Fresh Whedon!
Sep. 25th, 2009 10:12 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
tardis_stowawayI saw the Dollhouse season premiere! *bounces* Here are my thoughts in a poorly ordered, rambling list, because I think I'm too excitable at the moment to attempt any other structure:
-Dr. Saunders/Whiskey/I still think of her as Fred: hot damn, I love the way she was written in this episode. She's recently learned that the whole of her selfhood is false (and designed by Topher, to add insult to existential crisis). She's going through a huge range of reactions as she works through the bizarreness of that knowledge, and I believed them all. I really liked Boyd's conversation where he asked her out for dinner (go Boyd for trying to rescue someone if he can't save Echo) and she bitterly explained all her fears, knowing they were placed in her but feeling the force of them all the same. The scene between her and Topher was just so fantastic and revealing. Her fear of dying if the "real" her was put back was a great point; a programmed active is in most respects a fully fledged person, but we rarely stop to think about the fact that this person disappears, maybe forever, when the doll is wiped. Also, the shot of Whiskey drinking from the Whiskey flask was win. Amy Acker totally brought it throughout the episode.
-Wesley's here! I'd heard he was on this season, but I hadn't known it was this episode! Joss Whedon really does only appear to know about two dozen actors. :) It was weird to hear Alexis Denisof speaking in an American accent.
-New credits look okay, but why are they still all Echo all the time? The show has a great ensemble cast, and Echo continues to be one of the less interesting parts of it (though I thought Eliza Dushku's acting was better than her average in this ep). I don't hate her, not by a long shot, but I enjoy watching many of the others more, and I think they deserve some face time in the credits.
- Victor and Sierra were holding hands! As dolls! *draws hearts all around my Dollhouse OTP*
-Echo's confession to Ballard that she remembered her past imprints and understood her situation totally startled me, since the music and the ubercute handhold seemed to suggest that the ep was ending. That changes things! I'm intrigued to see where they take this.
-Adelle cut her hair. I'm still trying to decide how I feel about it. Also, I'm not sure she's wise to courtthat idiot Ballard a person with a known wish to bring the Dollhouse down. (Ballard: smokin' hot, lovable, not that bright. Sorry.)
-Topher sleeps on a cot in a room with the computer equipment. Figures. (Well, he may have a home too, but I wager he spends more time in the Dollhouse.) In this ep, like towards the end of last season, his scenes with Saunders/Whiskey bring out shades of the character that make him less despicable. Bonus points to Topher for referring to Ballard as "frenemy" to his face.
All in all, I was quite pleased with this episode. It gives me hope for the rest of the season.
If you comment, please do not spoil the DVD-only episode "Epitaph One" for me. I haven't seen it yet. (I haven't bought the DVDs, and my netflix-based S1 rewatch wasn't quite fast enough to get me the required disc yet.)
-Dr. Saunders/Whiskey/I still think of her as Fred: hot damn, I love the way she was written in this episode. She's recently learned that the whole of her selfhood is false (and designed by Topher, to add insult to existential crisis). She's going through a huge range of reactions as she works through the bizarreness of that knowledge, and I believed them all. I really liked Boyd's conversation where he asked her out for dinner (go Boyd for trying to rescue someone if he can't save Echo) and she bitterly explained all her fears, knowing they were placed in her but feeling the force of them all the same. The scene between her and Topher was just so fantastic and revealing. Her fear of dying if the "real" her was put back was a great point; a programmed active is in most respects a fully fledged person, but we rarely stop to think about the fact that this person disappears, maybe forever, when the doll is wiped. Also, the shot of Whiskey drinking from the Whiskey flask was win. Amy Acker totally brought it throughout the episode.
-Wesley's here! I'd heard he was on this season, but I hadn't known it was this episode! Joss Whedon really does only appear to know about two dozen actors. :) It was weird to hear Alexis Denisof speaking in an American accent.
-New credits look okay, but why are they still all Echo all the time? The show has a great ensemble cast, and Echo continues to be one of the less interesting parts of it (though I thought Eliza Dushku's acting was better than her average in this ep). I don't hate her, not by a long shot, but I enjoy watching many of the others more, and I think they deserve some face time in the credits.
- Victor and Sierra were holding hands! As dolls! *draws hearts all around my Dollhouse OTP*
-Echo's confession to Ballard that she remembered her past imprints and understood her situation totally startled me, since the music and the ubercute handhold seemed to suggest that the ep was ending. That changes things! I'm intrigued to see where they take this.
-Adelle cut her hair. I'm still trying to decide how I feel about it. Also, I'm not sure she's wise to court
-Topher sleeps on a cot in a room with the computer equipment. Figures. (Well, he may have a home too, but I wager he spends more time in the Dollhouse.) In this ep, like towards the end of last season, his scenes with Saunders/Whiskey bring out shades of the character that make him less despicable. Bonus points to Topher for referring to Ballard as "frenemy" to his face.
All in all, I was quite pleased with this episode. It gives me hope for the rest of the season.
If you comment, please do not spoil the DVD-only episode "Epitaph One" for me. I haven't seen it yet. (I haven't bought the DVDs, and my netflix-based S1 rewatch wasn't quite fast enough to get me the required disc yet.)
(no subject)
Date: 2009-09-26 03:53 pm (UTC)Whiskey was awesome, and as you say, I've actually started liking Topher a tiny bit more.
But I don't really like the development of Paul becoming Echo's new handler... I want Boyd back!