The idea of playing God, or tampering in His domain (hi, MST3K fans) is a very old story. We all want to create a better world, even literally.
But what if a creation of science thinks he can create something better than the one who created him? What if the Bride of Frankenstein thought she could make a better husband, or Galatea make a better Pygmalion?
Well, that shows the original creator didn't do a good job, or shouldn't have tried. Maybe that would apply to God.
In this case, it applies to Alpha, a creation of the Dollhouse who decided one day he could create a more advanced creature. His model will be Echo.
We pickup where we left off last week, with Alpha breaking into the Dollhouse with Paul Ballard's help, and taking Echo away. The place is in confusion as Adelle and the staff deal with Alpha's escape, Victor's face being mutilated, and Echo leaving. This saves Paul, who was thisclose to being a Doll, or worse
Topher finds out Alpha has fixed it so they can't trace him or Echo. Dr. Saunders tells him that Alpha asked her is she always wanted to be a doctor, and how he didn't believe her. Topher wonders who can fathom a crazy mind. Dr. Saunders says "maybe the one who made him crazy". So why are we looking at Topher?
Somewhere on the 405, Alpha and Echo become Unnatural Born Active Killers, listening to a long forgotten '70s song. She calls him Bobby, a boyfriend who once took her out of a bad place at 13. That's not true, and he admits to that later, but they're having fun. Echo (because she has no name for this new self) then gets upset because her Tasty Couture t-shirt is missing. She yells at the store clerk they just kidnapped.
Switch to a few years ago, when an engagement goes wrong. Two handlers, Alvarez and Blevins, go nuts trying to find them. At an abandoned warehouse in San Pedro, we see Alpha torturing someone named Lars while a girl named Crystal dances to In Dreams by Roy Orbison. Lars is very upset he can't turn Alpha off, and end his David Lynch/Wild at Heart fantasy that he bought. Alpha is more upset this guy dared to say he's not real. Crystal then approaches both of them, and she looks a lot like Dr. Saunders. Yeah, it is her. She's Dr. Barbie.
So, as Alpha and Whiskey do their Lap Dance of Death on Lars, the handlers show up,and get them out of there.
Back in 2009, Paul Ballard is not a Doll. Actually, he's loving the fact Alpha is bringing the Dollhouse down faster than he ever could. He also doesn't like Adelle's explanation that this is a technological anomaly. She's more upset Paul brought him back here at all. Then, they find out the FBI has surrounded 23 Flower, where the Dollhouse is located. Alpha told them there's a bomb inside. Paul gets rid of them by telling Agent Brian Tanaka the Dollhouse is under their feet. As expected, Tanaka calls it a false alarm, and blames Paul. After all, Paul even suspects the FBI knows about the Dollhouse.
They do get more bad news: Alpha took all the imprints they used on Echo. Seems he has his own Dollhouse and imprint chair. Echo looks impressed, but needs a restroom.
What about Victor? He's worried he can't be his best anymore, now that he's scarred. Dr. Saunders says "Your best is past, a past you can't even remember." All he can hope for, she says, is pity, and she's not sure she can give them to him. Why does she suddenly have worse bedside manner than Gregory House?
Switch to a flashback, where we see the real Dr. Saunders, a balding old man who gives out lollipops. We also learn Whiskey, before her medical degree, was more popular than Echo. He's worried that she's working too hard. Just then, a new Active comes in, none other than Caroline Farrel. She's suddenly not too sure about the deal she made with Adelle DeWitt. However, one person is happy to see her...Alpha, who is in the middle of a massage. This is really a case of love at first sight gone horribly wrong.
Paul Ballard gets a look at the imprint chair, which is where the Dollhouse "steals their souls." "And then we put them in a glass jar with our fireflies," Topher sarcastically remarks. True, he's upset he was tasered earlier that night, but that remark could have gotten him two more zaps. Like it or not, though, Paul is needed to find the runaway actives. They also need Sierra and November as bounty hunters, which worries Paul. Sierra comes on to him a little, and November develops a new attitude that is refreshing. Too bad they had to be cut out of the episode for time. Paul later asks Topher what was Alpha trying to do. Topher can't answer because Alpha can't be profiled. He's like Soylent Green, made of people. He does recall the incident, and figures out Alpha did want something: the wedge that contained his original personality. He got rid of that quickly before the killing spree. They also figure out Alpha now has Caroline's original personality wedge and destroyed the backup.
What is Alpha's game, though? He plans to "wipe" Wendy, the clerk, and put a new imprint in her. Echo, still in her Wild at Heart mode, tries to understand, while Alpha tries to explain if his other selves don't interrupt him. What he does is "kill" Wendy, or put her in a wedge, and put Caroline in her place. Once that happens, Wendy/Caroline is stunned. "The wrongness of this is so huge," she says. Alpha, though, says he's doing Echo a favor. He wants her to ascend, and become an advanced being, just like him. He says Caroline, the soul, abandoned Echo, the body, and left Echo to the "jackals" to turn her into anything they want. So, he wants Echo to kill Caroline and become a new god, like him. He compares this to a blood sacrifice, which was done by early civilizations. It's the pattern of new life from death. Echo becomes new by killing her old self, Caroline. The old gods have returned, he says, and he and Echo can join them.
Echo just says her head hurts, as ours do. However, he points out he's always looked out for her, even in the Dollhouse. In another flashback, he was able to help Echo be the number one Active by mutilating Whiskey's face. When Blevins grabbed Alpha, Topher tries to figure out what went wrong...again. It also looks like Alpha is headed for the Attic, until he attacks Blevins and causes a major accident. Now, 48 brains are jammed into Alpha, and he winds up gouging Blevin's eyes out, saying "I understand Hell now." Then Dr. Saunders shows up, and the killing spree begins. It's well-described at the start of "The Target."
Back at the Dollhouse, Paul wants to know what Alpha was before his Dollhouse days. Adelle thinks that's not relevant, which means the truth is embarrassing. We find out Alpha was Carl Craft, who was a Ted Bundy in training, and could have killed someone if the victim hasn't escaped. Craft volunteered to be in Rossom's early experiments that led to the Dollhouse, which sounds very familiar. They find Craft's victim, and see his habit of cutting women had been happening for some time.
So, Alpha is all set to fulfill his Dr. Frankenstein fantasies. He injects all of Echo's 38 previous imprints into her, and she becomes Omega. She rises, and says "I get it." She picks up a pipe. She knows what must be done.
She clobbers Alpha. Well, Eliza Doolittle didn't like Henry Higgins at first sight, either. With 38 brains, and a better soul, she knows that killing herself, even in someone else's body, is no road to ascension. Alpha throws the Neitchze card at her, explaining this is how man evolves to a higher being, by getting rid of the lower forms. That doesn't work either. "We're not anybody because we're everybody," Echo says. What's more, she realizes she's really a container for whatever soul a client wants. Wendy/Caroline says the real "her" is right here, but Echo wants to know why Caroline wanted to be an Active. She only says, "it's complicated", but "Echoes" may be the real story. Alpha doesn't like this type of debate, and uses violence to make his point. Echo beats him, there too, and it looks like maybe Caroline will get her body back, especially since Echo argues no one should be a slave after signing a contract.
Alpha, though, may have the last word. He shoots Wendy/Caroline in the throat, and threatens to destroy Caroline's wedge. Seeing him point a gun at an imprint wedge, as if he was about to kill a hostage, is a sight to behold. What's worse, he plans to turn lots of girls into Caroline, then kill them. Echo does stop him, but he also gets away.
Topher, meanwhile, is trying to see which imprint Echo got before leaving with Alpha. He wonders if she was turned into a ninja/backup singer so that Alpha could create an evil band. Hey, if it gets rid of the Pussycat Dolls, it's a great idea. Seriously, he does figure out Alpha used an early Whiskey imprint...just as she's standing outside his door.
