According to EW, Summer Glau's rumored appearance on Dollhouse has been confirmed. Summer will be playing a Dollhouse employee named Bennett, who shares a past with Caroline/Echo.
Are you all getting ready for the new season (which starts in less than a month)? Do you think bringing in all of these Sci-Fi vets will help or hurt the ratings?
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Latest Dollhouse Scoop from Kristen: "Season 2 is All About Murder and Sex"
Source: Eonline
Head over to Eonline to read about what the cast says Season 2 has in store for us dolhouse fans. Sierra and Victor get closer, as well as do Ballard and Echo. Reportedly, "Eliza says, "Echo doesn't know entirely what's going on yet…[but] as she becomes more and more self-aware, she's recognizing this constant, tall, dark, looming man in the Dollhouse."...As Tahmoh explains it, "They have a connection. It's not a physical attraction, but I hope it's something that we explore a lot more this season. You're not quite sure what it is. There's a past, there's a history, there's an understanding between them that's very different. I think the audience is really going to like it and be really curious about where we're going in the first few episodes.""
Kristen also has posted exclusive video interviews with Fran Kranz, Dichen Lachman, Enver Gjokaj and Olivia Williams.
Head over to Eonline to read about what the cast says Season 2 has in store for us dolhouse fans. Sierra and Victor get closer, as well as do Ballard and Echo. Reportedly, "Eliza says, "Echo doesn't know entirely what's going on yet…[but] as she becomes more and more self-aware, she's recognizing this constant, tall, dark, looming man in the Dollhouse."...As Tahmoh explains it, "They have a connection. It's not a physical attraction, but I hope it's something that we explore a lot more this season. You're not quite sure what it is. There's a past, there's a history, there's an understanding between them that's very different. I think the audience is really going to like it and be really curious about where we're going in the first few episodes.""
Kristen also has posted exclusive video interviews with Fran Kranz, Dichen Lachman, Enver Gjokaj and Olivia Williams.
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Eliza Dishes Season 2
Check out this clip of Eliza dishing with Laura Saltman on Access Hollywood, outside a party for Anna Paquin. They talk about a season 2 wedding, involving Echo. Eliza says Season 2 will be racier, darker, and crisper than Season 1. Season 2 adds depth, and is less Sci Fi and more present day, according to Dushku. She also shares that they have just finished filming Episode 3, and that Keith Carradine will be joining them for the next episode. She says some Angel alumni will also be joining the filming soon. Eliza shares that she LOVED Episode 13, and that it's gotten great reception and helped to spur DVD sales. Watch the interview for yourself below.
In other news, I have heard rumors that Carradine's character will be a business man, somehow associated with Sierra. Could he be playing the guy who put Sierra in the Dollhouse to begin with?
In other news, I have heard rumors that Carradine's character will be a business man, somehow associated with Sierra. Could he be playing the guy who put Sierra in the Dollhouse to begin with?
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Casting News
According to Ausiello, Keith Carradine has been cast for two episodes. He'll be playing a wealthy businessman. That's all Ausiello reports, so we don't know in what capacity he'll be joining the cast. Is he a repeat client? Someone associated with Rossum Corp? Your guess is as good as mine.
Meanwhile, I'm still watching the DVDs. Only a month to the new season!
Meanwhile, I'm still watching the DVDs. Only a month to the new season!
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Friday, August 7, 2009
Epitaph One Recap and Review
Evidentially, the apocalypse has come. The world is burning, everyone is armed, and it's all the fault of tech. We find out we are in the year 2019. The butchers are after the actuals. The actuals need to get as deep underground as possible to avoid the butchers, who are trying to implant anyone who has not been already. Now, one can be programmed remotely; no chair is necessary. Answer the phone, and you become a zombie, out to kill anyone who still moves. The signals evidentially STILL do not carry underground, so the sewers are the safest place to be.
Epitaph one opens with a group of 4 actuals, a little girl, and her infected father, trying to find safety from the butchers. They stumble upon an entry to the Dollhouse, and think they've found paradise 8 stories underground, complete with air, power, and running water. Then, they find the chair, and figure out they may be in the place where all of the imprinting began. They figure out that THIS chair allows for selective imprinting, with complete control over everything, rather than the mass imprinting from which they are hiding. They place the infected guy, Mr. Miller, in the chair and start experimenting.
They begin by giving him one single memory. This memory turns out to be the conversation Adele was having with the potential client in the original pilot, explaining the concept of the Dollhouse and the Actives. The actuals laugh that the technology that ruined the world was originally for creating a more believable hooker. They implant "Mr. Miller" with another memory, which turns out to be Topher's original introduction to the Dollhouse. It turns out that the standing record for the imprinting process stood at 2 hours, until Topher came along and refined it. He got it down to five minutes top. We also find out that Rossum has been collecting personalities for quite some time now. They scan everyone who is scanned by any medical machine they manufacture, including CAT scans, MRIs, etc. They will soon have over a million personalities scanned.
Meanwhile, one of the actuals takes the little girl to the restroom. She finds the showers along the way, and enticed by the prospect of hot water after a year without, sends the girl off to pee while she undresses. The rest of the group responds when they hear screaming, and arrive at the shower to see their friend lying on the floor, her head bashed in.
Back in Topher's lab, Mr. Miller is imprinted with one of Echo's memories. Ballard is now her handler, and they're going to infiltrate the Russian mob. Ballard and Echo leave. In the elevator, Echo emerges, revealing she's maintaining her own memories while taking on those of the imprinted personality. Echo also reveals that the headaches are getting worse.
Down to a group of 3, the scared actuals return to Topher's lab. They tattoo the girl's back with her name, to identify her as an "actual", and as one of them. They agree to try and figure out how to use the original tech to stop its effects.
Mr. Miller flashes to a conversation between Dr. Saunders and Boyd. It is insinuated that the 2 are somehow romantically involved now, and Boyd must flee and go into hiding to save both their lives.
