Calling all Dollhouse and Joss Whedon fans! Do you fancy a free Limited Edition Comic-Con Dollhouse Lithograph poster to go with your copy of Dollhouse Season 2? Of course you do!

To take advantage of this offer, pre-order Dollhouse Season 2 on DVD or Blu-ray over at FOX Connect and they’ll throw in the free lithograph poster. But hurry, it’s only while stocks last! Also, shipping on these orders will be free (for a limited time).

Click here to pre-order Dollhouse Season 2 with free Lithograph.

Hit the jump for more information on Dollhouse Season 2 on DVD and Blu-ray.

Synopsis
FANS RETURN TO JOSS WHEDON’S DOLLHOUSE

The Thrilling Second and Final Season Bows on Blu-ray and DVD October 12

Includes Exclusive, Highly Collectible 28 Page Comic Book From Dark Horse Comics

From creative mastermind Joss Whedon comes the second and final season of the sexy, suspenseful thriller Dollhouse on Blu-ray and DVD October 12 from Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment. The collectible set includes all 13 episodes of Dollhouse, a limited edition exclusive comic book, and bonus audio commentary by Joss Whedon and series writers Jed Whedon and Maurissa Tancharoen.

Joss Whedon’s take on the ultimate identity theft follows a cast of Actives, or Dolls, who serve as agents of Dollhouse, an illegal underground organization providing elite clientele with programmable human beings. Personality imprints allow Actives to temporarily become anyone or anything—the perfect burglar, lover, spy or assassin. When the mission is completed, memories are wiped clean. The all-star Dollhouse cast is led by Eliza Dushku as Echo (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Tru Calling, Angel) and Tahmoh Penikett as Paul Ballard (Battlestar Galactica).

Disc Features
The Dollhouse Season Two four-disc DVD or three-disc Blu-ray collection includes a retrospective with Joss Whedon and cast roundtable about the series. A gag reel and deleted scenes from top episodes are also included. Disc contents include episodes 1-13: “Vows,” “Instinct,” “Belle Chose,” “Belonging” and “The Public Eye,” “The Left Hand,” “Meet Jane Doe,” “A Love Supreme,” “Stop-Loss” and “The Attic,” “Getting Closer,” The Hollow Men,” and “Epitaph 2: The Return.”

The complete 13 episodes of the final season are presented in wide screen format with English, 5.1 DTS sound and English, Spanish, French and Portuguese subtitles.

The four-disc DVD and three-disc Blu-ray set will be available on Oct. 12, 2010 for suggested retail price of $49.98 U.S./$59.98 Canada and $59.99 U.S./$69.99 Canada, respectively. Prebook date is September 1, 2010.

Dollhouse Comic Book
Each Blu-ray and DVD comes with a 28 page exclusive limited edition comic book by Dark Horse Comics. Jed Whedon and Maurissa Tancharoen, joined by longtime Buffy the Vampire Slayer artist Cliff Richards, take us on an intricate trip through the precise moment when the Active technology went global, and how the protagonists from Epitaph One and Two narrowly avoided death, and worse. Jed Whedon and Maurissa Tancharoen wrote the Epitaph episodes of Dollhouse Seasons One and Two, and currently write for the Starz series Spartacus. This is their first work in comics. Artist Cliff Richards has drawn more Joss Whedon-related comics than any other artist, including issues of Buffy Season Eight.”

About Dark Horse Comics
Since 1986, Dark Horse Comics has proven to be a solid example of how integrity and innovation can help broaden a unique storytelling medium and establish a small, homegrown company as an industry giant. The company is known for the progressive and creator friendly atmosphere it provides for writers and artists. In addition to publishing comics from top talent like Frank Miller, Mike Mignola, Neil Gaiman, Gerard Way and comics legend Will Eisner, Dark Horse has developed such successful characters as The Mask, Timecop, and SpyBoy. Additionally, their highly successful line of comics and products based on popular properties includes Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Aliens, Conan, Emily the Strange, Tim Burton, Trigun, Serenity and Domo. Today, Dark Horse Comics is the largest independent comic-book publisher in the U.S. and is recognized as one of the world’s leading publisher of licensed comics material.

As regular readers will know, I’m attempting to catch up with the episodes of Dollhouse that I have missed, or not yet reviewed, by posting mini reviews before the series finale, bumped to Jan 29 (where I plan to post a full review, thus bringing closure to my WD journey). Below the jump I post my ‘quick and dirty’ but always honest thoughts on episode 2.12, “The Hollow Men”.

