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Chuckit · 10:47 AM

No, Tango was a blonde chick. There was a dude as well, but I forget was his name was if they said it.

EDIT: Ah, of course, his name was Mike.

reader50 · Oct 23, 2009, 07:22 PM

Reminder: A treatment is scheduled for tonight in USA / Canada.

Screener DVDs were provided to several web sites. The reviewers report the episode tonight (and the next one) are both strong episodes.

Uncle Skeleton · Oct 24, 2009, 07:33 PM

Anyone watch it?

It was definitely one of their best, if for no other reason than that there was refreshingly little of Echo.

RAILhead · Oct 24, 2009, 09:09 PM

Wow, that one a GREAT episode! One of the best IMHO.

andi*pandi · Oct 25, 2009, 10:10 PM

Thought Topher showed some range. And interesting that Boyd helped him.

Shaddim · Oct 26, 2009, 01:15 AM

Boyd had to help him, or that Dollhouse would have been dismantled.

May be my favorite yet. I knew what he would do with Sierra almost from the beginning of the episode, because it's what I would have done. He's closer to her than any other active, and I think he may even love her (as much as he's capable of loving). Topher has always reminded me of myself and my struggles with morality.

reader50 · Oct 26, 2009, 03:13 AM

Excellent.

I'd like to think DeWitt deliberately tried to push Topher's buttons. Into him doing something she didn't dare order. But I'm not sure.

Eriamjh · Oct 26, 2009, 12:01 PM

Topher followed directions... to a point.
I don't remember anyone specifying WHAT personality to imprint in her. He just chose one that was a little... destructive.

Interesting twist. Not sure who runs the Dollhouse, now. DeWitt obviously...

reports to a higher authority of some kind (I wasn't really paying full attention).

Isn't killing your customer a bad thing?

reader50 · Oct 26, 2009, 02:13 PM

There is another spy in the LA dollhouse. One who reports to the higher-ups. Either Dollhouse HQ (mentioned last season) or Rossum (implied to be in charge this season).

Reason: he knew about Ms LonleyHearts. Which only Topher should know about, since it looked like Victor/Roger gave his handler the slip. DeWitt is being watched somehow.

Uncle Skeleton · Oct 26, 2009, 03:19 PM

Originally Posted by reader50

DeWitt is being watched somehow.

DeWitt is a doll! You heard it here first

There is another spy in the LA dollhouse.

That's not necessarily true, maybe they have PIs check up on the private lives of their executives the old fashioned way.

RAILhead · Oct 26, 2009, 03:22 PM

I assumed she was a Doll from the beginning (as is most of the staff). It's simply logical in case they ever needed to clear their tracks: pick people, make them Dolls to perform their duties, restore them when/if needed, and they won't know anything ever happened.

reader50 · Oct 26, 2009, 03:52 PM

I'd like to know more about Boyd's past. Pretty sure he didn't pick up everything from cop school.

Peter · Oct 27, 2009, 08:27 PM

just started watching this. up to about episode 7 of first season. Seems really good, really dig the male ex-FBI dude.

Chuckit · Oct 27, 2009, 08:44 PM

Originally Posted by reader50

There is another spy in the LA dollhouse. One who reports to the higher-ups. Either Dollhouse HQ (mentioned last season) or Rossum (implied to be in charge this season).

They seem to be implying the Dollhouses are subsidiaries of Rossum, so Dollhouse HQ would be Rossum as well.

Originally Posted by reader50

Reason: he knew about Ms LonleyHearts. Which only Topher should know about, since it looked like Victor/Roger gave his handler the slip. DeWitt is being watched somehow.

No need to follow Victor if there's a suspicious money trail. That snazzy house had to come from somewhere. Looks pretty easy to trace, and I'd expect Dollhouse HQ to be keeping a close eye on DeWitt since she's in a position that naturally attracts unscrupulous folks.

If there is another mole, there are only two possibilities: Ivy and the newly bitter Whiskey. No way it's Boyd, Ballard or Topher, and nobody else we've seen has sufficient access (and it would be lame if it turned out to be like, "It's that dude over there eating a baguette!").

I definitely don't buy the "Everybody's a doll" theory, just because it strikes me as way too Shyamalan.

reader50 · Oct 27, 2009, 09:12 PM

Originally Posted by Uncle Skeleton

That's not necessarily true, maybe they have PIs check up on the private lives of their executives the old fashioned way.

