[TVverdict] Fighting the Good Fight: Fox’s Dollhouse

My newest post over at TVverdict is a topic obviously near and dear to my heart: keeping Dollhouse on the air.  This week, I tackle why the show is worth watching even though you might’ve heard otherwise.

Below is an excerpt from the post:

Unlike Whedon’s other shows, it is set in a world not so different from ours.  There are no vampires.  No werewolves.  No Alliance, Reavers, or Evil League of Evil.  The primary antagonist of Dollhouse is unchecked and irresponsible corporate technological advancement.

How’s that for an abstract villain? And to further complicate matters, this abstraction is also what motivates our protagonists because it’s their behind-the-scenes employer and reason for being.

It really is a sticky mess.

And among all that, Dollhouse manages to embed societal commentary about human trafficking, prostitution, and free will.  And the shows creators also manage to find time to create an ensemble cast with incredible synergy and style as well as provide intriguing plots, action, hot girls with guns, handsome guys who can legitimately act, and some humor thrown in for good measure.  I can’t remember where I saw the quote, but I agree: Dollhouse is the smartest show you’re not watching.

Intrigued yet?  Be sure to check out the complete article at TVverdict.com.

By B.J. Keeton

B.J. KEETON is a writer, teacher, and runner. When he isn't trying to think of a way to trick Fox into putting Firefly back on the air, he is either writing science fiction, watching an obscene amount of genre television, or looking for new ways to integrate fitness into his geektastic lifestyle. He is also the author of BIRTHRIGHT and co-author of NIMBUS. Both books are available for Amazon Kindle.

9 comments

  1. Yet….

    The issue is stories with no major direction, bad acting by many of the cast, and the interesting bits fall to the wayside so we can see Echo turned into various fantasies that have grown old.
    The concept is sound, Whedon is talented, but Eliza’s hand in this is ruining the overall theme and creates a muddy, insipid mess.

    Maybe next time Whedon fans.
    .-= Tempest of News´s last blog ..Age of Conan – Ending? Beginning? =-.

    1. I agree that it is Eliza Dushku who is the weakest link. I absolutely adore Topher and Victor. The rest of the cast is splendid, too, but those two just shine, if you ask me.

      Eliza would be a fantastic side character like she was on Buffy, but having her in the main role makes the whole thing a little stilted.

      And as for the stories with no major direction, I disagree. After seeing “Epitaph One,” I know there’s somewhere the narrative goes, but it will never get there since Fox has all but said there will be no S3. 🙁

      1. Why is it everyone uses Epitaph as a reason that the show is so great, when it is not really considered canon.
        The episode never aired, thus it does not fit the criteria of the shows overarching theme.
        At this point the show can go in ANY direction…and the one chosen for the last few episodes that have aired this season are going nowhere actually.
        If the show would have started with Epitaph, and then did a “previously” type of feeling, then I would be there. We would know that all of the shows are a lead up to something greater.
        Until any inkling of Epitaph appears, there is just nothing that says the show is ready to go there.

        Look to Fringe as a story with more promise of going somewhere. It is s a show with major promise.
        All of the “monster of the week” episodes are cool because we know eventually we will get MAJOR plot points.
        There is no major plot in Dollhouse except for the saving of Echo…and thanks to the meandering story, I could care less what happens to Echo now.
        .-= Tempest of News´s last blog ..Age of Conan – Ending? Beginning? =-.

  3. If Epitaph One is not canon, then it must be apocryphal. As such, it holds *greater* weight, as the repository of aletheia. It points to a convergence of apocalypse and salvation; this is more than storytelling, it is mythopoesis.

    This notion of convergence runs through every character. Unlike Whedon’s previous ventures, everyone has redeeming *and* despicable qualities. Everyone and everything is flawed, and through flaws and accidents and mistakes, the world is made and destroyed and remade anew. I think it has a strong Gnostic streak to it…
    .-= jane´s last blog ..The Apocalypse of Belle Chose =-.

    1. I completely agree. The quality of the show is like any other series, it has to elongate in order to create the true mythology behind the series. In that, I think “Dollhouse” needs time to develop.

      I will agree that the Fringe standalone episode are more entertaining, but “Dollhouse” never lacks the content that I desire from a Whedon universe.

      HOWEVER, it doesn’t mean people will or want to watch it, which is a problem. I personally think the series is getting better every episode, but today’s TV viewing audience prefers shows where they don’t have to invest too much time, hence why NCIS gets 20 million viewers every week despite how incredibly unoriginal and skeletal these type of cop shows are.

      People just don’t have the attention span for stories anymore…*sigh*
      .-= Robert Kuang´s last blog ..Plagiarism: how to avoid it =-.

  4. Way off topic:

    I just now realized that you changed your RSS feed…. or else the one I was using is now busted. I had wondered where you’d gone… it showed no posts since Oct 6th!
    .-= Andrew´s last blog ..Demo: Majesty 2 =-.

    1. That’s odd. That’s around the same time I switched to WordPress, but I ported my new WP feed to Feedburner. The only way I can see it getting screwy is if you were subscribed to my original Blogspot feed instead of Feedburner. If not, then I’m out of ideas.

      Either way, though, I’m sorry about that, and I hope the problem’s fixed now. 🙂

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