Joss Whedon's Dollhouse to get Comic Book Treatment!

Image from source, ComicBookMovie

A big woo, and a big hoo! I was a huge fan of the tv show, Dollhouse, as has been amply presented here on the blog.  It was a show about a company that hired troubled people, blanked their minds, and then reloaded them with the personality and attributes wanted by a rich, elite clientele. It was a Joss Whedon show, so the there was a lot more to it than that, and like most Whedon shows, it wasn't highly rated, but had a fervent fan base.  When the show ended after two seasons, the whole thing was wrapped up in a dystopian future, leaving most plot points tied up.

I may be mistaken, but I'm pretty sure that all involved vowed there would be no continuation, no adaptation, no comic book series to follow.  But in the sci-fi/fantasy/action genres, never say never.  I may have to subscribe to this one, even if I let my Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight comics addiction lapse.

[Excerpt]

Dollhouse gets its own Comic book!

Another cancelled show for Joss Whedon proves a valuble asset for Darkhorse Comics, who have made an announcement that it will release a Dollhouse comic book in 2011. . .

Read more at: ComicBookMovie

Thanks to @ElizaDushku via Twitter

DVD Review: Wrong Turn 2: Dead End

Images from Wikipedia

There have been several movies I've popped into the player, where I had high expectations, and was tremendously disappointed. The Happening was one of the worst offenders.  So, most often, I try to keep my expectations realistic, to prevent myself from disappointment.  With this weekend's selection, Wrong Turn 2: Dead End, I went in with zero expectations at all. And you know what? It was a rollicking, good time!

The first edition of Wrong Turn was your typical slice 'n' dice, starring Greenlee Gazette favorite, Eliza Dushku (of Joss Whedon's Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Dollhouse).  It was a fun movie, and didn't pretend to be anything more than it was.  It left enough of an impression on me that when I saw the sequel in the bargain bin for $5, I thought, "Why not?"  This one doesn't feature Dushku, but carries on the theme of the first one, namely that there is a family of mutated freaks living in backwoods West Virginia, genetically deformed by years of toxic waste from an old abandoned paper mill.

Apparently, being an ugly mutant makes you murderous too, because anyone who wanders into their woods gets brutally (and usually creatively) murdered.  The first film chronicled a bunch of nubile youngsters who made a wrong turn, and ended up in mutantland.  This one features the cast and crew of a Survivor-type reality show.  It does feature a wrong turn of sorts by the first character we meet, Kimberly Caldwell, played by. . .Kimberly Caldwell.  Kim makes an impressive entrance, as a Hollywood diva, stuck in Hooterville.  Things don't go very well for her. 

The other name star in the film is Henry Rollins, jar-headed front man of Black Flag and pop culture renegade.  He plays an ex-marine, and current reality show host.  He looks badass, he acts badass, and as corny as I'm sure it is intended to be, it works.  The rest of the cast is capable, though sometimes just barely.  It is the camera work that shines here, as well as the brilliantly nasty special effects. If you're tired of horror movies that skimp on the gore, guts and gushers, this movie will bring all that and more.  Buckets of blood. Barrels, in fact. 

There isn't much about Wrong Turn 2 that is original.  Besides being a sequel, it covers territory that we've been to before in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre series, The Hills Have Eyes series, and countless others.  Most of the horror movie cliches are there, from the jump scare, to the gratuitous sex scenes, to gross outs like unintentional cannibalism.  Henry Rollins even enters Arnold Schwarzenegger territory with his little post-carnage quips.  But many of these tropes are subverted too.  The black guy doesn't die first (or even second), Caldwell's departure is unexpected and very well done (think Janet Leigh in Psycho, if George Romero directed), and you can't ever predict which characters are going to make it. I was surprised by at least three different characters being killed off that I expected to make it. 

