Dollhouse 2x01: Vows
Season 2!!
I was so, so excited about this episode! And I don't think it let me down. I was calmed of my squee by the end of it, left more going 'hmm' - but that's OK! For me anyway, that's what I want from Dollhouse. Meta-tastic goo. :D
2maggie2 was chatting yesterday about not liking Echo and wondering whether we're supposed to be rooting for her. What I loved about this episode was the contrast drawn between Echo and Whiskey aka Claire. With Echo we have a doll who remembers 38 other people along with herself, who thinks none of those people belong to her body other than her 'real' self: Caroline. With Claire we have someone who knows no one but herself - there seem to be brief flashes to Whiskey (maybe), but otherwise she doesn't want to die, she doesn't want to leave her body. Yet Echo would claim that she's lost. (And she is - but she's finding herself again.) Maybe I'm too eager and living in the world of my fanfic, but I feel like we're coming to a smackdown between the two perspectives.
And, heh, I'm on Claire's side. Because she's marvellous. Leaving aside AA's acting skillz, where so many wacky and weepy moments could have been played like Fred but every one of them was not (who else loves the deeper tone of Amy's voice? Just me?), the messing with Topher was inspired. Maybe she isn't ase (though it would fit her character build, Joss), but the way she was happy to divorce herself from her physical body to get a rise (heh) out of Topher said something very interesting about her character, I thought. It's like, as much as that body is hers, it's also a weapon to be used, something she knows she isn't part of. I want more Claire!!
ETA: And I can't believe I didn't mention the bit with the lollipop! Hee, Claire's not-so-petty jealousy, because of course Echo's so special. Obviously it's not Echo's fault, but it's a good reminder that while she's getting the skills to evolve and be free and be the best other people are getting their faces cut open. They aren't faceless drones in anyone's game, not even hers (though does she know it?).
Joss has a new director doesn't he? Because so many of the shots in this were beautiful. Very cinematic, and specifically indie-thinky cinema, which I think suits the show just right.
Ballard's arc hasn't finished getting creepy, which is a cause for both yay! and er... . Because of course, beating the hell out of Echo to get the knife-wielding assassin is the best thing to do in any situation! As is hiring her out to do something you've always wanted in the first place. DeWitt, with her snazzy hairdo (and odd Victor inspection - bit indiscreet there??), knows, I think, exactly where Ballard's going (though I'm not sure I do). It feels like she's edging him closer and closer towards his fantasy and his actual desires, though why she wants to do that I'm not sure. More Rossum research? He's as good a subject as any. He's sinking so deep. Now he has Echo's unflinching trust? Yeah, because that's a relationship of equals.
One thing - Sierra as the racist chick? Not sure what that was about. Ha ha Dichen Lachman's mixed-race? What the hell? And was she supposed to be British? Because I think we had our quota of nasty Brits for this episode.
Which, oddly enough, brings me to Alexis Denisoff - whose accent was so familiar until he started rolling his Rs. A new goody? (Heh, the new Big Good to match Ballard's last season? I think I stole that from someone on Whedonesque, but it's a term that could fit.) I'll be intrigued to know where he's going to go, especially with the massive range that Denisoff has. (Come on the A3 arc!)
And last but not least Topher! We get to see where he sleeps (with a bunch of servers?) - I wonder whether that implies we're going to learn more about him this season; it all seemed very symbolic being brought into his personal space. I want more Ivy though. She needs more character and some sort of arc. She seems so thirsty for knowledge (and willing to demean herself getting juiceboxes so she can get it). I want more scenes in the imprinting room, really. More!!
Um, I can't remember what else I wanted to say. Oh yeah! This is the new tone? I found it felt very much like 1x01-06 in structure, if there were new layers to the characters. Having watched everything a few times now I'm beginning to get attached to the first few episodes and don't think Joss et al. need to be so quick to try and divorce the show from them. They still have a lot to say, even if Joss doesn't think they were incisive enough. For me that just reads as subtlety and it's not as if the ideas weren't brewing when he directed the writing of them. If they'd all been like Echo I think the series could have felt extremely heavy-handed, which wouldn't have been nearly as interesting. You can't dump masses of weighty issues on people in the first ten minutes; starting the whole show with "nothing is what it seems" is enough for me.
Anyway, roll on next week!!
ETA: Oh yeah, and I didn't talk about the credits! It's weird them being new. I'm intrigued that despite all the other actors' names being there it's still Echo-Echo-Echo-This-Is-The-Echo-Show-La-La-La. I do think that says something about Echo's (growing in my view) self-centredness.
