Is Dollhouse any good?

[Alex1939]

Dollhouse is no Firefly and I cannot recommend it for anything other than "borrowing a friend's copy" type viewing.

Depending on discretionary income, Season 1 is like $10. Season 2 is like $35.

I bought both as a xmas present to myself, and it was a great re-watch over the holidays. (I had never watched either Epitath episode, so that was a bonus)

I could see myself watching the second half of season 1 and season 2 again sometime.

 

[Ethros]

I've only watched the show through once when it was first on. As a repeat of what nearly everyone is saying- yeah, big Whedon fan, thought this was a bit meh at first, gets a lot better by episode 6, worth watching, not the best show ever but pretty good.
I do remember being about 25 minutes or so into the first episode and thinking "If this weren't a Joss show I would have definitely turned off by now"
I watched the first season via DVD though, which I think helps get through the slightly lamer episodes.

I am really looking forward to rewatching the whole series soon though.


I also have a question, which I'll just ask here rather than make a whole new thread on-
What is the best viewing order for Dollhouse?
Would you say leave it as it is, or view it in chronological order, watching Epitaph One and Epitaph Two last after one another?
I think for my rewatch I might do the latter

 

[Bones]

Its worth watching on Netflix. I wouldn't spent real $$$ on it.

Positives:
- Eliza Dushku is a great action actress
- Good mythology
- Most of the episodes are engaging
- Tahmoh Penikett really shines
- Story arc is completed.

Negatives:
- Eliza Dusku is a terrible non-action actress, and struggles giving a nuanced performance
- Probably 1/3 of the stories are unengaging and don't move the mythology forward.
- Overuse of Joss Whedon's cronies keep taking you out of the story.

 

[Lindley]

Star Trek TNG, DS9, Doctor Who, BSG, and now Firefly. We're looking for a show that good

You should consider Dead Like Me in that case.

 

[startrekwatcher]

I can't stand any of Whedon's shows--he and his shows are vastly overrated by a small segment of the internet.

Any other opinions on Fringe? So far, it sounds like there's a more positive reaction to it.

Fringe is okay--nothing particularly great. It just stands out because its contemporaries are so weak. To me it is a poor man's X-Files. The characters aren't that interesting. The show isn't heavily serialized the way LOST was and is nowhere as interesting. The show mixces standalones with mytharc episodes. The standalones aren't good at all-they are stale predictable and recycled--there's nothing new you haven't seen before and better. The mytharc episodes are always the best and highly entertaining--too bad they are few and far between.

At the end of the day I would have dumped the show in season one if I wasn't intrigued by the mythology because that is all it has going for it. TNG, DS9, The X-Files, LOST, Babylon 5 are lots better than Fringe.

 

[Lindley]

I can't stand any of Whedon's shows--he and his shows are vastly overrated by a small segment of the internet.

And also vastly underrated but another segment. As is most everything from one perspective or another.

 

[saturn5]

So, first things first, I'm not a massive Joss Whedon fan or anything. I saw a small handful of Buffy and Angel episodes many years ago and thought they were self-consciously cute and juvenile, so I never bothered. Then, I watched the movie Serenity, and liked it very much.

So now my wife and I are just finishing off the DVD of the series Firefly - and man, is it good. I mean, Deep Space Nine good. The characters are instantly loveable, the tone is great, the scripts are tight...I mean, it's really, really good science fiction.

So....Dollhouse. I've heard nothing about it. We're looking for a new sf series to rent. Is this one very good, or is it not worth the time?

Yep, Dollhouse is excellent although it takes a while to get going (as does Firefly). I rate it better than Firefly but a little ways behind Angel with Buffy as the number one show of all time. Go watch Dollhouse and then rewatch Buffy/Angel from the beginning.....you lucky thing!

 

[Takeru]

What is the best viewing order for Dollhouse?
Would you say leave it as it is, or view it in chronological order, watching Epitaph One and Epitaph Two last after one another?
I think for my rewatch I might do the latter

Leave it as it is!

 

[Alex1939]

I also have a question, which I'll just ask here rather than make a whole new thread on-
What is the best viewing order for Dollhouse?
Would you say leave it as it is, or view it in chronological order, watching Epitaph One and Epitaph Two last after one another?
I think for my rewatch I might do the latter

I don't see what watching Epitaph One before Season 2 adds to the experience. I did what you suggested and really enjoyed watching both Epitaph1 and 2 back to back.

