Limited Edition Dollhouse Season 1 DVD

Fancy getting your hands on one of only 5000 exclusive Dollhouse Season 1 DVD and Blu-ray sets? Continue after the jump for more information!

Limited Edition Dollhouse Season 1 Blu-ray

From July 6 you can pre-order an exclusive Dollhouse Season 1 DVD/Blu-Ray set and get the chance to see sneak peeks of the ‘missing’ episode - “Epitaph One” before anyone else. The sets contain limited edition packaging (see above visuals) and other goodies. More information follows below:

For Immediate Release

FIRST COME… FIRST SERVE…

COMIC-CON EXCLUSIVE OFFERS FANS AN EARLY CHANCE TO
OWN THE THRILLING NEW FANTASY DRAMA BEFORE EVERYONE

JOSS WHEDON’S
DOLLHOUSE
SEASON ONE

Limited Edition Blu-ray And DVD From
Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment
Features Personal Letter From Series Creator
Joss Whedon And Collectible Packaging

Available For Pre-Order At FoxStore.com
Beginning Monday, July 6 At 10 AM PST
Only 5000 Copies Available

CENTURY CITY, CA. - In a studio first, Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment is offering fans of Joss Whedon’s mysterious cult series “Dollhouse” a chance to purchase a special advanced limited edition Blu-ray or DVD of the groundbreaking first season, exclusively at San Diego Comic-Con International. Individually numbered and highly collectible, only 5000 (2500 Blu-ray/2500 DVD) copies were created, each featuring a personal letter to fans from Whedon and exclusive Comic-Con packaging.

Available for pre-order at FoxStore.com beginning Monday, July 6 at 10:00 AM PST through July 20 (or until product is sold out), a limited quantity will also be available for on-site purchase at the Fox Booth (#1429). In person pick-up for those that pre-ordered the collection will begin at the Fox Booth on Wednesday, July 22 (preview night). Photo ID is required or purchasers must designate at checkout someone who will pick-up the DVD on their behalf.

The “Dollhouse” Season One Comic-Con Blu-ray Disc will be available for a suggested retail price of $69.99 and the DVD will be available for $49.98. Regular versions of “Dollhouse” Season One BD and DVD will be available everywhere July 28.

Series Synopsis:
From Joss Whedon, the creative mastermind behind “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “Angel,” comes the provocative “Dollhouse,” a sexy, suspenseful thriller starring the stunningly talented Eliza Dushku. As an “Active,” the mysterious Echo (Dushku) serves as an unwitting agent of Dollhouse, an illegal underground organization that provides its elite clientele with programmable human beings. Actives receive personality imprints, allowing them to temporarily become anyone or anything-the perfect burglar, lover, spy, or assassin. Now, with the FBI and her own shadowy past closing in, Echo must face a rogue Active who will stop at nothing to bring Dollhouse down-forever.

A recognized global industry leader, Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment LLC (TCFHE) is the worldwide marketing, sales and distribution company for all Fox film and television programming on DVD, Blu-ray Disc (BD) and Digital Copy as well as acquisitions and original productions. The company also releases all products around the globe for MGM Home Entertainment. Each year TCFHE introduces hundreds of new and newly enhanced products, which it services to retail outlets - from mass merchants and warehouse clubs to specialty stores and e-commerce - throughout the world. Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment LLC is a subsidiary of Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, a News Corporation company.

Source: TVShowsOnDVD

Hello Dollhouse, we'd happily take the Friday slot off yer hands..

Ronald D. Moore’s Virtuality airs on FOX tonight. It has been described as ‘ambitious, complicated and thought-provoking’. Sound familiar?

Unlike  Dollhouse, the relevance..the human consequence, is engrained into the DNA of the first episode.

Unlike Dollhouse, the series has been cut short and will be a mere memory after the 2-hour Pilot.

My point? I guess I’m still waiting for Dollhouse to reveal its relevancy. Regular readers will know that I gave up on the show after episode 6, I’m now 8 episodes deep after being intrigued by the shock renewal. I’ve always loved the themes in Dollhouse, but surely at some point the ‘powers that be’ will have to, A. make us care for the central character, or B. introduce some global relevance which we can all identify with?

Maybe my wish will come true in the next episode on my list - 1.09?

Maybe we should be grateful for still being on the air? Spare a thought for those poor heart-broken Virtuality fans.

July 24th, 4 P.M-6 P.M. Join Dollhouse creator Joss Whedon and star/producer Eliza Dushku for a no-holds-barred Q & A about what they have planned for season 2, after they unveil a special screening of the NEVER BEFORE SEEN “Epitaph One” episode of the Fox hit which releases on DVD just four days later. Ballroom 20.

Source: TVWeek

guess who's back to glitch ya!?

