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Oct. 5th, 2009 04:34 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shapinglightSo, had a very quiet weekend. As in, kept falling asleep. I think it must be fall out from the previous two weekends, but I've been so bloody tired I could hardly keep my eyes open!
Feeling a bit better today and have just finished the second draft of my Darla ficathon story. Unfortunately, it is still pretty s**te, which is worrying at this stage. The only thing I can do now is print it up, because somehow it's much easier to see where I'm going wrong when something is on a piece of paper than on a monitor screen. Anyone else find that?
Also managed to watch ep 7 of Dollhouse season 1, spoilers behind cut.
Not the best ep, I fear, and not just because Eliza didn't beat the crap out of anyone while wearing her stupidest outfit yet. I usually find Eliza pretty sexy, but not in this weird half-school girl/half who the hell knows what with the silly lacy hold ups costume. Maybe it's just me? The A plot was pretty silly too, in that you'd think the real, actual government (as opposed to Actives who think they're the real, actual government) would notice something like a whole college of students going collectively bonkers. However, in typical Craft & Fain style, parts of the ep were excellent. Ms DeWitt and Topher high on this wonder drug was hilarious, as was Mr Dominic begging Echo's forgiveness for setting her on fire in ep 5 ("because who does that?" Heh!). I also liked the twist at the end, with the villain of the piece, who was very, very pretty though sadly not a good actor, being offered a place in the Dollhouse.
So, bit of a let down after ep 6, but I still like the show a lot, and...
...it's just bloody typical that I finally find another Jossian product I like (after the serial disappointment of Firefly/Serenity, the Buffy comic and Dr Horrible) only to see on Whedonesque that season 2 might get cancelled before all 13 episodes have even been made, let alone aired. :gloom: Must say also, the attitude of some people - I hope it's cancelled so Joss can start making stuff I like instead - pees me off a little.
Feeling a bit better today and have just finished the second draft of my Darla ficathon story. Unfortunately, it is still pretty s**te, which is worrying at this stage. The only thing I can do now is print it up, because somehow it's much easier to see where I'm going wrong when something is on a piece of paper than on a monitor screen. Anyone else find that?
Also managed to watch ep 7 of Dollhouse season 1, spoilers behind cut.
Not the best ep, I fear, and not just because Eliza didn't beat the crap out of anyone while wearing her stupidest outfit yet. I usually find Eliza pretty sexy, but not in this weird half-school girl/half who the hell knows what with the silly lacy hold ups costume. Maybe it's just me? The A plot was pretty silly too, in that you'd think the real, actual government (as opposed to Actives who think they're the real, actual government) would notice something like a whole college of students going collectively bonkers. However, in typical Craft & Fain style, parts of the ep were excellent. Ms DeWitt and Topher high on this wonder drug was hilarious, as was Mr Dominic begging Echo's forgiveness for setting her on fire in ep 5 ("because who does that?" Heh!). I also liked the twist at the end, with the villain of the piece, who was very, very pretty though sadly not a good actor, being offered a place in the Dollhouse.
So, bit of a let down after ep 6, but I still like the show a lot, and...
...it's just bloody typical that I finally find another Jossian product I like (after the serial disappointment of Firefly/Serenity, the Buffy comic and Dr Horrible) only to see on Whedonesque that season 2 might get cancelled before all 13 episodes have even been made, let alone aired. :gloom: Must say also, the attitude of some people - I hope it's cancelled so Joss can start making stuff I like instead - pees me off a little.
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Date: 2009-10-05 03:54 pm (UTC)Totally!
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Date: 2009-10-05 05:22 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-10-05 05:33 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-10-05 03:55 pm (UTC)Every time. What you struggled with on screen leaps out at you in real ink! I also find putting it aside, doing something else and going back to it when you aren't tired helps a lot. I know it's difficult putting writing down when you're up against a deadline, but I always end up achieving more when the words stop blurring into each other!
