Most Helpful Customer Reviews
|
|
5.0 out of 5 stars
Building it up, March 14, 2009
While Dollhouse may have started off as a somewhat confusing series, it is slowly building and becoming an interesting watch. I find myself coming back to it every time Friday rolls around.
Note, there may be spoilers in my post so read on if you've seen the episode.
I think "Stage Fright" was an interesting idea. Having Echo go undercover as a back-up singer who gets close to the lead singer was interesting. Echo was programed to sing and get close, but had a second imprint to protection her with her life.
Also, it's interesting to see that even after the 'wipe' of previous imprint's Echo seems to be developing as a person. When her roommate Siera (spelling?) is in danger she switches gears and ends up saving her.
I liked the fact that after the assignment was over and she was wiped she kind of shook her head when Siera passed by after taking a shower (or was she working out?). Sorry if I'm rambling but this is a good series that's just getting off to a slow start! I hope people will give it a chance because it has a lot of promise.
|
|
|
0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Individual Story So-So, Series Development More Interesting, March 2, 2009
Having just finished watching the first three episodes of this new series, i have to say that i'm somewhat sour grapes that Firefly was given the boot by Fox, only for them to take this series on. Seems they're trying to order new product from the "marketable" Joss Whedon despite trying to kill the last bit of product they ordered from him (and failed to support - though, hey, they let him shop around for a new owner and that's more than they had to do). Whedon is doing right by the people involved with that prior series by showing them some love here with Dollhouse... but i'm not convinced that this is as close to his heart. Dollhouse has a fictional "technology gimmick" concept as its core premise. Does that make it science fiction? With the success of Whedon's last science fiction show, despite Fox killing it, i imagine their order was something like "Hey, how about making us a new Joss Whedon sci-fi show?"
Dollhouse isn't without its own merits. But that's mostly because of the merits that the creators might bring to anything they work on. This program, though, feels more like paycheck than passion. Still, i'm all for seeing Kevin Kilner again. The more regular, the better.
Yes, episode three has the pleasant appearance of Kevin Kilner, which fans of Earth: Final Conflict should remember from that series' best and first season. i'd be more motivated to follow Dollhouse if he's going to be a regular (or semi regular). It seems he could become that, based on the show's "Handler" concept for the "Actives."
So, this episode... Yes, it's the requisite "put the agent into a stage act" episode seen in many series. There is some amount of "embarrassed for the show" sensation here, but if you just let it go and watch, it plays out well enough. It has the usual formula, with the usual "surprise" but it also allows the protagonist to provide a unique(ish) take on how she needs to fulfill her goals.
More interesting, though, is the stuff in the episode that fills in the (probably more important) story that spans between episodes. This episode does not fail to provide value here and makes the episode worth the watch (and essential). That is, in itself, the mark of a good salesman (or sales team). Providing the once and done story for casual watchers and weaving in the more slowly developed (and more rewarding) story that is told episodically for those in the audience who lean more towards episodic format... both together at the same time... smart.
There are tons of shows that have done it, but this seems to be more consistent, planned out and present in each episode (so far), unlike, say, The X-Files. The larger story of this series started from the first episode (though with less content... seems Fox pulled the old "give us an episode where we jump right into it" trick on Whedon again, as in "Serenity" and "The Train Job" in Firefly... and he pulled it off well enough here, once more). It jumped into full speed during episode two and continues in episode three. This is an ideal pacing for my personal tastes... though i'd still trade the series in for Firefly's resurrection. Hence my sour grapes comment...
i'm all for Whedon, Minear and friends having regular work, having the opportunity to hire on people from their previous shows (such as the guest spot of the actor playing "Badger" in Firefly, and the use of Zoic studios for visual effects), as i firmly believe in keeping loyalty to those who help you succeed, but i felt that Firefly was a more daring and original concept with much better execution from the first moment (with barely a dropped beat through its limited lifespan).
This isn't a review of Firefly, though. So...
The Good:
- Characters have a life of their own, in several ways. No doubt this is due partially to excellent casting choices and strong skills in the areas of directing and performance. The writing supports it, but the directing and acting are the most critical guides to let this happen.
- Ideas are fleshed out as the show progresses, instead of just dropping the idea and assuming no further development is needed (such as in the areas needing suspension of disbelief).
- Throw aways are thrown away properly while continuity and regular elements are sustained somewhat continuously (i'll let you work that one out without me spoiling things).
- There is intelligence and wit without being pretentious or false (as in cliched).
- The cliche serves the throwaway elements in order to serve the continuation of the non-throwaways... Mostly.
- The concept has obvious areas of exploitation, but also some not so obvious areas; it appears that the series might be "smart" enough to exploit those as well. The devil is in the details, as always.
The Bad:
- It does contain cliche. The kind that Whedon has used prior creative works to poke fun at, or which were used to misdirect the know-it-alls in the audience. Necessary evil in planning a series for Fox which Fox wont abandon before canceling? Maybe. If the executives "get it" (and what's not to get?), then the show is more likely to be a regular job for those involved. Self preservation is good, but i also highly value art which tries to go one step above "good enough."
- It is formula as has been seen many times before in "lowish budget" tv science fiction. Contemporary world with a few gadgets of technology that serve as the focus of the series... Less interesting than a series which uses the science fiction as the environment and focuses on story telling instead. Buffy was formula, but the writing and character development made it rise above and fulfill more than its programmed-in potential. Will Dollhouse do the same? That would be nice.
- This episode demonstrates the potential of the "movie of the week" feature of much episodic television. That's not a good thing. A series should, ideally, tell stories that serve the core development instead of sidelining it to travel in the same place as so many other series (how many "crazy fan stalks pop star" episodes are out there in tv land? That said, one of the "side characters" (one of the main characters for the series) gets quite a working over in this episode. It's proof that not all is bad, or even unhealthy, so far, and it kept me interested enough to have watched the first three episodes one after the next, in one sitting. And i have the migraine to prove it (i hate streaming media over the Internet).
This is a show with potential, so long as Fox allows it. The creative team is, by now, well known for being good at their job(s) and that's the most important factor for any product. The question becomes more one of taste than quality. Is this the series for me? i'm not expecting that to be the case, but i could be tricked into hanging out with the show more, based on the creative team's historical success, "trade secrets" and the show's casting. i think they have assembled a good bunch of people that i would hope get to continue pulling a regular paycheck. Some familiar faces, some new. A good mixture. Unless there's a massive change in fundamental elements between episode three and four (or six), i doubt the show would turn me off, specifically, or pull me in based on its own story telling merits alone. i am biased towards the non-story elements and cannot be objective beyond what i've said so far.
Would i recommend the show?
Sure, give it a try. See if it's your thing. It isn't a question of good or bad. Thankfully.
|
|
|
|