After renewing Joss Whedon’s Dollhouse for a second season, Fox have announced that the new season will begin on September 18, as reported by Variety:

The Thursday drama duo “Bones” and “Fringe” return the following night, on Sept. 17, while Friday’s sked (comedies “Brothers” and “Til Death,” and returning drama “Dollhouse”) are back on Sept. 18.

As mentioned last month, the Friday slot will give the show no-let up in challenges. If last season was labelled the “death-slot”, this season could be a kind of purgatory. Still, better that than the alternatives, right? (genuine question right there).

finding his way?

In an exclusive interview with EW, Joss Whedon says that he and his writers “understand the show” a lot better now and that they are all raring to go for season 2. The proof will be in the pudding, of course, but hopefully they will be able to get under the skin of their own show. Continue reading below, may contain some mild spoilers:

Joss Whedon is two weeks into breaking stories for Dollhouse’s second season, and we’re happy to report that he sounds like a happy man even without that season 1 budget. Whedon wrapped his top-secret horror film The Cabin in the Woods on May 29 and hit the Dollhouse writers’ room on June 1. “I just wanted to die of tiredness,” he tells EW.com exclusively. “About two hours after starting to talk to the writers about story, I was back with such a vengeance, and so energized and so pumped because we really understand the show now. We understand what works, and what didn’t work so well or what we weren’t so thrilled about. We don’t have the onus of trying to be a big hit sitting on our shoulders. We can just be ourselves. And so the stories we’re breaking are pure, and exciting, and everybody’s on-board in the room, and it’s never flowed better.”

What does that mean for Season 2? “I’m really proud of the second half of season 1, and we’re just expanding on that in a huge way: Finding out the different things that Eliza [Dushku] can be, at the same time as extending our mythology,” Whedon says. “Really, just every meeting is like, ‘What’s the most fun we can have with this actor?’ about the whole cast. All I can say — ’cause I’m gonna be Mr. Un-Spoiler — is that we’re having a crazy amount of fun, and usually, that tends to translate onto the screen.”

Speaking slightly spoilery, Whedon tells us that season 2 won’t pick up right with “We’ve got to find Alpha!” but a little bit later. Alan Tudyk has a role on ABC’s midseason series V, but Whedon hopes he’ll be able to use the character sparingly: “Alpha will always be a part of the equation.” Whedon’s also hoping to work out a similar loan with the producers of ABC’s Happy Town, who nabbed Amy Acker, aka Dr. Saunders/Whiskey. For more insider scoops, keep reading after the jump.

More scoop: Whedon says that Echo’s last word in the finale, “Caroline,” was the beginning of her season 2 quest. “Echo wants to find not just Caroline, but what’s going on behind everything. She doesn’t have all of the skills. [Laughs] But she does have this weird super power of becoming a different person all the time, so she might start using that more specifically to find out who Caroline was and what happened to her and why this place exists.” So she still has all those past imprints in her? “Well, they’re supposed to have wiped them out of there. But we’ll see how well that went…”

Other burning questions: Summer Glau hasn’t signed on for any episodes of Dollhouse yet. “We’re still breaking the episodes,” Whedon says, “but we didn’t honestly go into the season going, ‘Now how can we figure out how to service Summer?’ when we already have a huge ensemble. I adore Summer and she’s phenomenal, but I have to service the cast I have first. If something comes up that’s good enough, my God, I’d hound her. But the rumors of her becoming a big part of the show are greatly exaggerated.”

Source: EW

According to reports, Dollhouse will have a super-sized 2 hour panel at next month’s San Diego Comic Con. The reason? So that Joss Whedon and Eliza Dushku can answer questions from fans, and so the entire ‘missing’ season 1 episode “Epitaph One” can be screened. The Watcher has more:

I can confirm three things: There will be a “Dollhouse” panel at Comic-Con, “Epitaph One” will be screened and the entire “Dollhouse” session will be two hours long.

The supersized session will take place Friday, July 24, in Ballroom 20, according to Twentieth Century Fox Television. Dushku and Whedon will be serving up “a no-holds-barred Q and A about what they have planned for Season 2″ after the screening of “Epitaph One.” (Whedon and Dushku are the only “Dollhouse” folks participating in this panel, by the way.

Source: Chicago Tribune

News of a change of creative direction for Dollhouse, as Reaper creators Michele Fazekas and Tara Butters join the series:

“Fazekas and Butters are in D-house and they’re awesome.” I checked with 20th Century Fox and confirmed that Tancharoen was not just hinting that the duo had stopped by for a scone at the Dollhouse writing office, and that they have indeed joined the series.

Fazekas and Butters recently signed an exclusive deal with 20th Century Fox – the same studio that produces Dollhouse. While that deal involves developing new projects, it’s not unusual for writer/producers to first take a job at a pre-existing series when they sign new deals of this sort. Similarly, Bryan Fuller returned to Heroes when he signed his recent deal with NBC Universal, though he also will be working on new projects too.