Good luck!
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Date: 2009-10-05 05:22 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-10-05 06:12 pm (UTC)She's more economical with words than I could ever be!
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Date: 2009-10-05 03:57 pm (UTC)YES to all of this! I'm trying to work out if I should put together a non-spoilery post of why I like the show and why I think it's worth watching - will this reach anyone??
As far as Ep. 7 goes, I agree with you - the silly bits were very fun, Eliza's outfit was weird (I claim intentionally so) and otherwise it was a bit 'hmm...'. One thing that's been pointed out to me about it, though, that I find very cool are the Alice in Wonderland allusions in Echo's name and the journey etc.
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Date: 2009-10-05 05:24 pm (UTC)Well, if it's non-spoilery, I'll definitely read it. Otherwise, I doubt there's much we here in the UK can do. :(
One thing that's been pointed out to me about it, though, that I find very cool are the Alice in Wonderland allusions in Echo's name and the journey etc.
Hmm, that may possibly be stretching it a bit, perhaps? Then again, Mr Dominic as the Mad Hatter?
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Date: 2009-10-05 09:24 pm (UTC)I think Dominic needs one of those floppy top-hats. :D As for the stretching, I suppose I wouldn't say it goes particularly far, but I quite like that the imprint who goes on her doe-eyed adventure is called Alice. It adds another (admittedly thin) layer.
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Date: 2009-10-05 04:13 pm (UTC)Yes to ep 7 hilarity (inappropriate starches!), though on my rewatch I also totally fell in love with Boyd in this ep.
The next one is better, if it's the one I think it is. Much ass-kicking. And, oh that stiff upper lip (gonna get it)! *swoon*Nevermind. It's the one after the next one. Still, I find it very hard not to get excited for what's coming on your behalf. *shutting up now*Yes to annoyance with "send it to the attic" rhetoric. In some ways, I'd like to see Joss doing everything he wants online (unlike you, I adore Dr. Horrible) and reaping all the profit for his team, rather than wrestling with the soul-killing Fox machine. But I think that the best stuff comes from having limitations that you have to work around. And not just for Joss. For most humans. Those obstacles just make you work harder to prove your point (whatever it is).
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Date: 2009-10-05 05:27 pm (UTC)Everyone seems to agree on this one.
Oh dear! Which one is Boyd? Is he the FBI agent? I thought his name was Ballard. :is stupid:
But I think that the best stuff comes from having limitations that you have to work around. And not just for Joss. For most humans. Those obstacles just make you work harder to prove your point (whatever it is).
I agree with this, specially as the products of Joss's unfettered imagination (the Buffy comic, Dr Horrible) are precisely the things he's done I've enjoyed least. I'm afraid I just don't get the Dr Horrible squee at all. That said, I'd never say I hoped Joss would never be able to make a sequel if he wanted to.
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Date: 2009-10-05 05:39 pm (UTC)He's Echo's handler. I loved his little, "Huh" (or whatever) when Echo says no thanks to a treatment, and then later when he's "figured it out" and he sits down to play the piano for Adelle. I hardly noticed the first time, but it's great stuff.
Ballard (the FBI dude): Eh. Lots of people are bored by Echo, it seems, but I am bored with him. More of the bald FBI lady, please!
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Date: 2009-10-05 05:50 pm (UTC)Oh of course. I was thinking of him as Langton. Had forgotten he had this weird first name (weird to us Brits, that is, as it sounds like a surname).
Lots of people are bored by Echo, it seems, but I am bored with him. More of the bald FBI lady, please!
I'm not bored by Echo as long as she keeps hitting people. :) As for Ballard, he interested me while he was interacting with Definitely Not a Size 0 Doll, but I do find the character a little boring. Found Tahmoh Penikett's character a bit boring in BSG too, except for the mixed race relationship aspect (by which I mean human/cylon). And the bald lady was great. Lots of good minor characters in this show - and I've just come back from Whedonesque even more irritated. If the people posting on there are saying Dollhouse should be cancelled (because it's not what they want from Joss), I don't think it has much chance.