What happens is rather anti-climactic. Alpha does get away, but not before he tosses Caroline's wedge away. Echo nearly fails in saving it, but Paul is there to catch it. So, where are November and Sierra?
But what will Dr. Saunders think now that he's no longer an old man, but an attractive woman? Well, she figures it's an interesting way to recycle, but she doesn't understand why Topher also programmed her to hate him. Actually, she does, but it's Topher's way of making sure he never forgets. The doc isn't interested in what he was as Whiskey or even before that. She knows who she is. Still, how can someone deal with the fact of being someone else, and not being real?
Also, what do we do with Paul? Well, he'll be happy to help the Dollhouse...for a price. It will cost them the freedom...of November, now back to being Madeline Costley. Echo still has to stay, but does Paul have to pay a higher price? Or is it part of his original plan, to be the one that brings the Dollhouse down with fatal doses of morality? Well, he got to be the ideal prince by saving Caroline's real self. Maybe this is another way.
As for Echo, she's back to being just the container, and touches Topher's chest for some reason. It's soon back to her pod, and she dozes off after saying "Caroline".
Even if this looks like the end, especially after Prison Break failed again as a lead-in, there's plenty to talk about during a second season...
Could Echo composite with all those little memories of her past imprints, and become better than Alpha because she is good? If so, could Alpha come back, and make his own army of evil Actives, with hopes of making Echo the general of his dreams?
Could Adelle actually feel guilty about what she does, and the morality behind it? If so, would Rossom allow it? Well, no, but it would be interesting to see her try.
What will Paul's new role be...as a Doll who helps Boyd, or as himself?
Will Boyd be a loyal head of Security, or decide that protecting a Dollhouse isn't as important as protecting humanity in general? It all depends on whether Paul's belief that you can't wipe away a soul, good or bad, is accepted by the Dollhouse. The example of Alpha will play a big role.
Will Topher admit he's not a super-genius, and that things go wrong? Will he try to get a real friend, starting with Ivy?
How will Dr. Saunders see herself, and what she does, knowing she used to be an Active? How will former Actives, not restored, deal with life? Could one actually remember, and ask t obe put back in the Dollhouse?
Could there be the possibility of a rivalry between Actives, played by Handlers?
And there could be more to this. Dollhouse isn't really about a girl trying to regain her true self and her soul. It's all about who we are, and how that is determined by many factors, from social graces to technology, and whether we have the final say on who we are.
Think about it. We exist as bodies. We walk, talk, shop and sneeze like a gal who tosses stakes around does. But we can also exist in cyberspace, talking to hundreds of friends all over the world as many different avatars and nicknames through technology. Can that same technology wind up changing us, robbing us of what makes us human, and turning us into Tupperware with legs that's ready for a new self to be put inside?
I don't know if that will be considered in "Epitaph One," but it should be.
Finally, the ratings numbers: 2.8 million viewrs and a 1.0 18-49 demo. That will probably double if you include DVR, iTunes and internet viewing, but it won't be enough to keep the show for the fall.
Not even the CW would save it with numbers like that.
Saturday, May 9, 2009
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Who's the Most Active Active in Dollhouse?
We all know the story about that famous lunch Joss Whedon had with Eliza Dushku. We all know how she complained that so many producers and casting directors thought they knew what kind of roles should could handle better than she did. We all know Joss thought Eliza could do so much more if given the chance. That chance of course, turned out to be Dollhouse
As we're about to wrap up this season, and maybe the series overall, it's time to see if Eliza has convinced people she can be more than just Faith.
So far, at least one blogger doesn't think so. Rich Greenhalgh, a student and guest blogger for David Biancuilli's TV Worth Watching is apparently disappointed that Eliza hasn't shown much range as Echo. He says she can't can't carry the show as Jennifer Garner carried Alias or Kristen Bell led Veronica Mars. This paragraph sums it up...
Dushku has three speeds: "vengeful bitch," "scared victim," and "cocky brat." She never really closes the deal -- it always looks like Dushku to me. She's easy to look at, and fun in an ensemble, but she's not the reason I would watch Dollhouse.
Rich has a point. Not counting the finale, let's look at the many faces of Echo.
"Ghost": Caroline Farrel, a girl over her head given one way out, a girlfriend for some guy, and Eleanor Penn, a hostage negotiator. I said I didn't really believer her in this role because she's too young. If it turns out Dr. Saunders may be an Active, she should have done this.
"The Target": girlfriend, and outdoors woman. Still, she's just a girl trying to avoid getting killed by her date.
"Stage Fright": Midwife for a few seconds, and backup singer for a diva who needed a bit of improvised therapy
"Grey Hour": Wise-cracking safe cracker who had a touch of Faith, then Echo herself
"True Believer": blind woman looking for inspiration. Here, Eliza was believable here as a girl who was also a camera.
"Man on the Street": an internet mogul's dead wife, and an assassin who does something that surprises the guy she attacks, Paul Ballard. Her second identity is a variation of the safe cracker.
"Echoes": girlfriend again, and Caroline through flashbacks
"Needs": a dominatrix who's similar to the safe cracker and assassin, and then Caroline
"Spy in the House of Love": an FBI interrogator that is again a variation on the safe cracker
"Haunted": Mrs. Bashford. Here, Eliza was very believable as an old woman excited to be in a younger body
"Briar Rose": social worker that could be similar to Caroline, Penn without the glasses or the backup singer.
Through all of this, the only two very different roles Eliza has had was the blind woman and Mrs. Bashford. The others seem a bit too similar. This was probably how the producers and Joss wanted to start what they hoped would be a long run. It's not like The Loretta Young Show fifty years ago, where she did very different roles from the start. Also, the original pilot had Eliza take a lot of different roles, from drug addict to assassin. If they took that approach, rather than Fox wanting it to start as a procedural, things would have been different.
The criticism over whether Eliza's range is too limited may be due to the fact that her co-stars have shown wider range. Enver Gjokaj is a perfect example. Although some fans knew he was supposed to be an Active, we meet him as Lubov, a Russian who was supposed to give Paul Ballard information about the Dollhouse and its purpose. Afterwards, he's taken many roles from an NSA agent and horse breeder to Roger the romantic ideal and Laurence Dominic, the former head of security. Dichen Lachman, who plays Sierra, has also had a better chance to show her range. Her first mission was a SWAT-type agent who rescued Echo and a child from kidnappers. After that's she's been a safe cracker, dorky music fan, dorkier temporary pal to Topher, a rape victim, and forensic expert. These two actors have made better use of their playground.
Maybe Eliza should have asked for a wider range or roles from the start, and put her stamp on this show. Maybe TPTB wanted saw the first season as an introduction of things to come. In any case, it looks like Eliza Dushku will still run into roadblocks into her efforts to widen her range as an actress. Dollhouse has been a good try, but maybe more roles in small independent movies may also help.
The final episode, Omega, may yet show that she is capable of different roles, but she should have had more time and more chances.
As we're about to wrap up this season, and maybe the series overall, it's time to see if Eliza has convinced people she can be more than just Faith.
So far, at least one blogger doesn't think so. Rich Greenhalgh, a student and guest blogger for David Biancuilli's TV Worth Watching is apparently disappointed that Eliza hasn't shown much range as Echo. He says she can't can't carry the show as Jennifer Garner carried Alias or Kristen Bell led Veronica Mars. This paragraph sums it up...
Dushku has three speeds: "vengeful bitch," "scared victim," and "cocky brat." She never really closes the deal -- it always looks like Dushku to me. She's easy to look at, and fun in an ensemble, but she's not the reason I would watch Dollhouse.
Rich has a point. Not counting the finale, let's look at the many faces of Echo.
"Ghost": Caroline Farrel, a girl over her head given one way out, a girlfriend for some guy, and Eleanor Penn, a hostage negotiator. I said I didn't really believer her in this role because she's too young. If it turns out Dr. Saunders may be an Active, she should have done this.