I discovered that Fazekas and Butters have taken the slots vacated by Elizabeth Craft and Sarah Fain. Craft and Fain, another writing duo, left Dollhouse at the end of Season 1 to join Lie to Me, where they will be reunited with new showrunner Shawn Ryan, creator of The Shield. Craft and Fain worked on The Shield after their stint on Whedon’s Angel.

Source: IGN

Meanwhile, here is a look at the normal DVD and Blu-ray sets:

Dollhouse Season 1 DVD

Dollhouse Season 1 Blu-ray

Here is the official Press Release with all the details and features:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SHE CAN BE ANYONE…EXCEPT HERSELF

DOLLHOUSE
SEASON ONE

Eliza Dushku Stars In Joss Whedon’s Thrilling New Fantasy Drama
Arriving On Blu-ray And DVD July 28
From Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment

Loaded With Bonus Materials Including The Never-Before-Seen Episode
“Epitaph One” And The Original Unaired Pilot “Echo”

CENTURY CITY, Calif. - In a city of millions, many souls get lost… Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment presents a glimpse into a world where the wealthy, powerful and connected come to play when “Dollhouse” Season One becomes “active” on Blu-ray and DVD July 28. From the mind of Joss Whedon, the creator of groundbreaking cult favorites “Buffy The Vampire Slayer” and “Firefly,” “Dollhouse” stars Eliza Dushku (”Buffy The Vampire Slayer,” “Tru Calling“) as Echo, just one member working for an illegal underground organization that implants employees with false memories and skills in order to perform various missions and dangerous tasks. These “dolls” can become anything that anyone desires; a lover, a fighter, an assassin, even a best friend. Once their assignment is complete, their memories are wiped clean and they are released back into the “Dollhouse” to cohabitate with their fellow colleagues under the watchful eye of those in charge. But Echo is slowly starting to become aware of herself and her surroundings…and one outsider will stop at nothing to bring the entire “Dollhouse” down.

“Dollhouse” Season One includes intense and stunning supporting performances from Olivia Williams (The Sixth Sense, Rushmore), Harry Lennix (State of Play, Across The Universe), Amy Acker (”Angel“), and Tahmoh Penikett (”Battlestar Galactica“). The Blu-ray and DVD includes all 12 original episodes and tons of bonus features including the never-before-seen standalone episode “Epitaph One,” the original unaired pilot “Echo,” deleted scenes and seven making-of featurettes. The Blu-ray will be available for a suggested retail price of $69.99 U.S. / $89.99 Canada and the DVD will be available for $49.98 U.S. / $69.98 Canada.

Series Synopsis:
From Joss Whedon, the creative mastermind behind Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel, comes the provocative Dollhouse, a sexy, suspenseful thriller starring the stunningly talented Eliza Dushku. As an “Active,” the mysterious Echo (Dushku) serves as an unwitting agent of Dollhouse, an illegal underground organization that provides its elite clientele with programmable human beings. Actives receive personality imprints, allowing them to temporarily become anyone or anything-the perfect burglar, lover, spy, or assassin. Now, with the FBI and her own shadowy past closing in, Echo must face a rogue Active who will stop at nothing to bring Dollhouse down-forever.

Blu-ray Disc Specs:
The “Dollhouse” Season One Blu-ray is presented in widescreen (16×9 aspect ratio) with English 5.1 DTS HD Lossless Master Audio and English, French, Spanish and Portuguese subtitles. Episodes and special features included in the collection are as follows:

• Disc 1
  • Ghost
    • Commentary by Joss Whedon and Eliza Dushku
  • The Target
  • Stage Fright
  • Gray Hour
  • True Believer
• Disc 2
  • Man on the Street
    • Commentary by Joss Whedon
  • Echoes
  • Needs
  • A Spy in the House…
  • Haunted
• Disc 3
  • Briar Rose
  • Omega
  • Never-before-seen episode Epitaph One
    • Commentary by writers Jed Whedon and Maurissa Tancharoen
  • Original Unaired Pilot - Echo
  • Deleted Scenes
  • “Making Dollhouse” featurette
  • “Coming Back Home” featurette
  • “Finding Echo” featurette
  • “Designing the Perfect Dollhouse” featurette
  • “A Private Engagement” featurette

DVD Specs:
The “Dollhouse” Season One standard DVD is presented in widescreen format with English and Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital plus English, French, Spanish and Portuguese subtitles. The collection includes the same episodes and special features as listed above. Disc breakdown is as follows:

