MovieChat Forums > Dollhouse (2009) Discussion > Inital thoughts from a first-time viewer

Inital thoughts from a first-time viewer

posted 10 years ago by magic-4000
38 replies | jump to latest

I'm a big fan of Buffy and Angel and I've seen this show mentioned many times so I figured why not finally watch it? Three episodes in and enjoying it so far. Just wanted to give a couple comments.

1) I've seen some people knock Eliza's acting on Buffy and in this. The way she plays some of her imprints come across like she's just playing Faith again but she has good moments. I think she's pretty good in general, certainly not bad. I especially like her blank, child-like emptiness when she's between imprints.

2) I'm enjoying the imprint-of-the-week format so far but I'm starting to see threads of an ongoing story arc which is nice. The stuff with Alpha and the detective's investigation which seems like somehow it will tie into Echo's backstory.

3) Just found out "Victor" is an active. Not sure why they're letting him interact with the detective if they want to stay under the radar. Although he hasn't really given the detective any solid information. I'm kind of afraid the show is going to pull that twist too much: "So-and-so was an active all along" or vice versa, "So-and-so was pretending to be an active all along"

4) I understand people using/buying actives for things like the perfect date but I have to wonder about high-profile jobs like the kidnapping in the pilot or the back-up singer in episode 3. These things will get a person noticed. Police and detectives are going to start recognizing Echo's face and wonder why she's everywhere, right? I mean, the kidnapped child could ID her and all of Rayna's crew could ID her. You would think this would come back around somehow to bite Dollhouse in the ass. You would think more people would be on the detective's side/not think he's crazy after seeing the same faces pop up in vastly different situations acting like different people over and over. It is still early so maybe I should wait and see. This seems like an unresolved issue if the show never addresses it.

5) There's something up with Amy Acker's character that I can't put my finger on yet. If I had to guess, maybe she's Alpha and they have her permanently in this doctor persona to keep her under control. It could explain the scars and why she wasn't just outwardly killed by Alpha. I know Echo wasn't killed either but there seems to be a connection between her and Alpha. Why was Dr. Saunders spared?

All in all, I'm really enjoying it so far!

Wesley, why can't I stay?

[–] jtsjtssmokey-703-366973 10 years ago

Only one thing will type here, do not watch the 13 epi till after the 2nd seasons 12 epis, then watch season one epi 13 followed by season 2 epi 13. Hmmm maybe should go this way as not sure if clear,

watch season 1 epis 1 to 12, do not watch last epi yet

then watch season 2 epis 1 to 12, do not watch the last epi 13 till...

then watch season 1 epi 13 followed by season 2 epi 13

why? as the last epis of both seasons follow together

unless you have already watched, but had one person tell me the same, and in the end made sense, happy watching

Live life to be alive...and may your day be well or find one thing that gives you that little extra, even just a 😄

[–] BigBopper314 10 years ago

Meh, I totally disagree with the poster above, even though I can see where he's coming from. I think Season 2 is much better if you've seen s1e13 already, so I'll just say "watch it in the actual order", haha.

[–] willard86 9 years ago

I agree. I find it muuuuch better to wait on Epitaph 1, watch season 2, and then watch Epitaph 1 and Epitaph 2 back-to-back.

[–] PreachCaleb 10 years ago

Have to disagree with smokey. Just watch the show in order. Don't skip around any episodes.

PS: Paul Ballard is an FBI agent, not a detective.

I really enjoyed the show. Its themes and story arcs were great, and I enjoyed the work of all the dolls.

Let us know what you think of it as you go on.

Can't stop the signal.

[–] magic-4000 10 years ago

Eight episodes in so far! Still enjoying it. I'm a little wary about the fact that the show can just essentially "reset" anything that happens to any character at any time. There's some very subtle development in some of the Actives but since there's only two seasons, I hope they let some of their true personalities break through and stick around in a more permanent fashion. This thought comes after watching "Needs" where they let Echo/Caroline, Sierra, Victor and Novemeber gain their original personalities back and their memories pre-doll started to slowly creep back. Yet after all that building up and excitement, they are just wiped again like nothing ever happened. Victor's need felt like a cop out but the three girls had good ones.

My favorite two episodes so far have been "Man on the Street" and "Needs". The idea that Alpha can hack into the doll's programming and slip in new parameters/messages was pretty cool. I think he'll be instrument in turning dolls against the house or setting them free.

