So this is it. D Day. Or rather Dollhouse Day. The day that the joyous entertaining ride ends. *fuck you fox* I th
ink it is a sign, that every amazing show that Joss puts on Fox gets axed, and I am hoping that now contracts are done, and obligations are met, and Joss and Co. can find a new home far far away from the likes of Fox and it’s brethren. Because we the fans, are loyal, patient and above all, FANS. That being said, let’s talk about Dollhouse, shall we?
I watched this show first because I am a rabid Whedonite.
Period. That was the only reason. While I love Eliza Dushku and think she is the bee’s knees… I do not watch everything she does. Tru Calling? Yeah, no. Maybe I watched a handful of episodes. Most of her movies (Open Graves, we talked about earlier this week) Though some of them I have seen and I like. Original Bring it on? Awesome. Alphabet Killer? Really good (and no not for the infamous boob scene. I liked more the serial killer / cop breaking dynamic.) So I was interested in Dollhouse, and signed on as a fan before the first episode aired.
There were parts of this show that were complete and utter Whedonverse fodder. You know people suddenly dying, being betrayed, humor with a knife in the guts at the end as a punch line? These are all things that make Joss, well Joss, and the master of the universe.
The show shines a light on the dusty surface of our own morality. What we do and why we do it, these are things that continue to drive humanity, and in the doll-verse they are driving humanity to extinction.
A totally wipe, is different from a culture that bans information, in only one way… length of time.
This world that we sit and watch from the comfort of our homes is showing us the sterility of our society, and how everything could be controlled by a select few… which I could rant for hours on the commonalities of current western politics and philosophies. Ethics and all that. But I won’t. (you’re welcome). It was a show that made you think about implications, made you feel things and then you were forced to look at yourself and your reactions. It put an unflattering light on TECH and how it has this ability to control you. (seriously, how many times do you check your email, send a text message, update your FaceBook status, or /heavens forbid/ tweet?) And while addressing all these things, Dollhouse still addressed something more. What is a soul? What makes someone a someone? What is love?
The Dollhouse was not your average waste an hour of television. It was so much more, and a little less. It was Worthwhile Television. There isn’t much of that around anymore.
The bad:
- When it suddenly became apparent that the dolls were high priced whores, and that Echo was pretty much a walking petri dish from all the sexing that was going on. Hot leather outfits withstanding, it just made me feel funny in my stomach. Like, this is not right, and this certainly does not seem like something Joss would do. *fuck you fox*

- Ballard and Echo falling all sappy in love at the beginning of S2. While I can see it as a plot point (damn those plot bunnies) so that Ballard would have something to lose later in the season, I still thought it was forced and sort of odd to see. I liken the two of them more to a brotherly sisterly love. It works better. Not all dudes and girls can’t be friends. I don’t care what we learned in ‘When Harry Met Sally’.
- Suddenly jumping to the future *fuck you fox* while I get what Joss is doing with this, saving us from another hour of whoring out Eliza, it should have taken longer to get to this point. Again, not Joss’ fault.
- Backup singer episode. I KNOW Joss has a thing about singing and torturing actors by making them sing. And we all LOVE him for it *waves OMWF & Dr Horrible fan banners* but, I didn’t like all the other actors in this episode. It was what I expected from a network who holds AI above all things. (Isn’t it ironic, American Idol, AI… Artificial Intellegence… Ironic!) Eliza, she gets kudos though. Because she is fabulous. *quiet… I am geeking out*
The good:
- Dr. Saunders. An amazing multifaceted character. She goes from broken, meek, to silently strong, to traumatic, to mental abuser, to killer, to savior, to everything. She IS the consummate doll. *love you Amy*

- Echo when she gains her consciousness. It is pretty awesome to watch a fully functioning schizophrenic / multiple personality disorder person walking around.

- Eliza is hot. *get over it*

- Topher. I didn’t like him at first, but then I loved him. His egomaniacal, terrified little self.
- Victor. Because he can BE any one, believably. See above mention of Topher.
- ALPHA. Because Alan does bad so damn GOOD.

- The inclusion of Buffy-isms. Such as “tabula rasa” and, from Season Seven Ep 7 ‘Conversations with Dead People’ Buffy, HELLOOOO… ‘Did I fall asleep’ as spoken by Willow
- Melly. I just heart Joss for having Miracle on the show. She is all sweet and beautiful, and then BAM killer. And the way she ‘left’ so very Joss.

- Bennett. Summer Glau getting her hair washed by Eliza. Yes please. But okay, more than that, we got to see her use her acting abilities: versus the show TSCC, where she was a robo-babe.

Tonight is the Series Finale, and I will be watching, and I may even blog about the episode specifically at a later date. I am sad it’s ending, but glad that FOX is removing it’s greasy hooks from the likes of the Whedonverse. If we are lucky this will be the last time. I do hope that Joss returns to TV, but not to mainstream networks. Where their motivator is money, not story telling. (case in point, NBC). I am looking forward, with minimal looking back.
This quote… makes all the sense. And therefore the get all the points today:: Robert Bianco of USA Today describing it as a show “that Joss Whedon’s most devoted fans will debate and embrace, and a mass audience just won’t get.”