• Disc 1
  • Ghost
    • Commentary by Joss Whedon and Eliza Dushku
  • The Target
  • Stage Fright
  • Gray Hour
• Disc 2
  • True Believer
  • Man on the Street
    • Commentary by Joss Whedon
  • Echoes
  • Needs
• Disc 3
  • A Spy in the House…
  • Haunted
  • Briar Rose
  • Omega
• Disc 4
  • Never-before-seen episode Epitaph One
    • Commentary by writers Jed Whedon and Maurissa Tancharoen
  • Original Unaired Pilot - Echo
  • Deleted Scenes
  • “Making Dollhouse” featurette
  • “Coming Back Home” featurette
  • “Finding Echo” featurette
  • “Designing the Perfect Dollhouse” featurette
  • “A Private Engagement” featurette

A recognized global industry leader, Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment LLC (TCFHE) is the worldwide marketing, sales and distribution company for all Fox film and television programming on DVD, Blu-ray Disc (BD) and Digital Copy as well as acquisitions and original productions. The company also releases all products around the globe for MGM Home Entertainment. Each year TCFHE introduces hundreds of new and newly enhanced products, which it services to retail outlets - from mass merchants and warehouse clubs to specialty stores and e-commerce - throughout the world. Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment LLC is a subsidiary of Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, a News Corporation company.

“DOLLHOUSE” SEASON ONE
Street Date: July 28, 2009
$69.99 U.S. / $89.99 Canada (Blu-ray Disc)
$49.98 U.S. / $69.98 Canada (DVD)
Total Run Time: 694 Minutes
Closed Captioned: Yes

You can pre-order the regular DVD and Blu-ray sets at Amazon using the links below:

• Dollhouse: Season One
• Dollhouse: Season One [Blu-ray]

I’ve finally managed to watch this episode - here are my thoughts on the good and the bad of 1.08 “Needs”.

THE GOOD

• The underlying theme of this episode served as a fantastic exploration into humanity and what motivates us, doll-state or otherwise. In particular the idea of ‘freedom’ was turned on its head - typically freedom is universally accepted as representing the same for everyone - freewill, choice and the ability to suffer the consequences of one’s own actions. However, we got to see that freedom varies from person to person. For some individuals, like Echo/Caroline (referred to as “Echoline” from here on), liberation may be seen as reacquiring memory and making their own choices, but there are also those like Mellie, who seemingly signed up to the programme to forget, to remove the pain, guilt and any number of other negative memories associated with her dead child. This concept took me by surprise in how powerful it was, particularly when Adelle told Echoline: “you’re free to leave - who are you to decide for the others?”. This was a stunningly good question, who IS Echoline to force her own perception of ‘freedom’ onto others? Some of whom are too broken to face the realities of the real world. In some ways this reduces the immoral distance between Echoline and the Dollhouse - who are by no means cleared of all wrong-doings, but there is no doubt that their service is beneficial for some of its actives. Whether it’s right or wrong is another matter entirely - but since when were needs always right?

