[Thorzdad]

And Summer Glau. That's never a bad thing.

[Eriamjh]

A most excellent pair of episodes, but the last two look to be the best.

I look forward to seeing Alpha again.

[LegendaryPinkOx]

Mmmyes, quite.

[Eug]

The Topher impersonation was absolutely outstanding.

Originally Posted by Thorzdad 

And Summer Glau. That's never a bad thing.

I was rather disappointed. She doesn't really have a good range for acting, and really showed.

[Teronzhul]

I agree. Summer is cute, but as an actress she's fairly one dimensional. Envar's Topher was phenomenal though. That guy has surprised me again and again on this show.

[Eriamjh]

Originally Posted by Eug 

The Topher impersonation was absolutely outstanding.

Agreed. I LOLed (literally) when they cut to Topher's replacement. It was over the top, but it was quite accurate and humorous to watch.

I was rather disappointed. She doesn't really have a good range for acting, and really showed.

Summer was almost unrecognizable. I stared and stared until I realized it had to be her. She looked like she aged 10 years since her last appearance on Sarah Conner Chronicles (maybe that was the intent?).

I don't know how many episodes are left (2, 3 or 4), but maybe all shows should be threatened with cancellation at the get-go to boost the writing and interest in making something watchable?

One last thing,

 

All of the in-show accusations of the Dollhouse running a whorehouse (chicks for rent) seem to be direct from the Fox management and incorporated into the show. There's no denial of it within the company if you notice, but now the show deliberately is trying to avoid those plots (they got old fast, anyway).

I feel the best plot line is the creation of Alpha and Catherine's ability to somehow hold onto a bit of her past personalities. You can't do four seasons of it, but it interested me the most.

Here's to looking forward to the last few episodes.

[Uncle Skeleton]

Every indication is that these good episodes were the vision of the show from the start, and the awful first episodes were mandated by the studio, to kind of dumb it down for the mass audience.

[jokell82]

Originally Posted by Eug 

The Topher impersonation was absolutely outstanding.


I was rather disappointed. She doesn't really have a good range for acting, and really showed.

Honestly I thought it was the writing, not Summer.

[andi*pandi]

I thought she was acting dolllike, to make you wonder if she were a doll. However Fred did a better job of that, and I think her character is just supposed to be a nutjob.

Good eps. I wish I hadn't watched the previews, but ah, well,

 

Alpha storyline

wasn't forgotten so that's something.

[Eug]

Originally Posted by jokell82 

Honestly I thought it was the writing, not Summer.

Except Summer Glau acts like that in everything she's in: Dollhouse, Serenity, Terminator, 4400.

[jokell82]

Originally Posted by Eug 

Except Summer Glau acts like that in everything she's in: Dollhouse, Serenity, Terminator, 4400.

She definitely didn't in The Unit. But those roles you mention definitely call for that "style" of acting. She isn't really given a chance to show any kind of range.

[Eug]

I thought Dollhouse would have been appropriate for an increased range, but it didn't pan out. But then again I may be out to lunch, as I have no idea what the director intended.

[Mac User #001]

These last two eps were pretty awesome. It was nice to see Summer, but I'll admit as well she seemed a little off, in her usual way. Maybe one day she'll take a role with some real intensity.

 

Victor as Topher was certainly a highlight of the night. That guy is just incredible!

I hope to see more of Victor, Sierra, and November in the coming episodes, though I'm afraid they were there for filler episodes and will now get pushed aside since the story has become of importance now that the end is near.

I'm really looking forward to the next two episodes. Alpha rocks.

 

His new suit rocks. It's a total Joker thing going.

[Chuckit]

Finally got to watch both episodes. I have to say, it's not really Summer's fault that Joss decided to cast her as another crazy person. He does really love that sort of performance — Dru, Fred, River, Tara in Buffy S5 — and I guess he knew Summer could do it. I liked her performance in this role. It felt off, but as the episode went on, I realized it was supposed to. I loved Bennett and Topher's scenes together — awkward and cute all in one big nerdy bundle.

