Dollhouse, and other things in my life.
Feb. 16th, 2009 10:38 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
iceminkSo yeah, I actually posted something fic wise. Recently between working and acting I just haven’t had any time. Which reminds me that I want to post some of the cool theatre pictures I have from this last winter. One costume especially I loved because I could so see Darla wearing it. But I digress.
I’m thinking I need to take time off from theatre, because even though theatre is great in so many ways, I’m not terribly happy right now. It isn’t anything specific, and I’m not depressed, I just wish I was doing more with my life, but I’m so tired from an already busy life, that I do nothing.
Anyway, on a more fanish topic. I watched Dollhouse on Saturday. And can I just say I love my mom because she called me up early on Friday and told me I had to come over and make sure the TiVO was set up to record Dollhouse. I don’t think she trusted my dad, who liked Firefly but can’t stand Buffy, to record it on the basis that it was Joss.
So I liked it, big surprise. But I do have some fears about the show. Let me put those off for a bit, cause they are rather meta, and I actually want to talk about the show itself first.
In the very first scene there was a completely brilliant line that I think sums up the whole show. When pre-Echo is talking to the British woman (who I can’t help but think of as a member of the Watcher’s Council, what is it with Joss and the British?) she says something like “Have you ever tried to clean a slate? You can always see what was written on it before.” When I first heard the line it seemed poignant, because I knew the basic plot of the show, and that she was going to have her entire memory erased. At the time I thought, ‘You’re wrong girl, the will wipe you clean.’ By the end I wasn’t quite as sure. I mean we see absolutely no sign of pre-echo after that. The one flashback she has as the negotiator is a flashback to Echo, not to pre-Echo. And yet, you can’t help wondering if somewhere there is something. If maybe pre-Echo was right.
The next scene confused me at first. I thought it was her one last hurrah before being wiped clean. It wasn’t until later in the episode I realized that know. That was another mission. And the more I think about it, the more my mind gets caught up in the ethical issues of it all. The FBI guy calls it murder, because the personality is gone. But what goes on in the club scene is something between prostitution and rape. Even though Echo’s personality at the time is more than happy to be with this guy, he has clearly paid to have her programmed to be the ‘perfect’ weekend entertainment. The fact that he seems to feel something for at the end in some ways makes it worse. Because he’s letting her go back to a life where she can be sold to anyone for any purpose, and she has no choice. Not even the will to understand what’s going on.
On a side note, what is it with Joss and prostitution anyway? I should maybe say that I’m someone who believes that prostitution should be legal, so that the women in it can be protected and can remain healthy, etc. So I never had any problems with Inara, or how she was presented. There’s also Darla, who from the brief glimpse we get of her human life seemed to be an independent and ambitious woman who moved ahead in the only way that was open to her in the society she was in. It’s interesting that here Echo really is a victim, and not in charge of her life the way Inara and Darla were.
Anyway I can’t not mention Amy Acer. I was surprised to see her because her name was not in the credits. Which scares me, because knowing Joss, he’ll get us to really love and care about her over a few episodes and then kill her off. It’s funny too, because femslash isn’t normally my thing, but I had a very slashy moment during the scene between Echo and the Doctor when they were talking about her leg.
My theory is that Amy’s character was one of the actives, but something happened and she got scared, so they made her into the doctor for the other actives.
There are two other things about the show that scare me. First it’s on Fox and we know how Fox is. But secondly because there isn’t that trademark Whendon humor. In my opinion Joss’ humor is the thing that has always set him apart. I love Heroes for example, but it’s just not Buffy, and I don’t think it will be, even after it’s had five or six seasons to develop. In fact I think the show is strongest when it focuses on Hiro. I can’t get terribly upset over whatever new tragedy is happening to Claire, because there’s always some new tragedy. But when Hiro suffers, I really feel it, because he doesn’t go around angsty and suffering.
Returning to the world of Joss, I think that’s why Buffy and a stronger following than Angel. I really liked Angel but it wasn’t quite as good as Buffy. In fact in many ways it took fanfic to really make me appreciate the show, because I never really cared that much for Angel until I started to get into his head thanks to some Spangle writers. And as much as I love the grand epicness of Angel, Darla, and Connor’s story, none of it was ever as heart wrenching as Anya abandoned in her wedding dress. Again, the humor that was normally attached to Anya and Xander, made their breakup just that much more heartfelt to me.
I’m thinking I need to take time off from theatre, because even though theatre is great in so many ways, I’m not terribly happy right now. It isn’t anything specific, and I’m not depressed, I just wish I was doing more with my life, but I’m so tired from an already busy life, that I do nothing.
