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Post by Lola m on May 2, 2009 21:08:07 GMT -5
One thought, or two sort of related ones: Last week, Topher built himself a friend. Judging by the end of this episode, Alpha had the same idea. Oh, nice comparison! And another nice comparison!
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Post by spacecat1974 on May 2, 2009 22:25:05 GMT -5
Ballard is an idiot. Alpha kept turning away when any of the inhabitants was anywhere near them. As if it would matter whether they saw his face if he hadn't been there. Clearly something was up and he was too clueless to figure it out.
Poor Victor!
And I must echo the sentiment that the actors that play Victor and Sienna acted circles around Eliza Dushku. Not that she's a *bad* actor per se, just that they were leaps and bounds better. And Alan Tudyk!!!
Mellie/November was too whiny. And clearly the cameraman realized what a poor choice the wardrobe department made when they chose skinny jeans for someone who doesn't have stick legs.
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Post by Julia, wrought iron-y on May 3, 2009 0:36:44 GMT -5
Ballard is an idiot. Alpha kept turning away when any of the inhabitants was anywhere near them. As if it would matter whether they saw his face if he hadn't been there. Clearly something was up and he was too clueless to figure it out. Poor Victor! And I must echo the sentiment that the actors that play Victor and Sienna acted circles around Eliza Dushku. Not that she's a *bad* actor per se, just that they were leaps and bounds better. And Alan Tudyk!!! Mellie/November was too whiny. And clearly the cameraman realized what a poor choice the wardrobe department made when they chose skinny jeans for someone who doesn't have stick legs. Except Mellie looks the most "real" of any of the dolls- hell, of any of the female cast members- and she's dressed like a young woman trying to impress her lover. Alan Tudyk was scary as hell; I was impressed by that ability, as I've not seen him in that light before. Julia, and Paul is a doofus: right and wrong never get you anywhere.
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Post by Anne, Old S'cubie Cat on May 3, 2009 10:51:33 GMT -5
Ballard is an idiot. Alpha kept turning away when any of the inhabitants was anywhere near them. As if it would matter whether they saw his face if he hadn't been there. Clearly something was up and he was too clueless to figure it out. Poor Victor! And I must echo the sentiment that the actors that play Victor and Sienna acted circles around Eliza Dushku. Not that she's a *bad* actor per se, just that they were leaps and bounds better. And Alan Tudyk!!! Mellie/November was too whiny. And clearly the cameraman realized what a poor choice the wardrobe department made when they chose skinny jeans for someone who doesn't have stick legs. Except Mellie looks the most "real" of any of the dolls- hell, of any of the female cast members- and she's dressed like a young woman trying to impress her lover. Alan Tudyk was scary as hell; I was impressed by that ability, as I've not seen him in that light before. Julia, and Paul is a doofus: right and wrong never get you anywhere. I thought Mellie was presented as very young, maybe not that experienced, and afraid she'd done something to turn her lover against her. Which she had, in a way, but it was hardly her fault. It was a horrible situation all round - Ballard certainly couldn't tell her the truth. Alan Tudyk was very scary.
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Post by artemis on May 3, 2009 16:23:28 GMT -5
This episode finally made it clear how difficult it is to root for anyone on the show. There's been debates on Dollhouse sites and Whedonesque about how this story style has Joss shooting himself in the foot because there's no "scoobie style family" or characters to root for. I've kept an open mind, but I'm starting to agree. I'm finding the show to be very intriguing on an intellectual level, but with little emotional resonance... it's interesting you mention this now, because i was thinking the same thing after my last post on this thread! i enjoy talking about the show on an intellectual level, and i feel like many of the actors are very talented people whose ranges i enjoy watching, but i don't really feel much (or any, depending on the episode) emotional resonance with the show or the characters on it, and i don't find myself rooting for anybody either. yeah, exactly. this is something i've been thinking about since watching this episode - that normally i enjoy fiction (tv or otherwise) that explores ideas of moral ambiguity, but that this show is kind of sometimes testing my limits with the subject (which is impressive, really, because it's probably my favorite theme in fiction). i felt bad for victor when he got slashed, but i partially felt bad for him because he has no agency of his own; i imagine most actives would have difficulty even defending themselves (even knowing that they COULD defend themselves) in their wiped states, just like how hard it is for a child to understand exactly what a threat is, much less what to do about the threat. i don't really know. since we're almost at the end of the season, i'm wondering whether we're even going to get to see a second one.
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Post by artemis on May 3, 2009 16:27:10 GMT -5
I thought Mellie was presented as very young, maybe not that experienced, and afraid she'd done something to turn her lover against her. i agree. personally, i didn't feel anything "off" about her clothing, her mannerisms, or anything else. i think the actress that plays her did a great job in the scene. yeah, it really was. he was! his abrupt switch from the nervous, bumbling engineer to the homicidal maniac was excellent.
