Dollhouse Finale (2.13 "Epitaph 2: Return")
http://www.hulu.com/watch/122479/dollhouse-epitaph-2-return
(…)
PREVIOUS EPISODE
SPOILER, SPOILER, SPOILLLARRRR!
DO NOT READ UNLESS YOU HAVE WATCHED THE TITLED EPISODE
but first …
So I was psyched to watch Dollhouse. Not nearly as psyched as I've been for all the previous episodes of Dollhouse, but I should see what happens.
RANT ABOUT LAST WEEK
Don't know when / if I'll ever be over the Boyd thing.
They didn't have proper time to set it up, or it was just so horribly executed. It almost comes across as nihilistic, if not a twist for its own sake.
"See look we're clever you didn't see that coming, did you?"
That's the thing about twists, they're clever 'cause you can sort of see them coming,
then more importantly they make sense after they arrive. This did and does not.
Or sadistic for its own sake, The person you trust most will betray you."
I can even appreciate it on a dramatic level, insofar as an idea, but Boyd didn't mesh with psycho-Boyd.
They're seemingly two different characters. It comes across with fucking with the audience for the sake of doing so,
and without the ability to follow thru.
I mean I like the puzzles, I like the twists, I like the difficult to understand things. Thus I like Dollhouse. The impossible-to-understand things? I don't follow the point of that exactly save to tell the audience:
"Yeah, sometimes life is fucked-up for no reason."
That's stupid. there's always a reason not a 'good' or rational one, but … something.
Can't help but think it's childhood paternal disappointment playing itself out, in the writing?
Assuming this a Whedon thing …
So many Whedonesque heroine / maternal figures, how many paternal figures? Malcolm Reynolds? Angel? Giles was kind of impotent near the end as well as wrong/misguided. They're often angry, brooding, damaged. So many of the characters are damaged, but part of that is fiction, the rest of it make of it what you will.
Anyway before this whole business I could strongly recommend Dollhouse, I suppose I still can it's a hell of ride, but it sort of gets ruined (part of this can be blamed on time constraints).
No matter this episode is Boyd-free for better or worse.
(better: no more icky non-sensical crap, worse: no more Harry Lennix, no chance to figure a coherent explanation for … )
So anyway moderately psyched to watch Dollhouse.
I was flipping channels before it came on and my CW and FOX affiliates were out (I was going to tape Smallville).
Bummer!
Anyway 15 minutes before it came on, I got the FOX affiliate back. I went to myself some water, and get comfy. I sat down to cue up the VCR and … What those are Dollhouse people it's already on!?! {clicks on VCR, clicks off TV}
A) Fuck You FOX / Charter for not getting good reception of Dollhouse!
A) Fuck You FOX for changing the time (though maybe this was mentioned in the trailer [which I still haven't watched]. Still kinda weak when it's typically been at 9:00. Seems like a cheap attempt to get some of the Smallville audience.
B) Cool! so it's going to be on for 2 hours?!? NO. they just switched the time one hour at the wrong time -- Fuck You FOX!
C) Nevermind I've got Hulu. Thank you Hulu. I watched it on Saturday Night.
D) I wanted it on my Dollhouse tape, though I missed 2.4 too, granted that one's not so integral to the wider plot, as well the end.
So anyway.
Brought to you by the other Whedons. I don't necessarily prefer them to Joss, but it makes sense 'cause they wrote the first one.
Again apparently the Epitaph series has an expedited open credit sequence as in virtually none more room for stuff.
We rejoin Penny/Vi, Skut Fargus, and mini-Echo out in the post-apocalyptic desert. Running from zombies "butchers". Exposition about Epitaph One, though not enough if you haven't seen it.
Then we get captured and taken to 'Neuropolis' apparently.
I'm guessing people get wiped and used as slaves here? The old generic Dollhouse guys are bad guys in different bodies.
Paul is here. I guess we were supposed to think he'd been wiped, or at least speculate on it briefly -- I didn't.
Caroline/ECHO is here.