• I enjoyed the concept of “needs” and how they contrast with a persons ‘wants’ and superficial desires. ‘Needs’, I believe, tend to represent the inner most requirements that a person has to have in order to give them peace of mind..in order to make them happy. As mentioned, for some, forgetting (their past lives) is what makes them happy, it is what made them sign up in the first place - the ability to remove consequences from one’s actions was probably too good a pill to turn down. But for others, happiness..at least for the moment, is remembering - regaining the power that was taken away from them - before and after ’signing up’. As with Sierra’s story - it doesn’t seem like she signed up voluntarily, indeed, (if memory serves) she was a sold to the DH like real estate. My guess is that her need is both her pain and her liberation - to remember what happened to her in order to re-acquire what was stolen from her. It seems like a vicious circle, she has continued to lose her power through the assignments she’s given and through her former handler raping her. So the need to remember and the need to forget are both understandable and related motivations. Using this idea, I guess the problem comes through the perception of other peoples needs. It could be argued that as humans we personalise our own emotional desires onto other people. Take Ballard, for instance - he so badly wants to ’save’ Echoline without truly knowing whether or not she wants, or indeed, needs to be saved. Same goes for Echoline herself, which is slightly ironic. I guess, understanding the needs of others is a skill which, when mastered (or honed), makes for more reasoned decisions and actions. That said, ignoring what we perceive as breaches in basic human rights is (or should be) difficult to turn a blind eye to.
• I am pleased that we got a Dollhouse-centric episode (pretty much). I was losing interest in the ‘house’ and their motivations, but at last we got a glimpse into their murky existence.  We all know that the services they provide are immoral and unethical - sexual abuse, human trafficking, de-humanisation, etc. But now we have the solid possibility that they actually provide some good for these people as well. I mean, they protect the dolls from the ‘harsh realities’ of life by pampering and catering to their needs - and after their assignments, they remove the memory of those events (glitches aside ). Some might argue that this is actually more protection than some of these people would receive in the ‘real world’. That said, we’re already exploring the notion that although the memory makes us aware of our needs..it’s is not the only thing that governs them. As we’ve seen with Echoline and the other dolls, their souls..those indestructible signs of life also allow them to remember on an emotional level. So whether or not their minds are wiped of all the horrible things that have happened to them (pre and post imprint), they still retain an overpowering connection to their experiences. With this in mind, I think the Dollhouse will struggle to justify their ’services’, though eventually the show may be able to make an intriguing suggestion about what makes us human.
• Which brings me to another surprising element of this episode - the Victor/Sierra bonding. I wasn’t really hopeful after their initial floundering in the first part of the episode, but we soon got to witness some quite heart-warming interactions. In particular their shared recollection of events, coupled with the idea that although Victor was unable to do anything to protect Sierra (when she was being abused by her ex-handler), he waited for her (at ‘bedtime’) to make sure that she was OK. Just the fact that Victor witnessed Sierra getting abused (or that he knew it was going on) is quite a powerful moment in the episode, but the underlying message that his ‘love’ for her survived multiple imprints says a lot. Physically he was unable to help her, but emotionally he was in-tune with her needs. I guess that was enough to keep her spirit alive in there somewhere. I would have liked to have seen more indication of her feelings towards him, but I still found value in that little arc because it suggests that love is a connection which supersedes memory. Also, they portrayed it without diminishing Sierra’s battle for empowerment (it is possible to let certain people in without being ‘weak’), or by having her distrust all men because of what some sick b*stards did to her. I guess that ties into the special connection she feels with Victor.
• The montage towards the end was hasty..very hasty but it was a great choice of song and witnessing Echo leading out the other actives carried heavy symbolism - how ironic that it was all a dream..and illusion. Her fulfillment, her resolution..her needs - it wasn’t even real and yet it was enough to give her peace of mind. I liked Boyd’s description of the tide turning, because all through the episode I got the sense that the build up of their needs was like a dam ready to burst. I like this theme because I believe it holds truth in real life - it is similar, I imagine, to redemption; overcoming one’s personal obstacles and challenges in the game of life - the final hurdle to true freedom. The Dollhouse seem to believe that it’s better to transport these ‘broken people’ past these obstacles, fulfilling their need to heal, stripping them of pain, and if not of pain..of consequence. I am getting the impression that the DH gives people the ability to walk through the valley of the shadow of death without any fear. But in this ‘brave new world’, what sense of fulfilment do those playing god (small *g*) receive?
• We got an answer to why the dolls minds are wiped and kept “simple” - so that their brains don’t implode. I find this interesting as it perhaps changes my perception of one of the key elements of the show - identity. The implication seems to be that removing the memory from an individual is necessary for the imprint to work effectively - meaning that it’s not necessarily the choice of the DH to remove their previous personality/memories, rather, nature has ensured that a human mind can only be one person at one time. Or at least, that was nature’s intention. The entire show is about multiple memories and persona’s, so perhaps it will ultimately become more than a game of freewill and science..but also one of nature, fate and God? Who knows. I should also mention that we’ve seen (or had implied) what happens when more than one persona is uploaded onto an un-wiped mind - Alpha. One wonders whether his storyline will open the show up to some of the topics I mentioned above? I guess we shall soon see (or if you’ve already seen the entire season, you’ll already know).

