move it, maybe they can at least book Eliza on American Idol to sing the praises of Dollhouse, literally.
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i was fast forwarding through this show. that doesn't bode well. on the upside that faith fan promo looks positivity 100% more riveting.
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it's not like she's gonna flash us her b00bs while changing tops
But with a micro mini a quick butt shot might make it past the censors -
and that chick leaving opposite him is a dollhouse agent.
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as if Dushku should just be playing a minor character.
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Feb 28, 2009 4:46:57 PM CST
Buffywrestling: First, I Am Right About Whedonesque.com
by media messiah
They claim to believe in Joss Whedon's message of free thinking, as seen in Serenity, the expression of the Browncoats and what they were, and their survivors are, but if you say anything contrary to the Whedonesque's view that Joss can do no wrong, you are banned??? That is insane and goes against Joss' own views of freedom and individualism. The people at Whedonesque.com don't seem to even understand the message that their namesake is forwarding, which is true insanity as they appear to be intelligent people, and for them to not understand their own hypocrisy proves that whether you are a liberal, or a conservative, if you suppress others in their views, just as long as it is not hate speech, then you are no better than a Nazi...as you have turned into the "thought police"? As for the internal iights over Dollhous at Fox, I told you that I did not want to do all the tireless net searches to find the media reports on it, but I will do a quick net search and see if I find an article that was in the New York Times I think it was, among others, but trust in this, if I was lying about the Fox battles among executives, be assured that on occassion some folks from Mutant Enemy happen upon these Talkbacks, and they, or the moderator, here, would certainly call me on it if I was not telling the truth. BTW, I don't work for Fox, I simply read the articles online.
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I can't believe some of you guys actually like that piece of shit of a show. That Dushku chick is such a bad actress it's insulting. She's like that other chick who plays Jack Bauer's daughter on 24 (don't know her name, don't care). Her agents, managers, receivers of blow jobs, whoever! tried to make her a movie star and it failed beyond recognition. The same thing happened to Dushku, so she's back to TV.
It's amazing that I hardly hear any bad stuff about that Joss guy, but hear tons about of shit about JJ. I think some of you are jealous that out of these two TV guys, JJ is actually the most talented. Just judge it by the projects. -
Just out of curiosity, is there anything that could sustain the necessity of the Dollhouse as some sort of force that fights against evil? If Dollhouse, by some miracle, does get picked up, who are our arch villains going to be? Why would we need actives to fight them?
Seriously, I've been pondering this one since I first heard the (admittedly strange) premise of this show. I mean, you basically have to have psychic archvillains. That's only reason I can muster for the creation of the actives, in a good versus evil scenario, is that there are psychic bad guys out there who are up to no good and can detect undercover agents if they're conscious of their status. If that is what this show is building up to, then it seems to me that they needed that element from the beginning. I hate to criticize Joss by saying that his show is too grey because I love grey. I hate shows the dangle in lame black and white morality.
But this show really did need to start out with a pilot that made the audience believe that Actives are somehow necessary forces of good in the world. That they are tools of the rich just isn't enough to drive an audience. I mean, this is the 21 century! We have reality show contestants for that. Personally, I think the concept just reminds ordinary folks just how manipulated they are by the forces of economic inequality in ways they just don't want to think of. Ordinary people don't really like thinking about how the rich can get away with murder or slavery. They want to believe wealthy people are just like them except more hard working. You know who I'm talking about, they talk about American Idol incessantly and have no interest in politics, conservative or liberal. They don't post at Talkbacks nor do they drink from the Sacred Fountain of Geek. When faced with the crimes and hypocrisy of the wealthy, they'd rather console themselves by imagining they might be rich someday, or that there children will be. They aren't bad people, they just don't know how to deal with things (at least in my mind ;-)
(Let's face it, every single person posting here secretly thinks that people are stupid and they're part of a certain class of people that just has better taste. We can try to pretend otherwise but it's what we all secretly like to believe. That's part of the reasons we post here so let's just be open about it, okay?)
