Dollhouse

'Dollhouse': An identity crisis in a fantasy world
Feb. 10, 2009, 2:10 PM EST
NEW
YORK (AP) -- "Dollhouse" follows the search for self-awareness by a
woman methodically stripped of hers. At the same time, it's a thriller
about the plushest escort service in the history of the world. And
along with its brooding intrigue and sexual sizzle, there are some
laughs. "We go to some very silly places," promises Joss Whedon, the series' mastermind. Who
but Whedon could round up so many disparate elements, pile on even more
ideas, then fuse the whole thing into a juicy TV series? Remember,
he was the guy with enough creative moxie to launch the Old West into
outer space with his beloved, if short-lived, "Firefly." And he dared
to build a campy horrorfest around a girl named Buffy whose days were
filled with school, friends — and vampire slaying. Now comes "Dollhouse," the 44-year-old Whedon's latest, much-awaited bubbling brew, which premieres Friday at 9 p.m. EST on Fox. It
stars Eliza Dushku (whose credits include "Buffy the Vampire Slayer,"
"Bring It On" and the recent "Bottle Shock") as Echo, a customized
companion with a seven-figure price tag — per day. No wonder. Echo's
science-savvy keepers at the Dollhouse have wiped clean her inborn
consciousness so that she, like her fellow male and female "Actives,"
can be ideally personalized for each client. "Everything you
want, everything you need, SHE will be," the Dollhouse boss explains to
a prospective customer, emphasizing that Echo does it "honestly and
completely." And when Echo emerges from each
job/assignment/caper , she asks, "Did I fall asleep?" Her latest
identity makeover has been neatly expunged. That's life in the
Whedon-conjured Dollhouse, a luxury residential spa for its Actives,
who are pampered in their off-time and protected when they're hired out. Does this glamorous depiction make Whedon an apologist for prostitution? "The
first person who ever said that this show was in danger of doing the
worst thing possible, and somehow glorifying human trafficking, was
me," he says. "Obviously, that's the last thing I want to do." Instead,
he wants "Dollhouse" to examine the stuff that fascinates him (such as
why people want what they want and what they'll do to get it), all
played out in a fantasy world. "The issues we are dealing with
have nothing to do with the reality of how those things are," says
Whedon, adding that a big part of the show asks: "What are we ashamed
of, that we shouldn't be? And, what are we not ashamed of, that we
should be?" Inquiries like that are not the usual province of a
network TV series. Nor is a heroine whose defining trait (other than
her gorgeous looks) is an identity that isn't there. Or is it? "The
heart of the show is Echo's evolution as a person, her struggle to
self-actualize," Whedon says. "When she's in her doll-like state, she
is so vulnerable and so trusting. And yet she's naturally inquisitive,
so she can't stay in that state — no matter what they do to her." Even
in the Dollhouse, science has its limitations. The premiere of
"Dollhouse" marks an interim step for the series, not its beginning, in
the eyes of Whedon devotees. For a year or more, they have monitored
news of the show's development. And they've been worried by reports of
its difficult gestation. (In one seeming setback, Whedon chose to scrap
the show's pilot and reshoot from scratch.) Has this intense fan focus resulted in a show that, upon its arrival, might already seem in trouble? "I
don't think that's something that hurts us in any real way," says
Whedon, who spoke gratefully of his fans' abiding interest. "The people
who feel that the show may have been compromised are the people who are
probably going to hang in." With shooting of the season's 13
episodes having wrapped last week, Whedon calls on all "Dollhouse"
watchers to take the long view. "I feel very strongly that there
are a lot of exciting elements in place from the start," he says. "But
the storytelling, and what we're able to do with the premise, grows
throughout the season. We reach a place that's very much the place I
had intended to get to — we just got there by a different path" than he
might have preferred. "After a dark sort of search to figure out
'what is the show?' and 'how do we keep the integrity of the show?' we
finished the season feeling a creative high," he says, looking happy. On a show like "Dollhouse," call this a process of self-actualization.< /p> ———

Not sure what to think of this. I enjoyed BTVS but I'm not sure if that was because of Joss Whedon or in spite of him.

I'm not a huge fan of Eliza Dushku's acting though I grant she has a certain charisma.

I'll probably give this a look see...with reservations.

30 minutes into this... :indecision:

Yes, the first part was confusing. I reserve judgement overall but I did like Summer and Eliza doing the spiels during the breaks. :lol:

1st ep wasn't bad...nothing to write home about. i imagine that i'll watch it a few more times to see if i can get into it or not. ( it worked with "fringe")

While Dollhouse can't measure up to Sarah Conner, there was one great line last night.....still has me chuckling...

When Echo takes the semi-auto (why did it have a silencer? ) from the guy that was shot with the arrow he says: "Do you know how to use this ?"

She pulls the slide back...."4 brothers, none of them Democrats"...........

I forgot it was on.

enjoyed the second episode. just wish it wasn't on same time as clone wars(well, at least cartoon network runs it to death...i can see it another time...)