I like Harding's point of If you didn't stop Rossum the apocalypse might not have happened. That's hind-sight amusement. Fictitious cynic in me says it probably still would have, for whatever that was worth. Boyd thought it was going to and he invented some of it. Granted he was crazy.
Also the swagger, about being killed? You're still dead, it still hurts?
Caroline/ECHO shoots Harding. This is what bothers me a little. No thought as to the bodies. Granted in the Matrix … blah blah blah … but still. Granted pacifism makes action more difficult.
I didn't see it until later in the episode, but ECHO has streaks of grey hair. Though not throughout. I guess she dyed the rest {smirk}. Also they work light hi-lights. Of course the rest of her weathered 10 years quite well, but that can be forgiven and isn't nearly amusing as the hi-lights.
This is a Topher rescue, thus the plot tie-in. I like this it's clever.
Topher is perhaps more crazy? I wonder what they decided made this happen? I mean it's an aggregate thing for sure. But I wonder what the episode where he actually snapped looked like? It wasn't knowing he'd screwed around with Saunders, but that was part of it. It wasn't knowing he'd created the apocalypse, but that was a BIG part of it. It wasn't seeing his girlfriend randomly shot in front of him, but that probably didn't help either. Again this whole new scenario of shooting a person a day for not finishing their doomsday device or whatever. So human life is valuable? I suppose … context … still kinda amusing/off. Topher was going to make it restore device, that would've been cool, that way. So Topher is the messianic figure …
What else are you going to do? with an apocalypse finale.
Adelle is gardening so she apparently wasn't shot. What would have been the point of that, anyway again?
Some kid? 'T' apparently Pryia/SIERRA's. And likely Anthony/VICTOR's as well unless they want to throw another twist in the mix. I was thinking possibly a raiding party and she was raped, but that really doesn't fit the scenario of Zombies, or not these Zombies, the again whoever's programming can change the scenario. Most of whom are apparently sadists anyway?
Adelle has grey hi-lights too.
Though otherwise she may even look younger {smirk}.
Must be the futuristic tech that somehow affects the hair that way {cont'd smirk}
So we're hatching the plan to save the world, and Adelle defends Topher. Their relationship is still a little unclear.
Oddly I'm having flashbacks to Firefly for some reason {amusement} Throughout the whole episode, but particularly here. The shakey camera work is good too that way.
Though I like that so many things are unclear. One of the biggest faux pas they can make is to try to answer all the questions and come up with one that's too outlandish or doesn't make sense -- see Boyd. That's what I liked and still like about Firefly inadvertently. They left questions. You can still explain things and have a good story, but sometimes the gaps in knowledge …
See Hamlet?
Why couldn't ECHO load Topher in her head? Why wouldn't ECHO load Topher in her head? or at least an earlier pre-crazy copy?
Paul: "This is where it gets interesting"
Penny: "It was dull?"
What Topher needs to make the pulse work is in the Dollhouse.
I partially agree with Zone Fargus, seems a bit much to have to go back in, in the service of saving the world.
Yeah saving the world it's good and all, but if your secure and mostly okay, then seems a lot to jeopardize that for something which may not happen, and could get you and yours shot. Zone isn't So necessary for the plan anyhow. He doesn't know exactly what's going on in L.A. and he doesn't need shelter from the pulse.
It goes both ways, restoring modern civilization isn't too shabby either. I'm always enamored with non-thinking-default-to-collectivist ethic. Whedon could make an interesting case for challenging it, but he usually doesn't.
Apparently they like Mini-ECHO as they give her some of the more interesting material. Cute kid, reminds me of Mezoti from Voyager (apparently she was in Serenity too?) and a little bit of that girl from the other Dollhouse.
Raiding Party!
This is where I got the idea that perhaps T might not have been.
That's obviously the trick of some twists, get the audience assuming a thing,
don't delve too much or too far into it, then flip it at an interesting point.
Victor and the Reavers arrive. Cyberpunks!?!
and he's speaking Russian, how embarrassing. Though what would be the use of that? If you're dealing with enemies they couldn't understand you.