THE GOOD

• Amy Acker. A genuinely good actress on this show. Her performance as “Clyde” enhanced the episode.

• Harry Lennix – his best performance of the season. I thought he did well to somehow sell the idea that he was the show’s ‘big bad’.

• Tension and high stakes.

• Despite its faults, this was an episode that was worth watching – I couldn’t always say the same for some of the past efforts – particularly those in season 1.

THE BAD

• Where this episode falls down is that it expects the viewer to believe that Boyd is suddenly the bad guy in all of this. As much as I loved the twist, it feels extremely heavy-handed and undermines some of the finer moments of the show’s past. They’ve effectively taken the two best characters (and I mean that both in terms of their moral and ethical displays on the show and in terms of their performance) and made them “bad”, whilst in the same turn painting Adelle, Echo, Caroline and Ballard et al out to be angels – the saviours of mankind. (Excuse me whilst I throw up). I get the premise of turning good and bad inside out, but their portrayal of this concept is frustrating because it feels unjust. I really can’t believe they had Adelle sit there like butter wouldn’t melt and act like she was on the high ground. There was no redemption for her character, nor did she have any journey to becoming one of the good guys – it was just transparent story-telling, one that leaves a bad taste in the mouth. I just think that the writers got lost in their own twists and turns and ended up with a bunch of cool ideas but very little substance, especially where the characters are concerned.

• Boyd/Rossum’s plan just seems a little (OK, a lot) far fetched. Why go through all of that when there were far easier ways of controlling the world? Had he just hired Topher years ago I’m sure he would have created the mass imprinting weapon without too much conflict (it’s only recently that he’s found his ethical side). I’m also still unsure as to why Caroline was so special. I don’t get it..why her? It makes no real sense.

• After everything he and Sierra had been through, would Victor really risk imprinting himself based on a random post-it note with a smilie face? Way to go undermine their entire journey in one scene.

• The episode – and the series in general – spends too much time injecting unfunny jokes in inappropriate places. Mellie has just blown her brains out and Ballard still has room for a wisecrack as Boyd puts a gun to his chin.

• The end scene when Echo’s running out of the ‘exploding’ building. I don’t get it. Didn’t the building blow up? Why was it still standing with not even a trace of smoke coming from it – yet Echo has a smudge of dirt on her face and even did an action ‘hero dive’ as she got caught in the back-draft. I’m thinking this was down to budget constraints, if so, surely they could have found a more convincing way of bringing Rossum down without LITERALLY bringing the building down.

• The Mellie/Ballard Love Affair Part II seemed like false drama. Wasn’t he just in love with Echo? I realise that he lost that part of him, but still..

• When all was said and done I didn’t believe that humanity was at stake. I’m glad they widened the scope of the show, but just because Echo and pals said that they saved the world, doesn’t mean I believe them. For that reason the episode felt a bit…hollow (seriously, no pun intended).

Other Comments

I would say that this was easily the best ever episode of Dollhouse, but for some of the character turns that took place. And this isn’t just me complaining about my two favorite characters turning out to be the ‘Big Bad” – even before this episode, I was confused as to how the writers could possibly paint Adelle & Co. as ‘good guys’ without doing *anything* to illustrate their transition. It’s just such a shame that they made the decisions they did, because that apart, the show has genuinely improved with the last few episodes being very entertaining, if nothing else. I do think that some of the deeper, more interesting themes of Dollhouse got lost at the expense of heightened drama – the execution of which hasn’t lived up to my highest hopes.

That said, all in all, I think I will take away my own merits from the episode and not those that have been forced by the script. For example, the importance of freedom and individual choice, and the ability to be different.

A good “Dollhouse” episode, but cheapened slightly.

Best Character: Boyd

Episode Rating: 7/10 (originally given 7.5 but loses half point for ridiculous character turns and poorly developed context)

As regular readers will know, I’m attempting to catch up with the episodes of Dollhouse that I have missed, or not yet reviewed, by posting mini reviews before the series finale, bumped to Jan 29 (where I plan to post a full review, thus bringing closure to my WD journey). Below the jump I post my ‘quick and dirty’ but always honest thoughts on episode 2.11, “Getting Closer”.

THE GOOD

• The origins story of how Caroline and Bennet came to meet was useful and added extra context to present-day events.