Suddenly, a ghostly Whiskey wanders in, her hands covered in blood. This is the scene that was released as a teaser on the internet.
"Who are you?"
"I'm Whiskey."
"What is your last name?"
"I don't know."
"Where were you born?"
"I don't know."
"How did you get down here?"
"I've always been here."
They want to shoot her, but suddenly, Whiskey asks if they are looking for Safe Haven. "That's a myth", they reply. But Whiskey tells them she can show them the way there, using the chair. They mention that the chair was getting them close. There was one girl, Echo, who seemed like she could withstand the imprints.
Flash to DeWitt talking to Victor. But he's not Victor. He's her boss, Mr. Ambrose, and “(body) upgrades" are a service they now provide. DeWitt is horrified. Ambrose tells her it will all be legal within a year, that they're all either a client or one of us. They now offer eternal life, and she can be a part of it or a casualty. Adele refuses to give away bodies that belong to other souls. Ambrose says he's in 10 other bodies in 10 other houses, and he'll know if she reclaims THAT body. It's time for Adele to make a choice.
Back in 2019, the little girl shoots one of the actuals, and frames Mr. Miller for the deed, while the 2 other actuals are off looking for food with Whiskey. They return to find the little girl screaming. Whiskey assures the 2 left that she can help them find safe haven.
Flash to DeWitt and Dominic, at some unspecified time. Dominic has been retrieved from the attic. DeWitt's brought him back to help her and Topher find a way around Armageddon. Dominic taunts DeWitt about what the Dollhouse lead to: fulfilling fantasies and providing escapes lead to technology that ended the world. DeWitt informs Dom that there is a block, a cure. He asks if Topher has it.
“No,” DeWitt responds, “Caroline.”
Flash to Victor and Sierra. I guess we know what choice DeWitt made. They're back to themselves. Sierra has an Australian accent. They're holed up and hiding out from tech in the Dollhouse. They’ve cut their lines and gone on lockdown. Sierra reveals her new birthmark: a tattoo of her name on her back so she'll always know who she is. Victor shows her a hidden stash of hard drives, "a back up of all of us, even Caroline."
Meanwhile, the remaining actuals give the little girl a gun, since their numbers are down to 3. They search for the hidden stash of hard drives and find it. The little girl points her gun and reveals herself as an imprinted person. She wants the chair to transplant herself into an adult’s body. Surprise, surprise. They're on to her. The gun was filled with blanks. They throw the little girl into the chair and use her to try to find the way to safe haven.
Flash to the remaining dolls, in a prayer circle, underground. Adele goes to see a now insane Topher, holed up in what used to be a sleeping pod, working furiously on equations. He's figured out that his technology lead to all of this. His improvements lead to the improved technology that allowed one robo-call to transform an entire city of people, millions programmed to kill anyone who is not programmed. Then, you have a war with 2 sides: those who answered the phone, and those who did not. Which is worse? Pick up the phone, or don't? Be part of the army, or one of the hunted?
"Why didn't I think of that?” Topher babbles. “Did I think of that? Did I?"
DeWitt embraces Topher and sobs. Topher wonders if his intelligence was curiosity or arrogance.
Flash to the sounds of a wall being broken down. The dolls gather round, terrified, with guns drawn. It's Caroline! She’s back to save them all! And she's with Ballard. Caroline says it will be rough getting everyone to the compound. She says the tech “they” need doesn't travel there. No one there has been imprinted, and it's all thanks to Alpha. Caroline has Saunders make a back up copy of her, in case anyone else ever needs to find the compound. Caroline says that for security reasons, she has to keep the compound’s location a secret; she cannot share its specific location with anyone.
The actuals imprint the little girl with Caroline's personality. They tell her it's 2019. Caroline is glad to see Dr. Saunders, but is disappointed to see that she is Whiskey. But she thanks Whiskey for helping the actuals find her. She then tells them that there is a cure. Caroline, in the little girl's body, leads the actuals off to find safe haven just as the butchers arrive.
The group escapes through the elevator shaft, passing through what used to be DeWitt's office. They pause to look at a wall covered with photos of the former actives, and the little girl plucks down the one of Echo/Caroline. She wistfully comments that she hopes they'll find her alive. They ascend out the window and up a hanging ladder. Whiskey stays behind and sets off a gas that annihilates the intruders.
"They really thought this was what we needed?
"No...Kids playing with matches....and they burned the house down."
I absolutely LOVED this episode, and I think it is well worth owning the DVD set just to see it. (For folks who Netflix, the unaired pilot and Epitaph One are both on disk 4 of the set.) Joss Whedon has said that he wrote this episode when he thought the series would not be renewed for a second season, and he wanted to give the fans something that could be a coda for the series. He also wanted an episode that could be honored should the series live on. Joss has hinted that season two will begin to explore Echo’s resistance to imprinting and the fallout of what Alpha did to her in Omega.
I liked the way that Adele stayed true to her altruism until the very end. Adele has always seemed to see the good that a project like Dollhouse could accomplish, while kind of ignoring its darker side. She seemed totally blindsided by the fact the technology she embraced for its potential to make the world a better place ended up being society’s demise.
I loved exploring the evolution of Topher. We saw Topher fall to rock bottom from his arrogant pedestal in the sky. Topher is the proverbial science geek. He is utterly, absolutely brilliant, yet somehow still socially stuck in adolescence, the eternal gawky lad who spends Saturday nights with his computer and video games. By the end of the episode, we see that his own disregard for others’ souls had lead to his descent into madness. His inanimate equations caused all of this; maybe they can cure it as well? And DeWitt has developed a very maternal relationship with Topher, watching over him and comforting him in his doldrums. It’s almost as if she feels some sort of culpability in Topher’s present state.
