We now pronounce you... oh just get on with the story.
We always knew there was much more to Joss Whedon's Dollhouse than the first season showed us. In the second-season premiere, we got a better look at where the show is headed, and it looks fantastic. However, it wasn't without some problems that plagued Dollhouse's first season.
The episode, "Vows," picked up shortly after last season's finale and things seem to be slowly getting back to normal at the Dollhouse. Everyone's still getting used to their new roles: Ballard as a Dollhouse employee, and Boyd as head of security, not to mention Whiskey/Dr. Saunders, who learned that her known existence has been nothing but a steaming pile of bullcrap and assembled memories and skills.
Echo's engagement in this ep is a bit tricky. At first glance, she's become the bride of an arms dealer -- but she's later revealed to be imprinted with the identity of an undercover FBI agent who thinks she's teaming with Ballard to take down her bad-guy hubby. It seems like an unnecessary turn, and unless I missed something, doesn't really add much to anything.
However, things get VERY interesting when Echo begins to "glitch," and has flashes of previous engagements. This, ladies and gentlemen, is the story Dollhouse has been working toward -- it just took a long time to get here. Echo's scattered consciousness means trouble from here on out, and eventually, when she's able to tap into her previously imprinted personalities, she'll be one of television's ass-kickingest machines. There's no doubt Whedon subconsciously had The Matrix's Neo on his mind when he conjured up Echo.
Problem is, it takes too long to get to these tiny morsels of what we really want; Echo needs to grow at a more accelerated rate, and that's not going to happen when most of the episode is focused on her standalone engagements. Joss has opened the box ever so slightly, whipping it wide open for the unaired "Epitaph One," and now all we want to do is look inside. I'm hooked on the series' overall story, but these engagements need to be spiced up if I'm going to stick around for the long haul. Don't get me wrong, I see the metaphorical implications with the engagements, but it feels like fluff before we get to the good parts. Seriously, if I'm alone on this, let me know in the comments below.
Elsewhere in the Dollhouse, Amy Acker's Whiskey/Dr. Saunders has suddenly become one of the show's most intriguing stories. Her scene with Topher in his server room/bedroom finally addressed the questions Joss has said Dollhouse is about: Are we nothing if we aren't both body and mind? Or is a soul/personality what makes us who we are? Is something constructed to act and feel like a person really a person? It's a shame that Acker is only scheduled to appea in three episodes this season, because this is a potentially strong storyline.
Miscellaneous notes and thoughts:
-- At first I didn't like him, but after seeing him in "Epitaph One" sucking down crab as Mr. Ambrose, I've decided Enver Gjokaj (Victor) is a fantastic actor. It's going to be fun seeing him grow this season. Dichen Lachman (Sierra) not so much -- her "proper lady" persona was like nails on a chalkboard. Eliza Dushku is already acting much better this year. Good for her.
-- Adelle DeWitt (Olivia Williams) has a new haircut, and it works.
-- It was nice to see Battlestar Galactica's Helo and Apollo get in each other's face, but the best punch of the show was delivered by Ballard, who popped Echo a good one. Didn't see that one coming!
-- Was Ballard supposed to be in a jealous fit while Dushku and Apollo/Arms Dealer were getting it on (very convincingly, by the way)? What's up with that? Didn't he just get over someone?
-- Speaking of that someone: Here's hoping we see November/Mellie (Miracle Laurie) soon! We'll have an interview I conducted with the lovely Miracle up next week in which she tells us about her ukulele skills. Seriously.
Comments (44)
Loved the acting by Topher and Whiskey..I didn't care for the whole non-exciting ending to the episode. The idea of a thug with gun toting partners being outdone by mainly one person was unrealistic. The fact that they even allowed Ballard to come so close to talk was stupid. Hopefully this show picks up into something quickly and not hang too long on how Echo is suffering glitches.