• Glad to see Summer Glau back on the show. I can’t help but wonder what could have been had she played the lead role from the start? (I know she was working on another show, but I’m just saying). Anyway, I enjoyed her scenes with both Topher and Caroline. I was surprised that they killed her off – didn’t see that coming, especially not the way it happened!

• Shocks and reveals. This ties into my point above. Firstly, I thought the Whisky turn was one of the most impactful moments of the season. I’m pretty pissed that she killed Bennet (more pissed than Topher, it would seem), but this was outdone by a moment that truly left me reeling. BOYD is the man behind the curtain!?? I am stunned but also worried. The direction they go with this could go a long way to defining my opinion of the show because they’ve muddied the two best characters in one full swoop.

THE BAD

• Up until the last 10 minutes the episode felt like set-up – barely reaching the level of previous episodes.

• How contrived that the one part of Ballard that Topher had to cut away to bring him back was the very part that drives his love for Echo. Sappy and bad..

• Caroline. The writers once again try to make a bad character good in the blink of an eye by showing that in actual fact Caroline ‘sacrificed’ herself rather than betraying Bennet. I have a hard time buying these parlour tricks when they have little context with what we’ve already seen.

• How exactly did Ballard get Bennet out of the DC Dollhouse without anyone trying to stop them from leaving? Come to think of it, does anyone apart from Bennet and a couple of randomers actually work at the DC Branch? Do they have security?

Other Comments

• It made me laugh when Adelle called for security. Now she knows how I’ve felt watching the show!

Best Character: Bennet

Episode Rating: 7.5 (an extra half point for the shocking reveal at the end)

As regular readers will know, I’m attempting to catch up with the episodes of Dollhouse that I have missed, or not yet reviewed, by posting mini reviews before the series finale, bumped to Jan 29 (where I plan to post a full review, thus bringing closure to my WD journey). Below the jump I post my ‘quick and dirty’ but always honest thoughts on episode 2.10, “The Attic”.

THE GOOD

• I thought the episode was visually interesting and heavily stylised, giving it an edge over previous episodes – although I would say that it did also come across as ‘trying too hard’ at times, but credit for the effort, because without it, this episode would have flunked.

• More slick  and greater tension, conflict, drive and mythology.

• The revelation that all of the Dollhouse Attics around the world are linked was an interesting concept to add to the mix.

THE BAD

• Making Dominic a ‘good guy’ was a bit of a stretch. Not because a person can’t evolve, but because it was too forced without much context to underpin his “journey”. So he’s been in the Attic, somehow surviving for months on end, but what was it about the Attic that caused him to change to the point of almost dropping a tear when Echo ‘died’? I just feel that character actions and motivations are becoming too flaky, rather than feeling natural (or even plausible).

• Arcane. Bad on so many levels.

• Portraying Adelle as one of the ‘good guys’ has never sat well with me – mostly because they’ve done very little to give her any humanity in the entire 2 year span of the show. I’m all for having a central bad guy figure gradually change, but Adelle’s about turn has been nothing of the sort – it’s been a sudden and contrived plot device to play on viewer emotions in our natural inclination to support the  oppressed characters (the dolls). But here’s the thing – Adelle is the person who enslaved them in the first place! She’s been the long-term problem, how can she be the sudden solution? I’m mot happy with where this is going. One way of making this work would have been to play Adelle with far more ambiguity than they have done. Instead, she’s been outright evil with very little shading, so how can she now be a good guy?

• I cringed at almost every word Echo said throughout this episode. She delivers lines like a cheesy action heroine from the 80′s. It’s like she’s playing for the camera (which she shouldn’t be aware of) and it totally ruins credibility of the overarching fight. Like I said before, I just can’t take her seriously.

Other Comments

• Unless Rossum have billions of people in the attic, wouldn’t Arcane have killed everyone in there by now? He went through several people in the time before they discovered he was Clyde, one of Rossum’s founders. Also, I don’t buy the idea that he was ‘trying to put people out of their misery by killing them’ – why be so maniacal about it if that was the case, lol!

• Did we really have to bring Ballard back? I knew it was going to happen (it was obvious), but I’m struggling to deal with the ridiculous Adelle situation as it is, now I have Ballard back on the agenda. *groan*.

