Saturday, 22 August 2009

Dollhouse Season 1


*****SOME SPOILERS BELOW*****


Just finished watching the entire season one of Dollhouse for the first time, on DVD.
Don't listen to all the negative reviews for this show, it is brilliant. Remember, Joss is God, he can do no wrong.

Buffy and Angel are two of my favourite series of all time, with Firefly not far behind, and now Dollhouse can join the ranks of genius.

OK, so the first few episodes are not great, but they still had enough intrigue to keep me watching. And yes, episode 6, Man on the Street is where things kick off.

But do not watch this show expecting to see another Buffy or Firefly, because you will be disappointed. The tone of Dollhouse is a bit of a departure from Joss' usual work. It is a more mature piece of television. That's not to say that it is deadly serious or unfunny. Joss' trademark wit is still present, it just takes a few episodes to really get into it.

Joss has a way of creating the kind of characters that are so easy to fall in love with, and he has created them in spades here.

It doesn't matter that Echo gets mind wiped every episode, she is still able to exhibit character growth and development.

Boyd Langton is the father figure of Dollhouse, and is one of the few with a conscience, and out to keep the dolls safe.

Topher. I love Topher. He's the geeky type genius tech guy, and gets a lot of the funny lines.

Paul Ballard is the FBI guy assigned to the Dollhouse case, and is determined to bring it down. He may have to change his thinking for next season. His relationship with Mellie/November is great to watch, but it was a little bit twisted there for a while. Plus, he is played by Tahmoh Penikett, and whats not to love there. And yes, I am shallow.

Sierra is one of my favourite characters. She's just really easy to like, and it is impossible not to love her, especially after her story in Man on the Street. And am totally loving the Sierra/Victor thing going on, and can't wait to see how that develops.

Victor is my other favourite character. He's funny, he's cute, he's sweet, and just all round great in every persona.

Adelle DeWitt comes across at first as someone to to hate, out for the money, and all that. But as the series goes along you realise that she actually has a heart, and that she cares for the dolls and the people that work for her.

Amy Acker gets to play the part of Dr Claire Saunders, who by the seasons end is revealed to be an doll. This was something that I had been suspecting for a while, and wasn't spoiled ahead of time, so it was a good surprise when it turned out to be true.

Laurence Dominic is the head security guy. He really doesn't like Echo, and you can sort of see his point of view, because of what happened with Alpha. But he is a character that you love to hate. His big reveal in A Spy in the House of Love as the spy was not expected, and that he ended up in the attic always means that we could end up seeing him again later on.

Miracle Laurie plays Mellie, a neighbour of Paul's. It is difficult not to get spoiled for some of this when you have to wait for the DVD's to watch it, and so I already knew that she was also November, another doll. But by the way certain characters were talking about her, I started to think that maybe she just wasn't one yet. But then she got triggered by Adelle, so I was still able to be surprised by her.

Ghosts: Is a bit of a messy episode, but it introduces the characters, and gives you an impression of what it is they do at this Dollhouse.

The Target: Topher gets some good lines here, particularly why anyone would want to be in the middle of nowhere. Kinda agree with him there.

Stage Fright: Hated Rayna. But other than that this was pretty good. And shows off Eliza's voice.

Gray Hour: An OK episode. More of the intrigue with Alpha, and remote wiping.

True Believer: Pretty good. And Topher gets the best line again. 'Something came up'. But it also develops Victor and Sierra.

Man on the Street: This is great.. You can really see this show getting better every episode.

Echoes: This is a funny episode, with characters getting infected with a drug, that makes them all high. Typical Whedon humour.

Needs: One of my favourite episodes. Love the scene in the wardrobe with Victor. In fact Victor is just awesome in this one.

A Spy in the House of Love: Another great episode, that twist and turns.

Haunted: Completely love Topher using Sierra for a friend on his birthday, and Adelle knowing about it.

Briar Rose: Alan Tudyk made this episode, playing the funny guy, with a 'carrot plantation', and then at the flick of a switch becomes a total psychotic killer.

Omega: Loved it! The multiple personalities of Alpha were extremely entertaining. And Alpha escaped so he should be back. Guessed that it would November at the end that Paul freed, and not Echo. Not sure how she will fit into season 2 now.

Epitaph One: Not sure how I feel about this one. It might be an episode that will make more sense when season 2 has aired, and we can see how it fits into the whole scheme of things, but it was nice to see where the story could lead.

Cannot wait for season 2, but thank God I have the DVD's to rewatch in the meantime.

















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