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Date: 2009-10-05 04:17 pm (UTC)The news about the imminent cancellation is depressing, though. Agree with you about how annoying it is that people want this cancelled so Joss can move on.
Speaking of which, TWOP is getting totally gamed on the grade for the last episode. Somehow three times the number of users who usually review have reviewed, and they are grading it as a D- (when the worst episode prior they had at B-). Probably the terminator people. And I mention this because it's totally fine to not like something, but to actively try to kill it out of spite is messed up.
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Date: 2009-10-05 05:31 pm (UTC)It's true the Caroline bits were the least interesting and
Agree with you about how annoying it is that people want this cancelled so Joss can move on.
I really can't understand it. It's like they want him to be labelled a failure.
And I mention this because it's totally fine to not like something, but to actively try to kill it out of spite is messed up.
Yep. Agreed. It's not like Joss made Fox cancel TSCC, is it?
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Date: 2009-10-05 05:37 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-10-05 05:51 pm (UTC)Yep. That was the WTF moment that made me give up on Firefly.
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Date: 2009-10-05 04:54 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-10-05 05:32 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-10-05 05:10 pm (UTC)Found out recently that this is actually typical. In the Quality Management course that I took recently for work, the professor stated that you should always print off a hard copy of your work to proof. Or have someone else do so. Because the human eye skips over things on the computer screen. Also in editing - you have to do it numerous times, because human beings can only pick up about 80% of the errors. We always miss things.
Must say also, the attitude of some people - I hope it's cancelled so Joss can start making stuff I like instead - pees me off a little.
Me too. I always have to restrain myself from saying - "the writer is not your bitch, people. Go read Neil Gaiman's post on this, now!" (Sigh.) The truth is they aren't really Whedon fans - they are solely Buffy fans. They want Whedon and all those writers to make forever and a day different variations of the show they loved and only that. And they resent Whedon for not catering to their whims.
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Date: 2009-10-05 05:35 pm (UTC)Doesn't surprise me at all. Pity I don't have a printer really.
The truth is they aren't really Whedon fans - they are solely Buffy fans.
Or Firefly fans, possibly? Or Dr Horrible fans? I dunno. Is this attitude really confined to people who only liked BtVS up to now? I mean, I haven't liked anything else Joss has done since AtS either, yet I really like Dollhouse. Can't believe I'm alone in that.
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Date: 2009-10-05 05:49 pm (UTC)Have pretty much the same problem. I got a printer, but it can't handle large manuscripts well - even though it said it could. Quite annoying. Some day I will just have to splurge and get a lazer printer.
Or Firefly fans, possibly? Or Dr Horrible fans? I dunno. Is this attitude really confined to people who only liked BtVS up to now? I mean, I haven't liked anything else Joss has done since AtS either, yet I really like Dollhouse. Can't believe I'm alone in that.
You aren't. I've had people tell me that they liked everything but Firefly. Or there are Dollhouse and Firefly fans who liked everything but Buffy. (I realized that I should have clarified that statement after I posted it and wandered back to work. I do that a lot, post, then think, dang, that's not..quite what I meant. Oh well. Don't have the edit function - since I refuse to upgrade to a paid account.)
And there are ATS fans who like everything but Buffy.
Then there's me, who liked everything but Dr. Horrible. I didn't hate Dr. Horrible. But I didn't love it either. Thought it was a bit silly and campy and sexist. But I'm apparently in the minority on that one, so I keep quiet. (That and Bones...two things fandom adores, that I just don't get the attraction.)