A lot of the masses who will ignored Dollhouse still watched Buffy because it had the hero's journey. It took the story of the young initiate on a magical adventure and made it into a metaphor for coming of age. It's that same mythic element, combined with original voices, that made Harry Potter and the original Star Wars trilogy such profound pop culture symbols.
Dollhouse does not have the hero's journey. It has a heroine who's memory is fragmented, much like Leonard Shelby, the hero of Christopher Nolan's "Memento." You don't have to have the hero's journey to be a great show. I consider Battlestar Galactica to be the greatest sci-fi show ever produced (a sentiment echoed by Joss Whedon in interviews). BSG doesn't really have the whole coming-of-age hero's journey. It show a culture come of age but it's not a conventional story about the kinds of heroes that populate the big hits. Battlestar has always skirted by on a cult audience. Even Sci-Fi has sort of acknowledged that it's not sure what to do now that it has a show that's been embraced by the mainstream press as a great work of art.
Dollhouse doesn't even have the kind of initial buzz that pushed Battlestar. That's why it won't be a success. But it's an original show with fun storylines. I have no regrets about watching, even if I think the enterprise is doomed. I still can't figure out why they decided to tone down the humor on a show that has such an obscure premise.
What saddens me about Dollhouse's prospective failure is that I don't want to see Joss fall away from TV for another five years. I want him to be more like Abrams, where he's always got a new series debuting until something sticks. I wish Joss would just try and debut with a new series every year until he scores. You can tell that Abrams is a lot more pragmatic about things like marketing and cancellation.
Joss is brilliant but I think he really is cut more from the "sensitive artist" tree and that it just HURTS HIM a lot when these shows fail. He just can't do it unless he loves it His fans know that and adore him from it while his nonfans openly ridicule us for it. But from a business perspective, that quality is a double edged sword that he keeps cutting himself with. Other producers kind of learn to buck up and move to the next project. I don't blame Joss for moving over to comics. I mean who wouldn't want to work with Brian K. Vaughn on Buffy storylines? Contrarily, how would you ever get FOX to produce something like "Y: The Last Man" as a series?
So if you're reading this, big guy, I'm sorry that the secret legions of browncoats haven't come to fruition and started a new revolution. However, know that your loyalists are still buying the comics. If Dollhouse ends soon, then we'd better not have to wait for your kids to grow up before we get another Joss Whedon show. Some of us just don't get as much adventure as we should and need great artists to help us fill the gap! -
It's Less involved than others that I have seen, but parts of it seem to directly quote the New York Times article that I have seen:
News
September 10, 2008 4:57 PM
‘Dollhouse’ Halts Production Amid Creative Concerns
By Josef Adalian
Production has halted on the Joss Whedon drama “Dollhouse” amid indications that some executives inside Fox are deeply concerned about the creative direction of the series.
The last day of filming on “Dollhouse” was last Thursday, a spokesman for the show’s studio, 20th Century Fox TV confirmed today. The show will resume production on Sept. 25, he said.
Officially, 20th executives said the shutdown is designed to give Mr. Whedon time to focus on getting the show’s scripts in better shape. According to Zap2It.com, which first reported the shutdown, Mr. Whedon’s decision to direct two of the first three episodes of the series distracted him from focusing on the scripts.
A 20th spokesman indicated that Mr. Whedon simply wanted to make the show better, and that because production on the series is ahead of schedule, there would be no problem with the show premiering as planned in January.
“We have tremendous confidence in Joss and his team, and we wholeheartedly supported his desire to take some time to focus on upcoming scripts before resuming filming,” the 20th spokesman said. “It’s not often in television production that you have the luxury of extra time, but in this instance we did. And this is a show we all believe in and we want to give it every opportunity to succeed.”
However, some executives at the Fox network are worried that Mr. Whedon may not have his “Dollhouse” in order.
A person familiar with the thinking of some Fox executives told TelevisionWeek that there have been concerns raised inside the network about the fundamental underpinnings of the show.