I no longer think Dr. Saunders is Alpha. If she was and the dollhouse knew it, DeWitt and Topher wouldn't have been genuinely concerned when Alpha was behind the remote wipe/attack on Echo. She does still seem to have a hidden agenda or some ulterior motive for wanting to work against the dollhouse but she falls in line for now.

Speaking of Alpha's remote wipe of Echo, I thought that wasn't possible? Topher was amazed that he was able to do it at all yet DeWitt seamlessly and effortlessly triggered a wipe of Mellie/turning her into a different persona to kill the rogue handler. I guess it isn't exactly the same thing since Alpha totally wiped Echo's Taffy persona from outside and they were just activating their "sleeper active" in Mellie's case. Still, they seem like they should be along similar lines, scientifically and technologically speaking, so why was Topher so flabbergasted when they have the capability to activate dolls in the field?

Number of times they've pulled the "So-and-so was a doll all along" twist or vice versa: 2. Victor and Mellie/November.

Wesley, why can't I stay?

[–] NVDan 10 years ago

It's great seeing your posts about discovering Dollhouse. It reminds me of when I first watched the show.

Speaking of Alpha's remote wipe of Echo, I thought that wasn't possible? Topher was amazed that he was able to do it at all yet DeWitt seamlessly and effortlessly triggered a wipe of Mellie/turning her into a different persona to kill the rogue handler. I guess it isn't exactly the same thing since Alpha totally wiped Echo's Taffy persona from outside and they were just activating their "sleeper active" in Mellie's case. Still, they seem like they should be along similar lines, scientifically and technologically speaking, so why was Topher so flabbergasted when they have the capability to activate dolls in the field?

As you pointed out, the ability to trigger Mellie was part of the implant. What happened in Taffy's case was Echo being set back to her doll state, something that needed to be done with the chair by the Dollhouse.

___
Sorry, sometimes my wife forgets that she is not an alien from outer space.

[–] PreachCaleb 10 years ago

I guess it isn't exactly the same thing since Alpha totally wiped Echo's Taffy persona from outside and they were just activating their "sleeper active" in Mellie's case. Still, they seem like they should be along similar lines, scientifically and technologically speaking, so why was Topher so flabbergasted when they have the capability to activate dolls in the field?

As you said, it's not the same thing. They didn't "activate" a doll; they triggered her. She already had that sleeper active data in her head. It was just a matter of turning it on.

Alpha took away what was in Taffy's head and left her in a doll state. That's what they didn't think was possible since they need the chair to do that.

A trigger and a wipe aren't the same.

Number of times they've pulled the "So-and-so was a doll all along" twist or vice versa: 2. Victor and Mellie/November.

You should stop counting. Lol

One of the major themes of the show is what does it mean to be a person. What makes someone who they are? Having someone be a doll without them or the audience knowing it is a big part of that.

Can't stop the signal.

[–] magic-4000 10 years ago

"Briar Rose" and "Omega" were two wild episodes. Alan Tudyk, aka Steve the Pirate, stole the show as Alpha. I loved the forced buddy cop situation with him and Ballard but his sudden and twisted turn into Alpha was awesome. Maybe I missed it but did Alpha have clear motivation for doing what he was doing? Or was it simply because he was sort of "crazy" to begin with and every single imprint in his head made him snap? It makes sense now why people like Dominic were drawing parallels between Alpha and Echo. Although I see a very blatant one between Alpha and Victor with their attraction to Echo and Sierra respectively. I wonder...

Speaking of Alpha and Echo, their interactions were pretty great. I like how Alpha's plan to create an Omega backfired and it just made Echo more aware. Using Caroline's persona against her was eerie. Similarly, it must be a horrifying experience for someone like Dominic (who's been put in the attic) to suddenly become cognizant in another body, knowing full well your brain is going to be sucked out of it soon enough.

The truth behind Dr. Saunders is revealed. Another doll. I probably should have seen that coming. Even though they seem to use this twist a lot, it's always played to different effects. It has worked each time without seeming like a cop out. I really wonder how Whiskey will go on aware of being a doll yet not being wiped. And why she hates Topher.

Paul gaining Mellie/November/Madeline's freedom was a nice scene although it feels like he's giving up his own life and becoming a doll in exchange. His line "I'm not working for you yet" makes it seem like he'll just join them in a security type role but I think that's how it's going to play out.