Meg is a lesbian? This seems a little tacked on and weak. Though she did get super upset about whoever died before the beginning of Epitaph One. Still seems forced. I do like the line:
"She's a Tech-head Mag.
…
She's a girl, Mag.
So the rest of the community aren't X-Dolls? Are the Cyberpunks X-Dolls? I know one of them was called ZULU YANKEE so …
Maybe they don't mind forgetting.
The tractor trailer is big, and looks suspiciously like a longer version the inside of the 'house Vans. As well as probably every other studio they've used I suppose.
The Asian is cute.
Zone gets some choice lines. He needs to be in the next Whedon thing. I like him, or his writing at the very least.
Apparently this is why Drives are retro, we're using flash now {eye-roll} Those better be Pedabytes or I'm going to be sorely disappointed {smirk/self-eye-roll}
She takes out 'Mercy' to make room for 'Weapons Expert' {eye-roll}. They have to take something out so they don't go crazy? Huh? ECHO is the only one who can not go crazy 'cause of the genetic thing? and to some extent α:ALPHA? I know headaches. I guess my whole theory about overloading to interefere with imprinting was off? or just untested? huh? Pryia complains about headaches and needing to remember who she is in E1. {shrugs}.
The Pryia|Anthony thing is pretty clear. He wants to fight the war? I guess patrolling around the community? or keeping Rossum at bay? Protecting them somehow. She wants to raise her kid and be a bitchy wife. For some reason, though she's a 'single parent' so I suppose that's reason enough. Though she has the village? Either way we're both on the same page as far as Jr.'s concerned keep him away from the tech {shrugs}. So quibbling about very little, drama for drama's sake?
ECHO and Paul are in the same estranged holding pattern. Though there is real feeling there so that's something. instead of last season's forced-ness.
I thought the excess of butchers in the most inconvenient places was some Rossum Conspiracy or something, but apparently not?
I suppose Anthony's tech fetish is an extension of last episode taken to an extreme?
"We were born ready, Well not technically." {eye-roll / smirk}
Then we proceed to rampantly mow down people, make sense, but still a bit excessive … or not excessive enough depending.
Heavy Metal / Violin with slow-mo and shakey-cam -- Again best episode of Firefly in 5 years! Excluding E1?
I was mellow about the action sequence. Didn't watch it closely it's pretty good. Though kind of confusing. I was thinking mid-way through it. You know someone could get it here. It's strange as you've spent the whole season knowing everyone was going to make it through. It doesn't mean as much in light of Boyd. I also sort of figured that might be enough. It ought to have been. Anyway last episode, you could do an Angel thing (with a Firefly twist -- the signal).
Then it follows quickly and chaotically. Mag gets her legs swiss cheesed. and then Paul gets shot in the head mid-reassurance.
Okay here's the thing.
I like the haphazard Whedonesque death.
Too often in fiction, they want to glamorize/Jesus-ize war or violence, or whatever, and have a big romantic just so sentimental flourish. It's kinda insulting to those of us who live in the real world / the nature of violence.
I remember some interview where he talks about killing off major characters all the time, with pride. Granted all the stuff I said previously, and also they were mostly mid-level to minor characters when he said that. The point of that is the "realism" -- if you can call it that.
Though part of the reason I like the off-kilter Whedon death is because it's unexpected. Though when you do it all the time it's not so unexpected. It does make things more thrilling, but it's becoming a cliché almost when you do it so much. Granted they don't exactly embrace random as a virtue in this whole thing, but I think the timing might be an idea to that end or quasi-"realism" if not selection. You probably don't want pure random, but I think it'd be interesting to roll a die? maybe not.
Anyway it just seems cruel and excessive after a point. I think that point may've been Wash.
Though during this I'm thinking as long as they kill the person … there are things worse than death -- see Boyd.
The Dollhouse is up and operating. They should've given this another beat, but places to go I suppose.