Specifically, because the heroine of the show, played by Eliza Dushku, has no free will or ability to do much beyond what she’s told to do, viewers might find it hard to root for her. In addition, some executives have expressed concerns that early episodes of the series have been confusing and hard to follow.
Mr. Whedon himself confessed to such worries over “clarity” in July, when he announced he was shooting a new pilot for the series and wouldn’t be screening the original pilot at Comic-Con.
But executives who’ve read future scripts said some of those issues remain.
A Fox network spokesman dismissed as “untrue” the notion that Fox Entertainment chiefs Peter Liguori and Kevin Reilly are concerned over the future of the show.
“We believe in Joss, and we support the show,” he said. “It will be on the air midseason.”
It’s worth noting that internal debates over shows are standard operating procedure inside networks, and that different factions within a network—such as marketing or development—might disagree about a show’s potential.
“Dollhouse” is the second Fox show to stop production in as many weeks: Last week the network’s “24” went on a two-week hiatus.
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...and then complimented him at the same time, while complimenting Joss for being a good guy, and then you bashed him for not being as successful and talented as JJ???
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Joss keep pitching, but at the same time, you have to give yourself a break, and seemingly go more commericial with your TV series!!! I wish I was working with you, but that ain't gonna happen, it appears. Anyway...good luck!!!
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So far, the biggest problem I'm seeing with this show is that it doesn't have the kind of engaging characters and cast interaction that helped making Whedon's other shows so engrossing. The only thing drawing me into this show is the plot itself, not the characters, and the plot really hasn't been all that amazing so far. Maybe Joss and Co. will find some ways to incorporate more interesting character interactions and development subsequent episodes, but I'm just not totally feeling it so far.
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The pilot was meh, but episode 2 was enjoyable and this one built on it further. Looking forward to where this one goes.
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but i think assuming its not cancelled, it be cool if the show eventually leads Echo to somehow realizing whats going on and getting her "personality" back. but only we the audience will realize this so she'll sorta be a double agent of sorts. acting like the non-thinking doll they expect, all the while trying to uncover the truth or escaping or something. granted that machine erases her everytime but its tv, they could find a way around that.
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The end of last week's episode where she did the "wheel to the shoulder" gesture after supposedly being whiped, and this week the shake of the head she gave to Sierra as if to say "not in front of the muggles!" It all suggests that something is not as it seems with Echo, and she's actively aware of it. It feels like they're going to reveal she does remember everything and they just think they're whiping her. Not sure if net week will support this still, but they're doing SOMETHING with these little last minute "what was that" moments.
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It's not because they have unique talents. It's because they can be erased after the mission is over. That's what you pay the million bucks for.
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How on Earth did you find the first episode promising and the second episode bad? The second episode was superior to the first in every way.
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According to an interview that ED did. That's when it starts getting into a Whedonesque series arc. I think that's worth hanging in there for, even though these first ep's have been a little shaky.
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Feb 28, 2009 10:47:57 PM CST
Johnnyangel: They Should Have Scraped The Early Episodes
by media messiah
If that s the case that the show gets on track with episode 6, they should have just scraped all the episodes that pre-date it, save for the new episode 2..."The Target", which is very good.
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The Dolls were programed for missions like top of the line mercenaries. Getting rid of the whole memory erased, Hooker gibberish, every episode is like a reboot, crap.
Even if the show does get better I don't think I will ever be able to get into he show based solely on the concept and how it has been handled. I cant support a hooker and I despise the clients and people who run the dollhouse... cant stand that some of these people are being written as nice when they are doing evil as hell shit. -
Someone finally understands. I agree - it is all about the wiping. Sure, you can hire a negotiator or thief or whatever, but a doll won't (in theory) come back to you after it is all done.
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...like most people they justify and compartmentalize what they do. The same people, outside of their work, may be loving parents, walk old ladies across the street or donate to charity. They don't need to be mustache twirling caricatures. Don't dismay because things are grey. Everything will be okay. Why would you want them to portray a boring cliche? There's more room to play with a buffet of moral decay.