"Omega" really felt like a season finale. I'm interested to see how the next episode plays out. I guess they do have to tie up loose ends since Alpha escaped.

Wesley, why can't I stay?

[–] PreachCaleb 10 years ago

Alan was phenomenal as Alpha. I loved his performance on the show.

Maybe I missed it but did Alpha have clear motivation for doing what he was doing?

For what he was doing to Echo? He wanted a partner who was as perfectly evolved as he was.

Although I see a very blatant one between Alpha and Victor with their attraction to Echo and Sierra respectively.

Actually, that's not the parallel.

Similarly, it must be a horrifying experience for someone like Dominic (who's been put in the attic) to suddenly become cognizant in another body,

Victor as Dominic was another great piece of acting from Enver.

"Omega" really felt like a season finale.

It was. Epitaph never aired on television.

Can't stop the signal.

[–] nrecker 10 years ago

"Epitaph" did eventually air, but only months afterward during the hiatus, so a lot of fans (like myself) missed it on TV.

I have to agree with Smokey, though. The two season finales ("Epitaph" and "Epitaph 2") make the most sense when viewed together after you've seen and absorbed everything else. Joss made "Epitaph" because he thought his show was getting cancelled, so he skipped ahead to the end to try to wrap things up. Season Two picks up where "Omega" left off.

Maybe you've already seen it, and that's okay too. This show is awesome in any order.

[–] PreachCaleb 10 years ago

It never aired on Fox.

The two season finales ("Epitaph" and "Epitaph 2") make the most sense when viewed together after you've seen and absorbed everything else.

Maybe. But they don't work better that way. Several surprises are ruined and some scenes won't work as well if Epitaph 1 is viewed after season 2.

Can't stop the signal.

[–] magic-4000 10 years ago

Well, Epitaph One didn't go in any kind of direction I was expecting. So we flashed ahead about 10 years and apparently some kind of apocalypse destroyed the city when the Dollhouse's technology got out of control. Caroline and Paul worked together to save people and bring them to some kind of safe haven. I liked the episode but it seemed very disjointed from the rest of the season, especially as a season finale. I'm guessing more answers on this will be tackled toward the end of season 2.

Whiskey/Saunders stole the show in the season 2 opener. Her unhinged spiral is awesome. I mean really, how does someone cope with the information she's learned? It's almost torturous that they don't wipe her and give her back her original memories/personality. It's all made even more saddened that her ultimate fate seems to be dying in the Dollhouse anyway after staying there alone for years on end and losing whatever mind she did have. Joss Whedon really does seem to like to put Amy Acker through intense pain.

Paul eventually becoming Echo's handler was something I saw coming once he didn't become an Active himself. I like that Echo is retaining memories of her past engagements, that'll be the catalyst that eventually leads us to what we saw in the season 1 finale. Victor and Sierra still have something going on too.

Wesley Wyndam-Price! I didn't know he was in this show too. It's very strange to hear him without an accent. I haven't really seen him in anything outside of Buffy and Angel. I wonder if he'll be a major character. I also wonder if he'll play opposite of Amy Acker at all because they're great together.

Wesley, why can't I stay?

[–] PreachCaleb 9 years ago

Well, techincally, Omega is the season finale. Epitaph is more of an epilogue.

It's almost torturous that they don't wipe her and give her back her original memories/personality.

It'd be torturous if they did. She doesn't want that.

Can't stop the signal.

[–] magic-4000 9 years ago

It'd be torturous if they did. She doesn't want that.

I guess so but that doesn't seem like any life to live, considering it all came from somebody else. Oh wait, Alpha destroyed her original memories/personality, right? So she couldn't go back even if she wanted to.

Moving along with the second season, "Instincts" played out like a bad Lifetime movie, especially with the conveniently timed lightning storm towards the end. Sort of indifferent to the episode.

Wesley, why can't I stay?

[–] PreachCaleb 9 years ago

Oh wait, Alpha destroyed her original memories/personality, right?

Alpha only destroyed his own original wedge. Then he destroyed one of Caroline's and kept the other.

Sort of indifferent to the episode.

Me too. However, I think the episode is worth it just for the scene at the end with Echo and Paul where she confesses she still feels every emotion and memory they give her. It's powerful and nightmarish to see what the Dollhouse is actually doing to these poor people.

Can't stop the signal.