I must admit that I was confused by the Boyd/Whiskey scene. Did it mean to insinuate that Boyd was not as “pure” as the first season implied? Hopefully, season 2 will help make that scene make more sense. I wasn’t surprised at all that Whiskey was the one left behind. Whether she was Whiskey or Saunders, she was the one soul that couldn’t seem to survive outside the Dollhouse. She seemed to have no life either before or after the Dollhouse. Like she said, she’s always been there, and she’d always be there. Her purpose in life seemed to be to protect both the Dolls and the Dollhouse, no matter what persona she was wearing at the moment.
I loved the dark version of the future that Epitaph one presented. It honored the human spirit and its ability to persevere under the worst of conditions. No matter how hard it tries, Evil will never be able to overcome Good. DeWitt refused to join the dark side, and instead, holed herself up with her wards, doing her best to protect them from what she had gotten them into. Caroline, the proverbial heroine, resisted the “infection” and managed to lead a charge against the bad guys, saving many a soul along the way, then risking life and limb to come back and save those she left behind. She had tried to lead everyone to safety, out of the Dollhouse, once before. Now, she was back to achieve her ultimate goal. I loved the fact that Alpha, the original victim of the imprinting technology, was instrumental in saving the world from its effects. I hope we have several seasons ahead of us, all building up to the vision Joss presented in Epitaph One.
We still have about six weeks until the new season premieres. During that time, I plan to re-watch Season 1, in order. I’ll be recapping and reviewing here as I go along. You’re welcome to do the re-watch with me. Every episode I watch just makes me look forward to the new season in September.
Epitaph one opens with a group of 4 actuals, a little girl, and her infected father, trying to find safety from the butchers. They stumble upon an entry to the Dollhouse, and think they've found paradise 8 stories underground, complete with air, power, and running water. Then, they find the chair, and figure out they may be in the place where all of the imprinting began. They figure out that THIS chair allows for selective imprinting, with complete control over everything, rather than the mass imprinting from which they are hiding. They place the infected guy, Mr. Miller, in the chair and start experimenting.
They begin by giving him one single memory. This memory turns out to be the conversation Adele was having with the potential client in the original pilot, explaining the concept of the Dollhouse and the Actives. The actuals laugh that the technology that ruined the world was originally for creating a more believable hooker. They implant "Mr. Miller" with another memory, which turns out to be Topher's original introduction to the Dollhouse. It turns out that the standing record for the imprinting process stood at 2 hours, until Topher came along and refined it. He got it down to five minutes top. We also find out that Rossum has been collecting personalities for quite some time now. They scan everyone who is scanned by any medical machine they manufacture, including CAT scans, MRIs, etc. They will soon have over a million personalities scanned.
Meanwhile, one of the actuals takes the little girl to the restroom. She finds the showers along the way, and enticed by the prospect of hot water after a year without, sends the girl off to pee while she undresses. The rest of the group responds when they hear screaming, and arrive at the shower to see their friend lying on the floor, her head bashed in.
Back in Topher's lab, Mr. Miller is imprinted with one of Echo's memories. Ballard is now her handler, and they're going to infiltrate the Russian mob. Ballard and Echo leave. In the elevator, Echo emerges, revealing she's maintaining her own memories while taking on those of the imprinted personality. Echo also reveals that the headaches are getting worse.
Down to a group of 3, the scared actuals return to Topher's lab. They tattoo the girl's back with her name, to identify her as an "actual", and as one of them. They agree to try and figure out how to use the original tech to stop its effects.
Mr. Miller flashes to a conversation between Dr. Saunders and Boyd. It is insinuated that the 2 are somehow romantically involved now, and Boyd must flee and go into hiding to save both their lives.
Suddenly, a ghostly Whiskey wanders in, her hands covered in blood. This is the scene that was released as a teaser on the internet.
"Who are you?"
"I'm Whiskey."
"What is your last name?"
"I don't know."
"Where were you born?"
"I don't know."
"How did you get down here?"
"I've always been here."
They want to shoot her, but suddenly, Whiskey asks if they are looking for Safe Haven. "That's a myth", they reply. But Whiskey tells them she can show them the way there, using the chair. They mention that the chair was getting them close. There was one girl, Echo, who seemed like she could withstand the imprints.
Flash to DeWitt talking to Victor. But he's not Victor. He's her boss, Mr. Ambrose, and “(body) upgrades" are a service they now provide. DeWitt is horrified. Ambrose tells her it will all be legal within a year, that they're all either a client or one of us. They now offer eternal life, and she can be a part of it or a casualty. Adele refuses to give away bodies that belong to other souls. Ambrose says he's in 10 other bodies in 10 other houses, and he'll know if she reclaims THAT body. It's time for Adele to make a choice.
Back in 2019, the little girl shoots one of the actuals, and frames Mr. Miller for the deed, while the 2 other actuals are off looking for food with Whiskey. They return to find the little girl screaming. Whiskey assures the 2 left that she can help them find safe haven.
Flash to DeWitt and Dominic, at some unspecified time. Dominic has been retrieved from the attic. DeWitt's brought him back to help her and Topher find a way around Armageddon. Dominic taunts DeWitt about what the Dollhouse lead to: fulfilling fantasies and providing escapes lead to technology that ended the world. DeWitt informs Dom that there is a block, a cure. He asks if Topher has it.
“No,” DeWitt responds, “Caroline.”
Flash to Victor and Sierra. I guess we know what choice DeWitt made. They're back to themselves. Sierra has an Australian accent. They're holed up and hiding out from tech in the Dollhouse. They’ve cut their lines and gone on lockdown. Sierra reveals her new birthmark: a tattoo of her name on her back so she'll always know who she is. Victor shows her a hidden stash of hard drives, "a back up of all of us, even Caroline."
Meanwhile, the remaining actuals give the little girl a gun, since their numbers are down to 3. They search for the hidden stash of hard drives and find it. The little girl points her gun and reveals herself as an imprinted person. She wants the chair to transplant herself into an adult’s body. Surprise, surprise. They're on to her. The gun was filled with blanks. They throw the little girl into the chair and use her to try to find the way to safe haven.