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You're a retard. By your logic Star wars, in retrospect, should have started with empire... which would have left everyone utterly confused, despite the fact that Empire, by most peoples' standard's is the best of the three... Know why? BECAUSE THEY HAVE NO CONTEXT YOU *Fucking* JACKHOLE
Usually If you're writing a Tv series worth a damn (i.e. not Knight Rider), you need a few episodes to get people used to the characters, plot-lines, themes, etc.
Given you don't have a fucking clue whats going on with the media lets register a new nickname okay?
"Media Messiah" is getting a bit too ironic. -
into a great series. Although, I think Dollhouse is actually better than some of the early Angel episodes. I liked the Most Dangerous Game episode more than this week's, but Echo's solution to the problem was rather inventive. I'm sticking with this series for at least the first season.
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Ok so I have watched the first 2 eps...should I keep watching?
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Then start working in the nuances and subtleties.
Establish the concept clearly, then elaborate.
So far, three eps and only the second was good.
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I think that's just to get the concept rolling, but in the not so long term, the "dolls" will break out in some way and turn on their masters or get the upper hand or something. Knowing Joss Whedon's work, I'd guess that they're not going to stay whores, but will become empowered. Joss is a true feminist, I think. He's all about empowering the wimmins.
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Dushku cannot pull off this role - not by a long shot. And the girl playing Sierra is actually worse. Mix these poor performances with a cheeseball storyline and Eliza's "singing," and you have a vanity project train wreck.
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I feel like this show is some sick kind of practical joke. I mean, really? From Joss Whedon himself? This is on the air? I've decided that Dollhouse is a big FU by Whedon to Fox for canceling Firefly all those years ago. It's the only thing that makes sense as to the utter vapid quality of the show.
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You gotta give whedon the benefit of the doubt- he's probably the most creative mind working in television today. The last episode had a nice story with good twists- hes created an indelible character with echo and has a whole season to play with that- im in
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When will you guys wise up? He's a fucking hack.
There's so much ass-kissing going on here, I might be sick. Starting from the bottom:
JDP23: "He's created an indelible character with Echo..."
WHAT? What fucking character?
johnnyangel: "Joss is a true feminist..."
No he's not. He writes every character as if they were a fourteen year old - it just happens that 'women' seem to like all of their characters and plots to play out like schoolyard fantasies.
Media Messiah: (one daft quote among many) "...seemingly go more commercial with your TV series!!! I wish I was working with you, but that ain't gonna happen, it appears."
So you think he's smart enough to 'fool' the people who pay for shit like this to be made? As if they would watch him make the first one, then say "Okay, you just keep makin' 'em, we'll keep airing 'em". Utter deluded bullshit. Then you go on to make out that there was some chance that you could have been involved with a Whedon project. Not a chance, judging by the opinions you dish out here.
allycatD: "It's hard to believe that Joss Whedon wrote this"
No it's not. He's written and re-written the same turd for years. The only difference this time is that there's absolutely NO hook to ensnare poor goths/SF devotees.
Whereas I could tolerate Buffy and Angel, Whedon lost me with Firefly/Serenity, and Dollhouse is just more of the same. An overly dramatic facade covering up a dearth of plot/characterisation. -
Dollhouse concept is diffuse enough without having a strong lead character.
It's only been three episodes but I'm really getting sick of her drifting through the Dollhouse with a dopey look on her otherwise entrancing face. -
I don't know. I'm guessing this show will get good (plotwise) after it's canceled. But I agree with just about everyone that Dushku was a really bad choice for the lead. That's why I never wanted a Faith the Vampire show. What the fuck was Whedon thinking basing a show around her? I don't tend to notice acting unless it's VERY good or VERY bad. Well it ain't good, and I'm noticing it in every scene.
Amy Acker, while alright as an actress, is seriously misplaced here. Originally, the role was suppose to go to an older actress. They should have just stuck with that. Joss is just too sentimental over his actors and it blinds his judgment. -
Did you say Douche Goo? Is that how it's actually pronounced? I think so. Are her folks Immigrants from Some Baltic land? Me thinks so. So really, What's so bad about douche goo?