α:ALPHA, they should've given this another beat …
This was lost on me, as I tuned in earlier and saw him having a mellow congenial conversation with others.
So E1 was right and not just being poetic?
WHERE'S SAUNDERS? don't get me wrong warm fuzzy α:ALPHA is nothing to scoff at, just wondering. I sort of like that I don't know.
α:ALPHA did a 180° and is now his exact opposite?
I'd actually be insulted if they tried to explain this in the time remaining. α:ALPHA is shaken up about Paul's death?
I thought they were going to deal with the Paul in α:ALPHA's head, but no such luck, or that's where we get the drive?
Duh, didn't get it 'til now. I saw in the subtitles. The Asian is KILO -- she rules.
I sort of don't buy this turn, but she and the others like being post apocalyptic cyber punks and that's no fun without Zombies to kill? {eye-roll shrugs} I'll go with it. Though it does seem to be a bit much (and by 'much' I mean 'stupid').
The other guy is ROMEO. So all the cyberpunks are former dolls? makes sense as they have the internal hardware.
α:ALPHA: "We're not freaks! Well okay maybe I am, and ECHO"
and α:ALPHA saves the day and doesn't kill anyone, the point of the scene?
I guessing this is about the mutation? and they both have it? That would make more sense?
I don't get the whole "Topher came back to get an idea" thing.
Pryia gets all hyper/bitchy defensive about Anthony's tech fetish.
This is silly. They shouldn't destroy those drives. They might need them.
ECHO's outburst about someone else of course. Dead is relative though. Granted dead is also absolute, but we'll get to that.
Back to Topher in the lab. We're watching lectures by Summer his 10-years-dead-would-be-girlfriend. I guess it's fiction we can have the whole love-at-first sight phenomenon, but I dislike it when we get overly sentimental it betrays the more genuine realism that we actually can create.
Topher is premeditated techno-Jesus. {ugh}. I always hate the Jesus thing. I can buy it, and it's less disgusting if we set up a contrived life-boat scenario. But it really annoys me when we have time to think about it. Also to send Topher is just stupid. If something does go wrong maybe you'll need Topher to fix it, or the thing doesn't work right or needs to be set off again then … ? Topher's death will be stupid and mealiness (make that more stupid and devoid of meaning). We can fix the whole world but we can't devise a remote control? C'mon!
There is some 'justice' in Topher taking the hit / trying to making amends,
but as he does correctly observes Adelle, to whatever extend she can fix things, will have a harder job.
Speaking of overly-sentimental… Pryia and Anthony thing.
Just to quibble. Burning electronic components is hazardous to your health if you breathe them in. That can't be good in a closed system either. They do this in some third world countries to get the precious conductive metals off the parts.
Come to think of it fire isn't so great either in a closed system.
Zone Fargus is going outside, Mag is inside. They say goodbye.
α:ALPHA left, Presumably after we arranged said favor?
That's bizarre, him being outside. Seems dangerous.
Ah α:ALPHA said to start with the chair. I missed that the first time through.
The montage. I thought I had heard the tune before.
I did here two months ago. Free and legal. An artist named Lissie?
Topher's Jesus/suicide had cool effects.
I don't know what to think of the Paul drive. It's kind of a cold comfort, but maybe not? That's weird and twisted one to think on.
So from her perspective, Paul will never die? Because she is Paul? That's weird.
But Paul is still dead.
Still bitter-sweet on the face of it?
I was sort of hoping they would end it right before the pulse,
leave it to peoples' imagination, leave it open to interpretation.
But I guess if it's really over … I thought Topher was a bit much, but moreso Paul before him.
So ECHO lives, VICTOR, SIERRA, Adella, α:ALPHA, and presumably WHISKEY live
Topher, Boyd, Paul, NOVEMBER, seemed like a lot because they all died in the last episode or so?
I really did like this finale. I have quibbles about this and that. Mostly Paul, but it was a great episode.
Though I'm still not over the whole Boyd thing. It's a big smear on the series 'til I can understand differently.
One of the best series on television, not sure I can recommend it.
