Dollhouse: Epitaph One

[shapinglight]

Okay, I've watched Epitaph One now. Thoughts behind cut, and please don't spoiler me for season 2.



First of all, I'd better say that I don't know the history of the making of this episode so I could be wrong, but I think I know why Joss made it. It's the sort of Dollhouse equivalent of Serenity, the movie that Joss busted a gut to get made after Firefly had been cancelled (hey, I didn't like the show but far worse things go on for years and years without getting cancelled - Charmed? Ghost Whisperer? God, that show sucks). Joss knew that lightning doesn't strike twice and that, even if he had the energy to fight for it, no one in these post-credit crunch times was going to give him the money to make a feature film out of another failed TV show.

Which reminds me - all those people saying they hope Dollhouse will be cancelled so Joss can make something they like instead - don't they realise that when you have two failed TV shows under your belt, it becomes a lot less likely that you will ever be trusted to make another one?

Sorry, I digress. Anyway, I think Epitaph One was Joss's way of bookending Dollhouse for good in case it was cancelled, given that Omega was so much a season ender, not a show ender and left so many questions unanswered. For that reason, I'm glad he made it. I also hope that, now the show has been given a second season, he'll either ditch it as a show ender or, if season 2 is the last, give us an Epitaph Two that presents a completely different outcome to the world he's set up. I think this was your idea, quinara? I hope it happens.

That said, I didn't hate Epitaph One. There were some great scenes in it - notably Adelle and the revived Mr Dominic and Adelle and Crazy Topher. But all the scenes that looked like they'd dropped in from an episode of The Sarah Connor Chronicles with people floundering around in the dark and firing guns just got on my nerves, as did Echo and Ballard arriving to lead the dolls to the 'promised land'. I also wish people wouldn't mumble so much. I've no idea what was going on in the first five minutes because I couldn't make out a word anyone said, and I had to replay the ending four times to work out what 'Caroline's' final words were (that aside, that kid was pretty good, btw). I also think that things seem to fall apart a little whenever Joss's ideas go 'global' as it were. Yes, he was playing with some huge concepts here - loved the way people kept sneering at the 'give the people what they need, not what they want' line - but he's not so good at depicting the big picture stuff on screen, or wherever, as he is the intense intimate moments - and this is probably why Chosen isn't nearly as moving a finale as Becoming 2, and one of the reasons why the Buffy comic just doesn't work for me (too much big picture stuff, and guns, not enough character moments and not enough Buffy beating up vampires). In any case, the horror of what had happened to the world was far better realised in the intimate one-on-one scene between Adelle and Crazy Topher - the thing about answer the phone, don't answer the phone - and in every scene that Amy Acker was in, than it was in the scenes of death and destruction. Amy Acker was just brilliant.

But the shooting and quasi-military talk? I could have done without that.

So yes, some great moments, some grating moments. I can see why Joss made it. Equally, I hope it's just one possible future for the characters, not the only one.

Comments

[sueworld2003.livejournal.com]

Yep. thats pretty much my take on it too. *g*

[shapinglight]

Well, we agree about something re: Dollhouse then. That's good. :)

[tx-cronopio.livejournal.com]

I mostly want Dollhouse to be cancelled so that Whedonesque stops being so annoying :)

[shapinglight]

:(

After season 2, okay?

I avoid Whedonesque like the plague usually.

[tx-cronopio.livejournal.com]

There's an insider over there who claims he has a promise from Fox that all 13 eps of S2 will show -- so I'll keep my fingers crossed, but only cuz it's you :)

[flake-sake.livejournal.com]

I quite liked it the episode, especially the scenes with Adelle and Topher but curiously enough also the way Ballard and Echo were with each other. Ok, the leading to the promised land was more ugh, but I liked their relationship, where you get the impression that Echo is fully aware what a creep he is but lets him stick around to help.
In the beginning I was really worried because I disliked the character so much, but the way he is played, it's great. I loved the scene in the finale, when he get's to save the girl/the little black box.

I also thought on the global front the man in flashback who told them that the Dollhouse is selling immortality now was a pretty good. It was the logical follow up of Ghost and really works as a global scifi idea for me.

I really hopes the show lives to see Epitaph two and an alternate future.
Looks like the ratings were up this week, so maybe there's a chance and meanwhile they're shooting on.

[bogwitch.livejournal.com]

After all the talk I was expecting something fabulous, and it wasn't.

[2maggie2.livejournal.com]

Am happily in agreement with you on this issue right down the line.

I also agree with you about the source of the problem (trying to wrap up if this was the last word).

I think we can still hold out some hope on Caroline -- in a world where everyone's imprinted it'd be trivial to have her be an imprint meant to lead the survivors into deep doo doo. Also, Joss has already created wriggle room by saying that these are memories and memories are often wrong. That said, the fear that Caroline just is what she seems to be was amped by this episode and is probably a big chunk of why Caroline/Echo is a problem for me everytime she's on screen.