"The Target": girlfriend, and outdoors woman. Still, she's just a girl trying to avoid getting killed by her date.
"Stage Fright": Midwife for a few seconds, and backup singer for a diva who needed a bit of improvised therapy
"Grey Hour": Wise-cracking safe cracker who had a touch of Faith, then Echo herself
"True Believer": blind woman looking for inspiration. Here, Eliza was believable here as a girl who was also a camera.
"Man on the Street": an internet mogul's dead wife, and an assassin who does something that surprises the guy she attacks, Paul Ballard. Her second identity is a variation of the safe cracker.
"Echoes": girlfriend again, and Caroline through flashbacks
"Needs": a dominatrix who's similar to the safe cracker and assassin, and then Caroline
"Spy in the House of Love": an FBI interrogator that is again a variation on the safe cracker
"Haunted": Mrs. Bashford. Here, Eliza was very believable as an old woman excited to be in a younger body
"Briar Rose": social worker that could be similar to Caroline, Penn without the glasses or the backup singer.
Through all of this, the only two very different roles Eliza has had was the blind woman and Mrs. Bashford. The others seem a bit too similar. This was probably how the producers and Joss wanted to start what they hoped would be a long run. It's not like The Loretta Young Show fifty years ago, where she did very different roles from the start. Also, the original pilot had Eliza take a lot of different roles, from drug addict to assassin. If they took that approach, rather than Fox wanting it to start as a procedural, things would have been different.
The criticism over whether Eliza's range is too limited may be due to the fact that her co-stars have shown wider range. Enver Gjokaj is a perfect example. Although some fans knew he was supposed to be an Active, we meet him as Lubov, a Russian who was supposed to give Paul Ballard information about the Dollhouse and its purpose. Afterwards, he's taken many roles from an NSA agent and horse breeder to Roger the romantic ideal and Laurence Dominic, the former head of security. Dichen Lachman, who plays Sierra, has also had a better chance to show her range. Her first mission was a SWAT-type agent who rescued Echo and a child from kidnappers. After that's she's been a safe cracker, dorky music fan, dorkier temporary pal to Topher, a rape victim, and forensic expert. These two actors have made better use of their playground.
Maybe Eliza should have asked for a wider range or roles from the start, and put her stamp on this show. Maybe TPTB wanted saw the first season as an introduction of things to come. In any case, it looks like Eliza Dushku will still run into roadblocks into her efforts to widen her range as an actress. Dollhouse has been a good try, but maybe more roles in small independent movies may also help.
The final episode, Omega, may yet show that she is capable of different roles, but she should have had more time and more chances.
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Recap of Dollhouse "Briar Rose"
Once upon a time, there was a prince who heard of a princess who had been asleep for years. She walks and talks like someone who is awake. She dances, steals, sings and saves lives. But he knows she is really asleep.
He goes into a dark castle, hidden underground. As he is about to wake her, he meets another prince who says she is better off asleep. While they fight each other, they fail to notice a third prince who wakes her up, and turns her into someone else. They run off to live happily ever after. As the princes wonder what happened, another princess who was asleep wakes up, and wonders why the first prince didn't kiss her instead.
Welcome to "Briar Rose", a fractured fairy tale of the Dollhouse.
The story, written by Jane Espenson, cleverly weaves the original version of Sleeping Beauty, Briar Rose, into Echo's current engagement, helping an abused girl deal with her past, and Paul's determination to free Echo/Caroline from the Dollhouse, as if he was meant to be Prince Charming. Throw in a guy who is a reluctant sidekick, and one incredible twist at the end, and you have a fairy tale that doesn't get any grimmer.
It begins with an old man dumpster diving, and finding a hand. He soon finds out the hand is attached to a very strong arm.
Switch to someone reading Briar Rose, and we see it's Echo. One of the kids thinks the story is crap, especially the curse that put the princess to sleep and the need for a prince to wake her. She angrily asks why couldn't she wake herself up, and tears up the book. We soon learn she is Susan, whose mom died of a drug overdose. She was also pimped out by the mom's boyfriend. She's been in fights and even used knives to attack others. Echo's engagement is to help her deal with the abuse, and get her to a healthier future. Surprisingly, this was Topher's idea...and it's actually a good one.
Meanwhile, Paul is about to move out of his apartment, and Mellie/November is very upset. He can't say he knows she's a Doll who could kill him. So, he goes to the "it's not you, it's me" excuse. She winds up wandering the streets, weeping, and even stopping at a freeway overpass. Thankfully, a handler is there to pick her up. You know Paul did the right thing, but it's still so sad seeing Mellie like that. We also find out Paul is following her, hoping to lead him to the Dollhouse. This may prove he really considers her a means to an end rather than a girlfriend.
At the Dollhouse, Boyd and Adelle look at a flash drive sent to Dominic. They decide they have to bring him back to see what's inside. But how can they do that without Reed Diamond?
The relationship between Echo/Susan and little Susan is very interesting. Echo/Susan tries to win the little girl's trust by talking about how she wanted to run away from her troubled youth, but couldn't. Little Susan admitted she had four attempts to run away, but couldn't. For one thing, the boyfriend told her no one could help her escape, not even the cops. Echo/Susan assured her it's OK to have someone else save you. She even points out that Briar Rose saved herself, in a way, by dreaming that a prince would wake her up. She advises little Susan to read the book again, but see herself as the prince. Echo/Susan tells the social worker she'll be back soon. She also says Little Susan is ready to go forward, but it will hurt. The hope, though is that little Susan will identify with Echo/Susan, and be headed to a better life...which Echo/Susan represents.
Paul meets Loomis at the FBI, very excited he's finally making progress. He says he got nowhere chasing leads to the Dollhouse, until they brought Mellie to spy on him. She led him to 23 Flower, where the Dollhouse exists. While the building above is not the Dollhouse, there must be something underground. He finds an environmental services consultant who could design such a place, something that is so self-sufficient, it's invisible. Loomis tries to accept this, despite the fact Paul is saying it so manically.
Back at the invisible Dollhouse, we see that Dominic is back...in Victor's body. He's not too happy about this. It make take more to get hm to cooperate. Dr. Saunders injects a sedative before he says "Whiskey". Why he looked at her while he said that is unclear. Enver Gjokaj does an incredible job imitating Dominic. He's another of Joss Whedon's Stars of the Future.
Paul looks for the designer of the Dollhouse. He finds Stephen Kepler, an agoraphobic guy who's very scared of the outside world. He also looks like a guy who flew a spaceship while wearing Hawaiian shirts...and he should be since he's Alan Tudyk. While he doesn't soar like a leaf on the wind, Kepler's been able to be self-sufficient, generating his own power, food, water and "medicinal carrots" that are popular in Humboldt County. He's more concerned about keeping his carbon footprint small. Paul wants Kepler to lead him to the Dollhouse, so he can be the prince that wakes Briar Rose. Kepler is reluctant, but a gun in Paul's hand changes his mind.
Back to Victor/Dominic, he says he kept in touch with the NSA with phones, not flash drives. However, there was someone else....Alpha. After discovering the Greek letter "alpha" was the password, they discover the flash drive has a picture of Paul Bunyan, which Adelle recognizes as something located near "The Center" in Tucson. She doesn't admit it's the main HQ of Dollhouse Inc., but Topher figures it out. Sierra is sent to look at the body Alpha sliced. Posing as an FBI forensic specialist, she figures out the body doesn't look like a homeless guy who lived deep in garbage.