THE BAD

• Much of the episode lacked real suspense or consequence, partly because the dialogue was a bit off and also because it’s hard to care about these characters (I’ll expand on this below). This was especially the case once it was revealed to be just a game..a test. I know that was the point, but in many respects it turned into a watered-down version of “Survivor” or something.
• The character motivations baffled me - from constantly looking at the security cameras (don’t make yourselves even more suspicious will ya, guys?) to Echoline deciding to go back into the house when she was on the brink of escaping. Now who would do such a thing, what would it achieve? The logical thing to do would be to escape and call the Feds - thus saving themselves and the others in the ‘house’. It just seemed like the writers were obsessed with making Echoline into some kind of fearless heroine, which just cannot be done in one episode where her motivations are neither compelling or logical. And then we’re supposed to believe that this vapid person had the know-how to rig the electricity? So she some how ‘remembers’ how to do that - how convenient (not that it went anywhere).
• Eliza Dushku. Still not feeling her I’m afraid. She seems to overcompensates for a lack of subtlety by being too forceful in her acting. She also uses jarring head-movements as if to force home whatever point Echoline is trying to make. She’s obviously trying her best, but I can’t help but wonder what it would be like if the show had a lead actress who, on occasion, could carry the show when it needed to be carried. Unfortunately, the show has to carry her, and seeing as the show has been on its knees for the best part of 7 episodes, that’s not particularly helpful. Since she’s one of the producers I guess there’s nothing that can be done about that.
• Paul Ballard - his storyline sucks right now. Perhaps they’re moving him into position, but if that’s the case then we have to ask why there isn’t a better way of marrying his story and character with the main show (Mellie used to be that glue). I mean, it’s been 8 episodes and he’s still chasing his tail (actually, it’s the WAY he’s chasing his tail that’s the problem)! I’m also starting to dislike the character - not only is he boring as hell, but he’s not a very nice guy, lacks charisma, has no personality, is obsessive to the point of no explanation..and he rapes dolls (and then dreams about doing it again). He’s turning into one sick Mofo - I simply cannot root for this guy.
• The execution of the episode - particularly the dialogue and the ‘rats in a maze’ game wasn’t the best. It felt pieced together and hurried. At one point I think I saw sellotape.
• The fight between Echo and Ramirez (or whatever her name is) was just an excuse to heighten the tension in a tension-less episode. It wasn’t a well executed fight and if this is the best the DH has to offer then there’s no wonder something goes wrong on every.single.mission. Also, I fail to believe that Echoline could slip back into the DH without ANYONE realising/having the presence of mind to raise the alarm until she had reached the hub of the house..the chair. Speaking of which..
• That scene where Echo forced Topher into the chair was full o’ cheese! It just about worked on the symbolism level but the way it was done was pretty unconvicing. Also, how would Echo know how to operate the chair? I would assume that it would have more than a button conveniently labeled “Imprint” for her to push? If not, then Topher really has to work on getting some passwords installed on that thing. Like, seriously.
• November or Mellie or whatever her actual name is, has just gone for me. She was FAR more interesting as crazy Doll. Now she’s just bland and rather..ditzy. I’m not talking about her grieving for her lost child - it’s the fact that she seems quite brainless in her ‘real’ state. At least she baked lasagna and slept by the door when she was obsessing over Ballard. That used to be a nice distraction. Can we have crazed-waiting-for-Ballard-to-come-home-Mellie back please?
• How convenient was it that the dolls all found ‘resolution’ at the same time (from the way it was depicted)? It’s even more convenient that all of their issues were located in the surrounding area - Katie’s grave for Mellie, Sierra’s rapist, Victors..love interest. And I wont even ask how Sierra knew where to find that guy - one minute they were in the DH, the next they were in the guy’s room. The magic of convenience! (OK, perhaps she ‘remembered’..but again..convenient on several levels).
• The problem still remains that there is no-one to root for. I couldn’t care less about Echoline - she doesn’t have any redeeming qualities - even her sudden ‘need’ to break everyone free is tinged by the fact that she’s abrasive, clueless, doesn’t stop to look at the bigger picture and does that annoying ‘cluck, cluck’ thing with her neck! There’s no reason to like her, IMO. Same goes for Ballard and for Adelle. Only Victor and Sierra come close in the likability stakes, and Boyd, of course, although I don’t think anyone should overlook the fact that although he disagrees with much of what goes on in the DH..he still complies. So basically I’m wondering who the writers think we’re supposed to champion? Surely they must have an idea? Whoever it is it’s just not translating, IMO. Or maybe it’s ‘biker dude from the Pilot’? I hope Echoline didn’t just leave him tied to the bed like that? Hmm, how long can the human body go without food and water again?

At the end of this episode I get the feeling that the DH is, on some level, manipulating peoples needs - but whether they are helping people attain their resolution or withholding it from them is another matter - it’s probably a bit of both. I like the way an individuals needs (selfish though they always seem to be) were brought into focus as being one of the biggest motivating factors for a person. It could be argued that needs are internal, wants or superficial desires are external..merely covering up the unresolved aspects (the needs). Indeed, since this episode touched on the topic - love is all we really need to survive (aww! ). It is at the heart of everything. If this is true, it’s no wonder the world is so full of WANTS to cover up what is missing or what has been lost (again..aww!).

In this episode, more than any other prior, the dollhouse resembles a microcosm of the world. As I mentioned above, I still have problems with how the messages (of the show) are being executed, but the themes do remain interesting and provocative.

As for Boyd’s needs? Letting go, perhaps? His little discussion with Saunders near the end was immensely intriguing. Hopefully his character will be explored with more than exposition in future episodes - he still has a lot to offer. He participates in unethical activities which means that on some level - despite somehow having the ability to distance himself from the DH - he agrees with what they are doing. For me, he is still the most fascinating character.

All in all I give this episode 7.5/10. Some people give me heat for constantly saying that I like the ‘themes and underlying concents’ of the show, well I found the theme/concept of this episode to be so interesting that I was able to overlook many of the glaring problems that often take me out of the show. Perhaps I also went in with a slightly different outlook..with the intention to concentrate more on these concepts than the superficial stuff. For me, this was the best episode so far - far from perfect, but a noticeable improvement.

Next up, is episode 1.09, not sure when that will be though!

