Why am I not liking it?

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Spuffyy

The Slayer
Joined
Dec 2, 2008
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192
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I started watching just a few episodes in, watched a few episodes then it just fell off my radar. I try to remind myself to watch it so I can support the Whedon cause but I just don't really like it... ::huh1:: I dunno what it is. I will keep watching, but is anyone else thinking it's not what it was made out to be?
 
I think it is pretty much what it was made out to be, and that's why it's not working for some people. Almost no whedonesque humor, no immediately likeable characters...that was my initial gut reaction.

I think if you start from the beginning and pay close attention to the mystery/conspiracy of the Dollhouse, it might start to work for you. Or not.
 
I love a good conspiracy as much as the next one but I just don't know, I REALLY try to get into this and haven't been able to. I will really have to try rewatching from the start or something. Just make myself do it.
 
First few eps didnt bother me much beyond looking at Eliza in a 2" skirt in HD. 5 or 6 in and I was hooked. Not unlike Buffy now that I think about it.
 
The story and Whedonesque-ness really starts with "Man on the Street." You could probably even skip to that episode without missing a whole lot, if you want to see what happens when Fox lets Whedon do his thing.
 
Spuffyy said:
I love a good conspiracy as much as the next one but I just don't know, I REALLY try to get into this and haven't been able to. I will really have to try rewatching from the start or something. Just make myself do it.
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This is exactly how I felt in the beginning, after the first few episodes. But, I found it got better, and now I'm pretty invested in it. Or, maybe it's just not your thing. That's OK too 🙂
 
I wasn't all that into it at the beginning either. It actually seemed a bit too much like that other show, "The Pretender." Don't know if anyone knows that one but it was about a guy who was so smart that he took on different jobs every episode in order to help people.

However by about the fifth or sixth episode, I started to love it. I'm to the point now where I am pretty much bouncing around thinking about the next episode.

It worked the same way for my hubby too. He doesn't get excited too easily and he's pretty pumped now. He actually didn't tell me that he didn't dig it at first until he started to actually like it a few episodes ago. I think I must hold some strange power over him if he wouldn't tell me he wasn't into a show that I liked. Now I'm starting to wonder how he REALLY feels about Doctor Who . . . . hmmm . . .
 
Spuffyy said:
I started watching just a few episodes in, watched a few episodes then it just fell off my radar. I try to remind myself to watch it so I can support the Whedon cause but I just don't really like it... ::huh1:: I dunno what it is. I will keep watching, but is anyone else thinking it's not what it was made out to be?
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Maybe, shock horror, you just don't like it?

I know its 'blasphemous' to say that in this board, hell I'll probably get a stoning for suggesting it, but maybe you don't like it because you want something else from a TV show?

I watched Man on the Street and the one directly after it, you know when Joss 'took control' and it bored the hell out of me.

---------- Post added at 11:05 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:50 PM ----------

Silum disagrees: ^ stone
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Careful - you might feel someones wrath!
 
S
Silum
^ stone
A
Atren
I agree with your statement concerning not liking it. You like some and you hate others :)
I think it is a case that you just don't like it. Just because it's Whedon doesn't mean that you have to. I think it's an ok show. I watch simply because two characters, Sierra and Victor, have drawn me in. That's it. I'll watch to see what happens with them. Nothing else really appeals to me. As for the lack of Whedon-esque humor, and storytelling. That should be a good thing. It should prove he's not a one trick-pony. Yet the show improves when he reverts to the old tricks. Funny character extremes, sad moments with a sad song playing. All that stuff.
Give it a go. But personally I don't think you're missing much. And this is my opinion by the way, because the next comment will piss people off, but - It doesn't deserve a second season. For me, it just hasn't been strong enough to deserve it.
 
It won't piss everyone off atticus, because I can see where you're coming from. For me, I heard it got so much better around episode six. Episode six was pretty good, but the two that followed it were borderline terrible. And the most recent two have been better again. I just don't think it measures up to previous Joss Whedon shows. Certainly it has some decent episodes, and you won't find me hating on every aspect of it, but overall I don't think it's the greatest show. I kind of want it to get a second season so it has a chance to grow and get better but I won't cry if it gets cancelled.
 
Revolver said:
I just don't think it measures up to previous Joss Whedon shows.
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Compare it to Firefly and its a complete joke.

Weve heard the storys on it creation. A quick discussion between Eliza and Joss and voila a story is born...herein lies the problem. It was a quick idea (dolls susceptible to manipulation) that needs a lot of work to make successful. ..Now Joss is briliant and can make anything great but still, the premise needs to be better for the story to be great.

Firefly had so much more. It had so much more believable characters and so much more believable motivations behind each character. I really did believe in Mal's love for both his ship and crew and where he wanted to go... " a better life".... Dollhouse....lacks the epicness that both Buffy and Firefly showed.

Still, i think it deserves a second season because I have seen *hints* of the brilliance within. Certain ep's have glowed and shown the depth of the story line (Echo being embedded with secret information is alone enough)
 
Revolver said:
I kind of want it to get a second season so it has a chance to grow and get better but I won't cry if it gets cancelled.
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Well, how long can ir last without becoming completely ridiculous? The entire premise of the show was brainwashed Echo is becoming self aware once more. Just how long can you drag something like that out? It's a great subject for an extended mini-series, which is just about what we have with the shortened first season, but it's just not something that you can keep going indefinitely. Eventually, she IS going to snap out of it, after which the ongoing plot is basically settled, and the survivors can go home.
 