Originally Posted by Chuckit

No need to follow Victor if there's a suspicious money trail. That snazzy house had to come from somewhere.

It could well be the PI route to follow Victor, and/or the money trail. I agree a highly-placed mole in the LA Dollhouse is unlikely.

But a mole is passing info further up, because of the "Ms LonleyHearts" thing. That isn't the official client name, it is slang used by the staff for the old lady supposedly contracting for Victor. Only someone on staff could have passed that name upwards. A handler perhaps.

Uncle Skeleton · Oct 27, 2009, 10:35 PM

Unless that name was passed downwards in the first place, you know as part of the corporate culture. Surely there has been more than one lonely old bag on the client list before...

edit: and for the record I meant that the PI would follow DeWitt, not Victor.

reader50 · Nov 6, 2009, 05:13 PM

Schedule Update

Belonging (ep 4) is the latest aired episode, from October 23. Dollhouse is off air during November sweeps. Episodes resume in December with double episodes. Producers suggest this may be convenient story-wise, causing 2-parters to air together.

FOX has not said why they made the schedule change. You'd think original Dollhouse episodes would draw more viewers than reruns. Or possibly Fox is saving the next Dollhouse episodes to take over December. Early reviewers and inside sources suggest the December episodes are 'crazy'. The good kind of crazy.

November sweeps, Fridays 9 PM = Bones reruns
December 4, 8-10 PM = ep 5 / 6 (Summer Glau guests in these)
December 11, 8-10 PM = ep 7 / 8
December 18, 8-10 PM = ep 9 / 10
December 25 = 'Til Death marathon
January 1 = college football
January 8, 9-10 PM = ep 11
Dollhouse returns to it's regular timeslot going forward in January.

andi*pandi · Nov 7, 2009, 07:23 PM

Thanks, I was wondering what was up with the show.

It must be good, that I was looking forward to watching it on Friday.

Eriamjh · Nov 7, 2009, 08:51 PM

Remember that they have to stretch the 13 episodes of DH out enough so it seems like a full season.

Salty · Nov 8, 2009, 03:17 AM

Damn you fox! Btw I really really really enjoyed this last episode even if I normally hate Sierra... something about the actress... her head is big but her arms are sooo skinny! But I'm sure most of the straight guys want to bang her.

Chuckit · Nov 8, 2009, 04:58 PM

Um, Sierra is not really the eye candy of the show. I mean, she's pretty enough, but more unusual than anything else. But Dichen Lachman is a freakin' awesome actress. I always look forward to her episodes. She really gets into these characters in a way that I hadn't expected from a former Australian soap star.

Shaddim · Nov 8, 2009, 10:10 PM

Originally Posted by Salty

Damn you fox! Btw I really really really enjoyed this last episode even if I normally hate Sierra... something about the actress... her head is big but her arms are sooo skinny! But I'm sure most of the straight guys want to bang her.

No, not really.

Uncle Skeleton · Nov 9, 2009, 11:51 AM

Amazingly, a lot of people actually watch TV for reasons other than as a substitute for porn...

Chuckit · Nov 11, 2009, 04:31 PM

Ouch. Bad news.

Shaddim · Nov 11, 2009, 04:45 PM

It's FOX, it's to be expected.

nonhuman · Nov 11, 2009, 05:34 PM

They cancelled T:SCC for this?

Eriamjh · Nov 11, 2009, 05:48 PM

The Whedon-verse is collapsing once again.

Chuckit · Nov 11, 2009, 06:16 PM

Originally Posted by nonhuman

They cancelled T:SCC for this?

Um, no.

Thorzdad · Nov 11, 2009, 06:36 PM

Yup. It's official.

Eug · Nov 11, 2009, 06:44 PM

Originally Posted by Thorzdad

Yup. It's official.

Not surprising. Perhaps they should have hired different writers, ie. not his brother and sister-in-law.

Chuckit · Nov 11, 2009, 07:43 PM

Originally Posted by Eug

Not surprising. Perhaps they should have hired different writers, ie. not his brother and sister-in-law.

What? Jed Whedon and Maurissa Tancharoen have only written three episodes that have aired so far — one of them was the second-best of the series ("Epitaph One") and another was the best this season ("Belonging"). I think you could have picked any other writer on the series, including Joss himself, and had a more valid point.

