[TV]Dollhouse - Tonight

[Emperor]

Don't forget to watch... and then come over here and discuss. 

[Tenshin_Xo]

Joss Whedon has become something of a saint to this household, so we will be having a viewing party of at least two.  Review to follow the viewing.

[Emperor]

Tonight’s premiere of Joss Whedon’s “Dollhouse,” the tale of beautiful young people who repeatedly have memories extracted and implanted for fun and profit, turns out to be a big disappointment. It brims with giant ideas and cool Fox action but lacks the big laughs that lure many to Whedon’s work.

 

Also, I’m not sure its premise makes appreciably more sense than NBC’s similar, sillier “My Own Worst Enemy.” Were your young daughter abducted by kidnappers, would you hire seasoned negotiators or would you pay extra for a hot girl somehow programmed with the minds of seasoned negotiators? The Dollhouse organization, at least in the early going, doesn’t strike me as the greatest economic model.

 

(There’s more real-world dough, I’d imagine, in the other role Echo/Dushku plays tonight, that of somebody’s perfect, gorgeous, willing date.)

 

The kidnapping plot at the center of tonight’s episode, nowhere near as compelling as the one in “Ransom” or NBC’s “Kidnapped” pilot, too often feels like generic cop-show fodder.

 

The good news is episode two, which – among many other things – delves into a mystery tied to the Amy Acker character’s scars, turns out to be a big improvement.

 

Give the series points for being one of the stranger things on TV. Lead actress Eliza Dushku’s character, Echo, isn’t remotely the main character; Dushku spends most of her screen time playing different guest star roles each week. This makes for a great actressy showcase – but TV anthologies haven’t been popular for a while now, and it’s easier to build a rooting interest in a character who doesn't disappear for good after 30 minutes. The closest thing the series has to a regular main character is the handsome but troubled FBI agent (Tahmoh Penikett, also playing “Galactica” hero Karl Agathon on Friday nights) determined to prove the Dollhouse exists.

 

It took me more than a season to warm up to Whedon’s “Buffy The Vampire Slayer”; it took the sneery vampire Spike’s season-two introduction to convince me “Buffy” was actually the Best Show Ever. One of the things “Buffy,” “Angel” and “Firefly” have in common is each got considerably more interesting as it went along.

 

More reasons to stick around: Fox execs apparently used a heavy hand in “helping” Whedon fine-tune this series’ premise and first episode (hopefully “Dollhouse’s” orginal, never-to-be-aired pilot will find its way onto a DVD or Blu-ray disc at some point), and future episodes are scripted by world-class TV writers like Jane Espenson (“Buffy,” “Battlestar Galactica”) and Tim Minear (“Angel,” “Wonderfalls”).

 

Entertainment Weekly gives it an “B-minus” and says:

 

… Dushku's acting is dexterous and beguiling. Given the artfully vague hints of an intriguingly desperate past for Echo, as well as Whedon's track record, we ought to cut the show some slack. Let's see if Whedon can bring this doll to greater life. …

 

 

USA Today gives it two and a half stars (out of four) and says:

 

… an empty-vessel premise that probably couldn't support a series even were it more adroitly cast … The result is a show that his most devoted fans will debate and embrace, and a mass audience just won't get. … We love you, Joss, but please, build something else.

 

 

Time Magazine says:

 

… If it weren't for Whedon's pedigree, I'm not sure I'd be dying to see a second episode. …

 

 

The Los Angeles Times says:

 

… beyond disappointing. Overcrowded with plotlines, high-tech gimmicks and ambition yet empty of emotional connection and purpose, "Dollhouse" tries so hard to be so many things it winds up being nothing much at all. …

 

 

The Chicago Tribune says:

 

… is "Dollhouse" worth watching? Though Whedon fans no doubt want the answer to be a slam-dunk "yes," I can only, at this point, supply a more tentative "Yes, but …" …

 

 

The Washington Post says:

 

… a pretentious and risible jumble … Slices of mumbo don't come much more jumbo than this … it's enough to make one long for the days when TV dramas were criticized for being too pat, too predictable, too much like one another. Whedon, who directed the pilot, certainly dressed it up stylishly, but I'll take simple coherence over fancy-pants trappings any day. …

 

 

The San Francisco Chronicle says:

 

… a major disappointment. … judging from two additional episodes - one a step forward, the other a step back to the underwhelming quality of the pilot - it could be that Whedon has invested too much hope in his muse, Eliza Dushku, the star of "Dollhouse." It could also be that the premise is too flawed for anyone to elevate.

 

 

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette says:

 

… isn't awful, but neither is it remarkably good. It's a passable hour of entertainment that shows potential to improve but flails and confuses (and occasionally bores) from the start. …

 

 

The Salt Lake Tribune says:

 

… The kidnapping story is standard criminal fare, and we are given little to no information about Echo's background, which might give viewers a reason to latch on to her character. … I'll watch a few more episodes, but I'm afraid it won't be any more watchable than one of "Star Trek's" worst episodes ever.

