Ok, I've been thinking about this for a couple of days, and I am still torn. Do I love Joss Whedon. Oh yes. Was I pretty damn excited to see both Amy Acker and Reed Diamond in this pilot? Yes. Do I feel like I really want this show to be good and to succeed? Yes. Do I generally love dorky sci-fi shows made for geeks by geeks? Yes. Does the concept of this show make me kind of uncomfortable? Um, well yes. Yes it does.
I mean throughout the pilot we are shown men working out, being naked and hot in the background of shots, and it is clear to me that we are supposed to know that there are also male "dolls" who can be hired out by whoever wants them to do whatever that person may want. There might even be a show or two or even ten that follows a male "doll". BUT the show is not about a man, it is about a young woman, who as we see in an early scene, can be made into some awesome girl that wants to engage in bike racing and light bondage with you! Hot! Or disturbing? Kind of disturbing, especially when you consider that said girl has pretty much been forced into this weird indentured servitude/whoredom because of something she has done. It's just kind of gross. And that's maybe what some people are tuning in for. The idea of a nubile young woman that you can make whoever you want her to be. Just like women should be. Eww. So there's that, in the back of my head, while I am watching the show and trying to see if I can like it despite the creepy concept. I've heard Eliza Dushku brought it to Whedon, so I know he didn't come up with it, but I am still kind of disappointed by it. He seems like a pretty forward thinking dude most of the time, and this concept is a little, backwards, I think.
Okay, so beyond that, how was it? Pretty good really, especially knowing that this pilot has been retooled about a hundred times. I think we got an idea of the structure of the show, (A plot, weekly mission, ahem, I mean engagement, B plot, overarching plot about people trying to take down the
Dollhouse) and a pretty good sketch of the characters, except of course for Echo, the main character, because she has no personality. Which is creepy. Oh there's that again. Sorry! We did see a little of what she was like before her personality was wiped, and she seemed, well kind of like Eliza Dushku. Actually, one of the things I worry about for this show (and many others have said the same thing), is can Dushku really carry this part? She's good at hot tough girl, she's okay at blank lady with no personality, but as the hostage negotiator she just seemed kind of robotic and weird, which maybe they were going for, but I couldn't exactly tell, which is not a good sign. This is her baby and I hope she can do it, because I have always liked her, but I've never really though of her as an amazing actress. We'll see I guess, she was passable here, but there were some scenes where the emotions were kind of flat from her. When she carried that little girl to safety I wanted something more, but she couldn't give it to me. We'll see.
As for the rest of the cast, they seem pretty spot on. I am definitely intrigued by Tamoh Penikett as Paul Ballard, an FBI agent trying to prove the Dollhouse exists and take it down. Harry Lennix gives us the layers we need as Echo's handler Boyd Langdon, and made me wonder and speculate about the reasons he might work for the Dollhouse, because he seems to feel as repulsed by the concept as I do. Olivia Williams, Reed Diamond, Amy Acker, yes, yes yes. The lab tech guy is kind of annoying, but I think he's supposed to be, so he's doing a good job then.
I have to admit, I am totally intrigued by the ALPHA storyline, and also by the FBI agent's investigation. The thing I am least intrigued by right now is Echo, her awakening and her seeming "specialness". Hopefully that part will come together soon, and I will be able to get over the concept, because we all need more Joss Whedon in our lives, that is for damn sure.
I mean throughout the pilot we are shown men working out, being naked and hot in the background of shots, and it is clear to me that we are supposed to know that there are also male "dolls" who can be hired out by whoever wants them to do whatever that person may want. There might even be a show or two or even ten that follows a male "doll". BUT the show is not about a man, it is about a young woman, who as we see in an early scene, can be made into some awesome girl that wants to engage in bike racing and light bondage with you! Hot! Or disturbing? Kind of disturbing, especially when you consider that said girl has pretty much been forced into this weird indentured servitude/whoredom because of something she has done. It's just kind of gross. And that's maybe what some people are tuning in for. The idea of a nubile young woman that you can make whoever you want her to be. Just like women should be. Eww. So there's that, in the back of my head, while I am watching the show and trying to see if I can like it despite the creepy concept. I've heard Eliza Dushku brought it to Whedon, so I know he didn't come up with it, but I am still kind of disappointed by it. He seems like a pretty forward thinking dude most of the time, and this concept is a little, backwards, I think.
Okay, so beyond that, how was it? Pretty good really, especially knowing that this pilot has been retooled about a hundred times. I think we got an idea of the structure of the show, (A plot, weekly mission, ahem, I mean engagement, B plot, overarching plot about people trying to take down the
Dollhouse) and a pretty good sketch of the characters, except of course for Echo, the main character, because she has no personality. Which is creepy. Oh there's that again. Sorry! We did see a little of what she was like before her personality was wiped, and she seemed, well kind of like Eliza Dushku. Actually, one of the things I worry about for this show (and many others have said the same thing), is can Dushku really carry this part? She's good at hot tough girl, she's okay at blank lady with no personality, but as the hostage negotiator she just seemed kind of robotic and weird, which maybe they were going for, but I couldn't exactly tell, which is not a good sign. This is her baby and I hope she can do it, because I have always liked her, but I've never really though of her as an amazing actress. We'll see I guess, she was passable here, but there were some scenes where the emotions were kind of flat from her. When she carried that little girl to safety I wanted something more, but she couldn't give it to me. We'll see.As for the rest of the cast, they seem pretty spot on. I am definitely intrigued by Tamoh Penikett as Paul Ballard, an FBI agent trying to prove the Dollhouse exists and take it down. Harry Lennix gives us the layers we need as Echo's handler Boyd Langdon, and made me wonder and speculate about the reasons he might work for the Dollhouse, because he seems to feel as repulsed by the concept as I do. Olivia Williams, Reed Diamond, Amy Acker, yes, yes yes. The lab tech guy is kind of annoying, but I think he's supposed to be, so he's doing a good job then.
I have to admit, I am totally intrigued by the ALPHA storyline, and also by the FBI agent's investigation. The thing I am least intrigued by right now is Echo, her awakening and her seeming "specialness". Hopefully that part will come together soon, and I will be able to get over the concept, because we all need more Joss Whedon in our lives, that is for damn sure.
1 comment:
The misogynistic undertones of this show are pretty disturbing. I can only hope that they focus on some of the male "dolls" as they all looked kind of hot in background showering.
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