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Post by spacecat1974 on May 3, 2009 17:33:27 GMT -5
Usually they are a lot better at dressing the Mellie/November character in flattering clothing. The pants just looked too snug.
Definitely caught the vibe that Mellie's personality was of the "helpless maiden in need of rescue" sort.
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Post by Michelle on May 3, 2009 19:57:55 GMT -5
EchoSusan bonding with Little Susan over their shared memories. So who set this up? And Paul is back at the scene of the crime. Or, well, the FBI building. and now he's sounding like a crazy man. Alan Tudyk built the place! And yep, they reimprinted Dominic onto Victor. Man, they just find cooler and cooler uses for this technology. And it's indistinguishable in affect from the original Dominic. Whatsishead is a great actor. Doctor Saunders again, still healing up. Back to the therapy session. Turning the fairy tale on its head for Little Susan. and confiscated her blade, too. ALAN!!! wow, he looks really twitchy. Medicinal carrots that were here when I moved in!!!! Nice timing with Earth Day actually being last week. "I also have Pom" Did he just make a "lips zipped" gesture when Ballard asked about the Dollhouse? "they will kill me, and you, and me again" "And now there's a gun!" Re: the part in red--Agree! I didn't think much of the actor prior to this episode, so this really surprised me. I wonder if the actor who played Dominic helped coach him, sort of like Anthony Stewart Head always helped James Marsters hone his accent.
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Post by Michelle on May 3, 2009 20:02:18 GMT -5
More DominicVictor. Oh, Dominic was in contact with Alpha? Paul Bunyan? I was not expecting that. Hee. Dollhouse HQ is in Tuscon. Why Tucson? And also, I suddenly have the desire to confirm that my gparents were never clients. Ballard and Alan Tudyk. Is Ballard still only concerned about Caroline? There's like hundreds of Dolls in there, don't they all deserve the same consideration?Sierra imprinted with a scientist of some sort. Ballard and Tudyk crawling through the vents. Nice visual. Echo back from her mission. More Ballard and Tudyk. Foster Girl reading Sleeping Beauty with the show montages. I have the feeling that waking the Dolls is going to require a little more than a kiss. Ballard and Tudyk are in. Yes, that really bothered me. Just because he was being fed information about Caroline from the beginning doesn't mean she is somehow more deserving of being rescued. And why did he think Mellie/November would be any more likely to kill him than Caroline/Echo would? Wasn't it Echo that very nearly kicked his ass a few episodes back? I have to agree with what some of the others have posted--it is very hard to feel any emotional connection with even the supposed "good" guys on this show.
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Post by Michelle on May 3, 2009 20:04:32 GMT -5
Echo didn't ask you to come get him. Caroline did. Oh, boy. epic matchup between two people who care greatly for Echo. Poor Victor! Kersmash! and that's what you get from thinking of yourself as the prince, Ballard. Ouch! Got Man Friend in the throat! And suddenly Kemper is a lot more competent on the computer system. Manly fight between Daddy and Boyfriend archetypes. Keeping all the rest of the dolls asleep. And Echo remembers Boyd, and my heart swells to three times it normal size. HAH! Risers. And he IS Alpha. and Claire probably wets herself. God knows, I would. I was very impressed by Amy Acker's acting. I really felt her abject terror at coming face to face with Alpha again.
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Post by Michelle on May 3, 2009 20:10:14 GMT -5
So, if guy wasn't really a homeless dude, who was he? Snooping in the headquarter's garbage . . . . "They told me, this was gonna be the new Eden." (OK, that is a very telling statement!) "Eden wasn't a prison!" "Are you kidding? The apples were monitored!" Ha! (I really like this guy. ) Recirulate human sweat. Hmmm. Coming so close on her statement about what homeless people smell of, this line is probably striking me as being more important that it really is. OK, knowing what happened with Sierra before? It is extremely unnerving to see Ballard so very easily get this guy to come with him. And get him to take off his clothes. OMG, they're basically posing as Doll nad handler now. Oy! Oy! Zapping Topher?! OMG! "You can take down security from there, right?" "Yeaaah . . . I could if this guy wasn't a paranoid freak!" (Why, it's like he really knows Topher, isn't it? ) "This is a bad place." "Bad people, maybe. Good place." (God, this ep is just full of the most excellent lines!) Closed system. We're all just atoms in the big continuous universe and the best we can do is to try not to kill it from the inside. And his little buddy is getting suspicously more confident. Woops! Spoke too soon. ;D (Actually, I kind of know what he's talking about, with his fear of riser-less stairs. I mean, it doen't stop me from walking on them, but I do know that vibe. Although, for me, it's not so much a feeling that something will reach through and grab me, but a feeling I will put my foot right through.) Heeee! Oh, and now he realises that his Russian informant was also a Doll! Ballard. Not always the sharpest knife in the drawer! "My whole life isn't real." "It's a small world, right? I went to grade school with Jenna Elfman." (OMG! The funny! They're killing me with the funny in this ep! I mean, yes with the drama and suspense and all and then the funny peppering it all! This is why I love love love Joss!) I'm with Ballard on this - they're locked in their pods? Mellie!November - yes, she will kill you if they flip a switch. Ah, here is the very literal "sleeping beauty saved by Prince" moment. Which of course doesn't not work. Did Ballard really think it was all going this smoothly? This reminds me of my mom's dog Jade, who I watch whenever my mom goes out of town. I mean, I'm not comparing you to a dog, by any means!!!! But still: reminds me. The stairs to my basement are strange in that the top half of the steps have risers, but the lower half of the steps do not. Whenever I go down the basement, Jade will follow me just so far, But always stops just before the riserless steps. Funny little dog.