The story now centers on Paul getting into the Dollhouse, redeeming himself and getting the girl. Kepler's not happy about being in a buddy cop movie scenario where Paul's the hard-nosed FBI agent and he's the guy who hates buddy cop movies. Still, through some clever sneaking, they get inside. Kepler claims he thought he was designing the new Eden, but Paul says Eden was no prison. Well, it was supposed to be Adam and Eve's only home...until that apple. Maybe Paul will become that "apple" that turns the Dollhouse from Eden to a "prison". Kepler's surprised how the place is able to be self-sustainable, with no effect on the outside world. He also likes the "stone cold foxes" who wander around. Paul finds Victor, who he knew as Lubov, and declares "my whole life isn't real." Kepler says it's a small world, and that he was in grade school with Jenna Elfman. Paul also admits again the Dolls are not people, but Caroline is the one he has to save. The only problem is, if Echo/Caroline is "set free", who's going to help little Susan?
Kepler is able to disable a few things so that Paul can find Echo/Caroline. He finds Mellie first. While she looks so beautiful asleep, he knows she could kill him. She's a Doll. She's not real. Caroline, however, is real, and finds her just as she's waking up. Boyd finds them, too, and says Paul won't get the girl. It can't be done. Even if Paul and Echo/Caroline leave, the Dollhouse will kill them. But Paul doesn't care. He's the prince, and he's getting her a happy ending. He and Boyd fight, while she looks on. They even break Victor's pod, and he's shocked more than anything else. As Paul tries to get away with her, she seems him, and seems to recall fighting him. She pushes him off. Then she sees Boyd, the man who has saved her before. Boyd is her prince because she trusts him. Paul is the evil minion, and must be sent to the Queen. (namely Adelle).
Dr. Saunders finds Victor, who says people were fighting on him. She brings him to her office, and finds Kepler with a knife. He slices Victor's face...just like he did to Saunders a few months before. That's right...Kepler is Alpha!
She is scared out of her wits as he observes how her scars have healed, even if she hasn't. He asks her if she's always wanted to be a doctor. She says yes, but for some reason he doesn't believe her. He also asks her what it was like to see him for the first time. Was he healthy, intact, fine? She answers yes to all of his questions. He says he'd like to continue, but he's running out of time...but for what?
Paul finally confronts Adelle and Boyd, and tries to convince them... and himself... the jig is up. Stifling a laugh, she tells Paul he's nothing but a suspended FBI agent who can't hurt her. He still wonders why the Dollhouse put some interesting lies into his life and tried to kill him twice. She just says "It might be good for us both that I failed." She knows the solution is simple: just turn Paul into a Doll. After all, who would miss him? Boyd's not so sure about this, but then she gets a call from Sierra. Apparently, the old man who was killed was the real Stephen Kepler,and that his body was dumped in Tucson from L-A. Alpha was imitating him....and he's in the Dollhouse.
At that moment, he and Echo meet. She says he seems to remember him, while he knows he remembers her.
One treatment later, she remembers.....that she is Alpha's lover, or she thinks she is. The point is, Alpha is the real prince around here. He and Echo then leave, but for where?
This puts everyone is a very strange situation. Adelle and Boyd have to rely on Paul to find Alpha and Echo, even if Paul knows he'll probably be killed or join Dominic in the Attic. Still, what choice does everyone have? Also, what will Alpha and Echo do, and what will he really do to her? Will little Susan get caught in the crossfire? It seems likely because the show wouldn't just forget about her, and maybe neither will Echo.
Next week's episode,"Omega", is bound to end this season....maybe the only season...with a bang. The only mystery left is whether this story will continue beyond May 8th. In some countries, it will with the lost 13th episode, "Epitaph One", but not afterwards.
At least the ratings seem to suggest that. Since people aren't flocking to the final episodes of Prison Break, they're not coming to Dollhouse either. Even with high DVR and iTunes numbers, the real statistic that counts is how many people are watching on Fridays.
The answer; not enough. Slightly more than three million people, which is slightly higher than the week before. The 18-49 demo, though, is an all-time low of 1.1.
If only you can "imprint" people to watch this show when it's on...as we used to do before TiVo and even VCRs.
Well, TV execs only count viewers to see shows live, despite the new technology that lets them wait until even Saturday afternoon to see 24 or 30 Rock. That's why Echo may fade away after next week.
He goes into a dark castle, hidden underground. As he is about to wake her, he meets another prince who says she is better off asleep. While they fight each other, they fail to notice a third prince who wakes her up, and turns her into someone else. They run off to live happily ever after. As the princes wonder what happened, another princess who was asleep wakes up, and wonders why the first prince didn't kiss her instead.
Welcome to "Briar Rose", a fractured fairy tale of the Dollhouse.
The story, written by Jane Espenson, cleverly weaves the original version of Sleeping Beauty, Briar Rose, into Echo's current engagement, helping an abused girl deal with her past, and Paul's determination to free Echo/Caroline from the Dollhouse, as if he was meant to be Prince Charming. Throw in a guy who is a reluctant sidekick, and one incredible twist at the end, and you have a fairy tale that doesn't get any grimmer.
It begins with an old man dumpster diving, and finding a hand. He soon finds out the hand is attached to a very strong arm.
Switch to someone reading Briar Rose, and we see it's Echo. One of the kids thinks the story is crap, especially the curse that put the princess to sleep and the need for a prince to wake her. She angrily asks why couldn't she wake herself up, and tears up the book. We soon learn she is Susan, whose mom died of a drug overdose. She was also pimped out by the mom's boyfriend. She's been in fights and even used knives to attack others. Echo's engagement is to help her deal with the abuse, and get her to a healthier future. Surprisingly, this was Topher's idea...and it's actually a good one.
Meanwhile, Paul is about to move out of his apartment, and Mellie/November is very upset. He can't say he knows she's a Doll who could kill him. So, he goes to the "it's not you, it's me" excuse. She winds up wandering the streets, weeping, and even stopping at a freeway overpass. Thankfully, a handler is there to pick her up. You know Paul did the right thing, but it's still so sad seeing Mellie like that. We also find out Paul is following her, hoping to lead him to the Dollhouse. This may prove he really considers her a means to an end rather than a girlfriend.
At the Dollhouse, Boyd and Adelle look at a flash drive sent to Dominic. They decide they have to bring him back to see what's inside. But how can they do that without Reed Diamond?
The relationship between Echo/Susan and little Susan is very interesting. Echo/Susan tries to win the little girl's trust by talking about how she wanted to run away from her troubled youth, but couldn't. Little Susan admitted she had four attempts to run away, but couldn't. For one thing, the boyfriend told her no one could help her escape, not even the cops. Echo/Susan assured her it's OK to have someone else save you. She even points out that Briar Rose saved herself, in a way, by dreaming that a prince would wake her up. She advises little Susan to read the book again, but see herself as the prince. Echo/Susan tells the social worker she'll be back soon. She also says Little Susan is ready to go forward, but it will hurt. The hope, though is that little Susan will identify with Echo/Susan, and be headed to a better life...which Echo/Susan represents.
Paul meets Loomis at the FBI, very excited he's finally making progress. He says he got nowhere chasing leads to the Dollhouse, until they brought Mellie to spy on him. She led him to 23 Flower, where the Dollhouse exists. While the building above is not the Dollhouse, there must be something underground. He finds an environmental services consultant who could design such a place, something that is so self-sufficient, it's invisible. Loomis tries to accept this, despite the fact Paul is saying it so manically.
Back at the invisible Dollhouse, we see that Dominic is back...in Victor's body. He's not too happy about this. It make take more to get hm to cooperate. Dr. Saunders injects a sedative before he says "Whiskey". Why he looked at her while he said that is unclear. Enver Gjokaj does an incredible job imitating Dominic. He's another of Joss Whedon's Stars of the Future.
Paul looks for the designer of the Dollhouse. He finds Stephen Kepler, an agoraphobic guy who's very scared of the outside world. He also looks like a guy who flew a spaceship while wearing Hawaiian shirts...and he should be since he's Alan Tudyk. While he doesn't soar like a leaf on the wind, Kepler's been able to be self-sufficient, generating his own power, food, water and "medicinal carrots" that are popular in Humboldt County. He's more concerned about keeping his carbon footprint small. Paul wants Kepler to lead him to the Dollhouse, so he can be the prince that wakes Briar Rose. Kepler is reluctant, but a gun in Paul's hand changes his mind.