Wrong Turn 2 won't ever be a bold-faced entry on any of these actors' resumes, but it is most certainly more enjoyable than 2/3 of the horror movies on my video shelf (of which there are dozens), and tops the original.  Sorry if I get your expectations up too high, and subvert my own premise, but for me this one is: Highly recommended (but only for its intended audience, of course)

Actor to Watch: Enver Gjokaj

Image from Pop Power

Enver what now? The actor (whose name is pronounced En-vair Jo-kai) is one of the ensemble cast of the recently cancelled (but still airing) FOX sci-fi show, Dollhouse. I've been a vocal supporter of the show, which apparently leads to series cancellation--see Terminator: the Sarah Connor Chronicles--sort of a "Greenlee's Law" if you will. The star of Dollhouse is Eliza Dushku, who also appeared in Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel (all produced by genre great, Joss Whedon). But Dollhouse grew into a true ensemble piece, with uniformly good actors regularly outshining Dushku.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not on the Dushku-bashing band wagon so many other viewers are perched upon. Love her, seriously. But up against the acting of co-stars Olivia Williams, Amy Acker, Fran Kranz, Dichen Lachman, Alexis Denisof, Tamoh Pinekett, Harry Lennix and especially Enver Gjokaj, Dushku was bound to find herself a bit dwarfed. The premise of the show--if you don't already know--is that a shady business called "Dollhouse" takes wayward souls, wipes their memories (consensually, mostly), and reprograms them for use as, well, just about anything. Mostly as fantasy fulfillment for the rich, but also for more useful purposes.

So it was either lucky or by design that Gjokaj (along with other co-stars) is so gifted as so many different types of characters. The first time he was introduced, it was as a Russian, and we weren't as an audience aware that he was a "doll" at all. Later, he was put into other roles including as a secret lover to boss lady Williams. But it was his stunningly good impressions of other actors on the show where he really shone. First the contents of the brain of one of the characters, Laurence Dominic (Reed Diamond) was dumped into Gjokaj's Victor character. Dominic was a mole, and had his real self sentenced to "The Attic" for punishment. Through Victor, they found out what Dominic was up to.

The thing is, Gjokaj's take on Dominic's/Diamond's character was so spot-on, if you weren't watching the screen, you'd have sworn it was Diamond and not Gjokaj in the scene. Later, Victor was programmed with the memories of a serial killer. Here again, the acting nuances were so perfect, he almost became the other actor. Later in that same episode--through a mishap with the technology--Victor became Kiki, the empty-headed party girl Echo (Dushku) had been portraying. It was comedy gold.

Most recently, Victor was called upon to help brainy (and amoral) Topher be in two places at the same time. Gjokaj's performance as Topher blew every other attempt at mimcry out of the water. Other than hair color, the difference between Gjokaj's and Kranz's "Tophers" was almost indistinguishable. And again, the scenes managed to inject a significant amount of humor.

Dollhouse may sadly be cancelled, but I have no doubt that Enver Gjokaj will have a bright future. And given Whedon's propensity for using his actors again and again, hopefully it will be in something as entertaining as Dollhouse. Let's just hope it's more popular.

Enver Gjokaj's official Web Site

Dollhouse to Get 13 Episodes, Likely No More

Image from source, nj.com

I've been championing the Joss Whedon show, Dollhouse, for its entire existence. But the writing seems to be on the wall, and I'm going to have to face the reality that it will likely die an early death. Brilliant but cancelled, as they say. And it's a damned shame.

As brilliant as Whedon's shows are, they've never really had mass appeal. They're probably too smart, too different and too niche-y. Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel had an easier time of it due to the low expectations of the (now defunct) UPN and WB networks. Neither show ever got great ratings, though the number of people watching them then vastly outnumber those watching Dollhouse. Thank the splintering of media, the mainstreaming of the internet and the dumbing down of America for that one.

Firefly, Whedon's sci-fi/western hybrid from a few years ago is still lamented for its early cancellation. Firefly, like Dollhouse was also on FOX, but at a time when viewership hadn't eroded to the present abysmal levels. Both of these shows are densely plotted, and require a viewer's attention. Sometimes to the point of requiring multiple viewings to catch all of the layers. People just don't seem to want to invest so much brain wattage (or maybe most don't have it in the first place) to let a show like this grow. Or rather, they don't care to seek it out on a Friday night on FOX. Fortunately, shows like Lost, FlashForward, Fringe and Heroes (yes, I'm still hanging on to that one) have managed to have viewers show up in large enough numbers to keep those programs on the air.

The saddest thing about the likely cancellation of Dollhouse has more to do with its creator than the actual show. I fear after having two low-rated shows on a major network, either that Whedon won't try again, or that no one will let him. While I'm quite sure he'll continue to be creative in other venues, I think it would be sad if his big juicy brain didn't get the opportunity to create a real mainstream hit.

But I'm not ready to give up hope for what we already have. Dollhouse has had dismal first-run ratings, true. But it's doing big DVR numbers, I'd suspect decent Hulu numbers, and has a fervent--if small--fanbase. Maybe, just maybe, there's a way to keep this thing going.

