Dollhouse

[Purkake]

Go make a separate thread about the vices/virtues of Eliza Dushku, this is about Dollhouse.

[Humodour]

Honestly, I've only seen Eliza Dushku act once and that was in the movie Wrong Turn. When I watched the extras/interviews of the movie with Eliza... well, I thought she was a B Grade actress at best. Surprised when she starred in her own TV Series years later. It's probably why I haven't gone out my way to watch this series although I do have all the episodes. I've been too busy watching other TV shows to get to this.

 

WORST. MOVIE. EVER.

[Gorgon]

Obviously you haven't seen many bad movies. Was it the one about the cannibalistic hicks ?, pretty averagely bad.

[Humodour]

Maybe it was the fact that I was forced to watch it on the bus in transit to a school excursion that made it so awful.

 

And it yes, it was about cannibal hicks mutated by incest.

[River]

Honestly, I've only seen Eliza Dushku act once and that was in the movie Wrong Turn. When I watched the extras/interviews of the movie with Eliza... well, I thought she was a B Grade actress at best. Surprised when she starred in her own TV Series years later. It's probably why I haven't gone out my way to watch this series although I do have all the episodes. I've been too busy watching other TV shows to get to this.

 

WORST. MOVIE. EVER.

ABSOLUTELY ONE OF THE WORST! And, you haven't missed anything by not watching the series. Aren't we all surprised that she's working at all! I watched a couple of episodes, hoping it would get better, but in my opinion (added especially for you, Volourn, as I know you value that everyone has a right to an opinion) , it never succeeded (or even came close)!

[Blarghagh]

The movie character alts made this into the worst thread ever by talking to himself. Judging by your way of typing and phrasing you're all the same person anyway.

 

Question for the fans - as a fan of Firefly, but not so much (read: at all) of Whedon's other stuff, would I enjoy Dollhouse or would I just be disappointed?

Edited October 2, 2009 by TrueNeutral

[Rosbjerg]

Hey, can we stay on-topic please! ...

[Gorgon]

The movie character alts made this into the worst thread ever by talking to himself. Judging by your way of typing and phrasing you're all the same person anyway.

 

Question for the fans - as a fan of Firefly, but not so much (read: at all) of Whedon's other stuff, would I enjoy Dollhouse or would I just be disappointed?

It's not as good as firefly. Not in the same category at all.

[Blarghagh]

Too bad. Then I guess I'll just wait until I randomly bump into it instead of seeking it out.

[Volourn]

Pretty good episode where she did a pretty good job acting. Kudos to her for a fine performance.

 

 

P.S. Wrong Turn was a bad movie. No doubt about it, and I couldn't finish it.

Edited October 3, 2009 by Rosbjerg
off-topic

[Purkake]

This one started out slow, but got really good in the end. The Mellie stuff was pretty interesting as well. I hope we'll see some more Amy Acker soon.

 

Here's the trailer for next week, which is supposed to be really good.

 

BTW, thanks Rosbjerg.

[LostStraw]

Why is Dollhouse security always so lax?.. bleh.. and for being wiped she sure remembered a lot

[Purkake]

Why is Dollhouse security always so lax?.. bleh.. and for being wiped she sure remembered a lot

 

She's becoming more like Alpha, remembering stuff even after being wiped, the staff didn't get it and blamed it on Topher.

 

At least that's how I understood it.

[Pidesco]

She's becoming a good Alpha. The good Alpha will face and defeat the evil Alpha. It's pretty obvious.

[Purkake]

She said that she wants to free everyone. Alpha sucked pretty bad in season 1.

 

With Whedon, nothing is obvious.

Edited October 3, 2009 by Purkake

[LostStraw]

Why is Dollhouse security always so lax?.. bleh.. and for being wiped she sure remembered a lot

 

She's becoming more like Alpha, remembering stuff even after being wiped, the staff didn't get it and blamed it on Topher.

 

At least that's how I understood it.

The problem is that Topher claimed she was wiped except for her "instinct" to the point she probably wouldn't even be able to remember the baby's name. Yet she got to the house just fine and knew a lot more than a wiped doll (young child) is supposed to know. That she did retain more memories then Topher claimed.. and after all the instances it has happened in the past it should be a great big warning light to everyone involved.

 

Then again maybe the boss lady does know and wants it to happen

[Winterwolf]

So just watched the first episode of second season. **** yeah! So now I want to rant. About stuff.

 

To those who say: Oh my God, Eliza sucks so much... none of her characters are different... this show is stupid.

 

Look bitches and half-brains, Echo is Echo. The whole point is that beneath the exterior masks lies the true person. The True Person never changes, but The True Person can pretend to be someone else. Caroline is also a mask. So that's why Eliza's character's are similar because she is only playing one character. Take Whiskey for example... in Epitaph One, she was wiped clean of her persona and yet she still was similar to Saunders... the same silent sorrow... that's because that silent sorrow was in her True Person and why clean Whiskey sadly haunting the halls of Dollhouse was very similar to Saunders. **** this bitches... you all have played the ****ing Mask of the ****ing Betrayer. Dollhouse deals with the same subject. Mask had the same "are we the masks we wear or something else" theme. In Dollhouse, we aren't the masks we wear, but something different, something deeper. The recurring theme in Dollhouse is human connection that's stronger than the masks... moments that go directly to the soul... through the mask, when mostly it's just the mask speaking to the mask. There are various examples of it. Okay enough about that... I want to watch the second episode soon.