Back to Victor/Dominic, he says he kept in touch with the NSA with phones, not flash drives. However, there was someone else....Alpha. After discovering the Greek letter "alpha" was the password, they discover the flash drive has a picture of Paul Bunyan, which Adelle recognizes as something located near "The Center" in Tucson. She doesn't admit it's the main HQ of Dollhouse Inc., but Topher figures it out. Sierra is sent to look at the body Alpha sliced. Posing as an FBI forensic specialist, she figures out the body doesn't look like a homeless guy who lived deep in garbage.
The story now centers on Paul getting into the Dollhouse, redeeming himself and getting the girl. Kepler's not happy about being in a buddy cop movie scenario where Paul's the hard-nosed FBI agent and he's the guy who hates buddy cop movies. Still, through some clever sneaking, they get inside. Kepler claims he thought he was designing the new Eden, but Paul says Eden was no prison. Well, it was supposed to be Adam and Eve's only home...until that apple. Maybe Paul will become that "apple" that turns the Dollhouse from Eden to a "prison". Kepler's surprised how the place is able to be self-sustainable, with no effect on the outside world. He also likes the "stone cold foxes" who wander around. Paul finds Victor, who he knew as Lubov, and declares "my whole life isn't real." Kepler says it's a small world, and that he was in grade school with Jenna Elfman. Paul also admits again the Dolls are not people, but Caroline is the one he has to save. The only problem is, if Echo/Caroline is "set free", who's going to help little Susan?
Kepler is able to disable a few things so that Paul can find Echo/Caroline. He finds Mellie first. While she looks so beautiful asleep, he knows she could kill him. She's a Doll. She's not real. Caroline, however, is real, and finds her just as she's waking up. Boyd finds them, too, and says Paul won't get the girl. It can't be done. Even if Paul and Echo/Caroline leave, the Dollhouse will kill them. But Paul doesn't care. He's the prince, and he's getting her a happy ending. He and Boyd fight, while she looks on. They even break Victor's pod, and he's shocked more than anything else. As Paul tries to get away with her, she seems him, and seems to recall fighting him. She pushes him off. Then she sees Boyd, the man who has saved her before. Boyd is her prince because she trusts him. Paul is the evil minion, and must be sent to the Queen. (namely Adelle).
Dr. Saunders finds Victor, who says people were fighting on him. She brings him to her office, and finds Kepler with a knife. He slices Victor's face...just like he did to Saunders a few months before. That's right...Kepler is Alpha!
She is scared out of her wits as he observes how her scars have healed, even if she hasn't. He asks her if she's always wanted to be a doctor. She says yes, but for some reason he doesn't believe her. He also asks her what it was like to see him for the first time. Was he healthy, intact, fine? She answers yes to all of his questions. He says he'd like to continue, but he's running out of time...but for what?
Paul finally confronts Adelle and Boyd, and tries to convince them... and himself... the jig is up. Stifling a laugh, she tells Paul he's nothing but a suspended FBI agent who can't hurt her. He still wonders why the Dollhouse put some interesting lies into his life and tried to kill him twice. She just says "It might be good for us both that I failed." She knows the solution is simple: just turn Paul into a Doll. After all, who would miss him? Boyd's not so sure about this, but then she gets a call from Sierra. Apparently, the old man who was killed was the real Stephen Kepler,and that his body was dumped in Tucson from L-A. Alpha was imitating him....and he's in the Dollhouse.
At that moment, he and Echo meet. She says he seems to remember him, while he knows he remembers her.
One treatment later, she remembers.....that she is Alpha's lover, or she thinks she is. The point is, Alpha is the real prince around here. He and Echo then leave, but for where?
This puts everyone is a very strange situation. Adelle and Boyd have to rely on Paul to find Alpha and Echo, even if Paul knows he'll probably be killed or join Dominic in the Attic. Still, what choice does everyone have? Also, what will Alpha and Echo do, and what will he really do to her? Will little Susan get caught in the crossfire? It seems likely because the show wouldn't just forget about her, and maybe neither will Echo.
Next week's episode,"Omega", is bound to end this season....maybe the only season...with a bang. The only mystery left is whether this story will continue beyond May 8th. In some countries, it will with the lost 13th episode, "Epitaph One", but not afterwards.
At least the ratings seem to suggest that. Since people aren't flocking to the final episodes of Prison Break, they're not coming to Dollhouse either. Even with high DVR and iTunes numbers, the real statistic that counts is how many people are watching on Fridays.
The answer; not enough. Slightly more than three million people, which is slightly higher than the week before. The 18-49 demo, though, is an all-time low of 1.1.
If only you can "imprint" people to watch this show when it's on...as we used to do before TiVo and even VCRs.
Well, TV execs only count viewers to see shows live, despite the new technology that lets them wait until even Saturday afternoon to see 24 or 30 Rock. That's why Echo may fade away after next week.
Monday, April 27, 2009
Joss Whedon remakes Blue Hawaii!
OK, maybe not, but Felicia Day, and Dichen Lachman try to keep up with Miracle Laurie in this hula demonstration at the Starfury T1 Convention in Birmingham, UK. Thanks to YouTube for this classic moment'''
Anyway, here's a closer look, although darker.....
One more thing, and this may be way out in left field, but anyone think that Miracle would make a great Wonder Woman? Just saying.
Anyway, here's a closer look, although darker.....
One more thing, and this may be way out in left field, but anyone think that Miracle would make a great Wonder Woman? Just saying.
Could Dollhouse come back as a mini-series?
After last week's disappointing ratings, some people are worried the Dollhouse will close even before Paul Ballard has a chance to find it. The only advantage it has it that it's getting high DVR and internet showing numbers. This may say more for the terrible Friday time slot more than the quality of the show itself. The show has only two weeks to go with a new story that may lead to several major confrontations, especially involving someone who's a leaf on the wind, or maybe a large tree in a hurricane.
Recently, James Poniewozik of Time magazine suggested the best way to keep the Dollhouse open: bring it back as a mini-series in 2010. He admits this is unlikely, becaus networks buy dramas that go on for years, not just one season. CBS' murder series Harper's Island is the exception, but that's only an experiment. Compare that to cable, where HBO, FX or USA are happy with 13-episode seasons, even split in half. Just like the major nets, though, they'd be even happier if their shows went on for years.
Response to the "limited-series" idea seems to be positive, according to the web page. Some argue that Fox should be willing to experiment with limited series, since its original mission was to be different thank everyone else. If Fox won't do this, cable should. This goes back to my wish that you can have Tales of the Slayers through TV movies or mini-series, and that TNT or FX give it a try. Who wouldn't want to know if Faith becomes a Watcher as part of her restitution, or Vi becomes an internet mogul by day and Slayer by night? It just adds to the current comic series.
Come to think of it, you could try that for Veronica Mars, Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles (probably eight episodes, but enough) and Pushing Daisies(ditto).
The idea of a series setting a firm end date has worked, especially for Lost after viewers wanted to know what was the deal with the Island. Deciding that the show would end in 2010 forced the writers to provide those answers, and pace them to keep interest high. Some are suggesting that Heroes do the same thing after it started to stray lasy year.
While Joss Whedon was planning to use the Dollhouse to pose interesting questions about identity, memory, reality and sexuality for years, maybe even longer than Buffy or Angel, maybe this is a concept that was meant to have a shorter life. After all, Adelle DeWitt and Mr. Rossum could run out of ideas to keep Paul Ballard away, or Echo...or any other Active...from being a person rather than a pet, a lot sooner than they expect. It's a bigger shame to have a series end before a suitable ending is planned. That's happened a lot lately, from Kyle XY to Veronica Mars.