[Excerpt]

Can DVRs save 'Dollhouse'? Probably not.

. . .First, the good news: Fox scheduling chief Preston Beckman said that, in light of this news, all 13 "Dollhouse" season two episodes will air. Though you'll note he didn't say when they would air, and admitted they might have to pull the show off the schedule for November sweeps. . .

Read more at: NJ.com

Dollhouse Season One Recap

Hey, since this is my blog, I thought I'd do my part for my favorite newish show, Dollhouse. I've written about it a lot, so I won't elaborate here.* I do know that not everyone has the DVD set, and may not have time to run out and get it and watch it all before season two starts. So, I found a nifty recap episode that will explain the premise and the story so far. It's by Joss Whedon (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Firefly and Serenity), it's sci-fi, it's action, and it has hot babes (of both sexes). And Eliza Dushku. What more could you want?



*If you want to read other posts on the subject, just type "dollhouse" into the search box at the upper left.

Complete Your Whedonverse: Dollhouse & Firefly

During the last few weekends, I finally completed my viewing of the Whedonverse, which to the uninitiated, would be the jewels of pop culture created by Joss Whedon. Until recently, I was only a member of the Buffyverse, a late-coming aficionado of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I completed that knowledge with the viewing of the complete Angel, the spinoff starring sexy vampire, David Boreanaz. This was vampire chic before it was cool.

I'd skipped most of Firefly and Serenity, Whedon's foray into sci-fi (via pseudo-western). I got in on the ground floor with Dollhouse, Whedon's latest offering. But this summer, I decided it was time I became a completist. I got all of the missing pieces and watched them over several weeks. Here are my findings.

I started with the DVD set of Firefly, the brilliant-but-cancelled fan favorite. The cast, lead by Nathan Fillion as Capt. Mal Reynolds does not disappoint. They are uniformly good looking, and also very good actors. The show melds shoot-'em-up westerns with star-spanning sci-fi, and manages the feat quite well. Unfortunately, the concept is quite complex and convoluted, and required that I do some on-line research to fully grasp it. In the future, so the storyline goes, the Earth became overpopulated and run down, and so mankind spread its wings and terraformed several planets, moons and planetoids in a new star system.

This created conflict between government and "frontiersman" factions, culminating in a war. The government was controlled by an American-Chinese alliance, and the rebels lost the battle. Capt. Reynolds and his ragtag team were on the losing side, and after the war become minor league outlaws. The morality of the crew is quite gray, and the rightness or wrongness of their missions is difficult to nail down. The Whedonesque dialog crackles, and the swashbuckling melds nicely with the humor, the pathos and the sexiness. . .much like on Buffy and Angel.

But it was all a little too highbrow to catch on quickly, and it was summarily executed by FOX long before it should have been. Still, fan support was strong enough to commission a theatrical film, and thus Serenity was born. The movie plays like a kick-ass extended episode that fits very well with the series. It was surprising that Whedon killed off two major characters, something that actually kind of pissed me off. And watching Summer Glau as River Tam was a little weird after having first seen her as the Terminator, Cameron, in Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles. There are a lot of similarities between her two characters, chief among them her mastery of waif fu.

Small wonder that Glau will be appearing in the second season of Dollhouse. Bigger wonder that Dollhouse is getting another crack at bat at all. The show was positioned as the lead in to Sarah Connor last year, and neither show did well in the ratings. Connor was by far the leader in name recognition, but Dollhouse won renewal. And I'm so glad it did. I just wish it wasn't at the cost of the other show.

Dollhouse concerns a super-secret "house" of beautiful people who can be downloaded with any personality with any mission that the super-rich can pay for. They can be lovers, fighters, anything a client might want them to be. As with all of Whedon's other shows, motivations are colored with many shades of grey, morally. And, as with the other shows, things are very complex, and require more of your brain to follow than ordinary TV shows do. Again, the actors are well chosen, and very good. The star, Eliza Dushku (Faith, from Buffy) has been unfairly derided as a "limited" actress, in my opinion, performing very well in her difficult role as an "active." She plays Echo, the blank slate personality, as well as Caroline, her "core" identity, and then as a different personality in every mission.