Blast Magazine recently got the chance to talk with Alan Tudyk about “Dollhouse”, “Firefly”, his upcoming role on “V” and a bunch of other random stuff. There may be a minor DH spoiler towards the end:

BLAST: Tell me what it was like working with Joss again on “Dollhouse.”

ALAN TUDYK: It was really great, you know, I didn’t work with him in a directing capacity. He was around doing the extras for the DVD so I definitely ran into him. It was really great.

BLAST: What is it about Joss Whedon that makes these group of actors follow him around?

AT: Um, he has dirt on all of us. Really embarrassing stuff. It’s blackmail, really, I mean I’ll call it what is. That, I guess, and you know in his shows — the two I’ve been on — there’s a way that you can have really high-stakes, dramatic situations taking place right next to very funny, and wry, sarcastic commentary. Which is hard to pull off and nobody does it better than him. So you get the opportunity to do something that’s rare.

BLAST: I caught that sneak mention of “Firefly.” You know there are always rumors of “Serenity 2? flying around, and Joss does have a history of bringing back characters from the beyond. Would you do another one?

AT: Oh yeah, I’ve been telling Joss to do a whole TV series on Wash. Forget about it, that’s what I want!

BLAST: I don’t think you know what you just did. I think the fans will explode.

AT: Well, I’ve said that to fans before and they go, (unenthusiastically) “Yeah! But actually the great thing about “Firefly” was everyone working together…”, and I say, “Yeah, yeah, yeah, we’ll start with one and go from there!” But yeah, of course I would do it.

BLAST: About Alpha…

AT: Great.

BLAST: What personality of Alpha’s — I think, what, 38 of them? — which was most fun to play?

AT: Well… I think it’s forty — well, I’ve been saying 42 but I think it’s 48. It’s tough to know. (laughs) The only one, you know… It’s interesting doing episodic television, because you can’t peer around the corner. When I was doing the episode of “Briar Rose,” I didn’t know where Alpha was going in “Omega.” I knew that I was taking her… but I didn’t even know what I was taking her to do. (laughs) I didn’t know why I was taking her until the day after we ran “Briar Rose” and I read the script for “Omega.”

BLAST: You kind of had to play it by ear then.

AT: There are a couple of things that happened with the performance. It was like, wow, this guy talks a great deal. He always speaks quickly and he doesn’t ever want to stop talking! There are a lot of lines to learn. But also, I knew that he had 48 people in him, but I didn’t realize that it was just a riot of people, of difficult, zany folks. If I had to do it over again I would have brought more personalities out in the first one. (hesitates) Eh, I don’t want to say I have regrets, but I — I don’t know who all the personalities are. And there’s Kepler, you know whoever that is, whatever personality he’s using there. But that was kind of, you know, Alpha was doing a little acting, also.

BLAST: The acting part was one of the things fans have kind of been wondering about. To what extent was Alpha in fact Kepler, or was he acting the whole time?

AT: I think with Alpha, if I, personally, was able to know intimately 48 perspectives, and backgrounds, and upbringings — perspectives, I got it right the first time — 48 different perspectives, If I had the benefit of that, myself, I would be an amazing actor. That’s what acting is, you’re putting yourself in somebody else’s shoes and really trying to get as close to them as possible. So Alpha has the capacity to be the greatest actor. I feel like his Kepler was an amalgam of who he is, he can borrow a great deal from himself. And you know, we get to see Eliza Dushku’s character put on all these different roles. So you have to think about all these different pieces of her that she could borrow from. And there are a lot of differences between them.

BLAST: You mentioned one thing I was going to ask you about. If you could have one skill or ability downloaded into your head, what would it be?

AT: Uh… Inner peace.

BLAST: Is that a skill?

AT: It’s not a skill… but you know, you get these perspectives so you could download anything, like enlightment. Some kind of thought process, not so much a religion. Like the Dalai Lama! I could download a piece of the Dalai Lama and just chill. (laughs)

BLAST: Are there other characters in the “Jossverse” besides Wash and Alpha that you would like to play?

AT: Buffy. I would love to play Buffy. I’ve always felt that Sarah Michelle Gellar did a great job, but there was stuff she missed. (laughs)

BLAST: Hey, you know they are supposedly doing a Buffy movie without any of the actual Buffy characters. So will you throw your hat in the ring?

AT: (laughs) If I can find time outside of my new TV show “Wash,” sure.

BLAST: Well you do have a new TV show, “V.” Can you tell me about it?

AT: Sure. It’s kind of an “Independence Day” scenario. You know it’s based on the original miniseries that came out in the 80s. And, it’s aliens, and it’s about this alien race…

BLAST: Are you an alien?

AT: I am not at liberty to say.

BLAST: Oooh. Really?

AT: Yeah, I can’t say one way or the other. It’s just about an alien race coming in, and the reaction to having another race of people with alien technology and all that would mean if we actually had spaceships parked over our cities and what that would mean.