So, if Dollhouse is meant to last one more year, give them 13 episodes..and leave Joss Whedon alone.
Recently, James Poniewozik of Time magazine suggested the best way to keep the Dollhouse open: bring it back as a mini-series in 2010. He admits this is unlikely, becaus networks buy dramas that go on for years, not just one season. CBS' murder series Harper's Island is the exception, but that's only an experiment. Compare that to cable, where HBO, FX or USA are happy with 13-episode seasons, even split in half. Just like the major nets, though, they'd be even happier if their shows went on for years.
Response to the "limited-series" idea seems to be positive, according to the web page. Some argue that Fox should be willing to experiment with limited series, since its original mission was to be different thank everyone else. If Fox won't do this, cable should. This goes back to my wish that you can have Tales of the Slayers through TV movies or mini-series, and that TNT or FX give it a try. Who wouldn't want to know if Faith becomes a Watcher as part of her restitution, or Vi becomes an internet mogul by day and Slayer by night? It just adds to the current comic series.
Come to think of it, you could try that for Veronica Mars, Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles (probably eight episodes, but enough) and Pushing Daisies(ditto).
The idea of a series setting a firm end date has worked, especially for Lost after viewers wanted to know what was the deal with the Island. Deciding that the show would end in 2010 forced the writers to provide those answers, and pace them to keep interest high. Some are suggesting that Heroes do the same thing after it started to stray lasy year.
While Joss Whedon was planning to use the Dollhouse to pose interesting questions about identity, memory, reality and sexuality for years, maybe even longer than Buffy or Angel, maybe this is a concept that was meant to have a shorter life. After all, Adelle DeWitt and Mr. Rossum could run out of ideas to keep Paul Ballard away, or Echo...or any other Active...from being a person rather than a pet, a lot sooner than they expect. It's a bigger shame to have a series end before a suitable ending is planned. That's happened a lot lately, from Kyle XY to Veronica Mars.
So, if Dollhouse is meant to last one more year, give them 13 episodes..and leave Joss Whedon alone.
Review of Dollhouse "Haunted"
After a break last week, the show returns with the story of a woman who returns from the dead...by borrowing Echo's body. It leads to an interesting search for her killer, but the plot may not have been the best way to get more viewers. It borrows from 17 Again, episodes of Star Trek and the Twilight Zone, and a few movies about dysfunctional families.
A rich woman named Margaret Bashford goes out for a ride, while her young husband Jack and a few friends look on. A few minutes later, her horse returns. She doesn't.
Next thing she knows, she looks up at the face of Adelle DeWitt, who tells her she's dead. She also has someone else's body....Echo's.
A new service from the Dollhouse...everlasting life, but only for a limited time. Boyd is shocked when he learns about it from Topher. He wonders "where does that end?" "Same place it begins, death," Topher says. Then again, what is so surprising of people coming back from the dead? It's old hat for Buffy Summers.
Topher also asks Boyd for permission to use an Active for his annual diagnostic test. Sierra is chosen.
Meanwhile, Echo/Margaret and Adelle talk about this new lease on life, but they have a funeral to attend. They also have an engagement to find Margaret's killer. It seems she underwent brain scans for more than a year, just in case this happened.
Cheating death by getting another body is a staple plot in sci-fi, from "The Trade-Ins" and "Uncle Simon" in The Twilight Zone to "Return to Tomorrow" in Star Trek, or even Chucky in Child's Play. The Dollhouse just perfected that wish, but only for a little while. The Actives still have other lives to lead.
Echo/Margaret poses as "Julia", a friend she met while in Morocco. Immediately, her kids, Nicholas and Jocelyn, her brother William, and Jack are very suspicious of her. After all, why would a woman who's as personable as a bulldozer be so friendly to a stranger? Echo/Margaret tries to explain it, but with great difficulty. Then again, she suspects everyone of being her killer, even her "close friends" whose names she can't remember. As she tells Adelle later, "I love these people, but I don't like them."
Meanwhile, Mellie the Doll and Paul Ballard the former FBI agent share dinner, and concerns about their relationship. While she wonders if it's going anywhere, he's careful not to admit he knows she's an Active. Otherwise, the Dollhouse may program her to kill him. He's still trying to figure out who she was. He bags a wine glass she just held, hoping her fingerprints will reveal her. He takes the glass to Loomis, who reluctantly runs the prints through the system. As he points out, Dolls are missing persons who don't know they're missing. He finds out Mellie has had several lives, as Annabelle, Michelle, and even Polly Keller, who was in prison. Then all those files delete themselves. Now two people believe there's a Dollhouse.
Back at the Bashford home, Nicholas talks to "Julia" about his mom, and how she pressed him into a Wall Street career at 12. She says his mom just wanted to make sure he was happy, and really cared about him. At this point, Nicholas kisses "Julia", much to her shock. This makes her Zac Efron and him Michelle Trachtenberg. She leaves quickly, and runs into Jack. He's a bit upset he wound up with the horses. She says Margaret did that to show he wasn't a gold-digger. Thing is, he's afraid everyone thinks that he is, and a killer. However, he has an alibi we have seen.
The next day, Boyd expresses his misgivings to DeWitt about the Dollhouse resurrecting the dead. "You realize, that's the beginning of the end," he says, and that Margaret will have to give up Echo's body. DeWitt says that's his job, and that she's not planning to preside over the end of civilization. She also asks his opinion on why Margaret was killed. He suspects her horses, including one that was a Derby contender, may be connected. Victor is sent as Drew Chilton, a breeder who looks over King's Ransom. When Nicholas sees what's happening, he says the horse is not for sale. He doesn't want Jack to profit from his mom...right?
Echo/Margaret, as "Julia", later talks to Jocelyn, the daughter. She's upset that her mom never supported her photography, or even confided in her. She's more upset she saved her love for "Julia" and Jack, who she calls a "tropical cookie". Speaking of which, she sees Jack planning to leave because he feels he belonged to his wife. She seems to sympathize with him, but he thinks "Julia" is really a spy for someone in the family. He doesn't like this "summer stock seduction" act she's got going. He suggests maybe William is the culprit, since he came a day before she died. William tells her he just decided to make things right with her, and they did. He also mentions that Nicholas has been caught by an addiction.
Back at the Dollhouse, Topher finishes his diagnostic test of Sierra. He sees it's a success...he's turned her into the Best Bud/Video Game Pal of his dreams. No sex. No abuse. He just wanted to make a friend, literally. As Fran Kranz pointed out at the PaleyFest recently, It's very difficult for Topher to relate to anyone who isn't a super-genius. He should have tried with Ivy, who at least claims she can do his job, but he just can't. That's why he does these tests, usually around his birthday. Oh, and DeWitt knows. She understands. Just recall the previous episode.
As for Paul, he comes home and sees Mellie there, talking about smelling some of his shirts. She also says he can have her on his terms. "I will give you what you need," she says, "and let you take it from me. If you want to give back, give back." He then has his way with her, and it is very uncomfortable to watch. He kisses her, holds her, pins her against a wall, and then to bed. She just lies back while he projects his affections, and maybe his frustrations, on her. It's somewhere between what Hearn did to Sierra, and Adelle did to Victor. It's artificial love, the worst kind. It's also the moment Paul Ballard becomes a White Knight with armour heavily corroded on the inside.
Meanwhile, Echo/Margaret rides King's Ransom in the dark, which is symbolic of her situation. Then, she meets someone at the stable. It's Nicholas...who reveals he knows Julia is really his mom. He even knows about the Dollhouse, the NY branch. Believe it or not, she is relieved someone knows the truth. It also leads to a pretty strange scene that also looks like a twisted version of 17 Again. Seeing Echo/Margaret talk to Nicholas as his mom is really weird at so many levels. He does admit he's had a rough time on Wall Street, but she says it will be OK somehow. They also overhear Victor/Drew tell Jack that King's Ransom is loaded with steroids, and would die if he raced again. Jack is very angry, and starts swinging a shovel at everything in sight. He comes close to hitting "Julia", but Nicholas stabs him. She and Nicholas head to her bedroom, where she can write a letter revealing the truth...dated before she died of course. He reminds her to include the fact she died when a steroid masking agent was injected into her....which Jack never knew about because he has an alibi.