The show didn't really take off until about the sixth episode, after all of FOX's notes had been absorbed, and the real story started being told. So if you get the DVD set, hang in there. It gets terrific. But upon second viewing, even the early episodes have nuggets I didn't notice before. The set goes very fast, and I was surprised how quickly I got to the end of the network run. But it is in the final episode, Epitaph One, that things get really interesting. The unaired episode (which as far as I know, will remain so) is a ten years in the future flash forward. In a dystopian future, the logical conclusion of the abilities of the Dollhouse are played out to spectacular dysfunction.

Epitaph One serves a similar function to Dollhouse as Serenity does to Firefly. It puts a neat coda onto the series. At the time of filming, they didn't know if the show would continue. So it could have been a finale episode. As it stands now, Season 2 will be filling in the gaps between the regular episodes and the final one. It could also sort of paint them into a corner, and confuse people who have not seen the DVD-only episode. It remains to be seen how they will deal with that.

All-in-all, I'm glad to have plugged the gaps in my Whedonverse knowledge. And I feel a little glum not having any new installments to view. I guess I'll have to wait patiently (only a couple of weeks!) until Dollhouse's second season begins. And I'll be crossing my fingers mightily that somehow--somehow--the show gets a full-season order beyond the promised 13.

My review: Firefly, Serenity, Dollhouse Season 1: Highly recommended

I Love Eliza Dushku

Photo from Celebitchy

You know, when I started this blog, I proclaimed that it wouldn't be a "gay rights" blog. And it hasn't really been that, primarily. I've featured "the gay thing" often, but not overwhelmingly so. And I'm still not sure that it will ever become that, but with my new move to change the blog up a little, I'm no longer worried, no longer bothered by what the blog becomes.

I survived as a blogger for two years. Managed to get linked by CNN and others. Managed to stick it out when many others just fizzled out. So I won't apologize for going too deep into "the gay thing." I won't worry if I post too many posts of Rachel Maddow. And I'm not going to worry about geeking out about celebrities, or my love for all things Joss Whedon and Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

So of course I'm not going to apologize for posting something that is nothing more than a post about one of my favorite actresses from one of my favorite genres of pop culture, from one (actually three) of my favorite TV shows.

Here is a picture of Eliza Dushku, star of Buffy, Angel and Dollhouse--a former (perhaps Jack?) Mormon--supporting gay rights. Thank you, Eliza!

Joss Whedon's Dollhouse Renewed (?)

Image captured from FOX.com

It sure seems that way. But the article stops short of making it official. At the same time, there is the sadness for my other favorite "on the bubble" show, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, which this article (like so many others) considers doomed. Of course, nearly everyone was saying that about Dollhouse too, and it seems. . .I said seems as though it will survive. For at least 13 more episodes, at least. So woohoo! I think.

[Excerpt]

Fox Makes It Almost Official: 'Dollhouse' Renewed

Fox has done what many people said was not possible: It has renewed "Dollhouse" for a second season.

That is the nearly official word coming from Fox through trade publication TV Week and its columnist Josef Adalian, and filed appropriately under the tag "WTF."

"Many media types had written off the show for dead, since its ratings on Friday have been ... suboptimal," Adalian said in his blog post. "And yet, insiders at the network have been cautioning for weeks that the show shouldn't be cut out. . ."

Read more at: AirlockAlpha

Dollhouse DVD to Feature Two Unaired Episodes

Photo of Joss Whedon from source, TV Squad

I've already made repeated pleas for the renewal of FOX TV's Dollhouse, and will not belabor the point again. However, I did find it great news that the show--even if it is not renewed--will have two unseen episodes on the DVD compilation! So, one way or the other, Dollhouse fans like me will get at least a little bit more. Five by five.

[Excerpt]

Dollhouse DVD set will contain two unaired episodes

Question: is it possible for a show to be renewed for a second season even after the show gets moved to Friday nights, gets increasingly bad ratings, and then a DVD set comes out that includes two unaired episodes, including the finale of the show that the network didn't air? . . .

Read more at: TV Squad

Lazy Saturday: Angel-athon (oh, and Watch Dollhouse!)

So what have I done all day? Outside of running a few errands, not a whole heck of a lot. I did some shopping, in preparation for our "Tres de Mayo" party tomorrow. Two days before the Cinco, but whatcha gonna do?

After the food & booze acquisition, I've spent the remainder of my afternoon/evening watching season 1 of Angel DVDs. Angel, if you don't know, is the spin-off series of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, by Joss Whedon. I came late to the party with Buffy, catching a few episodes of it in the 5th or 6th season. After that, I got hooked pretty quickly. I continued to watch all the episodes as they aired, and caught up with the reruns on FX. Then, I got the whole DVD set, and have watched them all at least twice.