You're not alone - i couldn't really get into it for the first few months. I liked episode 6 a little more than the previous 5, but still wouldn't say that i liked the show much at that point. I certainly wouldn't have kept watching it if it hadn't been a Joss show, and i do remember loving Buffy from the first episode that i saw. I did find the last two episodes of Dollhouse to be enjoyable, so i finally started liking the show at episode 9, but it is still just liking the show at this point, not loving it as i did from the very first experience with Buffy. I guess i was less emotionally invested in the characters, not just the dolls whose personalities we don't see much off, but even the regular characters, until recent episodes have showed them having some vulnerability. I definitely miss the humor, too, that Joss is known for. Plus it also lacks the empowerment theme that probably played as much of a role as the humor and emotional power in getting me hooked on Buffy.

I'll probably keep watching Dollhouse online when i have time to do so, hoping that it will continue its trend of improvement, but i wouldn't be horribly sad if it didn't continue either.
 
white avenger said:
Well, how long can ir last without becoming completely ridiculous? The entire premise of the show was brainwashed Echo is becoming self aware once more. Just how long can you drag something like that out? It's a great subject for an extended mini-series, which is just about what we have with the shortened first season, but it's just not something that you can keep going indefinitely. Eventually, she IS going to snap out of it, after which the ongoing plot is basically settled, and the survivors can go home.
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It doesn't have to stick with the original premise though. Shows can evolve. It was mentioned in one episode that there are like 20 dollhouses. So at some point, self-awareness could lead Echo to decide she needs to bring down all of the dollhouses which would certainly make things bigger. I'm also not a professional writer (big surprise) so I'm sure they can come up with ways to twist the series beyond it's original premise if they really want to keep it going.
 
B
Blondie Bear
Just like Buffy didn't ONLY fight vampires.
I'd really like to see a second season. However, if it's not renewed, I won't consider it a tradegy the way I do about Firefly. I think the quality of the series definately improved after 'Man on the Street' with only 1 of the episodes being average. The rest I thought were good-great. I think with this premise, and the writing team Joss has assembled, that the potential to be great is there and that's why I'd like to see it brought back. Besides, there's so little on TV now that I look forward to.
 
I understand the "not liking it" part, and even how some might feel "guilty" for not liking it BECAUSE it is Whedon.

BUT - you can't like something just because you liked something else. It took me 2 or 3 eppys to get really interested. Now I DO like the show, but it's no where NEAR comparable to Buffy or Angel. I felt the same way about Firefly. Liked it - YES!- but compare it to Buffy/Angel, and it barely gets a nod.

Still - I DO hope for more of the Whedon-esque humor in Dollhouse. Only time will tell.
 
Expectations were just too high.

It's not powerfully character driven with great dialog like Buffy and Angel.

It's not clever like the other undercover mission-of-the-week show, NBC's Chuck.

But it's not bad. If you don't hold it to high expectations, and approach it like any other show, it's pretty entertaining. I'd be surprised if anyone thinks it's amazing, but I think it falls on the entertaining side of mediocre.
 
For me, the episodes are very hit or miss. But to this day I am still not a huge fan of season one of BTVS, so I am *hoping* if they give it a chance and it is renewed, it will get better.
 
I got that feeling but the "guilt" spurred me on to watch it and now i will watch more, but so far i quite enjoy it. What i do think is important is not to compare it to buffy and angel because not many show can be compared to it.
 
I'm not a huge fan.

Now if Boyd and Saunders and Mellie got their own show - Casseroles and Watchers Anonymous or something - I would be all over that. 😉

There's not enough character depth. I have no reason to care about Echo, Caroline grates on my nerves, and I simply don't know enough about Victor and Sierra to have more than a passing interest in them (don't get me wrong, I do like 'em).

Boyd is awesome. He has the most character depth. Saunders has potential. Mellie (as Mellie) is just cute and adorable.

Topher annoys me. But I wasn't a fan of Andrew or Xander, etc., so, that's understandable. The bit with Sierra was cute though. 😉 I wish Adelle would make up her mind about tortured soul or soulless evil. I wish it were the latter. Regardless, the bit with Victor was awful. Paul Ballard makes me want to shoot him. He has no real personality and he's a bastard to Mellie. Therefore, he = evil. 😉

Aside from that, the plots have been mostly meh. There've been some good ones, but the glaring plot holes don't help. Some things I'd do differently (like whatshisname being wiped - I'd make it completely silent, no music, no nothing). And again, I hate Caroline. So, that complicates things.

I'm watching for Alan Tudyk. 😉 And for Lou. And because I'm curious to see what Joss does or doesn't do with this. Remember, though, it's more Eliza than Joss. Anyway, if it's not renewed, oh well. All the more time for a Dr. Horrible sequel or brainwashing -- uh, I mean, persuading, that is... asking -- Joss to do more Firefly. Which would make me happier. 😉

I think it had great potential. I don't think it lived up to it. There were moments where brilliance shone through - Adelle talking with Caroline in the episode where Caroline showed up in the Dollhouse (with the gun and Topher). That was good. It just didn't last long enough.

Anyway, that's my two dollars. Inflation, y'know.
 
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