Comments | ubiquirk: Dollhouse

ubiquirk

Dollhouse - thoughts

May 09, 2009 10:25

I've been waiting to post on Dollhouse because, like quite a few, I really didn't think much of the first episodes. Then 'Man on the Street' hit and the mythology rolled out, and I became invested. Still endings (even if only the temporary ones of season endings) help me decided about a story's overall success. [Spoilers below cut.]
( Dollhouse )

tv, dollhouse

Comments 15

rayruz May 9 2009, 17:50:53 UTC

how this technology could change humanity

Seriously, this makes me think about the cylons... so much. I have plotty things in my head related to that notion.

ubiquirk May 10 2009, 14:38:36 UTC

Seriously, this makes me think about the cylons... so much. I have plotty things in my head related to that notion.

It makes me think about the fact that we might never need to make androids at all - just wipe a poor person. (Eek!)

snowpuppies May 9 2009, 19:09:06 UTC

I think the thing for me about Eliza is that she never seems to curb the 'sexy' - there's an edge of that in every role, I think. Amy, when she was Whiskey 1.1 was dangerous (and sexy while doing it), while Eliza's 38 personality thing was more sexily dangerous. And I think there's a subtle difference there that really makes or breaks a role like that.

ubiquirk May 10 2009, 14:40:46 UTC

I think you're right - she can do anything that has a sexual undercurrent really well. But as soon as she gets a roll that's not supposed to have one, she can't bring anything 'extra' to it. Whereas, for comparison, Amy Acker was able to infuse Dr. Saunders with so much deeper feeling that had nothing to do with sexy.

saschia May 9 2009, 19:45:34 UTC

I haven't read the cut except the last paragraph as I don't want to be spoiled, but I am glad that you liked the show and it's ending. I loved the last-but-one episode, especially Alan Tudyk, he is just awsome with his scared-of-everything face. I really look forward to see the last ep, will buy the 13-episode DVD for sure and I just keep my fingers crossed all time for renewal of the show.

Go Dollhouse! Go Josh Whedon! ;o)

saschia May 10 2009, 11:46:27 UTC

OK, so I watched Omega and it was great... The revelations, the not-revelations-making-me-even-more-curious, Alan Tudyk, Amy Acker... I actually liked Eliza playing the empty-headed real-life doll (I'm not familiar with Mickey & Mallory so you lost me there - was Mallory empty-headed doll?). I liked Enver Gjokaj too, especially as Victor, he was such a sweet guy... Not just a clean slate, more like an empty sweet cone just waiting which ice-cream you are going to put inside...

Overall, I'd say now I want to have another season even more. I know it wouldn't answer all the questions, but some it might. Like who is Madeleine (and did I catch the name right?)...

ubiquirk May 10 2009, 14:46:00 UTC

I'm glad you got a chance to see it. Mickey & Mallory are from the movie 'Natural Born Killers' about a couple who go on a mass-murdering rampage across the country all while being almost deified by the population watching on the news.

I actually liked Eliza playing the empty-headed real-life doll

For me, it's not that she's bad, but when everyone around her is amazing, her acting being only 'okay' really stands out as not good.

I wonder if they're going to keep Madeliene/November/Mellie around at all next year.

saschia May 10 2009, 18:31:10 UTC

For me, it's not that she's bad, but when everyone around her is amazing, her acting being only 'okay' really stands out as not good.

I totally agree with you. Like you mentioned earlier, she is good with the sexual undercurrent. It is a pity, but on the other hand, when sexuality is involved in any way, she is great I think.

Fortunately, I watched the show not because of Elisa, but because of Josh and I got what I wanted, so that makes me quite satisfied overall.

Thread 5

firefly124 May 10 2009, 05:26:40 UTC

I'm finally caught up. And wow. Yes! Amy Acker and Alan Tudyk were just amazing. And Eliza Dushku ... much less so. Which stinks. As you say, she showed better range just as Faith, which is pretty sad considering the possibilities this role offered.

Still, 'he was always an evil man' seems a cop out.

Yes and no. It seems to come back to there being some fundamentals of a person's nature that you just can't erase or overwrite. With Echo, we've seen several times how bits of Caroline's knight-errant-ish personality showed up in different situations, for an opposite example.

I'm not completely in love with the soul thing, but then it's been in the tag line from the get go, so I will have to accept it. Well, that's a theme Joss has always loved to play with. What is a soul? What does it mean to have one or lose it? And here, can it be erased, modified, or replaced? I tend towards the, "It's way more than anything you could ever trace to neurons and neurotransmitters" end of the spectrum, which is where I think the show ( ... )

ubiquirk May 10 2009, 14:51:13 UTC

Still, 'he was always an evil man' seems a cop out.

Yes and no. It seems to come back to there being some fundamentals of a person's nature that you just can't erase or overwrite. With Echo, we've seen several times how bits of Caroline's knight-errant-ish personality showed up in different situations, for an opposite example.

Yeah - I'm conflicted. As I say above, I get the trace of core personhood left even after being wiped. I suppose it's Ballard's extreme insistence that it is all because of his original personality that gets me. Part of it has to be because of what the Dollhouse did to him as well, and even though they showed that, they also undercut it too much.

I'm not saying I see the soul as only hard-wired pathways in the brain, but I think brain structure is part of what makes us individuals.

mundungus42 May 10 2009, 06:53:21 UTC

Theory time! The reason Topher programmed Saunders to hate him:

Pre-Dollhouse Whiskey is Topher's buddy, and, not coincidentally, the person he programmed Sierra to be on his birthday. Topher, being all hubris and brains, convinced his buddy of the awesomeness of the Dollhouse, and she signed up to be a doll because she was confident in his abilities. So when Alpha went all Picasso on her face, he felt horribly, awfully responsible. He couldn't just return her to herself, because she'd be disfigured and rightfully angry with him, so he's choosing to delay the inevitable by having her replace Dr. Saunders, who was totally George Frankly on Square One TV's "Mathnet." He programmed the Topher-hate so she would avoid him and he wouldn't have a constant reminder of the limits of his skills.

Mr. 42 says, "I TOTALLY don't buy that they couldn't heal Whiskey's scars better than that." I say "A wizard did it."

ubiquirk May 10 2009, 14:53:52 UTC

I totally agree with you because that's what I think as well for Whiskey!

And I've been thinking all along: "The Dollhouse is a megarich company that can't afford cosmetic surgery? Really?"

I wonder if Topher programmed into her not to want it so that she'd stay as Dr. Saunders, which he saw as 'safer' for her than going out on engagements. His sense of friend-protectiveness kicked in late.