Better than last week, which is saying very little.
Whedon's shows usually make fun of their potential flaws in a charming way, which often turns those flaws into strengths. Lawyers call that "taking the sting out."
This show has plenty to make fun of, and it doesn't make fun of itself, which leaves me wondering if they are just hoping that no one notices the mess. Let's just say I keep getting stung.
The black dude is the only one who can act, and his character is the only one I care anything about. And barely.
The premise and reasons for the existence of the Dollhouse leave me baffled, and not because it's too complicated. It's not complicated enough. They don't seem to have really thought it all through.
Both times somebody has ordered the services of Echo, I couldn't for the life of me figure out why the customer wouldn't just get what they needed in a number of cheaper, easier, more logical ways. And that was before Echo went out on the missions. After the mission, I saw even less reasons why one would ever employ her. (Or those like her.)
"Do you have a problem? Do you want to solve that problem in an extremely expensive and highly ridiculous way? Do you want someone to make your situation even worse? And after we bungle your issue and take your money, can we count on you to keep the whole thing a secret? If so, Dollhouse is the agency for you. And please don't ask about our internal problems. Every once in a while, a doll goes haywire and kills everyone and we have to start all over again. The liability's a bitch. That's part of why we have to charge you so much."
We have no reason to bond with Echo's character because there is nothing to bond with. She's a blank piece of paper. By the time she starts to "wake up" and give us something to bond with, the show will already be cancelled.
Plugging an actress into a totally different character each week might work if it was done to showcase the abilities of an amazing actress. Eliza is hot, but she can't act. I watched all of "Tru Calling" because she is pretty. I don't think I can do it again.
And watching Helo and Romo looking like the worst actors ever just reminds me once again that there is a magic to really good shows (BSG, Six Feet Under, etc.) that makes everyone involved look like fantastic actors, even when they're not.
Have you ever heard a little kid tell you about a superhero that they made up? There is usually a cute concept at the core, but it all falls apart when you try to think it through or apply internal consistency to the idea. Of course, we don't tell the little kid that because we want to encourage him to be creative.
I love you, Joss Whedon. But this show is terrible.