Loved Adelle and Topher/Dominic and even Caroline. There is a lot of room for her to be ever more interesting.

My other disappointment was that the scariness of this technology is not that we're going to have a ho hum apocalypse with people taking over the world by blowing it to pieces. The scariness is that people could quietly imprint people just enough so that they are totally slaves without having any idea that they are slaves. That's the theme DH is exploring now. To collapse it to a blowed up world in ten short years is depressing and is probably the biggest reason I'm hopeful that we will get an epitaph two to create more room for the more interesting and horrifying trajectories.

[quinara]

I think that sort of Epitaph Two is quite a few people's hopes, so I can't tell if I came up with it independently, but I'm still silently begging that Joss will go with it, because I'm not sure he's going to. Although there was some mention somewhere about unreliable narrators or memories or something. I don't know. I'm fairly certain Felicia Day will be back though!

Considering how much I love post-apocalyptic global scenarios, I do forgive Joss for being a bit crap at them, though generally I agree with you that it's the little character scenes that make it good. DeWitt and Topher break my heart. (And I get rather gleeful that it seems like Echo, in all her super!special!goodness, shoots everyone apart from Dr. Saunders in cold blood. Or at least that's how it seemed to me.)

I think it's salvageable as a definite future (and there have been some nicely subtle bits so far that make you think about parts of it differently, which is cool), but it could easily get very obvious and kind of silly.

[kitmarlowescot2.livejournal.com]

Is it the accents, or just plain mumbling ? Because it can be a bit hard for me as American, to sometimes understand an english accent espically if it is the type to speak low and fast. Do you have the same problem with American accents ? I can imagine a New York accent can be hard to understand, more than a Southern. Do you find our pronunciations or the speed/volume harder to understand ? To me it is the volume, but then again my hearing has never been the best. I always have to crank up the volume, while watching a BBC program so I can hear the correct way a word is prounced.
If it isn't to bold may I ask what English accent variation do you speak with ? I know very few myself.
I speak with the Southern American English, Coastal Southern accent that is common in this area.

[kitmarlowescot2.livejournal.com]

PS Haven't watched Dollhouse yet, but I might later on. You have done a good review on it.

[shapinglight]

so I'll keep my fingers crossed, but only cuz it's you :)

Thank you. In view of how you feel about the show, that's really nice of you. :)

[calturner.livejournal.com]

I enjoyed Epitaph One on the whole, but it was all the little character moments that really made the episode for me. Topher and Adelle were heartbreaking, and Amy Acker's Whisky was wonderful (she's such a good actress!). I, too, hope that it's only one possible future for the characters. The little girl, btw, plays Molly in Heroes, and is every bit as good in that.

I've only seen the first ep of S2 so far, and am keeping my fingers crossed that we get all 13 episodes. I'm looking forward to seeing what direction they take it in. :)

[next_to_normal]

Yep, pretty much agreed with your opinion. :)

I have to say, if Dollhouse had been canceled and this really HAD been Joss' final statement, I would have found it pretty unsatisfying. It doesn't answer any of the questions that I care about the answers to, and really only makes things more confusing in trying to piece this together with the previous 12 episodes.

I also think that things seem to fall apart a little whenever Joss's ideas go 'global' as it were.

That's a really good observation. I've always known that Joss had trouble with worldbuilding in general, but I never quite put my finger on what it is that makes Firefly, the Buffy comics, and this so much less enjoyable to me than BtVS/AtS. And I think that's it - when Joss tries to make things "global," he's forced to rely too much on his weakness (worldbuilding) and doesn't leave enough time for his strengths (intimate character moments).

loved the way people kept sneering at the 'give the people what they need, not what they want' line

Ha! I sneer every time I hear him say that, too. It's so patently ridiculous.

[deird1]

Yeah, but if it's cancelled, Whedonesque will never get over it. Ever.

[rebcake.livejournal.com]

Echo, in all her super!special!goodness, shoots everyone apart from Dr. Saunders in cold blood.

Huh? I didn't really get anything like that. I suppose leaving it up in the air when Adelle asked Echo if she was going to kill her was a little "violence might happen", but everybody was pretty clearly preparing to head out. If Echo had shot everybody, it would have been a charnel house, and the future!folks would've been gagging when they arrived, rather than all, "Oh! Spa!"

But, hey, anything is possible, I guess. In the future Mwahahahah!