Flash to the remaining dolls, in a prayer circle, underground. Adele goes to see a now insane Topher, holed up in what used to be a sleeping pod, working furiously on equations. He's figured out that his technology lead to all of this. His improvements lead to the improved technology that allowed one robo-call to transform an entire city of people, millions programmed to kill anyone who is not programmed. Then, you have a war with 2 sides: those who answered the phone, and those who did not. Which is worse? Pick up the phone, or don't? Be part of the army, or one of the hunted?
"Why didn't I think of that?” Topher babbles. “Did I think of that? Did I?"
DeWitt embraces Topher and sobs. Topher wonders if his intelligence was curiosity or arrogance.
Flash to the sounds of a wall being broken down. The dolls gather round, terrified, with guns drawn. It's Caroline! She’s back to save them all! And she's with Ballard. Caroline says it will be rough getting everyone to the compound. She says the tech “they” need doesn't travel there. No one there has been imprinted, and it's all thanks to Alpha. Caroline has Saunders make a back up copy of her, in case anyone else ever needs to find the compound. Caroline says that for security reasons, she has to keep the compound’s location a secret; she cannot share its specific location with anyone.
The actuals imprint the little girl with Caroline's personality. They tell her it's 2019. Caroline is glad to see Dr. Saunders, but is disappointed to see that she is Whiskey. But she thanks Whiskey for helping the actuals find her. She then tells them that there is a cure. Caroline, in the little girl's body, leads the actuals off to find safe haven just as the butchers arrive.
The group escapes through the elevator shaft, passing through what used to be DeWitt's office. They pause to look at a wall covered with photos of the former actives, and the little girl plucks down the one of Echo/Caroline. She wistfully comments that she hopes they'll find her alive. They ascend out the window and up a hanging ladder. Whiskey stays behind and sets off a gas that annihilates the intruders.
"They really thought this was what we needed?
"No...Kids playing with matches....and they burned the house down."
I absolutely LOVED this episode, and I think it is well worth owning the DVD set just to see it. (For folks who Netflix, the unaired pilot and Epitaph One are both on disk 4 of the set.) Joss Whedon has said that he wrote this episode when he thought the series would not be renewed for a second season, and he wanted to give the fans something that could be a coda for the series. He also wanted an episode that could be honored should the series live on. Joss has hinted that season two will begin to explore Echo’s resistance to imprinting and the fallout of what Alpha did to her in Omega.
I liked the way that Adele stayed true to her altruism until the very end. Adele has always seemed to see the good that a project like Dollhouse could accomplish, while kind of ignoring its darker side. She seemed totally blindsided by the fact the technology she embraced for its potential to make the world a better place ended up being society’s demise.
I loved exploring the evolution of Topher. We saw Topher fall to rock bottom from his arrogant pedestal in the sky. Topher is the proverbial science geek. He is utterly, absolutely brilliant, yet somehow still socially stuck in adolescence, the eternal gawky lad who spends Saturday nights with his computer and video games. By the end of the episode, we see that his own disregard for others’ souls had lead to his descent into madness. His inanimate equations caused all of this; maybe they can cure it as well? And DeWitt has developed a very maternal relationship with Topher, watching over him and comforting him in his doldrums. It’s almost as if she feels some sort of culpability in Topher’s present state.
I must admit that I was confused by the Boyd/Whiskey scene. Did it mean to insinuate that Boyd was not as “pure” as the first season implied? Hopefully, season 2 will help make that scene make more sense. I wasn’t surprised at all that Whiskey was the one left behind. Whether she was Whiskey or Saunders, she was the one soul that couldn’t seem to survive outside the Dollhouse. She seemed to have no life either before or after the Dollhouse. Like she said, she’s always been there, and she’d always be there. Her purpose in life seemed to be to protect both the Dolls and the Dollhouse, no matter what persona she was wearing at the moment.
I loved the dark version of the future that Epitaph one presented. It honored the human spirit and its ability to persevere under the worst of conditions. No matter how hard it tries, Evil will never be able to overcome Good. DeWitt refused to join the dark side, and instead, holed herself up with her wards, doing her best to protect them from what she had gotten them into. Caroline, the proverbial heroine, resisted the “infection” and managed to lead a charge against the bad guys, saving many a soul along the way, then risking life and limb to come back and save those she left behind. She had tried to lead everyone to safety, out of the Dollhouse, once before. Now, she was back to achieve her ultimate goal. I loved the fact that Alpha, the original victim of the imprinting technology, was instrumental in saving the world from its effects. I hope we have several seasons ahead of us, all building up to the vision Joss presented in Epitaph One.
We still have about six weeks until the new season premieres. During that time, I plan to re-watch Season 1, in order. I’ll be recapping and reviewing here as I go along. You’re welcome to do the re-watch with me. Every episode I watch just makes me look forward to the new season in September.
Original Pilot: Recap and Review
The episode begins with a monologue by DeWitt, talking about life, alternating with a shot of Echo at the bottom of the pool. We then see Echo on a couple of engagements, interspersed w/ DeWitt "interviewing" potential clients. Echo is shown rescuing a young girl from a sleazy, alcoholic existence, acting as the perfect date at a dumped guy's ex's wedding, and negotiating a drug deal, calmly, in Spanish.
Segue to Ballard and Lubov conversing at a pool party. Lubov is trying to convince Ballard that The Dollhouse is an urban legend. Lubov informs Ballard he's been given the one job he can't blow, essentially been put out to pasture. Lubov ironically says he wished there WAS a Dollhouse so that HE could sign up.
