An Apology to Dollhouse
Anyone who has seen my journal or has read my comments in here will know that I've been disappointed with DOLLHOUSE. I have never hated it, and have enjoyed the episodes in general, however after the initial elation of a new show from the god that is Joss, I found the episodes to be repetitve and unfulfiling.
Until the latest episode that is...
(spoilers for all eps including the latest episode - latest episode spoilers are in white text so you will need to highlight to view)
The first five episodes ambled along with the 'engagement of the week' feel, the highlight being THE TARGET (Wrong Turn 2). THE MAN ON THE STREET was a good episode, with the awesome reveal of Mellie as a sleeper agent (awesome as I had predicted this and was then allowed to be totally smug about it), however the next episode ECHOES, felt like Dollhouse was trying to run before it crawled and the humor felt forced to me. Echo's backstory also irritated me as surely the show's lead character would have a more interesting story than being an animal activist? Anyway...
NEEDS had some excellent scenes in it, and I certainly enjoyed it, but the end had me screaming with frustration! Throughout this episode, a wealth of character development had happened and as always at the end of the episode, all the dolls were wiped of everything. In their minds, Echo had never freed the dolls, Mellie hadn't grieved for her daughter, and Sierra and Victor? The smoochies had never happened :-( This is what angered me about the show. For the characters to go through so much, only for any repercussions to be wiped away along with the imprint. Yes, the other non-doll characters knew what had happened, but I didn't feel like they were in the show enough to particularly matter. The show always revolved around the dolls and their engagements, while the most interesting stuff, the content of the show which would engage with people and make them come back for more, was always the B storyline.
Until Now.
SPY IN THE HOUSE OF LOVE had the perfect combination of doll/non-doll action. It drove the story on and allowed us greater insight into the characters surrounding the dolls. The dolls were used as vehicles for plot development as opposed to the plot themselves, which made for great viewing.
(spoilers for the latest ep starting now) I loved how they went back on themselves, telling the story via the four main doll imprints. From the action-packed inflitration by Sierra (the least enjoyable, but still totally cool!), to Echo's interrogation of Topher, Ivy, Boyd and Saunders (I'm liking Saunders more and more even though her hair still annoys me), to the reveal of Victor's lonely hearts client - nice to see Adelle getting some action, but with a doll! Now that's a woman who takes her work home with her! -dies-
But the most heartbreaking for me, was the use of Mellie's body to get a message to Paul. It was so well done and had me squealing at the screen as I so didn't see that happening! Nice to see Tahmoh getting something to get his acting teeth into, though I think the scene could have been improved by him being shirtless :-) Mmmmmm Tahmoh....
-shakes off naughty thoughts-
I don't know if I should be happy or not about Mr. Dominic being caught. He was looking to bring down the house, which is what Paul is trying to do... and yet I was cheering when he was caught... strange. And this is why I LOVED this episode!! I love anything where the black and whites of this world are turned into shades of grey and this is exactly what this episode did.
So thank you Joss, for this brilliant episode, and apologise for ever doubting you and your awesomeness.
For anyone who has stopped watching the show, I understand why you did so, but I promise you, this episode, SPY IN THE HOUSE OF LOVE, is amazing and hugely enjoyable. It's exactly what a Whedon show should be. So please! take 45 minutes out of your day and watch this episode, and let me know what you think. If you still don't like the show, fine. But if you are on the fence, I think this is the episode which will bring you over to Team Dollhouse.
Until the latest episode that is...
(spoilers for all eps including the latest episode - latest episode spoilers are in white text so you will need to highlight to view)
The first five episodes ambled along with the 'engagement of the week' feel, the highlight being THE TARGET (Wrong Turn 2). THE MAN ON THE STREET was a good episode, with the awesome reveal of Mellie as a sleeper agent (awesome as I had predicted this and was then allowed to be totally smug about it), however the next episode ECHOES, felt like Dollhouse was trying to run before it crawled and the humor felt forced to me. Echo's backstory also irritated me as surely the show's lead character would have a more interesting story than being an animal activist? Anyway...
NEEDS had some excellent scenes in it, and I certainly enjoyed it, but the end had me screaming with frustration! Throughout this episode, a wealth of character development had happened and as always at the end of the episode, all the dolls were wiped of everything. In their minds, Echo had never freed the dolls, Mellie hadn't grieved for her daughter, and Sierra and Victor? The smoochies had never happened :-( This is what angered me about the show. For the characters to go through so much, only for any repercussions to be wiped away along with the imprint. Yes, the other non-doll characters knew what had happened, but I didn't feel like they were in the show enough to particularly matter. The show always revolved around the dolls and their engagements, while the most interesting stuff, the content of the show which would engage with people and make them come back for more, was always the B storyline.
Until Now.
SPY IN THE HOUSE OF LOVE had the perfect combination of doll/non-doll action. It drove the story on and allowed us greater insight into the characters surrounding the dolls. The dolls were used as vehicles for plot development as opposed to the plot themselves, which made for great viewing.
(spoilers for the latest ep starting now) I loved how they went back on themselves, telling the story via the four main doll imprints. From the action-packed inflitration by Sierra (the least enjoyable, but still totally cool!), to Echo's interrogation of Topher, Ivy, Boyd and Saunders (I'm liking Saunders more and more even though her hair still annoys me), to the reveal of Victor's lonely hearts client - nice to see Adelle getting some action, but with a doll! Now that's a woman who takes her work home with her! -dies-
But the most heartbreaking for me, was the use of Mellie's body to get a message to Paul. It was so well done and had me squealing at the screen as I so didn't see that happening! Nice to see Tahmoh getting something to get his acting teeth into, though I think the scene could have been improved by him being shirtless :-) Mmmmmm Tahmoh....
-shakes off naughty thoughts-
I don't know if I should be happy or not about Mr. Dominic being caught. He was looking to bring down the house, which is what Paul is trying to do... and yet I was cheering when he was caught... strange. And this is why I LOVED this episode!! I love anything where the black and whites of this world are turned into shades of grey and this is exactly what this episode did.
So thank you Joss, for this brilliant episode, and apologise for ever doubting you and your awesomeness.
For anyone who has stopped watching the show, I understand why you did so, but I promise you, this episode, SPY IN THE HOUSE OF LOVE, is amazing and hugely enjoyable. It's exactly what a Whedon show should be. So please! take 45 minutes out of your day and watch this episode, and let me know what you think. If you still don't like the show, fine. But if you are on the fence, I think this is the episode which will bring you over to Team Dollhouse.