Sunday, February 22, 2009

Dollhouse: Eliza Dushku in a Tanktop

After watching the first two episodes I think myself ready to render a verdict on Dollhouse: Eliza Dushku looks good in a tanktop.

Other than that I'm still undecided.

I enjoyed Buffy as a result of zomg vampires. I enjoyed Firefly as a result of zomg spaceships. The problem with Dollhouse, I think, is that it offers neither vampires nor spaceships. Instead, Dollhouse offers terrible references to John Locke and an inability to maintain its own premise. Within the Dollhouse certain persons (Eliza Dushku) have their memories erased and are imprinted with personas in order to be rented out for various tasks (lots of whoring). Except Eliza Dushku remembers things she is not supposed to remember.

And that's the sentence your reaction to which will indicate the level of ejoyment you experience from Dollhouse: Eliza Dushku remembers things she is not supposed to remember.

Which would be intriguing if one could suspend belief and care about the series, its characters, and the overall plot. The problem with Dollhouse, so far, is that the plot is overbearingly spoon-fed to the audience to a degree which makes it unpalatable. And I don't want that to sound like I'm being a pretentious jackass. I'm serious. Ok, here's something that happens in the second episode:

Cut to a scene from weeks ago when Echo and her handler were first introduced. The handler has to establish a bond of trust with Echo and so he says to her, "Do you trust me?" to which she responds, "With my life." Cool. Now in episode the second Echo and her handler are out on an adventure. Things happen and in one moment Echo says to her handler, "Do you trust me?" to which the handler responds, "With my life."

Eh? SEE! Roll reversal. Yeah. Their roles reversed. Because first she trusted him because she was programmed to trust him. And NOW he trusts her as a result of the situation! Eh? Eh? Pretty clever, right?

No, not clever at all.

In addition to the "zomg memories" story arc we have a cop who is trying to find the Dollhouse but kinda can't (he needs to try looking to the left), some shadowy over-figures of the Dollhouse whose motivations are mysterious (because we love mystery), and a street-tough cop with a never-say-die attitude who slowly learns to be a paternal figure to Eliza Dushku (studio audience likey). It's sort of...Dallas meets Days of our Lives meets Season 4 of Buffy. Except it's all of the stupid parts of those components.

On the plus side I think Topher is a terrific character, the doctor is kind of hot, and the theme song is better than the theme song to Weeds.

I appreciate that hulu now provides me with video of Eliza Dushku wearing a tank top. That's pretty great. And I delight in being able to say "Amnesia!!!" every time her memory is wiped. Other than that? I'd be ok if this one were canceled.

Which, I think, means that it will never be canceled.

Edit: Forgot something.

Whedon, as I understand things, had to make this series episodic because, apparently, people who watch tv can only understand episodic things. So I'm trying to watch the series with the recognition that, had Whedon his way, he wouldn't organize it this way. So maybe all of this stupid shit is the result of the "episodic" restrictions and, had Whedon his way, that god-awful role reversal bullshit would never have happened.

12 comments:

Unknown said...

In addition to the "zomg memories" story arc we have a cop who is trying to find the Dollhouse but kinda can't (he needs to try looking to the left)

So the cop is Zoolander?

_J_ said...

Basically, yes.

Rich people can find the dollhouse. Absurdly attractive down-on-their-luck women in their early 30s can find the Dollhouse. But this cop cannot.

If not Zoolander then the cop would be that one guy who can't find the pot dealer in the neighborhood. Everyone else knows who deals pot, but that one guy just can't figure it out.

And you'd feel sorry for him if he weren't such a tool.

Roscoe said...

To be fair.. What you call inability to maintain premise?

That's dramatic shift.

In wonderful J fashion, you're willing to write in your own details, and then refer to them as canon, know?

Yes, Rich people seem to get in touch with the Dollhouse... but clearly, as shown in the second episode, there's plenty of work to prevent just ANYONE from being able to find out.

and.. yeah, it's being spoon fed.. becuase it's not exactly the easiest thing to summarize in one sentence, which SCARES Fox.

But.. really.. you're judging a FOX sci-fi series, two eps in, that has been HELLA delayed for programming fears.. as if it were a completed and crystalized product?

I mean.. should I not just reply "Fox hates you like Sony does?"

Though.. you know DAMN well the role reversal thing is textbook Whedon.

Roscoe said...

I'm torn.. I think the show's got plenty of potential.. if it can keep an audience...

and part of that means doing the obvious at times, just to avoid turning off some of the audience..

but.. Some of what you complain about is set up for a very intricate woven series of plots.. which are going to be introduced at a MUCH faster rate, and yeah, spoon-fed, for fear of not getting to the 'meat' of the series before a cancellation order might come.

it's kinda Just Imagine : Joss Whedon's Alias, in some ways, innit, though?

Kick and Wig, only the wig is a personality? Shadowy spies who lie to their own orginazation, Daddy issues, etc?

(also.. damn, I just remembered this bit.. the "down on her luck 30 something" finding the Dollhouse? Think you've got that backward.. seems she was more or less FORCED into working there, from my read of it... one way or another.)

_J_ said...

"But.. really.. you're judging a FOX sci-fi series, two eps in, that has been HELLA delayed for programming fears.. as if it were a completed and crystalized product?"

I'd enjoy judging the Platonic Form of Dollhouse. But we do not have that. We have two episodes of what we have.

So I'm assessing what we have.

It can get better. We're only two episodes in. But these two episodes? I don't know why I would watch more except to think "It might get better".

That praise is...hardly ideal.

Roscoe said...

But.. you're not assessing what "we" have in these two episodes of Dollhouse-

You're assessing what you would like to SEE in these two episodes of Dollhouse...

Those are two different things.

You're looking for what will make YOU keep watching, instead of What is the show trying to say or do...

Which.. is kinda.. funny. Because.. one of the meta-commentary themes of the show so far is There's always something more to want.

Roscoe said...

"A scarred Amy Acker with a bit part in a Joss Whedon series is akin to the Guy in the White Suit in the Yakuza vs the Mafia episode of the Simpsons. You don't knwo what she's going to do, but you know when she does it, it's bound to be cool."

Quote from elsewhere... just a thought for a "Why Should J watch the show?"

Roscoe said...

I'm.. still torn on this crap.

In part because, while I'm driven to knock out your supports (they seem totally unfair)... I absolutely feel where they're coming from.

And it doesn't help that it feels fairly clear that the show's been terribly re-arranged. The exposition heavy second episode was Clip-Showing the bits of the first one? and NOT in the Clerks joke sense?

That totally felt like it should have been deeper into the season..

Similarly.. why are we coming into the FBI agent's story in the middle? He seems to be the perfect entry vehicle, no?

I guess, I'm saying there's plenty here to feel like missteps.. but..

_J_ said...

"Similarly.. why are we coming into the FBI agent's story in the middle? He seems to be the perfect entry vehicle, no?"

Yes. Yes he would have made for an excellent entry vehicle.

He has to figure out the dollhouse. Hey, wait, the VIEWER is also trying to figure out the dollhouse. Maybe the viewer could share something with the FBI agent?

Maybe?

nah.

Roscoe said...

Yeah.. if anything, that's where we're sympatico.

This show has taken some very, very strange choices with how it presents info.

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