Anyway, on a more fanish topic. I watched Dollhouse on Saturday. And can I just say I love my mom because she called me up early on Friday and told me I had to come over and make sure the TiVO was set up to record Dollhouse. I don’t think she trusted my dad, who liked Firefly but can’t stand Buffy, to record it on the basis that it was Joss.
So I liked it, big surprise. But I do have some fears about the show. Let me put those off for a bit, cause they are rather meta, and I actually want to talk about the show itself first.
In the very first scene there was a completely brilliant line that I think sums up the whole show. When pre-Echo is talking to the British woman (who I can’t help but think of as a member of the Watcher’s Council, what is it with Joss and the British?) she says something like “Have you ever tried to clean a slate? You can always see what was written on it before.” When I first heard the line it seemed poignant, because I knew the basic plot of the show, and that she was going to have her entire memory erased. At the time I thought, ‘You’re wrong girl, the will wipe you clean.’ By the end I wasn’t quite as sure. I mean we see absolutely no sign of pre-echo after that. The one flashback she has as the negotiator is a flashback to Echo, not to pre-Echo. And yet, you can’t help wondering if somewhere there is something. If maybe pre-Echo was right.
The next scene confused me at first. I thought it was her one last hurrah before being wiped clean. It wasn’t until later in the episode I realized that know. That was another mission. And the more I think about it, the more my mind gets caught up in the ethical issues of it all. The FBI guy calls it murder, because the personality is gone. But what goes on in the club scene is something between prostitution and rape. Even though Echo’s personality at the time is more than happy to be with this guy, he has clearly paid to have her programmed to be the ‘perfect’ weekend entertainment. The fact that he seems to feel something for at the end in some ways makes it worse. Because he’s letting her go back to a life where she can be sold to anyone for any purpose, and she has no choice. Not even the will to understand what’s going on.
On a side note, what is it with Joss and prostitution anyway? I should maybe say that I’m someone who believes that prostitution should be legal, so that the women in it can be protected and can remain healthy, etc. So I never had any problems with Inara, or how she was presented. There’s also Darla, who from the brief glimpse we get of her human life seemed to be an independent and ambitious woman who moved ahead in the only way that was open to her in the society she was in. It’s interesting that here Echo really is a victim, and not in charge of her life the way Inara and Darla were.
Anyway I can’t not mention Amy Acer. I was surprised to see her because her name was not in the credits. Which scares me, because knowing Joss, he’ll get us to really love and care about her over a few episodes and then kill her off. It’s funny too, because femslash isn’t normally my thing, but I had a very slashy moment during the scene between Echo and the Doctor when they were talking about her leg.
My theory is that Amy’s character was one of the actives, but something happened and she got scared, so they made her into the doctor for the other actives.
There are two other things about the show that scare me. First it’s on Fox and we know how Fox is. But secondly because there isn’t that trademark Whendon humor. In my opinion Joss’ humor is the thing that has always set him apart. I love Heroes for example, but it’s just not Buffy, and I don’t think it will be, even after it’s had five or six seasons to develop. In fact I think the show is strongest when it focuses on Hiro. I can’t get terribly upset over whatever new tragedy is happening to Claire, because there’s always some new tragedy. But when Hiro suffers, I really feel it, because he doesn’t go around angsty and suffering.
Returning to the world of Joss, I think that’s why Buffy and a stronger following than Angel. I really liked Angel but it wasn’t quite as good as Buffy. In fact in many ways it took fanfic to really make me appreciate the show, because I never really cared that much for Angel until I started to get into his head thanks to some Spangle writers. And as much as I love the grand epicness of Angel, Darla, and Connor’s story, none of it was ever as heart wrenching as Anya abandoned in her wedding dress. Again, the humor that was normally attached to Anya and Xander, made their breakup just that much more heartfelt to me.
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no subject
Date: 2009-02-17 06:41 am (UTC)So, Dollhouse. I don't want to jinx it, so I won't say much. I liked it. I think it has real potential. But, yes: more humor, please!
no subject
Date: 2009-02-19 04:36 am (UTC)And yes, let's hope the best for Dollhouse for now.
no subject
Date: 2009-02-17 01:36 pm (UTC)I'll watch more - but without Spike - eh, not going to capture me like BtVS
no subject
Date: 2009-02-19 04:41 am (UTC)As for the show capturing me. It's funny, there are a bunch of shows I absolutely love, but I feel no compulsion to write any fanfic for them. That seems to be confined to the Buffyverse. Although I always felt if there had been more Firefly, I might have written Mal/Inara. I just never had enough of a handle on the world and the characters to sit down and write any.