• Dollhouse loves itself a montage. As montages go the one near the end was pretty good. I had a few problems with it though because it’s becoming too easy to tell when a montage is about to kick in. The powers that be are also using it as an easy out – a way to compensate for the lack of genuine emotion that the script/acting. It’s not a criticism as such, and Dollhouse isn’t alone in doing this. I just feel that a booming montage should be used once, maybe twice a season – not every fricken’ episode (Okay, they don’t use it every episode, but it sure feels like it!).

I’m a bit conflicted over this episode. In many respects the show gained a greater sense identity, it looked better, had better pacing and tapped into a more surreal and interesting part of the story. But at the same time there were some moments that made me want to never watch this show again – the contrivances were rife, and character motivations were unrealistic in light of what has gone before. I also didn’t appreciate the ‘trickery’ with turning Adelle into a “good guy” – the entire episode falls down on that premise. Indeed, much of the show loses credibility and the previous 20+ episodes almost seem like a waste of time, because if they can make Adelle out to be so evil and inhumane for so long, then all of a sudden erase it like it never happened, what does anything that happens in the next few episodes matter? They could just do it again and explain it away by not explaining it.

This, I believe, was the episode that most people have championed as a ‘great’ piece of television. I wanted to believe and I stayed open-minded. But for me this was well short of greatness.

That doesn’t make it a bad episode. Indeed, it’s one of Dollhouse‘s best episodes, if not the best, simply because it was entertaining and propelled the overarching story. From my point of view I just feel as though the show has failed to really build on its themes in a truly satisfying way. I guess you could say my expectations have not been met. But with three episodes to go, I continue to wait..patiently.

Best Character: Topher (meh..who else?)

Episode Rating: 7.5/10

As regular readers will know, I’m attempting to catch up with the episodes of Dollhouse that I have missed, or not yet reviewed, by posting mini reviews before the series finale, bumped to Jan 29 (where I plan to post a full review, thus bringing closure to my WD journey). Below the jump I post my ‘quick and dirty’ but always honest thoughts on episode 2.09, “Stop-Loss”.

THE GOOD

• An entertaining story with some interesting concepts – particularly “Group Mind” – another useful take on the role of the diminishing individual. Like many things in Dollhouse there’s some nice ‘real world’ subtext to be read into that.

• The ending was pretty powerful. Seeing the Actives wrapped in cellophane is probably one of the most memorable visuals of the entire season so far. Needless to say I’m looking forward to seeing what the Attic has in store.

THE BAD

• Echo was back to being her annoying self with those cliched ‘action hero’ lines and her knack of disarming legions of bad guys without really hurting any of them. I find that ridiculous, especially for an ‘edgy’ show like Dollhouse.

• The contrivances were enough to take me out of the show. I appreciate what they were trying to do with Victor regaining his freedom and then being inducted into the “Group Mind”, but the whole thing felt very rushed, and as a result the execution of some of the more interesting themes didn’t live up to the potential.

Other Comments

• I really liked the scene where Adelle strolled into the Actives shower – it worked on several levels, including the idea that she was seeking a clean slate. It was just a nice moment that brought about a fleeting semblance of humanity as the playing field between non-Actives and Actives was briefly levelled. Shame it didn’t last, as the next scene she was presented as being bigger and badder than ever – she was even accompanied by her own ‘Cruella de Vil’ theme music!

I thought this was probably the joint best episode of the season so far. It introduced some very cool themes and had the potential to be a stunner, but fell short in its delivery, I felt.

Best Character: Victor

Episode Rating: 7/10

As regular readers will know, I’m attempting to catch up with the episodes of Dollhouse that I have missed, or not yet reviewed, by posting mini reviews before the series finale, bumped to Jan 29 (where I plan to post a full review, thus bringing closure to my WD journey). Below the jump I post my ‘quick and dirty’ but always honest thoughts on episode 2.08, “A Love Supreme”.

THE GOOD

• Super Echo. OK, I’m getting interested in Echo’s evolution once more. I’m starting to buy into the idea of her importance – and not because its being dictated to me by the script, but because it’s starting to feel natural. I think the turning point came when Topher asked Echo whether ‘it was alright with her’ if he gave her an imprint, and moments later when it dawned upon him that he’s becoming “obsolete” after Echo gave herself an automatic update. Those moments were both human and supernatural (or ‘super-scientific’) and I love when those two elements collide or conflict. Good stuff.