[cozzybob.livejournal.com]

Agreed. I think Joss is losing touch with what he does best, and it's seen more and more in every show/project he makes. Too much on the Big Picture / Fancy Graphics, and too little on the intimate scenes that really makes us love his shows. One thing I really liked about the s1 finale was Topher/Adelle, and I'm glad you pointed that out. It's pretty much the only thing other than Whiskey that I liked about it, and I'm a bit sad he didn't extend on it further. Character interaction like that will always draw us in, because that's what Joss is good at--giving us characters and thereby circumstances that will make our hearts break. I think I fell in love with Topher when I saw him crash like that--his line about arrogance rings very true with his character, and it was so tragic to realize his mistakes long after he made them. In fact, seeing that scene made me fall in love with Adelle too, because even though she was very wrong in her decisions, she really does seem to care, and I loved how she was motherly towards Topher... that broke my heart a little bit, too.

Unfortunately, I can't feel the same way about Caroline. The character is too... well, you said it best. I keep seeing more of Sarah Connor than I do anything Joss, and I can't really relate to the character at all, nor feel for her. Which is sad, because I do think Eliza is trying very hard, and doing well, mostly--but I feel more sympathy and likeness to Echo (especially in Omega) than I do anything even remotely Caroline (which is more the writer's fault than it is Eliza's acting skills). I hope that's something Joss tries to rectify soon, because if your main character is drab, there's really not much hope for the show.

(In a way, I hope they destroy Caroline's personality backups, because if she's gone for good, the show would be so much better. Heh! Also, I agree--the little girl did a superb job.)

[quinara]

Oh, heh, by everyone I meant the Dollhouse staff, ie. Topher and DeWitt and other people who weren't actives. To me it seemed like the look in her eye was that she wasn't going to let them go.

And she could have cleaned the bodies up!

[shapinglight]

That might be...kind of fun.

But I don't want it to be cancelled. I want the 13 episodes.

At least.

[shapinglight]

but I liked their relationship, where you get the impression that Echo is fully aware what a creep he is but lets him stick around to help

Hmm, I didn't really get the impression that Echo thought Ballard was a creep. Not sure the audience is supposed to think that either. Do you think we are? Not that it matters, because like everyone in this show (the ones who have free will, that is), if you stop and think about their behaviour it's damn creepy!

Ballard isn't likeable and I'm not a Tahmoh Penikett fangirl (those sort of looks don't appeal to me), but I think he's pretty good, in fact. He's managed to convince me he's not Helo anyway.

I also thought on the global front the man in flashback who told them that the Dollhouse is selling immortality now was a pretty good. It was the logical follow up of Ghost and really works as a global scifi idea for me.

Yes, I agree. That was an absolutely chilling scene, and again Enve Gjokai knocked it out of the park.

Looks like the ratings were up this week, so maybe there's a chance and meanwhile they're shooting on.

I hope so, as I'm assuming Joss will have made contingencies to bring the show to a decent conclusion if all he gets are the 13 episodes.

[shapinglight]

No, not really, though there were fabulous bits.

[shapinglight]

I also agree with you about the source of the problem (trying to wrap up if this was the last word).

Yes, it's obvious that Joss expected the show to be cancelled and was playing safe. He pretty much says so at that speech he gave to the Secular Society.

Also, Joss has already created wriggle room by saying that these are memories and memories are often wrong.

That's good. Though like you, I now fear that Caroline is no deeper than she appears so far, which is horribly shallow and uninteresting when not layered with the other personalities Echo's been imprinted with. Bizarrely, when Eliza is being Echo-Layered-On-Top-Of-Caroline she's fine, but when she's just Caroline she's boring for some reason. Yet the blonde waitress character in Omega who ended up as Caroline and the scary little girl in Epitaph One who was Caroline weren't boring to the same extent. Odd.

The scariness is that people could quietly imprint people just enough so that they are totally slaves without having any idea that they are slaves. That's the theme DH is exploring now. To collapse it to a blowed up world in ten short years is depressing and is probably the biggest reason I'm hopeful that we will get an epitaph two to create more room for the more interesting and horrifying trajectories.

Yes. Having everything descent into a fairly bog standard dystopia, like the Terminator films, was so disappointing that I thought for a moment Joss was making an ironic comment on the cancellation of TSCC. Then I realised he would have made this before that show was cancelled.

[shapinglight]

I'm fairly certain Felicia Day will be back though!

Probably. She appears to be one of Joss's pets, along with Amy, Alyson and Summer Glau (not dissing their acting chops by saying that, just saying). Can't say the character she played resonated with me much.

Considering how much I love post-apocalyptic global scenarios, I do forgive Joss for being a bit crap at them,

Well, there are scenarios and scenarios, aren't there? 2maggie2 has a far more interesting take on how this could have gone than what we got in the episode, parts of which looked like they escaped from a Terminator movie.

(And I get rather gleeful that it seems like Echo, in all her super!special!goodness, shoots everyone apart from Dr. Saunders in cold blood. Or at least that's how it seemed to me.)

I suppose they cut away from that to leave us guessing, but yeah, it did look like she shot Adelle. Wonder what happened to Mr Dominic?

