Dollhouse 1x03, and a minor segue into Doctor Who
This show becomes increasingly pointed. And increasingly dull! Simultaneously! It's an antagonym!
alas, in a word, I am: unexcited
Spoilers within.
You know, I kind of thought I would have more patience for this program. I started out thinking crumbs! I know that music involves a certain degree of objectification of the female body (not that I like that), but a cage dancer in a skimpy little bikini? Grr. Aarrgh.
And then, I sort of "got it" when we understood that Rayna's life was so miserable that she felt like an unreal doll, or whatever, and wanted to die. Sort of got it, I say, where sort of got it means repeatedly, hamfistedly, bludgeoned with the idea.
I liked that Echo was ruthless and dark, I liked that little reveal at the end between Echo and Sierra; I like that the actress playing Sierra seems to have an awful lot of range, going from ruthless backup killer 2 eps ago to nerdy fangirl here, even though her accent sounded bizarre. (I didn't expect some sort of exaggerated Aussie twang; I just had the strong sense that she wasn't comfortable with it.)
But the rest of it? Meh. Oh, Agent Helo was nice, I suppose, and Victor the doll is interesting, and interesting confirmation of the leaked script.
I begin to think that shows like Lost and Alias (Hey! Both JJ Abrams shows. Hmmm.) have had the unfortunate consequence of amplifying interest in the Sudden Shocking Twist. It seems like everyone is talking about who else might be a doll. Ballard? Mellie the lasagna lady? And I'm sure we're due to find out that more people whom we think are "real" are not. Or that Alpha is really an Angel-type character who's lost his soul; or is actually not crazy at all, and trying to help Echo...
I know that reveals are important, and have been since before J.R. and Dallas. And my much beloved BSG has pulled off a few good shocking twists. And so did the X-Files, before it succumbed to RetCon Pandemic Syndrome. But if Dollhouse becomes all about the Surprise Reversal, with nothing substantive in between....
Again, I am straying forward into territory that hasn't been revealed yet. Even three episodes is too few to really start judging. I can only conclude that this is because not enough exciting stuff is happening within the show itself.
I suppose I'll keep watching. Maybe. But I'm getting bored quickly.
I should add: I want to like this show because of roles that I've played, as an admin/executive assistant -- and continued to play as an academic. Do you have a massive and costly problem as a result of an employee who left suddenly, revealing that s/he had been bullshitting his/her job for months? Call me. Do you have a weird situation where someone seems to be forging references, but also looks legit? I'll figure it out. Do you need a champagne reception in under 30 minutes, or need to be taught how to convincingly perform "The Lady is a Tramp" by supper this evening? I can help you.*
And I've felt, more than once, as though I need to shed personas as adeptly as any wannabe Hollywood starlet. I suspect that any one in a number of corporate situations has felt the same way.
In short, what I really want? Is a show about Doctor Donna Noble, TimeLord SuperTemp!
And yet, clearly Russell T Davies and Joss Whedon were thinking on similar wavelenghts. Sporks for both of them. Maybe Moffat will fix things, but I'm not getting my hopes up.
*Yes, I have done all these things.
alas, in a word, I am: unexcited
Spoilers within.
You know, I kind of thought I would have more patience for this program. I started out thinking crumbs! I know that music involves a certain degree of objectification of the female body (not that I like that), but a cage dancer in a skimpy little bikini? Grr. Aarrgh.
And then, I sort of "got it" when we understood that Rayna's life was so miserable that she felt like an unreal doll, or whatever, and wanted to die. Sort of got it, I say, where sort of got it means repeatedly, hamfistedly, bludgeoned with the idea.
I liked that Echo was ruthless and dark, I liked that little reveal at the end between Echo and Sierra; I like that the actress playing Sierra seems to have an awful lot of range, going from ruthless backup killer 2 eps ago to nerdy fangirl here, even though her accent sounded bizarre. (I didn't expect some sort of exaggerated Aussie twang; I just had the strong sense that she wasn't comfortable with it.)
But the rest of it? Meh. Oh, Agent Helo was nice, I suppose, and Victor the doll is interesting, and interesting confirmation of the leaked script.
I begin to think that shows like Lost and Alias (Hey! Both JJ Abrams shows. Hmmm.) have had the unfortunate consequence of amplifying interest in the Sudden Shocking Twist. It seems like everyone is talking about who else might be a doll. Ballard? Mellie the lasagna lady? And I'm sure we're due to find out that more people whom we think are "real" are not. Or that Alpha is really an Angel-type character who's lost his soul; or is actually not crazy at all, and trying to help Echo...
I know that reveals are important, and have been since before J.R. and Dallas. And my much beloved BSG has pulled off a few good shocking twists. And so did the X-Files, before it succumbed to RetCon Pandemic Syndrome. But if Dollhouse becomes all about the Surprise Reversal, with nothing substantive in between....
Again, I am straying forward into territory that hasn't been revealed yet. Even three episodes is too few to really start judging. I can only conclude that this is because not enough exciting stuff is happening within the show itself.
I suppose I'll keep watching. Maybe. But I'm getting bored quickly.
I should add: I want to like this show because of roles that I've played, as an admin/executive assistant -- and continued to play as an academic. Do you have a massive and costly problem as a result of an employee who left suddenly, revealing that s/he had been bullshitting his/her job for months? Call me. Do you have a weird situation where someone seems to be forging references, but also looks legit? I'll figure it out. Do you need a champagne reception in under 30 minutes, or need to be taught how to convincingly perform "The Lady is a Tramp" by supper this evening? I can help you.*
And I've felt, more than once, as though I need to shed personas as adeptly as any wannabe Hollywood starlet. I suspect that any one in a number of corporate situations has felt the same way.
In short, what I really want? Is a show about Doctor Donna Noble, TimeLord SuperTemp!
And yet, clearly Russell T Davies and Joss Whedon were thinking on similar wavelenghts. Sporks for both of them. Maybe Moffat will fix things, but I'm not getting my hopes up.
*Yes, I have done all these things.