Segue to Sierra coming back from an assignment. She sits with Echo at lunch. They share empty conversation. Victor joins them. They discuss their mutual desire to be their best. Topher and Boyd discuss the actives' grouping, like a herd of bison. Topher reiterates that the actives are volunteers, while Boyd stresses they're still people. Topher philosophizes on how everyone in this world is programmed in some way or another. They move into a discussion of how Echo may be evolving.
Back to Ballard. His office mates are making fun of him. He discovers a hand-addressed envelope on his desk. Inside is a picture of Caroline. Ballard has his colleague scan the photo into a government database to try to find a match. Cut to DeWitt watching the scan at the Dollhouse. Dominic and DeWitt discuss Ballard, and how Victor failed to throw him off the investigation. DeWitt decides she needs to know what Ballard has already discovered. They need to make him talk because he WANTS to. Victor calls Ballard and sends him to an abandoned hotel. There, he encounters a Caroline look alike who claims her name is Shauna Vickers. She claims she's looking for her missing sister because the Feds have failed to do so.
Ballard tells Shauna he has a picture of her, and she asks to see it. He takes her back to his place. Meanwhile, Topher skulks around Dr. Saunders' office, trying to sneak Echo's file out. Saunders catches him and reminds him all files are open to all employees, and there’s no need to sneak it out. Her disdain for Topher is very evident. Topher opines that the pro bono assignments are draining the actives. Saunders insists that these totally altruistic assignments only strengthen the actives. She stresses she’s putting her findings in a report. Topher insists that he programs the Dolls so that they feel good, regardless of the type of assignment.
As Shauna and Ballard enter his apartment, they are discussing Dollhouse. It seems Shauna thinks Dollhouse may have something to do with her sister’s disappearance. She claims she heard about it from a pimp, but he wouldn’t take her there or tell her anything more unless she exchanged “services” for information. Ballard gets Shauna a glass of wine while he probes her for more Dollhouse info. Shauna starts to break down, and she begins to probe Ballard for information. She asks him to share his leads and files. He reiterates his commitment to find and expose the Dollhouse, no matter what. Then, he pulls a gun on Shauna, threatening to run her prints to find out who she really is. He thinks it’s too coincidental that “Shauna” showed up just when she did. Shauna disarms and shoots Ballard. He asks if she is Caroline, and she shoots him twice more.
Boyd, hearing the gunshots, rushes in to extract her, and Echo informs him she was "made". Unbeknownst to Boyd, Echo was programmed to assassinate Ballard and retrieve any files he might have related to Dollhouse. She steals Ballard’s wallet and sets up the scene so it looks like it was “a hooker encounter gone bad.” They sneak out the back while the cops pull up out front, and wait down the street while Boyd calls for extraction. Boyd is told that Echo missed the vital organs, and Ballard is going to survive. Echo hijacks a car so that she can heads to the hospital and finish her assignment, leaving Boyd behind.
DeWitt receives a phone call. Evidentially, she's told to call off Echo.
Echo arrives at the hospital and heads toward Ballard's room. When she arrives, Ballard’s room is surrounded by cops. She sees the young woman she rescued from the 1st scene in a nearby room, and is distracted. Seeing the woman with her mother seems to stir up some sort of memory in Echo. Boyd arrives just as Echo is distracted, and takes her back to Dollhouse to be wiped. Topher, DeWitt, and Boyd discuss the fact that Echo knew where to aim...or where not to. DeWitt comments: “The agent is a problem; let's make sure Echo is not one too.” DeWitt tells Boyd and Topher to keep a close eye on Echo. Echo returns to her pod for the night. She whispers "Caroline" as the episode closes.
After watching both episodes, back to back, I still wish Fox had let Whedon begin the series with his original vision. It seemed much more focused on the Dollhouse's potential for doing good, while Ghost presented a much darker, more nefarious concept. I also liked the way the pilot explained the concept of an "active" much better than the way "Ghost" did. I liked the way they planted their actives to do "damage control", as if they had been doing a great job of covering up their existence all along. Finally, I felt it was much better at introducing the full slate of characters, and their accompanying characteristics, than did Ghost. Ghost focused more on Caroline and less on Echo and the Dollhouse. Without the pilot, the series took a full 3 or 4 episodes to accomplish the exposition Joss did with the original pilot.
Segue to Ballard and Lubov conversing at a pool party. Lubov is trying to convince Ballard that The Dollhouse is an urban legend. Lubov informs Ballard he's been given the one job he can't blow, essentially been put out to pasture. Lubov ironically says he wished there WAS a Dollhouse so that HE could sign up.
Segue to Sierra coming back from an assignment. She sits with Echo at lunch. They share empty conversation. Victor joins them. They discuss their mutual desire to be their best. Topher and Boyd discuss the actives' grouping, like a herd of bison. Topher reiterates that the actives are volunteers, while Boyd stresses they're still people. Topher philosophizes on how everyone in this world is programmed in some way or another. They move into a discussion of how Echo may be evolving.
Back to Ballard. His office mates are making fun of him. He discovers a hand-addressed envelope on his desk. Inside is a picture of Caroline. Ballard has his colleague scan the photo into a government database to try to find a match. Cut to DeWitt watching the scan at the Dollhouse. Dominic and DeWitt discuss Ballard, and how Victor failed to throw him off the investigation. DeWitt decides she needs to know what Ballard has already discovered. They need to make him talk because he WANTS to. Victor calls Ballard and sends him to an abandoned hotel. There, he encounters a Caroline look alike who claims her name is Shauna Vickers. She claims she's looking for her missing sister because the Feds have failed to do so.
Ballard tells Shauna he has a picture of her, and she asks to see it. He takes her back to his place. Meanwhile, Topher skulks around Dr. Saunders' office, trying to sneak Echo's file out. Saunders catches him and reminds him all files are open to all employees, and there’s no need to sneak it out. Her disdain for Topher is very evident. Topher opines that the pro bono assignments are draining the actives. Saunders insists that these totally altruistic assignments only strengthen the actives. She stresses she’s putting her findings in a report. Topher insists that he programs the Dolls so that they feel good, regardless of the type of assignment.