BLAST: Is it the sci-fi of it that drew you to it?

AT: No, it was the script. There was one part in the script, right in the beginning when the Vs first show up and this F-16 falls out of the sky over the streets of New York City and explodes, and it’s like, oh man, what’s going on? This is great!

BLAST: I asked some Twitter people if they had any questions for you and one question was: why did you leave Juilliard before graduating?

AT: (laughs) Wow, how to do I answer that?

BLAST: From aliens to Juilliard, right?

AT: Yeah, right. Well, (laughs) I was following in a long line of actors who left Juilliard in their third year. Val Kilmer, Robin Williams… Juilliard’s fourth year at that time and I think it’s still the case, was where you study for three years. You do plays, but it’s in conjunction with classes. And then your fourth year becomes solely a performance year. There’s a couple of classes that are like, “How to Audition!” and “How to Get an Agent!” And I had worked really hard to get an agent before I left Juilliard, I had an agent before my third year. So I didn’t feel those classes were necessary and I didn’t need a year full of, you know, “18th century Spanish plays that have never before been translated until now!” That’s awful. That sounds awful! I like the people at Juilliard.

BLAST: What fictional character would you most like to play? Have you ever thought about it?

AT: Wow. Gosh. You know, I don’t know.

BLAST: Maybe another round as Steve the Pirate?

AT: (laughs) Sure.

BLAST: So we’ve got Alan the Vampire Slayer, we have Wash the TV show, and a Steve the Pirate movie. I hope you know I’ll be holding you to your word.

AT: (laughs) You know I don’t know that a Steve the Pirate movie would be very interesting without the rest of the cast. He doesn’t say very much… His humor is best in small doses of “Garr!” and “Arrgh!” in the right moment. I would only want to undertake that with Justin Long, and Christine Taylor, Vince Vaughn, Joel, Ben Stiller. We’d need the whole group.

BLAST: (laughs) Fair enough. What is on your iPod?

AT: What’s on my iPod? I’ve got a lot on my iPod. I can tell you what I’m listening to right now… My current favorite song is by a band called Band of Skulls, it’s called “I Know What I Am.” Great song. And I’ve got a little throwback to when I was in high school, Anthrax’s “I’m the Man,” hysterical song. A hard band but the song is really funny. And the Black Keys’ new album is fantastic. There’s a song on it called “I Got Mine,” which is kind of that bluesy, ballsy music. The whole album is great. I could go on, and on, and on…

BLAST: You are a regular at fan conventions, so I was wondering: are you a sci-fi fan yourself and will you be at this year’s San Diego Comic Con?

AT: I don’t know about San Diego. Am I sci-fi fan, that was the other question? I liked “Star Trek: The Next Generation” when I was growing up, a lot, and the original “Star Trek” when I was a kid, watching re-runs. But “The Next Generation” is the first show that really grabbed me. I loved the characters, I wanted to know what was going to happen next. Then I kind of took a break, well you know, “Star Wars” and all that stuff is great. But I wasn’t the biggest sci-fi fan until “Firefly “sort of brought me back in. Yeah, I am a sci-fi fan. The new “Star Trek” movie, best movie I’ve seen… you know, a lot of people say it’s the best movie they’ve seen since “Iron Man,” but I think it’s better than “Iron Man.”

BLAST: “Star Trek” was really good. It was a movie that had so much weighing on it, and managed to appeal both to the masses and the fans. Great movie.

AT: Yeah. I’ve seen it twice.

BLAST: Me too!

AT: Yeah. It was done, and I was like, let’s roll it again! I’m ready to see it again. Let’s go. Like, now. So entertaining, so entertaining. You know, they have something in the “Star Trek” franchise… I definitely haven’t seen all of it, but they have something in this one that I’ve only seen in “Firefly” before. You’ve got your hero, your Captain Kirk, getting his ass kicked. That first scene when you’re meeting him as an adult, he gets his butt whipped in a bar, and it’s hysterical. Very Malcolm Reynolds-y. And then also, when he lands in the ice planet before he meets Spock, and he’s complaining and trying to cite the rules that have been broken, and he’s looking off in the distance, and the the giant behemoth is coming at him. He’s running from it, screaming like a girl, (high voice) “No-o! No-o!” The hero can be very uncool, the hero can be afraid, the hero can be chicken. That was really refreshing. He can make mistakes and be goofy. That whole scene with him and the doc, and the shots. It’s just fun.

BLAST: There’s a certain fearlessness with the way Joss treats his characters and I think with the way they handled the characters in “Star Trek.” I think you’re quite right about that.

AT: Yeah. Absolutely, definitely.

BLAST: Oh — will we see you [on Dollhouse] next season?

AT: (pause) Yes you will.

You can read the entire interview here..