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Date: 2009-10-05 05:55 pm (UTC)Well, we can be a club of 2 if you like. I thought Dr Horrible was silly and boring (so boring I didn't care about the sexism) and the music was awful. I think it was a good example of why it's better for Joss to have a few ground rules laid down for him. As for Bones</>, I watched an episode once. Once was enough. I wouldn't watch that show if James Marsters was playing the Booth character and I like him more than David Boreanaz.
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Date: 2009-10-05 07:25 pm (UTC)Hee. Yep. Glad to see I'm not the only one. My flist light up like a Xmas tree when it premiered and acted as if it was the best thing evah!! Sigh. I felt I'd seen it before, one too many times. To me it was very saturday morning cliche. Maybe I've watched too many bad tv shows, and read too many bad comic books in my lifetime? Didn't make me laugh at all.
As for Bones, I watched an episode once. Once was enough. I wouldn't watch that show if James Marsters was playing the Booth character and I like him more than David Boreanaz
LOL! I feel exactly the same way. An old college friend actually told that she thought it was well-written and better than Dexter and House, which she didn't like. I remember looking at her bewildered and stating...uh, how exactly? (Granted I love Dexter and House, anf find Bones unwatchable). We figured out that she was never that into characters and was more into plot. While I was, as she put it, character girl.
I tried quite a few episodes, more than I wish to remember, and yep they were all without a doubt, repetitive, formulaic and one plot cliche after another. (this week Booth is buried alive and Bones must save him. Stay tuned! Oh, and next week Bones will be taken captive and Booth must save her! Stay tuned. And next week, someone at the Jeffersonian is under suspicion for murder...who will it be? Clue - it's whoever was a suspect in the first five minutes of the episode.)
I grow bored and start surfing the net or cleaning house ten minutes into every episode I tried of that show without fail.
Speaking of Marsters - I'm trying out Lie to Me tonight, because I want to see Marsters act against Tim Roth. That is the only reason.;-)
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Date: 2009-10-06 01:50 pm (UTC)Same here. I just couldn't understand what all the fuss was about. And how was Lie To Me? Did JM's character die?
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Date: 2009-10-06 02:23 pm (UTC)Disappointing. He had two brief scenes - both with Roth in the room, but he was interacting solely with Jennifer Beals. Roth might as well not have been there. The scenes were less than five minutes long.
The story was predictable as well as a tad sexist. Basically a statutory rape case - with the white girl setting the older (college age)black guy up, complete with youtube video. JM played the prosecuting attorney on the case who was a former law school rival of Jennifer Beals. But most of the episode was spent on some cult - where the guy is keeping the women prisoner and forcing them to have sex with him...(sigh, how many times have we seen this subplot?? It's becoming a cliche).
Don't recommend.
Did JM's character die?
No. He can possibly reappear. But this is like Bones, I wouldn't watch it if he did. I love Tim Roth, but this show bored and annoyed me.
Did JM's character die?
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Date: 2009-10-06 02:43 pm (UTC):looks forward to Caprica even more:
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Date: 2009-10-05 05:54 pm (UTC)And also listen to the song someone made out of it :)
http://scifisongs.blogspot.com/2009/08/sci-fi-song-20-george-rr-martin-is-not.html
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Date: 2009-10-05 05:29 pm (UTC)Having said all that, I don't always actually print a hard copy, especially for longer pieces, mainly because it gets expensive. Can't even sneak it by the boss at work, because I am the boss. *g*
I've only watched to eps of Dollhouse, the first of each season, and I was bored. Maybe you have to watch a while to get into it. I thought the concept was very creative, but just couldn't bring myself to care about the characters. But I'm not about to go joining some sort of cancellation jihad, either. Some people need to get some perspective.
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Date: 2009-10-05 05:37 pm (UTC)Yes, it's a problem. I had one hard copy of the first draft of The Worst Journey in the World. After that, I just had to manage.
Where Dollhouse is concerned I actually haven't felt the need to care about the characters. I like the show anyway. I think it's different and creative and it'll be a shame to see it go down.