As Shauna and Ballard enter his apartment, they are discussing Dollhouse. It seems Shauna thinks Dollhouse may have something to do with her sister’s disappearance. She claims she heard about it from a pimp, but he wouldn’t take her there or tell her anything more unless she exchanged “services” for information. Ballard gets Shauna a glass of wine while he probes her for more Dollhouse info. Shauna starts to break down, and she begins to probe Ballard for information. She asks him to share his leads and files. He reiterates his commitment to find and expose the Dollhouse, no matter what. Then, he pulls a gun on Shauna, threatening to run her prints to find out who she really is. He thinks it’s too coincidental that “Shauna” showed up just when she did. Shauna disarms and shoots Ballard. He asks if she is Caroline, and she shoots him twice more.
Boyd, hearing the gunshots, rushes in to extract her, and Echo informs him she was "made". Unbeknownst to Boyd, Echo was programmed to assassinate Ballard and retrieve any files he might have related to Dollhouse. She steals Ballard’s wallet and sets up the scene so it looks like it was “a hooker encounter gone bad.” They sneak out the back while the cops pull up out front, and wait down the street while Boyd calls for extraction. Boyd is told that Echo missed the vital organs, and Ballard is going to survive. Echo hijacks a car so that she can heads to the hospital and finish her assignment, leaving Boyd behind.
DeWitt receives a phone call. Evidentially, she's told to call off Echo.
Echo arrives at the hospital and heads toward Ballard's room. When she arrives, Ballard’s room is surrounded by cops. She sees the young woman she rescued from the 1st scene in a nearby room, and is distracted. Seeing the woman with her mother seems to stir up some sort of memory in Echo. Boyd arrives just as Echo is distracted, and takes her back to Dollhouse to be wiped. Topher, DeWitt, and Boyd discuss the fact that Echo knew where to aim...or where not to. DeWitt comments: “The agent is a problem; let's make sure Echo is not one too.” DeWitt tells Boyd and Topher to keep a close eye on Echo. Echo returns to her pod for the night. She whispers "Caroline" as the episode closes.
After watching both episodes, back to back, I still wish Fox had let Whedon begin the series with his original vision. It seemed much more focused on the Dollhouse's potential for doing good, while Ghost presented a much darker, more nefarious concept. I also liked the way the pilot explained the concept of an "active" much better than the way "Ghost" did. I liked the way they planted their actives to do "damage control", as if they had been doing a great job of covering up their existence all along. Finally, I felt it was much better at introducing the full slate of characters, and their accompanying characteristics, than did Ghost. Ghost focused more on Caroline and less on Echo and the Dollhouse. Without the pilot, the series took a full 3 or 4 episodes to accomplish the exposition Joss did with the original pilot.
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Recap: Ghost, Episode 1, Season 1
Joss Whedon did not intend Ghost to be the opener of Dollhouse. An unaired pilot is available for viewing on the DVD set. I watched both Ghost and the original pilot, in succession. What follows is my recap of Ghost. Stay tuned for a recap of the unaired pilot.
Ghost is the first episode of Dollhouse that aired, replacing the original pilot. It opens with De Witt and Caroline talking, discussing Caroline's decision to "volunteer" to be a Doll. We then see Echo in action, on a motorcycle, racing with a rather hot guy. They end up at a party, where they dance and laugh. She wanders away and meets Boyd, who tells her it's time for a treatment, and she accompanies him to a van, all the while raving about how she thinks she's met "the one". She meets Topher, and gets into the chair for her treatment. We see a montage of backward flowing memories, all the way back to the crib. A docile Echo sits up and asks "Did I fall asleep?" Topher responds "For a little while."
Echo meets with Dr. Saunders, and comments that she hurt her leg, but doesn't remember how. When asked if she's concerned that she doesn't remember, Echo replies "Should I be?" While waiting for a masseuse, Echo wanders back to Topher's office, where she sees a blonde woman in the chair. Echo expresses concern because the woman is seemingly in pain. Topher tells Echo it's because it's the woman's "first time". What appear to be acupuncture needles connected to a computer protrude from throughout the blonde's veins.
Cut to a scene of a Latino man talking to his daughter on the phone from his limo. As soon as he hangs up, kidnappers burst in and put the little girl in a body bag. We later see this man meeting with DeWitt. We find out he is a "frequent client", and "although they are not robots", she's sure one of their actives can successfully negotiate with the kidnappers. Echo is programmed to be a near-sighted, asthmatic, super-hostage negotiator. The client is surprised they sent a beautiful woman for the job, rather than a fatherly, Edward James Almos type. He laughs when "Miss Pitt" assures him she has been doing this her whole life. He probes her for details about her imprint, and Echo reveals her persona was kidnapped as a child, and not given back.
Echo assumes control of the negotiations, and is very convincing in her role. She sets up the trade, arranging to meet at a dock in order to exchange the money for the girl. All is going swimmingly until Echo comes face-to-face with the lead kidnapper and collapses on the dock. The kidnapper is the same one who kidnapped the person from whom Echo's imprint was made. "Stop them from getting on the boat," Echo gasps. But in the ensuing melee, the client is shot, and the bad guys get away with both the money and the kid.
Boyd extracts Echo, and they head back toward the Dollhouse. Her Miss Pitt persona is bothered by seeing the ghost from her past, and it makes her want to rush in and save the kid even more. She keeps trying to put the pieces together. As they arrive at the Dollhouse, Boyd rushes in to convince DeWitt that Echo can still save the day, but only if she is not wiped. DeWitt acquiesces. Echo knows where the kidnappers are, and heads out with Dominic in a helicopter to save the day. She faces her ghost and rescues the kid. Sierra, imprinted as some sort of commando, bursts in with machine guns blaring, and takes out the kidnappers. They recover both the loot and the child, the client recovers, and everybody is happy. Sierra and Echo are wiped, and head to the communal showers. The dolls then retire for the night in their pods.