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Anger leads to hate, hate...leads to suffering.Don't fool yourself, this isn't Star Wars...and there were only ever two good Star Wars films, the original...and Empire, and in the original, we learned the basic rules of the Universe and how things worked--we knew our heroes and our villains and what their conflict with one another was/is. Dollhouse has failed to explain who the heroes, or the villains, are...and what rules they are operating by...and we are now 3 episodes into the show??? Echo hasn't even established with a base personality yet, how do you, and how can you, root for that, a blank personality...so far with no opinion, will, agenda...good or bad, she just is--a puppet of others??? Lastly, the irony isn't my screen name, the irony is that you actually liked Knight Rider, then campared it to Star Wars...and said is was a good show...as you put it, as series that is worth a damn?
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If you were in Yugoslavia, and you were stuck in the snow, and you happened to ask someone to push your car, you just might get a blowjob instead by the translation.
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Anger leads to hate, hate...leads to suffering.
Don't fool yourself, this isn't Star Wars...and there were only ever two good Star Wars films, the original...and Empire, and in the original, we learned the basic rules of the Star Wars universe and how things worked--we knew our heroes and our villains and what their conflict with one another was/is. Dollhouse has failed to explain who the heroes, or the villains, are...and what rules they are operating by...and we are now 3 episodes into the show??? Echo hasn't even been established as a character with a base personality yet, how do you, and how can you, root for that, a blank personality...so far with no opinion, will, agenda...good or bad, she just is--a puppet of others???
Lastly, the irony isn't my screen name, the irony is that you actually liked Knight Rider, then campared it to Star Wars...and said is was a good show...as you put it, a series that is worth a damn? -
Does Enver Gjokaj (Lubov) remind anyone else of the late Glenn Quinn? (Doyle from Angel)
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but I guess I don't need to bother. Dushku's limited ability was already illustrated in Tru Calling. But for whatever reason, Fox signed her to a talent deal, she dragged Joss back, and you have Dollhouse.
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the "tech" guy must die, must die soon, and be gone. He is the Mohinder in this show. The show rolls on its back and becomes a rotting corpse any time he is on screen.Some overall story arc development here, but this mostly had a feel of Joss and Eliza sitting at that first lunch meeting going: Yea, and we could do a ep where I get to SING--how cool would that be!?I like that Echo is a puzzle to them, that she is interpreting missions slightly differently than they intend, and she has some amount of fuzzy retention happening.MORE AMY ACKER!! Less monhindering tech guy.
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Just go to hulu.com and type in the name Dollhouse in their search engine--hit enter...and pick the episode you want to see.
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Saying that Firefly has a "dearth of characterisation" is literally the stupidest thing anyone has ever said in a talkback. And that is saying something in a world with Media Messiah in it.
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Dollhouse premiere up 30% to a 2.6.
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One of the big films headed into production was Justice League film. It made sense that That the studio behind the movie was going to plan a movie based on each member of the justice league. Megan Gale got cast in the role. then the justice league movie fell apart. Last year Beyonce Knowles said that she was in talks to star in a wonder woman movie. Lynda Carter is the original wonder woman. and she was asked in an interview who if anybody she would like to see take over the role. SHe said that there was only one actress today who she approves of to play Wonder Woman and that is ELIZA DUSHKU and she is not joking. apparently rumours are swirling that Wheedon is to bring Wonder Woman back to tv. Carter says that she likes Wheedons work and thinks that Dushku would make a great wonder. Time will tell. Carter also thinks that wonder woman should come back to tv. and to be shonest the last time we had a kick ass heroine was xena and that was a decade ago.
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is eager to get involved. Let me correct my above post. Rumours are that Wheedon is planning put wonder woman on the big screen. wheedon of course was there before and ended up twiddling his thumbs before being fired by joel silver. we will see.
