Dollhouse has been renewed for a second season

[mattzimmer]

Despite flashes of brilliance once in a while I keep thinking to myself "The Lone Gunmen, Firefly, The Tick". THIS is the low-rated experimental show Fox decides to renew for a second season? Add Millennium and Arrested Development to the pool (as well as keeping both The X-Files and The Simpsons past their expiration dates) and I have come to the

Comments

[90scartoonman]

This is...odd, to say the least. I think there is a singing teenager-loving chimp running Fox.

I thought he gave Inara and her profession a lot of respect, are the prostitutes in Dollhouse a bad thing?

[mattzimmer]

Joss is FASCINATED with prostitutes it seems and though Firefly had some of that around the edges it was a Western and somewhat excusable. In Dollhouse ALL of the Dolls are prostitutes and it's glamourized and never really looked down upon except by one character who instead of stopping the Dollhouse at the end of the season, joined the team. Merlin Missy said that now whenever she thinks about Joss and his obsession with prostitutes she thinks of Frank Miller and knowing a tiny bit about the latter I'd say she is completely on the money.

Whatever cred Joss earned with feminists with Buffy is now completely gone.

[90scartoonman]

That's...pretty messed up. Joss isn't quite into Miller territory yet because every female character Frank Miller's written in the last 15-20 years is either a hooker or a kid. Joss may be worryingly fascinated, but at least he can still write characters like Fred, Zoe, or Kitty.

[mattzimmer]

I'm telling you, Chris Watching Dollhouse seems to make all of that not matter all that much. I am seriously worried about the guy. Yeah, I find Dollhouse watchable and I'll probably get it on DVD. But the fact that Joss Whedon (supposedly an icon for feminists) wrote it is quite troubling indeed.

[dcauyojimbo]

I'm surprised it got renewed. I figured Prison Break, Terminator, and that other one Abrams did that I can't think of the name were goof enough ratings cows for their dramas.

Prostitutes, eh? I never thought about that comparison to Miller. Definitely onto something. But to be fair, Dr. Horrible was a nice departure from the usual to comic book stuff between Firefly and Dollhouse.

[mattzimmer]

I had problems with Dr. Horrible (the ending was too bleak) but you're right that it was a pleasant departure. Prison Break and Terminor were canceled although Fringe was renewed.

[dcauyojimbo]

1) Terminator got canceled? Do you think the purpose of the series was to develop name recognition and such for when the 4th movie came out, there'd be more money made?

2) Fringe, yes! Slipped my tired mind, haha. I lost touch with the series because I didn't have much time for TV, unfortunately. I'm sure it'll be on Hulu or Veoh.

3) Describe bleak, Matt. I saw the ending as exactly how it was supposed to end. Dr. Horrible was a shiny, naive villain and progressed into a full fledged super villain at the end. It was a good allegory for life, to get what you want in the real world, there's always a catch and it's up to you to accept it or hide it. But I think like the end of the book, Heart of Darkness, there is pessimism with an implied optimism. He is still who he is but now experienced with a world weariness. And Joss Whedon will always kill the most lovable character off by the end.

[mattzimmer]

1. Since the movie and the series share somewhat different continuities I don't think so. But yes, it got canceled.

2. Me too. Too many shows to watch, not enough time.

3. I'd agree with you if the series hadn't been so light-hearted up to that point. It was an inappropriate ending. If it had been a drama I'd feel differently.