• The return of Alpha and Joel Minor. It’s always a pleasure to have them back – for me, they’re two of the best characters on the show (up to now) so they always add a little extra quality to proceedings. I didn’t think Joel was as good as his first appearance in season 1, but that little scene with Echo at the end was pretty neat and rounded off his arc (I presume) well enough.

• Zombie Dolls! Looking past some contrivances, the Actives going crazy and attacking non-Actives was pretty darn cool. Could this also serve as a cautionary tale as to what could happen to humanity if Rossum ever get their way? Hmm..

• I think this episode provided one of its purest illustrations of identity-shaping when Echo/Rebecca told Joel that his new wife isn’t supposed to replace her, but become another part of who he is. This concept of love neatly reflects how all of Echo’s past personalities “live on” within her. I think I mentioned in an earlier review that the writers seem to be painting love as this durable force and I like how they married it with the echoes of identity (no pun intended).

• The last 20 minutes of this episode were pretty awesome. I do have a few problems with the way things played out during what I felt was a set of pretty illogical circumstances, but on a pure entertainment level, it was excellent fun.

THE BAD

• Dollhouse security. How did Alpha sneak his way into the house? I really should be getting used to the complete lack of security by now, but it’s distracting because the Dollhouse really shouldn’t be so lax. Also, why didn’t Adelle, or someone, call for outside backup – don’t they have mobile phones? Wouldn’t Rossum be interested to know that one of their houses is under siege by a maniac doll? I think one of my biggest complaints about this show is how an occurrence becomes “fact” just because it was written, rather than offering some kind of explanation that is built into the story. There are probably better examples of this, but I think the role of ‘security’ as a story contrivance really has to be questioned. I don’t want to be spoon fed every little detail, but come on!

• I was glad for the return of Alpha, but I felt that his reveal could have been played out a bit better. I also feel that the edge has been taken off his character somewhat. His comedy routine is fine, but where’s the menace? Alpha is still a good character but he’s completely unbelievable in ‘real terms’, and that dampens his appeal somewhat.

Other Comments

• For a former FBI agent and ex-head of Dollhouse security, Ballard isn’t very good at knowing when he’s being spied on, is he!

• I really liked Alpha’s line about Echo’s clients only really loving the pieces of her that served them. That is a fantastic way to put it, and I just wonder how true that statement is in real terms? I also wonder how true it is for Ballard’s feelings towards Echo. I’d say very true considering he can’t bear any part of her that isn’t a damsel in distress. Am I being harsh?

• If Alpha knows so much about what Echo has been up to over the past year or so, why didn’t he help her while she was being tortured by Rossum? Did he think it was part of her ‘growth’, or was he too busy coming up with jokes? I’d actually like to know what Rossum think of the whole Alpha thing – where does he rank on their list of things to worry about? Does Alpha know what Rossum are planning to do, and does he like it? Hopefully these aspects are explored in the remaining episodes!

• So, RIP Ballard. Or should that be, see you whenever the script dictates that you’ll wake up! I’m very disappointed that they didn’t have the courage to kill him off – as a character, he’s done. But who knows (well, you probably do if you’re ahead of me ), perhaps his comatose state will give Echo an extra reason to survive?

The first 30 minutes had me worried – it was OK, but not deserving of the good things that I’ve been hearing about Dollhouse since I bailed. However, the final third of the episode delivered. It wasn’t perfect, nor what I’d call ‘great’, but it was fun, I didn’t hate Echo, and I’m interested in where the show goes from here. But please, let’s get back to the Mega Mind-wipe Weapon storyline, yes?

Best Character: Alpha (for the joke about Adelle nearly being out of paper. Such a charmer that guy.)

Episode Rating: 7/10

As regular readers will know, I’m attempting to catch up with the episodes of Dollhouse that I have missed, or not yet reviewed, by posting mini reviews before the series finale, bumped to Jan 29 (where I plan to post a full review, thus bringing closure to my WD journey). Below the jump I post my honest thoughts on the episode 2.07, “Meet Jane Doe”.

THE GOOD

• Finally the stakes are raised as we find out the big reveal that might just make me care. Rossum want to imprint humanity, effectively enslaving the world – no chair, no choice, just streamlined mind-wipes. Damn that’s evil! This not only builds upon previous technologies and concepts seen in the show (remote wipes, disruptor, etc), but shows it through a wider lens. I may not care about Echo and pals, but humanity – now that’s another story. I was very thankful for those last 5 or so minutes, they pretty much saved the episode for me.

