Possible that Joss has 'dumbed down' Dollhouse to please the network

POSTED BY: OPPYH
UPDATED: Thursday, January 1, 2009 19:26
VIEWED: 3957
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OPPYH

Monday, December 22, 2008 12:48 AM

Here's the review of the pilot episode from IGN.com:

"So… I’ve seen the first episode of Joss Whedon’s Dollhouse. Yes, the much anticipated, much discussed, much stressed over — by Whedon fans nervous about network tampering — series arrived on my desk yesterday.

As you may have read by now, Dollhouse tells the tale of Echo (Eliza Dushku), a young woman working (though some would use more damning words) for a mysterious company as an "Active." Her memories have essentially been wiped clean, leaving her in a simplistic, childlike state... until she gets an assignment, at which point she has a completely new identity and skill set imprinted upon her, as she temporarily becomes whomever the client wants or needs her to be for a given situation.

The show doesn’t feel like anything Joss Whedon has done before, in ways both positive and negative. On one hand, it’s great that the man who brought us such amazing television as Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel and Firefly (all among my very favorite TV shows) is creating another new world and a series that isn’t directly evoking his earlier work or feeling like a simple copy of something he’s done before. And there’s no doubt he’s come up with an idea that is noteworthy and raises lots of intriguing questions.

On the other hand, some small moments aside, the first episode – and note, this is the new first episode, replacing the earlier one which has been discarded – is surprisingly lacking when it comes to the trademark wit Whedon is known for. Even the most outwardly geeky character, Topher (Fran Kranz), has only some mildly amusing lines rather than anything all that funny or memorable, and he’s the type of clever audience proxy and/or sarcasm supplier Whedon usually excels at.

There is definitely a strong concept at work here – In a nutshell, you have a show that feels like Alias meets The Matrix, which is a pretty cool combination. The idea that Echo and her fellow "actives" can have any identity and skill imprinted upon them means the show has tremendous opportunities as far as exploring very different scenarios and even delving into multiple genres, depending on what Echo is sent to do each week. Without getting specific, the two scenarios in the first episode do a good job showing how very different these situations can be, as one is basically about romance and excitement, while the other is truly about life or death.

Simply by virtue of the way he is investigating the rumors of "the Dollhouse" – the nickname given to the place where the actives live and are programmed – Tahmoh Penikett’s FBI agent Paul Ballard feels a bit disconnected from the main story in the first episode, but that will no doubt change as time goes on. The always dependable Olivia Williams and Harry Lennix meanwhile quickly resonate as two of Echo’s bosses, who have very different sensibilities regarding Echo and the other actives – and the morality of what they are doing.

There have been questions regarding Dushku, and if the actress – so often cast as the tough girl – is the right person to pull off a role that will presumably need to show a tremendous amount of range. The first episode leaves the answer to that question unclear. Certainly, Dushku seems a bit more at home in one of the personas (hint: it’s the more lighthearted one) we see her playing than the other, but she also doesn’t embarrass herself in the least in the other. Whedon is clearly going to ask a lot of her in the episodes to come, and as a longtime fan of Dushku (Faith ruled!), I’m definitely pulling for her.

The first episode lacked a certain energy Whedon’s work usually has, and I felt myself thinking "this is interesting", without actually getting caught up in the story on a visceral level. It should be noted that Whedon has said that FOX has asked for the show to be more action-oriented, but that’s not exactly the case in the pilot, which has thriller elements, but not much in the way of kicking ass – at least not from Echo as yet. That’s not to say this (or any) show needs gun play and martial arts

ZEEK

Monday, December 22, 2008 1:12 AM

It's possible that he made it more complex as well. Possibilities are endless. At this point it's not too far out. Let's just wait and see for ourselves. I'm sure someone will get their hands on the unaired pilot as well.

OPPYH

Monday, December 22, 2008 2:17 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Zeek:
It's possible that he made it more complex as well. Possibilities are endless. At this point it's not too far out. Let's just wait and see for ourselves. I'm sure someone will get their hands on the unaired pilot as well.