A side plot introduces Ballard. He is shown being chewed out and laughed at by his superiors because of his "Dollhouse" assignment. He has hosed several other major investigations, including that of the Russian human smugglers, the Borodines, trying to prove this "thing" exists, making a fool of himself along the way. He has embarrassed a senator, and the only legal activity he was involved in was his divorce. While they are chewing him out, Ballard is thinking of a bout in a boxing ring. He is getting his butt kicked badly, and is apparently down. His bosses ask him if he can "back off" of this dollhouse investigation. Ballard’s daydream shifts to him getting angry and coming back to kick his opponent’s butt. "I can back off" he says to his superiors, as he visualizes himself knocking his opponent out.
Ballard is sitting in a bar. He eavesdrops as this guy named Lubov comes in, hearing Lubov mention the Borodines. Lubov is evidentially connected to these Borodines, a Russian mob involved with human smuggling. Ballard is convinced the Borodines are somehow linked to the Dollhouse. He later follows Lubov into the Men's room, and pulls a gun on Lubov while he is at the urinal. "Say dollhouse", Ballard says while holding the gun to Lubov's head. Ballard sees this Lubov guy as a key to getting the information he needs.
The episode ends with DeWitt saying how happy she was that this (the kidnapping) was contained, while looking at a file. "How are we going to contain this?" She exclaims, as she opens the folder to reveal it says "Alpha". Cut to someone watching a video of Caroline in college, while stuffing a picture of Caroline in an envelope and addressing it to Ballard.
I liked this episode. However, I found it really dark in comparison to the unaired pilot. Ghost seemed to focus more on the darker side of the Dollhouse, and did not nearly emphasize DeWitt’s altruistic goals for her actives nearly as well as did the original pilot.
My next post will recap the unaired pilot. Read the recaps and comment on which you think makes a better introduction to the series. If you haven’t seen the original pilot, I urge you to get a hold of the DVD set and watch it. If you’re lucky enough to live in the UK, I understand you’ll get a chance to see it on SyFy. Those of us in the US will have to get hold of the DVD set. In my opinion, it is well worth the ~$40 to see the original pilot and Epitaph One (which I will be recapping soon.)
Ghost is the first episode of Dollhouse that aired, replacing the original pilot. It opens with De Witt and Caroline talking, discussing Caroline's decision to "volunteer" to be a Doll. We then see Echo in action, on a motorcycle, racing with a rather hot guy. They end up at a party, where they dance and laugh. She wanders away and meets Boyd, who tells her it's time for a treatment, and she accompanies him to a van, all the while raving about how she thinks she's met "the one". She meets Topher, and gets into the chair for her treatment. We see a montage of backward flowing memories, all the way back to the crib. A docile Echo sits up and asks "Did I fall asleep?" Topher responds "For a little while."
Echo meets with Dr. Saunders, and comments that she hurt her leg, but doesn't remember how. When asked if she's concerned that she doesn't remember, Echo replies "Should I be?" While waiting for a masseuse, Echo wanders back to Topher's office, where she sees a blonde woman in the chair. Echo expresses concern because the woman is seemingly in pain. Topher tells Echo it's because it's the woman's "first time". What appear to be acupuncture needles connected to a computer protrude from throughout the blonde's veins.
Cut to a scene of a Latino man talking to his daughter on the phone from his limo. As soon as he hangs up, kidnappers burst in and put the little girl in a body bag. We later see this man meeting with DeWitt. We find out he is a "frequent client", and "although they are not robots", she's sure one of their actives can successfully negotiate with the kidnappers. Echo is programmed to be a near-sighted, asthmatic, super-hostage negotiator. The client is surprised they sent a beautiful woman for the job, rather than a fatherly, Edward James Almos type. He laughs when "Miss Pitt" assures him she has been doing this her whole life. He probes her for details about her imprint, and Echo reveals her persona was kidnapped as a child, and not given back.
Echo assumes control of the negotiations, and is very convincing in her role. She sets up the trade, arranging to meet at a dock in order to exchange the money for the girl. All is going swimmingly until Echo comes face-to-face with the lead kidnapper and collapses on the dock. The kidnapper is the same one who kidnapped the person from whom Echo's imprint was made. "Stop them from getting on the boat," Echo gasps. But in the ensuing melee, the client is shot, and the bad guys get away with both the money and the kid.
Boyd extracts Echo, and they head back toward the Dollhouse. Her Miss Pitt persona is bothered by seeing the ghost from her past, and it makes her want to rush in and save the kid even more. She keeps trying to put the pieces together. As they arrive at the Dollhouse, Boyd rushes in to convince DeWitt that Echo can still save the day, but only if she is not wiped. DeWitt acquiesces. Echo knows where the kidnappers are, and heads out with Dominic in a helicopter to save the day. She faces her ghost and rescues the kid. Sierra, imprinted as some sort of commando, bursts in with machine guns blaring, and takes out the kidnappers. They recover both the loot and the child, the client recovers, and everybody is happy. Sierra and Echo are wiped, and head to the communal showers. The dolls then retire for the night in their pods.
A side plot introduces Ballard. He is shown being chewed out and laughed at by his superiors because of his "Dollhouse" assignment. He has hosed several other major investigations, including that of the Russian human smugglers, the Borodines, trying to prove this "thing" exists, making a fool of himself along the way. He has embarrassed a senator, and the only legal activity he was involved in was his divorce. While they are chewing him out, Ballard is thinking of a bout in a boxing ring. He is getting his butt kicked badly, and is apparently down. His bosses ask him if he can "back off" of this dollhouse investigation. Ballard’s daydream shifts to him getting angry and coming back to kick his opponent’s butt. "I can back off" he says to his superiors, as he visualizes himself knocking his opponent out.