Speaking of writers, the man who wrote my very favorite episode, "Spy in the House of Love," has three more coming up in December according to IMDb.

hyteckit · Nov 11, 2009, 09:07 PM

Originally Posted by hyteckit

Show will get canceled soon I bet.

You betcha.

Chuckit · Nov 11, 2009, 09:14 PM

Originally Posted by hyteckit

You betcha.

Gosh, next are you going to predict that it will be cold for a few months?

hyteckit · Nov 11, 2009, 09:58 PM

Originally Posted by Chuckit

Gosh, next are you going to predict that it will be cold for a few months?

You betcha.

Shaddim · Nov 11, 2009, 11:13 PM

Well, at least I can say it was better than that pathetic ball of **** called T:TSCC.

Maybe Joss will learn that that he should pitch his ideas to better networks, like HBO, AMC, or Showtime.

Eug · 11:34 PM

So, those networks would have magically made the writing better?

I will concede that Belonging was indeed better than many of the other episodes. However, IMO it was more because of tone than content. I found it quite hard to buy that psycho scientist bit. It seemed very forced. Well, maybe that wasn't necessarily just because of the writing. It could have been because of the actor too.

But then again, I thought Heroes died a writing death in the second season, and yet that show inexplicably managed to survive for several more seasons.

hyteckit · Nov 11, 2009, 11:33 PM

Other shows getting canned.

Networks Play the Cancellation Card - Yahoo! TV Blog

Monk
Trauma

Eug · Nov 11, 2009, 11:38 PM

If only they could cancel Dancing With the Stars, American Idol, and just about every other "reality" show on TV. Even though I was disappointed with Dollhouse, those things are about 10 times worse.

I will admit I watched Steve Wozniak in a couple of episodes of DWTS though. It's like watching a pudgy and sweaty train wreck.

Mac User #001 · Nov 12, 2009, 12:55 AM

Damn it. So you all heard the news then, too.

Chuckit · Nov 12, 2009, 02:49 AM

Originally Posted by Shaddim

Maybe Joss will learn that that he should pitch his ideas to better networks, like HBO, AMC, or Showtime.

Dollhouse is actually Eliza's show. It was sold to Fox before Joss came on board. I agree, though, that Joss totally needs to pitch his next series to HBO. The man was made for pay TV.

I'm still bitter against Showtime for driving Bryan Fuller away from Dead Like Me.

Originally Posted by hyteckit

Other shows getting canned.

Networks Play the Cancellation Card - Yahoo! TV Blog

Monk
Trauma

Monk's actually not canceled per se — the producers just decided to end it.

Shaddim · Nov 12, 2009, 05:46 AM

Originally Posted by Eug

So, those networks would have magically made the writing better?

I will concede that Belonging was indeed better than many of the other episodes. However, IMO it was more because of tone than content. I found it quite hard to buy that psycho scientist bit. It seemed very forced. Well, maybe that wasn't necessarily just because of the writing. It could have been because of the actor too.

But then again, I thought Heroes died a writing death in the second season, and yet that show inexplicably managed to survive for several more seasons.

I'm sure they would have been given more creative license elsewhere. Fox is a pathetic excuse for a network.

andi*pandi · Nov 12, 2009, 10:42 AM

Fox would have cancelled Mad Men after 3 episodes. "What's with the old-fashioned clothes and hairstyles? A show about advertising? What? Is it like the Office? No? Pass."

Go to AMC Joss. Go someplace else!

Eug · Nov 12, 2009, 11:25 AM

What makes you think those channels would have heavily supported something like Dollhouse?

Mac User #001 · Nov 12, 2009, 11:28 AM

Not heavily supported, just, you know, actually supported. Something Fox is incapable of.

SpaceMonkey · Nov 12, 2009, 11:35 AM

A lot of cable channels have to keep more of a specific audience in mind, though. For example, AMC seems to be going retro in its original programming -- Mad Men, The Prisoner "re-imagining."

andi*pandi · Nov 12, 2009, 11:37 AM

Well, Sci-Fi would be the obvious choice for most of Whedon's work, but SyFy, I don't know.

AMC, Bravo, or HBO might not be as much as a genre fit, but they tend to stick with things longer. A show is an investment for them. Production values are, well, valued.

Now, why HBO dropped the ball on their good shows... another thread.

Chuckit · Nov 12, 2009, 11:40 AM

To wit, you can't stick a show that you know will skew fairly young on Friday nights and then act disappointed when most people DVR it.