Yes.
We'll just have to wait and see.
It would be a tragedy if Joss streamlined a series just to gain mass acceptance to "normal" people with little imagination.

ECGORDON

Monday, December 22, 2008 4:19 AM

I refuse to worry about Dollhouse, and I have also stopped reading any and all reports about it, positive or negative. It'll either work or it won't, and even if it's the greatest thing since Firefly (or even better ) doesn't mean it will be embraced by enough viewers to keep it on the air. We just need to wait 54 more days to satisfy our curiosity.

ZEEK

Monday, December 22, 2008 5:00 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by OPPYH:
It would be a tragedy if Joss streamlined a series just to gain mass acceptance to "normal" people with little imagination.

See I don't think it would be. I'm ready for Joss to give in to society for once and just make something that appeals to the masses. I mean look at J.J. Abrams. He started Lost and got it through one good season before he left and the whole thing went to hell. Still he can probably pitch about any idea and get a green light now. Plus his name pulls in a bunch of Lost viewers no problem.

If Joss just got one huge mainstream success under his belt then he could go back to doing deeper shows that don't get canceled.

HAKEN

Monday, December 22, 2008 8:56 AM

EW.COM has posted a clip of Echo's memories being erased.

http://ausiellofiles.ew.com/2008/12/exclusive-dollh.html

FILLYGIRL

Monday, December 22, 2008 12:00 PM

Thanks Haken!
I will wait and see(the show) for myself and hope that F*x stays 'out of it'.

Chaplain of the 76th Independant Battalion

Do not bother dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!

...it's worse than you know...Operative
...it usually is.....Mal

OPPYH

Wednesday, December 24, 2008 1:24 AM

A new review of the pilot from Thestar.com:

_________________________________________________

This year my Christmas came a few days early.

I came into work late last week to find my desk buried beneath a mountain of envelopes and packages.

Excavation uncovered some delightful unexpected surprises: DVD screeners previewing new and returning Fox (and one FX) series I was particularly looking forward to.

It amounted to seven hours’ viewing time, which I happily crammed into a single Sunday, prompting my spouse to comment in passing, "You have the best job in the world."

I could not disagree.

Hour One: Dollhouse

This one was of particular interest, given a) the long absence of fan-favourite fantasist Joss (Buffy) Whedon from our TV screens, and b) the characteristic abuse heaped upon him by a meddling and trigger-happy Fox network (one word: Firefly).

The resulting pilot shows aspects of both: a nifty concept, sporadically witty dialogue, a way-cool set (Whedon is as masterfully visual as he is verbal) ... and several glaringly dumbed-down story issues he clearly had to compromise on to even get the thing on the air.

I will not spoil it for you, except to warn you of one particular, ludicrously coincidental plot point that will cause you to spout whatever beverage you are drinking out through your nose (in my case hot coffee – it wasn’t pretty).

I also worry about lead actor Eliza Dushku, who is supposed to be playing a radically different character every week, for which I seriously doubt she has the range.

Apparently, one of these will be a 60-year-old woman and it’s a pretty safe bet it ain’t gonna be another Brad Pitt in Benjamin Button.

There is also the show’s unfortunate resemblance to the quickly cancelled My Own Worst Enemy.

Of all my Sunday screeners, this is the one we’ll have the longest wait for, debuting in its Friday-night "death slot," with a relocated Terminator as its lead-in, on Feb. 13.

That’s Friday the 13th.

I’m just saying.

GWENEVERE

Friday, December 26, 2008 4:41 AM

Is it just me or does the set look like Wolfram & Hart on Angel?

I hope, even if it means waiting for the dvd, we get to see both the original pilot and the new first episode.

DARKFLY

Friday, December 26, 2008 1:42 PM

After watching the first trailer (ages ago), then the newer shinier trailer for Dollhouse my conclusion both times was very similar to this review. I'm gonna watch it obviously if only cause I love Whedon but I don't think its gonna be anywhere as good as Whedon's previous work's but I'll keep my fingers crossed.

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