• I like the idea of Echo’s past imprints having a mind of their own – it makes them feel very sentient – as they acted not so much on command, but on impulse. These ‘best fit personality options’ really do take Echo to another level, and the concept is rooted in the way humans are able to use different aspects of our character to fulfill a need or desire. It begs the question: are they are on some level helping themselves, or helping Echo? Perhaps it’s both, perhaps her 36(?) imprints need to pull in different directions to help some of them survive. Maybe this isn’t so much about Echo or Caroline, but whoever survives? Which is pretty trippy, but then, this is Dollhouse.

• I was so pleased that Echo raised the idea of Caroline not necessarily being a very nice person. It’s something I remember talking about back in season 1, when we saw the flashback of Caroline signing her Dollhouse contract. Depending on how they play it, this could help me like Echo a bit more.

• Topher. He’s developed into a fantastic and genuinely funny character, with a shred of humanity (unlike DeWitt). He needs better hiding places though.

THE BAD

• I thought the A-story with Echo, Galena and Ballard was pretty ridiculous to say the least. I get that Echo blamed herself for Galena’s incarceration and that breaking her out of jail into the earlier ‘wish fulfilment’ concept, but having Echo and Ballard use the situation as practise for taking down the Dollhouse? I find that absurd and contrived. The story lacked organic structure – it was more a case of having two strings, tying them together and having the string falling apart. I would also like to know how Ballard found Echo in the first place – did they even address that?

• I thought some of the story elements where a bit too disparate. I didn’t mind the idea of jumping ahead 3 months, but it seemed like a bit of a cop-out. My level of intrigue didn’t really pick up again until the final 5 or so minutes.

• Echo and Boyd as a romantic couple. Sorry, not liking that at all. I appreciate the need to give both characters a softer edge but bringing them together wasn’t the way to go about in, in my opinion. Ballard is bad enough on his own. I’m not saying that it was a complete waste of time, as we did get some nice moments (the two-handed drawing was pretty neat), but it just felt too convenient, and we spent way too long in their apartment watching them shadow dance.

Other Comments

• It’s a real shame Victor and Sierra aren’t used more often. I feel they are wasted at the moment.

• Topher is right about Adelle. She had the chance to redeem herself slightly, but failed to take it when she handed over Topher’s secrets. Unless there’s a MAJOR turn of character I can’t see myself ever warming to her. I guess some characters are just made to be despised. But it’s a shame they haven’t given her more depth and ambiguity – that’s something this show could use more of..ambiguity.

• Although Adelle’s heart is made of ice, Topher also has to have a hard look at himself in the mirror because she was right about one thing – he was curious enough to design the plans for the Mega Mind Wipe thingy in the first place. That doesn’t make him bad per se, but it stains his conscience if Rossum put the tech into action.

• Did that county jail only have 4 guards or something? Don’t they have bosses who would demand that they look for an escaped prisoner?

• Can we get Bennet back please, or at least have Ballard magically find Whiskey?

Best Character: Topher

Episode Rating: 6.5/10

As regular readers will know, I’m attempting to catch up with the episodes of Dollhouse that I have missed, or not yet reviewed, by posting mini reviews before the series finale, bumped to Jan 29 (where I plan to post a full review, thus bringing closure to my WD journey). Below the jump I post my honest thoughts on the episode 2.06, “The Left Hand”.

THE GOOD

• Topher and Bennet. What an awesome duo they are! I enjoyed every scene featuring them together – it’s almost as if they were made for one another other (oops, did I steal a line?). For a new character, Bennet is pretty well drawn out and very interesting to watch – she definitely has a split personality thing going on and that nervous laugh is just too funny. I’m not entirely convinced by her back-story connection to Caroline, but hey, I’ll wait and see how that one plays out as it may make Echo/Caroline more interesting to me in the long run.

• The overarching story had a bit more momentum and purpose than the previous episode. I’m still not entirely convinced that Rossum is as interesting as the writers want them to be, but at least it feels like were getting somewhere. I’m also glad that they are at least trying to make us see the LA Dollhouse in a different light, even though it feels a bit heavy handed.