[–] magic-4000 9 years ago

"Belle Chose" was an improvement over the previous episode. The serial killer approach isn't new territory by any means but capturing women for his "family", tranquilizing them and posing them as dolls? Freaky.

The extreme juxtaposition between Victor's imprint (serial killer Terry) and Echo's (sexy student Kiki) made the crossed wires very intense. I think Victor's dance in the club is the best moment in this series so far. I was cracking up the whole time . He's probably the best actor of the dolls from what I've seen. Comparing his portrayal of Terry to Eliza's, he pretty much blows her out of the water.

Wesley, why can't I stay?

[–] PreachCaleb 9 years ago

I loved Victor as Kiki.

He's probably the best actor of the dolls from what I've seen.

A sentiment a majority of the fans share with you. Enver was definitely the dark horse of the series.

Can't stop the signal.

[–] magic-4000 9 years ago

"Belonging", "The Public Eye" and "The Left Hand" were a great run of episodes. Priya's backstory was very messed up. I can't say I'm too sad that Nolan was killed. The advances in Sierra and Victor's relationship were a nice little light in the dark.

Cindy is a grade A bitch. Her being the handler and Senator Perrin being (somewhat) a doll was something I didn't see coming. I liked the whole Echo/Daniel on the run. It was almost approaching too stretched out but it found the right balance. The conflict for Senator Perrin was very apparent and it's upsetting that he essentially gave up and allowed himself to be used again. It seems like we might have seen the last of his character but who knows, they could bring him back.

Bennett Halverson is...off her damn rocker. Her quirky, awkward chemistry was Topher was intriguing at first but it quickly soured. There's some connection between her and Caroline that we've seen glimpses of but I'm interested to find out the whole story. Victor absolutely crushed his impersonation of Topher. It was spot on. Only further solidifies my impression that he's the best actor of the dolls.

"Meet Jane Doe" slowed down the immediate action but it seemed like a lot of set-up/build up to something bigger. Topher's dangerous tech, Echo and Paul's return to the dollhouse, Adele's climb back to power. The time jump seemed to gloss over a few important things (when and how exactly was Adele demoted?) and it doesn't seem like they're going to go back to fill in some of those blanks. I always rooted for Adele until this episode. She was always cunning and ruthless but she seemed to genuinely care about what happened to the actives in her house. Now...she just wants to be in control. She seems to have lost that semblance of sympathy in favor of being on the "right team".

Also, does anyone else feel like Boyd has hit a total roadblock as a character in this season? He seems to just be there now. I guess it started when he got promoted from handler to head of security. It seemed like they were setting up something possible between him and Whiskey/Saunders but it didn't go anywhere. Now he's back to just being around.

Wesley, why can't I stay?

[–] PreachCaleb 9 years ago

The conflict for Senator Perrin was very apparent and it's upsetting that he essentially gave up and allowed himself to be used again.

I'm not sure that's what happened.

"And we're certain she wasn't apprehended with Perrin?"

It sounds like at some point, Perrin was caught and reprogrammed before he could testify against Rossum.

Victor absolutely crushed his impersonation of Topher. It was spot on. Only further solidifies my impression that he's the best actor of the dolls.

I think this was the moment when a lot of fans really opened their eyes to Enver. He wasn't just doing an impression of Topher, he was Topher.

The time jump seemed to gloss over a few important things (when and how exactly was Adele demoted?) and it doesn't seem like they're going to go back to fill in some of those blanks.

It's probably because Joss and the rest of the crew saw the writing on the wall and figured they wouldn't miraculously get a third season so they rushed several things to fit in as much story as possible into the season.

It seemed like they were setting up something possible between him and Whiskey/Saunders but it didn't go anywhere.

I believe Amy Acker's schedule had something to do with this.

Can't stop the signal.

[–] magic-4000 9 years ago

I'm not sure that's what happened.

"And we're certain she wasn't apprehended with Perrin?"

It sounds like at some point, Perrin was caught and reprogrammed before he could testify against Rossum.

I believe he did turn himself in on purpose. He becomes very conflicted over killing his wife and he says that "they" can make him forget. Echo tries to convince him that it wasn't Daniel's fault and if he lets them make him forget, then he did kill her. She wants to run because they can hear helicopters overhead but he won't budge. He looks at her but doesn't have a response. Then, the very next scene is the court hearing which was only a few hours later and he's reprogrammed.