Yes, the son did it. Killing Mom will solve his financial problems, and framing Jack will be easy. However, Jack is able to save her by shooting Nicholas and subduing him. Later, Echo/Margaret revises her will with another fake letter, and makes up with Jocelyn and everyone else. She even leaves one more letter for Jack, letting him know he was special to her.
As for Paul, he stands in the shower, realizing what he has just done. He's been condemning what the Dollhouse does for a long time. Now, he's a willing participant. As Mellie asks if Paul will be busy looking for Dollhouse clients, he sadly says he's found one. That client will always be there. He just has to find a mirror.
As Margaret heads back to the Great Beyond, Adelle asks her if she was tempted to run away with Echo's body. That would make a great sequel. Besides, she wouldn't get far, and she's had her time. At least she's made amends. She finally asks if her life will flash before her eyes when Echo's wiped clean. Adelle assures her she will.
The episode was an interesting murder mystery, which proved again you can't fight a ghost, or one that's borrowing an Active's body. It also showed that Paul Ballard, while claiming to be the White Knight, is all too human. However, it seems Paul fell into temptation too quickly. He stopped seeing Mellie as a woman, and more of a Doll who can be anyone if you "dressed her up right". What's more, she told him he could do that. Even so, he should have held back, should have stopped and apologized. We still don't know why he started investigating the Dollhouse, either. Hopefully, we'll find out in the next two weeks, when a storm is coming that will make Katrina look like scattered showers.
Or maybe the storm has already hit. Prison Break has not been the lead-in the show had hoped it would be. This week's numbers are the lowest yet: 1.9/3, and 1.2/4 in the 18-49 demo.
Expect the DVR numbers to be much higher, but it may not be enough. It looks like Paul Ballard will never knock down the Dollhouse. Lincoln and Michael, and their mom, may have beaten him to the punch.
Still, there is hope, even if it's dim. We'll talk about that soon.
A rich woman named Margaret Bashford goes out for a ride, while her young husband Jack and a few friends look on. A few minutes later, her horse returns. She doesn't.
Next thing she knows, she looks up at the face of Adelle DeWitt, who tells her she's dead. She also has someone else's body....Echo's.
A new service from the Dollhouse...everlasting life, but only for a limited time. Boyd is shocked when he learns about it from Topher. He wonders "where does that end?" "Same place it begins, death," Topher says. Then again, what is so surprising of people coming back from the dead? It's old hat for Buffy Summers.
Topher also asks Boyd for permission to use an Active for his annual diagnostic test. Sierra is chosen.
Meanwhile, Echo/Margaret and Adelle talk about this new lease on life, but they have a funeral to attend. They also have an engagement to find Margaret's killer. It seems she underwent brain scans for more than a year, just in case this happened.
Cheating death by getting another body is a staple plot in sci-fi, from "The Trade-Ins" and "Uncle Simon" in The Twilight Zone to "Return to Tomorrow" in Star Trek, or even Chucky in Child's Play. The Dollhouse just perfected that wish, but only for a little while. The Actives still have other lives to lead.
Echo/Margaret poses as "Julia", a friend she met while in Morocco. Immediately, her kids, Nicholas and Jocelyn, her brother William, and Jack are very suspicious of her. After all, why would a woman who's as personable as a bulldozer be so friendly to a stranger? Echo/Margaret tries to explain it, but with great difficulty. Then again, she suspects everyone of being her killer, even her "close friends" whose names she can't remember. As she tells Adelle later, "I love these people, but I don't like them."
Meanwhile, Mellie the Doll and Paul Ballard the former FBI agent share dinner, and concerns about their relationship. While she wonders if it's going anywhere, he's careful not to admit he knows she's an Active. Otherwise, the Dollhouse may program her to kill him. He's still trying to figure out who she was. He bags a wine glass she just held, hoping her fingerprints will reveal her. He takes the glass to Loomis, who reluctantly runs the prints through the system. As he points out, Dolls are missing persons who don't know they're missing. He finds out Mellie has had several lives, as Annabelle, Michelle, and even Polly Keller, who was in prison. Then all those files delete themselves. Now two people believe there's a Dollhouse.
Back at the Bashford home, Nicholas talks to "Julia" about his mom, and how she pressed him into a Wall Street career at 12. She says his mom just wanted to make sure he was happy, and really cared about him. At this point, Nicholas kisses "Julia", much to her shock. This makes her Zac Efron and him Michelle Trachtenberg. She leaves quickly, and runs into Jack. He's a bit upset he wound up with the horses. She says Margaret did that to show he wasn't a gold-digger. Thing is, he's afraid everyone thinks that he is, and a killer. However, he has an alibi we have seen.
The next day, Boyd expresses his misgivings to DeWitt about the Dollhouse resurrecting the dead. "You realize, that's the beginning of the end," he says, and that Margaret will have to give up Echo's body. DeWitt says that's his job, and that she's not planning to preside over the end of civilization. She also asks his opinion on why Margaret was killed. He suspects her horses, including one that was a Derby contender, may be connected. Victor is sent as Drew Chilton, a breeder who looks over King's Ransom. When Nicholas sees what's happening, he says the horse is not for sale. He doesn't want Jack to profit from his mom...right?
Echo/Margaret, as "Julia", later talks to Jocelyn, the daughter. She's upset that her mom never supported her photography, or even confided in her. She's more upset she saved her love for "Julia" and Jack, who she calls a "tropical cookie". Speaking of which, she sees Jack planning to leave because he feels he belonged to his wife. She seems to sympathize with him, but he thinks "Julia" is really a spy for someone in the family. He doesn't like this "summer stock seduction" act she's got going. He suggests maybe William is the culprit, since he came a day before she died. William tells her he just decided to make things right with her, and they did. He also mentions that Nicholas has been caught by an addiction.
Back at the Dollhouse, Topher finishes his diagnostic test of Sierra. He sees it's a success...he's turned her into the Best Bud/Video Game Pal of his dreams. No sex. No abuse. He just wanted to make a friend, literally. As Fran Kranz pointed out at the PaleyFest recently, It's very difficult for Topher to relate to anyone who isn't a super-genius. He should have tried with Ivy, who at least claims she can do his job, but he just can't. That's why he does these tests, usually around his birthday. Oh, and DeWitt knows. She understands. Just recall the previous episode.
As for Paul, he comes home and sees Mellie there, talking about smelling some of his shirts. She also says he can have her on his terms. "I will give you what you need," she says, "and let you take it from me. If you want to give back, give back." He then has his way with her, and it is very uncomfortable to watch. He kisses her, holds her, pins her against a wall, and then to bed. She just lies back while he projects his affections, and maybe his frustrations, on her. It's somewhere between what Hearn did to Sierra, and Adelle did to Victor. It's artificial love, the worst kind. It's also the moment Paul Ballard becomes a White Knight with armour heavily corroded on the inside.
Meanwhile, Echo/Margaret rides King's Ransom in the dark, which is symbolic of her situation. Then, she meets someone at the stable. It's Nicholas...who reveals he knows Julia is really his mom. He even knows about the Dollhouse, the NY branch. Believe it or not, she is relieved someone knows the truth. It also leads to a pretty strange scene that also looks like a twisted version of 17 Again. Seeing Echo/Margaret talk to Nicholas as his mom is really weird at so many levels. He does admit he's had a rough time on Wall Street, but she says it will be OK somehow. They also overhear Victor/Drew tell Jack that King's Ransom is loaded with steroids, and would die if he raced again. Jack is very angry, and starts swinging a shovel at everything in sight. He comes close to hitting "Julia", but Nicholas stabs him. She and Nicholas head to her bedroom, where she can write a letter revealing the truth...dated before she died of course. He reminds her to include the fact she died when a steroid masking agent was injected into her....which Jack never knew about because he has an alibi.