 

 

The Newark Star Ledger says:

 

… The idea seems too complicated by half … it looks like a slate that keeps getting half-wiped as Whedon struggles to decide what to draw. …

 

 

The Boston Globe says:

 

… doesn't stand up to the broad interpretations it invites. … Ultimately, you'll want to think about "Dollhouse" more than you'll want to think about watching "Dollhouse." …

 

 

Variety says:

 

Joss Whedon's cult following is no secret, but he seems assured of attracting the faithful and little else with "Dollhouse" -- a series that exhibits a kitchen-sink mentality, throwing in a half-dozen assorted plot threads that intertwine to create confusion. … attempting to unravel this convoluted package suggests that by the time "Dollhouse" finds itself, there won't be anybody but hard-core Whedon worshippers left to play with. …

 

 

The Hollywood Reporter says:

 

… it's easy to see the high aspiration and grand potential of the series but far more difficult to develop any sort of attachment to either the conceit or its enchanting young star and co-producer, Eliza Dushku. … Although Whedon infuses "Dollhouse" with an impressively detailed story line and social structure as well as nifty production values, the show lacks something for viewers to grab onto. Having a personality-shifting protagonist makes for a rooting challenge and, at its core, a disappointingly soulless exercise. On the other hand, Whedon knows how to build a story like few others, and Dushku is an uncommonly talented performer who breathes vibrant life into the ever-evolving blank canvas scheme. So this could definitely turn into something special over time, if the Friday night ratings can justify the patience

 

[Tenshin_Xo]

I heard rumors that at some point there would be an underlying story arc where one or more of the dolls would begin to regain some form on character and/or sentience.  I suppose it'll depend on how much control Whedon actually has.

[Mendorah]

I am so excited i could just die!  My BSG/Whedon fan buddies and I are having a full on GeekFest Watching Party.  I'm sure after BSG ends, we'll also put in the requesite Dr. Horrible just because, Why Not?

[Far Dareis Mai]

You know, I'm a die-hard Whedon fan, and this really was a poor pilot. But to be fair, I don't think I've ever enjoyed ANY of Whedon's first episodes...so I'm going to give it a chance. I have a feeling that it will get funny later on.

[Emperor]

I am with FDM.  I see potential here... or maybe I want to see potential because Whedon always produces a good product. 

 

Anyone still confused about what happened in the pilot?  She had a party... that was fake.. or something... Who was that guy?  Why did she have a party?  What relevance did this have to the story (other than racing motorcycles and her wearing a really really nice (short) dress)?  I am intrigued by Amy Ackers character and her scars. 

[Kaznen]

I thought Whedon said he would never work with Fox again after what happened with Firefly.  I was more surprised a show of his would air on Fox more then that he would have a new show.

 

But if what Emp said about Fox "helping" fine tune the show are correct then Whedon didn't learn anything.

[Far Dareis Mai]

Okay, the whole party/date thing I took to be an assignment of hers. This guy paid a bunch of money to have a "perfect" date. I think the whole point of it was to show how the process worked (as in she got so excited about meeting a guy, and then completely forgot about it after when they wiped her mind). It also made you feel bad for her, since her bodyguard dude kept going on about the unfairness of it all, and it gave you an idea of just how robotic she is after she receives her "treatment". Gotta give her props for the completely vacant look she managed during her times as Echo.

 

Amy Acker's character is very interesting. I do look forward to hearing more about her...and I also look forward (or hope, really) to the day when they move the show out of the Friday night slot...makes it difficult for me to catch. :P

 

 

[Emperor]

Bad omens guys...  Unless you are the X-files, Friday nights are the death slot.

 

Here are the numbers...

 

I am still unsure why Fox thought moving Terminator to Friday would help the show.  Maybe they thought a strong lead in would help Dollhouse....

 

A third season of “Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles” just got a little less likely.

 

The series, which already plunged 43% from its season-one premiere to its season-two debut, dipped something like 27% below its previous series low, according to James Hibberd’s Live Feed over at the Hollywood Reporter.

 

(Ironically, last night’s Friday the 13th episode, scripted by “Andromeda” vets Zack Stentz and Ashley Miller and featuring Shirley Manson’s T-1001 going all Cylon at a troublesome factory, may have been the most compelling installment of the series to date.)

 

“Dollhouse,” which followed “Terminator,” improved mightily on its lead-in but still scored the second-worst series-premiere numbers of the season, after the Friday-night debut of NBC’s “Crusoe.” (Hopefully Fox will remember to remember that a far different ratings story would have emerged had “Dollhouse” been given “Fringe’s” post-“American Idol” berth – instead of the channel’s infamously deadly-to-sci-fi Fox Friday Death Slot.)

 

“Dollhouse” did perform better than the premiere of “Canterbury’s Law,” which occupied its timeslot last season.