Overall, I really enjoyed these episodes. This is what Dollhouse has the potential to be, with all the twists and the paranoia and the moral quandaries. I'd like to point out that the first hour was written by Andrew Chambliss, who also wrote last season's best episode, "Spy In The House Of Love". He has two more coming up this month, so I'm optimistic that this show is going to end strong.

[Eug]

I wonder if they have a nice wrap up. It would suck if it ended in mid-stride like Defying Gravity did.

[Chuckit]

They're still filming, and they've known it was over for a while now, so they've had time to wrap it up. And judging by the cast's tweets, the last one sounds like a wrapup episode. (I also think Joss knew it was coming, which is why the last episode is "Epitaph Two.")

[Eriamjh]

Two more hours tonight. Be sure your DVRs catch them both.

[Mac User #001]

Alpha pwns all.

And I'm out.

[Chuckit]

Alpha was great. "There's still a part of you that knows this is wrong!" "There are many parts of me that know this is wrong, but none that care, and six that just find it funny."

Alan Tudyk makes a surprisingly good villain, especially considering he was intentionally cast against type.

I find it odd how, now that Dollhouse is canceled, it suddenly gets really good. Like, all of a sudden it's action-packed and has a fast-moving, compelling storyline.

[Uncle Skeleton]

Well, they don't have to worry about being too aggressive with plots that might otherwise bite them in the rear later on, and they don't have to waste time laying the foundation for later seasons, or save any good ideas or twists for a rainy day.

[Mac User #001]

Exactly. No reason to fear burning out the story, as they're already out.

[andi*pandi]

No need to coddle the fox execs either.

Alan is awesome as Alpha, had some great lines. However, I don't always get his motives, aside from, you know, crazy.

[Chuckit]

Alpha wants a friend. That's basically his motive.

[Mac User #001]

No, it's love. Isn't it always love?

[hyteckit]

I just pay for love.

[Mac User #001]

A flat fee or by the (insert unit of measurement for love)?

[Chuckit]

Just wanted to say, anyone who stopped watching early in the season is so missing out. This show is going out in a blaze of glory.

[exca1ibur]

Yeah they are. These last few episodes have been fantastic.

[Eriamjh]

Just caught the Dec 18 eps. It's like watching the 5-year arc on overdrive. So much is happening so quickly that it's not the same show anymore.

I guess the benefit is that Whedon's team got enough notice of cancellation and so they are bringing together all the best concepts and ideas into the final episodes. I doubt the ratings are going to go up for the final 3 eps in January since anyone who stopped watching wouldn't know what the heck is going on.

I'm impressed. Anyone who missed the last 4 episodes should come back and get on board for a potentially wild ride.

[Salty]

I got my room mate addicted to Doctor Who and I'm starting to get him into Dollhouse too, problem is the early episodes aren't nearly as good as the later ones

[Chuckit]

I think it's safe to skip forward to "Gray Hour" or "True Believer". Actually, it's safe to skip all the way to "Man On The Street", but I imagine that episode loses a bit of its impact if you haven't already been set up on the series. The only thing you'll miss is the reveal that Ballard's Russian contact is Victor.

[Cold Warrior]

and make sure you see epitaph one. I had to download it because it never aired in the US (afaik).

[Chuckit]

It's on the DVDs. Pretty much the only way you wouldn't see "Epitaph One" is if you were watching the American broadcast of season 1.

[Eug]

Originally Posted by Eriamjh 

Just caught the Dec 18 eps. It's like watching the 5-year arc on overdrive. So much is happening so quickly that it's not the same show anymore.

I guess the benefit is that Whedon's team got enough notice of cancellation and so they are bringing together all the best concepts and ideas into the final episodes. I doubt the ratings are going to go up for the final 3 eps in January since anyone who stopped watching wouldn't know what the heck is going on.

I'm impressed. Anyone who missed the last 4 episodes should come back and get on board for a potentially wild ride.

Yeah, the pacing is completely out of whack. This should be an arc lasting at least 10 episodes, or more. I do admit the storyline is interesting, but it also feels very rushed and disorganized to me.

[Chuckit]

Originally Posted by Eug 

Yeah, the pacing is completely out of whack. This should be an arc lasting at least 10 episodes, or more. I do admit the storyline is interesting, but it also feels very rushed and disorganized to me.