[shapinglight]

Ooh, you're the person I saw with the Adelle fencing icon! Is is snaggable?

[shapinglight]

Is it the accents, or just plain mumbling ?

It's the mumbling. Probably not helped by the accents. :)

I suppose my accent would be describes as RP (received pronunciation). That means I speak like a news presenter, with a sort of neutral southern English accent.

[shapinglight]

but it was all the little character moments that really made the episode for me. Topher and Adelle were heartbreaking, and Amy Acker's Whisky was wonderful (she's such a good actress!)

Agreed on both counts. Amy is wonderful, and that last scene where she releases the poison gas and then sort of folds up like a broken doll is chilling. It's like Drusilla in a strange way.

Thought I recognised the little girl from elsewhere.

:also crosses fingers for 13 episodes, as assumes that Joss will have planned for that being all he gets:

[shapinglight]

Thank you. It's certainly not everyone's cup of tea.

[shapinglight]

It doesn't answer any of the questions that I care about the answers to, and really only makes things more confusing in trying to piece this together with the previous 12 episodes.

Well, I think the scene where Victor is taken over by the person who tells Adelle they're now in the business of immortality answers one of the questions, but the whole episode is a series of taking things that we've seen to (one of) their ultimate conclusions. At least, that was now I saw it. But of course there were lots and lots of things still left unanswered.

I've always known that Joss had trouble with worldbuilding in general, but I never quite put my finger on what it is that makes Firefly, the Buffy comics, and this so much less enjoyable to me than BtVS/AtS. And I think that's it - when Joss tries to make things "global," he's forced to rely too much on his weakness (worldbuilding) and doesn't leave enough time for his strengths (intimate character moments).

Yes, I think you've hit the nail on the head here. Joss would be far better off trying to put his point across in a more intimate atmosphere.

And it was the poor world-building that put me off Firefly (that and not liking Mal, and Joss's cavalier ignoring of basic scientific laws, like, say, gravity). Joss didn't really seem to have any conception of how societies evolve, which meant we ended up with this uneasy marriage of hi-tech and Little House on the Prairie. it just got on my nerves.

Ha! I sneer every time I hear him say that, too. It's so patently ridiculous.

It is, so it's good to know he realises that himself now.

[next_to_normal]

Oh, I didn't mean it didn't answer any questions... just that it doesn't answer the ones I care about. Or in some cases (like Maggie's point about technology leading to a ho hum apocalypse), I didn't like the answers we got.

[shapinglight]

Too much on the Big Picture / Fancy Graphics, and too little on the intimate scenes that really makes us love his shows.

I guess, though I do think Dollhouse has had quite a few of those and has the potential to have more. It's just that most people don't seem to like the characters and the premise is so damn dodgy, which is of course why I say I feel I've booked my seat on the hell bus because I like it so much.

Character interaction like that will always draw us in, because that's what Joss is good at--giving us characters and thereby circumstances that will make our hearts break.

It is possible that we'll get more such moments if Joss can only get his 13 eps of season 2. There's actually been quite a lot of nice interaction between Topher and Adelle.

but I feel more sympathy and likeness to Echo (especially in Omega) than I do anything even remotely Caroline (which is more the writer's fault than it is Eliza's acting skills)

Yes, unfortunatel. Even the episode with the lab break-in (where Eliza wore that ghastly costume) didn't make Caroline any more interesting. It was impossible to feel for her when her boyfriend got shot because we knew nothing about him and she herself is so poorly fleshed out.

(In a way, I hope they destroy Caroline's personality backups, because if she's gone for good, the show would be so much better.

Hee! Probably.

[quinara]

Wonder what happened to Mr Dominic?

Oh, good point! Hmm... I suppose I'd say shot as well. (Echo probably enjoyed that one. :D)

[quinara]

Um, I don't know where this is meant to go... LJ took me to the wrong place!!

[rebcake.livejournal.com]

Snag away. Credit goes to moscow_watcher, who made it specially for me, the sweetie. So Modesty Blaise!

[shapinglight]

It's great. Thank you. And thanks to moscwo_watcher of course.

[shapinglight]

I suppose I'd say shot as well. (Echo probably enjoyed that one. :D)

I would imagine so. Have to admit, I rather liked him.

[shapinglight]

Ah sorry. Misunderstood.

We'll see what he comes up with at the end of season 2, since that will probably be the end end.

[quinara]

Have to admit, I rather liked him.

Really? I always thought he was a bit of a git! Though it was interesting to compare him with DeWitt in a sort of father vs. mother thing, where he cared more about the concept of the people than the people themselves and she was sort of the other way round.

[shapinglight]

Oh, he was a total git, but I still liked him. I think it was his funny moment in ep 7, where he apologised to Echo for setting her on fire that did it. Made me laugh.