I was so, so excited about this episode! And I don't think it let me down. I was calmed of my squee by the end of it, left more going 'hmm' - but that's OK! For me anyway, that's what I want from Dollhouse. Meta-tastic goo. :D
2maggie2 was chatting yesterday about not liking Echo and wondering whether we're supposed to be rooting for her. What I loved about this episode was the contrast drawn between Echo and Whiskey aka Claire. With Echo we have a doll who remembers 38 other people along with herself, who thinks none of those people belong to her body other than her 'real' self: Caroline. With Claire we have someone who knows no one but herself - there seem to be brief flashes to Whiskey (maybe), but otherwise she doesn't want to die, she doesn't want to leave her body. Yet Echo would claim that she's lost. (And she is - but she's finding herself again.) Maybe I'm too eager and living in the world of my fanfic, but I feel like we're coming to a smackdown between the two perspectives.
And, heh, I'm on Claire's side. Because she's marvellous. Leaving aside AA's acting skillz, where so many wacky and weepy moments could have been played like Fred but every one of them was not (who else loves the deeper tone of Amy's voice? Just me?), the messing with Topher was inspired. Maybe she isn't ase (though it would fit her character build, Joss), but the way she was happy to divorce herself from her physical body to get a rise (heh) out of Topher said something very interesting about her character, I thought. It's like, as much as that body is hers, it's also a weapon to be used, something she knows she isn't part of. I want more Claire!!
ETA: And I can't believe I didn't mention the bit with the lollipop! Hee, Claire's not-so-petty jealousy, because of course Echo's so special. Obviously it's not Echo's fault, but it's a good reminder that while she's getting the skills to evolve and be free and be the best other people are getting their faces cut open. They aren't faceless drones in anyone's game, not even hers (though does she know it?).
Joss has a new director doesn't he? Because so many of the shots in this were beautiful. Very cinematic, and specifically indie-thinky cinema, which I think suits the show just right.
Ballard's arc hasn't finished getting creepy, which is a cause for both yay! and er... . Because of course, beating the hell out of Echo to get the knife-wielding assassin is the best thing to do in any situation! As is hiring her out to do something you've always wanted in the first place. DeWitt, with her snazzy hairdo (and odd Victor inspection - bit indiscreet there??), knows, I think, exactly where Ballard's going (though I'm not sure I do). It feels like she's edging him closer and closer towards his fantasy and his actual desires, though why she wants to do that I'm not sure. More Rossum research? He's as good a subject as any. He's sinking so deep. Now he has Echo's unflinching trust? Yeah, because that's a relationship of equals.
One thing - Sierra as the racist chick? Not sure what that was about. Ha ha Dichen Lachman's mixed-race? What the hell? And was she supposed to be British? Because I think we had our quota of nasty Brits for this episode.
Which, oddly enough, brings me to Alexis Denisoff - whose accent was so familiar until he started rolling his Rs. A new goody? (Heh, the new Big Good to match Ballard's last season? I think I stole that from someone on Whedonesque, but it's a term that could fit.) I'll be intrigued to know where he's going to go, especially with the massive range that Denisoff has. (Come on the A3 arc!)
And last but not least Topher! We get to see where he sleeps (with a bunch of servers?) - I wonder whether that implies we're going to learn more about him this season; it all seemed very symbolic being brought into his personal space. I want more Ivy though. She needs more character and some sort of arc. She seems so thirsty for knowledge (and willing to demean herself getting juiceboxes so she can get it). I want more scenes in the imprinting room, really. More!!
Um, I can't remember what else I wanted to say. Oh yeah! This is the new tone? I found it felt very much like 1x01-06 in structure, if there were new layers to the characters. Having watched everything a few times now I'm beginning to get attached to the first few episodes and don't think Joss et al. need to be so quick to try and divorce the show from them. They still have a lot to say, even if Joss doesn't think they were incisive enough. For me that just reads as subtlety and it's not as if the ideas weren't brewing when he directed the writing of them. If they'd all been like Echo I think the series could have felt extremely heavy-handed, which wouldn't have been nearly as interesting. You can't dump masses of weighty issues on people in the first ten minutes; starting the whole show with "nothing is what it seems" is enough for me.
Anyway, roll on next week!!
ETA: Oh yeah, and I didn't talk about the credits! It's weird them being new. I'm intrigued that despite all the other actors' names being there it's still Echo-Echo-Echo-This-Is-The-Echo-Show-La-La-La. I do think that says something about Echo's (growing in my view) self-centredness.