I took it that "And we're certain she wasn't apprehended with Perrin?" meant that Echo ran and Perrin stayed behind. There wasn't really a whole lot of time for the two of them to go on the run again, get caught, reprogram Perrin and have him at the hearing. If they did leave together from the greenhouse, shouldn't they have been together when they grabbed Perrin?

Wesley, why can't I stay?

[–] PreachCaleb 9 years ago

e becomes very conflicted over killing his wife and he says that "they" can make him forget. Echo tries to convince him that it wasn't Daniel's fault and if he lets them make him forget, then he did kill her.

I've never actually thought of it that way. I'll definitely have to rewatch this scene soon.

I took it that "And we're certain she wasn't apprehended with Perrin?" meant that Echo ran and Perrin stayed behind.

Well, apprehended means he was caught, not that he turned himself in. However, your interpretation is actually swaying me a bit.

Can't stop the signal.

[–] magic-4000 9 years ago

Alpha's return in "A Love Supreme" was great. It came across like a cliche "jealous ex-boyfriend trying to get the girl back" which I thought might be beneath Alpha but the episode pulled it off. I was pretty shocked that Paul "died", aka brain dead in a coma, but then I remembered he was alive and kicking in the future scenes from Epitaph One so they must bring him back somehow. I like that they're slowly bringing everyone in on the plot to overthrow the Dollhouse. Boyd and Topher are involved now. Adele pretty much knows everything going on so I'm interested to see what side of the battle she'll come down on.

"Stop-Loss" was another good episode. It's always interesting to see the original personalities of the characters to get a better sense of who they were and why they came to the Dollhouse in the first place. I like Victor and Sierra together so that was also a plus. It allowed Priya and Anthony to finally meet and create memories of one another to go along with their feelings.

The attic seems like a terrifying place!

Wesley, why can't I stay?

[–] PreachCaleb 9 years ago

It allowed Priya and Anthony to finally meet and create memories of one another to go along with their feelings.

They were certainly the best couple on Dollhouse. I loved their scenes together.

The Attic is another great episode. You're really in the final stretch of the series.

The next few episodes are the equivalent of Tough Love, Spiral, The Weight of the World, and The Gift in how the story arcs just all come together for a great ride.

Can't stop the signal.

[–] magic-4000 9 years ago

The next few episodes are the equivalent of Tough Love, Spiral, The Weight of the World, and The Gift in how the story arcs just all come together for a great ride.

You weren't kidding! Wow. I'm honestly pretty blown away by how masterfully they pulled together all their planned plot lines for multiple seasons into just a few episodes without being too overbearing or convoluted. The three episodes leading up to the season finale was a really fun ride.

I'm glad we finally got to see the attic in this appropriately named episode. Usually, I'm on the fence about trippy, mind/dream sequence types of episodes but this one worked very well. It was quite twisty as well with Arcane being Clyde, the original co-founder of Rossum and certainly not the black and white villain he was portrayed to be at first. Then, I loved how Adele was part of the plan all along and sent Echo and the others there for information. I really like her character, I jumped to a few conclusions about her a few episodes ago but I was wrong. We learn that Caroline is the only one who has the information they need. Classic.

Bennett Halverson was awesome in "Getting Closer." She and Topher are just so awkward together in their dorky ways but it's endearing. My jaw honestly dropped when she was killed. I did not see that coming at all, and by Dr. Saunders of all people. It hit even harder since we just learned more about her backstory, her connection to Caroline and how she ended up with Rossum. I felt really bad for her that she didn't really have any friends and her genuine connection with Caroline, while still genuine, had ulterior motives. The flashbacks worked wonderfully to piece together the last bits of Caroline's story, tie it into what's currently going on with Echo and lastly, drive the story forward.

So Boyd....hmm. That's a twist I did not see coming at all nor am I sure how much I enjoy it. It almost feels like they picked the least likely person without much thought just to up the shock value. I don't buy his reasoning that he wanted to "push" the people around him, especially Echo, because a lot of the things he did previously seem to directly counteract what his end goal was as the head of Rossum. I guess it might make more sense on a second re-watch with hindsight. I think some of the impact was lost because Boyd didn't really do anything in season 2. He faded way into the background and was generally eclipsed by the rest of the characters.

Regardless, the ending scene with Boyd and Echo in "Hollow Men" really brought things full circle. Boyd is wiped and they use him to blow up the supercomputer but not before the reversed "Did I fall asleep?/For a little while" exchange. I thought it was a bit cruel to kill a blank slate person like that but Boyd did just horribly betray them and get people killed along the way (RIP Mellie, whoa) so it makes sense.