Ballard is sitting in a bar. He eavesdrops as this guy named Lubov comes in, hearing Lubov mention the Borodines. Lubov is evidentially connected to these Borodines, a Russian mob involved with human smuggling. Ballard is convinced the Borodines are somehow linked to the Dollhouse. He later follows Lubov into the Men's room, and pulls a gun on Lubov while he is at the urinal. "Say dollhouse", Ballard says while holding the gun to Lubov's head. Ballard sees this Lubov guy as a key to getting the information he needs.
The episode ends with DeWitt saying how happy she was that this (the kidnapping) was contained, while looking at a file. "How are we going to contain this?" She exclaims, as she opens the folder to reveal it says "Alpha". Cut to someone watching a video of Caroline in college, while stuffing a picture of Caroline in an envelope and addressing it to Ballard.
I liked this episode. However, I found it really dark in comparison to the unaired pilot. Ghost seemed to focus more on the darker side of the Dollhouse, and did not nearly emphasize DeWitt’s altruistic goals for her actives nearly as well as did the original pilot.
My next post will recap the unaired pilot. Read the recaps and comment on which you think makes a better introduction to the series. If you haven’t seen the original pilot, I urge you to get a hold of the DVD set and watch it. If you’re lucky enough to live in the UK, I understand you’ll get a chance to see it on SyFy. Those of us in the US will have to get hold of the DVD set. In my opinion, it is well worth the ~$40 to see the original pilot and Epitaph One (which I will be recapping soon.)
Monday, August 3, 2009
DVD Release & Season 2 Scoop
As hoped for, I got the Dollhouse DVD set for my birthday. It arrived in my mailbox on August 1st. I finally had a chance to break it open today, and I started by watching the original, unaired pilot, Echo. I really enjoyed this pilot, and now, want to go back and watch Disk 1, episode 1, to compare and contrast the 2.
The original pilot focuses on introducing Echo, Ballard, Sierra, and Victor. I seem to remember the reveal of Victor as a Doll to be somewhat shocking; I guess, originally the audience knew from the start. Clips of Echo performing "pro-bono" and "do-gooder" type assignments, including helping a young alcoholic woman sober up and re-connect with her family. (And I could swear that drunk was the little girl from Growing Pains, all grown up.) Ballard prods Victor for info regarding a possible Borodine-Dollhouse connection, and when Victor sends Ballard to an abandoned hotel basement, Ballard encounters a Caroline look-alike who claims to be searching for her missing sister, but has really been programmed to assassinate Ballard. Meanwhile, Dr. Saunders and Topher spar back at the Dollhouse, and Saunders' seeming hatred for Topher is revealed as they discuss the "grouping" tendencies of Victor, Sierra, and Echo.
I originally came in on the 3rd episode. I loved the show so much I went back and watched the 2 I'd missed on Hulu. I'm interested in seeing the series again from the start, as I remember being a little more confused by the 1st episode. I'm thinking the unaired pilot would have been a better way to introduce the series, but perhaps, would not have built the suspense. I'll post again later, after I've had a chance to rewatch the 1st aired episode.
The 12 aired episodes are contained on the first 3 disks of the DVD set. The 4th disk contains the unaired Epitaph One, as well as the Special Features. These include the aforementioned original pilot, commentary on Epitaph One, Deleted Scenes, and 4 featurettes. I'll be posting reviews of these over the next month, as I re-watch the first season.
In the meantime, Kristen at E! Online reports some season 2 scoop:
Kristen also confirms reports that Amy Acker will be reprising her role as Dr. Saunders, despite being cast in Happy Town.
The original pilot focuses on introducing Echo, Ballard, Sierra, and Victor. I seem to remember the reveal of Victor as a Doll to be somewhat shocking; I guess, originally the audience knew from the start. Clips of Echo performing "pro-bono" and "do-gooder" type assignments, including helping a young alcoholic woman sober up and re-connect with her family. (And I could swear that drunk was the little girl from Growing Pains, all grown up.) Ballard prods Victor for info regarding a possible Borodine-Dollhouse connection, and when Victor sends Ballard to an abandoned hotel basement, Ballard encounters a Caroline look-alike who claims to be searching for her missing sister, but has really been programmed to assassinate Ballard. Meanwhile, Dr. Saunders and Topher spar back at the Dollhouse, and Saunders' seeming hatred for Topher is revealed as they discuss the "grouping" tendencies of Victor, Sierra, and Echo.
I originally came in on the 3rd episode. I loved the show so much I went back and watched the 2 I'd missed on Hulu. I'm interested in seeing the series again from the start, as I remember being a little more confused by the 1st episode. I'm thinking the unaired pilot would have been a better way to introduce the series, but perhaps, would not have built the suspense. I'll post again later, after I've had a chance to rewatch the 1st aired episode.
The 12 aired episodes are contained on the first 3 disks of the DVD set. The 4th disk contains the unaired Epitaph One, as well as the Special Features. These include the aforementioned original pilot, commentary on Epitaph One, Deleted Scenes, and 4 featurettes. I'll be posting reviews of these over the next month, as I re-watch the first season.
In the meantime, Kristen at E! Online reports some season 2 scoop:
Show runner Joss Whedon spilled some Dollhouse dish at the Television Critics Association tour about what's in store for Echo (Eliza Dushku). Joss says, "Echo starts really realizing that as a person, she not only exists, but that she has a mission—that she has something she wants. This year we are going to see the results of everything she went through last year, particularly the event with Alpha where she was downloaded with all of her personalities. We are going to see what effect that's had on her, and we are going to find her to be a great deal less passive and a great deal more directed in what she wants, and that is, of course, going to make her life a lot harder. And the more she finds out about what is going on around her and the more we find out, the creepier it is going to get, because creepy is what it makes it fun."
Kristen also confirms reports that Amy Acker will be reprising her role as Dr. Saunders, despite being cast in Happy Town.
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