 

So the episode. Topher/Whiskey = awesome. I'm kinda torn about the Echo's episodical assigment approach. I didn't like that episode where Echo is someone's dead mom... and this episode kinda seemed to go that route, but... I loved Paul/Echo moments.

 

I'm also drunk. So I don't know who angered me, but someone did. So, yeah.

Edited October 6, 2009 by Winterwolf

[Pidesco]

Retroactively, I guess she was playing The True Person in all her previous TV shows and movies.

[Winterwolf]

Retroactively, I guess she was playing The True Person in all her previous TV shows and movies.

 

And it matters how? Sean Connery is always Sean Connery. He like played a lithuanian soviet submachine commander in a scottish accent. And yet, for that movie he was that lithuanian soviet commander. And Jim Carrey is always Jim Carrey. I'm not going to watch Truman Show and say: "But Jim, you're so similar to how you were in Liar Liar." A series/movie is a separate independent thing from other series/movies.

 

Besides, Faith and Tru are different from Echo.

 

Just watched the second episode. Loved it. Whole maternal instict theme... I dig these sort of things.

[Winterwolf]

The movie character alts made this into the worst thread ever by talking to himself. Judging by your way of typing and phrasing you're all the same person anyway.

 

Question for the fans - as a fan of Firefly, but not so much (read: at all) of Whedon's other stuff, would I enjoy Dollhouse or would I just be disappointed?

It's not as good as firefly. Not in the same category at all.

 

Dollhouse is better than Firefly. In Firefly's days, Whedon was still too rough. Fray, Buffy - the way Whedon played around with tropes was too obvious. It was always surprising... but in that Fray, Buffy 7th season, Firefly time... these surprising things were shared between the shows. So something might have been surprising, but the reaction was soon... "oh, okay... yeah that's creative Whedon but the pattern is too similar to your other work, turning tropes around is what you do... but I'm just like have had too much of your "subverting tropes" style, because you subvert them in a too similar way". Firefly suffered from that it was one of the many gazillion projects Whedon had in early 00's.

 

Dollhouse however is Whedon improved. Now he knows how to hide his tricks better. He isn't so "hey I so ass-raped that cliche" anymore. It's a more quiet calmer show from an older Whedon. On the other hand... the younger Whedon also played around with the tv format itself like with Buffy in Once More With A Feeling. It's very unlikely that Dollhouse will have that near 4th-wall breaking moments.

 

I know Fray is a comic book, so shut the **** up whatever wisecrack you are who you now what to point it out that Fray is a comic book.

Edited October 6, 2009 by Winterwolf

[Volourn]

"the younger Whedon also played around with the tv format itself like with Buffy in Once More With A Feeling. It's very unlikely that Dollhouse will have that near 4th-wall breaking moments."

 

Which he did not do first. He 'borrowed' the idea from Xena who I wouldn't be surprised 'borrowed' it from elsewhere. Either way, OMWF = awesome!

[Winterwolf]

"the younger Whedon also played around with the tv format itself like with Buffy in Once More With A Feeling. It's very unlikely that Dollhouse will have that near 4th-wall breaking moments."

 

Which he did not do first. He 'borrowed' the idea from Xena who I wouldn't be surprised 'borrowed' it from elsewhere. Either way, OMWF = awesome!

 

Bitter Suite. Season 3 was awesome.

[Purkake]

I feel that Whedon does better stuff when he has more freedom(Buffy/Angel) to experiment and do more of a drama/comedy(and managing both while not taking itself too seriously) than a straight up drama. Even though you can pretty much do anything with the Dollhouse concept, most of the time the imprints are either some super ninjas or glorified prostitutes. Maybe he just needs more time to flesh out the characters, but for all the bad Buffy episodes there were also really good ones(like Hush, OMWF, The Body, Becoming etc.). Not that Eliza is helping, either. She did a good job as Faith, especially in Angel, but she didn't have to carry the whole show and have a different personality each week.

 

The Dollhouse concept is explored pretty well in the cyberpunk novel Altered Carbon, if anyone cares. I'm still wondering why they haven't done multiple copies of the same person in different bodies or something like that. They seem to stick to their lame multiple personalities coming through thing instead of exploring the possibilities of the concept itself.

 

Oh and Amy Acker is awesome, she would probably make a much better lead.

Edited October 6, 2009 by Purkake

[Volourn]

Acker is a good actress but she's not really that better than Duusku, imo. But, like you pointed out about Duusku and her time on Buffy/Angel.. it's a lot easier to mask an actor's 'weaknesses' when they have a relatively minor role (and, of course, Faith was actually a major charcetr on those shows.

 

Duusku did a heck of a job with Faith. That's why she got this job. Every time someone whines about how Duusku is the 'worst actress ever' (not saying hat is your claim), I just have to look back in remember such scenes like when Faith is torturing Wesley along with the fallout from them, the time she was tricked by the fake watcher to attack Angel, when the Scoobies captured her and she broke down, her interaction with the mayor, etc., etc.

 

On Dollhouse, just this past edpisode she was pretty phenomenal showing her character's desperation when she fled her husband, and the scariness of her when she confronted him holding the baby and a knife. That's tension that you could cut with a knife.

Edited October 6, 2009 by Volourn

[Purkake]

I don't think her acting is noticeably bad, but after every episode I feel that it could have been better or stood out more. She's just average.

 

On a related note, I never really thought much of Sarah Michelle Gellar before, but she did a really good job with Buffy.