All that remains is the finale. I'm excited to see how it all ends but I hope we focus mostly on our main characters in the future instead of how Epitaph One was.

Wesley, why can't I stay?

[–] PreachCaleb 9 years ago

That's a twist I did not see coming at all nor am I sure how much I enjoy it. It almost feels like they picked the least likely person without much thought just to up the shock value.

Sadly, that's pretty much what happened. Joss and the writers knew the show was coming to an end, and they wanted one last "Big Bad" for the gang to fight before the big future finale.

Can't stop the signal.

[–] skoobydoo6789 10 years ago

I agree that Alan Tudyk stole the show as Alpha.

If it's all the same to you, I'll have that drink now.-Loki (Marvel's Avengers)

[–] macpro75 10 years ago

Eight episodes in so far! Still enjoying it. I'm a little wary about the fact that the show can just essentially "reset" anything that happens to any character at any time. There's some very subtle development in some of the Actives but since there's only two seasons, I hope they let some of their true personalities break through and stick around in a more permanent fashion. This thought comes after watching "Needs" where they let Echo/Caroline, Sierra, Victor and Novemeber gain their original personalities back and their memories pre-doll started to slowly creep back. Yet after all that building up and excitement, they are just wiped again like nothing ever happened. Victor's need felt like a cop out but the three girls had good ones.

My favorite two episodes so far have been "Man on the Street" and "Needs". The idea that Alpha can hack into the doll's programming and slip in new parameters/messages was pretty cool. I think he'll be instrument in turning dolls against the house or setting them free.

If you've gotten this far, I believe you may well love the series. Man in the Street and Needs are (IMHO) where the show really found its footing.

Speaking of Alpha's remote wipe of Echo, I thought that wasn't possible? Topher was amazed that he was able to do it at all yet DeWitt seamlessly and effortlessly triggered a wipe of Mellie/turning her into a different persona to kill the rogue handler. I guess it isn't exactly the same thing since Alpha totally wiped Echo's Taffy persona from outside and they were just activating their "sleeper active" in Mellie's case. Still, they seem like they should be along similar lines, scientifically and technologically speaking, so why was Topher so flabbergasted when they have the capability to activate dolls in the field?

This will be addressed.

Number of times they've pulled the "So-and-so was a doll all along" twist or vice versa: 2. Victor and Mellie/November.

Don't worry, it doesn't become a crutch for the writers. Again, just my opinion.

As an aside, I personally think that you should watch Epitaph at the end of season 1 where it is placed in the disc sets. On future viewings (if you choose to rewatch the series, as I do) you may want to watch Epitaph before Epitaph 2 (as a sort of two-part series finale) but I strongly recommend that a new viewer watches the episodes in order their first time. There is some great stuff that you'll ruin if you skip over it until the end.

"It's a real burden being right so often." Captain Malcolm Reynolds, Firefly

[–] skoobydoo6789 10 years ago

Glad you're enjoying Dollhouse. It's a great show that I just watched recently myself.

If it's all the same to you, I'll have that drink now.-Loki (Marvel's Avengers)

[–] Franco_Zed 9 years ago

Hi Magic. I really enjoyed reading your thoughts about each episode. I think I read the entire thread.

Well? Have you seen the last episode? What did you think?

I was lukewarm on the series originally and I missed a couple of episodes. Later I got the whole series on DVD at a really good price and really enjoyed the show a lot.

______

Every single person on the face of the Earth is unique.

... except for you.

[–] magic-4000 9 years ago

Oh jeez! I totally forgot to come back to this thread after I watched the finale! But yes, I did watch it and highly enjoyed it. I won't remember all the specifics going through my mind when I first watched but I'll give my overview.

Like I said, I really enjoyed the finale. It really did a good job of trying together our group of characters with what we saw in the season one finale. I really enjoyed that each character got a shining moment for their respective story lines. Even characters like Mag and Zone got some development/fleshing out without overstepping on the main characters. It kinda sucked that Priya and Victor had a falling out and Victor got back into the tech scene but it seemed they eventually rekindled or were on the track to, at least.