So television sucks again ( maybe, it started last week, though maybe it took a week off.)
(…)
PREVIOUS EPISODE
SPOILER, SPOILER, SPOILLLARRRR!
DO NOT READ UNLESS YOU HAVE WATCHED THE TITLED EPISODE
but first …
So I was psyched to watch Dollhouse. Not nearly as psyched as I've been for all the previous episodes of Dollhouse, but I should see what happens.
RANT ABOUT LAST WEEK
Don't know when / if I'll ever be over the Boyd thing.
They didn't have proper time to set it up, or it was just so horribly executed. It almost comes across as nihilistic, if not a twist for its own sake.
"See look we're clever you didn't see that coming, did you?"
That's the thing about twists, they're clever 'cause you can sort of see them coming,
then more importantly they make sense after they arrive. This did and does not.
Or sadistic for its own sake, The person you trust most will betray you."
I can even appreciate it on a dramatic level, insofar as an idea, but Boyd didn't mesh with psycho-Boyd.
They're seemingly two different characters. It comes across with fucking with the audience for the sake of doing so,
and without the ability to follow thru.
I mean I like the puzzles, I like the twists, I like the difficult to understand things. Thus I like Dollhouse. The impossible-to-understand things? I don't follow the point of that exactly save to tell the audience:
"Yeah, sometimes life is fucked-up for no reason."
That's stupid. there's always a reason not a 'good' or rational one, but … something.
Can't help but think it's childhood paternal disappointment playing itself out, in the writing?
Assuming this a Whedon thing …
So many Whedonesque heroine / maternal figures, how many paternal figures? Malcolm Reynolds? Angel? Giles was kind of impotent near the end as well as wrong/misguided. They're often angry, brooding, damaged. So many of the characters are damaged, but part of that is fiction, the rest of it make of it what you will.
Anyway before this whole business I could strongly recommend Dollhouse, I suppose I still can it's a hell of ride, but it sort of gets ruined (part of this can be blamed on time constraints).
No matter this episode is Boyd-free for better or worse.
(better: no more icky non-sensical crap, worse: no more Harry Lennix, no chance to figure a coherent explanation for … )
So anyway moderately psyched to watch Dollhouse.
I was flipping channels before it came on and my CW and FOX affiliates were out (I was going to tape Smallville).
Bummer!
Anyway 15 minutes before it came on, I got the FOX affiliate back. I went to myself some water, and get comfy. I sat down to cue up the VCR and … What those are Dollhouse people it's already on!?! {clicks on VCR, clicks off TV}
A) Fuck You FOX / Charter for not getting good reception of Dollhouse!
A) Fuck You FOX for changing the time (though maybe this was mentioned in the trailer [which I still haven't watched]. Still kinda weak when it's typically been at 9:00. Seems like a cheap attempt to get some of the Smallville audience.
B) Cool! so it's going to be on for 2 hours?!? NO. they just switched the time one hour at the wrong time -- Fuck You FOX!
C) Nevermind I've got Hulu. Thank you Hulu. I watched it on Saturday Night.
D) I wanted it on my Dollhouse tape, though I missed 2.4 too, granted that one's not so integral to the wider plot, as well the end.
So anyway.
Brought to you by the other Whedons. I don't necessarily prefer them to Joss, but it makes sense 'cause they wrote the first one.
Again apparently the Epitaph series has an expedited open credit sequence as in virtually none more room for stuff.
We rejoin Penny/Vi, Skut Fargus, and mini-Echo out in the post-apocalyptic desert. Running from zombies "butchers". Exposition about Epitaph One, though not enough if you haven't seen it.
Then we get captured and taken to 'Neuropolis' apparently.
I'm guessing people get wiped and used as slaves here? The old generic Dollhouse guys are bad guys in different bodies.
Paul is here. I guess we were supposed to think he'd been wiped, or at least speculate on it briefly -- I didn't.
Caroline/ECHO is here.