However, I had never seen either during the original run.

 

[Lindley]

I don't see what watching Epitaph One before Season 2 adds to the experience. I did what you suggested and really enjoyed watching both Epitaph1 and 2 back to back.

However, I had never seen either during the original run.

There are a lot of early season 2 episodes that have little bits of foreshadowing to the events portrayed in Epitaph One. You wouldn't notice these if you hadn't seen it first.

 

[Bishop76]

I thought Dollhouse was pretty lousy. Easily the worst Joss show yet. It peaks a bit at the end of season one/beginning of season 2, but it's not a really high peak and the rest of the show is just awful.

 

[Pemmer Harge]

Let's put it this way: our standards have been set by Star Trek TNG, DS9, Doctor Who, BSG, and now Firefly. We're looking for a show that good.

If you want more SF shows on the same level as those, I'd suggest Babylon 5 and Farscape.

I only saw one episode of Dollhouse. I wasn't enthralled, but it seemed to be in the middle of a story arc, so maybe I didn't start in the best place. There did seem to be a few Whedonesque hallmarks that, while fresh in Buffy, I wasn't crazy about seeing again (like the geek-speak talking guy).

Overall, I like Whedon's work, but none of his subsequent shows have grabbed me as much as Buffy did. For one reason or another that's the only one that really meant something to me.

 

[exodus]

Its biggest drawback was a weak lead actress. There were props and costumes that out acted Dushku on a weekly basis.

QFT!

 

[Bishop76]

^ lol - very true

 

[saturn5]

Its biggest drawback was a weak lead actress. There were props and costumes that out acted Dushku on a weekly basis.

QFT!

No one outacted Eliza, she's a gifted girl.

Reasons to watch Dollhouse, firstly, Eliza as whipcracking dominatrix Echo. Secondly....well isn't my first point enough?

In all the polls we've ever had on Joss' series Buffy has always come first with Angel second, Firefly third and Dollhouse last but I would put Dollhouse some ways behind Angel and Firefly slightly behind Dollhouse

 

[exodus]

Its biggest drawback was a weak lead actress. There were props and costumes that out acted Dushku on a weekly basis.

QFT!

No one outacted Eliza, she's a gifted girl.

Reasons to watch Dollhouse, firstly, Eliza as whipcracking dominatrix Echo. Secondly....well isn't my first point enough?

Too quote Billy Joel: "It's just a fantasy, it's not the real thing."

Whipcracking dominatrix isn't a far cry from playing Faith and still tells me her acting range is limited.

 

[Jack Bauer]

Yeah, she wasn't all that adept at doing different characters. When they got away from the Doll of the Week thing she was much better as liberated/kick ass Echo. But what the hell...she's gorgeous so I forgive her.

 

[exodus]

Yeah, she wasn't all that adept at doing different characters. When they got away from the Doll of the Week thing she was much better as liberated/kick ass Echo. But what the hell...she's gorgeous so I forgive her.

I would need a "special favor" from her to win my forgiveness.

Such things from such women should be earned.

 

[Forbin]

Eliza's probably not going to win any Oscars, it's true, but she's no worse than a thousand other actresses her age. And hell, I could watch her for an hour if she was just sitting on a couch eating cheetos...

... which would actually be more interesting than an episode of Tru Calling.

 

[TeknoNurd]

So, first things first, I'm not a massive Joss Whedon fan or anything. I saw a small handful of Buffy and Angel episodes many years ago and thought they were self-consciously cute and juvenile, so I never bothered. Then, I watched the movie Serenity, and liked it very much.

So now my wife and I are just finishing off the DVD of the series Firefly - and man, is it good. I mean, Deep Space Nine good. The characters are instantly loveable, the tone is great, the scripts are tight...I mean, it's really, really good science fiction.

So....Dollhouse. I've heard nothing about it. We're looking for a new sf series to rent. Is this one very good, or is it not worth the time?

My wife and I came to Whedon and Firefly in much the same path.

She really enjoyed Dollhouse, for me... meh. I think it would have worked much better as a Showtime After Dark series.