I think the pace of this season is what Joss wanted for the first season. And now that we have to reconcile with that, we may be impatient as fans. ESPECIALLY after seeing Epitaph One because OH EM GEE, fantastic ep. I'm sticking with it. Joss has never failed me. Let's hope FOX has just as much faith... and patience.Amy Acker is phenomenal. She was my favorite on Angel. She definitely makes Eliza look like poop with her acting. Love, love, LOVE her.
There's nothing wrong with Dollhouse. It's a great show, always been. Stop picking on it just to be kool.
I think the pace of the show is perfect. And actually it seems to move at a bit faster pace than most shows. There have only been what fourteen episodes so far and we've already learned quite a bit about most of the characters. I think this show is brilliant and loved the season premiere. I can't wait to see what else is revealed this season.
Just to bad that Amy is not the lead, she could pull off the doll of the week thing, but I am still going to be watching because I believe in Joss and the show has gotten much better from ep 6 on last year. Joss does have the best fights on TV.
Dollhouse, is a great show. The character are all growing. I like Miracle Laurie, character the most. The girl across the hall, who is really a doll (and she really is) is very interesting. They need to do more dinners together and talk a little about why and what the Dollhouse is; and is it evil or good? Sometimes the home scene can really tell you more that the action scenes. Don't get me wrong, Echo is great and a real kick ass lady, but I loved that scene when November took out that would be killer / raper.
The first season was pretty bad, most episodes were mediocre at best, with only like 2 really good ones.This episode, story-wise was pretty damn good, specially comparing to the episodes of season 1, there was still a few hiccups, like how they discover Echo was a double-agent, meeting with her handler, Ballard, in an open parking lot, seriously?It was great to see Apollo in dollhouse, and even better to see Dr. Saunders having more screen time, along with Topher, who is probally the most funny character in the show.Hated the action scenes, is everyone incapable of firing a weapon, there is like over a dozen armed men in a hangar, in different positions, Ballard take out one, and Echo the other 11, in a bad buffy like scene, and maybe one or two guys fire their weapons, and at the end even Apollo can't hit echo, even tho she is right on top of his car's hood.Good episode, but still it has a lot to get better.moreless
I recently bought season 1 on blu ray, and to be honest, when i went back to watch the episodes, i started noticing more bread crumbs left by joss then before. (maybe you need to see them all together to realize them all, or maybe i'm just slow lol) but regardless, I really found that re-watching the first season made me appreciate the show even more. I'm a die hard Joss Whedon fan, and I just put my faith in him and what he is doing, because he usually takes his audiences to amazing places (filled with excitement and pain, mostly pain).I agree that the plot could move quicker, and i think the "Story of the week" thing works for dollhouse, because the truth is, its the dollhouse itself that is the "big bad" for the show, and each mini-story is picking away at all the good, the bad and the ugly that the dollhouse entails. long story short- love dollhouse, love whedon, love eliza,moreless
i still think eliza is a bad actress :B geez!and i didnt like the first episode :B
The first episode was one of the better ones.
I think Joss should have take Eliza for a Buffy spinoff.
Or bring Buffy back.... (what a fantasy that will never happen)
this show is terrible & won't get any better even with summer glau joining the cast. it'll still be just a show about high-priced whores. joss should go back to the sing-along blog.
Eliza Dushku is a breastfeeding sorority serial killer of Dollhouse next episode..
Yes Tim you did miss something (and apparently everyone else commenting here did too). Ballard saw that Echo was glitching and needed to get her to relive the time they fought in the chinese restaurant so she could kick some a** with the arms dealer and his crew. I think it's a great show. Joss has never disappointed with his past work and he won't with this either. Give it a chance people!
I was bored to tears with this episode. I found Whiskey very whiny and annoying actually, and am now regretting the character's new turn. Echo's glitching wasn't interesting at all because based on the premise of this show alone, a child could have concluded this inevitable twist was on the way right from episode 1. "I'm tired of people telling me wait, it will get better." At the beginning of S1, in the middle of S1, at the end of S1, and now it continues at the beginning of S2...There are a bunch of great new shows this year, and honestly, I'm still bitter about Terminator SCC. Dollhouse, I'm breaking up with you
omg, this show sucks so much, i deleted it from my dvr schedule. i patiently watched the 1st season waiting 4 it 2 get better but it just got worse & the season premiere was awful.
even if its just me i have to say i was very disappointed it suck for me i thought they will continue from the point after Epitaph One so you can imagine how disappointed watching this episode felt
you wanted to be told if you were alone in thinking that the engagements of each episode are just fluff. Yep, I disagree.