I like Harding's point of If you didn't stop Rossum the apocalypse might not have happened. That's hind-sight amusement. Fictitious cynic in me says it probably still would have, for whatever that was worth. Boyd thought it was going to and he invented some of it. Granted he was crazy.
Also the swagger, about being killed? You're still dead, it still hurts?
Caroline/ECHO shoots Harding. This is what bothers me a little. No thought as to the bodies. Granted in the Matrix … blah blah blah … but still. Granted pacifism makes action more difficult.
I didn't see it until later in the episode, but ECHO has streaks of grey hair. Though not throughout. I guess she dyed the rest {smirk}. Also they work light hi-lights. Of course the rest of her weathered 10 years quite well, but that can be forgiven and isn't nearly amusing as the hi-lights.
This is a Topher rescue, thus the plot tie-in. I like this it's clever.
Topher is perhaps more crazy? I wonder what they decided made this happen? I mean it's an aggregate thing for sure. But I wonder what the episode where he actually snapped looked like? It wasn't knowing he'd screwed around with Saunders, but that was part of it. It wasn't knowing he'd created the apocalypse, but that was a BIG part of it. It wasn't seeing his girlfriend randomly shot in front of him, but that probably didn't help either. Again this whole new scenario of shooting a person a day for not finishing their doomsday device or whatever. So human life is valuable? I suppose … context … still kinda amusing/off. Topher was going to make it restore device, that would've been cool, that way. So Topher is the messianic figure …
What else are you going to do? with an apocalypse finale.
Adelle is gardening so she apparently wasn't shot. What would have been the point of that, anyway again?
Some kid? 'T' apparently Pryia/SIERRA's. And likely Anthony/VICTOR's as well unless they want to throw another twist in the mix. I was thinking possibly a raiding party and she was raped, but that really doesn't fit the scenario of Zombies, or not these Zombies, the again whoever's programming can change the scenario. Most of whom are apparently sadists anyway?
Adelle has grey hi-lights too.
Though otherwise she may even look younger {smirk}.
Must be the futuristic tech that somehow affects the hair that way {cont'd smirk}
So we're hatching the plan to save the world, and Adelle defends Topher. Their relationship is still a little unclear.
Oddly I'm having flashbacks to Firefly for some reason {amusement} Throughout the whole episode, but particularly here. The shakey camera work is good too that way.
Though I like that so many things are unclear. One of the biggest faux pas they can make is to try to answer all the questions and come up with one that's too outlandish or doesn't make sense -- see Boyd. That's what I liked and still like about Firefly inadvertently. They left questions. You can still explain things and have a good story, but sometimes the gaps in knowledge …
See Hamlet?
Why couldn't ECHO load Topher in her head? Why wouldn't ECHO load Topher in her head? or at least an earlier pre-crazy copy?
Paul: "This is where it gets interesting"
Penny: "It was dull?"
What Topher needs to make the pulse work is in the Dollhouse.
I partially agree with Zone Fargus, seems a bit much to have to go back in, in the service of saving the world.
Yeah saving the world it's good and all, but if your secure and mostly okay, then seems a lot to jeopardize that for something which may not happen, and could get you and yours shot. Zone isn't So necessary for the plan anyhow. He doesn't know exactly what's going on in L.A. and he doesn't need shelter from the pulse.
It goes both ways, restoring modern civilization isn't too shabby either. I'm always enamored with non-thinking-default-to-collectivist ethic. Whedon could make an interesting case for challenging it, but he usually doesn't.
Apparently they like Mini-ECHO as they give her some of the more interesting material. Cute kid, reminds me of Mezoti from Voyager (apparently she was in Serenity too?) and a little bit of that girl from the other Dollhouse.
Raiding Party!
This is where I got the idea that perhaps T might not have been.
That's obviously the trick of some twists, get the audience assuming a thing,
don't delve too much or too far into it, then flip it at an interesting point.
Victor and the Reavers arrive. Cyberpunks!?!
and he's speaking Russian, how embarrassing. Though what would be the use of that? If you're dealing with enemies they couldn't understand you.
