30 Days of TV - Day 11
Day 01 - A show that never should have been canceled
Day 02 - A show you wish more people were watching
Day 03 - Your favorite new show (aired this TV season)
Day 04 - Your favorite show ever
Day 05 - A show you hate
Day 06 - Favorite episode of your favorite TV show
Day 07 - Least favorite episode of your favorite TV show
Day 08 - A show everyone should watch
Day 09 - Best scene ever
Day 10 - A show you thought you wouldn't like but ended up loving
Day 11 - A show that disappointed you
This will probably come as no surprise to most of you: Dollhouse. I admit, I was somewhat cautious right from the beginning, when the show was first announced, both because it seemed like way more than Eliza Dushku could handle as an actress, and because it seemed like Joss was making the same mistakes he made with Firefly - taking on a very ambitious world-building (which he sucks at) and concepts that were way too complicated. And I don't mean complicated as in difficult to understand, because I HATE that Whedonesque attitude that if you don't like what Joss is doing, it's clearly something wrong with you - you're not smart enough or not putting enough effort into it or whatever. That's bullshit. When I say complicated, I mean Joss is trying to do too many things at once and not accomplishing any of them. It's great to have a polysemic show, but when people don't know what to make of your show because you've thrown so many conflicting ideas at them, that's bad storytelling.
But Dollhouse definitely had potential, otherwise there'd have been no expectations to disappoint. The supporting cast was fantastic, one of the best Joss has ever put together. There was a lot of depth to explore in the show's themes, if only Joss had been able to pick a few and stick with them. Some aspects were rather disturbing, and I don't have faith that Joss could've executed them well even under the best conditions (how do you subvert exploitation without to some extent engaging in it yourself?), but I'm pretty sure it would've been a fascinating implosion. :) Once we got past the Imprint of the Week episodes, the mythology that started to develop was really interesting.
And then it all went to hell.
Suddenly realizing that he had about five years worth of plot and only half a dozen episodes left, Joss decided to be a complete crazy person and try to tell the whole damn story in a compressed version on fast forward. Now, Joss' plots are often held together with shoestrings and paperclips under the best of circumstances, so there was really no hope that any of it would make sense here. But to make matters worse, the show completely dropped all of the interesting questions it had been asking about identity and morality and turned into an evil corporation conspiracy show that was all about action and not about character. There was very little emotional resonance in the last few episodes (with the exception of some nice moments in "Epitaph Two"), and that's always the one thing that works in a Joss show, even when the plot resembles Swiss cheese. I honestly don't think Joss could've done more to emphasize his weaknesses and completely ignore his strengths if he'd deliberately tried.
It's a shame, because given five years, it might've actually been a good story. But I don't feel bad for Joss. I can't count how many people said, "Everybody knows Joss is a slow starter, you have to give him time to build." Well, yes, and that's a brilliant way to get canceled, and he's woefully ignorant of the way that TV actually works if he thinks he doesn't need to adapt his style. He was lucky with BtVS that the show had time to grow, but most viewers (and networks) are not patient enough to sit through an entire season before the show actually gets good. And his subsequent efforts have absolutely not earned him the trust he seems to expect. If you want me to stick around, you need to give me a reason, instead of squandering potential left and right until you realize, "Oh, shit. I'm out of time."
Honorable Mention: Caprica is another show that didn't live up to its potential. Then, of course, there are the usual suspects (shows that disappointed me by being so crashingly bad after making me love them): Gilmore Girls, Heroes, and Bones.
And the rest of the days, for those who want to play along...