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Date: 2009-10-05 05:47 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-10-05 05:59 pm (UTC)The thing about the imminent cancellation is a shame. I can't say I had high hopes for a third season, but I thought, we'd get at least our 13 new episodes. I want to see Summer Glau and more Alexis Denisof :(.
I really hope fandom will be able to save at least the season. I pretty much love most of Joss work (withholding the verdict on S8) but I loved the darker directions he's taking in Dollhouse. Experimenting with twisted settings instead of building on "look, we're the most adorable characters ever" (which I love too).
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Date: 2009-10-06 01:53 pm (UTC)Yes, that was a very Jossian touch. It was almost like there were two totally separate episodes running in parallel.
I can't say I had high hopes for a third season, but I thought, we'd get at least our 13 new episodes. I want to see Summer Glau and more Alexis Denisof :(.
Yes, I had my fingers crossed for the 13. Is that too much to ask? As it is, if they've only made about 6 eps so far, it's not even enough for another DVD set.
:crosses fingers that the season will be saved: I too like the dark direction this show takes, as opposed to Joss's earlier work, and I rather like the fact there isn't a core of characters we're meant to identify with. It's different. Rather brave, in fact.
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Date: 2009-10-06 01:14 am (UTC)Thank you. Some peoples' idea of what counts as sexy baffles me. And I agree with your take on the episode. Luckily there was better to come.
the attitude of some people - I hope it's cancelled so Joss can start making stuff I like instead - pees me off a little.
Yes, this. I've liked some of his projects more than others, much more than others in fact, but no matter how much we like them projects need to end at some point and new ones mean new possibilities for enjoyment. It would bother me more (and has at points) to see creators repeating themselves than to see them trying new things.
Things really aren't looking good for Dollhouse. Honestly, FOX deserves some small credit for returning it to the air at all because last season's ratings were not encouraging. They deserve flack for messing with the first few episodes of the season but really the show just isn't drawing an audience for a number of reasons. I agree with the suggestion some made that a rerun of Fringe should be its lead in (even though I'm not watching it). It would be a win-win for FOX since Fringe's actual slot is pretty competitive.
Speaking of Whedonesque posts, did you see the one on Joss' spec script for Afterlife? I downloaded the script because it sounds pretty fascinating (and a 1.0 version of Dollhouse).
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Date: 2009-10-06 01:57 pm (UTC)I think I read somewhere that this particular outfit was Eliza's own choice. If so, odd girl.
but no matter how much we like them projects need to end at some point and new ones mean new possibilities for enjoyment. It would bother me more (and has at points) to see creators repeating themselves than to see them trying new things.
I agree. Dollhouse is a very different direction for Joss to take, and okay, it's far from perfect, but I think he should be applauded for the attempt. Plus, if it's cancelled now, there is no way the story will be partially resolved the way the Firefly story was resolved by Serenity. It will just be dead.
I haven't heard of Fringe, but I have heard that Friday night is a dead slot in US TV (as it is over here), so maybe Dollhouse's ratings don't compare too badly with similar product on other channels, if there is any? Or am I just being naive?
I didn't see the Whedonesque post about the spec script. I will have a look next time I'm there
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Date: 2009-10-06 12:41 pm (UTC)As for your Darla fic, I'm sure you'll end up with something that'll make you feel satisfied: Darla is an inspiring character for you.
"" It's an attitude difficult to understand, because first it's unfair to the author and second, if J Whedon fails at raising the interest of the public, in spite of his creativity, the risks are great he won't be able to find work anymore. So much then for the "doing stuff I like" attitude.
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Date: 2009-10-06 01:58 pm (UTC)I do hope so. I've found her inspiring in the past.
if J Whedon fails at raising the interest of the public, in spite of his creativity, the risks are great he won't be able to find work anymore. So much then for the "doing stuff I like" attitude.
Yes, exactly. As second failed TV show on his resume isn't going to look too good. People seem to forget that.