Meg is a lesbian? This seems a little tacked on and weak. Though she did get super upset about whoever died before the beginning of Epitaph One. Still seems forced. I do like the line:
"She's a Tech-head Mag.
…
She's a girl, Mag.
So the rest of the community aren't X-Dolls? Are the Cyberpunks X-Dolls? I know one of them was called ZULU YANKEE so …
Maybe they don't mind forgetting.
The tractor trailer is big, and looks suspiciously like a longer version the inside of the 'house Vans. As well as probably every other studio they've used I suppose.
The Asian is cute.
Zone gets some choice lines. He needs to be in the next Whedon thing. I like him, or his writing at the very least.
Apparently this is why Drives are retro, we're using flash now {eye-roll} Those better be Pedabytes or I'm going to be sorely disappointed {smirk/self-eye-roll}
She takes out 'Mercy' to make room for 'Weapons Expert' {eye-roll}. They have to take something out so they don't go crazy? Huh? ECHO is the only one who can not go crazy 'cause of the genetic thing? and to some extent α:ALPHA? I know headaches. I guess my whole theory about overloading to interefere with imprinting was off? or just untested? huh? Pryia complains about headaches and needing to remember who she is in E1. {shrugs}.
The Pryia|Anthony thing is pretty clear. He wants to fight the war? I guess patrolling around the community? or keeping Rossum at bay? Protecting them somehow. She wants to raise her kid and be a bitchy wife. For some reason, though she's a 'single parent' so I suppose that's reason enough. Though she has the village? Either way we're both on the same page as far as Jr.'s concerned keep him away from the tech {shrugs}. So quibbling about very little, drama for drama's sake?
ECHO and Paul are in the same estranged holding pattern. Though there is real feeling there so that's something. instead of last season's forced-ness.
I thought the excess of butchers in the most inconvenient places was some Rossum Conspiracy or something, but apparently not?
I suppose Anthony's tech fetish is an extension of last episode taken to an extreme?
"We were born ready, Well not technically." {eye-roll / smirk}
Then we proceed to rampantly mow down people, make sense, but still a bit excessive … or not excessive enough depending.
Heavy Metal / Violin with slow-mo and shakey-cam -- Again best episode of Firefly in 5 years! Excluding E1?
I was mellow about the action sequence. Didn't watch it closely it's pretty good. Though kind of confusing. I was thinking mid-way through it. You know someone could get it here. It's strange as you've spent the whole season knowing everyone was going to make it through. It doesn't mean as much in light of Boyd. I also sort of figured that might be enough. It ought to have been. Anyway last episode, you could do an Angel thing (with a Firefly twist -- the signal).
Then it follows quickly and chaotically. Mag gets her legs swiss cheesed. and then Paul gets shot in the head mid-reassurance.
Okay here's the thing.
I like the haphazard Whedonesque death.
Too often in fiction, they want to glamorize/Jesus-ize war or violence, or whatever, and have a big romantic just so sentimental flourish. It's kinda insulting to those of us who live in the real world / the nature of violence.
I remember some interview where he talks about killing off major characters all the time, with pride. Granted all the stuff I said previously, and also they were mostly mid-level to minor characters when he said that. The point of that is the "realism" -- if you can call it that.
Though part of the reason I like the off-kilter Whedon death is because it's unexpected. Though when you do it all the time it's not so unexpected. It does make things more thrilling, but it's becoming a cliché almost when you do it so much. Granted they don't exactly embrace random as a virtue in this whole thing, but I think the timing might be an idea to that end or quasi-"realism" if not selection. You probably don't want pure random, but I think it'd be interesting to roll a die? maybe not.
Anyway it just seems cruel and excessive after a point. I think that point may've been Wash.
Though during this I'm thinking as long as they kill the person … there are things worse than death -- see Boyd.
The Dollhouse is up and operating. They should've given this another beat, but places to go I suppose.
α:ALPHA, they should've given this another beat …
This was lost on me, as I tuned in earlier and saw him having a mellow congenial conversation with others.