I love Dollhouse for me this show will get far!!
The episode was good - Amy Acker outstanding. Tahmoh Penikett, Fran Kranz, Eliza Dushku all improved. Well done Joss.
The show is working at a very nice pace in my own opinion. There are alot of details, and each character has their own back story as well. I believe Ballard wasn't "jealous" all too much, he seemed to be just doing nothing... i believe it was more boredom. I was the one who who was jealous.
I think the pacing is fine. I hate it when shows rush the storylines just to keep things "interesting".
I love the show and am willing to let Joss unwrap it slowly. But this first episode felt jerky like maybe key sceens were left on the cutting room floor.
A real shame that Dollhouse lost its perfect lead in when they cancelled Terminator....giving it an hour of comedies (and not clever, witty ones even) has got to hurt it.
Can't Fox ever play straight with the viewers and give us what we want...not what some out of touch suit "thinks" (I use that term in the loosest possible sense) we want?
It's a shame that so many people have negative opinions on this show. Personally, I loved it since day one and it keeps growing on me. The storyline is original and intriguing.I'd hate seeing it get canceled, it has so much potential. :/
Very slow, too slow episode with scenes that just don't work and look childish. Also, very bad acting from Fran Kranz(Topher) and Olivia Williams(Adelle DeWitt). The character of Topher has to go, it's not useful to the show anymore if he ever was. The pacing is completely off overall. The only good things where brief moments of Echo glitching and the last bit of the closing part with Echo talking to Boyd. Anyway the way the character of Boyd has been written in the new season doesn't make any sense at all and it's so out of character. For the whole first season we were told that he was going to get killed to save Echo, he would have done his best to achieve that and then he joins forces with the Dollhouse and uses Echo as a puppet to put some criminals in jail in a sort of a deal? It doesn't make much sense, it looks childish written overall and it's not looking good for the rest of the series. Unless the upcoming character of Summer Glau is going to save the show if next episodes continue like this first one then the show will get cancelled for sure.moreless
I dont agree with the article again, ure so off lately with everything u say about most shows. Dollhouse is just perfect the way it is.
I frakking loved all the Whiskey/Topher moments! They made the episode for me. I thought the Victor/Sierra moment was wicked adorable!
I do like the epsodes to focus on a certian story within the episode itself. This give the series much more replay value. Of course it still has to have its main story arc(s) that keep you intrested and wanting to see more of how things unfold. I would have liked the arms dealer / Echo FBI agent draw out for a couple more episodes or at least one more, it was intresting to see the struggles that Ballard was facing and I would have enjoyed to see a bit more of that, I felt it was a bit too rushed.
Friday's episode was the first time I watched Dollhouse and didn't feel 100% like my time was best spent elsewhere. So far the writing seems to be much more intelligent, the themes aren't being explored as clumsy, and the acting and production have totally stepped up. I mean, it's still no where near as awesome as it should be given Joss' other work, but it's slowly getting there. But like the comment bellow me from GODHOOD about ratings numbers, I wonder if Fox has the patience to let it develop, I think the improvements may be too little too late. Joss' best be is to put a stop to the standalone BS and get 100% into the mythology of the series and layers (if there are any) to the characters. Sadly, we're also loosing the best actor on the show, Amy Acker. I know she has a new series coming out, and it's too bad she wasn't made the lead of this series from day one. She's much more compelling and capable than all the reguars, and even the character she was give has been the most impressive. I think this is the longest I have ever put into a show hoping it'll grow on me and/or improve, too. Ah well.moreless
Well i hope this will get better this season because i have as much doubt about if i should see season 2, as i have to watching season 2 of Sanctuary. I'd rather they had adopted the new Knight Rider from NBC, then this. So this better be good or they have lost a viewer.