I know, sick right? But the odd thing is, outside of a couple of episodes, I never watched Angel. But having seen all of Buffy several times, I thought it would be fun to catch a little of the Buffyverse that I haven't seen. So, I bought season 1 of Angel, and this is my second weekend of watching. The first several episodes were watchable, establishing the noble ensouled vampire (David Boreanaz) in Los Angeles. He's joined by Buffy's snooty former classmate, Cordelia (Charisma Carpenter), and a half demon, Doyle (the late Glenn Quinn).

The earliest episodes of the series are watchable enough, but it took me quite a few to feel this was a show. At first, it seems kind of pointless, and directionless. Some of the crackling Whedon dialog is there, but it didn't quite gel at first. Oddly enough it isn't until Quinn's final episodes (the former Roseanne star apparently had a drug problem, and was fired) that it started to really work for me. I warmed to the character of Doyle, and then he's suddenly written out.

Exit Doyle, enter Wesley (Alexis Denisof), another refugee from Buffy, and the show has really started to grow on me. Also the passing of Doyle's clairvoyant "gift" to Cordelia sort of gives her character a purpose. It's still not as compelling as the parent series, but it's interesting enough to keep me watching the rest of the disks, and to check out season 2. What the experience has taught me has more to do with a different show than it does with either Buffy or Angel.

Whedon's newest show, Dollhouse, is--as they say--"on the bubble." The ratings are low, even for the low-expectations Friday night time slot. But if Whedon's past shows are any experience, they take a while to grow on people. The storylines seem to take eight or ten episodes to really start to firm up, and then stuff really starts getting good. Dollhouse started shaky, slowly got better in episodes 2-5, got really good in episode six, and have just exploded into awesomeness in the last few shows. Next week is the season finale, and the week after that, FOX-TV is announcing its fate. I just hope that "the powers that be" are wise enough to let this series grow.

Dollhouse and Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles News

Image from NJ.com

If the excerpted article below is correct, my worst fears about Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles are likely true. As in, fini. I've girded my psyche for this, and won't be surprised if and when it happens. But I was heartened by the speculation that Dollhouse, T:TSCC's companion show just might get renewed.

Dollhouse, which stars Eliza Dusku as one of several reprogrammable "special operations" drones, is the creation of Joss Whedon. Whedon's previous forays into TV included Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel and Firefly. Two out of three of those shows were successful, and all of them were cult hits. Dollhouse has the potential to be the same, and if the most recent episodes are any indication, also has the potential to be a damned good show.

I'm still crossing my fingers for Sarah, but I guess I don't have to strain them so hard for Dollhouse too.

[Excerpt]

Fox Leaning Toward 'Dollhouse' Renewal

The Fox network is just a step away from shaking up its Friday lineup for the 2009-10 season, canning one show and considering a move to a new night for a second.

Let's hit the good news first. Airlock Alpha has learned that Fox is looking to give its struggling "Dollhouse" a second season, to see if it can grow some legs on a new night. Fox had originally intended "Dollhouse" to air Mondays with "24," but Fox instead decided to move "House" to that spot to replace "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles," and to create sort of a genre theme night on Fridays. . .

Read more at: Alpha Airlock

Seth MacFarlane's Hulu Ad

Family Guy was slow to grow on me, but I was eventually a convert. I was actually an American Dad! fan before I warmed to it. The Other Half was even slower to take to the offbeat, outrageous humor, but is now a rabid fan. So, I was delighted to see the new Hulu ad by FG & AD! creator/producer/writer/voice actor Seth MacFarlane. It's the latest in a series, where stars of NBC and FOX TV shows openly shill for the video service in a most humorous (and offbeat) way.



Previously:

Eliza Dushku's Alien Hulu Commercial

Steelers Win, Whoop-de-do! (Alec Baldwin's Hulu Commercial)

Busy Saturday, but Not on the Blog

Today is going to be stuffed full of activity for ye editor, so blogging is probably going to be light again. This morning, I'm going "yard saling" with friend and contributor Stupid Monkey Planet. Then, later on we're going to do some diagnosing on my ten-year-old Jeep Wrangler, which is acting funny. If the Jeep can get by with some outpatient surgery, we will do that too. And then we're entertaining Monkey and a few other friends for the afternoon, with nibbles and games and stuff.