• There were some interesting ideas explored – particularly with Echo telling Perrin that it didn’t matter who he used to be, but what he can be. That felt very poignant and seems to mirror Echo’s own journey. I was also intrigued by Perrin’s realisation that in actual fact he didn’t want to go back to the person he was before. Despite the unreality of who he is, he still sees the value and opportunity that his current dollstate has given him. I find his mindset interesting and understandable (he was a wash-up prior to the Dollhouse) and it reflects what I think is going on in Echo’s head with all of those voices gradually re-shaping her, whilst contrasting with Priya’s perspective on her experience.

• I’m still not generally happy with the direction that the Echo character has taken over the past couple of episodes, but she did say something of note when she revealed that she’s afraid to fall asleep because she might not wake up the same person. Is Caroline really a threat to ‘Echo’, or are they mutual entities that can work together?

THE BAD

• I hate to say it, but Enver Gjokaj trying to play Topher was, at times, cringe-worthy. Which is a shame because he’s done such fine work otherwise. I do appreciate the idea behind having Victor imprinted with ‘Topher’ but the execution didn’t pay off, in my opinion. For what it’s worth, I imagine that Topher is the hardest character on the show to mimic, so this doesn’t spoil my appreciation for Gjokaj’s previous work on the show. On this occasion they just reached too far – it happens.

• This is a serial episode of Dollhouse, which means that I wanted to like it, but I’m not quite as invested in the story as I was a couple of episodes ago. Whilst watching this episode I kept thinking: Am I really expected to care for the LA Dollhouse? Perhaps the world would be better off without them? I’m just not in the business of supporting a lesser evil, and certainly not when I don’t believe in the LA Dollhouse or their ‘ethics’, or lack thereof. Personal conflicts aside, I just don’t think the episode quite clicked as I hoped it would.

Other Comments

• Random thought: doesn’t Whiskey have a GPS tracking device in her neck? That would surely help the DH can find out where she is. Or did she cut it out? Just asking because I wouldn’t put it past the LA Dollhouse to forget how many aces they have up their sleeves.

Overall I thought this was an OK episode, better than The Public Eye, but, surprisingly (considering it featured the overarching story), not my favorite of the season so far, for the reasons outlined above. I wish I could go into more detail, but I really want to catch up before Friday’s finale – hopefully better episodes await!

Best Character: Bennet!

Episode Rating: 6.5/10

Thanks to Will for letting me know that Eliza Dushku‘s movie “Open Graves” is set for its UK Nationwide DVD release on Monday 15th February, 2010. I thought our UK readers, in particular, would be interested to know more information on the DVD.

Continue past the break the read the press release and for more information.

UK Nationwide DVD Release:
Monday 15th February 2010

Icon Home Entertainment is pleased to announce the February 15th DVD release of the action-packed horror film OPEN GRAVES starring the stunning Eliza Dushku (Dollhouse, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Tru Calling) and Mike Vogel (Cloverfield, Texas Chainsaw Massacre).

Open Graves follows on from where Final Destination left off. The macabre story unfolds when an international group of young carefree surfers come into possession of the ancient artifact mysteriously referred to as “Mamba” – an old board game made from the skin and bones of a witch executed during the Spanish Inquisition.

Young American expatriate, Jason (Mike Vogel), spends his carefree days surfing the beaches of north western Spain. The surf community is international, exotic and beautiful, particularly the enigmatic and sexy Erica (Eliza Dushku), who Jason falls in love with.

One evening, during a drunken party, the surfers become curious and suddenly decide to open up the board game and play “Mamba” for kicks. It’s all fun and games until they discover that ancient curses have terrifying consequences.

As soon as they play the game, one by one, death begins to follow them in the most gruesome ways. To save their friends Erica and Jason are forced to put themselves at ultimate risk by trying to unwind the diabolical chain of events they are relentlessly set in motion. It’s a race against the clock for the pair to reverse the diabolical spell.

The Open Graves DVD is available for pre-order: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Open-Graves-DVD/dp/B002T5QMEM

Check out Open Graves’ on Icon’s horror microsite
Prepare To Be Scared
www.preparedtobescared.com

As regular readers will know, I’m attempting to catch up with the episodes of Dollhouse that I have missed, or not yet reviewed, by posting mini reviews before the series finale, bumped to Jan 29 (where I plan to post a full review, thus bringing closure to my WD journey). Below the jump I post my honest thoughts on the episode 2.05, “The Public Eye”.

THE GOOD

• Less character development than the previous episode, but we got a closer look at one of the overarching threads, namely, the Rossum Corporation.