I'm not sure if Dollhouse will measure up to Whedon's rep.in the fans eyes, but the exotic looking Asian girl , Dichen Lachman, is becoming my favorite character. She is Australian-Nepalese, meaning I guess that one parent was Australian although she doesn't look like one parent was Caucasion. Anyway, she brings an exotic touch to the show. I had never heard of her, but she looked vaguely familiar and thought she may have played one of Buffy's minions with just a little screen time in one of those scenes where they mill around in the background......but IMDB says she came to the states in '07, so I guess not. But another case of an Aussie actress landing a good role in a short time after arriving, but not as quickly as Emile of course.....


Date of Birth


[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.], [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]



Nickname


Deach


Height


5' 7½" (1.71 m)



Mini Biography


Dichen Lachman was conceived in Japan and born in Kathmandu, Nepal
to a Tibetan mother and Australian father. Until the age of seven she
lived in Kathmandu with her parents and extended family. Following that
she moved to Adelaide, Australia with her parents. After dropping out
of University Dichen took up acting and then moved to Sydney to pursue
her career. Her first major role was in Aquamarine 2005 followed by a
fourteen month stint on the Australian series Neighbours for which she
moved to Melbourne. At the beginning of 2007 she moved to West
Hollywood where she has been cast in a number of as yet unproduced
roles.

dollhouse is the first show i can recall seeing her in...

I got tired of baseball preempting Dollhouse so found the Oct. 23rd episode online which stars Dichen. You can watch it on the Fox site or here's some stills.

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Fringe doesn't have any preempted episodes online.

Twitterverse Responds To ‘Dollhouse’ Cancellation


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Nov 12th, 2009 | 8:52 AM | Comments [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

At 3:20 pm ET Wednesday, [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] reported that Fox had canceled Joss Whedon series ‘[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.].’
The news isn’t shocking - it faced challenges since its debut, from
being relegated to a Friday night slot to constantly struggling in the
ratings.
Although it didn’t come as a complete surprise, the news still stung
for the series’ loyal fanbase. Within moments, Twitter was slammed with
reactions, and ‘Dollhouse’ reached the Top 10 Twitter Trending Topics
thirty minutes later. By 4:30 pm ET, it was the second most talked
about subject.
Twitter wasn’t just a forum for dismayed fans. The people behind
‘Dollhouse’ also shared their feelings on the cancellation in 140
characters or less.
The first person from the Whedon camp to make a statement via Twitter was ‘Dollhouse’ writer Maurissa Tancharoen ([You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]), who confirmed the news. “Yes. Cancelled. Sad but true.”
Dichen Lachman ([You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]), ‘Dollhouse’s’ ‘Sierra’, followed suit, and encouraged fans to stay with it until the end.
“Keep watching guys fox is still showing all 13,” then added, “Feel sad though. Joss told us this morning.”
Lachman had delivered a powerhouse performance last month in “Belonging”, arguably the finest episode in Season 2 so far.
Actor Fran Kranz ([You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]),
aka ‘Dollhouse’ programmer ‘Topher Brink’, later tweeted, “It’s hard.
I’m sad. But they will air the rest and they are going to be great.
Thanks for being great fans and giving us all a 2nd season.”
Jane Espenson ([You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]),
writer/producer extraordinaire, commented it was a “sad day for
television.” She was a consulting producer on ‘Dollhouse,’ and has been
part of the Whedonverse since Buffy.
Other TV industry folk chimed in as well, including ‘[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]‘ executive producer Hart Hanson ([You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]),
who tweeted his thoughts on the demise. “Agh. Dollhouse! It’s always a
bummer when one of your neighbors on the lot gets Grim Reapered. The
cold chill of mortality.”
Based solely on the strong Twitter response, you’d think ratings would have been the least of Dollhouse’s problems. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] summed it up best: “I find it interesting that Dollhouse can trend on Twitter yet can’t get huge ratings.”
The series was always a hot topic in the online world, but a
significant online presence and solid DVR numbers were not enough to
save it.
Following the news, Whedon [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.], saying: “I’m
off to pursue internet ventures/binge drinking. Possibly that
relaxation thing I’ve read so much about. By the time the last episode
airs, you’ll know what my next project is. But for now there’s a lot of
work still to be done, and disappointment to bear.”
The only consolation is there are 9 more episodes yet to air, and
Joss Whedon is being given the opportunity to end the series properly.
‘Dollhouse’ will be “sent to the attic” on January 22nd, with the following air schedule:
12/4 (2 hours)
12/11 (2 hours)
12/18 (2 hours)
1/8 (1 hour)
1/15 (1 hour)
1/22 (1 hour / series finale)

Ah...

Booo...stupid network

Finale is tonight. Some of it takes place in the future if the previews make sense.... [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Darn Fox! They did it again...Part one of the finale was pre-empted due to the Haiti fundraiser...most channels bumped back their shows but not Fox...so, just seeing part 2...I didn't get what was going on at all.

So uncool!
Boo!

They skipped the week the Haitian Fundraiser was on.

The Hollow Men was the last episode before this final one. They say Epitaph Two (which is the finale) doesn't make much sense if you never saw the 13th unaired episode of Season one called Epitaph One. It is on the DVD set.

If you missed Hollow Men, you can see it here

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