I just read that the season 2 premiere last night had the lowest ratings yet for the show. I have a feeling we won't get to 13 episodes to see what happens next.
I love Joss Whedon, and will stick by Dollhouse until the (hopefully not bitter) end. However, I don't think it can ever be as good as his previous work if it is constantly going to be an engagement of the week thing.
I feel the exact same way about everything you mentioned. I felt from the first season that the pace was too slow, and the isolated situations with the dolls in each episode keep us from truly getting to know our main characters, and that's a big deal for a television show. If Whedon truly has a five year plan for the show, then he needs to pick up the pace, and each season needs to follow in Lost's footsteps and have different feels and different situations than the other seasons. If Whedon doesn't allow us to become more involved in who these characters really are, the show will work. And like you said, Whisky is the first true instance in my eyes where we are seeing a character develop intimately.
I agree with you that things need to pick up a little. Some shows go too fast, some too slow, some (like FlashForward) seem to defy logic and do both.Joss likes to keep us all in the dark (Who the hell is Sheppard Book really?!), unfortunately he can be a little secret-happy. A little bit of unknowns is a good thing, it keeps us interested and watching. However, a lot of unknowns makes it seem like the makers of the show don't know what's going on much either which makes us LESS interested. Epitaph One should have been right smack in the middle of last season (yes, I know it wasn't made yet, that's not the point).The first few episodes of a show should introduce us to the characters and situations. This is nearly impossible when the main character's personality is completely different from episode to episode. We didn't get to see Echo's personality evolve much until the end of the season and the overall storyline was all but nonexistent until I watched Epitaph One last week.Wheadon, sir, you have excellent ideas, and it's great you are able to wield that much creative control. But understand this: we need a story we can follow with characters we can care about. This is of prime importance, without it many people will wish that Terminator was extended instead of Dollhouse (something I thought before seeing Epitaph One).In retrospect Dollhouse: Season 1 plays out like a prequel, a chronicle of the events that lead to the destruction of the world as we know it. This would be like chronicling the cold war to people in 1914: explosive missiles? Men strapping themselves to said missiles and going to the moon? Breaking apart the fundamental pieces of the universe as a weapon?Nobody would be able to understand what you were saying, and, in fact, you might create a self-fulfilling prophecy. It would be like the guy who warned of nuclear weapons in a science fiction book and actually catalyzed their creation (someone read his book and said "we should do this before the Germans do!" the Germans had not read the book and were nowhere near making nuclear weapons).moreless
Can't believe this crap was renewed and Terminator was canceled...
I love this show. Can't wait to see how it plans out. I hope they keep the show around!
I did not like it, this was the weakest episode so far. It will probably get cancelled.
Almost made it a minute into the show before having to turn it off. Glad to see it's still one of the worst shows on network television, as I'm really looking forward to the day it gets canceled and Joss can move on to new projects.
I loved this episode, mainly because of Amy Acker's scenes. Dr. Saunders is probably the best character on the show, so I'm very disappointed that she won't be a main character. It is reassuring, however, (***EPITAPH-1 SPOILERS***) to know that she'll still be alive when the series ends.One problem I had with this episode is that the other dolls weren't really a part of the plot. But I guess the shortened running time and the Saunders/Topher scenes interfered with that.
Well, after missing the entire first season, I finally decided to tune in. I like what I see so far. I have a lot of catching up to do on the back story, though I at least did enough of a quick review of season 1 to grasp the overall concept. For me, the Whiskey/Topher confrontation was the most intriguing part of the show. Too bad Ms. Acker will only appear in three episodes.
Can you really watch a show when you hate the main character? I don't think so, but I'm willing to give it a try. Dollhouse had such a great premise, with so much potential, but the execution has left much to be desired.
Good episode overall, somewhat agree with the review though.
Glad that Dollhouse was not cancelled...
XO XO
:):):):)
Wow, First comment! Okay, great beginning for this season! Loved the dialogue at the end! :D