Well, the arc will total 9 episodes (starting with the episode where Echo composites and runs off with Perrin and counting till the end of the season).

[Eug]

What I meant is the last few episodes seem like half a season's worth of material, but they're trying to cram it all in so it seems disorganized because nothing is fleshed out.

[Uncle Skeleton]

Eug, I agree, the pacing is faster than optimal. On the other hand, it's what I always wish every show did: all plot advancement, no filler. The only reason it's not optimal is because it removes the dramatic tension that comes with the question of whether what you're watching at any point in time is part of the build-up rather than simply for its own sake, because it all is (the build-up). It feels like going off your diet and gorging, I want it all and I want it right now, but if I actually get it all it doesn't satisfy, in this case because of the knowledge that it will end very soon. Still, it feels wrong to complain about getting something I always want from shows (answers, right away), and I'm thankful that they get 10 episodes to unwind it all, instead of only 2 or 3 like a lot of shows get. Or put another way, I'm glad that given they know they have 10 episodes left, they're not wasting even those chances on filler, which is what a lot of shows would do.

If I am going to complain about the show, it will be about too much Echo (soooo sick of her) and not enough Victor, not because they're giving too much story development.

[Chuckit]

Wow, this was a twisty episode. I totally called what Whiskey was about to do. Didn't call the twist at the end at all.

Also, I loved Echo's one-liner during the climax:

Boyd: We're breached!
Echo: That's one word for it.

[Eug]

Twisty, yes. Good, not really IMHO. Basically it was a throw-everything-into-the-blender-and-hope-it-works episode... similar to a couple of other recent ones.

The pacing is so rushed now that they have no time whatsoever to develop anything, and it really shows. Totally disorganized.

[Chuckit]

Really? The only part that felt overly rushed to me was the random reintroduction of Whiskey. The rest of the episode I thought actually worked pretty well. We actually got more backstory on Caroline and Bennett, which I liked because the way Caroline has been drawn so far has been all over the map.

[Eug]

The Whiskey reintroduction was the most glaring.

[Shaddim]

Holy sh*t, didn't see the Boyd twist coming at all.

[andi*pandi]

It seemed very random. Like they needed a bad guy but didn't have time to introduce a new character. I mean, he could have offed echo and brought the house down at any time...

[Thorzdad]

Does anyone actually believe that Bennett repaired Caroline's wedge and didn't sneak in some "gotchas"?

[Chuckit]

Originally Posted by andi*pandi 

It seemed very random. Like they needed a bad guy but didn't have time to introduce a new character. I mean, he could have offed echo and brought the house down at any time...

I didn't think that at all. It's not like introducing a new character takes much time. All they'd need to do is cast somebody different in that role and boom, it's done. I think it will make more sense when we see next week's episode. I don't think Boyd's motives are quite what you're imagining.

[andi*pandi]

That could be. Perhaps like Bennet we'll find more backstory that will make it make sense. He's not a doll since he didn't fall down with Topher's mindwipe-raygun...

and yes, caroline's wedge is made of doom.

What do you think Alpha has to do with any of this?

[Mac User #001]

I'm guessing Alpha is a problem to everyone, even Boyd. He's a real rogue doll, not something planted by anyone.

The twist was indeed twisty. As M. Night would say, "What a twist!"

I liked the episode very much though. Good to see Bennett and Topher get close, bad to see what happened to her. I especially liked it when Topher told Asian assistant girl to leave and never become like him.

Whiskey back is.... odd. But I always knew they had to do something with her, the way she left.

[Eriamjh]

Not a single comment after the Jan 15th episode? I think that says a bit about it.

It moved so fast I could hardly keep my head on. It must have been difficult to write a 44-minute episode that shows what was likely a 5-year story arc.

It wasn't as good as last week's. With one episode to go, I found out that I need to see Epitaph One, the 13th episode from last season that is only on the DVD. No Spoilers from me except that the last episode is titled Epitaph Two and this one ended with another twist.

[Thorzdad]

DOH!
I forgot all about it! Guess I'd slipped back into my previous viewing habits.

[Cold Warrior]

I've enjoyed the pacing and action and am glad they have time to close it out. The Boyd reveal was cool too.