Day 12 - An episode you've watched more than 5 times
Day 13 - Favorite childhood show
Day 14 - Favorite male character
Day 15 - Favorite female character
Day 16 - Your guilty pleasure show
Day 17 - Favorite mini series
Day 18 - Favorite title sequence
Day 19 - Best TV show cast
Day 20 - Favorite kiss
Day 21 - Favorite ship
Day 22 - Favorite series finale
Day 23 - Most annoying character
Day 24 - Best quote
Day 25 - A show you plan on watching (old or new)
Day 26 - OMG WTF? Season finale
Day 27 - Best pilot episode
Day 28 - First TV show obsession
Day 29 - Current TV show obsession
Day 30 - Saddest character death
Day 02 - A show you wish more people were watching
Day 03 - Your favorite new show (aired this TV season)
Day 04 - Your favorite show ever
Day 05 - A show you hate
Day 06 - Favorite episode of your favorite TV show
Day 07 - Least favorite episode of your favorite TV show
Day 08 - A show everyone should watch
Day 09 - Best scene ever
Day 10 - A show you thought you wouldn't like but ended up loving
Day 11 - A show that disappointed you
This will probably come as no surprise to most of you: Dollhouse. I admit, I was somewhat cautious right from the beginning, when the show was first announced, both because it seemed like way more than Eliza Dushku could handle as an actress, and because it seemed like Joss was making the same mistakes he made with Firefly - taking on a very ambitious world-building (which he sucks at) and concepts that were way too complicated. And I don't mean complicated as in difficult to understand, because I HATE that Whedonesque attitude that if you don't like what Joss is doing, it's clearly something wrong with you - you're not smart enough or not putting enough effort into it or whatever. That's bullshit. When I say complicated, I mean Joss is trying to do too many things at once and not accomplishing any of them. It's great to have a polysemic show, but when people don't know what to make of your show because you've thrown so many conflicting ideas at them, that's bad storytelling.
But Dollhouse definitely had potential, otherwise there'd have been no expectations to disappoint. The supporting cast was fantastic, one of the best Joss has ever put together. There was a lot of depth to explore in the show's themes, if only Joss had been able to pick a few and stick with them. Some aspects were rather disturbing, and I don't have faith that Joss could've executed them well even under the best conditions (how do you subvert exploitation without to some extent engaging in it yourself?), but I'm pretty sure it would've been a fascinating implosion. :) Once we got past the Imprint of the Week episodes, the mythology that started to develop was really interesting.
And then it all went to hell.
Suddenly realizing that he had about five years worth of plot and only half a dozen episodes left, Joss decided to be a complete crazy person and try to tell the whole damn story in a compressed version on fast forward. Now, Joss' plots are often held together with shoestrings and paperclips under the best of circumstances, so there was really no hope that any of it would make sense here. But to make matters worse, the show completely dropped all of the interesting questions it had been asking about identity and morality and turned into an evil corporation conspiracy show that was all about action and not about character. There was very little emotional resonance in the last few episodes (with the exception of some nice moments in "Epitaph Two"), and that's always the one thing that works in a Joss show, even when the plot resembles Swiss cheese. I honestly don't think Joss could've done more to emphasize his weaknesses and completely ignore his strengths if he'd deliberately tried.
It's a shame, because given five years, it might've actually been a good story. But I don't feel bad for Joss. I can't count how many people said, "Everybody knows Joss is a slow starter, you have to give him time to build." Well, yes, and that's a brilliant way to get canceled, and he's woefully ignorant of the way that TV actually works if he thinks he doesn't need to adapt his style. He was lucky with BtVS that the show had time to grow, but most viewers (and networks) are not patient enough to sit through an entire season before the show actually gets good. And his subsequent efforts have absolutely not earned him the trust he seems to expect. If you want me to stick around, you need to give me a reason, instead of squandering potential left and right until you realize, "Oh, shit. I'm out of time."
Honorable Mention: Caprica is another show that didn't live up to its potential. Then, of course, there are the usual suspects (shows that disappointed me by being so crashingly bad after making me love them): Gilmore Girls, Heroes, and Bones.
And the rest of the days, for those who want to play along...
Day 12 - An episode you've watched more than 5 times
Day 13 - Favorite childhood show
Day 14 - Favorite male character
Day 15 - Favorite female character
Day 16 - Your guilty pleasure show
Day 17 - Favorite mini series
Day 18 - Favorite title sequence
Day 19 - Best TV show cast
Day 20 - Favorite kiss
Day 21 - Favorite ship
Day 22 - Favorite series finale
Day 23 - Most annoying character
Day 24 - Best quote
Day 25 - A show you plan on watching (old or new)
Day 26 - OMG WTF? Season finale
Day 27 - Best pilot episode
Day 28 - First TV show obsession
Day 29 - Current TV show obsession
Day 30 - Saddest character death