Dollhouse

[Thalia]

Anyone else watch it? I kinda felt that they threw quite a lot of plot points into the pilot but since the second episode involves flashbacks, i can see it all being fleshed out as we go. I'm still sad about Firefly's cancellation so i'm really crossing my fingers for this to work out.

Though apparently Fox are advertising it with a lot of Eliza Dushku related nakedness which doesn't seem the best way to draw in the serious sci-fi/fantasy crowd.

[Senethro]

I've not exactly heard rave reviews about this, so I'll wait a few episodes and see what people think before downloading stuff.

[Eiken]

ABC cancelled Dirty Sexy Money which i wasn't best pleased about.

i gave this a go but i doubt i'll watch it much; there was an awful lot to take in and i was left a bit kind of after it all.

i'll see.

[orudge]

I thought the first episode was fairly good, I seemed to enjoy it anyway. Will be watching again next week, at least.

[Aureliano]

I was left more 'meh' than confused, and I guess to make things more cohesive I would have liked them to focus mainly on her mystery. Sure the series will be built somewhat around these one-off episodes where she gets to try on a new personality, but this first outing with the kidnap was a bit boring. I guess the other shows had it easier with more out-of-this-world hooks to engross us (Hellmouth, Cowboys in Space etc).

And I guess we can't have her go apeshit just yet...

However the show turns out, I probably won't be able to say no to Eliza, Tahmoh and Joss.

[Thalia]

Well Firefly didn't really have it easy at all since Fox aired it in the wrong order and confused the hell out of everybody I think i would have preferred if the FBI guy was introduced later and in this ep we just had the hints of how things aren't right at the dollhouse. Or else the other way round, with him looking for it, going on about it being bad, but us not actually being shown the flaws in their system yet.

I do like the potential implications of the story though, as a psych graduate. What makes us who we are? If you wipe someone's memory completely then is there nothing left of them? Some damage in just the right brain area can change your personality, but are you still the same person?

Of course, knowing how little we actually understand the workings of the brain means having to suspend my disbelief at this magical way of imprinting people with the personalities of others, but i'm pretty good at just treating sci-fi that can't be real as fantasy that i can enjoy

[ONeill]

I like the show and it has set out some great foundations in the first two episodes but there are certain elements that I'm not sure are really necessary. The constant Eliza semi nudity and sexual scenes seem rather out of place. Having seen her being 'used' for sex in two episodes out of two so far it does beg the question of whether the dolls can be seen as expensive prostitutes. If Whedon isn't trying to place that thought then I'd like to see less of it. What did intrigue me, after seeing Harry Lennix as Echo's handler was that the concept is similar to the Matrix in that the dolls can be outfitted with 'programs' to give them abilities but with deeper ideas and more thought provoking themes behind something that was just accepted in the Matrix.

If Whedon can get the ball rolling quickly enough and keep everyone entertained and interested then I think there are a lot of avenues he can explore with this show. One of my early worries was that he'd be unable to utilise his strength of building characters with a main star who can be anybody or nobody. However it appears from the end of the second episode that it may not be much of a concern. My only real worry now is if he can continue on without introducing the sort of humour that made Buffy, Angel and Firefly so loved. I guess little elements of it shine through in the Topher character but on a whole this seems a lot more serious than anything he has ever done before.

[Frasier Fan]

Anyone watch last night's episode yet? I thought this was a big step up in quality from the first 5, and it just felt a lot more 'Jossy' in terms of the dialogue/plot reveals etc. It seems clear to me that Fox wanted the first episodes to be more generic action show with the focus on engagements by Echo and the other Dolls, but when the writers get a chance to show us the Dollhouse organisation itself and the moral issues that brings up this show is gonna get really good!

Note: Also enjoyed the first episode of Kings, lots of potential there I think.