Ballard's death came across as way too much of an obvious throwaway. By that, it was clear that the writers thought "Since the show is ending, let's just kill some people off!" The bullet to the head out of nowhere was probably supposed to be shocking and I rather liked Ballard, it was just off to me. I did like the ending with Echo and Ballard reuniting in her mind but the logistics of it all are very strange to me.

Now, a meaningful death done right was Topher's. His sacrifice was intense. He went through a lot off-screen, especially bearing the burden that he effectively reduced the world to the state it was in. It brought the story full circle by having him use newly designed tech to restore the world. The moment he looked over at the "To Remember" wall, I knew the explosion was going to go off as he walked towards it. Pretty emotional stuff.

Overall, I was very satisfied with the ending and loved it. I'm a little sad that it ended so early since the show had a lot of potential and there seemed to be a lot of story left to tell. It left me wishing we got to see some of the other plot threads that lead us exactly to the moments we saw in the finale, mainly things like Alpha's "redemption" or whatever caused him to be on good terms with Echo and the others.

Wesley, why can't I stay?

[–] Franco_Zed 9 years ago

"Now, a meaningful death done right was Topher's. His sacrifice was intense. He went through a lot off-screen, especially bearing the burden that he effectively reduced the world to the state it was in. It brought the story full circle by having him use newly designed tech to restore the world. The moment he looked over at the "To Remember" wall, I knew the explosion was going to go off as he walked towards it. Pretty emotional stuff."

Topher's personal journey was one of my favourite things about the series. He was so callous about serious issues in the beginning and he ended up paying a very high price for it -- both emotionally and with his life. This was sad, but also poetic. This worked especially for me because the show succeeded in completely transforming my feelings about Topher. I didn't like him at the beginning, but later I admired him and I was saddened by how painful his life had become.

Related to this was the massive transformation in the relationship between Adele DeWitt and Topher. It changed from a tense working relationship to one of deep tenderness and caring. This transformation was one of my favourite things in any TV show... ever.

______

Every single person on the face of the Earth is unique.

... except for you.

[–] skoobydoo6789 9 years ago

Keep going. The show keeps getting better.

If it's all the same to you, I'll have that drink now.-Loki (Marvel's Avengers)

[–] Beren44 9 years ago

I've really enjoyed reading your comments as you made your way through the show. You had lots of good insight and foresight as to what was coming, yet it still threw some surprises at you.

I truly feel this is a very under-rated show. Many have complained about the first half season or so, but for me, especially watching it all again, those episodes were leaving bread crumbs for all the later plot development, and were important in the overall scheme. It reminds me of reading a Steven King novel such as The Dead Zone, or The Stand, where the first half of the book seems to be a bunch of disjointed stories, but then it all starts coming together. And in Dollhouse, when the locomotive finally gets up to speed, the brakes fail and it just roars to a finish.

On a side note, I am in the camp of 'watch the two epitaph episodes after the rest'. I read somewhere, and cannot quote the source, that they were in fact made after the show wrapped, as a contractual condition, to sell two 13 episode seasons to the European market for syndication.

[–] PreachCaleb 9 years ago

I read somewhere, and cannot quote the source, that they were in fact made after the show wrapped, as a contractual condition, to sell two 13 episode seasons to the European market for syndication.

Misinterpretation.

Yes, Epitaph 1 was made after the end of season 1 to fit contractual obligations. It was part of the season 1 dvd/blu ray set. It was always part of season 1 as a sort of bonus episode.

But later, when season 2 was finishing up, the writers decided to go back into the future for the finale, hence Epitaph 2. Epitaph 2, unlike part 1, was always meant to be part of the season and not a bonus episode.

The two episodes were not made after the show wrapped. Only part 1 was after season 1 wrapped. In fact, a deleted scene from the first episode of season 2 had some flash fowards to the future, but Joss decided it'd be too difficult managing both timelines throughout the season so that idea was abandoned.

Let's be bad guys.

[–] Beren44 9 years ago

Thanks, Caleb, for the clarification. Nice to meet you, I'm new to posting on the boards, and have enjoyed your posts here and on Agents of Shield. Look forward to talking more.

[–] PreachCaleb 9 years ago

I've never been on Agents of Shield's board. Someone has stolen my name. lol

Let's be bad guys.

[–] Beren44 9 years ago

nah, probably my bad.. I look at both of them a lot. Bet I got confused.

"We're gonna explode? I don't wanna explode!"

[–] PreachCaleb 9 years ago



Let's be bad guys.