echo

(S01E07) This was a terrific episode. While it borrowed elements from other science fiction franchises (most notably the episode "The Naked Time" from Star Trek), it served as a perfect vehicle to explain how Caroline (last name: Farrell. Forgive any misspelling of names) got involved with the Dollhouse.

Whedon and company go to an anti-corporate message. It turns out the Dollhouse is a product of the Rossum Corporation, the biggest drug company in America (if not the world), and Caroline was doing some animal activist activities to earn their ire. Those activities even cost the life of her then-boyfriend Leo.

We also know that Caroline used to be a student at Freema University and had Professor Janik as a teacher (once again, forgive any spelling errors). We knew she was a college student (or probably graduate when she was recruited). Now we know where. Which college campus did they use for filming, I wonder.

Whatever was in that teapot when Adelle was saying "nothing is as it seems", it wasn't tea.

(S01E06) So this is the biggie. The episode that changes everything. Did it have to be on the same night as the series finale of Battlestar Galactica?

It looks like the rumors aren't true. At least, not this week. Somewhat disappointing, but they could prove true before season's end.

Tonight's episode wasn't so much about Echo as it was about the Dollhouse itself and how the world perceives it. It also discussed (via documentary) the moral and philosophical implications of such a place, the sort of questions that Joss Whedon excels at exploring (good thing he wrote the episode).

Joss himself has promised that Friday's episode of Dollhouse is a game-changer. It's a pity that the episode is competing with the series finale of Battlestar Galactica. What follows is a major spoiler for Friday that I'm leaving until after the jump.

Those of you who do not fear spoilers, click away...

Well, what else would you expect him to say?

Dollhouse had a lot of buzz when it was announced, and then some of the buzz faded when FOX announced that it was putting the show on Friday nights, a graveyard for a lot of TV shows (though not as much of a graveyard as Saturday nights, I guess). Then the show premiered to mixed reviews and so-so ratings. The ratings still aren't that blockbuster. And now, creator Joss Whedon promises that the next couple of episodes are going to show more of the vision that he has had for the show from the start (before FOX got involved and told him how they wanted the opening episodes to be).

(S01E05) Among other things we've learned from tonight's episode of Dollhouse is that those who live in a cult can sing in perfect harmony. Mostly likely due to brainwashing.

We've also learned that certain members of the U.S. Senate are well aware of the Dollhouse's existence, making it even less likely that Agent Ballard will succeed in his mission of bringing the place down.

(S01E04) Why hire an Active to be a midwife for a baby delivery? Surely a real midwife must be a lot cheaper. Unless you need a midwife that is also a champion skier that reads Sanskrit.

In the beginning, I wondered if Echo was going to be victimized by a man (or group of men) every week until she turned all master criminal on us. For some reason, I was under the impression that the Actives were only for romantic or altruistic purposes (despite the illegal nature of the business). Obviously, I was mistaken.

I can actually understand the logic of going to the Dollhouse for a master safecracker or any sort of high tech criminal activity. People who can perform those activities are legitimately rare and expensive. With the Dollhouse, you get a one-stop-shop for all your illegal needs.

With Taffy, "blue skies" is the new "five by five". It was kind of neat to see two different actresses play the same character. I found it funny how Sierra, when imprinted with Taffy's personality, knew exactly where she put the safecracking tools on her body.

(S01E03) At first, I wondered if the songs written for this episode were from external sources. Then I realized that tonight's episode was written by Jed Whedon, brother of Joss, and Jed's fiancée Maurissa Tancharoen. Jed is a music composer and among his other projects is the Internet sensation Dr. Horrible's Sing Along Blog, thus answering my question.

Ironically, the episode even revolved around the music industry and its performers, with Rayna Russell obviously being the love child of Beyoncé Knowles and Britney Spears. Was Tancharoen among the musical extras in this episode? I didn't see her if she was, but it wouldn't surprise me.

(S01E02) In what was seriously a step up in show quality, Dollhouse gave us its version of the short story "The Most Dangerous Game". In effect, humans hunting humans with lethal weapons. I'm surprised the concept isn't a Fox reality show yet.

Episodes that fill back story always enrich a series (and remain one of Whedon's strengths). A good example of this sort of story is "Out of Gas" from Whedon's previous television show Firefly. I've also seen the concept in Torchwood and The Sarah Connor Chronicles. In this case, we learn about Boyd Langton's introduction to the Dollhouse and the nature of his relationship with Echo.

Now we have a potential Moriarty to Echo's Sherlock Holmes in the form of Alfa (which is spelled that way and not "Alpha" in the NATO phonetic alphabet). It's uncertain as to whether Richard himself was Alfa, but if he was, it would have been likely that Adelle DeWitt would have recognized him in his initial interview (unless plastic surgery was involved). Thus, that seems unlikely. Had he been, it would have added a level of complexity to his name since hunting is such an alpha-male sport (much as how Echo lives up to her name by containing traces of memories).

(S01E01) Joss Whedon returns to television not with a bang, but not with a whimper either. The first episode of his new show Dollhouse was kind of "meh" for me, but Whedon's strength has been the ability to build characters over a few episodes, so I suspect the best of this series is yet to come. As the episode stands, it was a good introduction to the characters and general situation.

Despite the sci-fi trappings, the first episode of the show was more reminiscent of 24 than any of Whedon's previous shows. It's a shame that Fox can't market it as such.

I officially take back some of the things I've said about the lack of promotion of Fox's new Friday night sci-fi line-up. They've released a new promo that takes a page from the grindhouse age of cinema and made a very cool trailer for both Dollhouse and Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, even go so far as billing the shows as a double-feature.

Granted, this does not mean that the shows are going to win in the ratings (which is unlikely due to their schedule placement), but it does at least appear that Fox is more aware of its target audience. This is a point Joss Whedon has made in a couple of interviews.

Maybe I'm wrong and Friday nights will turn into a big winner for both shows. Whatever the case, I hope this promo is included in one of the DVD sets when they're released, preferably Dollhouse.

The commercial is after the jump...

There has been a lot of controversy surrounding Joss Whedon's new television brainchild, particularly since it became slated for Friday nights (it premieres on Feb. 13 at 9 PM ET). It's difficult to judge a Joss Whedon show by a single episode since the creator relies so much on serialized storytelling, so let's start with the facts.

Joss Whedon is a versatile writer and has no difficulty in producing shows that nobody expects. For example, Firefly was nothing like Buffy. Similarly, Dollhouse is very different than Whedon's previous television ventures. This could be why Fox relegated it to Fridays. Perhaps they fear change.

Just last week, TV Squad reported that the creators and executive producers of the ABC drama Women's Murder Club, Sarah Fain and Elizabeth Craft, were replaced by Robert Nathan. Before you could say "Holy homicide, Batman," the two writers were quickly offered jobs from their old boss, Joss "Firefly" Whedon. Whedon has a development deal with Fox for a project called Dollhouse. He contacted Fain and Craft because he knew their work from Angel where they were co-story editors.