bedlamsbard (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
bedlamsbard) wrote2011-12-11 04:57 pm
bedlamsbard) wrote2011-12-11 04:57 pm
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dollhouse s2
*fans self* Well, that happened. I went through the entire second season of Dollhouse in two days (probably less than twenty-four hours, actually), and lo, it was good. Season one was shaky, and I'm still bitter over the fact that they dropped T:SCC in order to pick up a second season of Dollhouse, but S2 is pretty damn good. What a turnaround, seriously. (Especially since for some reason I thought the general consensus was that S2 was terrible -- I mean, it did get cancelled -- but it was good: characters, plot, some super creepy bits, thematic -- eh, I'm not a hundred percent sure on this one, but I'll take it.)
I think one thing that definitely helped was that S2 actually gave them a character to work with; it's a lot easier to get the audience engaged once your lead is actually a person and not just an empty face. And Echo, once she got stabilized, was delightful; I was getting some really lovely Dark Angel vibes off her.
Another thing that helped was that the episodes were shorter -- the first season was full of 50 minute eps, and the second season dialed it back to the standard 43 (give or take), which helped tighten it up. And there was definitely an overarcing plot, which is, as usual, very helpful. I was worried that they might have backed themselves into a corner when they made Epitaph One, but it worked out.
Backing off of Echo as the one-and-only helped a lot; they were poking at it a little bit in the back half of S1, but making it more of an ensemble show in S2 helped stabilize it. I was hopeful for a little bit that they were going to make Echo not the one-and-only Very Special Doll by giving Victor and Sierra flashbacks; it reads to me like they played around for a little while with the idea of making all the dolls start to evolve, then backed away from it in order to give Echo some kind of genetic abnormality. Except for how their One True Love transcends all mindwipes, obvs. (I love Victor and Sierra, really. Or Tony and Priya, if you like.)
PAAAAAAAUL. <3 OH GOSH. I was worried! People said that he did horrible things and I thought, "Oh, no, this is going to be a disaster!" but, you know...not really. (OH GOSH BABY GETTING MINDWIPED AND IMPRINTED.) Although what a weird thing for Tahmoh Penikett to start getting typecast for, the normal guy who falls for the girl who's really someone else and needs to fight to develop her own identity. And despite being spoiled for it -- deliberately, I went and looked it up on Wikipedia -- I was really hoping it would be Mellie, rather than Echo, because for some reason I adore Mellie and Miracle Laurie is gorgeous; I'll take her over Eliza Dushku any day. <3 <3 <3 Paul and Echo teaming up is lovely. That bit in "Epitaph Two: The Return" where he just smiles? AWESOME.
LOL THE BATTLESTAR GALACTICA REUNION TRAIN. We've got Lampkin in S1, then Apollo and Tigh in S2. DELIGHTFUL, I SAY, DELIGHTFUL. And the usual Joss Whedon alumni crew, Alan Tudyk and Summer Glau.
Number one episode of delightful lulz: 2.03, "Belle Chose." I suspect it doesn't do much for the overall arc, but OH THE LULZ. I note that the other ep that gave me the lulz -- dialogue-wise, less with what was actually on screen -- was "Getting Closer", so both Tim Minear episodes.
As per usual, any time I hear the words "The shape of things to come" I go to a BSG place.
Much less gratuitous ass-kicking this season. Still lots of ass-kicking.
I think the show finished strong.
I think one thing that definitely helped was that S2 actually gave them a character to work with; it's a lot easier to get the audience engaged once your lead is actually a person and not just an empty face. And Echo, once she got stabilized, was delightful; I was getting some really lovely Dark Angel vibes off her.
Another thing that helped was that the episodes were shorter -- the first season was full of 50 minute eps, and the second season dialed it back to the standard 43 (give or take), which helped tighten it up. And there was definitely an overarcing plot, which is, as usual, very helpful. I was worried that they might have backed themselves into a corner when they made Epitaph One, but it worked out.
Backing off of Echo as the one-and-only helped a lot; they were poking at it a little bit in the back half of S1, but making it more of an ensemble show in S2 helped stabilize it. I was hopeful for a little bit that they were going to make Echo not the one-and-only Very Special Doll by giving Victor and Sierra flashbacks; it reads to me like they played around for a little while with the idea of making all the dolls start to evolve, then backed away from it in order to give Echo some kind of genetic abnormality. Except for how their One True Love transcends all mindwipes, obvs. (I love Victor and Sierra, really. Or Tony and Priya, if you like.)
PAAAAAAAUL. <3 OH GOSH. I was worried! People said that he did horrible things and I thought, "Oh, no, this is going to be a disaster!" but, you know...not really. (OH GOSH BABY GETTING MINDWIPED AND IMPRINTED.) Although what a weird thing for Tahmoh Penikett to start getting typecast for, the normal guy who falls for the girl who's really someone else and needs to fight to develop her own identity. And despite being spoiled for it -- deliberately, I went and looked it up on Wikipedia -- I was really hoping it would be Mellie, rather than Echo, because for some reason I adore Mellie and Miracle Laurie is gorgeous; I'll take her over Eliza Dushku any day. <3 <3 <3 Paul and Echo teaming up is lovely. That bit in "Epitaph Two: The Return" where he just smiles? AWESOME.
LOL THE BATTLESTAR GALACTICA REUNION TRAIN. We've got Lampkin in S1, then Apollo and Tigh in S2. DELIGHTFUL, I SAY, DELIGHTFUL. And the usual Joss Whedon alumni crew, Alan Tudyk and Summer Glau.
Number one episode of delightful lulz: 2.03, "Belle Chose." I suspect it doesn't do much for the overall arc, but OH THE LULZ. I note that the other ep that gave me the lulz -- dialogue-wise, less with what was actually on screen -- was "Getting Closer", so both Tim Minear episodes.
As per usual, any time I hear the words "The shape of things to come" I go to a BSG place.
Much less gratuitous ass-kicking this season. Still lots of ass-kicking.
I think the show finished strong.