Beren44
I am going to keep beating on this drum until some of you step in line and start marching with me. If you haven't seen it, you are missing a jewel. It is not at all what it appears to be. Some people rejected it early on, thinking it was too racy, or a crude statement about degradation of females, or whatever the current 'politically correct' statement is these days, concerning that. It is anything but! Quite the opposite. In fact, it was in its short run, one of the best developments of character I have ever seen. And quite a statement on the condition of mankind, in general. Particular kudos to the characters of Adelle DeWitt (Olivia Williams) and Topher Brink (Fran Kranz) for their growth through the series, and to Alpha (Alan Tudyk) for a perfect schizophrenic character. Although, its not even really fair to single them out, because others do just as good a job. Enver Gjokaj, Dichen Lachman, and my own heartthrob, Summer Glau, come to mind.I can tell already, this is going to be a long post, so grab a beverage and hang on with me. I've said it before, the casting, and directing, are truly well done. In typical Whedon style, it is a bit slow starting. The first 5 episodes seem a bit disjointed, yet there are hidden arcs being developed, that you are not aware of on first viewing. Then 1x06 kicks in, and things start getting interesting. And it pretty much never lets up after that. By the time you hit 1x09, chances are you will be binge-watching all the way to the end.One point worth noting, and it has been discussed at length elsewhere, is the order of viewing. There are two distinct camps concerning this. It involves the episodes 1x13, and 2x13. They are titled, respectively, Epitaph 1 & 2. Some claim that Epitaph 1 should be watched in sequence, at the end of season 1. I belong to the camp that says, 'save them' until you have viewed the rest of the series. (24 other episodes total, in 2 seasons, then the epitaphs).If you have ever enjoyed a good, lengthy, Steven King novel, such as The Dead Zone, or The Stand, and had no clue what was really going on, after being 25% done with the book, you will appreciate the manner in which this story unfolds. Eventually, it all makes sense, and there is a huge payoff before it is done. Hope I have convinced you to give it a watch! I have all sorts of personal views about the subtleties of the show, and I hope for a chance one day to meet Joss Whedon at a comic-con fest, and probe his mind a bit.
dawnner
Before reading the rest of this, please understand that I'm a huge Whedon fan. We have nearly everything he's done on disc and currently watch Marvel Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D with enthusiasm. With that out there, here's what I think of Dollhouse....Meh.The story line is actually interesting (a hi-tech sex slave ring, with a little bit of the ick factor), and Whedon writes a strong female lead, which I always appreciate. Here you have Echo who eventually works to bring the institution down and save herself and the other women enslaved. The writing wasn't bad, and it has Amy Acker whom I adore. For what it's worth, I think Amy should have been given the lead role also. Amy is versatile while Eliza is...Eliza. Amy's change from Whiskey to Dr. Saunders was credible. However, with Eliza, I half-expected her to say "5 by 5" no matter which character she portrayed. I'm sure Eliza is a lovely person, but this role was beyond her acting skills.So, again. Meh.
A_Different_Drummer
Another reviewer nailed it -- said this did not "feel" like a Joss Whedon show. What was he thinking? It was high concept, it had potential. The first mistake was the casting. Eliza Dushku worked so well in Buffy because she was counterpoint, not merely to the star but to the ethics and morals of everyone on the Scoobie team. It was at the time a part that would be almost impossible to screw up, and she did not. But not screwing up a part is not the same as winning an Emmy. Whether, after a few outings in B-grade cheerleader movies, that justified building an entire show around her, gee, turns out Joss is human after all, and makes mistakes. The record will show that I tried to like this production and watched each episode looking for just a hint, a soupcon, of what makes a Joss Whedon show so special. Some snappy dialogue. An unexpected plot arc that comes out of nowhere but really was subtly set up 5 episodes ago. The set also made me crazy. The interior of some institution buried underground sounds great on paper, but week after week it gets claustrophobic. True confession. I watched every episode until it was yanked. And instead of anger I felt relief.