• The twist was good. I suspected that Senator Perrin was in fact a doll, but to be honest the thought had left my mind by the time the reveal happened. It was nicely done.

• I enjoyed the introduction of Summer Glau as Bennet. It’s early days but I thought that she was very convincing in her performance as the twisty, twitchy and pretty darn sadistic Bennet. I’m just looking forward to finding out more.

THE BAD

• Rossum are probably the most uninteresting shadowy-evil corporation in the world. They’re so bland and uninteresting that the excitement at finding out more about them is made less..exciting.

• Although the episode contained some nice moments I felt that the contrivances outweighed them. For instance, Team Dollhouse basing their entire Rossum counter strategy on a random video clip of the Senator saying “it was like she [his wife] was made for me” (or words to that effect). How about doing a bit more research before jumping to conclusions!? No wonder Rossum wants to ditch them. And that’s another thing that doesn’t sit right with me; I get that the LA Dollhouse is a liability, but surely Rossum’s plan makes little sense? If they depose of Adelle’s branch in such a public fashion, the trail will eventually lead back to them – Adelle and company will never go away quietly. And why try to bring down the L.A. branch whilst they still have full access to Rossum resources, giving them the ability to fight back? It just seems that the people in charge at Rossum aren’t very smart, and the ‘big bad’ should be smart.

• It felt as though Echo and the entire show in general took a couple of steps backwards. Echo was back to her ‘unaware state’ and jarring mannerisms, and the show was back to feeling rushed. I didn’t buy the idea that this was the same Ninja Echo from the previous episode. The signs of ‘knowing’ that she had felt insincere and tacked on. I also felt that Echo had far too much screen-time as I was reminded once again why this show needs to keep her to the B-plot. That said, she wasn’t helped by some of the dialogue which seemed a bit too forced at times.

• I found myself having to take too many leaps to buy into the episode. I appreciate the desire to focus on an overarching story element, but some of the character motivations and plot developments contained too many holes. For instance; Why wasn’t Boyd following Echo? how did Perrin and Echo end up in the car they had ditched after the confrontation with Cindy? Perhaps there are logical answers to these questions, but they represent just a couple of examples of where I was left scratching my head in bemusement.

• I’m not enjoying the way Mellie is being used this season. It’s almost like they’re trying to recapture the magic of crazed-pasta-making-Mellie from season 1. Those were good moments in a bleak period for the show. I think the actress does a good enough job, but they’re forcing the romance angle too much, whilst using her to paint Ballard as some kind of “hero”. And my thoughts on Ballard are probably best left alone for the time being.

I thought Public Eye was a decent episode overall, although I found myself put off by numerous plot holes, odd character motivations and a general sense of unease at feeling ‘forced’ to sympathise with the LA Branch. The introduction of Summer Glau and the opportunity for overarching story is pretty much what saves this episode, in my opinion.

Other Comments

• Ballard tells Mellie that he wants the Dollhouse to fall. I was glad for the reminder because I’d actually forgotten what his whole purpose was. The thing is, if he really wants the DH to crumble then he could have fooled me! I think I’ll have to accept the fact that Ballard is not going to get any better from here.

• Thanks to Topher’s ‘disrupter’ gizmo, we at least know that Adelle, Boyd and Topher are not dolls. Or if they are, they’re a higher spec.

• Echo receives another blow to the head and it conveniently helps her to remember. Isn’t there another way?

• They left Architecture in Mellie’s head? That sounds so cool yet so creepy at the same time. I guess Echo’s (I think it was Echo) right – no-one ever really leaves the Dollhouse.

• Oh how I cringed when Echo said: “her bad guys are worse than my bad guys” (words to the effect of). Seriously, less is more when it comes to Echo. It’s back to season 1 Echo where she just says crap in an attempt to be cool. To be fair, it’s probably not only the actress though – they’re writing her dialogue with too much self-awareness of the camera. Also, the episode gave us little indication that what Echo said is true. Sure, Rossum will end up being ‘worse’ than our lot because that’s the direction the writers are taking the show – but this episode really didn’t give me any real indication to think that Adelle’s Team are any less corrupt. I’m sorry, but Adelle & Co. don’t suddenly become good, or better, or less worse because a line in a script says so. They need to build up to that with evidence, and if they get me to sympathise with Adelle from this point, I’ll probably eat my hat.

Best Character: Topher

Episode Rating: 6/10