So, while you're here, feel free to scroll down and see what's here. There's usually something fun on the front page (yes, I realize there are too many Jim Cramer and Rachel Maddow posts). Scan the sidebar, and see if anything catches your eye. Or, you could waste 45 minutes watching the video below.

You've seen those Hulu commercials about a video service that softens your brain, right? Maybe you even saw one with Eliza Dushku, star of Dollhouse? Well, below is a full video from Hulu, of a third-season episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Why? Well, because--as Harvey Milk said--I'm here to recruit you! I watched one episode of BtVS once on a whim. I was quickly hooked, watched every rerun, starting somewhere in the middle, and having to loop around to the beginning. Eventually, I got all of the DVD sets, and have seen each episode at (the very least) twice.

Eliza Dushku played Faith the Vampire Slayer in season three. And season three just became available on Hulu. So, in the hopes of snagging a few more souls over to the Joss Whedon Buffyverse, here's one of the best episodes of season three, Dopplegangland. Enjoy. I'm going yard saling!

Eliza Dushku's Alien Hulu Commercial

Everybody saw the Alec Baldwin Hulu commercial, touting the video service as a brain softener. It was probably one of the best commercials run during Super Bowl XLIII. Now, former Buffy the Vampire Slayer and current Dollhouse star Eliza Dushku has the second installment of what is hopefully a series of ads.

FOX's 1-2 Punch: Sarah Connor and Dollhouse

Image from source, ScreenRant

I've long raved about Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles here on the blog, and was thrilled with its return on Friday night. But I was equally eager to see Dollhouse, the new show by Joss Whedon, creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Both shows were heavily promoted, using the "hot kick-ass chicks" theme--which is logical, given the stars--and even contained promotional bumpers during their premieres, with Eliza Dushku and Summer Glau interacting out of character.

This gives me hope for both shows, since they are airing on Fridays, a traditional "death slot" for TV. If FOX is giving them this much of a push, I'm encouraged that both shows may be allowed to grow for more than a few weeks. The problem with science fiction shows--especially on FOX--is that as soon as you get invested in them, they're abruptly cancelled. Of course, with both these series, there is a potential for continuation elsewhere if FOX pulls the plug.

T:TSCC opened with a quirky episode, with Sarah hallucinating fan-favorite Kyle Reese, while she was suffering from a gunshot wound. I worried that the episode was a bit too cerebral for the show's return, turning off casual viewers. Fortunately, the villain of the show is a liquid metal Terminator, who went on a savage killing spree. Hopefully, that was enough to keep people tuned in!

Dollhouse was sufficiently entertaining to keep me interested, and anxious to see what happens next week. Dushku--who played Faith the evil vampire slayer on Buffy--stars as a "doll," a woman who can be programmed to be anybody, and do any task. This apparently includes hostage negotiator as well as paid escort. Hinky as that is, it was intriguing. Why do people volunteer to have their memories wiped to do this job? How do people find the Dollhouse, if the FBI thinks it is just an urban legend? Why do the girl and boy "dolls" shower together? And can we see more of that? Heh.

Dushku performed admirably in the pilot episode. She was very Faith-like in the opening bit, then was suitably "blank" when at the Dollhouse, then convincing as the prim hostage negotiator. I was surprised to read reviews that slammed her acting. I remember watching and thinking, "man, she's got that blank stare down pat!" when she was memory-wiped. This is a Whedon show, so I am willing to give it time. I'm waiting for the crackling, snarky, "Whedonese" language. I'm hoping for some familiar faces from Buffy and Angel (Tony Head, Alyson Hannigan, Seth Green, Charisma Carpenter, Nick Brendan. . .please?). And I like Tamoh Penikett (Helo from Battlestar Galactica) as the FBI agent. A lot.

Anyway, here's hoping that both shows are given room to breathe, and that low expectations on Friday nights allow both shows to prosper. They're both worth a look, so look, won't you? Because the headline on the excerpt below gives me a wiggins.

[Excerpt]

Dollhouse & Sarah Connor Ratings: Mediocre To Awful

At first glance, the ratings for the show are just not that impressive and if the networks are consistent in their responses to the antiquated ratings system, both Dollhouse and The Sarah Connor Chronicles seem lacking, though some call Dollhouse’s ratings a success. . .

Read more at: ScreenRant