Yes, the son did it. Killing Mom will solve his financial problems, and framing Jack will be easy. However, Jack is able to save her by shooting Nicholas and subduing him. Later, Echo/Margaret revises her will with another fake letter, and makes up with Jocelyn and everyone else. She even leaves one more letter for Jack, letting him know he was special to her.
As for Paul, he stands in the shower, realizing what he has just done. He's been condemning what the Dollhouse does for a long time. Now, he's a willing participant. As Mellie asks if Paul will be busy looking for Dollhouse clients, he sadly says he's found one. That client will always be there. He just has to find a mirror.
As Margaret heads back to the Great Beyond, Adelle asks her if she was tempted to run away with Echo's body. That would make a great sequel. Besides, she wouldn't get far, and she's had her time. At least she's made amends. She finally asks if her life will flash before her eyes when Echo's wiped clean. Adelle assures her she will.
The episode was an interesting murder mystery, which proved again you can't fight a ghost, or one that's borrowing an Active's body. It also showed that Paul Ballard, while claiming to be the White Knight, is all too human. However, it seems Paul fell into temptation too quickly. He stopped seeing Mellie as a woman, and more of a Doll who can be anyone if you "dressed her up right". What's more, she told him he could do that. Even so, he should have held back, should have stopped and apologized. We still don't know why he started investigating the Dollhouse, either. Hopefully, we'll find out in the next two weeks, when a storm is coming that will make Katrina look like scattered showers.
Or maybe the storm has already hit. Prison Break has not been the lead-in the show had hoped it would be. This week's numbers are the lowest yet: 1.9/3, and 1.2/4 in the 18-49 demo.
Expect the DVR numbers to be much higher, but it may not be enough. It looks like Paul Ballard will never knock down the Dollhouse. Lincoln and Michael, and their mom, may have beaten him to the punch.
Still, there is hope, even if it's dim. We'll talk about that soon.
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Dollhouse at the Paley Festival
Even with Dollhouse facing the threat of cancellation, Joss Whedon scored his second straight sellout with his panel on the show, moderated by Matt Roush of TV Guide. That living doll, Eliza Dushku, was there, along with fellow dolls Miracle Laurie and Dichen Lachman, along with Fran Kranz aka Topher, and writers Sarah Fain and Liz Craft, who wrote two episodes. I was hoping we'd see Amy Acker, Harry Lennix, or Olivia Williams, but this was still a good panel.
Although I got some good pictures, we were not allowed to bring digital recorders, and that included real internet reporters. So this is one big paraphasing, but a fairly good account.
For a while, it looked like we wouldn't get a sell-out, but the Cinerama Dome was packed just before seven p-m. I even brought a doll with me. It wasn't one of those Echo dolls Fox gave to reporters along with the screener, but I could pretend the remains of Laurence Dominic still got a good seat..
Before the panel, we saw episode eight, "Needs", where some of the Actives were able to get closure, and therefore be glitch-free from now on. In theory.
The crowd loved the show, with the cast members having a ball, too. One of the first subjects was that 13th episode that Fox, the TV show maker, wanted for DVD sales and foreign TV, but Fox, the network, decided not to air because it already got its 13 episodes...if you count "Echo", the pilot that never was. In any case, Joss says the episode is incredible, and so will the rest of the shows coming in the next few weeks.
As for whether there's a future, Joss admits his feelings have been moving from resignation to, well, hope. While the regular ratings are soft, the DVR and demo numbers are encouraging. I say throw in Hulu downloads,and we start writing season two immediately.
As for the show, he admits it's been a difficult birthing process, but he praised the cast for its patience through the whole thing. Remember, Firefly's pilot was shown last, but the Dollhouse series has been produced out of order. Fans in the know are aware many parts of "Echo" were used in the first few episodes, and some will be used in "Omega" next month.
Of course, Eliza had lots of praise for the guy who made her a vampire-slaying babe, and admitted she liked his mind. Also, the show has let her do a lot of things, from being a tomboy to a butt-kicking safecracker, and also some challenging roles like when she was a blind prophet in "True Believer". Very soon, she'll actually be older in another engagement, with Bad Horse (yes, that one) in a cameo role.
Fran Kranz had some interesting things to say about the process of getting the show off the ground, and how it's help him understand his character, Topher Brink. He admitted that he thinks Topher is like a child. He says his intelligence is so great, he's never related to anyone until the Dollhouse. He even compared Topher as a guy who plays with his toys, except they're full-sized people. He also said that his relationship with Adelle is almost maternal, which really explains how they've had to rely on each other lately. By the way, Fran was in a movie called The TV Set, which spoofed the process of pilot season. He noted some similarities between the plot with how Dollhouse was developed
Now, how about this huggable doll, Miracle Laurie, who plays November? When we first saw her, she was the girl next door who seems to be a little too interested in Paul. She says she's had to tell her family that she'll be doing more than just give Paul Italian food. She also loves the reaction she's been getting from fans as well as family. She's also pointed out that being a doll is a little difficult because it's something no one has done before. She did point out that although all Actives are supposed to be totally neutral, they still are different in very subtle ways.
As for Dichen, she also says it's been a blast. She especially loved being the dorky fan in "Stage Fright." She's also aware that the show suggests Sierra is the only Active who was forced into the Dollhouse, while the others "volunteered". That fact, she says, brings up many of the ethical issues in the show.
So what can we expect in the future? Eliza still calls Echo "the awesomest glitcher in the world", which may suggest she will keep "evolving" Joss, meanwhile, says Echo may be passive as we get closer to the season finale, but not all the time.
Joss says the casting process can change the characters themselves. DeWitt, for example, was supposed to be some kind of dragon lady, but Olivia Williams' take on DeWitt has made her something different, namely evil yet sympathetic.
Also, the role of the Dollhouse itself has changed. We know the Actives perform engagements, and the details are supposed to be private. Then someone asked, what about all that information the Dollhouse gathers? What is done with that?
Hmmm...
The audience then got a chance to ask some questions. One person asked if we'd get some stories about the staff. Fran suggested that we see Topher shop at the supermarket..and spot Paul there. That would set up a scary confrontation at the frozen foods section.
Then someone asked if Joss thought about making his own shows and bypass everyone, especially the networks? While he's impressed how far the internet has come, even as an alternatives to the nets, he says TV is the place for him, and that having a chance to tell stories in that medium is a privilege. He didn't say if he'd work exclusively for cable in the future, but at least he still believes in the keen flat screen, formerly the boob tube.
There was also one person who saw a connection about human experimentation among all of Joss' shows. There could be a link between the Actives, River Tam and how her brain was hacked by the Academy in Firefly, and Adam, the undead cyborg the Initiative made in Buffy. Joss was a bit surprised by this, but did point it it can be seen as a metaphor of how we are conditioned by society. He also talked about A.I., and how that has influenced him.
Then the cast was asked what was their favorite parts of the set. Eliza liked the art corner where Echo could paint, do a little bonzai, or something "artistic". Fran liked Topher's lab because he can store some stuff from craft services, but he also liked Dr.Saunder's office. Dichen also liked Topher's lab, but Miracle has her special place in a nook under the lab.
So how much will be revealed after "Omega", and even "Epitath One", ends. Joss estimates about 35 percent, but assures everyone that episode will open plenty of doors that will guide viewers to another twisty season.
If Fox gives us one, that is.
The only thing I wish I had was Eliza's autograph on my Dollhouse screener, but a good picture of her is just as good.
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