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Post by leftylady on May 4, 2009 17:32:16 GMT -5
This episode finally made it clear how difficult it is to root for anyone on the show. There's been debates on Dollhouse sites and Whedonesque about how this story style has Joss shooting himself in the foot because there's no "scoobie style family" or characters to root for. I've kept an open mind, but I'm starting to agree. I'm finding the show to be very intriguing on an intellectual level, but with little emotional resonance... Maybe I'm starting to feel exasperation with too much plot driven material. And maybe there's just too much moral ambiguity for me. I realized partway through this episode I had no investment in anyone when Victor got slashed, Boyd and Ballard kicked each other's asses, Ballard got caught, and Alpha turned out to be no princely hero but an evil, violent nutcase....and none of it made me care about them as characters. Right now, my biggest question is just how much of this is a huge mistake on Joss' part, or if he really does have an awesome long term plan that includes making me care about some of these characters. I agree that there is not the centered "heart" of the show to root for. I thought I'd care more for Ballard and his quest but not with his treatment of Mellie and general demeanor of recent episodes. Boyd is the closest to "good guy" but still.... I like the intricacies of Adele ... I always thought that Laila Morgen was a great character and hated when AtS killed her off. And the dolls are often passive or just the imprint of the week. And with some of secondary characters being far stronger actors than the nominal lead, it detacts from what the show could have been. Too much on ED's shoulders some weeks. But Alan T's performance just blew me away. Too bad he couldn;t have been around from the start. leftylady
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Post by leftylady on May 4, 2009 17:42:01 GMT -5
Ok, I saw on billiedoux.com that she caught Victor/Dominic's call out of "Whiskey". So I went back and rewatched. Dr. S just says he must want a drink. But, Whiskey Tango Foxtrox, maybe that is not what he meant.
We've been throwing around since early episodes the question what if the handlers and staff were also dolls/actives. Maybe some are, and what if all are?
Whiskey as a name gives another meaning to Alpha's vicious grilling of Clare - "did you always want to be a doctor?" Could this be why he attacked Clare to begin with when he went berserk and escaped? That she is/was a doll? Did he attack any other staff or any handlers?
Interesting that Alpha slashes dolls - he imprints them. - As Alpha said, it always turns out different. The interchangeable dolls are now very unique. Not just anonymous bodies to imprint a personality on. as Dominic into Victor.
leftylady
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Post by spacecat1974 on May 5, 2009 0:16:39 GMT -5
Ooh, handlers and staff as current or former dolls/actives.. I hadn't thought of that but it would make a lot of sense.
Given that she's a central character you'd think they'd want you rooting for Echo but I just can't. I like Sierra and Victor more and I'm not sure that it is due to the superior acting. I think I'm pretty much stuck on the show if only to see if they do end up finding a "heart" on this show.
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Post by Michelle on May 5, 2009 10:53:43 GMT -5
Ok, I saw on billiedoux.com that she caught Victor/Dominic's call out of "Whiskey". So I went back and rewatched. Dr. S just says he must want a drink. But, Whiskey Tango Foxtrox, maybe that is not what he meant. We've been throwing around since early episodes the question what if the handlers and staff were also dolls/actives. Maybe some are, and what if all are? Whiskey as a name gives another meaning to Alpha's vicious grilling of Clare - "did you always want to be a doctor?" Could this be why he attacked Clare to begin with when he went berserk and escaped? That she is/was a doll? Did he attack any other staff or any handlers? Interesting that Alpha slashes dolls - he imprints them. - As Alpha said, it always turns out different. The interchangeable dolls are now very unique. Not just anonymous bodies to imprint a personality on. as Dominic into Victor. leftylady Great thoughts, lefty! I remember him saying Whiskey and wondered if it was an active's name, but so many other things happened that I forgot about it. This is definitely an episode I need to re-watch! And thanks for the reminder about billiedoux's reviews.
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