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I'm a little late to respond since I just caught the episode after being out of town. But some interesting comments there - I've been struggling with the whole 'hero's journey' monomyth in most genre narratives lately, and I keep wondering if it's possible to escape it, so I found your comments interesting. Though I have to disagree that BSG doesn't contain a hero's journey. It certainly does for its main characters, and for humanity as a whole - in fact, the whole 'final five' and the integration of the cylons is all about questioning the hero's identity, integrating the dark side, etc. It's a really, tough, dark journey, but it's still a journey. I think with Dollhouse, if there is a hero's journey, we're only being show one part of it. We don't know how Caroline (Echo) wound up there, so we're starting the story when the hero is already in the underworld, struggling to get out. This is what's disorienting. In the pilot of Buffy, she has already become a slayer, but by the end of the first ep, she claims that identity after denying it and takes on her mission. And if we watch Firefly in the intended order, we see Mal's change from rebel soldier to thief. But here we don't have as many comforting signposts, and as I've stated before, no early formation of a surrogate family, like we saw in the other shows. Though with Boyd's growing connection to Echo, Echo and Sierra possibly forming a bond, and Amy Acker's character possibly an ally, maybe that foundation will form, but even then, it's in the belly of the beast. It would be like starting Angel in season 5 when he's already working for Wolfram and Hart. It's a tough sell, and difficult for audiences to connect to. And I keep thinking that Joss could only have created this show after being in the business long enough and after the Firefly/Serenity experience, he's become a bit cynical about television, and this whole thing about having others create your identity (especially their 'biggest fans') and tell you what to do is a theme close to Joss's heart right now. BTW, was that Media Messiah as the stalker guy? Anyway, decent episode, fairly pedestrian, but laying some good foundation and hitting some nice themes.
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Of course there's a dearth of characterisation. Fillion, whilst a fine actor, is lumbered with basically the same character as Kevin Sorbo's 'Dylan Hunt' from Andromeda - he just doesn't look as good, so doesn't get the flack. The rest of the cast are your basic 90210 goons, swanning around amidst their 'relationship problems' and *gag* 'dysfunctional family'. Going further with the Andromeda comparison, poor Alan Tudyk is the same as Seamus Harper, and the whole 'Cowboys in Space' thing has been done to death... kinda like 'Horatio Hornblower in Space'? Ring any bells? How about 'Wagon Train in Space'?
So yes. Firefly, and similarly Serenity, sucked big dog's cock.
... IMHO. -
is also one of the stupidest comparisons ever. Because two guys were 'wacky' and had blonde hair, that makes the shows similar? 90210 goons? In what way are Dylan Hunt and Mal Reynolds even remotely similar? What the fuck are you talking about? Did you ever actually watch the show?
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I would like to see an episode where Helo mercilessly beats the dollhouse IT guy for 50 minutes.
With monotone fight narration provided by Echo's handler, Barack Obama. -
Give it up, your views are fucking retarded and anyway, it's your fat mom who loves the big dog's cock.
... IMHO. -
Ohhhh. I see.
No, honestly, your post has enlightened myself, and in turn, the whole readership of AICN - thank-you.
HOW CAN YOU NOT SEE THAT FIREFLY IS SHIT?????
Did you honestly spend so long wanking over Spike and Angel that you spunked away all trace of televisual taste? Your jokes are just as lame as Whedon's ghey writing; "Your fat mom..." - holy shit, people still use 'yo momma' jokes? I guess they do in the Whedonverse, eh? Seriously, if you can't come up with a decent reason why Firefly comes anywhere fucking close to watchable, you should piss off back to whedonesque.cawm and fan-wank yourself into oblivion with the rest of the zealots. -
Okay, so maybe the comparison was a bit stretched, but I think you got the wrong idea.
I didn't think either character was 'wacky'... and i'm pretty sure NEITHER had blonde hair - don't know where you got that from...
Have YOU seen either of these shows? -
... name part of the International Space Station "Serenity".
tinyurl.com/bcakrs
I s'pose we've had enough 'Enterprises' for a while.
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