Canceled...

So long, Dollhouse. For what it's worth, the show never really took off for me--lots of promise and potential, but always several steps from greatness.

Random Link Dumping...

...because my bookmark file is getting unruly.

1) Awesome collection of photos, courtesy of The Big Picture, marking the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. The before and after ones are pretty amazing.

2) Metaphors people use to describe their lives. Most days, I'll go with "a journey," although sometimes it feels like "a battle" (yes, I am being dramatic), and when I am teaching, a lot like "a performance."

3) A blog of bank robbery notes. This one is a bit addictive. And lord help me, some of these read like little found poems. I love how some are so short and simple (one simply says "$250,000"). Others are (perhaps not surprisingly) marked by some serious spelling/grammar mistakes. And who knew so many robbers were concerned about dye packs? Finally, gotta love how many of them say please or thank you.

4) Are the Dexter fans out there aware of these animated webisodes about our favorite serial killer's early adventures? Very cool.

5) Poor Dollhouse. It's probably too late to do anything to save this show, but that doesn't mean people won't try viral marketing campaigns.

6) In better Whedonesque news, check out what Nathan Fillion has to say about more Dr. Horrible.

TV links...mostly about Dollhouse

Just some quick links I've been collecting:

1) Good news for Dollhouse fans who are worried about low ratings: lots of people are watching the show on DVR. That's true for me: I have yet to watch a single episode while it aired. (Sidenote: How did I ever survive without a DVR?)

2) A fun interview with Eliza Dushku.

3) An essay about a topic I've thought about before: What if a TV show would really work better as a movie? (And yes, this pieces uses Dollhouse as a specific example.)

4) Matt Groening on The Simpsons and Futurama.

Dollhouse Premiere

Despite my enthusiasm for the show, for a bunch of reasons (including that nasty cold I mentioned below and a couple of very busy days), I actually only got around to watching the premiere of Dollhouse tonight. If you've heard any early buzz/reviews, you probably know that they've been mixed at best. And I've gotta say, if this show didn't feature the name Joss Whedon and some of his best cronies, I'd be a lot less eager to tune in for episode two. (The buzz on episode two, by the way, is that it is much stronger.)

With that said, here are some of my initial thoughts and reactions, some good, some bad, and some neither:

1) I will love Eliza Dushku forever for her amazing portrayal of Faith on Buffy and Angel. However, she isn't that great of an actress beyond that role (and I say this having watched all of Tru Calling, and trying to deny that she wasn't very good in it, either). The scenes where Eliza (as Echo) is "blank" (that is, not in a role she has been programmed to play) are especially painful to watch. Let's hope she improves or they start focusing more on the other Actives.

2) Topher is annoying. Is he supposed to be funny? This show's Xander? I don't see it. Plus, it's hard to like the guy who wipes the memories of these women (a process that looks painful).

3) Some of the standard-pilot-exposition/introduction-to-the-show's-mythology was especially clunky. Again, this sort of exposition dumping is kind of inevitable in a pilot episode, but I think Joss is capable of more. One egregious example: When asked if the procedure Echo just underwent was successful, Topher answers, "Why don't you ask Echo? Oh, right. You can't. Because she doesn't remember!" (or something like that). We get it--the procedure was a memory dump, but again, messy execution.

4) How awesome to see Amy Acker! Why is she only a guest star? Why can't she be a series regular?

5) Despite the criticisms above, there was plenty of vintage Joss to be found in this episode. I thought the exchange between Boyd and Echo when she (or was it Eleanor Penn?) remembers her own kidnapping was especially moving. The whole "you can't fight a ghost" theme is well...haunting.

6) I also loved when "Eleanor" is talking to Gabriel, the client, and relates her memory of being kidnapped. (And again--how can it be her memory if "Eleanor" doesn't really exist?) Gabriel, full of concern for his own child, mentions "the terrible memories these men put in your head" and asks "Why would they do that?" A great line with layers of meaning and ambiguity.

7) About halfway through, I really began to appreciate how different this show is from Buffy, Angel, or Firefly just in terms of setting. After all, Dollhouse takes place in a fairly realistic world (albeit one with advanced and improbable technology). No monsters, vampires, or futuristic space travel. That's strange for a Whedon show--and might take awhile to get used to. Not a complaint--just an observation.

7) How great was it to see the "Grr! Argh!" logo on TV again?

So that's all for now except for one final observation: early in the episode, Echo discusses the phrase "blank slate." "You ever try to clean an actual slate?" she asks. "You always see what was on it before." I wonder if Whedon fans see Dollhouse this way. It's a whole new show from our beloved Joss, but we can't help but mention it to what came before and are disappointed when lightening doesn't immediately appear to strike again.

P.S. Maybe all of this doesn't matter if, as indicated here, Joss is done with TV.

Some more Whedon love...

A couple of Joss Whedon links:

1) Critical Studies in Television is beginning to collect some scholarly articles on Dr. Horrible. Oh for the time to really read these! And check out the way these folks are redefining scholarship--not just in terms of subject matter, but in terms of what
an article looks like (including youtube clips, etc.) Very exciting stuff.

2) Joss Whedon on NPR talking about Dollhouse. Other than the cringe-inducing headline (seriously--that's the best they could come up with?), it's a pretty decent read and gets me even more excited for Friday's premiere. Too bad I don't live close to Someday Phd anymore, as we could have a heck of a viewing party.

A bit too soon, I think...

Dollhouse fans have already started to campaign to save the show--before it's even aired. This seems like a misstep to me, since it only amplifies the show's vulnerability and makes it seem like a genre/cult show "ordinary" viewers should avoid. But you gotta love the heart Whedon fans show.

More on Dollhouse

A couple links related to Dollhouse, which I first blogged about here.

• First, a Q&A with Joss Whedon. And can I add that the internet musical they talk about sounds like a ton of fun?
• Second, a (brief) photo essay on "The Women of Whedon" (actually a link I found on the first article).
• Third, a brief clip from the show itself.

Can you tell I am excited for this one?

Dollhouse

So is it too early to be excited for next season's new TV series? Well, not if we are talking about Joss Whedon's Dollhouse. Ausiello and the crew over at TV Guide have had lots of info about casting for the show, but here's a nice post (a bit old) about the pilot script. Can't wait!