This show has really stepped it up in the last year. It had a shaky start (the network required them to rework the pilot into the first four eps or so) and kinda sucked at first. If you watched the DvDs, the place it's going is amazing. Tonight in particular, I thought was just fantastic writing. Showing the back story of one of the main actives, showing how she reacts to being an active, Topher developing conscience. This ep had layers upon layers, and while I'm smart enough to know the layers were there, I can't dissect them, cause I'm drunk. Dollhouse: Talk about it. Will it survive Fox hating Joss Whedon just enough to give him a great show with a great premise in a timeslot garaunteed to failure?
I'm a total Whedontard (to the point that I give every show with a former Whedon-actor a chance, no matter how dumb it is. ie I dvr Castle), so it makes me sad that this show is definitely not long for the world. (Fox pulled it for sweeps, and will start running the remaining of the 13 episodes back to back on Friday nights starting in December.) That said, ICZorro is correct that this was one of the best episodes (after Epitaph 1, which Fox never aired, but is on the Season1 DVD) - due in large part to the fact that Eliza Dushku was barely in it. She's at her best when she's just blankly playing Echo, which I don't think is a testament to her acting ability, but more to her lack of range, which is a detriment under the best circumstances, but is especially problematic in a show where a fairly broad range should be a prerequisite. So, while I tend to err on the side of Whedon-Can-Do-No-Wrong, in this case, he fucked himself when he built this show around her. Firefly's blood is on Fox's hands, but this is on Joss. Where Fox is at fault though is that so much time was wasted on one-off "monster of the week" type of episodes. Dollhouse is strongest when it's focusing on the mythology of the house itself (and to a lesser extent the dolls, provided it's not Echo), and so much time has been wasted watching Dushku's tits bounce around in yet another of Echo's tarted up ensembles for the whore-engagement-goes-bad of the week. (Yes, there is probably some merit to bouncing tits, but not enough to keep Dollhouse afloat.) What really sucks is that this show was over before Summer Glau's ever really going to get started.
It's official. Fox has cancelled Dollhouse. http://www.variety.com/article/VR111801 ... 1&nid=2562 Those limp dick mother fuckers.