So E1 was right and not just being poetic?
WHERE'S SAUNDERS? don't get me wrong warm fuzzy α:ALPHA is nothing to scoff at, just wondering. I sort of like that I don't know.
α:ALPHA did a 180° and is now his exact opposite?
I'd actually be insulted if they tried to explain this in the time remaining. α:ALPHA is shaken up about Paul's death?
I thought they were going to deal with the Paul in α:ALPHA's head, but no such luck, or that's where we get the drive?
Duh, didn't get it 'til now. I saw in the subtitles. The Asian is KILO -- she rules.
I sort of don't buy this turn, but she and the others like being post apocalyptic cyber punks and that's no fun without Zombies to kill? {eye-roll shrugs} I'll go with it. Though it does seem to be a bit much (and by 'much' I mean 'stupid').
The other guy is ROMEO. So all the cyberpunks are former dolls? makes sense as they have the internal hardware.
α:ALPHA: "We're not freaks! Well okay maybe I am, and ECHO"
and α:ALPHA saves the day and doesn't kill anyone, the point of the scene?
I guessing this is about the mutation? and they both have it? That would make more sense?
I don't get the whole "Topher came back to get an idea" thing.
Pryia gets all hyper/bitchy defensive about Anthony's tech fetish.
This is silly. They shouldn't destroy those drives. They might need them.
ECHO's outburst about someone else of course. Dead is relative though. Granted dead is also absolute, but we'll get to that.
Back to Topher in the lab. We're watching lectures by Summer his 10-years-dead-would-be-girlfriend. I guess it's fiction we can have the whole love-at-first sight phenomenon, but I dislike it when we get overly sentimental it betrays the more genuine realism that we actually can create.
Topher is premeditated techno-Jesus. {ugh}. I always hate the Jesus thing. I can buy it, and it's less disgusting if we set up a contrived life-boat scenario. But it really annoys me when we have time to think about it. Also to send Topher is just stupid. If something does go wrong maybe you'll need Topher to fix it, or the thing doesn't work right or needs to be set off again then … ? Topher's death will be stupid and mealiness (make that more stupid and devoid of meaning). We can fix the whole world but we can't devise a remote control? C'mon!
There is some 'justice' in Topher taking the hit / trying to making amends,
but as he does correctly observes Adelle, to whatever extend she can fix things, will have a harder job.
Speaking of overly-sentimental… Pryia and Anthony thing.
Just to quibble. Burning electronic components is hazardous to your health if you breathe them in. That can't be good in a closed system either. They do this in some third world countries to get the precious conductive metals off the parts.
Come to think of it fire isn't so great either in a closed system.
Zone Fargus is going outside, Mag is inside. They say goodbye.
α:ALPHA left, Presumably after we arranged said favor?
That's bizarre, him being outside. Seems dangerous.
Ah α:ALPHA said to start with the chair. I missed that the first time through.
The montage. I thought I had heard the tune before.
I did here two months ago. Free and legal. An artist named Lissie?
Topher's Jesus/suicide had cool effects.
I don't know what to think of the Paul drive. It's kind of a cold comfort, but maybe not? That's weird and twisted one to think on.
So from her perspective, Paul will never die? Because she is Paul? That's weird.
But Paul is still dead.
Still bitter-sweet on the face of it?
I was sort of hoping they would end it right before the pulse,
leave it to peoples' imagination, leave it open to interpretation.
But I guess if it's really over … I thought Topher was a bit much, but moreso Paul before him.
So ECHO lives, VICTOR, SIERRA, Adella, α:ALPHA, and presumably WHISKEY live
Topher, Boyd, Paul, NOVEMBER, seemed like a lot because they all died in the last episode or so?
I really did like this finale. I have quibbles about this and that. Mostly Paul, but it was a great episode.
Though I'm still not over the whole Boyd thing. It's a big smear on the series 'til I can understand differently.
One of the best series on television, not sure I can recommend it.
So television sucks again ( maybe, it started last week, though maybe it took a week off.)