 

Preliminary 18-49 Friday ratings:

 

3.4 20/20

2.4 Ghost Whisperer

2.2 Supernanny

2.0 Dollhouse

1.9 Flashpoint

1.5 Wife Swap

1.3 Terminator

1.2 Howie Do It

1.1 Friday Night Lights

 

 

[Mendorah]

The party was an assignment.  Unfortunately, the segue from her debate on signing up to the actual assingment was piss poor, so a lot of people missed that.

 

I liked her next assignment.  I liked the details, like the asthma and the "oops, one of the people we downloaded to her brain was actually abused by the bad guy!  How could we have known that?"

 

What I didn't like was exactly what I was worried about.  Forced acting.  Granted, it is a pilot and as they get into their characters this could change Drastically!  I was hoping that this project would do just what Joss said it should do for Eliza, prove that she is a great actress.  I still hope for that, I just wish that she could prove that in the next couple of episodes as opposed to make us watch how she learns.

 

Another thing I didn't like was the cliff hanger at the end.  I think they missed the mark on it.  Just barely, but the still missed the mark on it being perfectly shocking or intriguing.

 

 

[Mendorah]

Bad omens guys...  Unless you are the X-files, Friday nights are the death slot.

 

I'm ready for Networks to give Tivo and Internet viewing it's due already.  Especially for Friday shows.  I mean, what about the people who go out on Fridays and then watch it later???  I don't think our current ratings system is giving some shows the justice they deserve.  And I think that will get worse as people begin to set up their TVs for viewing shows on the Internet on demand as opposed to on the regular TV schedule.

[Emperor]

I wish I were a Nielson rater.  I don't know why I am not.  I am a TV fiend.

[Far Dareis Mai]

Yeah, when I saw that it was set to premiere on a Friday night my first thought was..."ewwww...Fox doesn't have much hope for this series"...but despite the fact that the numbers were low for a premiere, it must be said that there wasn't a whole lot of television advertising (I only saw one main commercial and all it contained was Eliza's nekkid body or whatever), and the show did end up in fourth. I mean, not great but not bad either...

[Tenshin_Xo]

Premieres tend to open and lose some steam after the first couple weeks.  There's potential here so I hope it continues, I did my part by itunes ing it.  Damn defunct DVR.  I crush on amy acker as fred.

[Emperor]

I didn't like the Glau/Dushku hot chick intros.  Seem cheesy... and they weren't foddling each other near enough...

[Emperor]

A reminder to watch tonight! 

 

Tonight’s episode, written and directed by “Buffy”/”Angel” vet Steven DeKnight, gets a bit more into the mythology of the Dollhouse and introduces what I take to be the season’s Big Bad.

 

I also love the way the episode opens. I guarantee you it has better nudity and bloodshed than tonight’s “Ghost Whisperer” opening.

 

Fox says:

 

Echo is imprinted to be the female counterpart to an avid outdoorsman and quickly learns how the hunter becomes the hunted during her wilderness adventure. Agent Ballard receives a clue to Echo's real identity, encouraging him to continue his investigation, while flashbacks reveal the tragic events at the Dollhouse that led to Boyd's arrival and Dr. Saunders' scars.

 

 

9 p.m. Friday. Fox.

[Liathiana]

I liked the second episode much more than the pilot but still not super excited about the show...third episode might decide it all, we'll see.

[Emperor]

Right... it is just Eh for me so far.  This one was much better though.

[Joram]

Well... Whedon seems to be getting better at progressing the show's meta-plot while churning out individual episodes.

 

I wasn't thrilled with the pilot, but with the second episode, I find I want to know all about Alpha and Echo's relationship before he went apeshit, and why he's toying with the FBI.

[Lythnia Roylin]

OK, so I watched the first two episodes online, finally (I work Friday nights, so I can't watch it live)

Honestly, I'm watching it just because the concept intrigues me and I want to see where Joss is going with it, but I'm really, really missing the Whedonesque humor here. It just seems too serious for him. But hopefully, we shall see...

[Emperor]

So the show got good last week... finally.  Really if this wasn't a Joss show I would have sacked it long ago.  But I kept with it and am now intrigued. 

[Far Dareis Mai]

I agree. I've been watching it on Hulu, and it isn't a show chock full of Whedon wit. But, there is a subtlety in the writing that I really dig, and I think the fight scene between Echo and Ballard was very well done. The plot is finally escalating (though it does sort of remind me of the whole 'Wolfram & Hart' story arc from his Angel series) and I think it's very interesting.

 

I'm a little sad that Amy Acker is still only slated as a guest star. I hope she sticks around, I really like her character.

[Emperor]

I hope Amy turns out to be warped.  I personally think she is the spy inside the dollhouse too.

[Far Dareis Mai]

Yeah, I'm thinking the same thing...though part of me thinks that Olivia Williams isn't as evil as they are portraying her to be thus far...perhaps I'm wrong though. She gets a little too protective over the dolls--though that could be purely self-interest.